For the vast majority of cultivators in this world, while emotion held importance, what truly mattered was the repeated breaking of life’s limits to become supreme powerhouses, achieving eternal life. But cultivation could not rely on diligence or mere talent alone; it demanded immense resources. And Spirit Stones were the undisputed hard currency of this world.

Earning Spirit Stones was the paramount concern. It was precisely because of this, as Fan Quqing’s rumored trump cards were exposed and gossip relentlessly pushed Tianmo into an unfavorable light, that people began betting on Fan Quqing to win. Even though winning meant gaining only half the profit, betting on Tianmo would simply be throwing Spirit Stones into a dry well.

In the bustling marketplace outside the vast square of Star-Plucking Peak, several Foundation Establishment stage cultivators of varying ages were communicating via sound transmission, discussing the odds. “Brother Zhao, in my view, this is just a smokescreen thrown out by the master bookmaker. Our Kang Prefecture boasts formidable demonic powerhouses. Furthermore, the Yinsha Sect will undoubtedly spare no effort to support Lord Tianmo; how could they possibly lose to that slut from the Taishang Sect?”

“Little Chen, you are still too naive. Although the Yinsha Sect ranks among the Eight Great Sects in Kang Prefecture, if placed in the greater context of the Daqian Continent, it would barely count as a minor faction. Just how powerful is the Taishang Sect? Even a single heaven-defying exotic treasure they casually produce could unleash world-shattering devastation. I say Lord Tianmo, though strong, is no match for Fan Quqing.”

“Indeed, the Taishang Sect can summon Celestial Soldiers and Generals to assist them with a mere gesture.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Hurry and place your bets on Fan Quqing winning! If we wait any longer, the odds will surely drop.”

...

Within an illusion formation in a quiet courtyard, complete with arching bridges and flowing streams, several Golden Core cultivators of the righteous path were elegantly sipping tea and chatting. One of them, carrying a long sword on his back, possessing a face as white as jade and a long, flowing beard, frowned and said, “Fellow Daoists, what are your thoughts on this pinnacle duel? This humble Daoist believes this matter concerns the future standing of the Yinsha Sect, and they will certainly commit the sect’s entire strength to ensuring Lord Tianmo wins this life-and-death battle. I heard they procured a puppet from the Tianji Sect with the strength of an early Nascent Soul stage cultivator. Since Lord Tianmo’s odds are currently high, perhaps we should place our wager on her?”

An elder with the demeanor of a pristine breeze, possessing an ageless face and white hair, shook his head. “Although the Yinsha Sect is strong, its foundation is far inferior to ancient sects like the Taishang Sect. While the Eight Sons of Lingxiao are arrogant, they are undeniably powerful. When they visited my Langya Mountain last time, they brought along a Celestial General whose power rivaled that of a late Nascent Soul expert—its might was terrifying to the extreme.”

“‘Brought along’? My ancestor said that is one of the Taishang Sect’s supreme techniques, the Grand Weapon Manual,” interjected another cultivator, resembling a young, affluent gentleman, fanning himself dismissively. “Once the Grand Weapon Manual is cultivated to perfection, one can summon countless Celestial Soldiers and Generals with a mere wave of the hand. Of course, those are mere projections. If true Celestial Soldiers and Generals could descend from the Celestial Realm, any single one of them could sweep across our entire Kang Prefecture.”

“With such profound power, how can Tianmo possibly win?” The faces of the Golden Core cultivators grew grim.

“So Tianmo loses, so what? Why do all of you look as if you’ve lost your closest kin? She’s a member of the Demonic Path anyway; what does it have to do with us righteous folk? However, exploiting the situation to earn some money is certainly worthwhile. This seat has decided to bet ten million on Fan Quqing winning.”

...

Putting aside the cultivators from other sects, even many of the Grand Elders within the Yinsha Sect itself believed Tianmo’s chances of victory were slim, despite expending great cost to acquire that early Nascent Soul puppet. The Yinsha Sect certainly wished to acquire battle pets with dense Divine Beast bloodlines or supreme Spiritual Ghosts, but alas, setting aside the difficulty of obtaining such things, there simply wasn't enough time to nurture them from scratch. Even if they had the inventory, spending the money would just be throwing it away.

This internal distrust further solidified the general view among the Nascent Soul elites of Kang Prefecture that Tianmo was unlikely to prevail. Following this, an unforeseen disaster struck. In her haste to counter the Grand Weapon Manual, Tianmo obsessively practiced a secret art called the ‘Demon Control Incantation.’ Unexpectedly, she suffered a backlash from the demonic entities, resulting in severe soul damage. The Demon Control Incantation was, in essence, a secret art corresponding to the Taishang Weapon Manual. While the righteous path could summon projections of Celestial Soldiers and Generals, some practitioners could summon projections of Demon Soldiers and Generals from the Demonic Realm.

However, communication between the Celestial Realm and the Demonic Realm was currently impossible. They could only condense a projection through extremely faint residual connections. The more powerful the projection, the harder it was to summon. Many demonic sects possessed the ‘Demon Control Incantation,’ but usually only incomplete fragments, making mastery rare. Cultivating this art required one’s spiritual sense to communicate with the demons in the Demonic Realm; the slightest carelessness could invite a violent backlash.

Although the Yinsha Sect moved with swift decisiveness to conceal the matter immediately, no wall was truly impenetrable. Rumors began to spread in secret. Those veterans who had lived for many years naturally possessed their own means of obtaining intelligence. Soon, they were almost certain that Tianmo was indeed injured, and her soul damage was critical.

Cultivators were fundamentally pragmatic. Even though many outwardly voiced righteous support for Tianmo, the Nascent Soul cultivators of every sect dispatched their subordinate disciples to bet on Fan Quqing winning. It was hardly surprising; Tianmo’s initial probability of victory was already low, and now her soul was compromised.

When the established powers of the Jianghu made their moves, it was impossible to keep the secret contained. Those wavering cultivators, sensing the shift, rushed to flood their bets onto Fan Quqing. Who wouldn't jump at a chance that seemed like a guaranteed, risk-free profit?

In a secret chamber, listening to Blood Demon report that the wagers on Fan Quqing had already surpassed 2.5 billion Spirit Stones and were climbing toward 3 billion, while bets on Tianmo barely touched 100 million (likely just speculative gambles), even Lei Dong could not help but gasp. Damn it, although he had orchestrated things so that many people would bet on Fan Quqing, this volume was simply too exaggerated.

“Blood Elder, the decisive battle is in two days. If this trend continues, I estimate the final total could breach 4 billion Spirit Stones. We’ve struck gold! Let’s add more fuel to the fire—raise Lord Tianmo’s odds slightly and lower Fan Quqing’s odds further,” Lei Dong couldn't help but smile. The more bets placed, the more he stood to earn. Lowering Fan Quqing’s odds further was actually a contrarian strategy; this kind of adjustment would only make people believe Fan Quqing’s victory was even more certain.

Blood Demon was profoundly worried. He was unaware of Tianmo’s true trump cards, only knowing about the two early Nascent Soul Ghost Kings. He nervously asked, “My Lord, what if Lord Tianmo is defeated? We won’t be able to cover the losses. This time, the bets are being placed under the sect’s official name. If we lose, we will owe the sect an astronomical amount of Spirit Stones.”

Lei Dong chuckled. “If things go south, we’ll just have to flee.” He laughed again. “After all, we can’t pay it back—we’re talking billions of Spirit Stones. We’ll just scoop up the money and drag our families off to Zhaozhou.”

Blood Demon was momentarily speechless. His master’s thinking was truly… unique. Fleeing? How could he even think of that? But billions of Spirit Stones—even he, Blood Demon, would go mad for that sum. In all his long years, he had never seen such wealth.

After Blood Demon withdrew, Lei Dong entered his Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land. This domain was vastly different from its initial state. After first refining the Grotto-Heaven, Lei Dong had quickly grasped some of its functions and understood the rules governing this treasure.

Before refinement, it was merely a small valley spanning thirty feet square. Now, the valley had expanded significantly, reaching a diameter of over a hundred feet—nearly one li. Lei Dong understood that the size of this Grotto-Heaven was directly linked to his soul strength. Reaching the mental acuity of an early Nascent Soul cultivator would roughly yield this one-li size; reaching a mid-Nascent Soul level would allow for a two-li expanse.

Although Lei Dong’s cultivation level was far from reaching early Nascent Soul, his soul strength, due to various accumulated factors, was already nearing that threshold.

What did a one-li radius imply? To use Lei Dong’s pre-transmigration terminology, it was about fifteen or sixteen thousand square meters. It wasn't enormous, but it certainly wasn't small either. Furthermore, having mastered the Grotto-Heaven, Lei Dong also controlled some of its intrinsic rules, such as the ability to instantly erect structures. The ancient, aesthetically pleasing buildings of Kang Prefecture, while beautiful, were inefficient in land utilization.

Thus, after contemplating for a while, Lei Dong decided to implement the modern architectural styles from his former world. Developers driven by profit could utilize land to its absolute maximum efficiency. Lei Dong used his spiritual sense to construct a skyscraper within the small valley. He initially considered making it infinitely tall, but the high atmosphere seemed shrouded in mist, restricting its height to only a few hundred feet.

Even so, Lei Dong managed to build this skyscraper to one hundred stories.

The lower floors maximized area utilization, consisting of simple suite rooms and meditation chambers designed for Qi Refining novices, with each floor capable of housing over a hundred young cultivators. There were thirty such floors, accommodating up to three thousand Qi Refining cultivators. Above these levels were the dedicated meditation areas for Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul cultivators.

In Lei Dong’s plan, Nascent Soul cultivators would each occupy an entire floor, with the internal space shaped entirely according to their own preferences.

Currently, the highest floor was occupied by Tianmo. With a mere thought, Lei Dong appeared on the top level. Tianmo had already finished refining the Netherflame Ghost Banner Lei Dong had provided and was now continuously summoning and training Netherflame Ghosts. Although Lei Dong possessed the Nether Body and strong spiritual sense, he simply couldn't compare to Tianmo. Lei Dong could command a maximum of four hundred thousand ghosts.

But Tianmo, it was estimated, could command up to six hundred thousand. What did six hundred thousand ghosts signify? Lei Dong knew intimately how potent his own ghosts were; deploying a few thousand could send a high-stage Golden Core cultivator fleeing in terror. He had every reason to believe that even a late-stage Nascent Soul expert would struggle immensely against such a force.