Chapter 200: Chapter 145: Spirit Forging Fire

Lü Zhong immersed his Divine Sense, and the Spirit Forging Fire Secret Skill was his.

Having used his exchange privilege, he wasn’t in a hurry to leave. Instead, he remained in the Library, frantically browsing through its collection. He paid special attention to the various Identification Books.

To save time, he used his Divine Sense to flip through the pages. ’After all, with the Gray Mist Space, I can organize everything I see now and commit it to memory later when I have more time.’

In half a day, he had gotten through most of what he wanted to read. The rest were miscellaneous books like biographies. These volumes often contained information, whether intentionally or unintentionally revealed by their authors, and could potentially hide secrets to great opportunities. Lü Zhong, however, didn’t have that kind of time.

Just then, a servant girl arrived with a message. Tan Shihe had sent for him, saying he had something to discuss in person.

The servant girl led the way, and they soon arrived at a mansion.

In the main hall, Tan Shihe, dressed in a green robe, was already waiting.

He had put on quite a bit of weight recently, but his brow was creased with worry. Seeing Lü Zhong arrive, he rose to greet him, cupping his hands and forcing a smile. "Fellow Daoist Lü, I trust you’ve been well?"

"It’s always peaceful on Liuyun Mountain, so life has been quite comfortable," Lü Zhong said with a casual smile.

It was the truth. His days at the Liuyun Mountain Farm had been the most comfortable of his life. He didn’t have to worry about a lack of resources, and there were always ways to pass the time. If it were possible, he truly wished it could go on like this forever.

Hearing this, Tan Shihe felt a pang of envy. He knew about Lü Zhong’s recent situation, which was far better than his own. He was trapped in a whirlwind of trouble, completely overwhelmed. And now he faced a major problem. If he couldn’t resolve it in time, dragging it out would lead to disaster.

He recalled his family’s intelligence report and its analysis of Lü Zhong’s personality.

Tan Shihe sighed softly and got straight to the point. "To be perfectly honest, I have a rather presumptuous favor to ask..."

"Oh? In that case, if it’s an imposition, don’t say it." Lü Zhong asked nothing of others, so he wasn’t afraid to cause offense. The moment Tan Shihe opened his mouth, he knew what was coming and wanted no part in the matter.

’In cultivation, you can live a lot longer by not actively looking for trouble.’

"Fellow Daoist Lü, you’re really one of a kind!" Tan Shihe was taken aback for a moment. After a long, bitter smile, he said wryly, "But even if you don’t wish to hear it, I must speak..."

At this, he decided to drop all pretense. "There is a competition, and I would like to ask you to fight in my stead."

Lü Zhong mentally rolled his eyes. ’How can this guy be even more shameless than I am?’

Since the other man had already cast aside all pretense, Lü Zhong couldn’t just refuse him outright, lest he truly fly into a rage out of shame. He had no choice but to ask, "What kind of competition? Is my life at risk? What are the benefits for winning? And for losing?"

’Benefits even for losing?’

Now it was Tan Shihe’s turn to be taken aback. Fortunately, he was well aware of how much Loose Cultivators valued their interests, so he began his explanation.

As it turned out, the Tan Family’s various businesses were not permanently managed by the same individuals. Instead, a competition was held every ten years. The incumbent manager would act as the defender, facing challenges from other Tan Family members. If they lost, they had to relinquish control of the enterprise.

The Treasure Food Boat, which Tan Shihe managed, was one such enterprise.

The Treasure Food Boat was crucial for his personal cultivation and for supplying his children with cultivation resources. He was naturally unwilling to hand it over and be forced to live a hard life dependent on family subsidies. Lacking confidence in his own strength, he had pinned all his hopes on Lü Zhong.

At the very least, Tan Shihe considered himself weaker than Lü Zhong.

As the defender, he was permitted to hire a cultivator of the same Realm to fight in his place.

The challengers, of course, could do the same.

Lü Zhong finished listening. ’What an interesting rule,’ he thought.

However, he was confident that even without using his Qingyang Mirror, his strength was top-tier among Early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators. He figured winning against an opponent of the same level wouldn’t be difficult.

"And the reward?"

"I heard you acquired the Spirit Forging Fire, Fellow Daoist. If you can successfully defend the Treasure Food Boat, I am willing to offer a Golden Sun Insect Fire as your reward!" Tan Shihe seemed well-prepared as he stated his offer.

’Golden Sun Insect Fire...’ Lü Zhong thought for a moment. He recalled that it was indeed a type of Yang Fire, which happened to meet the requirements for cultivating the Spirit Forging Fire. Although its power was a bit low, it could still be considered a precious item.

’Until I can obtain a better Yang Fire, there’s no harm in using this one to make do for now.’

’Refining with it for a little longer would also help purify my True Essence.’

The only prerequisite for obtaining the Golden Sun Insect Fire, however, was helping Tan Shihe successfully defend his title.

Lü Zhong didn’t want to work for nothing. "I assume you’ve gathered intelligence on your opponents, Fellow Daoist Tan," he asked. "Why don’t you show it to me? That way I can properly assess the situation. If I feel confident enough, I have no problem taking this on."

"Here."

Tan Shihe handed over a Jade Scroll. Then, to dispel any lingering doubts, he added, "Fellow Daoist Lü, you needn’t worry about fighting someone from a higher Realm. According to our family’s rules for the competition, you will only face opponents whose cultivation is the same as ours—at the Early-stage Foundation Establishment Realm."

After reviewing the contents of the Jade Scroll, Lü Zhong saw that it was just as the man said: all potential opponents were in the Early-stage Foundation Establishment Realm.

The list included both Tan Family members and hired fighters like himself. A surprising number of them were Honored Guest Elders, which was quite an eye-opener for Lü Zhong.

"Of course, even if we are unsuccessful, I will still present you with a bottle of Clear Melody Pills. I certainly won’t let you work for free!" Tan Shihe was clearly a calculating man; he had a smooth, practiced way of handling things.

Lü Zhong, for his part, understood the man’s intentions.

’But what can I do?’ he thought. ’I really do want that Golden Sun Insect Fire.’

After careful consideration, he decided to act as a hired fighter this one time. The sooner he obtained the Golden Sun Insect Fire, the purer his True Essence would become, which would in turn increase his chance of reaching Core Formation, even if only by a sliver.

Reaching Core Formation was no easy feat. Success was only made possible by stacking up these tiny slivers of probability.

"In that case, you can leave this matter to me!"

Lü Zhong then took up residence in Tan Shihe’s mansion, awaiting the start of the competition in half a month.