The Internal Sect Competition had ended. The sun was setting, casting long shadows over the Grand Plaza. But nobody was leaving.
Thousands of disciples stood frozen, staring at the betting board. [Winner: Wei Wu.] [Payout: 1 : 500.]
The fat deacon of the betting house sat on the ground, weeping openly. He was clutching a ledger that was now redder than a baboon's backside. Beside him, Jiang Chen stood with his hand extended, palm open.
"Pay up," Jiang Chen said pleasantly.
"Elder Jiang..." the fat deacon choked out. "We... we don't have it. You bet 5 million High-Grade Spirit Stones. The payout is 2.5 billion. The entire liquid assets of the Mystic Cloud Sect are only 1 billion!"
The crowd gasped. 2.5 billion. That was enough to buy a small kingdom. That was enough to start a new sect. Jiang Chen had essentially bankrupted the administration in a single afternoon.
"I don't care about your liquidity problems," Jiang Chen fanned himself. "I am a businessman. A contract is a contract. If you don't have cash, I accept assets. Land. Mines. Spirit Beasts. I'll even take the Grand Hall's chandelier."
"Insolence!"
A roar shook the plaza. The pressure was suffocating. Grand Elder Feng descended from the VIP platform. He landed in front of the betting table, his grey robes fluttering with angry Qi. His cultivation base—Spirit Severing Level 3—erupted, cracking the stone floor.
"You dare bankrupt the Sect?" Feng roared, pointing a shaking finger at Jiang Chen. "You used tricks! Your disciples used forbidden items! Explosives! Hidden weapons! That blind boy didn't even fight; he used some demonic art to make Gu Jian surrender!"
"This competition is void!" Feng declared, his voice echoing like thunder. "The bets are void! And your disciples are disqualified for cheating!"
The crowd whispered. "The Grand Elder is reneging?" "To be fair, 2.5 billion is insane..." "But voiding the win? That's shameless."
Jiang Chen didn't flinch. He didn't step back. He simply snapped his fan shut. The sharp click cut through the Grand Elder's pressure.
"Cheating?" Jiang Chen asked, his voice cold. "My disciples stood in the arena. Your disciples flew out of it. If being rich and talented is cheating, then arrest me."
"You..." Feng's face turned purple. "You defy a Grand Elder? I suspect you are a spy from the Demonic Path! Only a demon would demand the sect's bankruptcy!"
Feng's eyes flashed with malice. He raised his hand. Spiritual energy gathered, forming a giant spectral claw. "I will capture you first, then interrogate you!"
He was going to attack. He wanted to suppress Jiang Chen right here to void the debt.
"Kneel!" Feng shouted, slamming the spectral claw down.
Jiang Chen sighed. "System," he whispered. "Activate [Emperor Aura]."
ZOOM.
For the second time that day, the world stopped. The air turned gold. The pressure of a Spirit Severing Level 3 expert was instantly washed away like dirt in a tsunami. Behind Jiang Chen, the phantom of the Celestial Emperor appeared again. This time, it was clearer. It looked down at Grand Elder Feng with eyes that contained the birth and death of stars.
[Emperor Level 9 Pressure: Active.]
"Kneel?" Jiang Chen repeated.
He took one step forward.
BOOM.
Grand Elder Feng felt the sky collapse on his shoulders. The spectral claw shattered instantly. His knees buckled. "What... what is this?!" Feng gasped, his face turning pale. "This pressure... Void Treading? No... higher?!"
"You owe me money," Jiang Chen took another step.
CRACK.
Feng's defensive barrier shattered. He was forced down to one knee, sweating profusely. He tried to stand, but the weight of the Emperor Aura was absolute.
"And you owe me a Peak," Jiang Chen took a third step.
Feng slammed into the ground, forced into a full kowtow. His forehead hit the stone floor. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He could only tremble under the gaze of a being that felt like a God.
The thousands of disciples watched in terrified silence. The arrogant Grand Elder... was forced to kneel by the 'Trash Peak' Master? Who was Jiang Chen? Was he a hidden ancestor? A monster in human skin?
Jiang Chen raised his hand, ready to deliver a slap that would echo through history.
"Enough!"
A calm voice intervened. A figure appeared between Jiang Chen and the kneeling Grand Elder. Sect Leader Liu Cang.
Liu Cang waved his sleeve. A soft, neutral energy pushed back Jiang Chen's pressure (which was fading anyway as the 20 seconds were almost up) and shielded the Grand Elder.
Liu Cang looked at Jiang Chen, his eyes complicated. He had seen the aura. He knew Jiang Chen was hiding a terrifying secret. But he was the Sect Leader. He had to save the sect's face.
"Elder Jiang," Liu Cang said softly. "Please retract your aura. If you kill the Grand Elder, we will really be short-staffed."
Jiang Chen shrugged. The golden phantom faded. "I am a reasonable man, Sect Leader. I just hate bad debtors."
Grand Elder Feng gasped for air, scrambling back, looking at Jiang Chen with pure terror. He didn't dare speak again.
"The debt stands," Liu Cang announced, his voice firm. "The Mystic Cloud Sect honors its bets."
He looked at the fat deacon. "Calculate the total."
"2.5 billion, Sect Leader," the deacon sobbed.
Liu Cang winced. "We cannot pay 2.5 billion in liquid stones. It would stop the sect's operations for ten years."
He turned to Jiang Chen. "Elder Jiang. We cannot give you the cash. We must negotiate a settlement in assets."
Jiang Chen smiled. This was what he wanted. Cash was good. But land? Land was power.
"Fine," Jiang Chen pulled out a list he had prepared days ago. "I will waive 2 billion of the debt. In exchange for the following:"
"1. Desolate Cloud Peak is renamed The Divine Dragon Peak. It becomes an autonomous zone. No Elder, not even you, can enter without my permission."
"2. I want the Southern Spirit Mine." (This was the Sword Peak's main source of income).
"3. I want the Herb Garden of the West Valley." (This was the Pill Peak's treasure).
"4. The Grand Elder will publicly apologize to my disciples for calling them trash."
"And 5," Jiang Chen pointed at the shivering fat deacon. "He works for me now."
The crowd gasped. Jiang Chen was carving flesh from the other peaks! The Southern Spirit Mine alone was worth a fortune!
Grand Elder Feng, who was the patron of the Sword Peak, looked like he wanted to vomit blood. "You... you want the Mine?!"
"It's that or the 2.5 billion," Jiang Chen smiled. "Do you have the cash, Elder Feng?"
Feng grit his teeth so hard a molar cracked. He looked at the Sect Leader. Liu Cang sighed. "Agreed."
"What?!" Feng shouted.
"We lost," Liu Cang said coldly. "The disciples of the 12th Peak dominated. They are now the face of our Sect for the Alliance Summit. We must invest in the strong."
Liu Cang threw a token to Jiang Chen. [Title Deed: Southern Spirit Mine.] [Title Deed: Western Herb Garden.]
"The debt is settled," Liu Cang declared. "Desolate Cloud Peak is now the Divine Dragon Peak."
The Celebration (and the Headache)
Back on the newly named Divine Dragon Peak, the party was in full swing.
Ye Kai was eating a roasted spiritual boar (bought with the winnings). Su Ling was counting money. She had built a fort out of Spirit Stones and was sitting inside it. Wei Wu was polishing his sword, looking calm. Bob the Ghost was wearing a gold chain.
Jiang Chen sat on his throne, looking at his System Panel.
[System Alert: Host has acquired massive territory.] [Cashback Feature Updated.] [New Feature Unlocked: Sect Construction Mode.] [You can now invest in Buildings. Current Funds: 500 Million Spirit Stones.]
Jiang Chen grinned. He had land. He had resources. He had money. And in one month, he had to lead his disciples to the Five Sect Alliance Summit.
"Master," Ye Kai wiped grease from his mouth. "Are we rich now?"
"We are filthy rich," Jiang Chen nodded. "But money brings problems."
"What kind of problems?" Su Ling peeked over her wall of money.
"The Grand Elder won't let this go," Jiang Chen said. "And the Five Sect Alliance is not a friendly tea party. It's a war zone."
He stood up. "Tomorrow, we start Phase 3 of training."
"Phase 3?" Ye Kai groaned. "More bees?"
"No," Jiang Chen smiled. "Shopping. We are going to upgrade the Peak. I'm going to build a Time-Dilation Chamber and a Gravity Room."
"We are going to turn this mountain into a fortress that even a God can't enter."
Meanwhile, in the Grand Elder's Cave
Grand Elder Feng sat in the dark, nursing his internal injuries. His hatred for Jiang Chen was consuming him. He took out a black communication talisman. It crackled with ominous energy.
"The plan has changed," Feng whispered into the talisman. "The Mystic Cloud Sect has a new variable. Jiang Chen. He must be eliminated before the Summit."
A raspy voice answered from the talisman. "Understood. The Blood Shadow Assassins will be dispatched."
Feng crushed the talisman. "Enjoy your money while you can, Jiang Chen. You won't live to spend it."