Quinn Ye was utterly stunned when he heard the news.
Holy crap!
It turned out this place was about to become a dueling ground. Two emperors were going to have a showdown right here on Heaven-Rending Peak.
Talk about a coincidence.
"How could it be such a coincidence?" Quinn felt a burst of helplessness.
He had spent half a day at home studying the map before deciding to come to Heaven-Rending Peak for a vacation, only to run into this mess. How was he supposed to enjoy his sightseeing now?
"Young Master Quinn, the foot of Heaven-Rending Peak is incredibly lively right now. Many martial artists from the Seven Kingdoms of the Southern Wasteland have gathered here."
"Indeed. A marketplace has already formed at the base of the mountain, and everyone frequenting it is a cultivator."
"Young Master Quinn, shall we go take a look?" Ezra Yin and Arthur Chu suggested.
It was clear that the two of them were quite interested in such a scene.
Quinn nodded. He thought to himself that since he was already here, he might as well enjoy the bustle. It had nothing to do with him anyway. Joining a crowd for some fun shouldn't lead to any trouble, right?
"Let's go have a look," Quinn said.
Monk Hugo and the other monks needed to chant their scriptures, so they didn't follow Quinn out. Ezra Yin, Arthur Chu, and Rosie Song accompanied Quinn instead.
Soon, the group of four arrived at the marketplace beneath Heaven-Rending Peak.
Calling it a marketplace was an understatement; its scale was so large it had practically become a small town. Thousands of martial artists from across the Southern Wasteland had gathered, all hoping to witness this world-shaking battle with their own eyes.
With so many cultivators gathered in one place, business opportunities naturally followed. Those with a head for business had long since taken action, which was how this marketplace had come to be.
As soon as the four of them entered the marketplace, they heard the sounds of peddling echoing from all sides.
"Five-hundred-year-old spirit herbs! Minimum purchase of ten stalks!"
"High-quality weapons forged from Hundred-Refined Black Steel! Come and take a look!"
"Top-grade Qi-Nourishing Pills! Twelve to a bottle, only eight hundred spirit stones per bottle!"
"Rare demonic beast cubs! Can be tamed into demon slaves! Five thousand spirit stones each!"
...
Quinn thought to himself, Man, this is something else. It really was lively. They were selling everything imaginable. It was a proper marketplace for cultivators. Some had set up stalls on the ground, while others had built simple houses to serve as shops. Some had even gone as far as transporting entire pavilions and towers from elsewhere.
Ezra Yin and the others were also dazzled by the sights. Rosie Song, in particular, was curious about everything, peeking here and there, thoroughly delighted.
Suddenly, a large crowd gathered ahead, seemingly attracted by something. Quinn and the other three squeezed in as well. It took quite an effort to see what was inside.
It was a strangely shaped stone shimmering with five-colored radiance.
"Everyone, this stone is called the Heavenly Luck Stone. It is said that only one with Great Destiny can lift this stone and comprehend the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth contained within!" A red-faced old man with a long beard sat there, smiling as he spoke to the crowd.
"Old man, is this really the Heavenly Luck Stone?" someone asked skeptically.
The red-faced old man gave a slight smile. "Everyone is welcome to give it a try. If anyone can lift this Heavenly Luck Stone, I want nothing in return—I will give it to them for free. However, if you cannot lift it, you must give me one thousand spirit stones."
One thousand spirit stones was neither a small nor a large amount for an average martial artist. In normal times, many would suspect him of being a scammer. But humans are curious by nature, and the Heavenly Luck Stone was a legendary curiosity that they had never seen in person. Naturally, they all wanted to try.
"I'll do it!" A brawny man stepped out.
The crowd let out gasps of surprise upon seeing him.
"This man is an expert from the Phoenix Dance Empire! It's said he's already at the Half-step to the Heaven-Reaching Realm!"
"Yeah, in a few years, he'll likely become a true Heaven-Reaching expert. If it's him, he might actually be able to lift it—assuming the stone isn't a fake."
...
Amidst the discussions, the brawny man stood before the Heavenly Luck Stone with full confidence. He stared at the stone, took a deep breath, and shouted, "Rise!"
He gripped the Heavenly Luck Stone with both hands. The stone didn't budge an inch.
The man's expression changed. "I don't believe this!"
He exerted his strength again, his face turning beet red from the effort. Yet, the Heavenly Luck Stone still couldn't be lifted. After a moment, the man gave up. Dejectedly, he handed over a thousand spirit stones to the old man and slinked away in shame.
The crowd marveled at the sight. "Could this really be the Heavenly Luck Stone?"
Another person stepped up to try, but just like the brawny man before, he exerted himself for a long time without moving it a fraction.
"Me next!" "Let me try!" "I'm in too!"
...
One by one, the spectating martial artists stepped forward. As it turned out, not a single person could lift the Heavenly Luck Stone. Instead, the red-faced old man was making a fortune, his face beaming with joy.
"Young Master Quinn, why don't you give it a try?" Arthur Chu suggested from the side.
Quinn shook his head. "How could I possibly lift it?"
He genuinely believed it was impossible. After all, so many cultivators had failed; why would a mortal like him join the fray?
But Ezra Yin and the others didn't think so. "Young Master Quinn, just give it a try. It's only a thousand spirit stones anyway," Ezra Yin chuckled.
Quinn looked troubled. "The problem is, even if I wanted to try, I don't have any spirit stones."
The three of them froze, then didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This peerless transcendent expert actually didn't even have spirit stones on him.
"I have some," Arthur Chu said, directly producing a thousand spirit stones. "Young Master Quinn, if you manage to lift it, we save these thousand stones and get a Heavenly Luck Stone for free."
Quinn thought about it and decided he was right. Failing wouldn't be embarrassing since so many others had failed, and since Arthur Chu was footing the bill, he wouldn't lose anything.
And so, Quinn stepped forward.
"I'll give it a try."
The red-faced old man glanced at Quinn. Seeing no aura or spiritual fluctuation from him, a look of disdain immediately appeared on his face.
"A mortal joining the fun?"
"Hahaha, this kid is truly ridiculous."
"Kid, this is a place for cultivators. A mortal like you should beat it!"
"Go find somewhere else to hang out."
...
The people around them also saw that Quinn had no cultivation and began to mock him. Ezra Yin and the others were indignant but didn't act out.
Though Quinn's face felt a bit hot from the embarrassment, he didn't care too much. He was a mortal, after all; being mocked by these cultivators wouldn't hurt him. Let them be.
"Young man, the Heavenly Luck Stone is not something a mortal can touch. The power of the Dao contained within will cause severe damage to a mortal's body. You'd better not join this mess," the red-faced old man advised.
But in the next moment, his expression changed.
Quinn's hand was already resting on the Heavenly Luck Stone. Nothing seemed to happen.
"It doesn't seem like anything special," Quinn said, puzzled.
Then, he tried to lift the stone. He had expected it to be immovable, but for some reason, the moment Quinn lifted his hand, the Heavenly Luck Stone was picked up by him.
At that moment, everyone on the scene was dumbfounded.