After Qin Xiao made his bid, the crowd fell silent. It wasn't because he had frightened them, but rather because they were looking at him as if he were a fool.
"Qin Xiao, have you lost your mind? Does your Seven Stars Peak even have two hundred thousand Spirit Stones?"
Kang Zhengye was the first to mock him.
"Qin Xiao, cease this nonsense."
Sect Leader Lin Tiancheng warned him as well. He knew Seven Stars Peak's finances; there was no way it had two hundred thousand Spirit Stones.
"Qin Xiao, this is no place for you to cause trouble. Sit down quietly," Great Elder Yao Tiansheng added.
This was pure disruption. Randomly driving up the price would only cause them, the Elders, to suffer losses.
"Exactly, Qin Xiao. I highly suspect you are blindly bidding up the price. Let alone two hundred thousand Spirit Stones, your Seven Stars Peak probably couldn't even pull out a hundred. How about this? We won't let it be said that we Elders are bullying you. As long as you can take out a thousand Spirit Stones right here and now, I will acknowledge your right to participate," Kang Zhengye hastily chimed in.
He was sure Qin Xiao probably could not produce even a hundred Spirit Stones. When the Seventh Elder died in battle, the Demon Beast had swallowed his body, leaving nothing behind. What wealth could Seven Stars Peak still possess?
"Right, I agree."
"I agree as well. As long as you can produce a thousand Spirit Stones, we will acknowledge you."
"Indeed. If he cannot produce them, his bid is void."
The other Elders quickly echoed Kang Zhengye's words. After all, they couldn't just spout empty words; they had to hand over real resources. Unlike Qin Xiao, who knew he had no chance and was deliberately raising the price to scheme against them.
"Sect Leader, will you bear witness? If I bring out a thousand Spirit Stones, my bid counts?" Qin Xiao ignored the Elders and turned to Sect Leader Lin Tiancheng.
"Very well. If you can take them out, then do so. I trust the Elders will not go back on their words."
Though Lin Tiancheng didn't know what Qin Xiao was plotting, since the Elders and Qin Xiao had already reached this agreement, he couldn't say much else.
"Good. Then I will bring out the Spirit Stones and show you all whether I have them or not."
With that, Qin Xiao directly withdrew a thousand Spirit Stones from his System Space, scattering them across the ground before him.
"Here is a thousand Spirit Stones. And here is another thousand."
After taking out the first thousand, Qin Xiao didn't stop. He immediately pulled out another thousand beside them.
"And here is yet another thousand."
After taking out two thousand Spirit Stones, Qin Xiao still didn't stop. He pulled out another thousand. A total of three thousand Spirit Stones piled upon the ground. Visually, it was indeed quite intimidating.
"Elders, do you need me to continue?"
The reason Qin Xiao pulled out three thousand Spirit Stones in one breath was precisely to bluff these Elders. He only had a little over four thousand on him. If these Elders genuinely wanted to verify his entire fortune, it would be extremely troublesome.
"Where did you get so many Spirit Stones?"
Looking at the unruffled Qin Xiao, Kang Zhengye simply couldn't comprehend it. Seven Stars Peak clearly had no wealth left, yet Qin Xiao's demeanor didn't seem like a bluff.
"No need to concern yourself, Third Elder. I have my own ways. Please, Elders, continue bidding."
Qin Xiao's face was the picture of composure as he spoke lightly.
He had to put on this act! If he couldn't bluff these old men, he was going to miss out on this rare Heavenly Spirit Root.
"What is going on? Did the Seventh Elder not bring his entire fortune with him back then?"
"That's not right. If the Seventh Elder had left any wealth behind, Qin Xiao should have brought it out when the disciples of Seven Stars Peak were leaving."
"Could the Seventh Elder have hidden it somewhere, and Qin Xiao only found it now?"
"Then how are we supposed to compete? That brat is using his entire fortune to bid against us! We still have to support a whole peak of disciples. We can't afford to throw things around recklessly like him."
The Elders huddled together, conversing in hushed tones. Qin Xiao's move had truly bluffed them all.
The Elders weren't the only ones bluffed; even Yun Man, standing below the stage, found the situation somewhat unfathomable.
Was Seven Stars Peak not as destitute as the rumors claimed? But then why was its Peak Master still an ordinary mortal?
Yun Man hadn't considered Seven Stars Peak at all in the beginning, but now, a trace of doubt crept into her mind.
She was originally a direct descendant of the Central Province's Yun Family. Unexpectedly, a rebellion had struck her clan. Her parents and older brother all died in the internal strife. Only she, being merely at the Foundation Establishment stage, wasn't taken seriously by those usurpers, which gave her the opportunity to escape.
To evade pursuit, she fled to this remote Qingzhou to seek out a Sect, intending to cultivate in seclusion before returning for revenge. Therefore, she didn't care much for cultivation methods or Spirit Weapons. As a direct daughter of the Yun Family, her clan had already bestowed top-tier cultivation techniques and Dharma Treasure-grade weapons upon her. What she currently lacked were Spirit Stones and Pills.
"Good lad! Even if the Seventh Elder left you a small fortune, my Immortal Sword Peak is still unafraid. My Immortal Sword Peak offers two hundred and fifty thousand Spirit Stones! As long as you join my Immortal Sword Peak, two hundred and fifty thousand Spirit Stones' worth of Supplies is only the beginning. This old man will personally grant you an extra five thousand Spirit Stones every month."
After discussing among themselves, the Elders had finally reached an agreement: they would pool their efforts to help Great Elder Yao Tiansheng secure the Heavenly Spirit Root, and the Great Elder would compensate the other peaks later.
Although every peak was wealthy, they also had countless disciples to feed. Fighting alone, they might not necessarily outbid a solitary Qin Xiao.
In this remote Qingzhou, being offered such treatment already exceeded Yun Man's expectations. Yun Man was well aware that this Tianyuan Sect was merely a third-rate Sect; being able to produce such an offer was already an astronomical price.
"Hold on. My Seven Stars Peak bids three hundred thousand, with an extra ten thousand every month."
Seeing Yun Man look somewhat swayed, Qin Xiao hastily raised the price.
"Qin Xiao, this old man now suspects that you simply cannot afford to pay, and are deliberately driving up the price."
Even with Great Elder Yao Tiansheng's normally mild temper, he was growing angry. He wasn't afraid of bidding wars, but his bids came at a steep cost. The higher the price, the more compensation he would have to pay the other Peak Masters. He was entirely unwilling to drag his Immortal Sword Peak into financial straits just because of Qin Xiao's reckless bidding.
"Great Elder, if you can raise the bid, then do so. If not, then this disciple enters my Seven Stars Peak."
Qin Xiao didn't answer Yao Tiansheng directly. The truth was, he really couldn't bring out that many Spirit Stones right now.
"This old man bids three hundred and fifty thousand."
Yao Tiansheng didn't waste his breath arguing with Qin Xiao, simply gritting his teeth and adding fifty thousand.
"I bid four hundred thousand."
Qin Xiao was fearless, instantly matching with another fifty thousand, bringing it straight to four hundred thousand.
"Four hundred and fifty thousand."
This was Yao Tiansheng's final bid. If he went any higher, even his Immortal Sword Peak would struggle to bear the weight. Subsequent cultivation would still require a vast amount of resources; this was not a one-off deal. Naturally, he had his own concerns.
"Five hundred thousand."
Qin Xiao couldn't care less about all that. A Heavenly Spirit Root disciple—no matter how many Spirit Stones it cost, he had to secure her.
"This old man stops at four hundred and fifty thousand! So what if you have fifty thousand more? Does your Seven Stars Peak have a renowned master for guidance? Do you have high-tier cultivation techniques? The value of such things is not something fifty thousand Spirit Stones can compare to."
Seeing Qin Xiao still looking entirely nonchalant, Yao Tiansheng knew continuing the bidding war was meaningless. Furthermore, he was terrified that Qin Xiao might suddenly stop bidding, which would leave his Immortal Sword Peak suffering a miserable loss. Thus, four hundred and fifty thousand was truly his bottom line.
"Great Elder, with enough Spirit Stones, why fear a lack of renowned masters for guidance? Why fear a lack of high-tier cultivation techniques?"
Though Qin Xiao didn't actually possess those things, he had plenty of Spirit Stones! Everything had a price. If you couldn't buy it, it simply meant you hadn't offered enough.
"May I say something?"
Yun Man had grown somewhat indecisive, and finally voiced her question.
"Please speak," Qin Xiao said with sheer confidence.
"Both your offers are generous, Peak Masters. But could you show that you can make good on them? I won't settle for empty promises."
Yun Man spoke her mind directly. She was, after all, a Heavenly Spirit Root; possessing this bit of arrogance wouldn't rouse anyone's suspicion.
"I believe this method is viable. Actually, I have an idea. Since the Great Elder and I are both determined to win, how about we each offer you a greeting gift? Regardless of which peak you ultimately join, this greeting gift will not be taken back. Whoever gives more, you join their peak. How about it?"
Qin Xiao continued to bluff. Even though some time had passed, his total assets still only amounted to five thousand Spirit Stones.
"How about this? My seniority is lower, so I will go first. Here are five thousand Spirit Stones, considered my greeting gift to you. Do not worry. The Great Elder will certainly give you ten thousand Spirit Stones in a moment. When that happens, I will give you another fifteen thousand, meaning you'll possess a greeting gift of thirty thousand Spirit Stones. Consider it the Great Elder's contribution to my Seven Stars Peak."
Qin Xiao showed not a hint of uncertainty as he spoke, his face full of confidence.
"Great Elder, I have shown my sincerity. Surely someone of your standing will offer at least ten thousand Spirit Stones? Let me thank you in advance on my disciple's behalf."
Qin Xiao looked at Yao Tiansheng with a smile.
'I don't know just how many Spirit Stones this brat has left. From the looks of it, he's trying to scheme another ten thousand out of this old man. I definitely won't fall for it! Moreover, the disciple competition is in a month. At that time, Seven Stars Peak will only have a single disciple and is bound to lose. When Seven Stars Peak is defeated and struck from the Sect registry, this Yun Man will naturally transfer under my name. There is no need to fight him to the bitter end right now.'
Yao Tiansheng did not answer immediately, instead weighing his options. Paying such an immense price right now was completely unnecessary.
"Since you are so determined, Martial Nephew, I should not deprive you of what you want. I withdraw."
After thinking for a moment, Yao Tiansheng ultimately chose to give up. After all, there would be plenty of opportunities later on; there was no need to pay such a heavy price today.
"Then I offer my profound thanks to the Great Elder."
Qin Xiao smiled warmly as he thanked Yao Tiansheng.
"Let us go. Follow me back to Seven Stars Peak."
Qin Xiao did not compete for the remaining Profound Spirit Root disciples. Right now, he only wanted to see what new Supplies the system would unlock after recruiting a Heavenly Spirit Root disciple.