Qin Baili and Jin Ge both had the aura of a king. They werenât the aggressive type that bears their fangs. Nevertheless, each of their words was resounding and powerful in an awe-inspiring manner.
They were flawless in both attitude and style; it was hard for people to criticize them.
âIt would be difficult for men like them to not become famous. Thatâs how a hero should be.â Members of all races had this thought.
Li Qiye couldnât help but smile: âHow interesting, very well, Iâll entertain the two of you and see how long you can last.â With that, he entered the Golden Shrine.
The princess didnât follow since she wasnât part of the bet. This was Li Qiyeâs business.
He entered the shrine and sat straight down as if he didnât see the piles of treasures at all. They were mere trash, unable to move his dao heart.
âFellow Daoist Li, how do you want to do this?â Qin Baili asked.
Li Qiye smiled in response: âIâm down with whatever rules you two want. Just tell me.â
âWeâre only testing our dao heart today, not our battle prowess. Whoever can resist temptation the best will be the winner, what do you think?â Jin Ge said.
âThatâs fine since you two are wanting to do that.â Li Qiye looked at the two of them and said: âWhen you think you canât handle it anymore, quickly run. I donât want your lives today and will give you a chance.â
The contest has yet to begin but Li Qiye was already so domineering in tone. It made the spectators outside glance at each other. Those who were fans of Baili and Jin Ge became quite unhappy.
âHmph, heâs boasting already? Weâll see who wins in the end.â A heavener scowled.
On the other hand, Jin Ge and Baili didnât become angry at all. Baili said: âIn that case, weâll thank you then for sparing us. Even if I lose, I wonât have any complaints since itâll just show that my dao heart is still lacking.â
âIâll lose gracefully as well. There are many invincible and profound laws in this world but only the dao heart alone can reach them all.â Jin Ge said: âOne can be crafty with the grand dao and explain the mysteries, only the dao heart requires step-by-step cultivation! If I lose to you in this regards, itâll be a clear defeat.â
âTrue, the thing youâre missing now is the Heavenâs Will. If it wasnât for the ambush, you would have become a Grand Emperor.â Li Qiye looked at Jin Ge and said.
âThanks for the kind words, I will keep on trying.â Jin Ge was straightforward without being overly humble.
This was outside of everyoneâs expectation. They thought that Jin Ge and Li Qiye would fight to the death for sure. But now, the two were just chatting it up without hostility, or if they were old friends.
âWe canât understand the world of geniuses.â A young expert smiled wryly: âIf it was me, I would have rushed over to fight Fiercest already due to his disdain for our race.â
Qin Baili said: âHow about each of us pick a treasure, the best one wins just like before?â
âI have no objection.â Jin Ge replied: âLike Fellow Daoist Li said, if we might not be able to stabilize our dao heart upon a close inspection, leave instantly. Deciding a winner is good enough, no need to take it too far!â
Li Qiye looked at the two and smiled: âIf you two donât mind, I can also pick a treasure for each of you. Of course, you can also select one yourself.â
âThatâs fine too.â Jin Ge looked back and said: âThe only thing that matters in the Golden Shrine is the dao heart. You are an apex genius, Iâm sure you wonât take advantage of this.â
âFoe or friend, Iâm sure Fellow Daoist Li will be righteous in this place. I wonât speak for Brother Jin Ge, but I donât mind at all. You can pick one for me.â Qin Baili said with a smile.
Jin Ge added: âI have no objection either, you can pick one for me.â
Everyone was astonished after hearing this. They would think that these two have become crazy but this certainly wasnât the case.
The bet wasnât only about their dao heart but also the quality of the treasures. They must pick something better than Li Qiyeâs choice. Thatâs the path to victory. Thus, this was a test of oneâs dao heart, knowledge, decisiveness, and vision.
In this situation, letting the opponent pick the treasure was the same as leaving oneâs life in their hand. Only a fool or a madman would do such a thing.
Jin Ge and Qin Baili were neither but they still gave Li Qiye the initiative. Ultimately, they all had a righteous dao heart and believed that Li Qiye wouldnât take advantage of them.
This seemed like a foolish choice but it was about character and trust!
âVery well.â Li Qiye said: âSince Iâm picking yours, you two can pick mine as well.â
The other two exchanged a glance. Qin Baili nodded: âGood, if you trust us, we will listen to your idea. You can pick one for us first then.â
Li Qiye leisurely said: âEven ordinary imperial treasures wonât be able to tempt the two of you since you are no stranger to them. At your level, I must find artifacts that are the most suitable.â
Having said that, he stared at Qin Baili and said: âYou come from the Can Long branch with a focus on auspicious energy and simplicity, a natural dao path. I just happen to know of a treasure beneath that cauldron.â He pointed at a large cauldron in the corner of a room.
âWhat kind of treasure is it?â Baili was surprised to see Li Qiyeâs quick selection.
âThis is a divine crest, worn by a god in a distant epoch. It surpassed the myriad realms and laws across the years. It carried a natural presence with auspicious energy. One strand of this energy can create countless things. Time is not a limiting factor for it.â Li Qiye elaborated.
âThatâs a good treasure then.â Baili had to praise since his cultivation required such a treasure.
âAre you sure you will be able to resist? Get ready, it is even more tempting than my description, enough for you to salivate.â Li Qiye slightly smirked.
In fact, many people were already full of anticipation even before seeing it.
Baili took a deep breath and calmed his dao heart. He nodded solemnly: âI will bring it over for everyone to have a look.â
With that, he walked over to the room and lifted up the cauldron. Sure enough, there was a crest inside. When he took it out, an auspicious energy erupted, seeingly turning into a supreme grand dao. Baili was instantly engulfed by this energy; it seemed to familiar with him.
His expression became quite serious but he still chose to wear it on his head.
With this, the energy instantly converged and turned into strands pouring down. Just like Li Qiye had said, these strands had boundless potential. His aura changed completely; he was now a god that could travel through the myriad ages.
âYes, itâs incredible. Wearing this crest takes him to the next level.â An imperial ancestor had saliva dripping out of his mouth.
Everyone stared intensely at him. Not to mention Baili, even these spectators felt that this treasure was too amazing. If he couldnât calm his dao heart, death was waiting for him. Alas, this was a truly difficult task.
As everyone held their breath, he walked up to the table and put the crest down on the table for the other two to see.