I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 259 Trading
"Walk."

After seeing "Yuan Ziyi" kill Du Rusong, Gu Haochuan wiped away the tears that flowed from his intense shock, pulled up his disciple who had almost been blinded by the light, and left the place.

After a night, Gu Zhengshan's eyesight was finally restored, but his eyes were still bloodshot, and every time he opened them, they burned with pain, indicating that he was seriously injured.

He opened his eyes with a puzzled look and asked Gu Haochuan, "Why didn't you take down that madman who was impersonating Seventh Brother?"

At this moment, the two have returned to Qingfeng City.

Gu Haochuan didn't answer, but instead asked him a question, "Xiao Wu, tell me, what's the benefit of killing this person?"

"This man is impersonating the seventh brother, stealing my Gu family's secret techniques. He has ulterior motives and should be captured and interrogated thoroughly to see if anyone is behind him. What more benefits do you want?"

"Then let me ask you again, what benefit would we gain if we didn't kill this person?"

"What's so good about it—"

As Gu Zhengshan spoke, he suddenly realized, "You mean you want him to replace Seventh Brother at the upcoming palace banquet?"

Gu Haochuan looked quite pleased; this apprentice wasn't too foolish after all. "That's exactly what I was thinking."

Gu Zhengshan was stunned by his absurd idea, and stammered, "But...but this person harbors malicious intentions and intends to harm our Gu family. How can we...how can this be allowed?"

"Do you think this person is strong enough to compete for a spot in a celestial abode?"

"..."

Gu Zhengshan fell silent. He had witnessed the imposter's strength firsthand; with his incredible agility, he was practically invincible.

Unless he encountered a top-tier expert like Du Rusong, who had already condensed a sword domain, he couldn't think of anyone who could defeat this person.

Even those second-rank monsters in the capital might not be able to defeat him.

Seeing that he had already figured it out, Gu Haochuan said calmly, "The quota for the Immortal Abode is of paramount importance to our Gu family. The banquet held in the palace is held once every five years. But the Immortal Abode is only opened once every twenty years. If we can win a quota this time, your Ninth Grand Uncle will have the opportunity to take that step. This matter concerns the future of our Gu family for the next hundred years."

"What this person is after is probably just the spots in my Gu family's secret realms. As long as he can get a spot in the Immortal Abode, what harm is there in giving it to him? You should understand what's more important!"

Gu Zhengshan was startled, his expression became extremely solemn, and he nodded, saying, "Master, I understand."

"Don't tell anyone about this. Not even your father, not even your wife. Understand?"

"Disciple knows."

“Very good. We will wait for your seventh brother here.”

……

At the same time, it was just beginning to get light.

Carrying the three severed heads, Chen Ming arrived outside Qingfeng City at a newly built tomb with a newly carved tombstone that read "Tomb of My Mentor Liu Fu".

There is also an old tomb nearby, which has been expanded and rebuilt. It is the tomb of Liu Fu's master and mistress.

"Old Liu, I've come to see you."

Chen Ming placed the three heads in front of the grave and offered a toast to his old friend.

If Liu Fu hadn't given him the "Six Yang Qi Forging Technique," he wouldn't be where he is today.

He said, "Back then, it was this He Rui who seduced your junior sister, causing you half a lifetime of misfortune."

"When you went to seek revenge, you didn't even get to see his face. Alas, this is all I can do for you. I didn't kill the rest of the He family, but three of their most powerful experts died. Their decline was inevitable, and naturally, their enemies came looking for trouble."

"Your two apprentices are quite good, already at the sixth rank. I'm sure you already know that. I've had a very exciting few years, I'll tell you about it another time."

After paying his respects to his old friend, Chen Ming destroyed all three heads to avoid any trouble.

Then, he prepared to return to the Chen residence to say goodbye to Yu Haitang and his family.

He returned to Qingfeng City, and just as he arrived at his doorstep, someone suddenly called out from behind, "Xiao Qi, what are you doing here? I've been looking for you everywhere."

Chen Ming had a strong intuition that the person was calling for him. He felt a chill run down his spine and was about to ignore them when, in a flash, two more people appeared before his eyes.

Upon seeing the person in front of him, he was deeply shocked.

This tall, slender man with a free and easy demeanor was the one who would kill him in the last of the five murderous omens foretold on the tortoise shell not long ago.

A perfectly timed look of confusion crossed his face. "Are you sure you're not mistaken? I don't know you."

The man in front of him laughed heartily, "Little Seven, do you think your Fifth Uncle won't recognize you just because you're dressed as a woman?"

Fifth Uncle?

It turns out that this person was Gu Xianyu's fifth uncle, Gu Haochuan.

How did he recognize me?

Chen Ming was in turmoil, unable to understand how this person had found Qingfeng City and happened to be right in front of his house. Just then, he saw the gate open and Old Li came out.

Gu Haochuan looked at him meaningfully and said, "Fifth Uncle knows you have misunderstandings about the Gu family. It's okay, we can talk it out. Come, let's have a good talk, nephew and I."

Chen Ming happened to see his older brother Chen Rui come out, so he said, "Okay."

……

Chen Ming followed Gu Haochuan to a courtyard next door. There was another person in the house who looked somewhat like Gu Xianyu, but his eyes were covered with a cloth, as if his eyes were injured.

Gu Haochuan introduced, "This is your fifth brother, Gu Zhengshan. Do you recognize him?"

Having come this far, Chen Ming had roughly guessed what was going on.

Most likely it was because Du Rusong chased after him and Jiang Yingxue outside Jiangzhou City, which caused the powerful experts of the Divine Realm beside Princess Mingyu to take action, making too much of a commotion.

That's why Gu Haochuan set his sights on him.

Just now, he secretly "asked" the tortoise shell and obtained a vague hexagram that was difficult to predict.

After Gu Haochuan sat down, he personally brewed tea and said with emotion, "I never imagined that you would have such great fortune after leaving the capital. To be able to break through two realms in just a few months must have been due to some great opportunity."

Huh?
Chen Ming found the implication of his words rather strange. He seemed to be offering his own explanation for his rapid advancement in cultivation.

What does he want to do?
Gu Haochuan seemed oblivious to his strange gaze and continued, "Now that you've reached the second rank, there are some things I should tell you. You should already know that to break through to the Divine Treasure Realm, you must enter the secret realm."

"Ah."

Chen Ming vaguely sensed that this person didn't seem to harbor any hostility. If he really wanted to kill him, there was no need to talk to him so much; he could have done it just now.

Gu Haochuan continued, "This is because the rare treasures of heaven and earth that can unlock the human body's divine potential can only be found in secret realms. However, the number of these rare treasures in secret realms is limited. That's why the slots to enter secret realms are so precious."

"However, different rare treasures of heaven and earth, once opened, will grant different supernatural powers. Some are stronger, some are weaker. This depends on which kind of rare treasure you use. After all, rare treasures of heaven and earth are also divided into different grades."

"For the vast majority of ordinary martial artists in the world, being able to obtain a spot and a rare treasure to open the Divine Treasury is already a stroke of luck. They have no right to be picky."

"But the Gu family is different. We possess three secret realms, and the rare treasures produced there are all of the highest quality. After opening the divine treasures, we can obtain high-quality divine abilities. Moreover, we can exchange quotas with other families, so it's not difficult to collect five different rare treasures."

"Of course, this spot is so precious that even for direct descendants like you and me, obtaining one would require making a tremendous contribution. Right now, there's an opportunity to contribute to the family, but I don't know if you're willing to serve the family!"

As Gu Haochuan finished speaking, he looked intently at him.

Chen Ming finally understood that everything this person said was for the sake of that last sentence.

If he agrees, he will get a spot.

If you don't agree, they'll most likely turn hostile and resort to violence.

Therefore, this person had already realized that his identity was fake, but he valued his strength, so he made this offer.

He pondered for a moment and asked, "My strength is far inferior to that of Fifth Uncle. Is there anything the family needs me to serve?"

This can be seen as an admission that he is Gu Xianyu.

Gu Haochuan smiled and said, "You don't know this. After the founding of the Great Jin Dynasty, the founding emperor seized the secret realms that the previous dynasty's royal family had controlled, including two immortal mansions."

"Back then, the founding emperor made an agreement with each family to hold a banquet in the palace every five years, allowing the younger generation of each family to compete. The twenty most outstanding disciples would be selected to gain a spot in the Super Grade Secret Realm."

“Every twenty years, five places in the Immortal Abode are even awarded. This year marks the twentieth year, and all the families in the capital are sharpening their knives for these places.”

"Among the younger generation of the Gu family, none of them has the strength to compete for a spot in the Immortal Abode. Fortunately, we now have you, so there should be a glimmer of hope. As long as you can win a spot in the Immortal Abode, it will be a great service to the Gu family. I can make the decision that once you reach the first rank, I can give you five spots."

It turned out to be the case.

Chen Ming suddenly realized that he really valued his strength and wanted him to compete for a spot in the Immortal Mansion.

Of course, he didn't believe a single word of Gu Haochuan's promise.

However, for now, all we can do is feign compliance with him, buy time, and find a way to improve our strength, ideally reaching the first rank.

Then we will no longer be afraid of him.

Thinking of this, Chen Ming asked, "What is this Immortal Abode? How is it different from a secret realm?"

Gu Haochuan's tone became somewhat fervent, "The Immortal Abode is naturally the immortal's cave dwelling. After opening the five divine treasures of the human body, the next step is to form the primordial embryo, which requires immortal nectar and jade dew and other rare and precious immortal treasures. And these rare and precious immortal treasures can only be obtained by the Immortal Abode."

I understand. In other words, the Gu family wants to add another powerful cultivator who has condensed their nascent soul, so they need a spot in a Celestial Mansion.

Because there are no particularly outstanding individuals among the younger generation of the Gu family.

Therefore, Gu Haochuan took a liking to him.

As long as he can secure a spot in the Immortal Abode for the family, whether he is really Gu Xianyu or not, the Gu family probably won't care.

(End of this chapter)