Smoke still wafted from the chimneys of Four Treasures Peak, while the light from the Immortal Bridge atop Starshine Peak had already drawn the attention of all nearby peaks.
Rushing out of the kitchen where she had been busy cooking, Yan Yourong's expression was somber as she stared off into the distance towards Starshine Peak.
"Senior Sister, don't worry," said Bei Yan while peeling an onion, "The Vice-Chair of the Immortal Palace Protective Department believes our master can win, so there's no reason for Master to lose, right?"
With a worried gaze, Yan Yourong looked towards their master, who was chatting with Beichen Ying, and said in a low voice, "How could I not worry? It must be Senior Disciple Nie Yunting on Starshine Peak who has broken through to the Immortal Bridge Realm. Master was only at the level of four Dao platforms yesterday. How much can his cultivation base increase overnight? Unless he took an Immortal Pill... there's simply no chance he could win."
Bei Yan's hands paused from peeling the onion. Four Treasures Peak was so poor, let alone Immortal Pills... they couldn't even afford ordinary pills. Even if this senior Beichen provided high-quality talismans, their master's cultivation base was too low to activate them.
Moreover... Bei Yan felt that the senior expert before them seemed rather poor. Without the money to buy materials for high-grade talismans, it was naturally impossible to create any high-grade combat talismans.
Yan Yourong, knowing that Bei Yan was too young to persuade their master, and their third junior brother Xiang Ziyu, who was always chuckling foolishly with a book in his hands, was also unreliable, decided she had to talk to their master herself.
"Junior Sister, let me do it," Ling Xi said, stopping Yan Yourong, "I'm afraid you might draw your sword again after only a couple of words with Master. It took a great effort for Master to return, don't chase him away with your sword again..."
Yan Yourong's cheeks reddened as she shook her head, "Senior Sister, I should be the one. You might end up kneeling after just a couple of words with Master. I can keep my emotions in check and won't lose control."
Ling Xi nodded without saying anything more, deciding to keep a close watch on her second junior sister, ready to step in if her emotions got too intense.
"Master," said Yan Yourong with a stern face as she came to stand beside Cao Zhen, "Have you seen the situation on Starshine Peak?"
Cao Zhen knew his disciple was getting anxious again because someone on Starshine Peak had made a breakthrough. If he didn't give her a satisfactory answer soon, she might just draw her sword and try to slay her master in the next moment.
"Senior, is there any way to shield the state of Four Treasures Peak somewhat?"
Beichen Ying knew what Cao Zhen was about to do. He stood up, circled around Four Treasures Peak, found the broken formation on the peak, and with a flick of his fingers injected mana into it, saying, "There, it'll last for a quarter of an hour."
Ten Dragon and Tiger Dao platforms were perfectly established! They hovered above and behind Cao Zhen's head, and immediately, five Immortal Bridges also burst forth with dazzling brilliance.
Yan Yourong's icy face became rigid at this moment, her eyes filled with shock.
Ling Xi, too, forgot to kowtow to their master, admitting she had always underestimated him. She stood dumbfounded, staring at the ten Dragon and Tiger Dao platforms and the five Immortal Bridges, and did not forget to sneakily pinch Bei Yan's cheek.
"Ow! Senior Sister! That hurts!" Bei Yan struggled, moving his little face away from her pinch, while gazing in awe at the ten Dragon and Tiger Dao platforms and the five Immortal Bridges, murmuring, "Did Master really take an Immortal Pill?"
Pain? When Ling Xi heard Bei Yan's response, she knew she wasn't dreaming. It must be that the daily prayers had been heard by the ancestral spirits of Four Treasures Peak! Only then would they have bestowed such a celestial wonder!
Xiang Ziyu, with a calm demeanor showing not the slightest bit of surprise, let out a smug, confident smirk, "Didn't I say Master wouldn't lose? I am the protagonist! The protagonist won't grow until Master is safe. Only in matters concerning my safety would a situation arise where Master has to sacrifice his limitless mana to Heaven."
Cao Zhen didn't have the time to explain to his third disciple that he was truly not the protagonist; he was merely channeling all his cultivation base to allow Yan Yourong to clearly sense that this was not an illusion, but his actual strength.
"Yourong, do you still think Starshine Peak is enough for your master to handle?"
Yan Yourong paused for a moment, then suddenly turned around, dragged Xiang Ziyu who had gone back to his book beside her, and, grabbing Bei Yan as well, quickly headed towards the courtyard door.
"Yourong, what are you doing?" Cao Zhen quickly shouted, "Stop right there for me, what are you going to do?"
Yan Yourong stopped, turned around, and suddenly imitated her eldest senior sister Ling Xi's 'signature move', dropping to her knees to kowtow swiftly, "Master still needs looking after, so I will leave Eldest Sister with Master. I will take Junior Brother to the pawnshop, and... well... pawn ourselves..."
Cao Zhen habitually rubbed his temples and sighed, "Is there really no one normal on Four Treasures Peak except for me? How much money do you think you can pawn those two disciples for?"
BeiChen Ying, seeing Cao Zhen retrieve the Dao platform and Immortal Bridge, also hurriedly dismantled the Formation and nodded repeatedly, agreeing with Cao Zhen's point. How much could those three disciples be pawned for?
"The three of us could probably pawn for a few Spirit Stones, right?" Yan Yourong considered and then answered.
"So what... What's the use of that?" Cao Zhen continued as BeiChen Ying nodded in agreement, "If I take you there and teach you how to act, we can start at least at ten Spirit Stones! Maybe even twenty!"
The nodding head of BeiChen Ying, which had just been in motion, at this moment became stiff as if a steel pipe had been inserted into his neck, no longer able to move at all.
Were there any normal people on Four Treasures Peak at all? BeiChen Ying stared blankly at Cao Zhen, no wonder none of his disciples were normal! The master's brain wasn't normal!
Over the years, BeiChen Ying had met all kinds of people, those with shame and those without. At the very least, everyone had a bottom line, which was that they could not do anything that would disgrace their sect!
Pawning disciples into a pawnshop? Theoretically, that could be done.
But! No one had ever actually done it!
In the history of most peaks in the Hundred Peaks Sect, there had been times of hardship.
But no matter how tough the situation was at the time, no one would consider pawning their disciples.
That wasn't about losing their own face; it was about losing the face of their entire sect's ancestors!
Just as BeiChen Ying was about to enlighten Cao Zhen on how they could be shameless but absolutely must not lose their ancestors' face, Yan Yourong had already spoken up.
"Master thinks further ahead, I was too hasty," she said.
"Otherwise, how could I be the master and you the disciple?" Cao Zhen said with satisfaction, "Come back first, get dressed up nicely tomorrow. When we act out that heartfelt parting scene, we'll pawn for a good price at the pawnshop."
"We should get dressed up!" Yan Yourong paused and then turned to Bei Yan and Xiang Ziyu, "You need to dress up too! A good appearance can fetch a higher price."
"You are truly my disciple! Not bad on the uptake," Cao Zhen praised before his expression turned serious, "But to earn a bit more for Four Treasures Peak, do I still need someone to look after me? Dress up your senior sister as well tomorrow and take her with you."
"Master is wise!" Yan Yourong bowed respectfully with a fist in palm, "However, without disciples by your side to attend to you, it will be tough on you these next few days."
"It's nothing!" Cao Zhen waved his hand dismissively, his tone slightly proud, "For Four Treasures Peak, it's only right for me to endure some hardship."
BeiChen Ying was left bewildered by the master and disciple of Four Treasures Peak, failing to understand why each of them was so proud. What was there to be proud of? Why did this cold and proud disciple seem so spirited? What was there to be fired up about?
"Ling Xi, go withdraw all our peak's savings for me..." Cao Zhen turned his head to Ling Xi, then his head began to ache again. With his current cultivation base, he still hadn't noticed when his senior disciple had knelt down and kowtowed.
Following Cao Zhen's gaze, BeiChen Ying was also startled, not having noticed the movements of the young cultivator despite being a half-step Earth Immortal Realm expert. How did she master this kneeling and kowtowing?
"My teacher tarnishes his reputation for Four Treasures Peak, yet as a disciple, I suspected his mind was going bad..." Ling Xi said, as she was helped up by Yan Yourong, who had come forward.
"I'm speechless!" Cao Zhen sighed and turned to BeiChen Ying, "Senior, come and try our full fish feast."