"I won't gamble! Absolutely not. Do you think I would fall for the same trick twice?" Li Shizhu shook his head vigorously, resolutely refusing.
"Not gambling? Li Shizhu's standards have suddenly become so high that even the inner core of a bloodline dragon doesn't meet your standards?" The Taoist feigned shock and disbelief.
But no matter how Han Li looked at it, it all seemed very false.
"Bloodline dragon inner core!" Li Shizhu, who had originally intended to sever ties with the Taoist, suddenly had a drastic change in expression upon hearing those words, his voice trembling slightly.
"Indeed! I heard that Li Shizhu once spent over thirty years in the dangerous Panlong River of the Yuanwu Kingdom for this item, but unfortunately left with regret. So this time, I spent a large sum of money to specially acquire it for Shizhu!" The Taoist said leisurely, appearing confident as if he had the upper hand.
"Impossible! It's not easy to catch a bloodline dragon, let alone preserve its inner core. Are you making this up to play tricks on me?" Li Shizhu snapped out of his excitement, showing a hint of suspicion.
"I am a Taoist and do not tell lies. Shizhu can see for yourself." The Taoist didn't want to waste any more words explaining and casually produced a white ball covered in blood streaks, presenting it to Li Shizhu, who eagerly reached for it.
"If Shizhu's Silver Armor Python consumes this pill and cultivates in seclusion for ten to twenty years, it's highly likely to advance from the middle Foundation Establishment Stage to the late stage. And with another hundred years of hard cultivation, entering the Core Formation Stage wouldn't be impossible," the Taoist's words were full of temptation.
Li Shizhu snorted, maintaining a stern expression that seemed unaffected, but his fluctuating eyes betrayed his inner turmoil.
"With such a rare wager, Shizhu hesitates for so long. Does this mean you have little confidence in the strength of your valley's disciples?" The Taoist smirked, employing psychological tactics.
"Our Yellow Maple Valley disciples don't need your Clear Void Sect to evaluate them." Li Shizhu's expression soured.
He then glanced at the people behind the Taoist and immediately gained a rough understanding of the strength of Clear Void Sect's disciples. They were probably similar in strength to Yellow Maple Valley's disciples.
"Alright, I'll gamble! But what treasure of mine are you eyeing?" After some consideration, Li Shizhu felt that the odds of winning this bet were fifty-fifty. Combined with his extreme desire for the inner core, he finally nodded in agreement, but out of caution, he casually asked.
"Hehe, I'm not interested in any of Shizhu's other treasures. I just hope that after winning this bet, Shizhu will refine two pieces of iron essence of the same size for me in the next twenty years. Shizhu's proficiency in fire refining is renowned among the Seven Sects, so this should be a trivial matter!" The Taoist smiled, but his words carried a hint of cunning.
"Two more pieces of iron essence?" Li Shizhu's face turned ugly, almost jumping up immediately.
"Old ox, are you planning to make me your laborer!"
"How could that be? As long as you win, you won't have to do that. This is the inner core of a fifth-grade demonic beast! Equivalent to the early Core Formation Stage for us cultivators, it's definitely worth the price!" The Taoist shook his head and said.
Li Shizhu's expression was uncertain. After a while, he reluctantly reached out a hand and asked coldly, "Are we going by the same rules as last time? First, we'll see who gathers the most spiritual herbs, then we'll judge their quality, and finally, we'll see who has the most survivors coming out of the forbidden grounds?"
"Of course, everything remains the same!"
The Taoist was delighted and eagerly extended his hand to make the agreement official.
"A crisp sound rang out.
The Taoist did indeed touch a hand, but there was no hint of joy on his face. Instead, he began to cry.
He hadn't touched Li Shizhu's outstretched hand; instead, he had struck an empty, dirty hand that suddenly appeared between them. It was covered in grease and grime, indicating it hadn't been washed in who knows how long!
The disciples who had been paying attention to the conversation between the two sect leaders were stunned by this eerie scene.
"Senior!" Both Li Shizhu and the Taoist turned pale, shouting in unison.
"What senior? I dare not accept such a title. I am just like you, at the Core Formation Stage, just a few years ahead!" A lazy voice sounded between the two, and a strangely dressed figure gradually appeared.
This person was wearing a blue shirt with several patches, had short hair of a few inches long, and a white cloth bag around his waist, seemingly a lover of cleanliness. But his face was covered in grease, making it impossible to see his true appearance.
"A few years? It's more like hundreds of years!" After seeing the person's face clearly, Li Shizhu and the Taoist couldn't help but smile bitterly, realizing who it was. But they dared not show the slightest disrespect.
This strange individual not only had a terrifyingly advanced age but also had one foot already in the Nascent Soul Stage. His unique invisible escape technique was renowned in the cultivation world, and even the nearby countries' sects had heard of it.
Perhaps because he was nearing the end of his lifespan but still hadn't fully entered the Nascent Soul Stage, his temperament had become increasingly eccentric over the past hundred years. He enjoyed teasing cultivators at the Core Formation Stage, causing them much embarrassment. Among the senior cultivators of the Seven Sects, he had become a complete "bully" and "scoundrel." Basically, whoever encountered him hoped for the best, fearing his mood might sour and bring trouble upon them!
With the sudden arrival of this "senior," Li Shizhu and the Taoist couldn't help but feel shocked and uneasy. They had both suffered from his antics before!
"Since it's a bet, it's too lonely with just the two of you. Even this old codger will join in!" This "senior" seemed to be in a good mood, but his words made the two of them feel extremely uncomfortable.
