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So far, no one had any doubts or problems with the order of the Young Treasure Master’s toasts. It was normal that the Holy Daughter ranked first.
By labeling Chu Yang the top outstanding youth of the Southern Sea, the other outstanding talents might feel dissatisfied, but they would not display it.
Everyone was filled with greater anticipation of whom the Young Treasure Master, Yi Ling, would offer the third toast to.
When a feast began, the host would make only three toasts. These three toasts were a form of respect, representing status and reputation.
Given the Young Treasure Master Yi Ling’s status, these three toasts of his were naturally extremely important. Everyone wanted to be one of those recognized.
The few outstanding talents, Hai Tian, Gongsun Yan, Shangguan Yun, and Xia Hanfeng, all waited silently. Their expressions did not change, but they were already feeling impatient.
After drinking the second toast and placing down their cups, everyone looked at Yi Ling, waiting to see whom he would offer the third toast to.
If there were no surprises, the Southern Sea Divine Dragon Palace’s Hai Tian stood the highest chance. After all, he was the successor of one of the Sea Monarch’s old guards.
“Swish!
A maidservant standing at the side moved gracefully and refilled Yi Ling’s empty cup. Then, he picked up the wine cup again and smiled faintly, looking through all the faces of the various outstanding talents.
However, Yi Ling’s gaze stopped at someone whom no one expected at all.
“For this third toast, I offer it to Young Master Mo Yun, who came from afar. I sincerely hope that Young Master Mo will give me some face and come to the next Ten Thousand Treasure Festival.”
To everyone’s surprise, Yi Ling’s third toast was not to any of the outstanding talents. Instead, he chose the unknown Xiao Chen.
Hai Tian, Gongsun Yan, and the others who had been filled with anticipation all revealed expressions of incredulity, not daring to believe it.
The faces of these people sank. The other three City Lords, who had pulled in these outstanding talents, intuitively understood right away what to do, knowing that it was time for them step forward.
These outstanding talents were valuable clients who spent large amounts of money. They were of noble status and high positions, their reputations spread far and wide.
Unexpectedly, none of these outstanding talents received the third toast; a nameless fellow had snatched it. Why would these outstanding talents continue to patronize their business?
“We are all not convinced. Young Master Yi can offer this toast, but some people cannot receive it!”
The Young Managers in charge of the other three merchant associations all stood up at the same time and complained in front of all the honored guests.
“The Flaming Wind Merchant Association is not convinced. We feel that Young Master Mo is not qualified to accept this toast.”
“The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion is not convinced. Not just anyone is qualified to accept Young Master Yi’s toast.”
“The Heavenly Cloud Merchant Association is not convinced, either. Young Master Yi may offer this toast, but some people cannot accept it.”
Something strange suddenly happened. The Young Managers of the three merchant associations verbally attacked Xiao Chen in front of all the honored guests.
Xiao Chen found this development strange. Firstly, he had not expected the Young Treasure Master, Yi Ling, to offer this toast to him.
Secondly, Xiao Chen did not understand why the Young Managers of the three associations reacted so intensely.
It was just a cup of wine; there was nothing much to it. It did not matter to Xiao Chen whether he drank it or not.
However, while Xiao Chen did not mind, Zi Ying did. Xiao Chen was a major client of hers. If she did not stand up for him at this moment, who knew if he would still patronize her business?
Zi Ying put down her wine cup and said, “This is the Treasure Master’s residence. The few of you are really domineering, even daring to stop the Young Treasure Master’s toast.”
The Flaming Wind Merchant Association’s Bai Ze said coldly, “He is of unknown origins and is not famous. If this toast is offered to him, then what would all the outstanding talents of our Southern Sea in the same generation think?”
“That’s right. We do business in Ten Thousand Treasure City and pay a large amount of taxes every year. Offering this toast to an outsider is tantamount to slighting us.”
The words of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion’s Chen Tian meant that the three merchant associations stood together on this, intending to cooperate to suppress this matter.
Otherwise, if it was just a lone merchant association against the Treasure Master’s residence, they would not have any right to object.
The few outstanding talents remained silent. Clearly, they felt extremely dissatisfied in their hearts and waited for the Young Treasure Master to say something.
These outstanding talents came to Ten Thousand Treasure City and spent a lot of money without seeking fame or benefits. How could the Young Treasure Master offer this third toast to an outsider at this feast?
He was simply slapping the faces of these outstanding talents.
At the start of the feast, such a matter already happened. The various guests all felt excited. Such a situation very rarely occurred.
However, the Young Treasure Master, Yi Ling, smiled faintly, as if he had anticipated this beforehand. He said calmly, “Young Master Mo completed deals worth close to forty million Black Astral Coins with the Nine Cauldron Merchant Association. Anyone capable of transactions of even half this amount will receive the highest level of reception and be an honored and valued guest of my Ten Thousand Treasure City forever.
“Furthermore, he will be able to enjoy a twenty percent discount in the ten great sea markets of the Heavenly Starry Ocean!”
At these words, all the guests in the great hall goggled, unable to take in what they just heard.
Transactions worth forty million Black Astral Coins—this was an incredible sum. Under Martial Emperor, aside from a few rare and special quasi-Emperors, no one would be able to do this.
Everyone stared at Xiao Chen in shock. A grandmaster-level Martial Sage actually completed such stupendous deals.
Such a hefty sum was the largest ever recorded in all of the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion’s history.
At first, the Young Managers of the three protesting merchant associations were filled with shock. Then, they felt embarrassed, not knowing how to back down before so many gazes; they were in a bad position where they could neither advance nor retreat.
With such large transactions, Xiao Chen was completely worthy of the Young Treasure Master’s third toast.
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Compared to Xiao Chen’s, the transactions of these outstanding talents were like child’s play; there was no comparison at all.
This time, these Young Managers stuck their heads out to get their faces slapped, completely embarrassing themselves.
Zi Ying was delighted, a smile filling her face. Laugh at me all you want. Now you know who the true joke is.
The Flaming Wind Merchant Association’s Bai Ze was the first to react. He smiled and said, “Congratulations, Young Treasure Master. This toast does indeed need to go to Young Master Mo.”
The people of the other merchant associations that had been protesting both voiced their agreement and stood up together with their wine cups, offering a toast to Xiao Chen.
Merchants pursued benefits. They could ignore their own faces for anyone who could bring them excellent benefits, even hidden ones; there was no need to care about face.
What was integrity? How much was it worth? Could it be worth ten million Black Astral Coins?
Hai Tian and the others paled. They had not expected such an ending. As they watched people smile and offer a toast to Xiao Chen, rage slowly built up in their hearts.
Fu Hongyao whispered something into Chu Yang’s ear, and a murderous intent flashed in his eyes. Then, he glanced at Xiao Chen, feeling suspicious.
Xiao Chen calmly accepted everyone’s toasts, picking up his cup and draining it in one go.
Then, he glanced at the Lunar Palace’s Holy Daughter. He could not clearly see her expression, but he did not pick up any fluctuations, as if she did not care about that day’s matter.
However, that quasi-Emperor expert beside the Holy Daughter kept staring at Xiao Chen, like she was trying to see through him.
Xiao Chen’s heart sank. With this person around, meeting Yue Bingyun alone would be very difficult.
Various thoughts flashed in everyone’s mind as the feast continued. Eventually, the main focus of the feast returned to Yue Bingyun.
Under someone’s purposeful direction, the topic of conversation shifted to Xiao Chen profaning the Holy Daughter on Purple Cloud Island.
Yue Bingyun smiled and directly said that it was a misunderstanding and that there was no need for anyone to mind it. This explanation saved Xiao Chen much trouble.
“Miss Bingyun, there is still one year to the Four Seas Hero Gathering. I wonder, what will the Lunar Palace take out as a prize this time?”
“That’s right. The Lunar Palace has kept it a secret until now. There is no need for that!”
The topic quickly shifted to something that all the outstanding talents were concerned about: the prize offered at the Four Seas Hero Gathering.
Yue Bingyun smiled faintly and replied, “The Lunar Palace has put a lot of thought into the latest prize. At this point, there is indeed no more need to keep it a secret.”
Seeing that Yue Bingyun seemed to be willing to divulge the secret, everyone automatically pricked up their ears.
In each Four Seas Hero Gathering, the prize that the Lunar Palace offered had the crowd scrambling wildly for it, hence everyone’s interest. Everyone wondered what kind of fabulous prize it would be this time.
“This time, the prize that the Lunar Palace prepared is a piece of Divine Stone from outside the heavens. This Divine Stone possesses spirituality and can be used to anchor Luck and change geographical fortune. It has two words written by a Prime Martial Emperor: Dragon’s Gate!”
The bustling hall instantly fell silent. The Divine Stone from outside the heavens, which Yue Bingyun mentioned, was precisely the Heaven Subduing Rock from the Wondrous Stone Ranking.
This was a mountain tablet of the Dragon’s Gate with the words “Dragon’s Gate” personally written by the Azure Emperor.
After the Dragon’s Gate was eradicated, this mountain tablet remained missing for ten thousand years without a trace. Unexpectedly, it was in the hands of the Lunar Palace.
However, when one thought about it, this was logical.
This mountain tablet was newly made after the Dragon’s Gate gained control of the entire Heavenly Starry Ocean. After the Dragon’s Gate died off, the Lunar Palace rose up. It was logical for the mountain tablet in the Heavenly Starry Ocean to have ended up in the Lunar Palace’s hands.
As for the mountain tablet at the Dragon’s Gate’s headquarters in the Kunlun Continent, the Dragon’s Gate’s enemies immediately rushed over and shattered it after the Azure Emperor fell. It no longer existed.
The lost Dragon’s Gate had only one mountain tablet left outside.
Xiao Chen’s emotions fluctuated. However, after the initial shock, he quickly recovered.
He had to because a particular pair of eyes had immediately paid attention to him. The owner of this gaze was the Sun Palace’s Chu Yang, whom Xiao Chen still felt somewhat apprehensive about.
Hongyao, although this person’s origins are unknown, he uses a strange weapon and is only a grandmaster-level Martial Sage. You probably mistook him.
I am not wholly confident, either; it is just a feeling. I have to test him out to know for sure.
Alright. If it is really him, I will definitely make him pay a painful price in this Treasure Master’s residence.
Fu Hongyao and Chu Yang exchanged voice projections in secret, relating their opinions of Mo Yun and her suspicion that he was a certain person.
However, this Mo Yun used a folding fan while Xiao Chen used a saber—a great difference.
Although Fu Hongyao had a strong hunch, she could not be sure.
The two’s secret conversation aside, everyone in the hall was extremely shocked at the prize that the Lunar Palace was offering this time.
A Heaven Subduing Rock, the Dragon’s Gate’s mountain tablet. No one could have imagined such a prize even if they thought until their brain fried.
After this night, the news of the Dragon’s Gate’s mountain tablet being the prize would spread like wildfire throughout the Heavenly Starry Ocean.
This prize would make everyone pay even more attention to the Four Seas Hero Gathering taking place one year later, pushing it to an unprecedented peak.
Xiao Chen thought very quickly. Originally, he had not been interested in the Four Seas Hero Gathering. But now, he could not help but contemplate it.
“I wonder, who does Miss Bingyun feel will be able to suppress all the outstanding heroes in the upcoming Four Seas Hero Gathering and come out on top to win the prize?”
Yue Bingyun smiled faintly and said, “This is now a flourishing age of geniuses. There are many outstanding talents of the Heavenly Starry Ocean and hidden talents everywhere. Bingyun does not dare to make a presumptuous guess and judge prematurely.”