Chapter 46: One Hundred Thousand Spirit Stones

The characters of this world were the same as those in Zora’s original world.

Back then, at the bottom level of the Arena, she spent her days longing for the easily bullied Warden Wang to deliver her meals. Warden Wang managed their floor, which was filled with people who had few victories; some, like Zora, were still young and hadn't spent much time in the Arena. Others simply couldn't win; such people were replaced every day, as death came quickly.

The more you won, the more money you earned, and the better your treatment in the Arena became; conversely, it was miserable. Warden Wang, as the warden of this nest of paupers, had naturally been sidelined there. He had a cowardly personality. The first thing Zora did upon reaching the age of reason was to threaten Warden Wang into giving her extra food.

If she had been an adult, it would have been fine. But that cowardly man was unwilling to tell anyone he was being threatened by a child and suffer further contempt, so he grit his teeth and endured it. He didn't know why this child was like a wolf cub; no matter how he slapped at her, she would bite his arm and not let go, nearly tearing a piece of flesh off. When her blood-stained teeth were about to sink into his neck, Warden Wang hurriedly agreed to give her extra meals.

He could have punished her, of course—even if he couldn't beat her himself, couldn't he find someone else who could? Instances of wardens hiring thugs to beat up contestants were hardly rare. The problem was that he had no money and no connections at all.

When Zora was finally able to enter the Arena, he prayed every day that she would die on the stage.

That cowardly Warden Wang, the one who could give her extra meals, eventually died silently. No one knew the killer, and his body was disposed of haphazardly. Zora didn't like the new warden. Because he was skilled and strong, she never had a full meal again. During that time, she missed Warden Wang immensely, a feeling that could be called both love and hate.

It wasn't until Zora won three matches and her treatment was upgraded that life became much better, and the warden could no longer control her.

That day, the child with pale skin from years without sunlight stood beneath a bulletin board. The massive board was densely covered with match listings.

Arena 125: Ding Xiao vs. Li Meng

Arena 168: Broadsword vs. Number One

Arena 451: Chicken Meat - Winner

...

Arena 651: Zora vs. A-Qian

At first, she was illiterate. She tilted her head back, her glass-bead eyes staring at the board as if looking at a painting. In the Arena, where life and death were constant, many people didn't even have names. They died illiterate, uncultured, and some didn't even understand the concept of gender.

But for the audience to watch a match, there had to be a code name or a name. If you didn't have a name, the person registering you would fill one in at random. Some directly chose their weapons, favorite foods, or a strong desire to win as their name. Names as proper as "Zora" were rare.

The high-level officials knew most people were illiterate, so they stationed a reader by the board who would read the match news at fixed times every day. The crowd around the reader was always packed tight, while the bulletin board remained lonely and cold. Zora, however, stood beneath the board every time. When the reader began, she would compare the words to the speech.

Over time, she came to understand some characters. Additionally, an uncle in the neighboring stone cell had learned to read and occasionally taught her, the price being that she had to threaten Warden Wang into bringing in some wine.

Whenever someone died, their name was crossed out with a slash. By the end, a glance at the bulletin board revealed a white surface covered in slashes, looking like cuts made into a human body, red flesh exposed, a slow death by a thousand cuts—exceptionally soul-stirring. This was a shock that only those who were literate and looked at the board could appreciate.

"What's the use of learning to read? Of course it's useful! When you become famous and are recruited by nobles, how can you lack culture!" her mother had once said.

But learning this way was too painful and difficult. Eventually, Zora felt like vomiting whenever she saw dense text; she wanted to cross them all out. Those were enemies—her current enemies, her future enemies, enemies who would eventually face a life-and-death match. She disliked them; how long would it take to cross them out? She disliked looking at the characters; crossing them out until they were illegible was the only way to feel safe.

This resulted in her current dislike and vigilance toward written text, a slight sense of resistance.

Zora frowned as she looked at her book. The tribulation had ended a while ago, and the sky was perfectly clear. Seeing this, the cultivators quickly withdrew. Zora, thinking of her past experiences learning to read, inevitably found the book even harder to look at.

Zora frowned throughout, finished the book, and asked, "Are there any other books?"

"Yes."

The youth had been doing something; he paused before replying. He rummaged through his storage bag for the common manual used by December Sect disciples and handed it to her.

Zora flipped to the first page and saw Vane’s name written on the inside cover. The handwriting was steady and powerful, with a sharp edge—every stroke revealed a prideful spirit, a total transformation from his previous handwriting.

Zora looked at the three small characters "Yan Fengyao" and asked curiously, "Why is this your name?"

Vane said flatly, "My father gave it to me."

Zora: "Why did he give you this name?"

"Judging from the surface of the name, thinking in a positive direction, he likely hoped I would be like the wind—free and unfettered," Vane said. He poured water for Zora, his eyes lowered, his tone casual. "But thinking in a normal direction, he likely hoped I would be like the wind—flying to a far-off place, far away from him."

Zora nodded, took a sip of water, and said sincerely, "The latter is a bit better."

"I think so too."

They headed toward the nearest town again. Zora opened her mission scroll and read it carefully.

Purchase ten pieces of Black Lang Iron.

Zora visited several blacksmith shops but found none of the Black Lang Iron mentioned in the mission. Vane followed behind her, acting as a decorative companion. At the fifth blacksmith shop, Zora asked, and the other person again said they didn't have any. She nodded as usual and was about to turn away when the blacksmith called her back, his expression strange: "Is it 'Black' as in black, 'Lang' as in clear, and 'Iron' as in iron?"

What was he saying?

She understood a bit but was also confused. Zora gave a hum of affirmation.

"Eh," he scratched his head, set down a piece of iron, and walked to a dusty corner to rummage. He shook out a pile of junk. "Is this what you want?"

Zora leaned in for a look; the properties were identical to the mission description. "Yes."

"...Then just take it. This is all the stuff we filter out and don't use; it can't be refined at all." The blacksmith’s face was full of wordless complexity.

The pile of scrap iron had just been pulled from the corner and was covered in dust. Vane stepped forward at the right time to take it, not putting it into his storage bag in front of the blacksmith. Only then did the blacksmith look at the youth.

The moment they entered the shop, the blacksmith felt the room brighten. Such a handsome appearance—he had never seen anyone better looking than these two. The youthful appearance, which looked sharp and high-spirited in the cultivation world, was considered exceptionally beautiful in the eyes of a simple, rugged blacksmith.

The youth lowered his eyes as he accepted the scrap iron, then stepped back to his original position. He lowered his head to count them and said to the girl, "There are fifteen pieces."

"Mhm."

They didn't look like partners, or siblings, or lovers—surprisingly, they looked like master and servant. As the two walked out of the shop, the blacksmith shook his head and laughed.

How could that be? That boy is clearly a favored son of heaven with a great future; he doesn't have the aura of a servant at all.

Outside the shop, Vane put the scrap iron into his storage bag. The person who posted the mission said they would come to the December Sect to collect it themselves; they would meet then. And so, Zora returned to the sect.

To her surprise, she encountered Turi Qi and the others at the sect entrance. They seemed to be waiting for someone. Seeing Zora return, Turi Qi smiled: "Junior Sister Zora, was the mission smooth?"

Zora: "It was alright."

"That's good then."

Song Zhihuai watched the exchange between Turi Qi and Zora. After watching, he felt he had learned the way; he turned with a cold face and said to Vane: "Junior Brother Vane, how was the mission completion?"

Vane, who had been watching Zora’s back, turned his eyes. He gave his usual light smile and said, "Excellent."

Whenever he returned to the sect, he would always add a touch of gentleness and lose a bit of his ferocious edge.

Song Zhihuai: "That's good then."

As if he had perfectly completed a task of "caring for his junior brother," he continued to stand in place like an ice sculpture, very satisfied.

The surrounding disciples cast admiring glances at Vane for daring to speak to Senior Brother Song.

Yiling Ke... Yiling Ke was standing there sleeping. She hadn't noticed Zora at all, likely dreaming.

Zora looked around: "So many people. What's going on?"

Turi Qi smiled: "Because the Island Master of Liu-Li Island is coming today to trade some items with our sect. Everyone came to watch the excitement and welcome her."

Zora paused.

Has the timeline reached this point already?

It seemed that in the original story, she didn't just come to trade, but to announce to everyone that Lord Wanghua was her man, thus triggering a long string of love and hate.

Just as she thought of this, a magnificent palanquin appeared in the sky, carried by four people treading on clouds. The wooden palanquin traveled through the clouds, leaving a trail of flowing mist. The tassels on the palanquin swayed, and bells tinkled with an ethereal, distant sound.

"The Island Master is here!" a disciple said.

"I've never seen the Island Master before. Hehehe, I just used this as an excuse to skip a class."

"Is it true that Liu-Li Island is covered in spirit stones and wealth?"

The crowd was rowdy, but when the palanquin landed, the noise stopped abruptly. It was exceptionally quiet.

Duh, of course we can't lose face for the sect!

Zora stood to the side, looking up slightly, her eyes fixed on Turi Qi. Turi Qi had originally been waiting with a solemn expression to welcome the guest, but the gaze of the junior sister beside her was far too obvious to ignore. She asked quietly, but Zora shook her head and said nothing. This led Junior Brother Vane to look at her several times as well.

Turi Qi was very sensitive to others' emotions; she knew Junior Brother Vane wanted to figure out the reason behind Junior Sister Zora’s behavior. It seemed Vane was discreetly paying attention to every action Zora took and trying to decipher it. He seemed to focus all his attention on understanding Zora, likely to be better to her. Thinking of the relationship between Zora and Vane, Turi Qi smiled.

Suddenly, a pale hand pulled back the curtain. A woman stepped out of the palanquin, and the four carriers vanished in the blink of an eye. Wang Ling had a flippant manner. She scanned the crowd with little interest: "Five spirit stones, not a penny more."

She spotted a decent-looking disciple: "Mhm, this one is worth thirty spirit stones."

The disciples finally realized what was happening.

She was labeling everyone with a price?!

How could she insult people like this? Though the disciples were displeased, they said nothing; after all, she was an Island Master.

Yiling Ke finally woke up. The moment she opened her eyes, she encountered an arrogant woman saying to her, "Mhm... this one is worth five thousand spirit stones."

Yiling Ke was dazed and confused: "Hah?"

"Island Master, the Sect Leader has been waiting in the Immortal-Seeking Hall for a long time. Please proceed there," Turi Qi said, seizing an opening.

Wang Ling’s narrow phoenix eyes turned to her, and she gave a meaningful smile: "Ten thousand spirit stones."

Turi Qi: "..."

Wang Ling spotted Zora and paused for a heartbeat in silence, remarking, "So it's the hundred-thousand-stone one I've seen before. I thought I'd never have the chance to meet again."

One hundred thousand spirit stones!

The disciples gasped. They were angry she was pricing everyone, but they couldn't help comparing; so far, the highest price was Zora.

Zora asked: "What can one hundred thousand spirit stones buy?"

Wang Ling was stunned, then laughed loudly, her unrestrained laughter echoing: "They can buy many, many things. For example, if you want me to save you, it costs one hundred thousand spirit stones."

She then labeled Vane as ninety thousand spirit stones. With the hundred thousand in front, his ninety thousand didn't seem so obvious.

It's quite close to Zora.

Vane thought, then said politely: "Thank you, Island Master."

The disciples couldn't help but feel respect; Junior Brother Vane was truly magnanimous. But in comparison, ninety thousand spirit stones was also a form of appreciation from Island Master Wang Ling.

As Wang Ling was about to leave, Zora suddenly asked out of curiosity: "Then how much are you worth?"

Wang Ling’s lips held a smile as she said easily, "I am only worth a common stone seen everywhere. After all, judging others based on personal preference is very disrespectful."

—Huh? After all that, you knew?! And this... this is actually quite honest. The lowest price in the field, not even worth a spirit stone, devaluing yourself to a common stone.

Everyone swallowed, their anger mysteriously dissipating quite a bit.

"By the way, I came to the December Sect to make sure your Sword Sovereign hasn't forgotten the marriage contract we set years ago. Lord Wanghua should be waiting in the Immortal-Seeking Hall too," Wang Ling said leisurely, curling her lips and dropping a bombshell before swaggering away.

"............"

The air was silent; the atmosphere froze. Turi Qi’s expression didn't change, but Zora, who was closest to her, felt her body go stiff.

Senior Sister Turi will probably go back and cry, then have a huge fight with her Master.

Zora thought of the original work.

But tomorrow there was a class for the Sword Gate disciples; as the head disciple, she had to lead the reading of the basic sword technique essentials. Turi Qi couldn't describe her inner feelings; if it were before, she might have been heartbroken. But now it wasn't absolute heartbreak or disbelief; it was a mix of too many subtle feelings, making her heart a swirl of emotions. Besides, Island Master Wang Ling was so outstanding that she was naturally far beyond her reach.

"Are you going to cry?"

Suddenly, a voice rang out abruptly.

"..."

Only Vane and Turi Qi heard Zora’s words. Yiling Ke immediately went back to sleep; she had only opened her eyes for a moment, realized she couldn't understand the current situation at all, and instantly gave up on trying, closing her eyes again. Song Zhihuai was solemnly refuting in his heart:

His friends were naturally priceless treasures and could not be measured by money.

—Refuting in his heart because he hadn't reacted in time, and now that he wanted to refute, the person was gone. He could only supplement it in his heart, replaying it and drafting the best rebuttal.

Turi Qi’s thoughts were interrupted. She was stunned and turned her head; her Junior Sister Zora was staring at her with a serious expression. Zora repeated the question: "Are you going to cry?"

Turi Qi panicked for a moment and hurriedly forced a smile to cover it up, saying, "Of course not. I'm too happy for Master to..."

Her voice grew lower and lower, finally vanishing at her lips.

Zora was puzzled: "Truly not?"

"..." Turi Qi calmed down and thought carefully for a while. Though the feelings were complex, they hadn't reached the point of being heartrending. She answered seriously: "Mhm, I won't."

"Then remember to come to class tomorrow."

The plot only wrote about the main leads fighting and giving each other the cold shoulder; it never wrote whether the female lead went to class the next day.

Turi Qi laughed: "Alright, Junior Sister Zora. I will definitely remember to go to class tomorrow."

Vane stared straight ahead throughout, his expression calm as if he had heard nothing. After Zora finished, she paused for a few heartbeats, felt she should offer some comfort, and said solemnly: "I don't like reading. If someone else leads the reading, I don't have to look at the characters. Don't cry, don't be sad. You are the leader tomorrow. If you don't come to class, I will be very sad."

Turi Qi heard her use the word "sad" for the first time and instinctively comforted Zora instead, smiling gently: "It's okay. Actually, for leading the reading, another disciple would do. Don't be sad, Junior Sister Zora."

"............"

Zora stopped talking, her face expressionless. Because she realized Turi Qi was right.

Comforting is so hard.

Zora frowned slightly as if wrestling with it; in any case, she wasn't very happy.

Vane: "..."

Vane saw everything and had to speak up. He entered the conversation as if in passing, saying with a smile: "Senior Sister Turi, Zora is saying that for many things and people, you are useful and needed. So there's no need to feel sad or inferior over things that don't need you; that would be putting the cart before the horse and narrowing your vision."

Zora looked at Vane.

He's so good at talking,

she thought.

Turi Qi acknowledged this and said, "I understand... thank you, Junior Sister Zora, and Junior Brother Vane."

Vane: "No need for thanks. It was all what Zora said; I had no thoughts on the matter."

Zora immediately felt the matter was resolved. She gave an acknowledgment and cast it to the back of her mind, thinking of today’s cultivation. Vane glanced at Zora; he knew with one look that she must think Turi Qi wouldn't care about those things anymore. But such things don't change one's state of mind because of a few words; it all depends on one's own adjustment after hearing them.

Turi Qi appeared normal on the surface, standing not far away and talking to the junior brothers and sisters who asked her questions; her inner thoughts were currently inscrutable. Zora was observing the sleeping Yiling Ke, staring intently.

Vane looked at her and gave a light laugh.

But... leading the reading?

He suddenly thought of what Zora had just said.

He had also read books to her, but thinking back carefully, that was already back on the bird-ship, before the competition.

The youth crossed his arms, his finger tapping lightly on his arm. His expression was quiet as if in thought.

He didn't know when the next time would be.