Chapter 398: Chapter 30 Different Choices
The issue of “Memory Modification” had not been long past when the Yuelai Inn began attracting the attention of many.
People were eager to find out information about the mysterious figure from last time and whether there were any other pieces of news.
Thus, when a new piece of information appeared from the Yuelai Inn, it immediately caught the attention of many.
“Have you heard? The Yuelai Inn mentioned that somewhere in Shuzhou, a great opportunity will appear that is highly beneficial for cultivation!”
“Your news is outdated. The Yuelai Inn has already spread more information. That opportunity is allegedly a chance to enter another world!”
“Another world?”
Some people couldn’t comprehend this.
Naturally, these were people who either hadn’t received detailed information or simply didn’t focus on what was truly important.
Those of slightly stronger abilities paid attention to another aspect of the news.
“If one can cultivate there without getting injured… if that’s true, might the thing I’ve been doing finally be achieved?”
“Not getting injured, so would breakthroughs be possible?” This was an old man named Li Yi, at the peak of the Martial Artist Level, just one step away from becoming a Grandmaster.
As someone who had unintentionally entered the Martial Artist World, his current level seemed to be the limit of his luck. Unless it was by some fluke, this would be his maximum level of strength.
He had attempted several breakthroughs on his own but failed each time. As for finding ancient manuals… Grandmaster Level manuals were precious and mostly controlled by major powers.
He had encountered many opportunities during times of imperial chaos, but each time, he fell short; becoming a Martial Artist seemed to have exhausted a lifetime of luck.
Hearing the news from the Yuelai Inn, after decades of cultivation, he instantly grasped the significance.
“Let’s gamble one last time; if it doesn’t work, then ‘dust to dust, ashes to ashes’.”
He had pursued the martial path all his life, never marrying or having children. Even if he died on this path, he would have no regrets.
Many thought like him; at the Martial Artist stage, perhaps no extraordinary manuals were needed.
But at the Grandmaster level, aside from those prodigies with deep accumulations, few could become Grandmasters on their own.
After all, becoming a Grandmaster was an evolution of life’s essence, potentially doubling one’s lifespan.
Those around Wang Sheng could experience such simple breakthroughs only because of excellent conditions; not breaking through under such circumstances would be abnormal.
And now, it seemed someone was offering them such an opportunity.
Of course, aside from those wishing to breakthrough, there were more powerful forces wanting to probe the situation.
Some medium and small forces sensed the threat.
“If it’s really as the Yuelai Inn says, then the difficulty of breaking through to Grandmaster will significantly decrease, and after the breakthrough, they all would be Grandmasters who have found their path, their strength not weak…”
“This isn’t good news for us!”
Although the resources for cultivation had increased in the past two decades, who would want to share them?
The means to breakthrough to Grandmaster had primarily been controlled by powerful forces, leveraging many Martial Artists.
If the rumors about the opportunity were true, the top forces might not waver, but their smaller and medium forces would definitely feel a significant impact.
Grandmasters were their foundation.
“Should we try to stop this? The news coming out of the Yuelai Inn can’t be simple; if there are powerful backers, stopping them might not be a good idea.”
“Let’s observe for now. The world never lacks fools; some people will definitely not be able to resist, especially those forces that have only recently been established; they put in a lot of effort to succeed back then.”
“Indeed…”
Some chose to watch, naturally, some chose to prevent.
However, a significant number of other forces made different decisions.
“Get ready, let the capable members of our family go. If utilized well, this could be our chance to soar!”
“Family Head, shouldn’t we prevent others from approaching?”
“Hmph, as long as we are strong enough, we will get our due benefits. Those who choose to stop or observe, in my view, are absolutely foolish!”
Different choices were made, but many ambitious forces began preparing to head to the Three Counties in Shuzhou.
The Three Counties, being at the center of the storm, were naturally very aware of this.
Some were excited about the arrival of this opportunity, while others worried that the peace of the Three Counties would be disturbed.
Of course, those most worried were the members of the Zheng, Jiang, Zhao, and Wu families.
The four families had considerable strength, but they were only at the Grandmaster level and, faced with such a storm, even combined, they could not withstand the pressure.
The people from the four families gathered in Dishui County.
“Brother Wu, you are the strongest, so you decide. How do we resolve this, should we evacuate, or…”
“Don’t even think about evacuating; if what the Yuelai Inn says is true, this is a huge opportunity for us, and leaving would be the worst choice.”
“If we don’t evacuate, we might have strong figures knocking at our door, Great Grandmasters wouldn’t be impossible.” An elder stated.
“Do you want to evacuate?”
“I do not want to! Nor will I!”
The discussion seemed to lean towards evacuation, but a question revealed otherwise.
“That Grandmaster, although not demanding anything from us, has intervened a few times. He probably still cares about the Three Counties, so we must stay to maintain order and stability.”
The Zheng, Jiang, and Zhao families’ elders could become Grandmasters, but they had received significant benefits.
“Then let’s figure out a way. Evacuation is not an option, as long as those forces don’t cause chaos, we need not intervene!”
“We have no choice, our strength is still not enough. Always under the protection of that adult, when real trouble arises, we are somewhat passive.”
“Then let’s take this opportunity to enhance our strength.”
As they were discussing, the door was knocked.
“Who is it?”
The place they chose was Yuelai Inn, which according to logic, should have had no disturbances.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am the temporary shopkeeper of this Yuelai Inn, following the orders of the Store Manager and that adult, here to deliver some items to you.”
The four exchanged glances, instantly understanding the implication.
This opportunity was probably orchestrated by that adult, and preparations had been made in advance.
They opened the door, and following the shopkeeper inside were four attendants, each carrying a beautiful porcelain basin with a pristine white lotus inside.
“The Store Manager said, each of you take a lotus back with you, and if you encounter unsolvable issues, just talk to the lotus.”
The shopkeeper was also puzzled, he could not see anything special about these lotuses or why one should speak to them in times of trouble, possibly a means of communication.
The Four Major Families members also could not understand, but one thing was clear to them.
Since it was the order of “that adult,” they just needed to execute it.
Facing such a situation, they no longer discussed it further and took the lotuses to their respective cities to guard.
What they didn’t notice was that the white lotuses gently opened and closed, revealing jade stones within them.
And in the distant void, there were two children holding swords.
All these arrangements were made by Wang Sheng.
If he needed people, he naturally would not allow any disturbances.
Welcome to use the Spirit World in the Three Counties!
But if it interferes with its usage, then sorry, but it’s a downright enemy, with no room for negotiation.
Time passed once again by a little over a month.
The Three Counties became extremely lively, welcoming an unprecedented number of powerful individuals, with Martial Artist peaks readily visible and Grandmasters appearing from time to time.
Even traces of Great Grandmasters could be observed.
Named the Three Counties, it was actually four cities within, nearly every inhabitable place was filled.
Many forces unable to find lodging consequently began buying houses from the civilians.
Some felt that the Three Counties might become crucial in the future, whereas others wavered under massive financial incentives, giving up their homes.
Of course, some also wanted to seize by force, but only the slightly respectable forces refrained from doing such, mostly it was the somewhat powerful but not excessively powerful Martial Artists, easily suppressed by the people from the Four Major Families.
The stability of the Three Counties was barely maintained.
But soon, they ran into troublesome matters.
Yuelai Inn issued new information, delineating the range of the mysterious world’s arrival.
Covering all of Lushui County, most of Dishui County, and parts of the remaining two counties’ cities, naturally, each county’s city was included.
This was not an issue until the boundaries were delineated; a Great Grandmaster appeared, prohibiting others from entering while also dispersing Martial Artists that ventured into these areas.
“Why won’t you let us in?”
It wasn’t clear which force the person belonged to, but obviously, there was more than just a Great Grandmaster guarding, not restricted to just one force.
These people seemed to have reached an agreement.
“Why? No reason, because your forces are too weak.”
The person blocking was unapologetic.
And the one asking was Li Yi, who had traveled a great distance, old and from afar, hence only arriving now, but he had encountered such an issue right away.
This was his last chance!
But looking at the Grandmaster level fighter opposite him, he knew, even in his prime, he stood no chance.
He was very unwilling.
At this moment, a Great Grandmaster explained the situation from above, with a somewhat arrogant expression.
“This opportunity is only for the top warriors, weak Martial Artists did not deserve to share this fortune with me.”
He was arrogant, still not over the elation of becoming a Great Grandmaster,
But what he didn’t know was, someone was watching all this.
“Where did you find this fool? Already a Great Grandmaster and still this unintelligent.”
“Just a lucky person, initially just a commoner, accidentally becoming a Martial Artist and then being treated like a god by a group for a while, easily incited to do such things.”
Someone sneered, sending out Grandmaster level individuals to test, and if it could prevent other individual Martial Artists from entering, all the better.
Opportunities for cultivation were rarely things people wished to share.
The fewer the better.
The few discussing laughed among themselves, clearly satisfied with their approach.
But just at that moment, two silver lights appeared in the sky, Dragon Smoke took action!
The two children had received Wang Sheng’s message!
(Like yesterday, the next chapter will arrive in ten to twenty minutes.)