Chapter 22: Quotas

Upon hearing Qu Yi’s words, Qing Long felt delighted. After trying to impress him several times, he had finally received a response from Qu Yi.
To reassure Qu Yi, Qing Long turned to look at the thirty beings at the Mahayana stage.
“Gentlemen, Xianyue Cliff is currently under attack by the seven sects. Please go to Xianyue Cliff and attack those at the Mahayana stage.”
Qing Long said this to further impress Qu Yi. After all, having a being at the Mahayana stage by his side already created pressure on Qu Yi. Qing Long didn’t want to lose Qu Yi’s goodwill just because of a lapse in care.
The thirty beings at the Mahayana stage gave Qu Yi a smile before saying to Qing Long, “Understood, Qing Long.”
In an instant, they left via a spatial teleportation array, heading to Xianyue Cliff.
Seeing Qing Long’s actions, Qu Yi smiled, understanding his intentions. He then sat down casually on the peak of Bai Shou Peak.
Qing Long also sat down casually and asked with a smile, “Qu Yi, what deal do you have in mind this time that brought you to our Bai Shou Peak?”
Qu Yi smiled at Qing Long and suddenly said, “Master Qing Long, do you know how many people two Eight-Direction Swords can carry into the Haotian Immortal Mansion? Guess again—how many people can three Eight-Direction Swords carry in?”
Hearing this, Qing Long was stunned for a moment before his eyes lit up as he exclaimed, “Qu Yi, do you have three Eight-Direction Swords with you?”
At this point, Qing Long couldn’t help but realize that Qu Yi must have three Eight-Direction Swords, given such a strange question.
Qu Yi nodded affirmatively. “Yes. When the Taiyuan Sect went to the Tianhuo Star Region to fight over the Six-Directions Blade, they brought the Eight-Direction Swords. When I obtained the Six-Directions Blade, I also picked up one of the Eight-Direction Swords.”
Hearing this, Qing Long’s eyes widened. Perhaps this was the biggest news in the cultivation world. The Taiyuan Sect had thought that having the Eight-Direction Swords would surely help them seize the Six-Directions Blade, but things went wrong—they lost both the blade and their swords.
Qing Long immediately said, “Qu Yi, stop beating around the bush. Tell me right away—how many people can three Eight-Direction Swords carry into the Haotian Immortal Mansion?”
The number of people who could enter the Haotian Immortal Mansion affected each sect’s gains there. As the leader of a sect, Qing Long was naturally very concerned about this. From Qu Yi’s words earlier, he also understood that Qu Yi had come to Bai Shou Peak to sell quotas for entry into the Haotian Immortal Mansion.

Indeed, since Qu Yi learned that three Eight-Direction Swords could bring in twenty-four people, while only he himself had the strength to enter the Vast Heaven Immortal Mansion, the other twenty-three spots couldn’t be wasted—they could be exchanged for some benefits. Qu Yi smiled and said, “Twenty-four people! I plan to sell twenty-three of those spots across the entire cultivation world.” At this moment, he revealed his true intentions. When Qing Long heard this, his face showed surprise for a moment before he quickly regained his calm expression and began to think carefully. “Qu Yi, I want to ask—do you plan to sell all twenty-three spots? What price do you want for each one?” Qing Long asked concerningly. Although the Beast Peak already possessed one Eight-Direction Sword, Qing Long still hoped more people from the Beast Peak could enter the Vast Heaven Immortal Mansion. He also hoped Qu Yi would sell more spots to the Moon-Biting Cliff and Nine-Palace Island, two sects of demon cultivators. Moreover, when selling to cultivation or demon cultivation sects, he shouldn’t sell them all to just one sect. Qu Yi smiled and said casually, “I’ll only sell twenty out of the twenty-three spots. The other three, I intend to give to your Beast Peak. In exchange for these three spots, I ask your Beast Peak to act as a guarantor for me. Thirty years later, an auction will be held at your Beast Peak to sell those twenty spots. Each spot will have a minimum price of one Origin Stone. As long as a sect offers more than one Origin Stone, they can obtain one spot.” With Qu Yi’s personal reputation, the top ten sects in the cultivation world would naturally not attend the auction. After all, they would worry that Qu Yi might get the auction items but not bring anyone into the Vast Heaven Immortal Mansion, and they wouldn’t be able to pursue him. After all, they had already experienced this before—despite setting up a vast network in the cultivation world, they still couldn’t catch Qu Yi. They were naturally afraid that he might take the treasures from various sects and flee, leaving them regretful. Qu Yi had thought of this as well, so he turned to the Beast Peak for a guarantee. In that way, even if the other nine sects gave their treasures to Qu Yi and he fled, at least the Beast Peak could be used to vent their anger. The question now was whether Qing Long would trust Qu Yi’s reputation. If he did, Qing Long would naturally accept the benefits of the three spots and act as a guarantor for the auction. Faced with the temptation of the three spots, Qing Long fell silent again. As a sect leader, deciding the fate of the Beast Peak based on Qu Yi’s reputation was a very difficult choice. The three spots were tempting, but they involved the survival of the Beast Peak—a decision that no single sect leader could make on their own.

Suddenly, Qinglong looked at Qu Yi and said concerningly, “Qu Yi, I have two conditions. First, the auction venue will be sealed off by a spatial seal created jointly by the Great Perfection-stage practitioners from the ten sects. Second, as soon as the auction ends, the ten Eight Directions Swords will be activated, allowing everyone to enter the Haotian Immortal Mansion immediately.” The spatial seal would isolate all spiritual energy, creating an independent space from which no one could escape. Qinglong knew these conditions were extremely harsh, essentially sealing Qu Yi away so that he wouldn’t be able to escape even if he wanted to. Upon hearing this, Qu Yi understood that Qinglong had made up his mind—after all, he was worried that Qu Yi might flee with the treasures, forcing the Hundred Beasts Peak to face the wrath of the nine other sects, which would mean its destruction. With the Dimensional Ball, Qu Yi wasn’t worried about his life. However, he didn’t want to reveal the secret of the Dimensional Ball, as it was far more valuable than any treasure in the Haotian Immortal Mansion. So, Qu Yi smiled and said, “Qinglong, I understand your concerns. I agree to your two conditions. But I hope that when promoting the auction, you’ll also clearly inform the other nine sects that if I’m attacked inside the spatial seal, I’ll immediately collide the three Eight Directions Swords with the Six Directions Blade, destroying all four treasures related to the Haotian Immortal Mansion. Then no one will be able to enter it again.” To conceal the secret of the Dimensional Ball, Qu Yi had to take drastic measures. The ten sects wanted to capture him through the Eight Directions Swords and the Six Directions Blade, but if attacked, these four treasures would be destroyed, preventing the ten sects from entering the Haotian Immortal Mansion forever. This way, they would be too afraid to attack Qu Yi before entering the mansion. Hearing this, Qinglong understood Qu Yi’s intention to protect himself and nodded, saying, “I understand. Since you’ve agreed to these conditions, on behalf of the Hundred Beasts Peak, I’m willing to vouch for you and organize this auction.” Qu Yi laughed heartily, stood up, and said, “Master Qinglong, thank you for your effort. Thirty years from now, I’ll arrive at your Hundred Beasts Peak on time. I hope the auction goes smoothly.” Qinglong also stood up and smiled, saying, “Qu Yi, don’t worry. Before you enter the Haotian Immortal Mansion, you won’t face any danger to your life.” Qu Yi smiled meaningfully, bowed, and vanished in an instant.

Qinglong stared blankly at the sky, murmuring to himself, “I already have an Eight Directions Sword that can carry six people. Now that I’ve obtained three more spots, I have nine in total. Is this enough? My Bai Shou Peak is well-provided with resources, so of course I need to secure a few more spots.” The more spots one has to enter the Haotian Immortal Mansion, the greater the chance of obtaining treasures inside. Qinglong understood this well, which gave him a strong desire to compete for those spots and treasures. Soon, Qinglong entered the Qinglong Palace and was then teleported to Moon-Biting Cliff. …… Moon-Biting Cliff, located in the heart of the Shanghan Continent, was a towering peak whose summit stretched horizontally for tens of thousands of meters. From above, the moon seemed to sit right on top of the cliff. At that moment, all the Great Perfection cultivators from the ten sects of the cultivation world had gathered here. Moon-Biting Cliff also had a mountain protection array—the Heavenly Star Gathering Array—which emitted fifty light beams to block fifty Great Perfection cultivators from the seven sects. This allowed the Great Perfection cultivators from the three demon sects to fight fiercely against the rest. The battle was extremely intense; the entire mountainous area had sunk a thousand meters due to the violent collisions of the five elements’ primal energies, with countless deep fissures appearing, leaving no flat ground. At a critical moment in the battle, Qinglong arrived via a spatial teleportation array. He found his disciples—Tulong, the leader of Moon-Biting Cliff, and Shuilong, the leader of Jiugong Island—and quickly relayed Qu Yi’s decision. The three sect leaders immediately informed their respective Great Perfection cultivators of Qu Yi’s decision. Upon hearing this, the Great Perfection cultivators from the three demon sects immediately started shouting during the battle, “Fellow cultivators, Qu Yi has been to Bai Shou Peak and has made a decision. Thirty years from now, an auction will be held at Bai Shou Peak to sell twenty spots to enter the Haotian Immortal Mansion.” As soon as this declaration was made, all the cultivators from the ten sects realized that continuing the fight was pointless. Apart from causing countless casualties among themselves, they would gain nothing. The battle between the ten sects was essentially fought over the Eight Directions Sword, which meant the spots to enter the Haotian Immortal Mansion. Since Qu Yi had already made his decision, there was no point in fighting each other anymore. Soon, the strong warriors from the ten sects retreated one after another, ending the battle.

Only then did Qinglong step forward. Flying alone in the air, he proclaimed proudly, “Gentlemen, Qu Yi has come to my Hundred Beasts Peak and discussed matters with me. Now, Qu Yi possesses three Eight Directions Swords, which can take 24 people into the Vast Heaven Immortal Mansion. Of these 24 spots, Qu Yi has decided to put them up for auction. The auction will take place at our Hundred Beasts Peak, in thirty years. The price for one spot is at least one Origin Stone; of course, the faction that offers the highest-value treasure will win that spot.” The cultivators from the ten factions listened quietly before erupting into uproar.