Shen Wei then adopted an expression of "what can you do about it?" and said, "Dao Yuanming, speak. What exactly do you want me to do? Name your price, I might not agree anyway."
"Don't worry, I'm not asking to borrow spirit stones this time. I just need you to give me one of your spots to enter the Sacred Dragon Tower," Dao Yuanming said with a smile.
What!
Upon hearing about the Sacred Dragon Tower spot, Shen Wei's entire face turned green. "Old gambler, let's talk about spirit stones. How much do you want to borrow?"
"No way, Shen Wei! Didn't you refine this Sacred Dragon Tower yourself? You're too stingy to even give me one spot to enter," Dao Yuanming retorted.
"Do you think I don't know what you're up to? The various spiritual items stored inside the Sacred Dragon Tower are a hundred times more valuable than spirit stones. If I give you a spot, won't you just scavenge all the treasures inside?" Shen Wei glared at Dao Yuanming.
Dao Yuanming, equally displeased, said, "It's not me who wants to go in. I want to secure a spot for this kid."
Saying this, Dao Yuanming pointed at Mu Qingqing.
Shen Wei observed Mu Qingqing and found the young man to be quite polite.
However, this young man was a student of the old gambler Dao Yuanming. Could he also be a little gambler?
Seeing Shen Wei hesitate, Dao Yuanming continued to persuade him, "Shen Wei, you lost the bet. You don't want people in Mingguang City to know that the dignified Ming Emperor would renege on his promise, do you?"
"Old gambler, you've got me. But you have to agree to one condition too."
Shen Wei knew his treasures in the Sacred Dragon Tower were compromised, but he wanted to at least gain something from Dao Yuanming.
"What condition?"
"It's simple. Just stay in Mingguang City for three years and help me deal with the demon creatures, and I'll give this spot in the Sacred Dragon Tower to this young man."
"Three years? Are you sure? Shen Wei, you're too ruthless! Are you trying to make me a monster-slaying tool for three years?" Dao Yuanming said angrily.
Shen Wei smiled calmly, "Three years isn't ruthless at all. It's just asking you to fight those Nether God demonic creatures outside the city. Moreover, the Sacred Dragon Tower only opens once every three years. If you want a spot, don't you also have to pay with three years of labor?"
This guy wasn't going to offer a spot in the Sacred Dragon Tower that easily.
Fine, he had to stay in Mingguang City for a while anyway.
Dao Yuanming finally agreed to Shen Wei's condition. He turned to Mu Qingqing and whispered, "Little girl, when you enter the Sacred Dragon Tower, remember to gather a lot of treasures and bleed this Shen Wei dry. Hmph."
"Old gambler, I can hear you. Are you saying three years is too short?" Shen Wei glared at Dao Yuanming.
The way these two Saint Emperor seniors argued was just like children bickering.
Mu Qingqing watched the scene and couldn't help but smile, finding it amusing.
After a brief period of bickering, both of them became instantly serious.
Mu Qingqing, standing nearby, also felt the atmosphere change.
Dao Yuanming spoke first, "Shen Wei, the activity of the Nether God demonic creatures is becoming more frequent. First, there was the human traitor Xuan Qi, and now there's a demon named Yuan Qing. By what means are they controlling those Nether God demonic creatures?"
Upon mentioning Yuan Qing, Shen Wei's expression turned much darker, and he gripped the armrest of his chair tighter.
After a long pause, he slowly said, "Xuan Qi's matter is not our concern. He is under the jurisdiction of the Cha Sheng True Domain. We have to deal with this demon, Yuan Qing."
"I heard from your little disciple, Chu Ruoxuan, that you've clashed with this demon. How was it?"
"I can't be sure. This Yuan Qing is very powerful. I only managed to repel him with the advantage of my realm. If we were of the same cultivation level, I might not be sitting here safely."
Dao Yuanming's eyes widened upon hearing this.
He knew Shen Wei's strength and methods well. The strongest Saint Emperor wasn't named without reason. Shen Wei, who even a one-star Great Emperor might not be able to defeat, had said such words.
It must be that the demon Yuan Qing was truly formidable!
"However, when fighting him, I noticed that the demon seemed somewhat delirious, muttering things like 'It wasn't me who killed them'," Shen Wei said vaguely, frowning as he recalled his fight with Yuan Qing.
Dao Yuanming didn't pay much attention to Shen Wei's remark. He said with a serious expression, "You only temporarily repelled that demon. I believe he will return soon with a large number of Nether God demonic creatures."
"Otherwise, you wouldn't have set up so many defensive formations around the outskirts of Mingguang City."
Shen Wei nodded. He had indeed been staying around Mingguang City, as Dao Yuanming said, to guard against Yuan Qing's surprise attacks.
Xin Ci, in the consciousness space, heard everything that Dao Yuanming and Shen Wei were discussing.
He transmitted a message to Mu Qingqing, "Qingqing, do you think the demon Yuan Qing that the Dean and Senior Ming Huang are talking about is related to Xuan Qi?"
"Little girl, what do you think?" Elder Han also wanted to hear Mu Qingqing's thoughts. In his understanding, Mu Qingqing knew far more secrets than he imagined.
"There's a possibility. After all, both Yuan Qing and Xuan Qi can control Nether God demonic creatures."
"But the difference is that Yuan Qing is very likely a demon weapon, while Xuan Qi is purely human. So, I suspect Yuan Qing is just one of the many demon weapons refined by Xuan Qi," Mu Qingqing surmised.
She felt that Xuan Qi was the key person. Moreover, Mu Qingqing had a feeling that Xuan Qi was deliberately disrupting the development of the original plot.
Whether it was his appearance in the Eastern Continent Grand Competition to snatch Xin Ci's first place in the original work, or breaking open a gap in the seal of the Twilight Land earlier.
Everything Xuan Qi did was inconsistent with the original novel's plot. In fact, this person didn't even exist in the original novel! Kai Shu Ge.
"There are quite a number of Saint Emperors in Mingguang City. Although their overall strength is slightly inferior to the Cha Sheng True Domain, they are at the peak of second-rate forces in the Central Continent."
"Moreover, with the Ming Emperor here, that demon Yuan Qing and the large number of Nether God demonic creatures should not be able to break in."
Elder Han's reasoning had some validity, but nothing was absolute.
And her and Xin Ci's current strength was still relatively weak. They had to improve before heading to the Cha Sheng True Domain. The current Sacred Dragon Tower trial was an opportunity.
...
Three days later, in front of the Sacred Dragon Tower.
A crowd of top martial artists from Mingguang City had gathered in the square in front of the first-level passage of the Sacred Dragon Tower.
Xin Ci, having switched back to his main personality, looked up at the giant tower entwined with dragon souls and couldn't help but express his awe.
Dao Yuanming, walking beside him, patted Xin Ci on the shoulder and said with a smile, "This Sacred Artifact refined by Shen Wei is indeed extraordinary. However, he has set a restriction on the Sacred Dragon Tower. Only martial artists at the King Realm can enter for trials, and there are only ten spots each time. Do you understand now how difficult it was for me to secure this spot for you?"
"Thank you for your help, Dean," Xin Ci said respectfully.