Unlike regular sects, Myriad city was not a place of cultivation sealed off from the rest of the world. Instead, it was open to all cultivators. Cultivators could freely trade, rest, and entertain themselves here.

  The majority of the sect’s several hundred thousand servants and attendants served them. As a result, an array of facilities arose with demand. There were chess houses, markets, restaurants, tea houses, and even brothels. As long as they wanted it and had sufficient bookmarks, they could purchase it all here. It was truly all-encompassing.

  Among the various facilities, the most famous one was the Fate Perturbing casino, a place of gambling that Le Tian personally presided over.

  Cultivators had far too many ways to cheat, but it was always possible to guard against them. However, techniques of prophecy and divination could not be stopped, so they specially cast down formations that perturbed fate, which was why it was called Fate Perturbing.

  The old daoist priest arrived at the entrance of the Fate Perturbing casino very soon. The vermillion arch stood tall as people flowed to and fro below. To the left was a golden toad completely forged from gold, while to the right was a pixiu carved from white jade. There was even a stone tablet with an engraving.

  Gambling can change fate—Le Tian

  This was probably also one of the origins of the name of the place.

  People bustled under the archway. There were many structures in the city that servants were forbidden from entering, but the Fate Perturbing casino was the only exception. Regardless of status, anyone could come and try their luck.

  With the opportunity right before him, the old daoist priest instead became rather nervous. He paced around beneath the archway.

  However, he did not just come to get his revenge against Li Qingshan. He wanted to establish a tie with Le Tian so that he could gain a footing in the sect. That would allow him to work against Li Qingshan well into the future. Otherwise, just Ruan Yaozhu alone was enough for him to give up on all thoughts like that.

  As a result, he made up his mind and dove into the place.

  On the highest floor of the Fate Perturbing casino, the radiant sunlight filled the entire room. Le Tian sat on a golden rattan chair. The golden goblet in his hand glistened brightly, even turning the rich alcohol golden.

  He could overlook most structures in the city from here. Le Tian sipped the alcohol as he gazed at a certain part of the city in thought.

  A female cultivator knocked on the door and walked in. Her golden dress dragged on the ground. She was adorned with a golden hairpin, golden earrings, golden bangles and various other golden accessories, but it did not seem drab on her at all. Instead, it made her seem particularly noble and beautiful, like the queen of a country. Instead, Le Tian, who sat back in the chair, seemed more like the tasteless son of someone who had made a great fortune overnight.

  The female cultivator was careful, stepping lightly like a cat. She whispered into his ear, “Senior brother, there’s a servant who resembles both a daoist priest and a buddhist monk that’s trying to visit you. He said he wants to thank you for your kindness. I saw that he’s a Soul Nascence cultivator, which is why I came to report this to you.”
“I don’t want to see him!”
“Yes.”
Seeing how Le Tian had no intentions of saying anything more, the female cultivator backed out of the room with no other choice.

  A cultivator immediately went up to her and asked politely, “Senior sister Jin, what did senior brother Le say?”
She had already recovered her queen-like demeanor. Her eyes were filled with malice. “Tell him to piss off!”
The order was passed down the chain of command. When it reached the very bottom, it had already turned into, “Beat the bald ass until he leaves!”
“S- senior brother, he might just be a servant, but he’s still a Soul Nascence cultivator. We’re all just at Foundation Establishment, so how are we supposed to beat him?”
“So what if he’s a Soul Nascence cultivator? This is the Fate Perturbing casino! You’re all attendants, so don’t tell me a servant like him will actually hit you back? How unfortunate of me, getting scolded by the foreman. It’s like what they say, you’re bound to lose if you’re up against a baldy!”
As a result, the old daoist priest suffered a beating and was thrown out viciously in the eyes of the public. He did not suffer any wounds due to his physique, but it did leave him feeling resentful, which made him cough up a few mouthfuls of blood viciously, worsening his internal injuries.

  “Le Tian, why didn’t you keep him around?”
The three-legged golden toad turned into the figure of a young man with golden hair and golden eyes, lying lazily next to the hot spring. He raised a bar of gold high into the air before extending his tongue and pulling it into his mouth, chewing away as he said through his full mouth.

  “He’s just a piece of trash.”
“He’s still a Soul Nascence cultivator. Don’t tell me you’re angry? That Li Qingshan sure is impressive. He’s almost made you lose twice consecutively.”
The three-legged golden toad followed Le Tian’s gaze and glanced out. He was looking at the great square where the Myriad rankings stood. He saw everything clearly, including Li Qingshan’s name.

  “A piece of trash is not worth gambling on, not even a Black Wood bookmark. Does Leng Yuan really think he’s the only one who noticed his Method of Essence-seizing, Qi-converting, and Placenta-hiding? The most important part of gambling is a daring spirit. These lowlifes that treat cowardice as cautiousness and underhandedness as intelligence will only lower my chances at winning. Li Qingshan was summoned over the moment he set foot in the Pavilion of Heavenly Tomes. He must have been offering up random books and a lot of them too. There’s nothing strange about that. After all, it’s very likely that he ascended from a lower world. Soul Nascence cultivators of the Human realm don’t have that kind of daring spirit.”
Le Tian was completely unworried. His speculation was almost identical to the current situation.

  With a thump, the three-legged golden toad swallowed all of the gold. “He doesn’t really seem like someone who likes to read.”
The alcohol in the golden goblet rippled. Le Tian said, “Which is why he’ll be coming out very soon.”
However, Li Qingshan remained in the Pavilion of Heavenly Tomes for a total of six days and seven nights before emerging.

  During those six days, his ranking advanced steadily on a constant rise. It had already become much slower towards the end, as he no longer had a lot of books that were truly worth from the World of the Five Continents, and his rate of recording them into the jade slip became slower and slower too. However, he continued to climb higher at a steady pace, without pausing for a single moment. He surpassed another thousand people before finally stopping, actually becoming a small sensation in the Myriad sect.

  However, Li Qingshan felt absolutely horrible right now. He felt like his head was about to split open. The toll on his soul sense from rapidly recording into the jade slips was a small issue. Most importantly, there were several thousand books mixed together in his head, yet he could recall every single figure and every conversation. It was all vivid, like dreams. Even when he gazed at the city right before him, it felt surreal. He understood exactly why the Clam King of Mirage Sea had gone crazy now.

  “Oi, kid, you’ve finally come out!”
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  A familiar voice rang out, and Li Qingshan immediately saw the nine-coloured deer, as well as Ruan Yaozhu who was dressed in a fresh, light-green dress. He immediately felt much better inside.

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  “Miss Ruan, it is an honour for this humble scholar to see you again… ptui, I’m almost going crazy. Fellow Ruan, what are you doing here?”
“You’ve already joined the sect, so you should call me senior sister.” Ruan Yaozhu smiled. She stood with the rising sun behind her as the strands of hair near her ears bobbed up and down in the wind.

  Li Qingshan sincerely called her senior sister, “Senior sister, don’t tell me you’ve been waiting here for me?”
“You never came to the Hundred Herbs garden. I heard you were summoned by the spirit reverend, but you never emerged even after several days. Are you fine?” Ruan Yaozhu asked in concern.

  “I’ve made you wait then.” Li Qingshan was touched. “I’m fine. I just offered up some books to the spirit reverend for some contribution and bookmarks.”
Ruan Yaozhu smiled. “You’ve already become famous in the Myriad sect. Senior brother Le has almost been frightened out of his wits by you. Hmph, this is what he gets for gambling!” She even glanced in the direction of the Fate Perturbing casino.

  Li Qingshan laughed loudly. “With senior brother Le’s wealth and success, he’s got plenty of avenues to make money, so why would he care about some cheap change?”
In the Fate Perturbing casino, Le Tian truly produced a sigh of relief. If Li Qingshan continued to rise up at that rate, becoming a direct disciple in three decades really would not be anything difficult.

  Ruan Yaozhu said, “It’s a pity that the books you can offer up are still limited at the end of the day, or you’d definitely win. Why don’t you come to my Hundred Herbs garden for some work instead? You won’t earn contribution as quickly, but it’ll be a stable source of income.”
Li Qingshan smiled mysteriously. “Not necessarily. It’s just as they say. Life is limited, but books are not!”
Le Tian became nervous again.