The next day.

  Li Nianfan departed from the four-part architecture and headed to the Tianyun Canyon again.

  He did not go empty-handed that time. He brought a lot of items to decorate the venue.

  There were Air Purifiers, Water Purifiers, Fruits, and a Self-Service Beverage Machine.

  There were a lot of items he hoarded in the storage room. He could not use it daily. Since it was a big event and it was of no use to keep it stored, he decided to take them out to use them for the event.

  Actually, Li Nianfan was trying to befriend the successful forces in the Area of the Gods. He wanted to help out a little.

  The cultivators who participated in the Battle Conference were famous geniuses from various sects. It was beneficial for him to befriend the cultivators. He had to make social connections!

  He had to admit that the methods of Immortals were advanced.

  At that moment, the venue in Tianyun Canyon was mostly completed. The leaders of various forces had gathered together. They instantly greeted and welcomed Li Nianfan when they noticed his arrival. They looked friendly.

  They looked like a bunch of simps meeting their Goddess.

  “Lord Saint, you came so early today. Did you have breakfast yet?”


  “Lord Saint, how was your sleep last night?”


  “Lord Saint, the venue’s almost completed. Have a look?”


  ‘You must be joking. Yesterday, the Sect Master of the Hundred Flower Sect, Hua Nongying, slightly kissed up to the expert. I cannot believe that she got such a huge blessing in return. I’d be stupid if I don’t try to be his bootlicker!’


  Li Nianfan was flattered. He saluted and smiled. He said, “Morning, everyone. You guys are working so hard early in the morning. It must be tiring.”


  The King of the Luotian Dynasty, Huang Deheng, laughed and said, “Haha, no, Lord Saint. We don’t need sleep.”


  The Jade Emperor noticed that Li Nianfan was carrying a lot of bags. He asked curiously, “Lord Saint, what did you bring?”


  “Some small trinkets. I think you guys could use my help to decorate the place.”


  Li Nianfan chuckled. He started to pull out the items. “This is an Air Purifier, this is a Water Purifier, and this is a Self-Service Beverage Machine. I already thought about where to place them. If the participants are exhausted or thirsty, they can use these. It tastes quite alright.”


  He was like a sponsor. He wanted to win over the geniuses. It was a foolproof plan.

  The others did not recognize the items, but the Jade Emperor was more than familiar. He jolted and was extremely shocked. “This…this is…”


  Some people did not understand. They asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”


  “You don’t understand.”


  The Jade Emperor shook his head. He had a gaze with mixed emotions. He paused and said, “You’ll understand later.”


  Everyone was confused.

  ‘Why so mysterious?’


  Li Nianfan picked a spot at the venue and tried to turn on the Air Purifier.

  Gas instantly came out of it. It looked like a subtle white mist.

  Of course, it was nothing special in the cultivation realm.

  However—


  “This—this—this is…”


  Everyone widened their eyes simultaneously. Their mouths were wide open. They stuttered like their mind was puzzled.

  ‘Is this an illusion? It must be an illusion.’


  They rubbed their eyes because it was too hard to believe. They looked closely again.

  ‘Chaos Spiritual Qi. It really is Chaos Spiritual Qi!’


  ‘Such pure Chaos Spiritual Qi!’


  Gasp—


  All the Sect Masters gasped. Their scalps went numb as their organs shook.

  Previously, the Palm Sword Cliff opened the Yuan Qi secret border because of Chaos Spiritual Qi. The Chaos Spiritual Qi was 10 times worse but it had already caused a huge buzz.

  The Air Purifier was a legendary treasure. ‘Too scary, too incredible!’


  Li Nianfan heard them gasp. He furrowed his brow and asked, “What’s wrong?”


  He worried that the cultivators were not impressed with the Air Purifier.

  “We…we…”


  Huang Deheng twitched his mouth. His mind was running in circles.

  They were reminded of the unique situation. They could not disrupt the cultivation of the expert.

  They naturally panicked when they were questioned.

  Hua Nongying hurriedly replied, “We only wanted to inhale more of the air to see the effectiveness of the Air Purifier.”


  Li Nianfan waved it off. He said awkwardly, “That’s not necessary. It’s very ordinary. There are no obvious effects.”


  ‘It turned air into Chaos Spiritual Qi but the effects are ordinary?’


  ‘The expert’s standards are so high…’


  “But, this Water Purifier’s quite useful.”


  Li Nianfan moved the Water Purifier. “Put water into it. It’ll filter the water and make it cleaner. It’ll taste sweet, too. I think it’s quite nice.”


  “How about… I give it a try?”


  Hua Nongying carefully lifted her arm and waved. A wave of water was sent into the Water Purifier.

  Then, she watched Li Nianfan pour a cup of water from the Water Purifier.

  ‘Chaos Spiritual Water!’


  ‘The water turned into Chaos Spiritual Water?!’


  ‘Damn! How did it do that?’


  Everyone felt their mind buzz. They could not think of anything else except ‘awesome’.

  Li Nianfan passed the cup. “Sect Master Hua, try it?”


  “Thanks… Thanks, Lord Saint.”


  Hua Nongying controlled her beating heart. She accepted the cup and gently sipped.

  The cool water had a hint of sweetness. It flowed from her mouth and into her body. She felt like it went deep into her deepest parts and hydrated her soul.

  “Yum~”


  She shivered and moaned softly.

  She blushed. She hurriedly talked to ease the awkwardness. “It’s… It’s delicious!”


  “Glad you like it.”


  Li Nianfan laughed. “I hope these small things help the participants feel more comfortable.”


  ‘Chaos Spiritual Qi and Chaos Spiritual Water are just small things?’


  ‘Not only will they be comfortable, but they’ll also probably go crazy from excitement.’


  ‘The entire Area of the Gods will blow up if this gets out. Everyone in the Chaos will try their best to squeeze in.’


  ‘We can never let them know something so awesome before the battle starts!’


  Everyone looked at each other and understood.

  “As for the Self-Service Beverage Machine, the beverages will be provided after the competition because the drinks are limited. Also, I prepared some fruits. We can make some self-service fruit platters,” Li Nianfan casually said. The Battle Conference was going to be so cool.

  Everyone looked at the fruits Li Nianfan brought. They felt numb inside. They felt like they were on cloud nine.

  Only the expert could describe Chaos Spiritual Fruits as ordinary fruits. It must be the highest level of flexing.

  Huang Deheng pursed his lips and said, “Lord Saint, I represent my disciples to thank you for the sponsorship.”


  He felt like he was tearing up from jealousy, like being blinded and pained by wonderful items…


  Li Nianfan waved it off. “You’re too courteous. These things aren’t valuable anyway.”


  Then, everyone continued to work on the venue. They were more efficient because the expert was present. They did their best to perform well.

  Everyone finally sighed in relief when Li Nianfan left. Then, they all looked at the treasures.

  “Quick. Someone, pinch me. Are these real?”


  “Wicked. Is this the power of the expert?”


  “Funny, I didn’t know that I was poor before.”


  “Guys.”


  Suddenly, Hua Nongying went serious. She said, “The expert’s involved in this. The Battle Conference is unlike any event before. It’s on a whole new level. We have to adjust our plans, too!”


  Somebody nodded in agreement and said, “You’re right, Sect Master Hua. The Battle Conference isn’t allowed to be open to the public. They have to be elite disciples. After all, the resources provided by the expert are limited. Most importantly, we have to avoid havoc. We cannot anger the expert!”


  “Everyone, go back and choose wisely. At the same time, please, remember to remind them of the rules.”


  “Huh? Brother Huang, what are you doing?”


  Glug, glug.

  “Is that necessary? Let go. Don’t hold on to the Water Purifier.”


  Glug, glug.

  “Goodness. Share the water, man. This is too out of line.”


  Glug, glug—


  …


  Luotian Dynasty.

  Burp—


  Huang Deheng patted his tummy with satisfaction. Compared to before, his stomach was three sizes larger.

  ‘What does it feel like to drink Chaos Spiritual Water until one’s full?’


  Huang Deheng could not imagine it, but after today, he finally understood how it felt.

  It felt super amazing…


  He squinted and stumblingly returned to the Luotian Dynasty. He gradually looked serious.

  He ordered sternly, “Listen up. Summon all the Princes and the Princesses. Also, gather all the best disciples to await my orders!”


  The entire Luotian Dynasty instantly became busy.

  Soon, the main palace was full of people.

  The Eldest Princess wore colorful clothes. She looked poised and regal. She asked, “Father, did you meet the expert?”


  Huang Deheng nodded. “Yeah, I met him by luck.”


  The palace instantly chattered.

  “What level is the expert? He must be powerful.”


  “What does the expert look like? Is the expert a man or a woman?”


  “How are the preparations for the Battle Conference? Did the expert set up any prizes?”


  “Yeah, I’m so excited.”


  ‘Ha. Prizes?

  ‘I’ll scare you to death if I tell you!

  ‘I can only say that being weak limits your imagination.’


  Huang Deheng felt like his worldview was heightened. He gently coughed and said, “Silence! How can we discuss the expert?!

  “I have two important things to announce this time. First, the rules of the Battle Conference have changed. You have to be a super genius cultivator to enter the battle. You must be ready! Furthermore, the audience cannot be ordinary cultivators, they must be the best of the best, too! We’re going to be strict when choosing candidates!”


  “Father, why?”


  “Why?” Huang Deheng smiled. “The answer lies in the second announcement. The rewards of the expert…are beyond your comprehension. The expert’s involved in the Battle Conference so it changes everything. I cannot tell you the specific details. However, you all need to train properly and be mentally prepared. Don’t humiliate me during the Battle Conference!”


  The information about the Battle Conference would cause havoc if it spread to the Chaos. Changes would occur.

  Therefore, Huang Deheng could only give hints.

  “Be mentally prepared?”


  Everyone was puzzled. ‘What’s going on? Is there something horrifying in the Battle Conference?’


  ‘Also, isn’t this battle supposed to be a performance for the expert? How high can the standards be?’


  ‘Isn’t this too much?’


  Hundred Flower Sect.

  Hua Nongying also rushed back. She gathered the Saintesses and her wonderful disciples.

  “Huge opportunity, huge blessing!”


  Her voice was trembling with excitement.

  “I won’t mention the details, but joining the Battle Conference is an opportunity beyond your comprehension. This is a hundred times better than any secret borders!

  “Be mentally prepared. I hope you don’t faint by then.”


  A Saintess whispered, “Master, are… Are you serious?”


  “You don’t understand the power of the expert! The treatment from the expert’s beyond your comprehension.

  “Even I feel… Super lucky!”


  Meanwhile.

  The other sect disciples were reminded that they would gain huge opportunities if they joined the battle!

  Of course, they were also warned. Their first priority was to hold back. They must refrain themselves!

  It would be ridiculous for two chosen disciples to fight over a slice of watermelon. They could not explain that to the expert.

  …


  In the Chaos.

  Several figures drifted.

  They were huge. Demonic energy circled them. It was the Big Lord Demon and the others.

  At that moment, they had a lot fewer Demons. Only 10 of them were left. They looked defeated and dusty.

  Somebody asked, “Big Lord Demon, where are we going?”


  “We’re going to look for a new world, of course. Then, we can safely survive there.”


  The Big Lord Demon said, “The Area of the Gods is nice, but it’s clearly not for us. I can feel the apparent discrimination! A smaller world would have worse resources but fewer experts. We can be more at ease there.”


  He sounded sad and angry like he was wronged.

  He had gone through a lot, so he already accepted his fate. He was frightened by the dangerous world.

  ‘Who cares about ruling the world? What’s more important than living?’


  He wanted to rise again. However, Fate kept toying with him. Every time he worked for a bigshot, he had to watch them die due to weird reasons. Even his bosses kept dying…


  Then, he gave up. He quit and tried to hide.

  However, there were more people in the Area of the Gods. Things became more tragic for him.

  No matter where he went, no matter what he did, he would run into all sorts of cultivators. Then… They would fight.

  Which was why his underlings grew lesser in numbers. He was mentally exhausted.

  ‘I’m really not up to anything. Why is it so hard to live in peace?

  ‘Can’t help it being in the cultivation world.’


  “We’re far from the Area of the Gods! Haha, we’re deep in the Chaos now. We might find something if we move forward. I don’t believe they’ll discriminate against us now!”


  The Big Lord Demon had to smile with relief.