I Was Forced to Marry a “Trash” Cultivator, But She Turned Out to Be a Reborn Empress!

Chapter 282: Heavenly Secrets Sacred Land, A Wager Against It

Venerable Zi Yun descended from the heavens, treading upon the empty air. The crushing *Pressure* of the *Void Refining* realm crashed down like a collapsing sky, causing the framework of Lu Tingwei’s sedan chair to groan and splinter with a sickening *crack*.

He swept a cold, imperious gaze over the elder from the *Hundred Forging Pavilion*.

*What is this old fool? How dare a mere ant question Young Wang?*

*Chen’er has studied under the boy for barely half a year, yet his artifact forging attainments have already eclipsed a decade of bitter cultivation!*

*If I don’t trample this old face into the mud today, people will think I, Zi Yun, have gone blind!*

Lu Tingwei’s expression darkened instantly. He forced himself to speak against the suffocating atmosphere. “Celestial Venerable, this matter is a dispute between artifact forgers…”

“Silence!”

Venerable Zi Yun flicked his sleeve.

It was a casual motion, yet Lu Tingwei was struck as if by the invisible hand of a giant. He staggered back three steps, gasping for breath.

“When Master Wang forged the *True Spirit Treasure*, this old man personally witnessed the *Weapon Tribulation* descend!” Zi Yun roared, his voice shaking the plaza. “Who are you to question him?”

The surrounding cultivators sucked in a cold breath. Lu Tingwei was a Tier-5 Grandmaster!

In the past, Venerable Zi Yun might have offered such a figure a shred of “Face.” But times had changed. This man was blatantly trying to smash the *Duobao Sect’s* signboard. Given Zi Yun’s investment in Shen Xian, allowing such insolence was impossible.

Lu Tingwei’s face turned the color of liver.

Though he was a *Soul Formation* cultivator—a realm beneath Zi Yun—he relied on his status as a Grandmaster and his connections with other *Void Refining* Celestial Venerables. He refused to be cowed.

Suddenly, he pulled a square plate of green jade from his *Storage Ring*.

“What if I stake *this* as the wager!”

The moment the array disk appeared, reality seemed to warp. Nine vortexes of *Spiritual Qi* materialized out of thin air, weaving together above the plaza to form the phantom of an azure dragon. A clear, resonant dragon roar echoed, vibrating painfully against the eardrums of every cultivator present.

The surrounding *Spiritual Qi* surged toward the disk like a tidal wave, the sheer density of the energy making the air tremble!

“This item comes from the *Heavenly Secrets Pavilion*!” Lu Tingwei announced, his confidence returning.

The crowd erupted in shock.

Among the Ten Great Sacred Lands, the *Heavenly Secrets Sacred Land* ranked fifth. The *Heavenly Secrets Pavilion* was its core power, specializing in the obscure and terrifying Dao of Formations. Their strength was unfathomable, boasting several *Body Integration* True Venerables.

Any array disk forged by them was considered a supreme treasure in the cultivation world.

The *Spirit Gathering Formation* plate before them could not only amass *Spiritual Qi* but also subtly reconstruct a cultivator’s physique and purify their spiritual roots. For those with lackluster talent, it was practically a divine artifact capable of *Defying the Heavens to change fate*!

“A Formation plate from the *Heavenly Secrets Pavilion*?!”

The crowd was in a frenzy. A white-haired old cultivator trembled, his eyes wide with greed and reverence. “This old man has lived for eight hundred years, yet this is the first time I have laid eyes on the real thing!”

The *Heavenly Secrets Sacred Land* was impossibly distant from the *Dao Xuan Sacred Land*. The cost of travel alone was astronomical. For most, the Pavilion was a legend.

A few younger cultivators looked confused, only to be violently yanked by their companions. “Idiots! A single plate from the *Heavenly Secrets Pavilion* is worth the entire net worth of an ordinary *Nascent Soul* cultivator!”

In the crowd, Venerable Zi Yun’s pupils contracted to pinpoints. His gaze locked onto the jade plate.

He could see the nine vortexes slowly rotating, each one compressing the essence of heaven and earth into a pure, liquid state. Even more astonishing was the azure dragon phantom; as it swam through the air, it scattered motes of starlight that dissolved into the bodies of nearby cultivators.

“This… this plate autonomously refines *Spiritual Qi*?” a *Golden Core* cultivator exclaimed, realizing the air he breathed was suddenly ten times purer than usual.

Lu Tingwei scanned the crowd, soaking in their awe. “Correct. This item gathers spirit and refines its quality. Long-term use is enough to grant a cultivator with Three Spiritual Roots the cultivation speed of one with Dual Spiritual Roots!”

At these words, the light in Venerable Zi Yun’s eyes shifted drastically.

His most beloved grandson, Zi Chen, possessed the Five Elements Spiritual Roots. Despite Zi Yun’s immense resources, the boy’s absorption speed was a bottleneck, slowing his progress to a crawl.

If he could obtain this item…

Zi Chen’s path to immortality would be smoothed out instantly!

Venerable Zi Yun stared at the *Spirit Gathering Formation* plate, his mind racing.

*But this old dog Lu has the Dao Xuan Sect behind him. I cannot simply rob him…*

*Wait.*

His gaze shifted to Shen Xian, and a daring thought struck him.

*If this kid can actually win this item…*

*I will swallow my pride and beg for it for Chen’er!*

“Good! Good! Good!” Venerable Zi Yun suddenly threw his head back and laughed, the sound like rolling thunder.

He took a heavy step forward, his *Void Refining* aura exploding outward to suppress the area. “Lu Tingwei, since you want to gamble, then let’s gamble *big*!”

He turned to Shen Xian, his eyes burning with intensity. “Young Friend Wang, if you can win this item, this old man will…”

He paused for a fraction of a second, then committed fully.

“I will personally stand guard over your *Duobao Sect* for a thousand years!”

*Whoosh!*

The plaza descended into chaos.

A *Void Refining* Celestial Venerable serving as a guardian for a millennium? That promise was more valuable than any mountain of spirit stones or vault of treasures!

A sharp glint flashed in Shen Xian’s eyes.

A Celestial Venerable’s protection for a thousand years… that was essentially selling his life to the sect. With the *Ice Soul Immortal Sect* looming as a threat, having a *Void Refining* expert as a deterrent was exactly what he needed.

Moreover…

Shen Xian swept a glance over Lu Tingwei, a cold sneer forming in his heart.

*We are both Tier-5 Artifact Forgers, yet you want to step on me to climb higher?*

*Keep dreaming.*

*My forging skills come from the System. How could they lose to a hack who only reached Tier-5 by grinding for centuries?*

*You want to use me to rise? Then don’t blame me for using you to make my name resound across the realm!*

Shen Xian’s expression turned icy as the calculations finished in his mind.

*Besides, a Tier-5 Artifact Forger makes for an excellent high-level laborer.*

“Celestial Venerable, your favor is heavy.” Shen Xian cupped his hands with a faint smile, then his tone shifted abruptly. “However…”

He turned to face Lu Tingwei, enunciating every syllable with lethal precision. “If I win, I want your *Hundred Forging Pavilion* to be absorbed into the *Duobao Sect*!”

“And you…” The corner of Shen Xian’s mouth hooked into a dangerous, predatory arc. “You must serve my *Duobao Sect* for one thousand years!”

Dead silence.

The crowd was stunned. They hadn’t expected Shen Xian to be so ruthless.

*Isn’t he just looking for a free tool to do his dirty work?*

Lu Tingwei’s face went from liver-colored to ash-gray. “You…”

“What? Scared?” Shen Xian looked at him with undisguised pity. “Or is it that Senior Lu…”

He paused, letting the silence stretch.

“…lacks confidence in his own craft?”

Lu Tingwei exploded with rage.

*Arrogant brat!*

*I have immersed myself in the Dao of Artifact Forging for three hundred years! How could I lose to a wet-behind-the-ears punk like you?!*

*This is the perfect chance to swallow the Duobao Sect whole!*

“Fine!” Lu Tingwei let out a sinister, distorted laugh. “But if *you* lose…”

“My life is yours to dispose of!” Shen Xian cut him off, his voice ringing like steel.

*Boom!*

The *Burning Heaven Cauldron* flared to life behind Shen Xian, a phantom of intertwined lightning and fire spiraling into the sky.

The tension was palpable, the air between them crackling with hostility.

“Agreed. In five days, we settle this in the workshop square!” Lu Tingwei snarled, flicking his sleeves and storming off.

With the challenge set, the *Duobao Sect’s* disciple recruitment had to be paused.

“It’s better this way. We will resume recruitment after the duel,” Shen Xian instructed Su Mu, telling her to refine the assessment protocols.

He knew that after he crushed Lu Tingwei, the number of applicants would skyrocket.

As the crowd dispersed, Shen Xian approached Venerable Zi Yun.

“Celestial Venerable.” He bowed slightly, his expression sincere. “If I win the *Spirit Gathering Formation* plate, this Junior has a presumptuous request.”

Venerable Zi Yun raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Speak.”

“Once the plate is in my hands, I need to borrow it for one year,” Shen Xian said firmly. “After one year, I guarantee its safe return.”

Since everyone claimed the plate was so important, he naturally had to use it for his “gifting” cycle.

His plan was simple: Gift it to Qiu Ruoli, trigger the System’s rebate reward, and then have her gift the original item to Venerable Zi Yun.

That way, he could cleverly exploit a loophole in the System to maximize his gains.

Venerable Zi Yun’s eyes flickered with calculation, then he smiled. “Good! Forget one year—even if it takes three or five, this old man can wait!”

He sensed the absolute confidence in Shen Xian’s voice, which pleased him greatly.

As long as it could help Zi Chen break through, what was a single year of waiting?

Furthermore…

He cast a meaningful look at Shen Xian.

*This is the perfect opportunity to see just how deep this kid’s abilities truly run.*