Heavenly Phoenix Range...
Spectators leaned over railings, eyes blazing with curiosity, anger, and greed. The betting slips in many hands were crumpled tight—so from anxiety, so from rage.
Above them, floating high on a jade disk, stood Elder Feng, his azure robes snapping in the wind. His voice thundered like rolling drums.
"The third round is over! Now begins the weighing and judging of the treasures gathered within the Treasure Land! All disciples will present their harvests before the ten appointed Judging Managers. The value of your finds will decide your rank!"
His words rolled over the crowd, igniting a wildfire of anticipation.
In the center of the platform, ten tall figures descended. Each wore crimson robes embroidered with golden scales and carried in their hands a Spirit Weighing Scale—an artifact of gleaming silver that pulsed with spiritual light.
At the center of each scale's dish was a transparent crystal that would glow with different colors depending on the rarity and worth of what it asured.
The ten judges took their positions in a neat row. Behind each, an assistant unrolled a long jade scroll to record results.
A hush swept through the crowd as Elder Feng's voice rang again:
"Step forward when your na is called. Ten disciples at a ti. Place your collected treasures upon the Spirit Scale and let the heavens reveal your worth!"
The first nas were called—familiar faces of proud geniuses. They stepped forward, so calm, so tense, others smirking with confidence.
"Place your harvests."
One by one, they emptied their storage bags.
From the first disciple's pile spilled Silverroot Grass, Three-Petal Azure Blossoms, and a fist-sized piece of Star Iron Ore. The crystal on the scale flashed pale yellow—modest but respectable.
The crowd murmured: "Not bad… Star Iron is rare enough."
The second disciple, a tall youth with a cruel smile, poured out Crimson Serpent Fruit and Earthfire Marrow Crystals. The crystal glowed deep orange.
Gasps rose. "Earthfire Marrow! That's worth thousands of mana cores alone!"
The third disciple's treasures glimred—Jade Orchid, Spirit Vein Crystals, and a single Moon Tear Lotus whose petals seed woven from silver light. The scale's crystal blazed green-gold.
The crowd erupted. "That's at least fifth-tier herb value!"
On it went, each pile greeted with exclamations, sighs, or scoffs.
By the end of the first ten, the crowd was roaring, their eyes darting from the glowing scales to the scoreboard on the jade scroll.
The Second and Third Groups
The second set of ten brought even more drama. One girl, her face like carved ice, placed a Phoenix Blood Ginseng upon the scale. The crystal turned molten red, the light spilling into the air like a burning fla. People rose to their feet, shouting.
"Phoenix Blood ginseng! That's at least two centuries old!"
Another disciple, a burly man in tiger-striped robes, revealed Nine-Fold Spirit Bamboo and Thunderstrike Ore, prompting the crystal to blaze white.
"Top-grade ore!" soone yelled.
The crowd's energy grew feverish. Every new glow from the Spirit Scales was a dagger to the gamblers who had staked their fortunes.
The 30th group brought fewer surprises, but still the occasional gasp. One managed a Serpent's Breath Pearl, another an armful of Glacier Spirit Moss.
Yet with each group, a strange tension was growing—not from who was weighing, but from who was not.
The Na Not Yet Called
Kent King.
The na whispered between lips like a spark in dry grass.
Where was he in the order?
Those who had chased him inside the treasure realm, now bruised and fuming, stood at the side with dark glares. The gamblers who had wagered mountains on his death clenched their fists. And the crowd who had booed his "cowardice" earlier itched to see him humiliated.
But Elder Feng seed to save certain nas for later, weaving suspense with a craftsman's hand.
The 70th Group – A Peak
When the seventh group stepped forward, the drama reached its peak thus far.
A disciple in silver armor poured out a cascade of treasures that made the very air fragrant: Thousand-Year Cloud Mushrooms, Seven-Star Jade Fruit, Ocean Heart Coral, and a slab of Dragon Bone Iron.
The Spirit Scale pulsed with a deep gold light that refused to fade. Even the elders on the high platform leaned forward.
"Exceptional," one judge murmured, marking it down.
Cheers thundered. "That's it! First place for now!"
The gamblers nodded grimly—yes, they thought, this is what Kent will never match.
The Ninty first Group – Eyes Turn West
By the 91st group, the air itself seed to tighten. Elder Feng's gaze swept the rows of disciples.
Finally, after the ninth group's results were recorded, the elder's voice rang like a bell:
"100th and final group! Step forward—Kent King!"
The na dropped into the arena like a thunderclap.
Every head turned.
Kent stepped forward slowly, robes fluttering lightly in the mountain breeze. On his shoulder sat the One-Eyed Bandit, twitching its nose and baring a toothy grin at the spectators.
Boos rose from so corners. "The coward's here!"
"Let's see what his pet picked for him!"
"He probably only has grass and pebbles!"
Yet others leaned forward with narrowed eyes. "He's too calm… either he's hiding sothing, or he really doesn't care."
Kent reached the table and inclined his head politely to the crimson-robed judge.
But Elder Feng raised a hand.
"One mont. All treasures will be revealed together for this final group."
The other nine stepped forward beside Kent, forming a line.
The first poured out Fla Lotus Seeds and Ironroot Stones. The crystal glowed faint orange—good, but not great.
The second revealed Spiritdew Pearls and a rare Cloudwhisper Herb—the scale shone green. Murmurs of appreciation rose.
The third dropped Four-Winged Serpent Scales, shimring with poison qi—crystal flashed blue.
On it went, each disciple revealing their harvest, each glow sparking so cheer or sigh from the stands.
But Kent's bag remained closed.
The gamblers leaned so far over the railings they seed ready to fall. "Co on, let's see it already!"
At last, the judge's eyes fell on Kent.
"Your turn."
Kent smiled faintly. He tipped his collection bag.
A cascade of treasures poured out, glittering like a river of rainbows under the morning sun:
Nine-Heaven Spirit Blossoms, their petals dripping with dew that shone like starlight.
Ancient Earthfire Ore, each lump vibrating with restrained heat.
Spiritjade Marrow Roots, white as polished bone and twice as rare.
Moonlit Snow Lotus, whose bloom exhaled a mist that cooled the air.
Dragon's Vein Silver, a tal that humd with dormant lightning.
67 Red Claw Fruits, 91 Serpent Lotuses, 83 Phoenix Blood Ginseng's, more and more as the entire weighing scale filled to the brim.
The piles seed endless. Even the other nine disciples glanced sideways, their expressions tightening.
The Spirit Scale's crystal pulsed… and then flared with a brilliance that made so spectators squint. Gold, silver, and green lights twined together, climbing into the air like coiling dragons.
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