Chapter 740 - 282: Qian Gulu Unchosen, Hou Gulu Chosen (Part 3)
Chapter 740: Chapter 282: Qian Gulu Unchosen, Hou Gulu Chosen (Part 3)
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before a young cultivator with a sword at his waist walked out.
It was Zhang Shouquan!
As if sensing the stare, he turned his head toward Xiao Chen and froze.
He then walked over. "Xiao, what brings you here?"
As he spoke, there was a hint of vigilance in Zhang Shouquan’s eyes.
He stopped about ten paces away, not getting too close.
"Zhang, I never expected to run into you here."
Xiao Chen, however, smiled amicably. "There are too many eyes and ears here. Shall we find another place to talk?"
It had only been half a month since they’d last met, but he felt Zhang’s aura seemed to have grown stronger.
’I have to admit, that rate of growth is ridiculous. He’s almost as fast as I am.’
Of course, Xiao Chen wasn’t the type to be jealous of others’ success. In fact, it made him want to befriend Zhang Shouquan even more.
’And since I’ve run into him here, he might just be the key to getting into Zhiyi Cave.’
"Alright. This way, then."
Zhang Shouquan didn’t refuse Xiao Chen’s invitation to talk.
However, he took the lead, seizing the initiative to choose their meeting spot.
Xiao Chen didn’t mind. It wasn’t as if he needed to take such precautions for his own safety.
Zhang Shouquan led them to a deserted island three hundred li away.
After confirming the island was truly deserted,
Zhang curiously asked, "What did you want to talk about, Xiao?"
Xiao Chen countered with a question of his own. "I hope you can keep our conversation strictly confidential. Is that a problem?"
Zhang Shouquan nodded. "Of course. I guarantee that whatever we say today, I won’t breathe a word of it to anyone!"
He answered decisively, looking as if he had already mentally prepared himself.
"Good. I believe you!"
Xiao Chen then got straight to the point. "Back at the tavern, I heard some news from the Shopkeeper."
"It was all about the sealed sea nearby."
"That’s why I’ve come here."
"And you, Zhang? What brings you here?"
Zhang Shouquan fell silent. He was here for the same reason.
’No wonder the Shopkeeper had such a strange look on his face when I was asking for information. He was so glib, it was as if he’d rehearsed his lines beforehand.’
’It made me so suspicious that I wondered if I’d walked into a trap.’
’This... What am I going to do?’
Even though his cultivation had improved recently, Zhang Shouquan felt an immense pressure when facing Xiao Chen.
He had personally witnessed how effortlessly Xiao Chen handled his arena challenges.
He had also recently heard of Xiao Chen’s outstanding performance in the new Relic, where he overpowered a Flood Dragon from the Royal Family.
If he had a choice, Zhang Shouquan didn’t want to clash with Xiao Chen.
’At least, not now.’
So, after a moment of deliberation,
he replied tentatively, "Since you’re being so direct, Xiao, I won’t beat around the bush either."
"I came here because I, too, want to enter the sea region sealed by Pudu Temple."
’So it really is you!’
Hearing this, Xiao Chen instantly confirmed his earlier suspicion.
’Wait, what are you planning to do in there?’
’Don’t tell me you’re here to fight me for the Evil Qi.’
’Or... are you the traitor who took a job from the Sea Race?’
’I never would have guessed. You, Zhang Shouquan, with your honest-looking face, a traitor!’
’Er, of course, that’s just a guess. It’s not necessarily the truth.’
So Xiao Chen pressed, "What a coincidence. I’m here to find something inside. What about you, Zhang?"
Upon hearing this, however, Zhang Shouquan’s expression tightened.
When he heard Xiao Chen was also there to find something, a sense of dread washed over him.
’This was supposed to be exclusive information I worked so hard to get from the Guiyun Secret Realm.’
’So why is he here too? The intelligence network of a Hidden Dao Lineage is terrifying.’
’What should I do now?’
’I have a ninety-nine percent chance of losing if I fight him, but I can’t bear to just give up. I’m truly caught between a rock and a hard place.’
Zhang Shouquan felt a bitter taste in his mouth. ’You’re a great Hidden Sect Inheritor, so why are you competing with a Loose Cultivator like me for a Treasure?’
’Besides, you’re a Body Cultivator; you shouldn’t be lacking for Treasures.’
At this thought, his eyes suddenly lit up.
’Oh, right! Someone of Xiao’s status isn’t necessarily here for the same thing I am.’
’Er, of course, that’s just a guess. It’s not necessarily the truth.’
So Zhang Shouquan countered, "That is quite the coincidence. I’m also here to find something. What might you be looking for, Xiao?"
’Ah, this...’
Xiao Chen fell silent as well.
’This is bad. He’s here to find something, too.’
The atmosphere between them gradually grew tense.
’If our goals really do conflict, then we’ll just have to see who’s more capable.’
After a moment of silence,
Zhang Shouquan, weighing the pros and cons, took the initiative to break the stalemate. "Xiao, with your status, you shouldn’t be short on Tier Breakthrough Spiritual Objects, right?"
"Or how about this? Why don’t we go inside first to confirm if the intelligence is even real."
"If there really is a Spiritual Object, we can discuss things in more detail then?"
Again, if he could help it, he truly did not want to get into a conflict with Xiao Chen.
At the same time, Zhang Shouquan was also beginning to doubt the authenticity of his own information.
If it turned out to be false information someone had intentionally leaked, there was no need to fight to the death over it.
That’s why he proposed they confirm the item’s existence before doing anything else.
However, his proposal took Xiao Chen by surprise.
’What did he just say?’
’A Tier Breakthrough Spiritual Object?’
’What kind of Tier Breakthrough Spiritual Object, specifically?’