Chapter 64: Inside the Artifact
“Did they say Grand Elder Meng’s artifact? Isn’t that a peak Saint-grade artifact? I can’t believe The Orchid Covenant is willing to use such a treasure just to host the first round of the tournament!”
“It truly is unbelievable! A Saint-grade artifact isn’t something every Violet Core cultivator would own, not to talk about one at the peak of the grade!”
“It has been worth it to travel all the way to Emberglow City to experience this famed artifact firsthand!”
The crowd’s chattering quickly died down as the announcer spoke out once more.
“For those who don’t know, everything within the Ethereal Cauldron’s artifact space is under the control of our Grand Elder Meng. He will be kindly monitoring the situation within and relaying it to us, the spectators. If someone dies within the artifact space or if the Grand Elder has judged you can no longer continue, they will be simply transported outside, so fight to your heart’s content, contestants!”
“Let’s try to stick together. We have too much riding on this to drop out in the first round.” Li Lang muttered to his companions.
It wasn’t only because they valued winning the tournament that he made such a comment. It was because they had also placed bets on themselves prior to entering the competition! Li Lang’s funds had barely increased throughout his stay in Emberglow, which was why he bet over half his remaining fortune on the three of them passing the first round.
The Cleansing Drug they took every day to aid in cultivation balanced out all the income Li Lang had earned from refining pills. While what they already had was considered a decent sum for a mortal to retire on, it was meager if they wanted to procure powerful artifacts or purchase cultivation resources of a higher grade.
Money made the world go round, and few people ever complained they had too much of it.
“Of course. You two stick close to me. I’ll take on anyone who dares challenge us.” Long Yi said as he thumped his chest.
Over the six months, they had each grown by leaps and bounds, especially Long Yi’s figure. Perhaps because of the fast progress he made in cultivation or simply because he had an early growth spurt, the young boy was now over six feet!
It made Li Lang and Wei Ping’s growth pale in comparison, but if they could compare to their past selves, they would surely notice the difference. Li Lang in particular looked a little more normal, as his body caught up slightly with the size of his head. While Wei Ping was still considered small for his age, he was no longer as skinny as before.