Volume One: The Game of the Controllers Chapter Sixty-One: So Simple

“So, the third person who will join us in the struggle for the spiritual treasure must not only possess superior strength, but must also be exceedingly cunning!” Luo Changqing’s expression grew grave. The contest for this spiritual treasure was of monumental importance—a once-in-an-eternity opportunity the Hu and Luo families had awaited for countless millennia. No one would ever willingly relinquish their claim.

“No need to go to so much trouble. Since you have an extra token, why not do a good deed and let me have it?” Qin Shuang’s hearty laughter echoed as he appeared directly in the great hall. In an instant, nineteen beams of light gathered at his side.

Neither Luo Changqing nor Hu Changfeng made a move. The two exchanged a glance, each reading the shock in the other’s eyes. This place had been meticulously constructed by the elders of both clans over generations—they were confident that even a peak ninth-level Immortal Emperor would be unable to discover it. How then had this stranger entered so easily?

“An insider!”

The thought flashed through both their minds, but they soon dismissed it. The core disciples of the family were incapable of such betrayal, and those secretly recruited from outside would never be permitted entrance here.

Boom!

As these thoughts raced, the nineteen core disciples of the Hu and Luo families launched a collective assault on Qin Shuang. Top-grade immortal artifacts whirled wildly about the hall, yet Qin Shuang, standing at the center, did not budge, enduring the combined strike of these Immortal Emperors head-on.

“A body akin to a low-tier Celestial artifact—formidable indeed.” The united attack of nineteen Immortal Emperors had failed even to scratch Qin Shuang’s defenses.

Hu Changfeng’s and Luo Changqing’s expressions darkened once more. Among these nineteen Immortal Emperors, though their levels varied, two were at the eighth and three at the seventh rank—an alliance so formidable even the chief elders, armed with divine artifacts, would not dare confront them head-on.

“Enough! Cease at once!” Hu Changfeng, surprisingly, approached Qin Shuang with a smile. With a wave of his right hand, a lustrous token appeared—one of the ten tokens that had emerged in the Immortal, Demon, and Beast Realms in this era.

“You seem unfamiliar, my friend—surely you are not one of us?” Hu Changfeng held the token, smiling amicably at Qin Shuang, as though speaking to an old acquaintance after a long separation.

“You have a keen eye, but you’re mistaken this time—for I, too, am a denizen of the Immortal, Demon, and Beast Realms.” Qin Shuang’s smile matched his, his eyes lingering on the token in Hu Changfeng’s hand. Inwardly, he sized up this affable middle-aged man, thoughts churning.

“We care not who you are, sir. We ask only that you keep what you have seen and heard here today to yourself. As a token of our gratitude, this is yours.” Hu Changfeng’s smile never faltered as he slowly extended the token toward Qin Shuang.

“However, if you do speak of what transpired today, then we shall be locked in a struggle to the death.” As soon as Qin Shuang’s hand touched the token, a surge of immense immortal power coursed through it—Hu Changfeng using the token as a conduit to pit his own immortal power against Qin Shuang’s.

“Since you have offered me this favor, it would be most ungracious of me to speak of it to others.” Qin Shuang’s smile grew even brighter as he summoned his own immortal strength. With a swift motion, he snatched the token into his hand.

“Excellent. We thank you for your understanding. As a further gesture, please accept this guest-elder token. Wherever you may roam, any of our kin who see this token will come to your aid.” Luo Changqing descended as well, presenting Qin Shuang with another custom-made token. Qin Shuang accepted it, casting a deep glance at the two men before nodding and vanishing from sight.

In the void beyond Hu-Luo Star, Qin Shuang regarded the two tokens expressionlessly.

He had expected a fierce battle for a single token, yet obtained two with such ease. His heart brimmed with respect for these two elders of the Hu and Luo families—hence his ready acceptance of the guest-elder token.

Back in the subterranean main hall, as soon as Qin Shuang left, the nineteen core disciples of both families gathered around. Many felt aggrieved that the two elders had handed over the hard-won tokens without so much as a question. Only the two eighth-level Immortal Emperors exchanged meaningful glances, as if having realized something.

“Are you all unhappy that I gave the token away so easily?” Hu Changfeng laughed heartily, waving a hand as he returned to his seat atop the dais.

“Elder, that outsider now knows the core of our two families’ operations, and his cultivation is formidable. I worry you have let the tiger return to the mountain!” A sixth-level Immortal Emperor stepped forward, voicing his concern.

“Hui Ping, Hui Xin, what are your thoughts?” Hu Changfeng ignored the sixth-level Immortal Emperor, instead turning to the two eighth-level Immortal Emperors.

“Elder, I understand you did this for the good of the family,” Hu Hui Ping replied with a slight bow, Luo Hui Xin nodding in agreement beside him.

“Very well, Hui Ping, tell us your reasoning.” Luo Changqing nodded approvingly. Hui Ping and Hui Xin were the designated successors as chief elders of the two families—the future of the families would rest in their hands, and their understanding brought comfort to Luo Changqing.

“First, this man is undoubtedly an expert—at the very least, I cannot discern his cultivation. I suspect he is at least on par with you, Elder,” Hu Hui Ping began. The aura about him bore the faint imprint of Hu Changfeng himself.

“With experts of such caliber, our family’s policy has always been appeasement. Unless absolutely necessary, we must never push them to hostility.”

“Still, Elder Hui Ping, the man has entered our central hall—if we let him leave, our secrets are at risk!” The sixth-level Immortal Emperor spoke again, his frustration rooted in the family’s tradition of secrecy, which some ambitious disciples found stifling.

“That is precisely why we must not contend with such a master here, in our core stronghold. His unimpeded arrival and ability to withstand our combined assault suggest his strength may even surpass the elders. To engage him, even if we should prevail and slay him, our losses would be grave and our secrets still lost. Worse, it could endanger the families’ outer disciples. The elder’s decision to offer a token as a gesture of goodwill was entirely correct.”

Hu Hui Ping’s voice rose slightly. The ancestral precept of the Hu and Luo families had always been survival first, growth second. It was this doctrine that had enabled their families to persist in the Immortal Realm, while many once-glorious clans had declined and vanished. Unlike those, few in all the Immortal, Demon, and Beast Realms knew just how long their families had endured.

“By gifting the token to this expert, we avoid conflict and the loss is negligible—we still hold two more. Moreover, we gain an obligation from him. What’s more…” Hu Hui Ping glanced at Hu Changfeng, who nodded for him to continue. “The elder did not offer the token for nothing; he tested the mysterious expert’s strength as well. I suspect that expert is stronger than even the elder.”

“Haha, Hui Ping is absolutely right. Now we can proceed with peace of mind!” Hu Changfeng burst out laughing. “You all should learn from them. Our families have survived in seclusion because restraint is our foremost rule—it has protected us until now.”

“The spiritual treasure remains but a rumor, not yet in our hands. Until we acquire it, our duty is to protect the family. When I handed the token to that mysterious expert, I crossed swords with him—and as Hui Ping guessed, I lost, and quite thoroughly.”

“To such a master, we extended courtesy and won an ally. Besides, I do not believe he is truly of the Immortal, Demon, and Beast Realms, nor will he reveal our secrets. Do not forget, he has accepted our guest-elder token—he is now one of our guest elders.” Luo Changqing added. Only now did the assembly of Immortal Emperors fully understand: in that brief moment, their two elders had weighed countless options and made the most prudent choice for the family.

As Hui Ping said, the loss of a token was nothing; they had safeguarded the family and gained a powerful guest-elder. In truth, they had not lost at all. The Hu and Luo families had only two ninth-level Immortal Emperors, and the two eighth-levels were essential to their foundation. The third token would go to one of the three seventh-level Immortal Emperors—no matter who was chosen, the outcome was the same, even if none went.

Qin Shuang admired them for this very reason: their ability to endure for the sake of the family was formidable—and so, too, was their potential. He accepted their guest-elder token with sincerity, knowing that, in their place, he might never be able to exercise such restraint. His journey on Hu-Luo Star had left him with much to ponder—after all, Qin Shuang, too, had a great family behind him.

Suddenly, the token in his hand trembled. Qin Shuang flipped it over, watching as golden light swirled across its surface, revealing a line of text:

“The spiritual treasure descends upon the Realm of Celestial Heart. Those who wish to contend for it must gather all ten tokens in three months' time; only then will the gateway to Celestial Heart open. Only bearers of the tokens may enter. Be warned: without all ten tokens, the gateway will remain sealed, and the chance to vie for the spiritual treasure will be lost.”

(To be continued)