Xiao Chen almost laughed. This sort of shady business was strictly cash on delivery.
'If I really took an IOU from Chen Guangyu, wouldn't that be the same as taking a blank piece of paper?'
'What if Chen Guangyu refuses to pay? I can't exactly go to the Chen Family with an IOU to collect the debt, can I?'
'When it blows up, and the Sect's upper echelons investigate: "How did he come to owe you money?"'
'What would I say then?'
'If I tell the truth, it'll probably be considered a confession. I might just "win" a private suite in the solitary confinement cells on the back mountain, with my room and board covered for the next ten years.'
"That won't be necessary. Since you only brought enough Spirit Stones for fifty points, let's just make it fifty."
Chen Guangyu immediately and cheerfully took out one hundred fifty Spirit Stones from his robes. "Here you go, Junior Brother Xiao. Go on, count them."
Xiao Chen confirmed the count, put away the remaining twenty-two points' worth of Jade Tokens, and then cupped his hands to take his leave.
After leaving, he found a deserted corner, put his cloak back on, and circled back.
'He was sure Chen Guangyu wasn't the only one collecting Jade Tokens.'
So he deliberately took out two Jade Tokens and approached stalls whose owners were lavishly dressed and in secluded locations to test the waters.
He especially sought out stall owners whose cultivation was at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining, as they were most likely fellow disciples participating in the trial.
Bit by bit, he surprisingly managed to sell off another forty-six points.
His actions soon attracted the attention of Song Zhongming.
As the eldest son of the Song Family's eleventh branch, Song Zhongming had been very unlucky this time, only managing to collect a meager twenty points.
He had come to the market area wanting to buy some Jade Tokens, but grew hesitant after seeing that no one was selling them openly.
Because he hadn't prepared in advance, he was at a bit of a loss as to where to start.
'At a time like this, relying on my family's power would be rather shameful.'
'But if I can't turn in enough points in the end and drop out of the top ten, it'll be even more humiliating.'
'If I become the only one among the Second Division's seven existing disciples at the sixth layer of Qi Refining who doesn't make the top ten, that would be a massive loss of face.'
Just as Song Zhongming was burning with anxiety, he happened to see a mysterious person in a cloak in the southwest corner, holding up Jade Tokens and trying to sell them.
On a strange impulse, he followed the person and watched as they sold one token after another. An idea began to form in his mind.
Xiao Chen had just finished a round of sales pitches and was about to try his luck elsewhere when he noticed a lavishly dressed young master approaching him.
"Excuse me, do you have any points left?"
"I do. How many do you need?"
"I need a lot. A whole lot. Can we speak somewhere private?"
Song Zhongming glanced around, then gestured for Xiao Chen to follow him.
Xiao Chen had already recognized the man by now, so he wasn't worried about any tricks. He followed him out to a deserted patch of woods.
"You may not recognize me, but I am Song Zhongming of the Song Family. I need a lot of points right now. I'll buy every last point you have."
'Oh, so you're loaded, huh?'
Xiao Chen was skeptical of his ability to pay.
So he lifted the Fox Fur Bundle in his hand and shook it. "Junior Brother Song, I've got plenty of points right here. Just name a number. Three Spirit Stones per point. I guarantee I have enough."
Hearing the rattling of so many Jade Tokens, Song Zhongming felt a surge of respect. 'This guy is the real deal!'
Then it dawned on him. 'So it was people like him who killed all the Spirit Beasts! That's why I only managed to get twenty points.'
'He must just be a front man in charge of sales; there have to be others helping him.'
'But now isn't the time to dwell on that. The points are what matter.'
"Alright then, I'll take one hundred points. Here are three Mid-grade Spirit Stones."
This time, it was Xiao Chen's turn to be deeply impressed.
As everyone knows, one Mid-grade Spirit Stone is equal to one hundred Low Grade Spirit Stones.
But in reality, it often took one hundred and three, or even one hundred and five, Low Grade Spirit Stones to exchange for a single Mid-grade Spirit Stone.
Leaving other factors aside, the convenience of carrying them alone was a crucial advantage.
Xiao Chen had readily given Su Wanqing a discount before, and the fact she had paid with Mid-grade Spirit Stones was part of the reason.
Xiao Chen immediately counted out one hundred points' worth of tokens. Since the denominations made it difficult to get an exact number, he ended up with a total of one hundred and two. "You're a man of action, Junior Brother Song. Here are your points. Consider the extra two a bonus."
After the transaction was complete, Xiao Chen watched Song Zhongming leave and couldn't help but sigh in admiration. 'Now that's what I call rich.'
Now he only had seventy-four points left—not too high, not too low.
To be on the safe side, Xiao Chen first went to the encampment to inquire about the current point totals of the top ten disciples.
After slipping two Spirit Stones to the Inner Sect senior brother in charge of registration, he successfully got a look at the current rankings.
First place was surprisingly Jiang Sixuan, with one hundred and thirteen points.
The disciple in eighth place had only fifty-six points, and the one in tenth had just thirty-nine.
'Actually, just taking eighth place should be enough. Once Chen Guangyu and Song Zhongming submit their points, I'll be pushed down to exactly tenth place.'
'But that seems a bit risky. Better to leave a one-rank margin for error.'
'No, no, no, one rank isn't enough. An extra buffer would be safer.'
Xiao Chen's gaze shifted upwards to the sixth-place disciple, who had sixty-two points.
'I only need to submit sixty-five points to secure a higher rank, and I'll still have nine left to sell.'
After leaving the camp, he deliberately waited until 3:45 PM, an hour before the Second Division's final deadline, to make sure nothing unexpected had happened.
Only then did he turn back, go inside, and submit sixty-five points.
Then, the next morning, he put on his cloak and sold off the last nine points piecemeal.
As far as Xiao Chen was concerned, this round of the trial was now over for him.
This time, thanks to his Augment, he had acquired a grand total of four Mid-grade Spirit Stones and three hundred thirty Low Grade Spirit Stones.
An ordinary disciple at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining would need to scrimp and save for twenty years to accumulate this many Spirit Stones.
And now, this huge sum of Spirit Stones was sitting in Xiao Chen's Fox Fur Bundle.
Later, when he was selling his Spiritual Materials, a Loose Cultivator offered one Spirit Stone for the bundle itself, but Xiao Chen refused to sell it.
Even though the materials alone ended up selling for the high price of twenty-four Spirit Stones, he had, on the contrary, become indifferent to it.
He calmly concluded his business and returned to the encampment. His thoughts had now turned to his own cultivation.
'I was worried about the lack of safety in the mountains before, but now that I'm back at the encampment, this is the perfect opportunity.'
To increase his chances of success, Xiao Chen took out a Yuan Combination Pill and swallowed it.
It had to be said, the Yuan Combination Pill was worthy of its reputation as a Top Grade, Tier One Elixir.
The moment it entered his stomach, it transformed into a ball of exceptionally pure Spiritual Qi. Xiao Chen even felt his Dantian begin to swell.
As he circulated his Cultivation Technique, after just three Grand Circulations, he smoothly and naturally broke through to the sixth layer of Qi Refining.
Moreover, the effects of the Yuan Combination Pill continued for the better part of a day after his breakthrough, helping him completely stabilize his new Realm.
For the next few days, Xiao Chen focused on his cultivation until the day the trial officially ended and the rankings were to be announced.
More than half a month later, Steward Chen gathered the disciples of the Second Division once again, and also brought the rewards for this trial.