Chapter 56: Chapter 56: The Opening of the Ruin Realm (Part 2)

"Real person Lu Zhou, are these the young members of the Lu Family who will be entering the Ruin Realm this time?"No sooner had Lu Qingshan and his party entered the area than a thin, withered old man also arrived with several cultivators to greet them.

Lu Zhou nodded and introduced to Lu Qingshan and the others, "This is real person Liu Neng of the Liu Family."

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Everyone hurried over to pay their respects.

"We've seen real person Liu Neng."

"No need for such formalities," Liu Neng waved his hand to signal.

The Liu Family and the Lu Family had been allies for many years, so upon seeing Lu Zhou leading the team here, real person Liu Neng came over to greet them immediately.

...

Liu Neng glanced at Lu Qingshan, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, "Who is this? I don't recall ever seeing him.

"So young and already at the tenth layer of Qi Refinement, don't tell me your Lu Family is going to produce another Qing Ling real person."

Lu Zhou's face bloomed into a smile like a chrysanthemum, but he humbly replied, "Him? His name is Lu Qingshan, a descendant of Qing Ling.

"However, I wouldn't dare compare him to Qing Ling. For our Lu Family to produce a real person like Qing Ling is already incredibly rare.

"To produce another, our Lu Family isn't that fortunate!"

Lu Zhou, who usually appeared to disapprove of Lu Bei, was in fact proud of his straightforwardness.

Deep down, he was immensely proud that the Lu Family had produced a real person like Qing Ling.

At this moment, Liu Neng and Lu Zhou chatted idly on the sidelines.

On the other side, the younger members of the two families were naturally striking up conversations as well.

As allied clans, the Liu Family cultivators and Lu Family cultivators often had private interactions, so it was not strange for them to recognize each other.

"Who is that? He looks a bit unfamiliar. I don't believe I've seen him in your Lu Family before?" asked a Qi Refining Cultivator from the Liu Family by the name of Liu Yongnian.

Liu Yongnian eyed Lu Qingshan and quietly asked Lu Xin.

Lu Xin was the only female cultivator among the Lu Family's group traveling this time.

Both were at the tenth layer of Qi Refinement.

The tests in the Ruin Realm are extremely difficult, thus the younger members brought by each family mostly possess Qi Refinement Perfection.

Lu Xin shook her head and murmured softly, "We're actually not very clear ourselves, as this is also our first time seeing this person.

"Originally, it wasn't him coming, but Brother Liren. However, just two days ago, the Family Head suddenly sent a message to have him replace Brother Liren's spot."

"It seems his name is Lu Qingshan, said to be a descendant of Qing Ling real person. I'm not sure if it was Qing Ling real person who asked for this Ruin Realm spot for him."

"That's unlikely, isn't it? Isn't your Qing Ling real person known for not meddling with his many offspring and never taking care of his own descendants? Why would he do such a thing?"

"But he is a cultivator at the tenth layer of Qi Refinement, and so young too. Surely, Qing Ling real person must have some expectations for him."

Suddenly, Lu Qingshan became the focus of conversation among the people from both families.

...

The surrounding mist dispersed once again.

Afterward, a large group of cultivators entered from outside.

Upon counting carefully, there were no fewer than seventeen individuals from just one clan, more than twice the number from the Lu Family.

With so many Ruin Realm slots, it was without doubt that this was one of the most powerful clans within the Ruin Realm Alliance.

And indeed, it was so.

"These are the cultivators from the Ke Family," Liu Yongnian muttered softly, "What a grand entrance, I wonder how the Ke Family managed to rise so rapidly in just a few decades."

"Indeed, the Ye Family has occupied the top spot among the thirty-six major cultivation clans for who knows how long, and the statuses and influences of the Xiao Family, the Qin Family, and the Su Family have also been deeply rooted.

"The Ke Family was just a very inconspicuous small clan before, not even as good as our Lu Family!

"Who would have thought that once they rose, they would be unstoppable.

"Not only did they surpass the Xiao Family, the Qin Family, and the Su Family, but they even pushed the Ye Family from the top spot," Lu Xin couldn't help but chime in.

...

As time passed, more and more cultivators gathered in the area.

Lots of cultivators, lots of chatter, the place was abuzz with excitement.

Just then.

"The Ruin Realm is open!" someone shouted from within the crowd.

Lu Qingshan looked toward the passageway.

The once pitch-black passage began to glow with specks of silver light, with ripples undulating within.

This was the sign that the Ruin Realm was opening. S~eaʀᴄh the nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The leader of the Ke Family's cultivators stepped forward and sent a probe of spiritual power into it.

A moment later.

"The spatial passage is very stable, you all may enter," the Ke Family's leading cultivator flung his sleeves and spoke with a heavy voice.

The spatial passage into a minor realm can become unstable over time, eventually even collapsing outright.

Therefore, each time the Ruin Realm opens, high-rank cultivators will first investigate the stability of the spatial passage and, after ensuring safety, allow the various clans' youth to enter the Ruin Realm for their trials.

This precaution was also first proposed by the Ke Family.

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——The people of the Ke Family have always been known for their meticulous thoughts and extreme caution.

Soon, the cultivators from the major families entered the Ruin Realm one after another in an orderly fashion through the passage.

Once all the cultivators of the families had entered the Ruin Realm, the silver light inside the passage slowly dissipated.

The rippling waves also stilled.

This signaled that the Ruin Realm had reached its maximum capacity for people, and so the entrance was closed.

With the lower grade cultivators from each family having entered the Ruin Realm, the once bustling scene quieted down significantly.

Only the thirty-six Golden Core cultivators from various families, who led their respective teams, remained on the field.

Golden Core cultivators generally maintain their dignity and are not as noisy and boisterous as lower grade cultivators.

But there are always exceptions.

It was at this moment that Fang Qian, the leading Golden Core cultivator of the Fang Family, stood out and shouted, "The betting starts now, anyone wants to place their bets?"

...

Upon seeing Fang Qian's behavior, Lu Zhou felt somewhat helpless: "This old guy, at such an age, yet still acts like this."

Liu Neng laughed and said, "Isn't this just the Fang Family's style? The reputation of 'Fang the Bluffer' isn't unjustified."

Fang Qian kept shouting loudly on the side: "The old rules, the old rules! In the Qi Refining Realm, odds are five to one for the Xiao Family to win, six to one for the Qin Family to win..."

Sure enough, quite a few Golden Core cultivators gathered around to join in.

"I'm going to bet on the Ke Family for fun, do you want to join?" Liu Neng asked with interest.

It was boring to wait idly, so it might be fun to join the crowd.

Lu Zhou instinctively wanted to shake his head and refuse, but just as he was about to speak, the scene above the Qingping Hall suddenly flashed across his mind.

Lu Qingshan had calmly asked for a spot in the Ruin Realm from the three Golden Core cultivators.

Could this kid be serious?

A thought stirred in Lu Zhou's heart.

"Then let's go have a look."

"I knew you wouldn't—huh." Liu Neng paused, surprised as he looked at Lu Zhou.

In the previous two openings of the Ruin Realm, Fang Qian had also set up a betting pool, but each time Lu Zhou had been reluctant to participate.

This time, Liu Neng had asked just casually, not really thinking that Lu Zhou would agree, yet Lu Zhou had unexpectedly decided to join.

"Let's go, then." said Lu Zhou, his expression calm as he walked toward Fang Qian.

Liu Neng was taken aback for a moment before hastily following.

Once they approached Fang Qian, Liu Neng asked, "Fang Qian, what are the odds for this betting pool?"

Fang Qian cried out, "Isn't this the real Liu Neng? Same as last time, odds for the Qi Refining Realm, two to one for the Ke Family to win, three to one for the Ye Family to win..."

In the previous two trials of the Ruin Realm, the cultivator with the highest evaluation had come from the Ke Family, so it was natural for the Ke Family to have the lowest odds.

Fang Qian took out two fourth-grade spirit stones from his storage ring: "Qi Refining Realm Ke Family to win, two fourth-grade spirit stones."

For a Golden Core cultivator, two fourth-grade spirit stones weren't particularly valuable, but they also weren't something one could easily obtain.

They were just right for a bit of entertainment.

"Alright!" Fang Qian smiled and took the two fourth-grade spirit stones, "I'll note that down for you. Do you want to bet on the Foundation Establishment Realm as well..."

"What are the odds for my Lu Family to win the Qi Refining Realm trial?" Lu Zhou suddenly interjected.

Fang Qian was taken aback.

He clearly hadn't expected anyone to bet on the Lu Family's victory and had only prepared the odds for a few popular families. Caught off guard by Lu Zhou's question, he was momentarily at a loss for an answer.

"What, there is no betting pool for my Lu Family?" Lu Zhou frowned slightly, his tone carrying a hint of discontent.

Fang Qian's face was all smiles: "How could that be? The Lu Family... eh, twenty to one..."

Fang Qian had originally intended to casually offer fifty to one.

After all, it seemed impossible for the Lu Family to come out on top, so setting a high betting ratio didn't matter.

But subconsciously, Fang Qian felt a pang of caution.

When things deviate from the norm, there must be a demon at work.

Lu Zhou was asking about his own family's odds, could it be that he had too many spirit stones and wanted to give some away?

That's unlikely.

He wasn't that naive.

So in the end, he lowered the odds for the Lu Family to twenty to one.

It was almost the lowest possible ratio.

Any lower would be unreasonable.

Because in the last Ruin Realm test, the results of the Lu Family were very mediocre, ranking around the twentieth place among the thirty-six families.

Lu Zhou nodded and likewise took out two fourth-grade spirit stones: "Two fourth-grade spirit stones on my Lu Family to win the Qi Refining Realm trial!"

This old fellow couldn't be about to pull off some big move, could he? There hadn't been any news of any Qi Refining cultivator genius emerging from the Lu Family recently.

Fang Qian took the two fourth-grade spirit stones from Lu Zhou, feeling a foreboding premonition.

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