"Name your price," Wei Zhao said flatly.

That tone shocked the crowd for a moment, and then they all wore mocking looks. Steward Yu had already made it plain: even if an ordinary Taigu sect strained every resource to the utmost, it could not afford a single entry qualification—otherwise the Taishé Island Trial would not be as little known as it was today.

Even if the Cangwu Sect of the North Island ranked among the ten minor sects and clans, it must surely find the cost crushing. Yet this fellow acted as though it were nothing at all—was he not putting on airs a bit too much?

Yu Hou likewise showed a look of surprise; his already narrow eyes narrowed into a thin slit, and the corner of his mouth curled as he spat out two words: "A hundredfold."

At these words the whole crowd gasped in unison. A hundredfold—naturally meaning a hundred times the entry spirit jade, which was a full thirty thousand spirit jades. This was not Cloud Terrace Island; thirty thousand spirit jades was a truly top-tier, sky-high price, and just as Yu Hou had said, an ordinary Taigu sect truly could not produce it!

Everyone could not help secretly rejoicing that their own entry qualifications had all been passed down from their fathers' generation—otherwise, even if they saved spirit jades their whole lives, they could never afford one!

Hearing that number, even Wei Zhao could not help but show surprise. Thirty thousand spirit jades—that really was absurdly high.

"Thirty thousand spirit jades is no small sum; truly not something ordinary people can produce. In fact, in all the history of Taishé Island, the trial qualifications actually sold number only a handful—the vast majority were obtained through connections of one kind or another, and then passed down generation after generation to reach your hands today. You had best give up this notion." Seeing Wei Zhao's expression, Yu Hou knew at once that he surely could not produce the sum. After all, if someone's wealth were truly formidable to such a degree, he would need nothing else—by this one item alone he would stand at the very top ranks of the Taigu lesser martial world, and Yu Hou knew every one of those people intimately; there was no way he could have never even heard of him.

"What did I tell you? A toad dreaming of swan meat—thirty thousand spirit jades, and he thinks he can just buy it. Does he really take himself for the God of Wealth? Brother, since you have latched onto a friend like Young Sect Master Ling, just cut your losses and accept your bad luck—why dawdle here and waste everyone's time?" Wei Yidao, even at this moment, never missed a chance to keep stirring the pot and twisting the knife.

Wei Zhao ignored him and continued looking at Yu Hou. "I want to know—what makes a single trial qualification worth thirty thousand spirit jades? Is it merely because there is a chance of finding a spirit-consciousness fruit?"

The spirit-consciousness fruit was indeed enormously valuable, but even with one lying ready before you, it was absolutely not worth a top-tier, sky-high price of thirty thousand spirit jades—at least in the Taigu lesser martial world, surely no one would pay that.

And beyond that, it was not even ready to hand—there was only the faintest chance, and strictly speaking not even a very good chance; otherwise spirit-consciousness fruits would be common as dirt.

"The spirit-consciousness fruit is of course the signboard of the Taishé Island Trial, but it is not the only signboard. Since my Taishé Island dares to set this price, then the goods are worth the money—we will absolutely not let anyone lose out. Of course, if the opportunity is given but you fail to discover it or fail to grasp it, then that is not our problem." Yu Hou swept his gaze over the whole crowd.

As his words fell, everyone instinctively looked at one another. They had all come here one hundred percent for the spirit-consciousness fruit. True, Taishé Island was a unique place in the Taigu lesser martial world, and it did indeed hold rare treasures of heaven and earth found nowhere else—but those that could be mentioned in the same breath as the spirit-consciousness fruit were very few.

Yet from the drift of Yu Hou's words, Taishé Island ought to have other extremely rare treasures of heaven and earth as well—and at least supreme treasures of the spirit-consciousness fruit's grade or above. What could they be?

Yu Hou was plainly bent on keeping them guessing, and everyone was left dangling, itching with curiosity. In the past, people had come here always seeking the spirit-consciousness fruit; it seemed this time they would have to change their thinking and properly investigate other things.

"In that case, I will buy one." Wei Zhao's words once again staggered a great many, and one after another they wore strange expressions. Thirty thousand spirit jades piled together would fill a good-sized chest—yet look at him, both hands empty. Where would thirty thousand spirit jades come from?

One had to know that the Taigu lesser martial world was not like Cloud Terrace Island. Because spirit jades were themselves extremely scarce, a single jade was worth far more here than on Cloud Terrace Island. Even a sky-high bulk transaction amounted at most to a chest of spirit jades, merely a somewhat larger chest—so there was simply no such thing as a spirit jade card, since the necessity for one was not considered great.

"Oh? Where are the spirit jades?" Yu Hou was taken aback as well. He had assumed the other would speak of deferring the transaction—after all, making a special trip for thirty thousand spirit jades was perfectly normal.

"There, on the flying spirit beast." Wei Zhao turned and hauled a large chest from behind the flying spirit beast. The others merely watched in astonishment, but Ling Tianyou's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

He and Wei Zhao had come here together, and he knew perfectly well exactly how much was loaded on the flying spirit beast's back. When had such a huge chest of spirit jades appeared? He had no idea at all!

By contrast, Bing Wushuang was far calmer. Though he too could not understand where Wei Zhao had conjured it from, his experience of Wei Zhao's many marvels was far deeper than that of Ling Tianyou and the others. No matter what earth-shaking, ghost-weeping feat Wei Zhao pulled off, he would not be too surprised.

"Not a jade more, not a jade less—exactly thirty thousand spirit jades." Yu Hou counted them, and a rare smile appeared on his face. The look he turned on Wei Zhao was no longer as coldly forbidding as before; he began to be as genial as the attitude he had displayed.

Whatever one's status or position, thirty thousand spirit jades was a tremendous income. However deep Yu Hou's seniority in the Taigu Alliance, he was still only a man—and any man will always grant a little preferential treatment to a God of Wealth like Wei Zhao.

After this, the rest of the crowd, Wei Yidao included, all fell silent as one. To lay down thirty thousand spirit jades at a stroke—this fellow was truly a grand magnate beyond measure, and ordinary people truly lacked the nerve to challenge Wei Zhao to his face.

"Very well, everyone line up. Once you have handed over your entry spirit jades, you may go in." Yu Hou began arranging everyone's entry, then added a final remark: "One last reminder to you all—whatever ought not to be touched inside, do not touch. Some of the mechanisms are no trifling matter; once triggered, you bear the consequences. Also, our Taishé Island Trial has no time limit—stay as long as you like, and of course you may leave at any time." (To be continued.)