Chapter 174: Chapter 111: Ji Qinglian’s Change in Attitude, The Two Women’s Contention

"You don’t think Star Heaven·Divine Monarch is difficult too, do you?"

Zhong Ming’s oddly complex tone and incredulous gaze made Ji Qinglian break out in a cold sweat.

She desperately wanted to say that all Earth-Level Top-Grade cultivation techniques contained profound Daoist Skill mysteries, and that it was perfectly normal not to master one in such a short time.

But the twinkling points of starlight on Zhong Ming’s body made her swallow her words.

She was certain that if she did, Zhong Ming, who was completely oblivious to social niceties, would absolutely ask her:

"Is the cultivation technique difficult? I didn’t feel like it was."

Ji Qinglian shuddered at the mere thought of that scene.

She didn’t want to be humiliated like that in public, and she certainly didn’t want to admit defeat to Zhong Ming.

In the end, Ji Qinglian could only brace herself and declare, "I... Hmph! Of course this Commandery Princess learned the cultivation technique. I didn’t find it difficult at all back then either."

At her words, Zhong Ming’s expression finally returned to normal. The panic in Ji Qinglian’s heart, however, did not subside—out of the corner of her eye, she saw her older sister looking at her with a smirk.

A wave of embarrassment instantly washed over Ji Qinglian.

Worried she would be exposed, she quickly blinked and sent a secret voice transmission to her sister, "Eight hundred Spirit Stones for you to keep this quiet!"

"...Fine."

Zhong Ming was unaware of their secret exchange. Having silenced the ones who had mocked him, leaving them speechless and fuming, he felt it was enough. So, he dropped the act and got down to business with Ji Qinglian.

"You haven’t forgotten our bet, have you? You were going to cover the resources for my cultivation, and then there are the eighty thousand Spirit Stones from your subordinates..."

"Impossible!"

Zhong Ming was interrupted before he could finish.

The interruption didn’t come from Ji Qinglian, but from her subordinates.

Eighty thousand Spirit Stones was an immense sum. Even though they would all be chipping in, it was still a crippling loss of resources.

Therefore, they were absolutely unwilling to pay up.

To that end, they came up with countless reasons and excuses.

"You... you cheated!"

"That’s right! It’s impossible for anyone to cultivate *Star Heaven·Divine Monarch* to this level in half a day. You definitely cheated."

As if they had discovered the truth, the crowd became incensed, everyone shouting over each other that Zhong Ming had cheated.

Their display of righteous indignation only made Zhong Ming sneer.

’I knew you wouldn’t cough up the money that easily.’

As he thought this, he didn’t feel the slightest bit of panic. He wasn’t worried about getting the Spirit Stones back, either.

In fact, he wasn’t even planning to collect it himself—he wasn’t on his own anymore.

’I’ll just talk to Ji Qingyue later. I can transfer their debt to her and get an advance on some resources from her... You might dare to stiff me on the Spirit Stones, but I refuse to believe you’d dare to stiff Ji Qingyue.’

Transfer the debt and let Ji Qingyue collect it—that was Zhong Ming’s plan.

He was also confident that Ji Qingyue would help him. If she didn’t even dare to take on this matter, showing no sense of responsibility, then Zhong Ming would have no interest in supporting such a ’leader’.

"Shut up!"

Before Zhong Ming could put his plan into action, a sharp rebuke rang out.

What made him raise an eyebrow was that the one who had silenced the crowd was not Ji Qingyue, the person he was allied with, but—Ji Qinglian.

At this moment, any trace of her usual charm was gone, replaced by a face as cold as frost:

"A bet is a bet. Zhong Ming did indeed just learn *Star Heaven·Divine Monarch*, and I can vouch for that. Since you lost, you will hand over the resources."

"???"

As his rival, she was actually speaking up for him. This left Zhong Ming deeply confused.

’Ji Qinglian? Is she really that honorable?’

Zhong Ming was confused, and Ji Qinglian’s followers were dumbfounded.

They didn’t understand why their leader was siding with Zhong Ming instead of helping them.

Their confusion didn’t last long. Soon, they saw that after rebuking them, Ji Qinglian had turned her gaze to Zhong Ming.

Having just been ’defeated,’ her expression as she looked at Zhong Ming held no anger, hatred, or desire for revenge.

On the contrary, her gaze was gentle, and her tone was filled to the brim with admiration.

"To learn *Star Heaven·Divine Monarch* in half a day... Young Master Zhong Ming, your Talent is truly exceptional."

After the praise, her tone immediately shifted, revealing her true purpose. "Young Master, are you interested in switching over to our side?"

"Huh?"

Zhong Ming hadn’t expected this.

But on second thought, it made perfect sense.

Large clans have their hedonistic scions, but they also have meticulously groomed elites.

A good education ensures these elites are of high caliber and can clearly grasp what’s important.

More importantly, while large clans have vast resources, they also have many heirs. This creates immense competitive pressure for any ambitious descendant.

Because of this, they don’t let their emotions dictate their actions. Instead, they choose the path that benefits them most.

Undoubtedly, after witnessing Zhong Ming’s Talent, the wisest choice was not to treat him as an enemy, but to make him an ally and recruit him into her own camp.

With that in mind, it made sense that she had rebuked her followers and was prepared to honor the bet.

She needed to make a good impression on Zhong Ming.

Ji Qinglian reasoned, ’It’s not like I’m the one paying for those Spirit Stones, anyway. I’m just stepping up to see that justice is done.’

’As for this making them lose heart...’

Glancing over at her followers, a flicker of contempt flashed in Ji Qinglian’s eyes: