Heavily Xuan Zun didn’t care what others said, but Dou Zhao indeed needed special treatment.

Although Jiang Wang had unilaterally proposed this match, it wasn’t regular in the slightest. The strength of the two individuals’ opponents was different, their battle states at this moment were also different, and even the effort they exerted came before and after…

But if he really fell behind, Dou Zhao could at least have the upper hand in arguments for the next ten years.

The match might have been childish, but Dou Zhao’s face was very real.

Two absolute world prodigies were putting in their full effort to battle. Jiang Wang received a part of Ning Shuang Rong’s sword canon, one side of Ji Li’s precious inkstone, and a strand of Zhuo Qing Ru’s entangling intent chain…

Zhu Wei Wo was already a pauper with no money, excluded from this gambling setup.

The quality of Ning Shuang Rong’s sword canon goes without saying. The inkstone Ji Li bet was also a wonderful literary item. The entangling intent chain was one of the Legalist School’s top ten chains.

“Good! Bets are in!” Jiang Wang received the heavy bets, looking even more serious about the match.

“Chop it! First chop its claws, hey, attack its lower parts, quick, quick, quick!” Real Jiang, not at all timely, directed from outside, more excited about watching the match than the actual participants.

Ning Shuang Rong and Zhuo Qing Ru both bet on Dou Zhao to win, while Ji Li bet on Heavily Xuan Zun.

At this moment, hugging the white fox cat, Ji Li lightly asked: “Real Jiang is very familiar with both of them, who do you think will win?”

Jiang Wang didn’t blink: “They both definitely believe in themselves more.”

“What about Real Jiang’s judgment?”

“At the moment, I don’t know who will win or lose. That’s what makes it a gamble, isn’t it?”

Ji Li seemed thoughtful: “Their strength in all aspects is quite equal, and their battle talent is also at the absolute top among their contemporaries. Winning or losing sometimes lies in luck, the opponent, and the determination to participate in this match.”

“What Miss Ji said is exactly what I wanted to say.”

Ji Li said: “Looking at it now, it seems Real Dou’s determination is a bit stronger.”

Jiang Wang casually said: “Dou Zhao wants to win everything. Heavily Xuan Zun must win whatever he cares about.”

“Then what about Real Jiang?” Ji Li asked.

Beside him, Ning Shuang Rong said: “Real Jiang thinks it’s best if he can win, and do his best without regret.”

Jiang Wang laughed: “You know me, Swordsman Ning!”

As the banker, if this match had to have a winner, it would definitely be better for Heavily Xuan Zun to win. He only needed to pay out one house while receiving two houses, making a profit. Therefore, while praising Ning Shuang Rong, he quietly and silently ignited a wisp of divine fire for Dou Zhao’s opponent, allowing this Cave True level evil being to hold on for a few more breaths.

“Speaking of which, why did Champion Hou come to Disaster Water alone?” Zhuo Qing Ru asked curiously at this time: “Did Real Jiang invite him?”

“It has nothing to do with me,” Jiang Wang said: “But I think it’s probably because he himself has a connection with the Blood River Sect. The former Blood River True Monarch once wanted to take him as a disciple but was rejected. Later, he unfortunately died battling Disaster Water, and still left an order for him to be the Blood River Sect Master… Sigh, let’s just ask him directly later.”

Zhu Wei Wo was actually hearing this for the first time and was very surprised: “Can the inheritance of a great sect in the world be passed on to an outsider?”

Dusk Drum Academy was also considered a neighbor of the Blood River Sect. Ji Li spoke up to explain: “The Blood River Sect’s inheritance has always been about wisdom, not kinship, from the beginning. Even the position of Sect Master has not been passed on to sect disciples several times in history, if they felt their own disciples were not cultivable, and instead passed it on to absolute world prodigies from outside. Perhaps this is also the reason why the Blood River Sect has had True Monarchs appear throughout the generations and its inheritance has not declined.”

Zhuo Qing Ru added: “The Blood River Sect’s inheritance does not lie in those cultivation methods and secret techniques, but in their spirit of governing water for tens of thousands of years as one day. This Blood River is full of human blood. Those who are willing to stand guard against Disaster Water for the human race can all be said to be people of the Blood River Sect. Since ancient times, cultivators who have died in Disaster Water and perished in the Blood River are all recognized by the Blood River Sect and sacrificed as their own sect’s heroic spirits.”

Zhu Wei Wo sighed: “The Blood River Sect is truly a respectable sect.”

Initially, the first time he and his senior brother met, they had jointly killed the Heart-Swallowing Demon Bear Wen. That person was exactly an abandoned disciple of the Blood River Sect. Today, the senior and junior brothers had jointly come to Disaster Water. Thinking of past events, they felt quite emotional for a moment.

Jiang Wang casually said: “Sects that can exist for a long time in the world naturally all have their great qualities. Only great beliefs can resist the erosion of time…”

“Ho!” He suddenly raised his voice, extremely happy: “Match over!”

Everyone could also see that Dou Zhao and Heavily Xuan Zun almost simultaneously received the knife. The evil beings they faced each turned into a ball of huge, clear, and transparent water, smashing into the muddy waves.

With the two Cave True level evil beings killed, the turbidity of the water domain in this area seemed to have faded considerably.

Who won?

The participants were still trying to find that perhaps tiny, millimeter-sized difference. Jiang Wang had already cupped his hands and bowed, a brilliant smile on his face: “Sorry everyone. It’s a tie! The banker takes it all. Accept it, accept it.”

Evil beings did not possess any intelligence, only the instinct to slaughter and power. In front of an opponent with the same level of power, they would definitely be at a disadvantage.

While in front of strong individuals like Dou Zhao and Heavily Xuan Zun, whose battle talents were at the top level, saying that evil beings were just targets to be chopped and killed would not be an exaggeration.

Of course, no matter how they were to be chopped and killed, those were still evil beings with Cave True level power. Killing them would inevitably consume some energy.

While the two were secretly competing, utterly exhausted, Jiang Wang was excited and elated, making a fortune. For a moment, everyone looked over, their eyes not very kind.

Jiang Wang enthusiastically walked over: “Long time no see, Brother Heavily Xuan, your style is even better than before! This time, with Real Dou Zhao as the core, we formed a team to come to Disaster Water for a trial. What about you? Why did you come alone?”

As the saying goes, don’t hit a smiling face. Heavily Xuan Zun also just smiled: “I didn’t come alone, I also have Blood River Sect Protector Kou Real.”

As for Dou Zhao…

He was already the core, what else mattered!

Jiang Wang said “oh” and said: “I thought you were with Wang Yi Wu.”

“Him,” Heavily Xuan Zun said: “After the Dragon Palace banquet ended, he went to the Demon World to take office. I fought several big battles over there and it wasn’t convenient to go again for a while.”

Jiang Wang had also heard Heavily Xuan Sheng speak. He said that this Champion Hou, during his time in the Demon World, had consecutively chopped down demon kings and turned a small-scale encounter into a large-scale pitched battle. He had also bravely charged first, helping Xiu Yuan take down a large demon race city. He was now also a human race prodigy on the demon race’s wanted list.

Then he asked: “Then this time you came to Disaster Water with Kou Real, is it for… is it convenient to say?”

“It’s not inconvenient at all,” Heavily Xuan Zun smiled: “Wang Yi Wu obtained an ancient killing technique at the Dragon Palace that requires Poor Odd’s essence blood to cultivate. With Army God as his master, he doesn’t lack any killing techniques and it doesn’t matter. But I was free anyway, so I came to Disaster Water to try my luck. It was hard-won at the Dragon Palace banquet, it wouldn’t be good to waste it. I asked Elder Kou before I came, and she said she could help me find Poor Odd.”

Poor Odd is an evil beast from legends, punishing good and rewarding evil. If someone was upright and just, it would want to eat them. If someone was evil and vicious, it would want to reward them. It was already extinct in the present world. No wonder Heavily Xuan Zun could only come to Disaster Water to find it.

Real Ge Shi entered Disaster Water seeking Fei and never returned. This served as a warning. But he was highly skilled and courageous, and obviously didn’t care.

“Then why don’t we see Kou Real?” Zhuo Qing Ru asked.

Heavily Xuan Zun said: “She went to seek lotus seeds. I’m waiting for her here and killing a few Cave True evil beings along the way to sharpen my knife.”

“What kind of lotus seeds are you talking about?” Seeing that everyone else had a look of understanding, Zhu Wei Wo’s sword-like eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Because he wanted to explore Disaster Water with his senior brother Zhu, Jiang Wang had done his homework in advance. Initially, when he went to the Demon World, he hadn’t had time to supplement his related knowledge and was just smashed into Frost Wind Valley by Zhuang Gao Xian with a punch, as a result of which he walked many wrong paths. He would not make this kind of mistake again.

The materials in the Duke of Huaiguo’s mansion were very complete. It was also because Zuo Guang Shu saw him borrow related materials that he knew he wanted to come to Disaster Water for a trial.

At this time, he spoke up to explain to his senior brother: “Disaster Water has many names, and each name can be seen as a kind of cognition. Daoists call it ‘Evil Sea’, Buddhists call it ‘No Root’, and Confucians call it ‘Evil Lotus’.

“The mention of lotus seeds comes from ‘Evil Lotus’. What Confucians see of Disaster Water is a boundless world of lotus pods. Among them are some small worlds that exist dependent on Disaster Water, hidden within Disaster Water, which are seen as ‘lotus seeds’. Rare fierce beasts are rarely seen in these worlds. They usually hide in these lotus seed worlds. It’s not accurate to say that Disaster Water has no treasures, it’s just that they are very difficult to find and extremely dangerous.”

Zhu Wei Wo did not lack talent and courage, but he was limited by his small country background, and his experience was somewhat restricted. As for this knowledge of Disaster Water, even if he wanted to understand it, he wouldn’t know where to start.

Huang Jin Mo certainly didn’t lack experience, but he had already been taken away by the Mohist School for several years.

What about Jiang Wang? He had been diligently studying books for all these years, all to make up for his lack of experience. He admitted that his knowledge was shallow and his vision was not broad enough. Before taking his sister out of Maple Forest City, his biggest aspiration was just the Judicial Department of the Zhuang Country.

Not to mention comparing him with absolute world prodigies like Heavily Xuan Zun, even comparing him with Xie Bao Shu would be an insult to Little Bao.

But he would work hard. Ten million words, he had already memorized more than half. Pure memorization was actually okay, but his reading method was still the one taught by Qi Tianzi. He needed to understand it word by word, and from a single sentence “The Crown Prince shoots the Dragon Fox,” he had to feel the heart of the Empress Dowager of Jing Tai Zu. This was an extremely huge workload… Many old scholars hadn’t understood it after decades and centuries.

Besides that, he also read whenever he had time, and he often found new things when he read.

From knowing nothing and being completely lost, to being able to say a few sentences with his senior brother now, none of it was wasted time.

Zhu Wei Wo nodded: “So that’s what ‘lotus seed’ is.”

He was very proud of Jiang Wang: “Senior Brother is deeply experienced, I admire you greatly!”

Jiang Wang laughed heartily: “What’s so profound about this, I checked the materials before I left.”

He then said to Heavily Xuan Zun: “Dragon Monarch is too stingy! Sending this kind of demanding and worn-out cultivation method, who is this tormenting? How hard is it to find Poor Odd’s essence blood! Show me two eyes, I’ll see if I can help improve it a bit.”

“Thank you,” Heavily Xuan Zun said with a smile: “I was in a hurry to leave, I didn’t bring it.”

Jiang Wang sighed with regret, urging him to bring it next time.

He also said he definitely would next time.

*Hua la la*

While they were talking, the muddy waves in front of them parted. A cold and sharp woman wearing blood-colored armor, holding a vermilion red long sword, came up from under the water, walking out of this Evil Sea.

She was naturally Kou Xue Jiao, once the Right Protector of the Blood River Sect, and now the Left Protector.

“How many seeds does the lotus give? I don’t know either.” As she came, she said: “Real Jiang knows this as the Evil Lotus world, perhaps you know where the lotus seeds come from?”

“This is something I truly don’t understand,” Jiang Wang bowed his hands: “Please enlighten me, Kou Real.”

“Disaster Water is boundless, and originally there were bubble worlds born within it. Just like oases in a desert, or fragrant grass in a poisonous forest, it is a natural principle. In evil places, there are also lives. Since ancient times, not a few creatures have hidden within it for various reasons. The ancient hundred races, more or less. There are also some from each era of the human race,” Kou Xue Jiao said: “But bubble worlds are ultimately ‘bubbles’, illusory and fragile, breaking with a poke. Since the ten thousand years of ancient times, they have been born and extinguished, and it is already unknown how many still remain.”

At this time, four Honored Reals, four God Ascendant realm experts, were scattered throughout this water domain. The evil beings were all killed, the wind and waves were calm, the water waves were clear, and it was peaceful.

Jiang Wang asked: “Are these bubble worlds the lotus seeds of the Evil Lotus?”

“Not exactly,” Kou Xue Jiao said: “Everyone must all know about the era of the various Saints, right?”

The Middle Ancient Human Emperor Lie Shan Shi was also called the ‘Last Human Emperor’. His death marked the end of the Middle Ancient era.

In this period, the Confucian Ancestor, the Legalist Ancestor, the Mohist Ancestor… each had already passed down their Dao systems, opening branches and spreading leaves. The era when the Dao Gate dominated ended, and the era of the Hundred Schools of Thought contending began.

Thus, the Near Ancient era began.

And the era of the various Saints was the first major chapter within this great era!

Everyone definitely had some impression, more or less, although that was already history from ten thousand years ago.

Seeing everyone nod, Kou Xue Jiao then asked: “What is a Saint?”

Jiang Wang said: “People of high integrity, great character, and who have made immortal contributions to humanity. They can all be called ‘Saints’.”

Kou Xue Jiao shook her head: “You’re talking about ‘Saintly Sages’, not the ‘Saints’ of the era of the various Saints. Of course, initially, they also defined themselves as Saintly Sages, but history divided them fairly. Some can be called ‘Saintly Sages’, some can only be called ‘Saints’.”

As for the era of the various Saints, Jiang Wang indeed didn’t understand enough. The thousands of words he read only recorded the history of the present world for nearly four thousand years. And he hadn’t finished reading that yet!

Given his current age, it was indeed a bit demanding to expect him to know the history of ten thousand years ago like the back of his hand.

But upon hearing Kou Xue Jiao’s words, he couldn’t help but fall into thought: “Listening to this, in Kou Real’s definition, ‘Saint’ seems to represent a kind of rank.”

Zhuo Qing Ru said from the side: “This is not Kou Real’s definition, it’s history’s definition.”

The fat cat in Ji Li’s arms also made a sound, as if echoing.

“Saint, to be of the highest integrity, can also be called one who ‘governs the world’!” Kou Xue Jiao said: “But there is a more direct saying – transcending the extraordinary to enter Saint.”

She added: “This is a term born in the era of the various Saints. Its meaning is different today. But its earliest meaning was that one could enter Saint after stepping onto the absolute peak of the extraordinary.”

Jiang Wang was surprised: “After the absolute peak of the extraordinary… is ‘Saint’ then super detached?”

Kou Xue Jiao still shook her head: “Super detached cannot be described, and the word ‘Saint’ is not enough.”

She sighed: “Super detached is unattainable. ‘Saint’ is between the absolute peak and super detached. Of course, they also possessed the power to break the limitations of the present world.”

“That’s also very terrifying,” Jiang Wang murmured: “In the era of the various Saints, prodigies emerged in droves, and there were so many honored Saints…”

In the era of the various Saints, the Hundred Schools of Thought contended, and there were truly too many great figures who left their mark. In addition to the six major recognized schools of thought today, there were also the Yin-Yang School, the School of Names, the Miscellaneous School, the Agricultural School, the Novelist School, the School of Diplomacy, the Medical School…

If all were considered ‘Saints’, it would indeed be a glorious and grand world!

But Zhuo Qing Ru quickly explained: “So-called various Saints is just a general parallel name. There were quite a few false Saints. Small Saints don’t need to be mentioned… True Saints were only about ten or so. Look at today, how many schools of thought actually remain?”

Ji Li seemed to know Jiang Wang’s thoughts and added from the side: “The Confucian Ancestor is super detached. Of course, the Legalist Ancestor is too.”

Kou Xue Jiao, being neither Confucian nor Legalist, could speak more objectively: “Super detached beings like the Confucian Ancestor and the Legalist Ancestor, they were also called ‘Ultimate Saints’, but it was more of an honorary title given out of respect by their disciples. They were essentially still walking their own path of super detachment, not pursuing the kind of ‘Great Achievement of Ultimate Saint’ sought in the era of the various Saints.”

“What is ‘Great Achievement of Ultimate Saint’?” Jiang Wang asked.

Kou Xue Jiao looked into the distance, her voice also becoming distant at this moment: “Unifying all thoughts, achieving the realm of Ultimate Saint, and also proving super detached. Someone similar to today’s ‘Six Harmonies Son of Heaven’!”