He looked at the youthful appearance of the two Feather Scholars and changed his tone to ask, "Two Feather Scholars, may I ask how old you are?"

The situation is beyond their control; now in captivity, their lives are in the hands of others. The two proud Foundation Establishment Feather Scholars had no choice but to bow their heads to Lu Qian, a Qi Cultivator.

The one captured by Zhuang Qing smiled bitterly, "I am Pan Qin, a humble Loose Cultivator, at the age of one hundred and sixty. Having been captured by Sect Leader Lu, I have nothing to say, except to hope that Sect Leader Lu will be lenient on account of us causing no harm."

The one lying on the ground coughed up blood: "I am... Duu Yeming, a few years older than Fellow Daoist Pan... *cough*, I beg Sect Leader Lu for his mercy."

Lu Qian was aware, nodding, "You both should understand that the intent to destroy the marketplace is a capital offense. I won’t beat around the bush; right now, my Shuangye Alliance needs manpower. Sparing your lives is possible, but you must guard Shuangye Square for twenty years, defending it against any invading enemies."

Pan Qin and Duu Yeming’s expressions changed drastically, just about to speak when Lu Qian interrupted them unceremoniously, "Listen carefully, twenty years, just responsible for the security of Shuangye Square, nothing else. Although there is no stipend for these twenty years, my Shuangye Alliance will naturally provide necessary Elixirs and Spirit Stones to ensure your regular cultivation."

"Moreover, each time you fend off invading enemies, there are additional rewards. To be honest, if you both were older, I would kill you now without wasting words. Yet both are still young, with bright futures ahead; wasting your lives is too unfortunate. Choose now—is it death or being guards at Shuangye Square for twenty years?"

Pan Qin and Duu Yeming exchanged a bitter look, understanding the meaning behind Lu Qian’s words. Because of their youth, they can be used. First, as their Dao path is long, they can afford to lose twenty years. Secondly, with promising futures, they naturally value the Dao Heart Oath heavily, not daring to break it.

For these young Feather Scholars, twenty years of freedom isn’t much compared to their lives.

Moments later, both made an unwilling choice to guard the marketplace for the Shuangye Alliance.

Lu Qian smiled, "Additionally, welcome to supervise and report each other. If you discover the other committing acts of treason, upon verified report, you can immediately regain freedom and receive a generous Spirit Stone reward. Don’t miss this chance."

Their bodies trembled, fearful of the young Sect Leader.

Immediately after, they signed the meticulous oath prepared by Lu Qian ahead of time, made the Dao Heart Oath, and transformed into Honored Guest Elders guarding Shuangye Square. They were then taken away to recuperate well.

With their service, the subsequent law enforcement team in the marketplace will be reduced to below eighty people; Yunshan Sect elders and stewards no longer need to guard here. The Shuangye Square’s law enforcement team will become one of the training grounds for Shuangye Alliance disciples.

Having dealt with these matters, ignoring Ji Yunrou’s invitation for an afternoon nap, Lu Qian led the Shuangye Alliance members back to the marketplace.

Within Shuangye Square, the hustle and bustle were as lively as ever. No one knew the undercurrents beneath the surface had vanished without a trace.

The carnival quickly reached its end, yet the foot traffic surged instead of declining, almost bursting the Third Ring District. The Shuangye Alliance had long planned expansion, ready to demolish the walls for another round of expansion as soon as the carnival ended.

The first batch of investments from the Divine Flood Dragon Sect, twenty thousand Spirit Stones, had been delivered. After discussions, they would complete a one hundred thousand Spirit Stone investment project over four years, bearing the interest of installment payments. Naturally, marketplace shareholders were overjoyed, blindly following Lu Qian’s decisions.

With the Qi Cultivation Level tournament’s top sixteen, top eight, top four, and finally the grand final, the influx of guests from all directions grew, thankfully both arenas were massive, accommodating everyone. There was no disappointment from faraway visitors finding sold-out tickets.

As planned by Lu Qian, Yunshan Sect’s Zheng Duan stopped at thirty-two, Jiang Qingfeng made it to sixteen, and Master Xuan Ji advanced to the top four, ultimately defeating an excellent Divine Flood Dragon Sect disciple to achieve third place, albeit consuming three Spirit Crystals slightly exceeding expectations.

Thus, the sect’s top three were successfully established: first place was Shouzhuo Sect Leader’s second disciple, Qin Zhiyi; second place was Kong Family Castle’s young talent, Young Master Kong, Kong Pengfei. Both were envoys, having come to Bichao Mountain to congratulate Yunshan Sect’s establishment, old acquaintances. Previously, Qin Zhiyi’s cultivation was slightly lower than Kong Pengfei, but now surpassed him with a half-move advantage.

After this, the top three Loose Cultivators and sect representatives gathered at the Grand Arena for a friendly match.

The buzz around Loose Cultivators versus sect match had long been stirred up on Lu Qian’s command.

Many Loose Cultivators heard the news, traveling thousands of miles to spectate, anticipating their side to display prowess and soundly defeat sect Cultivators, liberating themselves from the oppression and disdain.

However, judging by the betting situation, even with the low odds for sect Cultivators, most people sensibly "vote with their feet," betting on the sect Cultivators.

The result was shocking; though the second and third place matches were won by sects, the first place Loose Cultivator actually defeated sect’s top, Qin Zhiyi!

This result instantly ignited the audience’s excitement; Loose Cultivator spectators cheered, even those losing bets on Spirit Stones were thrilled. While Shuangye Square profited greatly, Lu Qian also secretly met with the dark horse among the Loose Cultivators, who topped the field, Xiao Tianci.

Xiao Tianci, dubbed by audience as "Chongming’s First Qi Refining Loose Cultivator," with "Chongming" gradually evolving into "Cangzhou," must have had fortuitous encounters, achieving Qi Cultivation Perfection at a young age, a Sword Cultivator with unmatched sharpness and techniques.

Upon seeing the stern-faced, proudly peerless youth in white, Lu Qian’s recruitment words weren’t even finished before being directly rejected.

"This sword of mine cannot be sheathed. It shall be placed in the wilderness, tempered by wind, rain, and blood, featuring power that shocks the world." Xiao Tianci raised his head, declaring so.

Lu Qian laughed heartily, saying no more, immediately ordering to present generous prizes.

The tournament’s prizes, including top-tier Magical Artifacts, High-Tier Elixirs, and Spirit Talismans, were mostly sponsored by businesses, with Shuangye Alliance only contributing Spirit Stone bonuses, minimizing costs.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Tianci glanced coldly at the prizes, "I have a sword that suffices. If Sect Leader Lu agrees to my condition, I will take none of these things."

"Oh?"

Xiao Tianci’s body shook, sharp energy surged forth, "I ask Sect Leader Lu to battle me, to help temper my sword!"