Chapter 439: A Man Can’t Be Broke

"It's just Origin Stones! Weren’t you trying to earn Origin Stones?"

"As long as you fight us fairly, I can give you Origin Stones!"

Qian Shouxin said seriously.

Lu Ye certainly recognized this Qian Shouxin—he was also a powerhouse in his previous life.

However, Lu Ye’s eyes still gleamed with disdain. "What could a little lord like you even offer? Get your father here—then we’ll talk real value."

With that one sentence, Qian Shouxin’s face turned beet red on the spot.

Call him weak, but never call him broke!

He knew this was a taunt, but with his wealth and influence, he truly wasn't afraid of such tactics. What’s a little taunt gonna cost him?

Since when was Young Master Qian’s pride priced in Origin Stones?

Qian Shouxin raised a single finger.

Lu Ye raised an eyebrow. "Ten thousand Origin Stones?"

Trying to flex? Then pay up.

Qian Shouxin had originally intended to say one thousand Origin Stones but was immediately choked by the response.

Ten thousand just to fight you? Are you kidding me?

With ten thousand Origin Stones, he could buy out the whole Hehuan Sect!

But as the young lord of the Skyreach Money House, he couldn’t stoop that low.

Luckily, he had flunkies to speak for him.

"Ten thousand Origin Stones? If you’re chicken, just admit it. No need to go crazy with the price. Fighting you isn’t worth ten thousand!"

"Exactly! You’re just bluffing with that insane price to scare us off. Is this the courage of the number one on the Eternal Prodigy Leaderboard? When you wrote your name on the Eternal Prodigy Leaderboard, we thought you were someone special. Turns out you’re nothing special!"

Lu Ye wasn’t in the mood for their nonsense. In his eyes, these people were only worth a few tens of thousands of Origin Stones. Once he got paid, he’d have squeezed them dry.

Lu Ye glanced around.

"I know you all want to fight me, but your backers don’t want me as an enemy. Now, I’ll give you a chance. A fair fight costs a thousand per head. For Qian Shouxin, ten thousand. Those unwilling to pay, leave now!"

"You’ve got ten seconds to decide. No thirty? I walk. Try to stop me, and you’re dead to me."

"Clock’s ticking!"

Qian Shouxin’s expression changed.

"Why am I ten thousand when everyone else is one thousand?"

"Because you’re the richest!"

Qian Shouxin: "..."

He wanted to ask—does rich automatically mean chump?

But then he thought about Lu Ye’s status, and the fact that Lu Ye had called him rich... That hit different—better than any high he’d ever chased.

He couldn't suppress a grin.

Setting everything else aside, this reincarnated Celestial Lord, this number one on the Eternal Prodigy Leaderboard, complimented his wealth—wouldn't that make anyone happy?

Lu Ye began the countdown.

"Fine, I'll pay ten thousand Origin Stones!"

Hmm, just moments ago, ten thousand Origin Stones seemed excessive, but now he was happily forking them over—that's just how the Young Master of the Skyward Bank operated, that's how the rich roll!

Lu Ye scanned the crowd.

"Those unwilling to pay can leave now."

"Can't we even watch without paying?" someone who balked at spending a thousand Origin Stones, unwilling to fight Lu Ye, piped up, hoping to watch.

"Eight hundred Origin Stones to watch."

"That much just to watch?"

"If it's too pricey, you can choose to fight instead."

If Lu Ye weren't strapped for cash and couldn't resort to kidnapping, he wouldn't be bothering with this.

Once he scored big, he wouldn't even return to the Heavenly Gate—his first priority would be to seek out those hidden treasures. Being broke like this was something he couldn’t endure for another moment.

A guy can live without women.

But he absolutely could not live without money.

Lu Ye formed hand seals, and in an instant, a radiant barrier rose before him.

He stepped into the barrier, his figure vanishing completely, even his aura disappearing without a trace.

"Those who wish to fight, bring a thousand or eight hundred Origin Stones and enter. Those who don’t, just wait outside!"

Those unwilling to pay immediately, their eyes glowed with different colors, trying to see through the barrier and see what was happening inside—but they couldn’t, not at all!

With this simple demonstration, Lu Ye made it clear to everyone: thinking you'll get a free show? Think again.

"I refuse to believe he’s that much stronger than me!"

A young man in lavish robes marched right in.

Deep down, many understood that Lu Ye might indeed be stronger—after all, his reputation preceded him.

They came to spar and challenge him precisely to see exactly how much stronger he was.

A thousand Origin Stones—though it hurt—was worth it, considering Lu Ye’s status.

After the first took the plunge, the second and third quickly followed.

These were all kids from wealthy families; none were truly destitute.

A thousand Origin Stones—they could bite the bullet and pay.

One by one, people entered the barrier.

Those unwilling to pay tried every method but couldn't get so much as a peek of what was happening inside.

Ten breaths later.

Over fifty people had entered the light screen.

Lu Ye had also gained a clean sixty thousand Origin Stones. Though they were only low-grade, for the currently broke-as-hell Lu Ye, it was still a windfall.

"You've taken the money, so can we start the fight now?" someone snapped impatiently.

In a good mood, Lu Ye didn't mince words.

"Sure!"

"Then I'll go first!"

An elegant young man flared with white divine light, his eyes burning with battle lust as he flooded the area with his aura—the overwhelming presence of the Longevity Realm.

Lu Ye, however, gave a slight headshake. "What I meant was, all of you can attack together."

These words left everyone speechless before rage took over.

Lu Ye might be strong, but they weren’t chumps either. Did he really intend to take them all on at once?

This was next-level arrogance.

"Fine! Since you're so overconfident, let’s all attack together and put him in his place first!"

In an instant, explosions of colored energy erupted.

The entire space was drowned in terrifying pressure.

Lu Ye raised his hand. He didn’t use his stone sword, as doing so would probably kill them all in one strike.

This habit of sparring was actually uncommon in other heavens—only in the Sixth Heaven was dueling culture so prevalent.

What could you do? Everyone here belonged to major factions.

They couldn’t just go all out, could they? If it escalated into a conflict between factions, both sides would suffer.

And if they resorted to priceless artifacts, the situation would become even more dire.

Sparring matches were rarely lethal.

"Attack!"

"Infinite Divine Fist!"

"Three Thousand Brilliance Swords!"

"Heaven-Shrouding Grand Technique!"

"Forbidden Art: Nine Nethers!"

...

Most of them struck simultaneously.

Lu Ye, too, threw a palm strike.

This palm wasn’t even a powerful Divine Ability—just a simple technique called Thousand Shadow Palm.

Yet, paired with the Primordial Power, this deceptively simple palm technique unleashed dozens of palm shadows, clashing violently with the dozens of divine techniques and secret arts.