The Path of Immortality: Starts With Creating Water Bear Gu - Chapter 134: Talent Selection

“What’s this? Have these two caught your eye?”

“One of them is named Long Bao, and the other is Long Yan. Long Bao is the chubby one. Both of them are among the top ten geniuses in our clan in terms of talent.”

Seeing the obvious change in Long Qian’s expression, Long Wanli asked with a smile.

Long Qian had no intention of hiding his thoughts. He gently nodded and smiled, “Given the abilities of these two, they would be considered rare geniuses even in the Western Lands.”

“However, although their combat power is sufficient, it may not be enough to guarantee a win against the geniuses of the Bai Clan.”

“But if I personally design insects armor for these two, I think winning two rounds should be assured.”

A gleam of light flashed in Long Qian’s eyes, as he believed that two matches were already in the bag.

He was well aware of the terrifying power of the Earth Masters, as he himself was an insects armor master. How could he not understand the formidable nature of Earth Masters?

The Long Clan of the Western Lands had recently acquired these Earth Masters’, but only after paying a heavy price.

The two clans decided to unite because of a technology exchange. The Long Clan of the Western Lands even emptied their coffers to pay the difference, thus forming an alliance.

From now on, both clans would advance and retreat together. If the Hun Clan attacked the Far West Long Clan, the Long Clan of the Western Lands would go to any lengths to help, as they had already tasted the benefits of these technologies and wouldn’t allow other forces to steal them.

This was also why Long Wanli held nothing back.

Of course, in order to obtain those new techniques, the Long Clan of the Western Lands almost depleted their entire fortune.

But the higher-ups of the Long Clan were discerning and recognized the immense value of those techniques. So even if it meant emptying their coffers, they were willing. The two clans were entirely on the same page.

You couldn’t blame Long Wanli for being ruthless—Long Xuan, that kid, had amassed too many contribution points and was constantly clearing out the clan’s treasury. No matter how wealthy the Long Clan was, they couldn’t withstand him.

The treasury had been completely emptied by him, leading many clan members to mistakenly believe the clan had become poor. Long Wanli had no choice but to seize this opportunity to ruthlessly exploit the Long Clan of the Western Lands, quickly replenishing the treasury with the wealth plundered.

“What? Brother Qian, you’re also an insect armor master?” Long Wanli asked in surprise as he looked at Long Qian beside him.

“Haha! It’s just a side job, a side job. insect armor is in such high demand on the market now; selling it is extremely profitable. I’m just taking the opportunity to earn some extra money.”

“Right now, crafting large-scale Gu insects has become a trend in the Western Lands. Whoever can dominate the market first will make a fortune. Once the market is saturated, it’ll be too late for others to enter the business.”

“But where is the founding master of these insect armor techniques? I’d like to pay my respects. Many who are entering the field are looking to honor the founding master but don’t know who to honor, so they have to use a statue of the Earth Master as a substitute,” Long Qian suddenly asked.

Upon hearing this, the two geniuses behind him perked up their ears. Obviously, the Far West Long Clan had done an excellent job of keeping secrets, as almost no one knew who the mysterious inventor of these techniques was. They were all curious.

“Haha! Brother Qian, there’s no need to ask about that. The identity of that person will be announced by our clan, but not yet. A tree that stands out in the forest is sure to be blown down by the wind. When he truly grows strong, our clan will personally create a statue for him and enshrine it permanently,” Long Wanli replied with a smile.

Long Qian looked disappointed but still nodded in understanding and turned his gaze back to the arena.

He noticed that the two had already finished their battle, but the outcome was unexpected.

Long Yan’s Earth Master had pushed Long Bao’s Earth Master off the stage first, then quickly moved to support its owner.

Seeing the Earth Master charging at him, Long Bao’s face changed drastically. In a flash, he instinctively grabbed Long Yan’s arm and rolled off the stage together.

Since it happened so suddenly and so quickly, no one could tell who hit the ground first. The referee had to stop the argument between the two and declare it a draw before quickly arranging the next match.

Witnessing this, Long Qian stroked his beard and smiled, “He was clever. If he had reacted a moment later, he would have undoubtedly lost.”

“These two are excellent. I’ll take them. But why haven’t I seen your clan’s top genius? Where is she?”

Long Qian searched frantically around the arena for Long Ziyan. He had long heard of the top genius of the Far West Long Clan.

He had compared her to others and found that Long Ziyan, a heaven-grade talent with a ninth-grade bloodline, also possessed the rare Nine Yin Body and was said to be born with a Sword Bone. With these four factors combined, her combat strength was unrivaled, capable of overwhelming all the geniuses of the Bai Clan in the Western Lands.

So, she was his main target on this trip, and he couldn’t afford to let her slip away.

Not seeing her, he frowned slightly, feeling a sense of urgency. He hoped she wasn’t off on some distant mission, or else the twelfth share of the Metal ore vein he was counting on would be lost. That loss would be enormous.

Long Wanli gave a bitter smile and sighed helplessly, “You don’t know, but against any opponent, she only needs half a move to win, so no one wants to fight her anymore. Everyone who faces her chooses to surrender, so she stands still for a match and becomes the champion.”

“She said standing around was a waste of time, and she’d rather not come if she had to waste a day like that. So, she just stopped showing up and only signs up for the tournament.”

“We might as well exempt her from the trials and just let her take the championship while lying at home. After all, there’s no dispute about her winning the title.”

Upon hearing this, both Long Qian and the two geniuses behind him couldn’t help but twitch their mouths. They were truly impressed that a genius could reach such a level.

“Where is the Ten Absolute Body Physique genius? Why haven’t I seen him?”

Long Qian frantically began searching through the crowd for the Ten Absolute Physique genius.

The Ten Absolute Bodies is said to be invincible among peers, and the arena battles with the Bai Clan’s geniuses are matched by rank, so his match is a guaranteed win. It means securing another twelfth share of the mineral vein.

Rumor has it that during his match with the Feng Clan, he didn’t even summon his Gu insect and still managed to knock his opponent off the stage with just a few moves. His combat prowess is terrifying.

So, this Ten Absolute Physique genius is another target that Long Qian is determined to take with him.

Long Wanli and the elders on both sides wore even more bitter smiles. Long Wanli said helplessly, “You may not know this, but his contribution points are so numerous that he no longer cares about the rewards from the clan tournament.”

“So, he doesn’t bother to participate in the tournament anymore, claiming that he wants to give younger members a chance and show humility. Therefore, he simply doesn’t show up.”

Upon hearing this, Long Qian and the two geniuses behind him couldn’t help but twitch their mouths once again, completely losing control of their expressions. Were all the geniuses of the Far West Long Clan this unique in character? They were genuinely shocked that such an important event like the clan tournament could be skipped so casually.

“And what about Long Chao? His personality can’t be that unique, can it?” Long Qian could no longer contain himself and hurriedly asked about another genius he had his eye on.

Long Chao’s Evil Dragon Emperor Eye had awakened its soul-seed ability, one of the most terrifying illusions in the world. With proper use of this illusion, he could also become invincible among peers, securing yet another twelfth share of the mineral vein.

So, Long Chao was the third target he was determined to take, followed by Long Qilin.

However, upon hearing this name, Long Wanli and the elders’ faces darkened, their smiles vanishing.

Long Wanli’s expression turned serious as he said, “Don’t mention that person. His personality is indeed unique, but family scandals should not be aired in public. I won’t say more, but he is already dead, so you won’t be able to take him.”

Noticing their obvious change in expression, Long Qian realized he had touched on a taboo subject and didn’t press further.

However, he couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of regret. He had just lost another twelfth share of the mineral vein, and the loss pained him.

“Don’t ask about Long Qilin either. He happens to be absent as well. He usually attends, but this time he’s out collecting materials for his Suo Gu, so he missed it. It’s truly a coincidence,” Long Wanli shook his head helplessly.

That silly boy was really addicted to building houses for his Suo Gu, even more diligent than when building his own house.

“Is he also a fan of watching Suo Gu build houses? It’s a disease, and this illness is spreading wildly in the Long Clan of the Western Lands with no cure in sight,” Long Qian shook his head and smiled bitterly.

“But if he has such a hobby, that’s easy to handle. As long as he wins a match for our clan, I’ll give him a large amount of Spirit Metal as building material. Spirit Metal is top-quality material for house building!” Long Qian laughed.

The remaining matches of the clan tournament were unremarkable. Until the tournament ended, Long Qian didn’t find any other geniuses that caught his eye.

There were still some talented individuals, like Long Panpan, whose Earth Master’s Evolution effects were excellent, but such geniuses weren’t guaranteed to win.

The Bai Clan was one of the top ten clans in the Western Lands, with geniuses aplenty. Finding a monster capable of consistently outshining the Bai Clan’s geniuses wasn’t easy—it was simply that his standards were too high.

In the end, he decided to select Long Ziyan, Long Xuan, Long Qilin, Long Bao, and Long Yan as definite choices. The other geniuses would remain undecided until he gathered more detailed information. This concerned a large Spirit Metal mine, significant enough to impact the clan’s fortune, so he couldn’t be careless.

Meanwhile, Long Biao, who stood behind him, was feeling very uncomfortable. He had intended to find an opportunity to showcase his skills in the arena, to show the difference between geniuses from big and small places.

But who would have thought that the strongest geniuses of the Long Clan would be so unique in character, skipping the clan tournament altogether?

And yet, Long Biao had his pride. He didn’t want to step into the ring just to bully weaker opponents; even if he won, no one would think he was strong.

So, he remained motionless until the end of the tournament, not even attempting to jump into the arena to participate.

Now that the tournament was finally over, he couldn’t wait to speak up: “I’ve come today to challenge your clan’s Long Xuan in a battle between geniuses. I hope your clan will allow it.”

“Nonsense! We are guests here; how dare you cause trouble? Get down immediately!”

Long Qian stood up and scolded loudly, clearly angry.

Of course, this was all part of his plan. He intended for Long Biao to suffer a crushing defeat to curb his arrogance, so his current outburst was just an act.

Long Wanli, on the other hand, remained calm. In his view, Long Biao had little chance of winning. A little sparring between the geniuses of the two clans was not a bad thing. While the Long Clan of the Western Lands might have more powerful individuals, did they really think they had more geniuses?

He was confident in this generation of geniuses in his clan, who were more than capable of earning him the respect he deserved in front of the main clan.