Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

Before entering the tower to cultivate the Great Sage Who Devours Thieves, two additional auxiliary materials are still required.

Blood of the Devourer is the main material; the other auxiliary materials are relatively easy to obtain.

One of the auxiliary materials is 62 catties of Disaster-grade Celestial Brew, mixed with the collected Blood of Devouring Thieves, which causes the Blood of Devouring Thieves to fall into a dormant state, making it easier for the body to assimilate and absorb it.

If this auxiliary material is missing, the foreign blood of the Devourer will invade the body and fight against the Devourer's power, thus backfiring and causing the body to explode and die on the spot.

The Heavenly Immortal Brew is stocked in the mansion's warehouse. This stuff is brewed using Heavenly Immortals from the Food Purity World as ingredients. One pot makes you drunk, two pots make you drunk. It's considered a rare luxury item, and it's very expensive on the market, costing 2000 magic coins per pot.

Secondly, the auxiliary material is a thousand catties of calamity-grade flesh and blood ginseng. During cultivation, one must consume a large amount of flesh and blood essence to provide a source of power for one's Devouring Thief power and greatly improve the efficiency of absorbing external Devouring Thief blood.

If this material is missing, the absorption efficiency will be greatly reduced, the body's Devouring Power will become weak, and the absorption process will eventually be forced to stop, all efforts will be in vain.

According to the martial arts manual 'The Great Sage Who Devours Thieves'.

The blood in the human body contains the power to devour thieves.

This power of devouring thieves is distributed throughout every corner of the human body, but its quantity in the human body is limited. When the human body is injured and blood is lost rapidly, the power of devouring thieves will also weaken accordingly.

However, as the body recovers, the power to devour thieves will also regenerate rapidly, returning to its original state.

But no matter how much one tries to stimulate the power of devouring thieves within their body, it will never exceed the limits of the human body, as if there is a lock in the dark restricting the human body from evolving towards a higher level and a more powerful life.

Therefore, to master the Devouring Thief Divine Power, one must eat humans and demons.

They devour those humans and demons whose blood contains the power of devouring thieves, assimilate and absorb their power, surpass their own limits, break the shackles in the dark, and fill every part of their flesh and blood with the power of devouring thieves.

Only in this way can the ability to devour thieves be mastered!

Upon completion, one can steal the life force of heaven and earth and nourish oneself by consuming all things.

This physical technique is a rare, growth-oriented technique with immense potential for advancement. The Devouring Thief Divine Power undergoes a qualitative transformation with each leap in cultivation level, forever increasing in tandem with the physical body's great leaps.

Zhou Qingfeng used his communication bracelet to send an order to Jin Wei, instructing him to deliver the Celestial Wine and Flesh-and-Blood Ginseng to the City Lord's Mansion, and then have the City Lord's Mansion's servants deliver them to the White Bone Foundation Building Tower for Zhou Qingfeng to use in his physical cultivation.

After the preparations were completed, Zhou Qingfeng sat cross-legged in a training room on the seventh floor of the White Bone Foundation Building Tower.

Everything here still arises and perishes because of Zhou Qingfeng's single thought.

When Zhou Qingfeng stepped into this place, a single thought arose, and all things revived, with mountains and rivers reappearing. He sat atop the mountain, waved his hand, and released the Blood Sacrifice Pool, which grew larger in the wind, transforming into a pool of blood.

Then he patted his storage bag, took out the prepared 62 catties of Heavenly Immortal Wine, and poured it into the blood pool.

Finally, a thousand catties of ginseng were placed by the pool for easy access.

With everything in place, Zhou Qingfeng's eyes gleamed. Just to be on the safe side, he cast a divination for himself, in case any unexpected situations arose during his physical training that could endanger his life.

[Auspicious Fortune Telling: At this time and place, the Great Sage Who Devours Thieves is being refined; good fortune.]

Seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng no longer hesitated. He took off his clothes, and his strong and muscular body slowly stepped into the blood pool. A large amount of Devouring Thief blood slowly submerged the top of Zhou Qingfeng's head.

Zhou Qingfeng sat cross-legged in the blood pool, slowly closed his eyes, and entered a state of introspection. With a thought, the Devouring Thief power hidden in his blood slowly began to devour the Devouring Thief blood that had invaded his body.

The foreign blood of the Devourer has been dormant under the influence of the Celestial Brew. However, the blood still contains the Qi of the Three Calamities. If a mortal were to consume this drop of blood, he would either fall seriously ill or die on the spot.

However, in the eyes of Zhou Qingfeng, who was also a cultivator at the Food Disaster Realm, there was no threat whatsoever.

They're all just fish on a chopping board, at our mercy to be slaughtered and devoured.

Time flies like an arrow; 30 days have passed in the outside world, and there are still 10 days until the Heavenly Pride Tournament.

During this period, Zhou Qingfeng methodically absorbed the external blood of the Devourer, transforming it into his own Devourer power, and slowly broke through the lock that restricted the human body.

Moreover, when his Devouring Power becomes exhausted, he replenishes himself with large amounts of flesh and ginseng to provide a source of power for Devouring Power, so as to maintain a state of high-speed devouring.

After Zhou Qingfeng had consumed all the blood of the Devourer in the blood pool,

The thousand-pound ginseng by the pool was also completely consumed.

Zhou Qingfeng suddenly opened his eyes and stood on the top of the towering mountain. His body was surrounded by scarlet light that shot into the sky, transforming into a sea of ​​blood. He was covered in blood, his eyes were burning with blood, and his black hair was dancing wildly. He opened his arms and laughed wildly at the top of the mountain, like a vengeful ghost from hell, the most monstrous of demons.

"Hahaha~~~ The Great Sage Who Devours Thieves has been forged! In the Tournament of Prodigies, who can stop me, and who can hurt me?"

What arrogant and domineering words! They completely treat their peers like pigs and dogs.

After leaving the White Bone Foundation Tower.

Zhou Qingfeng first paid his respects to the First Lady, and then paid his respects to his master.

Only then did he return home to wash up and get a good night's sleep.

I slept soundly for three whole days without opening my eyes.

After a good night's sleep, Zhou Qingfeng was full of energy and ready to register for the competition in top condition.

The competition registration area was packed with people.

Jin Wei introduced from the side: "Young Master, these are all outstanding talents who have just arrived from other places to participate in the competition."

Zhou Qingfeng asked curiously, "Are there always this many people at the Sword Tower's Prodigy Tournament?"

Jin Wei said, "Yes, countless geniuses from 4,600 cities will come to the Sword Tower to participate in the competition, including the Python Sparrow Royal Family, which will send their young prodigies to participate. The people in the city have already started to celebrate."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng raised an eyebrow slightly: "A party?"

Jin Wei chuckled: "The triennial Heavenly Pride Tournament attracts a large number of people from other places to Jianta. When they come, they need accommodation, food, and shopping, and the people in the city can make a lot of money from this opportunity."

"Furthermore, the Sword Tower will set up official temporary betting points, where odds for various popular and unpopular players will be displayed for mortals and cultivators to place bets."

"The seven major families of Sword Tower, along with numerous other forces, will seize this opportunity to collude and set up schemes, lending money at exorbitant interest rates to those who lack funds for betting, and also privately setting up gambling games to increase the odds several times over compared to the official Sword Tower odds."

"The more you win, the more you win; the more you lose, the more you lose."

Zhou Qingfeng gave an "oh" and said casually, "The Zhou family is also involved among the seven major families."

Jin Wei lowered his head slightly and said, "Young Master, Zhiqi and Master Chen are carrying out construction in their fiefdom, and the expenses are increasing day by day. My Zhou family cannot sit idly by and live off our savings. Now that we have an opportunity to make a fortune, there is no reason for us to let it go."

"So the Zhou family is indeed involved in gambling and loan sharking, and I am in charge of it."

Zhou Qingfeng calmly said, "Let's stop before the competition starts."

Jin Wei was taken aback: "Why?"

Zhou Qingfeng glanced sideways, his eyes deep and unfathomable, like a still spring.

Upon seeing this, Jin Wei was startled and immediately clasped his hands in response: "Yes, young master, Jin Wei shouldn't have asked so many questions."

Zhou Qingfeng withdrew his gaze and said calmly, "It's not that money can't be made, but you have to be careful about the methods. Setting up gambling games in private to increase the odds is too risky and can easily lead to losing everything."

"Besides, the other families are all veteran players. You're a newbie rushing in. Are you sure you can handle it? Are you sure you understand the ins and outs of this industry? Aren't you afraid of being taken advantage of by others if you just randomly dabble in an industry you don't understand?"

"If someone deliberately targets the Zhou family, maliciously bets 10 billion on the Zhou family's assets, and then secretly orchestrates a major upset, the Zhou family's entire fortune might not be enough to cover the losses."

Jin Wei broke out in a cold sweat: "Yes, I'm sorry, young master, I was inconsiderate."

Zhou Qingfeng patted Jin Wei on the shoulder, not blaming him. He himself didn't worry much about making money; Jin Wei handled all of that. Jin Wei wanted to make money for the Zhou family, and his intentions were good.

He said, "Don't do things you don't understand, and don't earn money beyond your comprehension. If we're just going to make a quick buck and move on, that's fine; we can just grab what we can and run."

"But if the Zhou family wants to develop in Jianta for a long time, we must go into legitimate industries and maintain healthy development. Don't just look at others making a living and be envious. That's because you haven't seen when they were being beaten up behind the scenes."

“It’s one thing for the Zhou family to run the market, but they can do loan sharking.”

Upon hearing this, Jin Wei's eyes lit up.

Zhou Qingfeng changed the subject and said, "Even lending money at high interest rates requires methods. My Zhou family has a weak foundation and cannot afford to take risks. We must ensure that we make a steady profit. If you can do it, then do it; if you can't, then don't."

Jin Wei looked completely bewildered: "Young Master, what... what should we do?"

Zhou Qingfeng glanced at Jin Wei and sighed. It was indeed a bit difficult for him.

The methods used by loan sharks these days are nothing more than seizing people's properties and forcing them to sell their children when bad debts occur. If that's not enough, they'll cut off their kidneys, drain their blood, and gouge out their eyes. If that's still not enough, they'll dismantle them into parts and resell them.

But this would make things much bigger. Every citizen is the private property of the city lord. If someone dies, the Night Patrol Bureau will have to intervene. If the Night Patrol Bureau gets involved, they won't get any benefits and will only get themselves into trouble.

If things escalate and reach the Censorate, even Master cannot guarantee his own safety.

However, Jin Wei was right about one thing: this was indeed a great opportunity to make a fortune.

It can be done, adding a huge amount of income to the Zhou family.

Zhou Qingfeng said calmly, "Jin Wei, you can operate like this, with a maximum limit of 10,000 yuan. Every local can borrow, and send people to follow at the betting points. If you win, take 60% of the winnings on the spot as interest."

Jin Wei said, "What if we lose?"

Zhou Qingfeng said meaningfully, "If you lose, you only need to return the principal of 10,000 coins."

Jin Wei stared wide-eyed: "Then aren't we doing charity?"

Zhou Qingfeng glanced at the crowded people in front of him and chuckled, "You think about it, think about it more carefully."

Upon hearing this, Jin Wei seemed to be deep in thought.

If you lend 10,000 coins to mortals and cultivators, anyone can afford it. It's just a few months' wages. Besides, if you win, you get 60%; if you lose, you lose your principal. Anyone would dare to lend this money, and most would be willing to repay the principal.

This saves a significant amount of manpower and resources on debt collection, reducing costs considerably.

But in a big forest, there are all kinds of birds. There will always be some people who are unwilling to repay even the principal. What should you do then? Send someone to collect the debt? Ten thousand coins is a small amount to begin with, and even if you recover the debt, you will still lose money.

No, that's not right, Jin Wei's eyes suddenly lit up.

This matter could be taken all the way to the Night Patrol Bureau, which would probably be furious and send people to collect the debt. After all, this isn't usury. If you borrow money and don't even pay back the principal, is there no law or justice left?

In this way, it would be perfectly legitimate for the Night Patrol Bureau to punish the debtor, and the Zhou family could recover the principal without losing a single person or item, while also gaining the reputation of the Zhou family as a benevolent family.

Everyone will remember that the Zhou family lent them money when they were in dire need of funds, and only required them to repay the principal afterwards. Such a benevolent family can instantly win over a large number of people.

The Zhou family's reputation was widely known among the entertainment districts and theaters.

This is the prestige of the Zhou family.

By then, we'll have made money and gained fame. Damn, the young master is awesome!

Seeing Jin Wei's changing expression, Zhou Qingfeng smiled and said, "You figured it out?"

Jin Wei nodded excitedly: "Young Master is wise, Jin Wei knows what to do."

Zhou Qingfeng smiled faintly: "Let's send someone to clear the way. We don't know when we'll be able to get through this queue."

Upon hearing this, Jin Wei immediately waved his hand, signaling the Zhou family guards who were accompanying him to clear the way ahead.

"Make way, make way..." The guards of the Zhou family made way through the crowded people. The people who were pushed aside were about to get angry, but when they saw who it was, they immediately shut up and swallowed the curses that were about to come out.

All eyes were on Zhou Qingfeng.

Zhou Qingfeng smiled faintly, his hands behind his back, and strolled leisurely toward the registration point.

The out-of-towners in the crowd on both sides saw the handsome man in black casual clothes and realized that he was no ordinary person. They asked the Jianta people next to them, "Who is this person? What a grand entrance!"

The people of Sword Tower said, "His name is Zhou Qingfeng, the adopted son of the city lord, known as the Fourth Young Master. How could he not be extravagant? The entire Sword Tower belongs to his family. He can walk sideways in Sword Tower and no one dares to utter a sound."

Many out-of-towners suddenly realized what was going on. When they looked at Zhou Qingfeng, their expressions ranged from disdain to envy to sarcasm to awe. Whatever their thoughts were, it didn't matter.

No matter how strong this group is, even if they could crush Zhou Qingfeng with just one finger.

But none of them were qualified to speak to Zhou Qingfeng, much less to stand in front of him.

The thoughts and voices of this group could not reach Zhou Qingfeng.

Perhaps the only chance they would ever have to speak to Zhou Qingfeng in their lives was to meet him at the Heavenly Pride Tournament. This was a difference in power, status, and identity, and had nothing to do with personal strength.

"Cut in line, move aside!" Jin Wei waved his hand at the first-place Food Disaster cultivator in line. Upon seeing this, the first-place Food Disaster cultivator remained silent and quietly retreated to the side, showing great tact.

Zhou Qingfeng patted Jin Wei on the back: "Be polite, don't be so arrogant and domineering."

Then Zhou Qingfeng nodded slightly to the first-ranked cultivator, the Food Disaster cultivator, to express his apology. Upon seeing this, the Food Disaster cultivator smiled kindly, returning Zhou Qingfeng's respect with goodwill. He felt that although the Fourth Young Master abused his status, he was still well-mannered and not too unpleasant.

The registration officer at the registration point stood up and bowed to Zhou Qingfeng with clasped hands, saying, "This humble official greets Commander Zhou."

Zhou Qingfeng smiled slightly: "Could you please sign me up?"

The registration officer clasped his hands and said, "Commander Zhou, according to the rules, there are two conditions for participating. First, one must be a cultivator at the Calamity Realm. Those who exceed this realm cannot participate. Second, one must be 24 years old. Those who exceed this age also cannot participate. Please forgive my rudeness."

Zhou Qingfeng nodded: "The competition must be fair, just and open. There's no need to be polite. I accept the inspection."

Upon hearing this, the registration officer apologized again before reaching out to touch Zhou Qingfeng's bones to determine his true age. After a thorough examination of his bone age, it was determined that Zhou Qingfeng was already twenty-two years old.

"You are 22 years old, which meets the competition criteria. Now, please unleash your magic."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng's mind stirred, and crimson magical power enveloped his body.

The registration officer nodded slightly, then gestured for Zhou Qingfeng to stand on a detection array. He scanned Zhou Qingfeng from head to toe to ensure that no one could conceal their cultivation level and sneak into the competition.

After passing the inspection, the registration officer took out a bronze token and respectfully handed it to him: "Zhou Fushuai, this is your participation token. With this token, you can participate in the Heavenly Pride Tournament. Please keep it safe."

Zhou Qingfeng accepted the participation token and thanked him, then turned and left with Jin Wei: "Let's go back to the manor. We'll rest and recuperate at home for the next few days until the opening of the Heavenly Pride Tournament."