The hidden room was made of some chaotic magical stone from ancient times, which was able to block any eye-technique, Divine Sense, etc. Even a half-Martial Progenitor Realm expert would have trouble peeking into it.

Qin Nan was only a fifth-layer Martial Sacred, how did he do that?

Did this mean that someone had really betrayed him?

Having this thought, Bai Qi’s face instantly became dark.

“Bai Qi, it seems like your effort in training your own loyal servants was in vain.”

The imperious voice of a woman could be heard coming from the side of the room. Following a squeak, a formation was activated, revealing a door in the wall, from which a woman with a cold expression wearing a yellow phoenix robe and a pair of crystal boots stepped out.

Behind her was an old man with a hunched back, who did not possess any aura, as if he were an ordinary person on the surface.

She was none other than the current Empress of the nation, the daughter of the Bai Clan’s Patriarch, Bai Ling.

“Aunt, I…” Bai Qi’s lips shuddered as he failed to come up with an excuse.

“Aunt? Why…why are you here?”

Bai Qinglian wore a stunned expression, as she did not expect to see Bai Ling here.

What was going on?

Did Bai Qi somehow obtain Bai Ling’s support?

Didn’t the Patriarch say that Bai Ling was not allowed to interfere in the selection of the next Patriarch?

“You’re impressive.” Bai Ling said as she glimpsed at Qin Nan.

Normally, the cultivators of the Royal City would be overjoyed after receiving the compliment from their Empress. They would at least act humbly, but Qin Nan did not show any reaction apart from nodding slightly, which could imply that he agreed with Bai Ling’s statement, or just a mere gesture to greet her.

Bai Ling’s eyes flickered unpleasantly, but she did not express it. She glanced at Bai Qinglian and said, “There’s no point for you two to continue competing against each other, as it won’t bring any benefit to the Bai Clan. I’m here today to determine who will be the next Patriarch in line.”

“Your cultivations and Martial Spirits are on par with each other, thus it’s impossible to determine who’s the better candidate through them. However, we appear to have a new supply of rocks here, thus we will decide through rock-betting. Each of you will have three chances, and the one who ends up with the better value will be considered the winner. The loser will hand over the candidate badge.”

She was not asking their consent to partic.i.p.ate in the compet.i.tion, but simply stating the rules immediately.

“Thanks, aunt. It sounds like a solid plan. I don’t mind it!” Bai Qi answered with a grin. So what if he had been discovered to be practicing the demonic art or the presence of the Empress was exposed?

He was still the winner in the end!

“Aunt, I don’t accept!”

Bai Qinglian wore a dark expression.

Anyone could easily tell that everything here at the White Declaration PaG.o.da was a setup.

“Don’t agree? If that’s the case, you will be considered the loser straight away, which will make Bai Qi the next Patriarch.” Bai Ling’s eyes turned cold as an imperious aura was unleashed from her figure.

Initially, she had no intention of interfering with the selection, but Bai Qi had promised her great benefits in return, thus she had agreed to come here in person and be in charge of the rock-betting.

She could not care less about the outcome or the conspiracy that Bai Qi was planning behind the scenes.

However, since she had set the rules, no one was allowed to disobey it, unless they were ready to suffer her wrath.

Bai Qinglian’s face turned pale.

What should I do now?

If I partic.i.p.ate in the rock-betting, I will lose.

If I don’t, I’ll be offending Bai Ling, which is worse.

A hand gently tapped Bai Qinglian’s shoulder all of a sudden, allowing her to calm her thoughts before she heard Qin Nan saying, “It’s fine for her to take part in the bet, as long as it’s on two conditions. Firstly, we’ll pick first, and secondly, if Bai Qi loses, the White Declaration PaG.o.da will be ours.”

“Qin Nan!” Bai Qinglian panicked.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it under control.” Qin Nan transmitted his voice to her.

Bai Qinglian was startled, who fell silent after recalling the current situation of her clan and the fact that Qin Nan was able to discover Bai Qi’s secret and the Empress’ presence.

She had no choice left but to let Qin Nan have a go.

“Hehe, how ridiculous.” Bai Qi mocked, “Why would I accept the conditions? Besides, this is a bet between Bai Qinglian and myself. How is it your business? Let me remind you, don’t think that you can do whatever you want just because you have some capabilities.”

Bai Qi was not stupid enough to accept the conditions, as he was not willing to give Bai Qinglian any chance at all.

“I’ll include three Monarch Arts as part of the conditions, how’s that? If we lose, the three Monarch Arts will be yours.” Qin Nan ignored Bai Qi’s words and glanced at Bai Ling. A scroll appeared in his hand following a wave, which was emitting a strong monarch intent.

“Oh?” Bai Ling raised her eyebrows and said, “Interesting, I’ll accept it.”

“Aunt, this…”

Bai Qi subconsciously tried to raise his opinion, but he immediately withdrew his words when he saw Bai Ling’s icy expression.

He clearly knew that it was only a deal between Bai Ling and him, thus he would suffer greatly if he chose to offend her.

“Alright, I’ll accept the conditions. Let us begin!” Bai Qi took a deep breath and said while withholding his anger.

“Qinglian, I’ll pick just this one.”

Qin Nan pointed at one of the rocks.

Bai Ling, Bai Qi, and the old man were stunned. Did he just make his choice like that?

Bai Qinglian seemed to have gotten used to Qin Nan’s astounding behavior. She went forward and picked up the rock the size of a fist.

“We’re done. It’s your turn.”

Qin Nan said calmly.”

“Done? Just one?”

Bai Ling, Bai Qi, and the old man were dumbfounded.

The compet.i.tion consisted of three rounds, thus each side was expected to pick three rocks. However, he only chose a single rock?

Even if the rock contained a valuable treasure, it wouldn’t be enough to compete with three treasures!

Did this Qin Nan think that he would somehow pick a peerless treasure from the pile of rocks?

Bai Qinglian remained silent, but she clenched her fists tightly, causing it to become full of sweat.

“HAHAHA, interesting, very interesting. I’ve never seen something like this before. I won’t be easy on you!” Bai Qi burst out laughing as he immediately picked three rocks of different sizes.

Qin Nan nodded as he glimpsed at the rocks.

This Bai Qi was indeed planning something. Apart from the rock he had chosen, the ones that Bai Qi had picked contained the most valuable loot among the pile of rocks.

“Brother Qin, allow me to open them up first. Even though the three rocks I’ve picked won’t be as valuable as your treasure, I have a feeling that they won’t let me down either.”

Bai Qi spoke with a sinister grin.

He had suggested this as he could not wait to see the desperate looks on Qin Nan and Bai Qinglian’s faces each time he cut open one of the rocks.

It would make him very excited.

The reason being that he had always dreamed of watching Bai Qinglian’s attractive eyes and face be consumed by a sense of hopelessness.

And now, his dream was about to come true.

“To save us some time, I don’t think you need to cut yours open.”

Qin Nan suddenly said, shocking everyone in front of him.