Ye Xuan’s eyes lit up upon hearing this. He had heard from the subordinate factions that the Mou Family had established the Four Great Halls in the town: the Cyan Heaven Hall, the Red Earth Hall, the Chasing Sun Hall, and the Bright Moon Hall.
These Four Great Halls held a prestigious status in the main town. As long as they didn’t provoke the Mou Family itself, no one in the town dared to offend them. Once Cultivators joined the Four Great Halls, they would earn Contribution Points based on their innate talent and strength. For instance, guarding the town gates rewarded three Contribution Points, while patrolling the town yielded two. Though the rewards were meager, it gave them something to look forward to.
However, Ye Xuan quickly shook his head. He had no interest in joining the Four Great Halls because he simply didn’t have the time! He had to figure out a way to acquire enough resources to raise his cultivation to the 9th Layer within ten days. Besides, joining the Four Great Halls wasn’t as good as staying with the Gongsun Family.
A day passed, and Ye Xuan grew somewhat disappointed. Ever since the news of the Four Great Halls recruiting disciples spread, almost everyone had been talking about it. Information on any other matter was scarce.
Deciding to take a more direct approach, Ye Xuan sought out the Shopkeeper. Handing over a few Frenzy Soul Crystals, he smiled and asked, "Shopkeeper, I’d like to ask you for some information. Is that alright?"
The Shopkeeper accepted the Frenzy Soul Crystals, raising an eyebrow. "As long as I know the answer, I’ll hold nothing back."
"Shopkeeper, I want to know if there are any dangerous areas in or around Mou Family Town. For example, places where high-level Beasts live."
"Little brother, what do you mean by high-level?"
"Level four, or level five."
"Level five?! Little brother, you must be new to Mou Family Town. Are you part of a Beast Hunting Team?"
Ye Xuan smiled but didn’t answer.
The Shopkeeper didn’t pry and continued, "The only place with level-five Beasts is the Mou Family’s Secret Realm. However, I do know of another location that most likely has level-five Beasts, maybe even level-six."
"Oh? Really?"
"Whether it’s true or not, I can’t say for sure. I only know that the people who went in never came out."
"Where is this place?"
"East of Mou Family Town is a mountain range called the Hunting Beast Mountain Range. The Beast Hunting Teams of the town hunt Beasts there. The Hunting Beast Mountain Range is vast and deep. At its deepest point, there is a massive canyon, and in the middle of it is a narrow, winding trail. Most people call it the Skyline. But the Beast Hunting Teams call it the Path to the Underworld."
"The Path to the Underworld?"
"That’s right, a path that leads straight to the Underworld. Because not a single Beast Hunting Team that entered it has ever come out alive. Not even one!"
Surprised, Ye Xuan asked, "With such a bizarre place, have no experts gone in to explore it?"
"They have. The grandees of the Mou Family went in to explore it. And guess what happened?"
"What happened?"
"The people who went in didn’t come out either! In fact, two hundred years ago, the old Patriarch of the Mou Family went in as well, but he also failed to emerge. In the end, they all died inside; their Life and Death Jades shattered."
"Have any even stronger experts gone in?"
"That I don’t know. Little brother, I advise you not to go. If you really want to acquire resources, I have another method for you."
"What method?"
"Buy them."
"Buy them?"
"Yes. You’ve come at the right time. A day from now, Mou Family Town will host a massive auction. According to my sources, this auction will feature quite a few Spirit Medicines that can directly increase cultivation. Your cultivation is at the Frenzy Spirit Realm at most, right? I heard there’s more than one Spirit Medicine capable of raising a Frenzy Spirit Realm Cultivator’s level. It would be perfect for you."
Ye Xuan frowned slightly. "And if the auction doesn’t have the resources I want?"
"How could it not! But if it truly doesn’t, your only option is to figure out a way to join the Four Great Halls. Otherwise, there’s only one last path left."
"There’s another path? What is it?"
The Shopkeeper leaned in close to Ye Xuan and whispered, "Near the Hunting Beast Mountain Range, there’s a small village filled with a chaotic mix of shady characters. The things Cultivators obtain from the Hunting Head Mountain Range are all traded there. Sometimes, they have high-level Spirit Medicines and precious materials. If your Beast Hunting Team is strong enough, you can lie in wait there and murder them for their goods!"
The Shopkeeper made a throat-slitting gesture. It was a textbook execution motion.
Hearing the Shopkeeper’s words, Ye Xuan was left speechless. He had thought it would be some brilliant plan, but it turned out to be simple murder and pillage.
"Of course, the prerequisite is that your Hunter Corps has the strength for it," the Shopkeeper added. "If you do, you can pull off a job or two and then get out of there quickly. Otherwise, you’ll be wiped out by the Four Great Halls."
"I understand."
Ye Xuan didn’t ask any further questions. He returned to his seat and listened to the surrounding Cultivators brag for a while longer before getting up and returning to his room.
He was staying in a suite; he occupied the inner room, while Hua took the outer one.
"Young Master, what do you plan to do?" Hua signed to Ye Xuan.
"I don’t know. Let’s go check out the auction tomorrow first."
"But do you have enough money?"
"Money? I might not have enough, but it’s fine. I have Demon Spirit Pills! We’ll go early tomorrow and see how much they can sell for."
Ye Xuan had three hundred mid-grade Demon Spirit Pills on him. The name "Demon Spirit Pill" alone meant they were completely priceless in a Three-Star Main Town. They would be in extremely high demand with zero supply.
"You’re going to sell the Demon Spirit Pills?" Hua signed frantically, completely shocked. "Young Master, you’ll need these Elixirs in the future!"
Ye Xuan replied calmly, "What I might need in the future is a matter for the future. Right now, what I need most are Super Spirit Pills—Elixirs that can raise cultivation in the Super Spirit Realm. Moreover, even if I do need Demon Spirit Pills down the line, I don’t plan on consuming mid-grade ones."
"Young Master..." Hua bit her lip. She knew full well how precious resources were. Ye Xuan’s actions were no different from drinking poison to quench his thirst. The higher the level of the resource, the harder it was to obtain.
"Hua, you don’t need to persuade me. Using high-level resources to exchange for low-level ones might make it look like I’m taking a loss, but I don’t see it that way. People always hoard their best things, saving them for when they need them later. But what if that ’later’ never comes? Don’t you agree?"
Ye Xuan chuckled softly, appearing very free-spirited and unbothered.
Hua didn’t sign anything else. She knew that Ye Xuan was a man of strong convictions.
"Alright, Hua, go into seclusion and raise your cultivation. With the Elixirs I gave you, you should be able to quickly reach the 8th Layer."
"Right, Young Master, how about you sell my Super Spirit Pills?" she signed. "With so many of them, they should fetch a good price."
Ye Xuan’s expression suddenly turned stern. "Hua, I gave you those Super Spirit Pills to improve your cultivation. If you mention this again, don’t blame me for getting angry!"
"I..."
"Enough, that’s final. Work hard. I’ll give you even more resources to help you break through to the Demon Spirit Realm." With that, Ye Xuan returned to his inner room.
Not long after, an evil aura seeped out from his room.
The moment this aura appeared, Hua sensed it from the outer room. Her expression drastically changed. She rushed to Ye Xuan’s door and shattered it with a single palm strike.
Upon seeing the situation inside clearly, Hua was enraged. She saw it plain as day: a pale-faced woman radiating an evil aura was biting fiercely into Ye Xuan’s arm!
Hua didn’t know what kind of creature this woman was, but anyone who dared to hurt her Young Master had to die.