The Troubles of the Wealthy

Gold Coins were easy enough to deal with. He could simply buy a few dozen stalks of Dark Wind Grass, earning himself another hundred-odd Energy Points.

The Fourth-Tier Magic Core, however, was somewhat troublesome.

If he simply put it up for sale, he could fetch several tens of thousands of Gold Coins, but that would not maximize its value.

After weighing his options, Mo Tang decided to send the Magic Core to the Auction...

A Fourth-Tier Wind Attribute Magic Core could easily sell for around a hundred thousand at an Auction. By then, Mo Tang would have enough Energy Points to advance to Da Dou Shi!

Although Mo Clan Town had no major trading houses or auction houses, it had no shortage of ordinary medicinal herbs.

Mo Tang had originally thought it would be easy to spend his ten thousand Gold Coins. Yet to his surprise, he had to go to great lengths—and even pay high prices—to buy enough herbs from the mercenaries...

It could not be helped. Although large quantities of medicinal herbs entered Mo Clan Town every day, most of them went into the Mo Clan Trade Caravan's stockpile.

Those herbs would then be transported to Salt City and distributed to shops, medicine halls, and other places. A portion was also supplied to the clan's alchemists...

So these were things that money alone could not buy!

He had never expected to one day experience the frustration of having money he could not spend!

Mo Tang thought helplessly.

After scraping things together from all over, Mo Tang finally gathered 160 Energy Points, spending a full two thousand Gold Coins more than planned!

Though it pained him to spend the extra money, the average price per herb was still a hundred Gold Coins cheaper than buying from Mo Clan shops...

It was clear just how enormous the profits the Mo Clan reaped from the medicinal herb trade were!

With these 160 Energy Points, along with the 90 points from the three Yellow Spirit Pills earlier, Mo Tang now had:

Name: Mo Tang
Level: Six-star Dou Master ↑

Cultivation Techniques:

Thunderous Qi (Grand Completion) ↑

Wind Thunder Gangsha (Perfection) ↑

Dou Techniques:

Triple Blade Qi (Perfection) ↑

Blood Beast Body Forging Art · Wind (First Layer) ↑

Swift Star Chasing Moon Bow Technique (Grand Completion) ↑

Wind-Lightning Twin Wings (Minor Accomplishment) ↑

Available Energy Points:

Low-level: 264 + 90 + 160 = 514

Mid-level: 2100

While in the Demonic Beast Mountain Range, Mo Tang had personally killed a Second-Tier Demonic Beast Wind Wolf and obtained Second-Tier Wind Attribute Demonic Beast Essence Blood...

Thus, he spent another 20 Energy Points to raise the Blood Beast Body Forging Art to the second layer.

Name: Mo Tang
Level: Six-star Dou Master ↑

Cultivation Techniques:

Thunderous Qi (Grand Completion) ↑

Wind Thunder Gangsha (Perfection) ↑

Dou Techniques:

Triple Blade Qi (Perfection) ↑

Blood Beast Body Forging Art · Wind (First Layer)

Blood Beast Body Forging Art · Wind (Second Layer) ↑

Swift Star Chasing Moon Bow Technique (Grand Completion) ↑

Wind-Lightning Twin Wings (Minor Accomplishment) ↑

Available Energy Points:

Low-level: 494

Mid-level: 2100

This improvement did not merely more than double Mo Tang's speed again. His physical strength also increased by seventy percent. His combat power now surpassed that of an ordinary peak Dou Master!

Of course, when he raised the Blood Beast Body Forging Art to the second layer, the pain was twice as intense as it had been for the first layer. Mo Tang had nearly passed out again.

Fortunately, he had already gone through something similar while refining the Gale Wings, so his nerves had developed some resistance. Only then had he managed to endure it.

But whenever he thought about the third layer, the fourth layer... even Mo Tang could not help shuddering, a little frightened.

Three days later, the Trade Caravan was finally ready to depart.

For the first time in three days, Mo Tang stepped out of his room and met the Second Miss, Mo Linglin, for the first time.

Perhaps his previous actions had shattered some of the little girl's dreams. When she saw Mo Tang, she still shot him an angry glare before turning around and presenting him with the back of her head.

Mo Tang merely smiled and did not react.

His indifferent attitude only made Mo Linglin angrier!

This bastard!

He saw that I was angry, yet he did not even know to come soothe me!

Mo Linglin's childish temper flared, and the more she thought about it, the angrier she became...

Her anger did nothing to Mo Tang, but the other guards suffered instead.

Several unfortunate fellows were lashed for no reason by the furious little girl...

Who knew when she had gotten that whip in her hand.

Mo Tang silently mourned those unlucky men, then promptly slipped away.

Better them than me.

He had better stay far away at a time like this!

His plan was sound, but some things never went as one wished.

Just like now...

Though Mo Tang was slippery, the Thick-Winged Bird's back was only so large. Where could he possibly hide?

"Hmmph. Although you're stingy and greedy, I've decided to generously forgive you. Don't worry, I always keep my word. When we return this time, I'll have Father transfer you over to become my personal guard."

Looking at the little girl standing before him with her head held high like a proud little swan, Mo Tang truly wanted to tell her not to be so generous!

I don't want to be some personal guard!

As Mo Tang's strength began rising rapidly, the secrets he carried could be exposed at any moment.

After all, no matter how talented one was, it was impossible to rise from Dou Zhe to Da Dou Shi in less than half a year, right?

What level of genius could possibly explain such a terrifying rate of advancement?

What Mo Tang wanted most now was to be sent somewhere inconspicuous to stand guard, just as he had been when he first became a Third-Class Guard.

At his current strength, low-level Energy Points could no longer be considered his greatest restriction. As long as he found a place to quietly lie low for two years, until Xiao Yan killed that Mo Clan Great Elder...

Then Mo Tang could descend upon the entire Mo Clan as its strongest individual...

He did not dare claim he could control the entire Mo Clan like Mo Cheng, but at the very least, he could obtain the right to use most of the clan's resources.

By then, becoming a Dou Emperor might still be a stretch.

But with the Mo Clan's accumulated foundation over so many years, if it poured everything into him, raising his strength to Dou Wang should not be too difficult, right?

And a Dou Wang meant something entirely different to a small clan in a place like the Jia Ma Empire!

Then perhaps the Mo Clan's wish to become the empire's third great family could be realized... That would count as a win-win situation!

Thus, Mo Tang pondered what excuse he could use to leave the clan.

Meanwhile, quite a few people within the Mo Clan wanted to drive him out of Salt City, the center of the clan's power...

For instance, the current Mo Clan Patriarch, Mo Lan.

When Mo Lan learned that during their time in the Demonic Beast Mountain Range and throughout the journey back, his daughter had been constantly entangled with a Mo Clan guard, he was so furious that his lungs nearly burst!

"Outrageous! That bastard actually dared set his sights on my daughter! He truly does not know whether he lives or dies!"

"Someone! Bring that bastard Mo Tang to me!"