Conflict

"These materials, including the Exploding Bear Claw, the tattered fur of the Blazing Flame Fox... that comes to a total of two hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones!" said a somewhat gaunt old man slowly in a small, not very large shop.

This old man had been opening his shop here for over fifty years. No one knew when he had started coming here to acquire materials from demon beasts. Even when Ye Xiwen asked Ye Kongming, Ye Kongming didn't know. When Ye Kongming came to the Yi Yuan Sect, this old man was already here. No disciple dared to cause trouble here, and he had always been fair with his prices, never cheating anyone.

"Do you have any objections to this price?"

"No!" Ye Xiwen shook his head. The price was considered fair; selling it elsewhere might not fetch such a high amount.

Of course, the real bulk of the profit wasn't here. It was in the Demon Cores. Those Demon Cores were the collection of the essence of the demon beasts, the true essence of the demon beasts was all concentrated within the Demon Cores. The Demon Cores Ye Xiwen had could sell for at least eight hundred Spirit Stones. Combined with the one thousand Spirit Stones he already had, it amounted to about two thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

"These are parts from fierce demon beasts. You should have quite a few Demon Cores, shouldn't you!" the gaunt old man said, glancing at Ye Xiwen. "If you do, you can sell them to me as well. The price won't let you suffer a loss!"

Ye Xiwen thought about it and decided it was indeed the case, saving him a lot of trouble. He took out all the Demon Cores from his spatial ring and placed them on the table.

The gaunt old man looked at Ye Xiwen with some surprise. He probably didn't expect Ye Xiwen to be able to produce so many Demon Cores at once. Even a typical Core Disciple might not be able to produce this many Demon Cores at one time.

"These Demon Cores, valued at eight hundred and fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones, is that acceptable?" the old man asked Ye Xiwen.

"Very good, thank you!" Ye Xiwen nodded. It was even more than he had expected.

After receiving the Spirit Stones, Ye Xiwen walked out of the somewhat remote little shop. Suddenly, sounds of an argument drifted in from outside.

"Nonsense, I never looked at your Heavenly Immortal Steps!" a slightly anxious voice said.

"Hmph, hmph, you haven't looked at it, but how do you know this secret manual is called Heavenly Immortal Steps? If everyone were like you, not buying after reading it, how would I continue my business!" a rough voice came from the crowd. "In short, today, you will buy these Heavenly Immortal Steps, whether you want to or not. Since you've looked at it, you have to pay. Five hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones!"

The crowd erupted in an uproar. Five hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones – perhaps many Inner Disciples wouldn't earn that much in their entire lives.

Ye Xiwen pushed into the crowd and saw two young men, one fat and one strong, arguing. The chubby youth was none other than Ye Xiwen's good friend, Wang Lie.

The other tall and sturdy youth was a burly fellow, about twenty years old, very rough-looking. He was looking at Wang Lie with a smug, triumphant expression.

"It's Ma Yan! Tsk tsk, this disciple is really unlucky to have been conned by Ma Yan. I wonder where Ma Yan found this movement technique manual. He even got an Elder from the sect to authenticate it. Apparently, it's a Xiantian-level movement technique. Even though it's incomplete, he uses this manual to pretend to sell it. After someone gets interested, he shamelessly demands payment for viewing it. Many people have gone bankrupt because of this!"

"Yeah, it's too shameless. But what can be done? His brother, Ma Ying, is a favored candidate in this competition. It's said he has a good chance of standing out in the upcoming sect competition and becoming a Core Disciple, thus leaping into success. Those disciples who are cheated can only accept it. What else can they do? Not to mention Ma Yan's brother, Ma Yan himself is a peak Houtian Fifth Stage expert, ranking in the top twenty among Inner Disciples. They can only endure it if they get cheated!"

Ye Xiwen understood what was happening. The Yi Yuan Sect didn't prohibit the trading of such cultivation techniques, but there was one condition: the techniques couldn't be obtained from the Yi Yuan Sect. Those were sect techniques, forbidden to be spread or traded. However, if a disciple of the Yi Yuan Sect obtained them from outside, it was permissible.

Of course, if one submitted a cultivation technique obtained from outside to the sect, they would receive great benefits, including Spirit Stones and contribution points. The rewards varied depending on the technique submitted, and they were quite generous.

However, if one sold it themselves, they could sell it many times. The advantages and disadvantages were hard to discern; it depended on personal choice.

"The front page of your manual clearly says Heavenly Immortal Steps. I'm not blind, how could I not see it? But I didn't look at the content at all!" Wang Lie said anxiously. Wang Lie's family was a prominent household at the foot of the mountain, and his family placed many hopes on him. His finances were always much more generous than Ye Xiwen's, which was why he came to buy a movement technique after breaking through to the Houtian Fourth Stage.

For a martial artist, the importance of a movement technique was self-evident. But five hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones were like a astronomical figure to him; he couldn't afford it even if he sold everything he owned. Just as he was about to leave, he was stopped by Ma Yan, who falsely accused him of having read the manual.

"I say you looked at it, so you looked at it!" Ma Yan sneered. How could he not tell from Wang Lie's demeanor that he came from a well-off family? He was a prime target for extortion.

"Stop the nonsense and give me the money, or I'll cripple your martial arts!" Ma Yan said coldly.

The surrounding people shivered. It was true that in the past, he had crippled the martial arts of some disciples, who then left the Yi Yuan Sect in disgrace.

This was a world where the strong preyed on the weak. Ma Yan's brother was a powerful figure among the Inner Disciples and had connections with the higher-ups. That disciple's martial arts had been crippled, and his future was bleak. In the end, the higher-ups didn't do anything to Ma Yan.

"I don't have money!!" Wang Lie said.

"Stubborn, let's see if your mouth is harder, or my fist is harder!" Ma Yan grinned sinisterly and threw a punch. The force of the punch distorted the air, making crackling sounds. Although Ma Yan was overbearing, his martial skills were not weak. Ranking in the top twenty among Inner Disciples was not a joke.

Wang Lie gritted his teeth, channeled his power to the maximum, and assumed a defensive stance.

"Whoosh!!!"

"Bang!!!"

Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound came from the crowd. A small stone, like lightning, instantly streaked through the air and fiercely struck Ma Yan's fist.

"Ah!" Ma Yan immediately let out a pig-like scream!

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