We Are a Battle Team!

"This Daoist is Liang Hai Shun. Greetings, young friend Su."

He had just sent off the dewy-fresh Guo Qiao Lian, and now along came Liang Hai Shun, old beyond measure.

The man looked decrepit, yet as he controlled the Wind Riding Technique, his golden Dharma Robe rustled loudly in the wind, giving him something of an immortal bearing.

Su Qing did not dare slight this long-famous Tier 1 Formation Master. He quickly clasped his hands in return and exchanged a few polite words with him.

This was Liang Hai Shun's first time dealing with Su Qing. There had previously been no particularly outstanding Puppet Masters in White Cloud Market Town.

Since Shopkeeper Liu had placed Su Qing together with them, he must have attained a certain level in the Dao of Puppetry.

As an old hand of the market, Liang Hai Shun did not mind dealing with these rising stars and building good relations.

Naturally, Su Qing did not mind cultivating a friendship with a Formation Master either. Unlike Zhang Hai, that half-baked fellow, this man's attainments in formations had once drawn recruitment offers from Cloud Mountain Sect.

Both men intended to befriend the other, and after only a few sentences, their relationship became much warmer.

Su Qing's words—"In White Cloud Market Town, none but Fellow Daoist can carry the banner for formations"—made Liang Hai Shun happily stroke his beard and squint his eyes, putting him in an excellent mood.

His gaze swept over the Puppets around Su Qing, and he smiled again. "I've seen cautious people, but never anyone as cautious as Fellow Daoist Su. Releasing so many Puppets must consume quite a bit.

"Actually, Fellow Daoist need not be so wary. The War Cultivators Hundred Treasures Pavilion sent to escort us this time are all elites. So long as we do not encounter a Foundation Establishment Grand Cultivator or a Tier 2 Demonic Beast face-to-face, this journey will pass without incident."

Among all these Professionals hired by Hundred Treasures Pavilion, Su Qing knew he was acting overly tense. Why, even He Lian Xian, that Artifact Refiner, was nearly asleep atop his Magic Artifact.

Tsk! Those artifact-refining old hands really knew how to rake in money. What he was sitting on was not a Tier-1 High-Grade Magic Artifact, the Chasing Light Carpet—it was a pile of Spirit Crystals carrying him through the air!

Though he knew his behavior was somewhat out of place.

Su Qing had no intention of putting away his Puppets. If not for wanting to learn more about this team, he would even have planned to burrow into Bear Two's Hiding Cave and lie low.

This team truly was made up of elites. Even these Professionals were all talented in their own right. If a battle truly broke out, the roles they could play might not be any smaller than those of the War Cultivators.

But the stronger the team, the more timid he became.

Shopkeeper Liu had only said he was sending people to escort him to the Hunting Grounds to refine legs for others.

But did refining legs require such a grand formation?

If a team like this were pulled out, even the so-called four major powers of the Hunting Grounds combined would not be worth looking at.

In Su Qing's view, they claimed these War Cultivators were there to protect and serve them, but judging by the team's composition, he felt that Professionals like them were actually there to serve the War Cultivators.

There was an Artifact Refiner capable of repairing Magic Artifacts.

A Spirit Healer ready at any time to save lives and treat wounds.

A Formation Master to set up formations.

A Flute Musician who could play music and grant all manner of enhancements.

With these Professionals added to the War Cultivators, they claimed they were heading to the Hunting Grounds to do business, but in reality, they looked more like a fully equipped battle team!

At least, in Su Qing's opinion, earning those few Spirit Crystals from the Rogue Cultivators in the Hunting Grounds might not even cover the escort fee for these War Cultivators' round trip.

Only by forming a battle team and hunting more valuable prey could one explain why this party was of such a scale!

And what sort of Demonic Beast would a battle team like this be facing?

A Tier 1 Extreme Demon King?

Or perhaps even a Tier 2 Demonic Beast?

Whatever it was, Su Qing felt it was absolutely necessary to play it safe.

And if he could see it, how could an old fox like Liang Hai Shun fail to see it?

Seeing that Su Qing merely shook his head without speaking, Liang Hai Shun immediately nodded in understanding. "Fellow Daoist saw that Liu San Quan has no good intentions?

"That slippery fellow was afraid we would not dare come if we knew the situation. In reality, apart from newly emerged fellows like young friend and Fellow Daoist Guo, old hands like myself and He Lian Xian have long known what he intends to do.

"It would have been one thing if Ma Tuan were leading the team, but he even sent Qing He out. He is preparing for the Auction three months from now. I reckon he wants to hunt a Tier 2 Demonic Beast and obtain a Demon Pill to prop up Hundred Treasures Pavilion's reputation!"

Liang Hai Shun seemed extremely familiar with Shopkeeper Liu's intentions, and he spoke with great confidence.

Su Qing was startled. "The Auction? The Baiyun Auction organized by Cloud Mountain Sect, where all the major market merchants display their strength?"

"Hmph, it is nothing more than Cloud Mountain Sect's means of fleecing the major merchants. A small event every three years, a major one every ten. The merchants lose money just to make noise, and we Rogue Cultivators do not get much benefit either.

"Meanwhile, Cloud Mountain Sect takes its cut and earns Spirit Crystals in heaps."

Liang Hai Shun snorted coldly, deeply dissatisfied with Cloud Mountain Sect's practices.

In the markets controlled by this sect, not only were all manner of taxes and fees exorbitant, but activities such as organizing Auctions were also one fleecing after another aimed at merchants and Rogue Cultivators.

Su Qing could only shake his head with a wry smile. When he had first arrived at White Cloud Market Town, he had witnessed an Auction once. At the time, he had not been qualified to enter and watch. He had merely set up a stall outside and, taking advantage of the crowds, earned a few more Spirit Crystals than usual.

Over the past few years, he had been busy without pause, never realizing that several more years had passed in the blink of an eye and that another Auction was already about to begin.

And this time, it was the once-in-ten-years Auction. Its scale would likely be even greater than the last.

According to the rules, the merchants in the Central District all had to offer Auction items of sufficient weight to satisfy Cloud Mountain Sect. Only then would their shops' locations in the Central District for the next decade, as well as the taxes they would bear, be decided.

"If that is the case, then it is no wonder Shopkeeper Liu has set his sights on a Tier 2 Demonic Beast. A Tier 2 Beast Pill is to a Body Cultivator much what a Foundation Establishment Pill is to others.

"Obtaining one Tier 2 Beast Pill should be enough to preserve Hundred Treasures Pavilion's current standing in the Central District."

Su Qing nodded. Knowing this team's target was enough. Though the target would not be easy to deal with, at least he now had some idea of what was going on, which put him more at ease than his own wild guesses had.

"How could one be enough? At the Auction ten years ago, Hundred Treasures Pavilion only muddled through by bringing out two Foundation Establishment Pills and several Tier 2 Magic Artifact Puppets!

"This time, Cloud Mountain Sect has been fighting war after war and is squeezing the major markets even harder. Hundred Treasures Pavilion must bring out even more than last time!"

Liang Hai Shun stroked his beard, then pointed at He Lian Xian, who sat with lowered eyes as though dozing. "That is why people like us should simply set up stalls when we feel like it. Never open a shop in the Central District. You think running a shop earns plenty, but in reality, more than half goes to Cloud Mountain Sect.

"Look at old He Lian. With his little shop, he cannot even afford to hire an assistant. For this Auction, he will have to provide at least one Tier-1 High-Grade Magic Artifact. The Spirit Crystals he receives will probably be only one-third of what he could make selling it to others!"

Liang Hai Shun wore a somewhat smug expression. How clever he was! When he felt like it, he set up a stall; when he did not, he would not do business even if others came to his door. Free and unfettered—was that not what being a Rogue Cultivator was all about?

Su Qing had never planned to open a shop in the first place. With his temperament, he was ready to run at any moment. Why would he open a shop?

Still, whenever he saw the unbroken stream of customers at the shops in the Central District, he felt a faint twinge of envy.

But now that he knew even a Cross-Border Shop like Hundred Treasures Pavilion had to lower its head and meekly submit to being carved up when doing business in White Cloud Market Town, he had even less interest in opening a shop.

The two chatted for a while longer. During that time, Guo Qiao Lian, who had finished feeding the White Tooth Elephant, and Professionals such as Ding Ping, the handsome and not bad-looking Flute Musician, joined the conversation as well.

After a brief discussion, everyone felt that with their current lineup, hunting a Tier 2 Demonic Beast did not carry much risk.

Since they had already come, they might as well proceed properly. Once they reached the Hunting Grounds, they would first borrow these War Cultivators' prestige to ruthlessly earn a wave of Spirit Crystals from the Rogue Cultivators.

With aligned interests, and since all of them had real ability, everyone spoke happily and came to understand one another more deeply, establishing the beginnings of friendship.

Su Qing called one person "senior" and another "Fellow Daoist" until his mouth was dry. Fortunately, the gains were not bad. At the very least, he had managed to mingle his way into the upper circle of White Cloud Market Town's Rogue Cultivators.

By then, the sky had begun to darken, and the party had reached the Spirit Field District within the market.

Outside the Spirit Field District, an elderly cultivator who had long been in contact with Hundred Treasures Pavilion led them into a village to stay temporarily.

Hao Family Village.

It was not far from Ge Family Village, only five or six li away.

Their group would stay in this village for one night. Afterward, they would completely leave the market's protected range and enter the Private Field District cultivated by Spirit Planters outside the market, followed by the harsh and barren Hunting Grounds.

Since the team would not pass through Ge Family Village, Su Qing planned to make a trip there alone before setting out early the next morning, first to hand over the goods and payment.