"I need high-quality Soul Origins—the more, the better, and the sooner, the better."
Ning Chen looked straight at Venerable Jiyin, his gaze deep and inscrutable.
"I know the Northwest Continent is a backwater with little to offer, so my demands aren't high..."
He paused, then continued,
"In three months, I want half of all the souls this branch hall has collected over the past five years. I'll use them to temper my soul power and break through to the Late Spirit Realm, preparing to refine an Eighth-Tier Five-Colored Pill."
"Half?!"
Venerable Jiyin sucked in a sharp breath.
That was no small amount!
Collecting souls was the Soul Hall's core mission, governed by strict quotas and audits.
If headquarters discovered that he had secretly withheld such a vast number of souls, death would be the least of his worries.
Venerable Jiyin's face showed both distress and fear.
"Young Master, this is no small matter! Soul offerings are an ironclad rule of the hall. If we're found out..."
"If we're found out, I'll bear the responsibility myself."
Ning Chen cut him off.
"All you need to do is handle it discreetly and make the books look good. I only care about the result."
His tone shifted. He suddenly lowered his voice, making Venerable Jiyin hold his breath.
"Jiyin, you're a clever man. If I can fulfill my master's demands ahead of schedule and return to the clan, my standing will be entirely different."
"When that time comes, those who helped me today will have rendered a great service. Surely the position of elder in this remote branch hall on the Northwest Continent isn't your ultimate goal?"
Venerable Jiyin's heart pounded, and cold sweat beaded at his temples.
On one side was the enormous risk of violating the Soul Hall's ironclad rules; on the other was the irresistible prospect of attaching himself to a future titan of the Soul Clan and rising to prominence!
Both the risks and the rewards were staggering.
He weighed the pros and cons at lightning speed.
The potential and background displayed by this "Young Master Hun Chen" were no fabrication.
Helping him was undeniably risky, but if it worked, the rewards would be beyond measure!
He had been stuck on the Northwest Continent for years. Without an extraordinary stroke of fortune, he feared he would never advance again.
And this might be that very stroke of fortune!
If he won the bet, his future would be bright.
If he lost... He glanced at Ning Chen's calm, unreadable eyes and suddenly thought that, with the young master's intelligence and background, he might well have a way to cover it up...
In the end, greed and ambition overcame fear.
Venerable Jiyin gritted his teeth and dropped to one knee.
"Thank you for trusting me, Young Master! I, Jiyin... am willing to serve you with all I have! In three months, I will deliver half the soul offerings to you on time! If I fail, I'll bring you my head!"
"Good."
Ning Chen raised a hand to stop him, a satisfied smile on his face.
Now that was the highest level of con artistry: sell someone out, and he would still thank you while counting the money for you.
"Only you and I know of this. Once you've handled it, I won't forget what you've done for me."
"After all, ever since I was a child, I've seen my master casually hand out more Eighth-Tier Pills than I could count."
No wonder he was the Soul Clan's foremost alchemist. In his master's hands, Eighth-Tier Pills were practically candy!
Venerable Jiyin rose, his heart brimming with excitement.
From that moment on, his fate was firmly bound to that of the mysterious "Young Master Hun Chen."
Still, he didn't think he had misjudged him. He had confidence in his own eye for people.
To prove his loyalty and make this investment even more worthwhile, Venerable Jiyin had a thought and hurriedly took two items from his Storage Ring.
One was a pitch-black jade slip, with a faint glow seeming to flow within it.
The other was an ancient scroll, dark purple in color and giving off a faint, sweetly acrid scent.
He presented them with both hands and said respectfully,
"Young Master, you're about to depart, and I have little worthy to offer. I hope you'll accept these small tokens."
He pointed to the black jade slip. "This jade slip contains my full-strength attack. It can protect you in a moment of danger."
Then he gestured toward the purple scroll. "This scroll is called the Myriad Poisons Corrode the Bones Art. It's a Low Earth Tier poison cultivation technique. It may not be the finest, but it is strange and vicious."
"It's suitable for laying a foundation or serving as a reference for someone with the Woeful Poison Body in its early stages. I heard the young lady is studying poison arts, so perhaps she'll find it useful. It's a small token of my regard."
He was a perceptive man. He knew that Ning Chen might not care for a gift of treasure—after all, what good things hadn't a young master of the Soul Clan seen?
But giving something to the Woeful Poison Body girl who was clearly important to Ning Chen would both please him and show thoughtfulness.
Ning Chen's heart stirred slightly as he looked at the jade slip and the scroll. When he heard the words "Low Earth Tier," he nearly failed to keep his expression calm.
He was so gullible that Ning Chen was starting to feel a little guilty about taking advantage of him.
"You're thoughtful." Ning Chen accepted the jade slip and scroll without changing his tone.
"Xian'er does need this sort of poison-art text. I'll accept it on her behalf."
Though Ning Chen showed none of the surprise or praise he had expected, Venerable Jiyin grew even more convinced that the young master had seen the world. His admiration and relief only deepened.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
The rear hills of the Wanxie Sect remained as quiet as ever, but the atmosphere had changed somewhat since three months earlier.
Ning Chen stood in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, his aura steady and weighty. He had reached the Seven-Star Dou Wang level!
Breaking through two stars in three months—if word of that spread, countless so-called geniuses would be left hanging their heads in shame.
Of course, this was partly thanks to the precious resources Venerable Jiyin had secretly provided to strengthen his body and consolidate his foundation.
Even more astonishing was Xiao Yi Xian standing beside him.
She wore a pale purple dress, her figure graceful. Simply standing there, she naturally exuded a profound aura that commanded respect.
Her cultivation had actually reached the Three-Star Da Dou Shi level!
In three months, she had advanced from Two-Star Dou Zhe to Three-Star Da Dou Shi. Her terrifying pace of progress was enough to make even Ning Chen envious.
Today was the day Ning Chen and Xiao Yi Xian were finally leaving the Wanxie Sect and returning to the Jia Ma Empire.
Few had come to see them off: only Tie Protector, Xie Biyan, and Venerable Jiyin.
At that moment, Tie Protector and Xie Biyan had red-rimmed eyes and tears streaming down their faces. They looked as if they were parting from loved ones forever, so grief-stricken that they were about to rush over and cling to Ning Chen's legs, wailing.
The heartfelt scene left Venerable Jiyin speechless.
Anyone who didn't know better would think both their parents had died today!
"Enough! Have some decorum!" Venerable Jiyin barked.
"The young master and young lady are about to set off. Don't stand here wailing and disturb the peace! Step back!"
At his rebuke, Tie Protector and Xie Biyan quickly stifled their sobs. After looking back at Ning Chen several times, they finally retreated into the distance.
After sending the two drama queens away, Venerable Jiyin turned to Ning Chen, who remained calm, a faint smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
He took a deep breath as his vast soul power quietly spread out, carefully sensing every inch of the space within several miles.
Only after confirming that no one was watching did his expression become utterly solemn.
He took a step forward and carefully drew two items from his Storage Ring.
The first was a fist-sized, translucent crystal ball of a strange, dark gray color.
Its interior was not solid. Instead, it looked as though it contained a miniature, ever-churning vortex of pain!
Countless blurry, twisted soul phantoms writhed and collided inside, soundlessly wailing.
Just looking at it was enough to unsettle the mind, as if one could hear the shrill cries of billions of tormented souls.
"Young Master, the thing you asked for... is here."
Venerable Jiyin kept his voice low as he respectfully presented the dark gray soul crystal ball with both hands.
Ning Chen's eyes fell on the crystal ball, and a flicker of surprise and delight passed through their depths.
He extended his right hand, spreading his fingers. A gentle pull of force swept out, drawing the crystal ball, which contained a vast amount of Soul Origins, securely into his palm.
Then he put it straight into his system space.
"Excellent, Elder Jiyin. I'll remember what you've done for me."
Seeing Ning Chen accept it, Venerable Jiyin felt a little more at ease. He didn't dare delay and immediately took out the second item.
It was a black token about the size of his palm.
"This is my token," Venerable Jiyin explained, his manner growing even more deferential.
"Those who hold it speak with my authority. Throughout the Northwest Continent, all Soul Hall branch-hall protectors and Soul Envoys must obey your orders without question when they see it. It should come in handy for handling trivial matters or gathering information. Please accept it, Young Master."
Ning Chen glanced at the token, considered it briefly, then reached out and took it.
With this thing, he was practically the emperor of the Northwest Continent.
"You've been thoughtful."
"Now that everything here is settled, it's time for me to leave. Until we meet again, Elder Jiyin."
Or perhaps they never would... Ning Chen suppressed the urge to smile and said no more. With a sweep of his sleeve, the sleek Wind Riding Boat appeared out of thin air, its blue light shimmering.
He took Xiao Yi Xian with him and drifted down onto the boat.
The Wind Riding Boat paused for a moment. Then its blue light flared, and it shot skyward like a streak of light, vanishing into the distant clouds in the direction of the Jia Ma Empire.
At the mountain gate, Venerable Jiyin gazed for a long time at the tiny speck that had already disappeared from the sky. His black robes snapped in the wind.
He slowly exhaled a long breath, his eyes alight with feverish anticipation and ambition.
The young master... was destined to soar to the heights!
And I, Jiyin... would be among the first to rise on his coattails!
He could almost see himself rising through the ranks of the Soul Clan and Soul Hall, wielding power and influence, thanks to this great service of having aided a future leader.
Before you continue