Xia Yan walked up to the third floor,
and entered an elegantly furnished room. He sat in a carved rosewood chair and listened as Yue Yao recounted how the Wolf Bandits had plagued the Sylvie Grasslands over the years,
The purple gauze curtains swayed gently in the breeze blowing into the room.
Afterward,
a staff member came in carrying a thick stack of records, then respectfully left,
Yue Yao spread out the map of the Sylvie Grasslands that had been brought in,
It was far more detailed than an ordinary map, showing rivers and their branches of every size, as well as the locations of towns and villages.
Matching the records, she pointed to a river branch with her fair finger:
"This river is called the Twin River. Around twenty Wolf Bandits roam here. There used to be more than fifty, but their group split apart and they fought among themselves, leaving half dead or wounded..."
"This is the upper reaches of the Twin River. Around a dozen Wolf Bandits roam here..."
"This is the Ke'er Grassland. It used to be where the herders grazed their livestock. Later, around twenty Wolf Bandits began raiding it..."
"And this place..."
After naming nearly ten locations in a row, Yue Yao marked each one on the map,
At last,
"That's all the small Wolf Bandit groups currently on the Sylvie Grasslands."
Xia Yan asked curiously, "There are nearly ten small groups. How many medium-sized and large ones are there?"
Yue Yao smiled, her expression as refreshing as a spring breeze:
"The last large-scale group appeared a hundred years ago. The empire sent troops to wipe it out. As for medium-sized groups, there aren't many—five. But they're in remote areas and don't affect us much."
"Different Wolf Bandit groups often bear grudges against each other. They fight among themselves and wear each other down."
"Wolf Bandit hunting is extremely dangerous. If the Seven Treasure Pavilion can be of assistance to you, it would be our honor."
She handed Xia Yan the map and spoke with heartfelt sincerity.
Xia Yan put the map and records into the Demon Suppressing Pagoda's space,
A hint of approval appeared in Yue Yao's eyes. Storage Soul Tools weren't something an ordinary Soul Master could own. Xia Yan's identity was surely no simple matter.
The more than ten people in the hall had already erupted into heated debate, their faces flushed as they argued about Xia Yan's identity and talent, and how he could have hunted six Wolf Bandits,
Once they had seen Xia Yan off,
they watched his figure disappear, then immediately spread the news of what had happened in the hall like wildfire.
Once he was alone,
Xia Yan flew toward the nearest place where Wolf Bandits roamed.
In the days that followed, his routine was simple: find a Wolf Bandit group, hunt them, and collect Gold Soul Coins,
His savings grew at a pace visible to the naked eye,
Before, he had made three Gold Soul Coins a month and lived hand to mouth. Fighting in the Soul Fighting Arena had earned him only a dozen or twenty Gold Soul Coins,
but now he could earn three thousand Gold Soul Coins in a single day.
Songpeikeer City was only two hundred li from the sea. With the coast so close, seafood was naturally cheap, and Whale Rubber was cheap too,
Xia Yan bought a large batch of Whale Rubber,
spending five thousand Gold Soul Coins in one go.
And each time he went to the Seven Treasure Pavilion to settle his earnings, the tales about him grew more and more outlandish. People claimed he was a core disciple of a hidden sect, then the holy son of Spirit Hall, then the heir to the Clear Sky Sect's legacy... Nearly every fantastical identity imaginable was pinned on him,
And since he had never shown his Martial Soul in public, that only seemed to confirm everyone's suspicions,
Of course, the Sylvie Grasslands had become somewhat safer as well,
Some caravans no longer had to take detours. The threat was gone,
Yue Yao even represented the Seven Treasures Caravan in formally expressing her gratitude to Xia Yan.
After wiping out the small Wolf Bandit groups, Xia Yan prepared to move on. He would head southeast from Songpeikeer City, traveling five thousand li to reach the Sunset Forest. Continuing onward and crossing the Austro-Hungarian Empire would bring him to Mugaoza'er Province,
where Wolf Bandits also appeared,
Wolf Bandits generally appeared only in the border regions of the continent. The Sylvie Grasslands lay only two hundred li from the sea, and Mugaoza'er Province was also coastal.
Amid a sea of clouds and mist, lush mountains rose in layers, with countless pavilions and towers scattered across them,
Halfway up the mountain stood a towering, hundred-meter-high, seven-tiered Glazed Tile Pagoda, its tiles carved and ornamented. A white jade staircase stretching a full thousand meters ran all the way down to the foot of the mountain,
Along the covered walkways and winding paths, one could make out the occasional men and women coming and going.
Beside the main hall, which was built in the form of a seven-tiered Glazed Tile Pagoda,
stood an unassuming side hall,
But this side hall was the true heart of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. The sect master, Ning Fengzhi, handled the sect's affairs there.
Inside the side hall,
a man sat in a carved purplewood armchair. He wore a white robe edged in gold, its cuffs embroidered with the pattern of a Glazed Tile Pagoda. His face was handsome as jade, with a straight nose and a square jaw; his manner was refined and elegant,
Ning Fengzhi studied the portrait of Xia Yan in his hands,
It was unclear who had painted it,
but it was remarkably lifelike, perfectly capturing Xia Yan's build and features,
Ning Fengzhi also had a report detailing Xia Yan's exploits,
Xia Yan hunting Wolf Bandits on the Sylvie Grasslands was no small matter. Other forces might not know about it yet due to poor intelligence,
but the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, renowned for cherishing talent and possessing excellent intelligence networks, couldn't possibly be unaware.
"Uncle Jian, Uncle Gu, what do you think he's after?"
If Xia Yan wanted to make money, his displayed talent would make it incredibly easy. As long as he was willing to join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi could give him a million Gold Soul Coins outright,
because he was worth it.
Yet he had chosen to hunt Wolf Bandits instead. No one knew how Xia Yan had dealt with them, but no one could deny that Wolf Bandits were bloodthirsty and extremely dangerous,
If he was doing it for fame, that didn't fit either.
Xia Yan was extremely low-profile. Apart from recorded visits to the Seven Treasure Pavilion, he had left almost no trace. Outsiders couldn't even find him,
Or perhaps...
"He's doing it for peace across the continent?"
On Ning Fengzhi's right,
sat a man with shoulder-length gray-white hair and a fierce aura. His face was as cold and sharp as a blade, with a sword-shaped mark between his brows,
After a moment's thought, he said,
"Perhaps so..."
Approval glimmered in his eyes. As a swordsman, one had to hone a keen sword intent, and a selfish, filthy person lost in pleasure could never do that,
Therefore,
he admired what Xia Yan had done,
There weren't many young people with such talent and character these days,
Chen Xin didn't demand that everyone possess a heart devoted to the sword, but he would commend those who did.
Opposite Chen Xin sat Bone Douluo, Gu Rong, his manner gloomy, his body wrapped in a black robe with dark gold bone patterns embroidered along the hem. He said,
"I agree with the Songpeikeer City branch's assessment. This kid must be from some hidden sect. Otherwise, there's no explanation for a peerless genius appearing out of nowhere."
"At only level twenty-something, he can wipe out small Wolf Bandit groups? I bet he has plenty of treasures on him..."
Ning Fengzhi studied Xia Yan's portrait and shook his head,
"I've already ordered a search for information. Perhaps we'll be able to find something."
In the days that followed,
Xia Yan did the same thing over and over: cultivate, pursue small Wolf Bandit groups, hunt, collect his payment, cultivate...
Wherever his mighty hand reached, the small Wolf Bandit groups there were plunged into wails of despair.
His purse also quickly grew heavier,
and soon topped one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins.
Three months later, half a year had passed since Xia Yan left Notting Academy, and Tang San had finally reached level twenty,
It was time for him to obtain his Second Soul Ring.
Before you continue