Flowers in a Greenhouse Cannot Withstand Tribulation

Below the canyon, the chaotic melee between humans and demonic beasts continued.

It was far more brutal here than by the river.

First-tier demonic beasts did not possess the same lethality as second-tier ones. Aside from a few top-tier varieties, most first-tier beasts lacked the ability to instantly kill a Body Tempering martial artist.

Second-tier demonic beasts were a different story entirely!

Even Houtian Realm martial artists had to be extremely careful when facing second-tier beasts; one moment of carelessness could cost them their lives on the spot.

Those who dared to come to the canyon to hunt second-tier beasts were no ordinary Houtian practitioners; they were at least at the minor success stage of the Houtian Realm.

Qin Tianlong's plan was simple: since first-tier beasts no longer posed a challenge to Ye Wudao, he would let Ye Wudao use second-tier beasts to hone his skills.

This time, facing the incredibly steep slope, Ye Wudao did not show the awkwardness he had felt before.

He activated the Light Smoke Step, and his entire body drifted down the slope like a wisp of blue smoke.

At the bottom of the canyon, Ye Wudao looked at the massive swarm of demonic beasts and asked Qin Tianlong, who stood beside him, "Grandmaster, are these all second-tier beasts? Are there no third-tier ones?"

Qin Tianlong nodded and said in a deep voice, "This area of the canyon is primarily home to second-tier beasts, though there are some first-tier ones as well."

"Third-tier beasts aren't in this part of the canyon. You have to cross the canyon and reach the edge of the desert to find them."

"Third-tier beasts correspond to human Xiantian Realm martial artists. They have already cultivated 'Qi' and belong to a completely different species than second-tier beasts."

"Furthermore, third-tier beasts aren't as foolish as first or second-tier ones. They possess a certain level of intelligence, making them extremely difficult to deal with."

"If a martial artist at the minor success stage of the Xiantian Realm like me were to go to the desert, I could die there if I weren't careful."

"But how many Xiantian Realm martial artists at the great success stage are there in Sea City?"

"Those at the great success stage control powerful families and lack no resources."

"Therefore, practically no one goes to the desert."

"However, that place is home to not just demonic beasts, but also many spiritual herbs."

"Those of us at the minor success or entry stages of the Xiantian Realm are in an awkward position; we can only kill second-tier beasts here and have no way to harvest those spiritual herbs."

Ye Wudao nodded and continued to ask, "Grandmaster, I've heard my second master mention spiritual herbs as well. What exactly are they?"

Qin Tianlong replied, "Once you advance to the Xiantian Realm, you can go to the desert and see for yourself."

"I can only tell you that spiritual herbs are far more valuable than the carcasses of these beasts."

"A single, most ordinary spiritual herb can be exchanged for five points!"

"Five points can be exchanged at the Demon Slayer Guard for a Body Tempering Pill, which sells for fifty thousand per pill on the Blue Star black market."

"In fact, you can simply convert Demon Slayer Guard points into Federation currency; one point equals ten thousand Federation dollars."

"But in reality, few people use points to exchange for currency. Points can be used to acquire cultivation resources, which Federation currency cannot always buy."

Ye Wudao looked at the demonic beasts in the canyon and asked again, "Then, if one day these first and second-tier beasts are all killed, wouldn't there be no more cultivation resources to exchange for?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Tianlong burst into laughter. "Haha! Killed off?"

"Do you have any idea how many demonic beasts are in the Rift World?"

Ye Wudao shook his head. So far, he had only seen demonic beasts by the river and in the canyon.

However, according to Qin Tianlong, humans had been entering the Rift World for over a hundred years.

If they had been killing them for over a century, why hadn't the beasts been wiped out?

Qin Tianlong continued, "The beasts you see are merely a drop in the ocean compared to the entire Rift World."

"You must understand that this is only the area corresponding to our Sea City spatial rift. There are dozens of such rifts across Blue Star, each corresponding to different parts of the Rift World."

"These beasts are actually lured here by Grandmaster Realm powerhouses. The purpose is to provide training for Blue Star martial artists and to give those without a background a way to exchange for cultivation resources."

"Otherwise, do you really think the beasts in the canyon and by the river could withstand over a hundred years of human slaughter?"

"Every time the canyon and river areas are cleared of beasts, people are sent specifically to collect the carcasses."

"Then, the Grandmaster Realm powerhouses lure another batch over, and the cycle repeats."

"Inside the Rift World, demonic beasts are everywhere, and each species has its own territory."

"The canyon and river you see aren't natural gathering spots; our human Grandmaster Realm powerhouses intentionally lure the beasts here because the terrain is well-suited for trapping them."

Hearing this, Ye Wudao looked at Qin Tianlong, puzzled, and asked, "Grandmaster, aren't we humans very short on cultivation resources?"

"It should be easy for Grandmaster Realm powerhouses to kill these first and second-tier beasts, right?"

"If we let the Grandmaster Realm powerhouses kill them, wouldn't we be able to obtain even more resources?"

"Then we wouldn't have to risk our lives coming here to hunt them."

Qin Tianlong shook his head and said softly, "You only see the immediate resource issue; you haven't considered the problem of a large-scale beast invasion on Blue Star in the future."

"If one day, beasts stronger than the Grandmaster Realm invade Blue Star, what will we use to stop them?"

"Or, if third-tier beasts were to invade en masse, how would we defend against them?"

"Do you think a martial artist raised on resources alone can have any real combat power?"

"Flowers in a greenhouse may look beautiful, but they cannot withstand the ravages of a storm."

"The reason the Blue Star Federation established the Demon Slayer Guard and the point system is to sustain war through war."

"The Blue Star Federation has over ten billion people; it doesn't lack geniuses, it lacks powerhouses capable of killing demonic beasts!"

"Furthermore, those Grandmaster Realm powerhouses have deeper considerations!"

"Once Blue Star's martial arts develop to a certain level, they will likely organize personnel to explore the depths of the Rift World."

"Exploring the depths of the Rift World requires formidable combat strength; without it, going there is just throwing one's life away."

"However, this will likely have to wait until someone breaks through beyond the Grandmaster Realm. Without a powerhouse above the Grandmaster Realm to escort them, they wouldn't even be able to cross that desert."

Ye Wudao nodded blankly after hearing Qin Tianlong's explanation.

He hadn't expected that a Rift World would have so many intricacies.

Especially after Qin Tianlong, a Xiantian Realm powerhouse, explained it to him, he felt more and more that the Rift World was not simple.

Just as he was about to move forward, Qin Tianlong suddenly grabbed him.

Ye Wudao looked at Qin Tianlong curiously, only to see Qin Tianlong turning his head and staring fixedly at a group of people above the steep slope.

"Go notify your second master quickly; the Zhang Family is here. Tell him to leave at once!"

"You be careful too!"

Qin Tianlong whispered into Ye Wudao's ear.

Ye Wudao glanced at the group of people above the steep slope, nodded hurriedly, and utilized the Roaming Dragon Step to head toward the direction of the demonic beast horde.

After searching for quite a while, he finally found Hu Lianfeng, who was currently battling an Armored Wild Boar.

When Hu Lianfeng saw Ye Wudao, he was also a bit bewildered. After shaking off the Armored Wild Boar, he asked Ye Wudao, "Wudao, where is your first master? Why did you come here alone?"

Ye Wudao replied hurriedly, "Second Master, there's no time to explain. First Master said the Zhang Family is here and told you to leave immediately."

Upon hearing this, Hu Lianfeng quickly looked toward the steep slope.

"It's Zhang Jianye!"

"I don't see Zhang Yuanlin."

"It seems like Zhang Jianye brought the Zhang Family here for the rift trial."

He looked at the old man at the very front of the crowd, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Afterward, he looked at Ye Wudao and said softly, "Wudao, I'm leaving now!"

Ye Wudao nodded and said, "Alright, Second Master."

Hu Lianfeng took one last look at the direction of the steep slope, then dove into the chaotic crowd of people and demonic beasts, heading toward the other side of the slope.