Yan Chen's Shock

In the days that followed, Golden Horn barely left his home, immersing himself in refinement and cultivation every day.

Following the secret technique Beyond the Light-Year, he slowly infused his spiritual power and Origin Energy into the spherical treasure.

The refinement progress was extremely slow, but Golden Horn was not impatient. Every secret pattern wandering across the sphere's surface contained profound principles of Space Law. They corroborated the Detailed Explanation of Space he had been studying, causing his comprehension of Space Law to advance by leaps and bounds.

Half a month later, the refinement progress reached one percent.

That number did not look like much, but it was already enough for him to store Beyond the Light-Year within his body. Unless he actively activated it, outsiders would not be able to detect it at all.

And just as he had expected, the energy within the treasure was nearly depleted, with only a tiny trace accumulated. Otherwise, that prince would have used it to flee long ago.

"In its damaged state, its power will be reduced." Golden Horn carefully sensed the treasure's condition. "It can probably only exert twenty to sixty percent of its original power, but the advantage is that its activation threshold is lower as well. Even a Universe level cultivator can use it."

He put away the treasure, his mind settled.

Just then, a familiar pressure descended from the horizon.

Golden Horn pushed open the courtyard gate and saw Yan Chen already standing in the yard.

"Teacher." Golden Horn bowed.

"Show me the progress you've made during this time." Yan Chen raised a hand, and the earth condensed into several humanoid targets.

Golden Horn did not hold back.

His figure flashed, and he teleported behind the targets. His dagger thrust out. This time, he deliberately slowed down so Yan Chen could clearly see every one of his movements.

His teleportation was smoother, his clones more solid, and even the spatial ripples stirred up by his attacks had become sparse and precise.

Yan Chen had been expressionless at first, but as he watched, his brows gradually rose.

"Stop."

Golden Horn withdrew his hand.

Yan Chen remained silent for a long time, his gaze sweeping back and forth over Golden Horn.

"Teacher?" Golden Horn quietly prompted.

"Oh~" Yan Chen came back to himself and cleared his throat. "Not bad. You've improved greatly. Your domain has reached the fourth level?"

Golden Horn was slightly stunned. He tried expanding his Space Domain, and sure enough, without realizing it, he had already broken through to the fourth level.

"Not bad." A rare trace of a smile appeared at the corner of Yan Chen's mouth. "With your current strength, entering the Profound level this time should be assured. As far as I know, quite a few Profound-tier geniuses haven't reached the fourth level yet."

He paused before adding, "Go to Aunt Fox later and get certified. You can claim the corresponding Contribution Points reward."

"There are still two years until the Ranking Tournament. Steady your foundation a little more, and there won't be any problem."

Yan Chen answered a few more of Golden Horn's questions before getting up to leave.

After returning to his residence, Yan Chen activated his communication terminal and reported Golden Horn's rate of progress to Demon Snail, the World Lord.

"Oh?" Demon Snail's voice came from the other end of the call, carrying a hint of surprise. "That little fellow is so talented?"

"His progress has far exceeded expectations." Yan Chen rarely added more than necessary. "His Space Domain has already reached the fourth level, and his combat strength is more than a level above what it was when he first arrived."

"Alright, keep observing him." Demon Snail pondered for a moment. "If he can maintain this momentum, increase the resources devoted to his training later."

"Yes."

The call ended.

Yan Chen put away his terminal and looked toward the distant gray sky, anticipation flashing through his eyes.

After seeing Yan Chen off, Golden Horn sat alone on a stone bench in the courtyard, gazing at the distant gray sky as he fell into thought.

There were several matters that needed to be handled as soon as possible.

First, the Heavy Treasure Beyond the Light-Year needed to be recharged. A life-saving trump card without energy was no different from scrap iron.

He opened the Monster Hunting Hall's treasure exchange list and turned to the category for "energy crystal blocks," where the entries were clearly listed by type:

C-grade Energy Crystal (such as C12): Small black crystal block, 1,000 Contribution Points per block, a common energy source for Universe level cultivators.

B-grade Energy Crystal: Silver-gray crystal block, 5,000 Contribution Points per block, used for the daily consumption of Sector Lord level cultivators.

A-grade Energy Crystal: Golden crystal block, 10,000 Contribution Points per block, exclusively for World Lord level cultivators.

Golden Horn glanced at his Contribution Points balance: 4,910 points.

That was not even enough to buy a single B-grade Energy Crystal.

"Using Contribution Points to buy them is too wasteful." He shook his head. Contribution Points should be saved for secret techniques and rare materials. Using them to buy consumable energy was simply squandering a valuable resource.

But he had a large amount of loot on hand. Aside from Cosmic Crystals and Mu Ya Crystals, the Qiu Shi princes' collections also contained quite a few materials and tools exclusive to the Qiu Shi Race. They were useless to keep, so he might as well sell them.

With that in mind, Golden Horn activated his communication bracelet and sent Scorpio a message.

"Are you home? I have something I'd like to ask you about in person."

A few breaths later, Scorpio replied instantly, "I am. Come over."

Scorpio's courtyard was not far from Golden Horn's, and Golden Horn arrived after only a few steps.

The moment he entered, Scorpio warmly greeted him and invited him inside. When the previous trial had ended, Scorpio had already felt that Golden Horn was extraordinary. He had not expected Golden Horn's performance in their last mission to be even more astonishing.

"Silver Horn, you're a rare guest." Scorpio smiled as he poured tea. "I haven't seen you show your face since we got back from the last mission. What have you been busy with?"

"Cultivating." Golden Horn accepted the teacup and, without any pleasantries, got straight to the point. "I want to dispose of a batch of loot I don't need. Are you familiar with this sort of thing?"

Scorpio's eyes lit up. "You came to the right person."

He sat across from Golden Horn and began counting on his fingers. "There are two ways to sell loot. First, find a buyer yourself. There are quite a few in the base. Their prices are fairly reasonable, and you can bargain with them. Second, go directly to Aunt Fox and sell through the Monster Hunting Hall's official purchasing channel. It's convenient and worry-free, but they bargain you down pretty hard."

"What's the difference?" Golden Horn asked.

"The price, of course." Scorpio shrugged. "Outside buyers offer higher prices, but you have to judge their reputation yourself. If you get cheated, there's nowhere to complain. The official channel is reliable, but you get twenty percent less."

He paused, then added, "Oh, and no matter which method you use, you can only receive Dream Demon Coins after selling. Don't expect to exchange them for Contribution Points. The Monster Hunting Hall does not allow it."

Golden Horn nodded. He had heard about that long ago.

"Also, you can compare prices." Scorpio pointed at his smart terminal. "A lot of things are much cheaper when bought outside with Dream Demon Coins than when bought internally with Contribution Points. I calculated it roughly before. The purchasing power of one Contribution Point is about equal to one Dream Demon Coin."

He lowered his voice. "But the Monster Hunting Hall strictly forbids reselling. Buying internal supplies cheaply with Contribution Points and then selling them outside at a high price—if you get caught, you're finished. Besides, everyone thinks they never have enough Contribution Points. Who would be willing to trade them for money?"

Golden Horn nodded thoughtfully. "So if something can be bought with Dream Demon Coins, it's best not to spend Contribution Points."

"Exactly!" Scorpio slapped his thigh. "Dream Demon Coins are easy to earn, but Contribution Points are hard to save. You have to use good steel on the blade."

"Thanks." After learning what he wanted to know and briefly chatting with Scorpio about the base's recent situation, Golden Horn stood up to leave.

"No need to be so polite." Scorpio waved a hand. "Remember to bring me along next time there's a good mission."

After returning to his courtyard, Golden Horn activated his smart terminal and began searching online for buyers.

There were many merchants advertising on the base's internal forum, with their credit ratings and transaction records clearly displayed. Golden Horn chose the one with the best reputation and the longest history, then sent them a message.