A Small Favor, a Return to the Guild

"What's going on...?"

The other two bandits froze. Before they could react, the same invisible spiritual sense pierced their seas of consciousness.

In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen bandits lost all signs of life and dropped to the ground one after another, bewilderment still lingering in their eyes.

The scene fell deathly silent.

Everyone in the convoy stared in shock and uncertainty. Some even looked afraid.

The horse bandits who had been about to kill them...

Were dead, just like that?

They had died without a sound, as easily as leaves swaying in a breeze.

What kind of power was that?

Clop, clop, clop...

Only then did the steady, measured sound of hooves arrive.

It was not loud, yet everyone heard it clearly.

The people in the convoy instinctively looked toward the sound.

An unremarkable Green Canopy Carriage was coming onto the main road from another route.

Only then did Chen Defu and the others snap out of their daze. He drew a deep breath, barely suppressed his shock, straightened his robe, and hurried to the carriage. Bowing deeply, he said:

"I am Chen Defu of the Greenleaf Merchant Guild in Mountside City. Thank you for saving our lives, senior! May I ask your name? The Greenleaf Merchant Guild will reward you generously!"

The carriage remained silent for a moment.

Then that calm voice sounded again:

"I was passing by. Think nothing of it. Liu Yun, keep going."

"Yes," Liu Yun replied, flicking the reins lightly.

The black horse stepped forward, and the carriage rolled on, as though everything that had happened was nothing more than a minor interruption.

Chen Defu did not dare stop them. He could only bow as they departed.

Only after the carriage had vanished down the main road did he straighten and let out a long breath. Cold sweat had soaked his back.

"Father..." Chen Rou came to his side, her young face full of awe. "That senior... was incredible."

"Incredible doesn't begin to cover it."

The old guard Liu Zhong walked over, his voice trembling.

"Guildmaster, did you feel that pressure just now? That senior may be even stronger than the city lord!"

Chen Defu nodded, relieved.

"We were lucky to survive. If we hadn't happened upon a senior willing to help, we might have died here. But... that senior sounded rather young, didn't he?"

"Guildmaster, we should get into the city quickly, before anything else happens," Liu Zhong reminded him.

"Right, right!" Chen Defu came back to himself.

"Pack up at once, bandage the wounded, and let's move!"

The convoy set off again, but the mood had changed completely.

Everyone was still shaken, and they were filled with awe and curiosity about the mysterious senior in the carriage.

Meanwhile, inside the Green Canopy Carriage...

Lin Chen sat quietly, his expression serene, as if nothing had happened.

To him, it had been a small favor done in passing.

When Lin Chen encountered trouble on the road, he would naturally keep his distance if it put him in danger. But if helping took little effort, he did not mind lending a hand.

After all, Spirit Martial Realm bandits were no different from ants in his eyes. Whether there were a dozen or several times that number, a single area-wide Spirit-Shattering Thorn would have wiped them all out.

Such was the gulf between their realms.

With spiritual sense at the fourth level of the Profound Martial Realm, twenty percent mastery of Sword Intent, and a Spiritual Secret Art like Spirit-Shattering Thorn, he could slaughter Spirit Martial Realm warriors in an instant, as easily as cutting down minor foes.

Only now had Spirit-Shattering Thorn displayed its power for the first time.

Not bad. It's a great technique for crushing weaklings.

It wouldn't work nearly as well against someone in my own realm. Still, springing it on an opponent mid-battle could catch them off guard...

That was Lin Chen's assessment.

Before long, the carriage entered the city and headed straight for the Four Seas Merchant Guild branch.

Upon arrival, Lin Chen stepped down and handed over a Purple-Gold Token. The guard examined it, and his expression immediately turned respectful.

"Lord Lin. Please follow me."

A warrior with first-class potential.

Though he held no official post, his standing in the Four Seas Merchant Guild was second only to the branch head and the elders.

If he broke through to the Earth Martial Realm in the future, his standing would rival that of an elder, and he would receive the same priority in resources.

The guard led Lin Chen to a quiet room on the third floor. "Please wait here, my lord. Steward Li will be with you shortly."

The room was elegantly furnished, with sandalwood incense curling through the air. Lin Chen had barely sat down when the door opened and a refined-looking man in his fifties, dressed in a blue-green brocade robe, entered with a smile.

"I am Li Yunshan, a steward of the Four Seas Merchant Guild. A pleasure to meet you, Fellow Daoist Lin." Li Yunshan cupped his hands.

Lin Chen rose and returned the gesture. "You're too kind, Steward Li. Since leaving Spirit Mist Mountain, I've wanted to find a place to settle and cultivate. I also have a few matters for which I need the guild's help."

"Please, go ahead."

Li Yunshan gestured for Lin Chen to sit and poured the tea himself.

"First, I'd like to post a bounty."

Lin Chen took out the Wind-Eroded Crystal Core and set it on the table.

"This is the crystal core of a wind-attribute demonic beast. It contains violent Demonic Qi and must be purified before I can use it. If anyone can provide an effective purification method or introduce me to someone who can handle it, I will reward them handsomely."

Li Yunshan picked up the core and examined it closely. Surprise flickered in his eyes. "Such pure wind-attribute energy... But the Demonic Qi is indeed chaotic and violent."

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Lin. The guild has contacts everywhere. I'll post the bounty at once. I expect we'll hear something before long."

Li Yunshan then asked, "And the second matter?"

"I need to gather some materials." Lin Chen produced a list he had prepared in advance. "Mainly for cultivation and forging."

The list named over a dozen materials:

Heavenly Origin Grass, Spirit-Fusing Flower, Frost Marrow Iron, Violet-Patterned Copper Essence... All were needed to cultivate the second revolution of the Three Revolutions Profound Origin Art. The list also included several ores that could improve the quality of the Starshatter Sword.

Li Yunshan studied the list, his brows rising slightly.

"Most of these materials are rare. Spirit-Fusing Flower and Violet-Patterned Copper Essence, in particular, seldom appear on the market!"

"But the Four Seas Merchant Guild trades far and wide. Rare as they are, we should be able to gather them all within a month."

"That would be ideal," Lin Chen said with a smile.

The materials on the list were preparations for cultivating the Three Revolutions Profound Origin Art to its second revolution and refining the Starshatter Sword.

Of course, they were only a portion of what he needed. Reaching the second revolution was exceedingly difficult; the required resources would cost at least a hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

But for Lin Chen, gathering these materials would reduce the experience needed when he used Attribute Allocation to advance the art to its second revolution. That was enough.

As for the Starshatter Sword, once he had these materials, refining and absorbing them should raise it to grade-three fine quality.

"The third matter,"

Lin Chen continued, "is that I'd like to buy a residence near the guild. Somewhere quiet, preferably, where I can cultivate."

Li Yunshan smiled. "That's simple enough. There's an estate for sale one street over. I can send someone to show you around."

Lin Chen considered it briefly, then nodded. "That would be excellent."