That very day, the local magnates of Xilan City gave Fang Qianyuan a general account of the situation in the Northern Frontier.
Fang Qianyuan learned from them that, as the Spirit Taming Sect massed troops along the border, more and more skilled fighters and rogue cultivators from the wilds had appeared in the region.
They were all hyenas drawn by the scent. Once war broke out, the balance of power throughout the region would swiftly shatter. The great aristocratic clans would be unable to hold their territories, and their many holdings and interests would become sweet bait, carved up until nothing remained.
There were also Spirit Tamers who made their living pledging themselves to various powers, fighting and risking their lives for others. They would be hired during this period. Already, quite a few skilled fighters with connections to the local magnates had come to inquire, hoping to join the war and share in the feast.
For many, war meant displacement, shattered families, and death. For others, however, it was a perfect opportunity to make a fortune.
By now, workshops, production yards, medicinal gardens, beast pens, and spirit mines large and small throughout the Northern Frontier were operating at full capacity, actively stockpiling provisions and preparing for a major war. In just one month, the price of Qi-Nourishing Pills, used to feed spirit creatures and strengthen their foundations, had risen by more than twenty percent. Flesh-Regenerating Pills for treating injuries and Detoxification Pills for neutralizing poisons had risen by fifty and thirty percent respectively.
"Disorder is gradually spreading through the Northern Frontier. At first, we judged that the Spirit Taming Sect was merely bluffing, trying to use pressure here to force our parent sect into submission. We never expected them to look as though they truly meant business!"
"We hear