Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 425 Partner Selection

The bright sun hung high in the sky. Before the majestic city walls, a whirlwind descended, revealing a majestic ghost general, none other than Number One.

Looking up, it saw that the entire city was built of black stones, which were exceptionally smooth and even. A faint, eerie green barrier enveloped the city, leaving only a ten-foot-wide entrance, where a group of ghostly creatures stood guard.

Several symbols above the city walls shimmered with a mysterious light, signifying a trading market.

After more than half a year of traveling from Haji Island, Song Xian finally left that sea area and set foot on the continent of Kama.

This is the easternmost port on the continent of Kama, called Tide Sea Port, which belongs to the Eastern Wilderness Eastern Region. The geographical divisions of this world are not so detailed.

It does not have the division of countries, prefectures, counties, cities, and towns; the only difference is its geographical location.

For example, the Eastern Wilderness is roughly divided into four regions: the Eastern Region, the Southern Region, the Western Region, and the Northern Region.

The White Wolf Clan rules this area, so you can see un-transformed white wolves roaming everywhere.

Unlike Haji Island, although this is the territory of the White Wolf Clan, other races also live here. After all, it is an inland area with cooperation and trade, and the interaction between various races is very frequent. There is no strict racial distinction, unlike Haji Island, where the Quanrong and Niushou tribes never interact with each other.

After Song Xian arrived at this place, he sent Number One to capture a White Wolf Clan ghost and inquire about the basic situation of the Eastern Region. He learned that there was a large trading market at the White Tide Sea Wharf, so he sent Number One there while he himself hid by the sea to wait for news.

This is the Eastern Wilderness. Although it is the outermost Chaohai Wharf, it is still inland, so he must be extremely careful.

Otherwise, if you happen to encounter a powerful figure at the Ghost King Realm, you're doomed.

……

Number One strode into the city. The few white wolf ghosts guarding the entrance did not stop him. Instead, they stepped back slightly to show their respect when they saw him arrive.

The city was filled with strangely styled buildings, and the streets inside were bustling with all sorts of ghosts. Number One walked in the middle of the street, and the low-level ghosts on both sides looked at him sideways, and no one dared to provoke him.

"My lord, what are your instructions?" Since he was unfamiliar with the situation in this trading market, Number One went straight to a white wolf ghost that was wandering around.

When the ghost saw it walking straight towards him and stopping in front of him, it immediately prostrated itself and respectfully asked for instructions.

“I have a business deal to make, and I need to find the most powerful business here. Take me there.”

"Understood. I am willing to serve you, sir." The white wolf demon was very sensible and understood the situation. It led Number One through several streets and arrived at a magnificent building.

"Sir, this is a berth belonging to the Taishan tribe; it should be of some help to you."

Number One walked straight into the inner room, which, like the shops in the market, was filled with cabinets and shelves, where various kinds of ghosts were selecting items.

In the center of the main hall, a ghost with an unusually tall and muscular figure scanned back and forth. When it saw Number One enter, its empty eyes fixed on it. The two locked eyes, and Number One strode towards it.

"What do you need, sir?" The tall, burly ghost, shrouded in billowing black mist, lowered its head slightly.

"I have something to exchange with you." Without wasting words, Number One flipped his hand and took out a Yin Soul Pearl.

"Sir, I don't know what this is."

"Can you make the decision? Bring the person who can make the decision here."

“Sir, I make all the decisions here, but I don’t recognize this thing.”

"This is something I obtained by chance, called the Yin Soul Pearl. It can collect and release Yin energy." In front of him, Number One released the Yin energy gathered in the Yin Soul Pearl, and in an instant, billowing Yin energy emerged.

"I sold this item to the Minotaur chieftain on Haji Island for three crystal cores in exchange for one grade crystal core. If you need it, you can trade it at the same price."

“My lord, I have never seen this item before, nor do I know its specific value. Moreover, I do not have any crystal cores, so I cannot complete this transaction.”

Upon hearing this, Number One didn't waste any more words. He turned around and walked out, leaving the trading market. He transformed into a whirlwind, traveled to the cliff edge by the sea, looked around, and seeing that no one was following him, entered a cave in the cliff.

Song Xian was waiting for it inside. After hearing its report, he fell into deep thought.

He originally intended to use the Chaohai Wharf free market as a starting point to find a powerful entity for long-term cooperation.

Unexpectedly, the shopkeepers here refused to make a deal because they didn't recognize the Yin Soul Pearl. It seems that finding a reliable partner is really not easy.

There are only two paths to take now. First, go directly to the White Wolf Clan's territory to find their leader.

Second, go to higher-level trading markets and cooperate with shops.

He actually prefers to do business with shops, for a simple reason: shops are for buying and selling, and they don't care about your source.

The tribal leader is different; he will worry about things of unknown origin, become suspicious, and even investigate secretly.

After completing a transaction, the leader of the Minotaur tribe on Haji Island would send people to follow him, even though he himself was a shady character.

After much deliberation, Song Xian finally decided to send Number One to pay a visit to the White Wolf Clan leader.

What he lacks most right now is stable partners. Even if he goes to a higher-level trading market, people may not be willing to exchange crystal cores for Yin Soul Pearls.

Shop owners generally wouldn't dare to buy things that have never appeared on the market before. They buy and sell things that have already been accepted by the market, and only the leaders of various forces have the right to set prices freely.

.........

Under the blood moon, in the dimly lit palace, a slender ghost general sat on the stone steps, looking at the uninvited guest before him. He was the leader of the White Wolf Clan, named Yuanxi.

"Chief Yuanxi, I am visiting today with a novel item that I believe you will find interesting." Number One was led into the hall and bowed to it.

“I have never seen you before. Respected guest, please tell me, where do you come from? Why do you want to see me?” Yuanxi’s eyes flickered with fire as his deep voice rang out.

“I live on an unnamed island in the Floating Life Sea. I’ve come here only to discuss a deal with Chief Yuanxi. I have a friend who has crafted a new type of artifact for storing Yin energy. If Chief Yuanxi needs it, everything we craft from now on will be sold by the White Wolf Clan.” Number One took out the Yin Soul Pearl and demonstrated the method of releasing and absorbing Yin energy.

Looking at the Yin Soul Pearl in his hand and feeling the billowing Yin energy emanating from it, Yuanxi immediately asked, "How was this item made?"

“My friend is fond of researching all sorts of novel things, but I don’t know exactly how they are made. Back on Haji Island, the Minotaur chieftain bought a lot of them for 1,500 Soul Steel each. If Chief Yuanxi needs them, I have a few dozen left to sell.”

"1,500 Soul Steel, that price is too high."

"If Chief Yuanxi is willing to cooperate, all the Yin Soul Pearls my friend refines in the future can be sold to you. You can use them yourself or resell them as you wish. The price can be discussed further, but I have one condition: payment will only be made in crystal cores."

"Let me think about it." "Alright. I'll give this Yin Soul Pearl to Chief Yuanxi as a gift. I'll come back in three days. If Chief Yuanxi is satisfied, our cooperation will be considered complete."

.........

In the spacious and bright hall of Bianxi City, Luoyun Mountain, Huang Ye sat waiting. When he saw Jiang Zichen enter from outside, he stood up, bowed, and addressed him as Uncle Jiang.

"Junior Brother Huang, please don't stand on ceremony. What brings you here?" Jiang Zichen waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down.

Huang Ye's expression was solemn: "We have just received the latest intelligence. The Chu Kingdom's Tianxuan Sect has announced an alliance with the new Qianqing Sect and has sent a large number of troops into Nanhan County to help the rebels fight against the allied forces."

Jiang Zichen was shocked upon hearing this and immediately realized the seriousness of the matter.

The Tianxuan Sect was the most powerful sect in the Chu Kingdom. Its announcement of an alliance with the Qianqing Sect rebels meant that the Chu Kingdom had sided with the rebels.

Although there were rumors that the reason why the Qianqingzong allied forces had failed to take over the entire Nanhan Prefecture for so long was because the rebels had the support of the Chu Kingdom's Tianxuanzong.

Now, the State of Chu has openly allied with the new Emperor Qianqing, which is completely different from secretly supporting him.

The intervention of the Chu state will inevitably prolong the war indefinitely, and may even defeat the allied forces.

If the allied forces are defeated, the entire Qin state will fall into chaos, and even those in the western border city will not be spared.

Putting aside other issues, if the Qianqing Sect is defeated, it will inevitably demand the continued recruitment of cultivators, which will be a huge burden for all sects.

"When did this happen?" After a brief moment of shock, Jiang Zichen asked solemnly.

"The alliance was announced four or five months ago, but we are behind on information here, or it is possible that the Qianqing Sect deliberately blocked the news."

Jiang Zichen's eyes flickered slightly: "That means that the Chu Kingdom cultivators have been fighting against the Qianqing Sect's allied forces in Nanhan County for four or five months now."

"I estimate it will take at least three months."

"Any other news?"

"There are rumors that the Qianqing Sect is going to withdraw from Nanhan County, but this has not been confirmed yet. I think it should be a rumor. Even if the Chu Kingdom cultivators enter in large numbers, the Qianqing Sect's allied forces are still hundreds of thousands of people. It is impossible for them to collapse in just a few months."

Silence fell over the room again.

Neither of them was in charge. Although Jiang Zichen had served as the head of the inner cabinet for many years, he was mainly responsible for internal sect affairs. This was the first time he had encountered such a major event, and he had no authority to make a decision. Therefore, he was somewhat at a loss for what preparations to make.

He felt he should do something, but didn't know where to start.

"What do you think, Junior Brother Huang?" After pondering for a while, Jiang Zichen looked at him and asked.

Huang Ye calmly responded: "Currently, the rest of the sect is unaware of this news, so I intend not to disclose it to the outside world for the time being, lest it cause unrest among the people. The sect leader is not currently at the sect, so we must try our best to avoid a situation of panic among the people."

"In addition, Senior Brother Jiang needs to be prepared. Although Nanhan County is still far from our sect, it is possible that the Qianqing Sect will issue another conscription order."

"We don't know when the sect leader will return. If the conscription order is issued before he returns, these matters will have to be decided by Senior Brother Jiang. You need to think in advance about who to send to participate in the conscription."

Jiang Zichen nodded. He understood Huang Ye's meaning. He was not Song Xian and did not have such high prestige in the sect.

No matter who is sent, it could lead to direct acts of defiance, and the conflict could quickly escalate, since no one wants to be conscripted to Nanhan County.

He needs to gain the support of most people before he can accomplish this.

"Senior Brother Jiang would be best to go to Qiyuan Mountain and ask Xu Yaoming about the situation. That way, we can prepare a response in advance."

“Junior Brother Huang is right. Alright, I’ll go to Qiyuan Mountain right away.”

.........

With the blood moon hanging high and the seabed shrouded in darkness, Song Xian arrived at the stone wall of the continuous mountain range. He cut his palm and let his blood soak the entire stone wall. As spiritual energy flowed into it, the stone wall emitted a black light.

Although this journey to another realm had its share of twists and turns, the outcome was ultimately successful, leaving him very satisfied. In particular, learning of the existence of the Kama Continent and establishing cooperation with the White Wolf Clan were things he hadn't anticipated before setting out.

The White Wolf Clan leader, Yuan Xi, ultimately purchased the remaining Yin Soul Pearls for 1,250 Soul Steel, and settled the payment in crystal cores. In other words, four Yin Soul Pearls were exchanged for one Grade 1 crystal core.

Including the crystal cores obtained on Haji Island, Song Xian acquired a total of sixteen first-grade crystal cores and five second-grade crystal cores on this trip.

He received more than twice the ten crystal cores he had originally expected, making a fortune.

But that's not the key point. More importantly, he found a satisfactory partner.

The White Wolf Clan leader, Yuan Xi, met all the conditions for a long-term partner. First, the White Wolf Clan was not powerful, and Yuan Xi himself was only at the third level of the Ghost General realm.

The partner he's looking for can't be too highly skilled, as that would easily arouse suspicion and bring trouble upon himself.

If your cultivation level is too low, you won't be able to accomplish those things.

A cultivator at the third level of the Ghost General realm, a clan leader, and someone who controls a region, perfectly fits the criteria.

Secondly, he had a very good impression of the other party. Although he did not meet with him, he learned from Number One that the other party showed great respect to Number One during their second meeting.

Not only did they give it a grand welcome, but they also readily agreed to No. 1's request to trade crystal cores.

The negotiations proceeded smoothly, and both sides quickly agreed on a price of 1,250 Soul Steel and four Yin Soul Pearls for one Grade 1 Crystal Core. They also reached a verbal agreement that any Yin Soul Pearls refined in the future could be given to them.

And after the transaction was completed, they did not send anyone to secretly follow them, unlike the Minotaur leader Hill.

Clearly, Yuanxi, the leader of the White Wolf Clan, was a clever person skilled at dealing with people. He did not inquire about Number One's origins or the identity of the person who refined the Yin Soul Pearl.

It only had its eye on the Yin Soul Pearl, seeing potential for profit, and thus readily agreed to the cooperation.

This is the attitude a businessman should have. One of the key reasons why Song Xian decided to go to the continent of Kama to find another partner was that he had a particularly unreliable impression of Hill, the leader of the Minotaur tribe on Haji Island.

Such a hesitant, suspicious person who wants to control everything is not someone you can work with in the long run.

As spiritual energy continuously flowed into the stone wall, the light grew brighter and brighter, and the scene gradually froze. He then strode into the inner room.

(End of this chapter)