Chapter 342: Qilin Grass
"Brother Chen, please wait a moment."
In the Ming Guang Hall of the inner city of Golden Sand Island, Vice Hall Master Zhu Shenghua smiled and said, "The Gang Leader will be here soon!"
As one of the leading figures among the young generation of the Golden Sand Gang, Zhu Shenghua with his Tier Four peak cultivation always looked down on others, except for Gang Leader Fan Tai and several Tier Five Elders and Hall Masters.
But at this moment, the young Vice Hall Master was respectful towards Zhang Yuan, who was personally led into the Ming Guang Hall.
Dared not show any sign of negligence!
Because Zhang Yuan had just captured over two hundred barbarian ears, among which were several Tier Four experts.
So-called Wuqi Warriors.
Each one was very fresh!
Such battle achievements were simply unbelievable.
When Zhu Shenghua received orders to rush to the exchange point in the outer city, it was already surrounded by people eager to watch the spectacle.
When he saw the pile of ears on the table, he was truly shocked.
Zhu Shenghua had heard of Zhang Yuan’s nickname "Blood Saber Butcher" before and had dismissed it.
Thought that this nickname was just bragging by those who lacked insight.
But now, seeing Zhang Yuan’s achievements with his own eyes, he realized there were always stronger individuals out there.
Even if both were Tier Four, there could be a world of difference!
Zhu Shenghua was well aware that if he were in the battlefield himself, he definitely couldn’t achieve such results.
The Wuqi Barbarians were not vegetables in the field; one couldn’t harvest them in large batches casually.
Hence, in the face of Zhang Yuan, he instinctively lowered his stance.
"Alright."
Zhang Yuan sat down in the guest seat.
After exchanging his battle achievements, he was invited here by the Vice Hall Master of the Inner Hall.
He was told it was Gang Leader Fan Tai’s summons.
Zhang Yuan knew that he had created such a stir that he had even alarmed the Tier Six bigwigs.
He respected the Golden Sand Gang’s Gang Leader but did not have the slightest fear.
Therefore, he sat calmly, showing no pressure on his face.
The accompanying Zhu Shenghua noticed and secretly admired it.
So composed!
A maid served tea, and the Vice Hall Master had a casual chat with Zhang Yuan.
While dealing with Zhu Shenghua’s probing, Zhang Yuan allocated some of today’s obtained Source Material to the Black Giant Ant and Golden Grasshopper, his two major Hosts.
The reason it was only some Source Material was that Zhang Yuan had already invested the Source Material he previously acquired.
Today’s harvest was extraordinarily plentiful.
In the battle at the Reed Marsh, over two hundred Wuqi Barbarians died by Zhang Yuan’s hands.
Most were Tier Two and Three Martial Artists, plus there were seven Tier Four!
In fact, there were more than seven Wuqi Warriors targeted in the ambush, but several were so intimidated by Zhang Yuan’s fierce killing methods that they fled without engaging.
Zhang Yuan couldn’t be everywhere at once, so inevitably some slipped through.
Nevertheless, his excess Source Material surpassed ten thousand points—unprecedentedly bountiful!
At the time, Zhang Yuan’s vision was flooded with notification messages like a waterfall.
Truly spectacular!
Using just a portion was enough to satisfy the evolutionary needs of the two major Hosts.
Actually upgrading the Black Giant Ant and Golden Grasshopper was also a reluctant choice for Zhang Yuan.
Because the maximum ability boost at Level 4 was still beyond Zhang Yuan’s endurance limit.
After upgrading to Level 5, the thirty-twofold strength and agility would probably be needed for a long time in the future.
But there was no choice, as the Divine Nest’s main body and other Hosts had been elevated to Level 5.
And the Source Material required to ascend from Level 5 to Level 6 had more than quadrupled.
There was an empty Nest Room available, but there was no new Extraordinary Life Form to fill it.
So after considering all options, Zhang Yuan decided to upgrade the Black Giant Ant and Golden Grasshopper.
Having everything at Level 5 wasn’t bad.
As for the remaining Source Material, Zhang Yuan planned to save it and not allocate it to any other Hosts.
When the Divine Nest accommodates new Genetic Bodies in the future, investing to push to Level 5 again will undoubtedly be satisfying.
"Gang Leader!"
Just as Zhang Yuan was pondering, Zhu Shenghua suddenly rose from his seat, respectfully greeting.
Zhang Yuan quickly stood up, saluting the newly arrived Gang Leader Fan Tai of the Golden Sand Gang: "Junior Chen Zian, greets the elder!"
His address and etiquette to Fan Tai were appropriate, neither subservient nor arrogant, perfectly measured.
"No need for such formality!"
Fan Tai walked straight to Zhang Yuan, smiling and asking, "Are you the famous Blood Saber Butcher? Truly extraordinary, you must be Tier Five by now?"
Zhang Yuan was slightly surprised, yet showed no reaction on the surface: "Elder has eyes like a torch!"
Fan Tai was a Tier Six True Gang expert, so it wasn’t surprising to see through Zhang Yuan’s true cultivation.
Even though Zhang Yuan had suppressed and concealed his aura.
But Fan Tai evidently did not see through the "Face Eater" disguise!
Listening beside them, Zhu Shenghua was inevitably astonished.
He had never imagined that Zhang Yuan was indeed a Tier Five True Essence Martial Artist.
Even higher than his own tier!
On second thought, it made sense.
Without Tier Five strength, how could one casually slay barbarian experts like chopping vegetables?
Fan Tai laughed heartily, waving his hand to indicate: "Sit!"
The Golden Sand Gang leader then turned to Zhu Shenghua, who understood and immediately left.
Only Fan Tai and Zhang Yuan remained in the hall.
"In the martial world, origins are irrelevant."
Fan Tai evidently disliked idle talk, directly saying to Zhang Yuan: "No matter your identity or purpose on Golden Sand Island, as long as you kill barbarians, you are a friend of the Golden Sand Gang!"
As he spoke, the Tier Six expert handed Zhang Yuan a booklet: "The contents herein are the gang’s secret archive. Exchange freely with sufficient battle merits!"
Zhang Yuan took the booklet, understanding its significance.
Aside from initially exchanging his achievements for a house on the island, he hadn’t spent the rest.
Coupled with today’s gains, it totaled over seven thousand points.
Calculated at the rate of five taels of gold per point, if Zhang Yuan exchanged all his merits for gold, he could take away over thirty-five thousand taels from the Golden Sand Gang.
This was a colossal fortune!
Even though the Golden Sand Gang owned a Golden River, such an amount of gold was significant.
Fan Tai likely hadn’t anticipated anyone amassing such battle merits in such a short time.
But he couldn’t go back on his promise, so he opted for another method to reclaim the merits.
This booklet, unseen outside, was evidently a contingency prepared by the Golden Sand Gang.
If not for encountering a monstrous talent like Zhang Yuan, it might never have been presented!
Fan Tai’s tone was confident, not expecting Zhang Yuan to refuse.
Zhang Yuan carefully browsed the booklet.
The items within had high exchange values, including special treasures, high-tier cultivation techniques, and Profound Artifacts!
But what truly captivated Zhang Yuan...
Was a grass.
Qilin Grass!