My Beasts Grind Proficiency For Me

He had observed that Snake Demons like him were numerous within the Marketplace. Even most of those maintaining order were Snake Demons. Going in disguised as a Snake Demon, he would be utterly inconspicuous.

Sure enough, the two ten-foot-tall Great Demons with snake heads guarding the Marketplace entrance merely glanced at Yang Jing before letting him pass.

While observing from the outside, he had seen many Demons and Celestial Demons in the Marketplace selling Spiritual Objects and Demonic Materials unique to the sea. The buyers, meanwhile, were mostly Demon Cultivators who had traveled on Flying Boats from the distant Northern Continent.

Some Demon Cultivators had even set up shops right in the Marketplace, selling goods they had brought over long distances and periodically returning with the Spiritual Objects and Demonic Materials they purchased.

Among the goods they brought, all sorts of heavy weapons, Demon Sect Artifacts, and Elixirs that enhanced one’s blood and qi were extremely popular.

Yang Jing blended into the crowd, looking utterly unremarkable. The Moon Demons, who periodically stopped Demon Cultivators for inspection, paid no mind to this Snake Demon with his ordinary cultivation.

He found a square where numerous Little Demons had set up stalls. Mimicking the others, he laid out a few worthless Spirit Medicines he had picked from the Spiritual Acupoints, sat down, and started listening for news.

A Little Demon that had not yet undergone Transformation, still in the form of a sea serpent, saw a Great Demon like Yang Jing who had already transformed sitting beside it. Terrified, it was about to snatch up the Spirit Medicine it had on display and leave.

"Don’t leave just yet. I have a few questions for you."

Yang Jing said in a somewhat raspy voice.

Among Demons, it was the law of the jungle. Even though killing was forbidden in the Marketplace, the Little Demon was still terrified of Yang Jing. While they were both transformed from sea serpents, many larger snakes were known to eat other snakes. It was afraid this Great Demon would suddenly be overcome by its instincts and swallow it whole.

"Please speak, General! This little one will tell you everything I know and hold nothing back!"

The Little Demon nodded eagerly, letting out a hiss.

It had yet to refine its Horizontal Bone, so it was speaking in the tongue of snakes.

Yang Jing nodded in satisfaction. After transforming into a Snake Demon, he had instinctively mastered the tongue of snakes. The language itself was nearly identical to the common speech used among Cultivators; it was only the serpentine hiss with which it was spoken that made it completely unintelligible to others.

"I’ve been in seclusion for the past few months. How is it that as soon as I emerge, there are so many Moon Demons running rampant and searching cargo?"

Upon hearing this, the previously cowering Little Demon immediately perked up. This was the biggest thing to happen in decades.

"General, you missed quite a show. A month ago, an incredibly powerful thief stole the Longevity Elixir, the Xuyu Coral, that the Tribulation Sea Old Demon had hidden away. The thief even tricked the Tribulation Sea Old Demon into thinking the Moon Demon King had stolen it. The two of them fought a battle that blotted out the sky and churned the very seabed. In the end, the Tribulation Sea Old Demon was defeated. The Moon Demon King grievously wounded his physical body, and then he was ambushed by two other Demon Kings. He had no choice but to abandon his body and escape as a Nascent Soul."

A month had passed since the incident, and the story had long since spread throughout the Marketplace. Even a lowly Demon with meager cultivation like him had heard it.

Yang Jing’s eyebrow twitched. ’I never expected the Tribulation Sea Old Demon to meet such a fate.’

’Without the protection of a physical body, he can only operate within the Demon Realm, unless he wants to ascend to the Outer Realm.’

’The Moon Demons’ cultivation is low enough for them to enter this Marketplace. But as a mighty Nascent Soul, the rejection he faces from the Heaven and Earth Embryonic Membrane is immense. He can’t even come to this Marketplace now.’

"Heh, but what you don’t know, General, is that when the Moon Demon King returned to his palace, he was shocked to discover the thief had completely emptied his treasury. Not a single thing was left behind."

The Snake Demon said with relish. These Moon Demons ran rampant in the Marketplace, and even he had endured plenty of their abuse.

"The Moon Demon King was furious, so he revealed that the thief possessed the Xuyu Coral. He also posted a massive bounty for the thief’s head."

’I had clearly only stolen the treasures from behind the first Secret Sect, yet this Moon Demon King claimed I stole all his treasures. He’s obviously trying to inflate the perceived value of his hoard to attract more people to capture me.’

’Of course, Yang Jing thought little of such a petty trick.’

’This, however, would explain why I ran into so many Demon Cultivators and Demons on my way here. They must all be after the Xuyu Coral.’

"Heh, the number of customers in the Marketplace has dropped by more than half. They’ve all gone to look for that thief, dreaming that if they catch him, they can claim all his treasures for themselves."

the Snake Demon said, a wistful note in its voice.

"Even our master, the Jade Poison Great Saint, is tempted. After all, the Xuyu Coral is a rare Life-Extending Spiritual Object."

’That thief stole treasures from two Nascent Soul Level experts. The wealth he’s carrying is beyond my wildest imagination. If I could get my hands on that earth-shattering fortune, wouldn’t I be able to cultivate all the way to the rank of Demon King? I’d never have to grovel before others like I do now.’

"You’re quite the daydreamer, little one."

As he spoke, Yang Jing casually picked a Spirit Medicine from his own stall and tossed it to the Snake Demon as a reward.

The Little Demon was overjoyed at the sight and gleefully stored the Spirit Medicine away. A Spirit Medicine that a Great Demon wouldn’t spare a second glance for was quite valuable to him.

That one Spirit Medicine was worth a month of his earnings.

Although the Spirit Medicines Yang Jing had laid out were all cheap goods, they were still gathered from Spiritual Acupoints in the sea, so it wasn’t long before a Demon Cultivator came to bargain.

These Demon Cultivators took advantage of the fact that the Demons had only this one outlet for their goods, offering extremely low prices. Yang Jing mimicked the other Demons’ haggling tactics, raised the price slightly, and sold off all his Spirit Medicines.

He tucked a bag of Evil Stones into his Storage Bag.

Evil Stones are jade stones that contain a turbid, malevolent qi, equivalent to the Spirit Stones used by Cultivators.

Yang Jing held the Muddy Stones and picked a shop to enter. ’These Muddy Stones are useless to me. It would be great if I could exchange them for some unique local Spiritual Objects.’

"Esteemed General, what can I get for you? Our shop just received a fresh batch of Three Yin Blood Replenishing Pills, perfect for increasing your cultivation."

A short old man with a rat-like mustache immediately scurried over to greet him cordially.

Yang Jing browsed the shop and found the prices were beyond exorbitant; it was outright robbery, treating Demons like pigs to be slaughtered. He gave the wares a quick scan and walked out under the old man’s dejected gaze.

After checking a few more shops and finding they were all the same, he gave up on the idea. Instead, he used his Evil Stones to trade for a large amount of Essence Blood from a Turtle Demon.

This Turtle Blood contained a Spiritual Charm, making it perfect for refining the Turtle Nether Pill.

Having spent all his Evil Stones, Yang Jing left the Marketplace. Not long after he had flown out of the market’s bounds, he came to a sudden halt.

"Are the few of you going to show yourselves, or do I have to force you out?"

He turned his head, his gaze fixed on the water behind him, his eyes now the characteristic Vertical Pupils of a snake.

A moment later, a white mist suddenly rose from the seawater. The mist coalesced, transforming into a sash of light gauze that settled into the hand of a voluptuous Female Cultivator with a bewitching face.

"You see, Senior Brothers? I told you we should have just invited the General out in the open instead of hiding. Now he’s discovered us. How embarrassing."

The Female Cultivator said to Yang Jing with a bashful look, her voice soft and gentle. Her enunciation was like an oriole’s song, a sound that made one’s ears tingle.

"Esteemed General, my companions and I wish to hunt down the thief who stole the treasures, but we aren’t familiar with the terrain of the Jade Poison Great Saint Sea Region. We’re afraid of getting lost at sea. I was wondering if you would be willing to travel with us? Once we catch the thief, all his treasures can be split equally among the five of us."

’This Female Cultivator’s words are pleasant, but she’s secretly using a Dazzling God Skill on me. The three male cultivators behind her all appear to have Foundation Establishment Cultivation, but in reality, two of them are Golden Core Demon Cultivators.’

’With my current cultivation, dealing with these four would be effortless. The only problem is that it would inevitably alert the people in the Marketplace.’

"With such a gracious invitation, of course I am willing."