My Crazy Upgrade System

Yi Tianyun didn’t care what the other party thought. In any case, as long as he left and changed his appearance again, he’d be in the clear.

Steward Huang squinted, sizing him up. He had to admit, the request was rather shocking. Specifically seeking out a perilous realm, and one with Core Formation Stage-level threats at that... ’He must be planning to hunt Demon Beasts,’ Steward Huang thought. ’A very straightforward goal.’

"It seems you, my friend, are planning to hunt Demon Beasts." A glint of interest flashed in Steward Huang’s eyes. "I can give you this information, but you have two options. The first is that you sell the Demon Beasts you hunt to us. In return, we’ll give you a preferential price and waive the information fee. The second option is to pay one thousand taels of gold for the information outright. To be honest, I’d much rather cooperate with you; our prices are definitely advantageous. You must be aware of the Star Pavilion’s reputation. We will absolutely offer you a fair price. As it happens, we’re in urgent need of a batch of Demon Beasts. It would be wonderful if you could be the one to provide them."

"No problem, but I only want to trade for materials, not gold." Yi Tianyun’s eyes lit up. He had no issue with such terms. He was going to kill the beasts anyway, so collecting their remains would be a simple matter of convenience. He wasn’t worried about any complications.

"Done!"

They struck a deal on the spot. It was practically an extra quest, so why not accept?

"Ding! Quest ’Demon Beast Hunt’ accepted. Hunt one hundred Core Formation Stage Demon Beasts. Reward: 500,000 experience points, ten thousand gold taels, 10,000 Madness Value, ten lottery draws, and +100 favorability with the Star Pavilion!"

A quest had popped up, and a convenient one at that. His eyes lit up—this was exactly what he needed. The fact that it would also help him build a good relationship with the Star Pavilion was even better. The Star Pavilion’s influence was astounding; forging a good connection with them would certainly be beneficial.

"To be honest, places with dense populations of Demon Beasts are quite rare, especially those at or above the Core Formation Stage," Steward Huang said. "After all, the stronger a Demon Beast’s cultivation, the less it tends to live in groups. However, I just happen to have acquired the latest intelligence—it concerns the Demon Sea Perilous Realm!"

"The Demon Sea Perilous Realm?"

Yi Tianyun frowned. There were a total of five perilous realms on the Celestial Realm Continent, and the Demon Sea Perilous Realm was one of them—its danger level ranking in the top three. It was mostly open sea, and since most cultivators couldn’t fly, even those with decent cultivation couldn’t move freely in the water, which made things exponentially more difficult.

"Don’t tell me those Demon Beasts are all in the sea, are they? The difficulty would be immense." Yi Tianyun had no desire to hunt Demon Beasts in the ocean; that was hardly a pleasant prospect.

He couldn’t just go on a slaughtering spree in the ocean—the difficulty was simply too high. Even with the Black Dragon, it wouldn’t be an easy task.

"Of course not. To casually hunt Demon Beasts in the sea, you’d need to be at the Pill Condensation stage at the very least," Steward Huang said in a low voice. "What I’m referring to is Demon Cloud Island, within the Demon Sea Perilous Realm. For some unknown reason, a horde of Demon Beasts has suddenly appeared there. They crawled up from the seabed and are now gathered together. Their cultivation levels range from the Spirit Refining Stage to the Core Formation Stage, and their numbers are vast. However, this was only an observation from a great distance. We don’t know the full details, and we can’t rule out the possibility of even stronger entities among them!"

Yi Tianyun’s eyes lit up. ’As long as their numbers are vast, that’s all that matters,’ he thought. ’That’s the only way using a Tenfold Experience Card will be worthwhile.’

Steward Huang’s voice turned grave. "However, the Demon Sea Perilous Realm is extremely dangerous. Compounded by the fact that most people cannot fly, traveling by boat is even more perilous. You could very well die on the way before ever reaching your destination. This is the gist of the information. At present, it’s the only lead that matches your criteria. There are other places with powerful Demon Beasts, but none with so many gathered in one spot."

"That’s good enough. This information is excellent; it’s exactly what I need." Yi Tianyun was very satisfied. It would be impossible to obtain this kind of intelligence through normal channels.

The Demon Sea Perilous Realm was so treacherous that ordinary cultivators couldn’t even get close, making it impossible for them to know what was happening there.

"I’m glad you’re satisfied. But it is extremely dangerous. Are you certain you want to go? If you simply want to hunt high-level, more scattered Demon Beasts, I have a few other locations." Steward Huang’s gaze sharpened. Yi Tianyun’s response made him even harder to read.

"No need. This is the one," Yi Tianyun said with a faint smile. "I plan to head to Demon Cloud Island to hunt those Demon Beasts. Isn’t your Star Pavilion planning on investigating it more thoroughly, or perhaps hunting them yourselves?"

"The Star Pavilion is powerful, yes, but that doesn’t mean we’re willing to brave every danger," Steward Huang chuckled. "Especially a perilous realm like this one. One moment of carelessness could cost us several stewards, or even elders. That’s hardly a worthwhile trade. We’re content to just provide the information. The rest is none of our concern."

"Has anyone else bought this information?" Yi Tianyun asked, his eyes narrowing.

"That, I cannot say." Steward Huang smiled, showing his professional integrity.

Yi Tianyun smiled and didn’t press the issue.

"So, do we need to sign anything?" Yi Tianyun inquired.

"There’s no need. You’ve already made a verbal agreement with me. When the time comes, all the Demon Beasts you hunt must be sold to us. Of course, you may keep a portion for yourself, but you cannot sell to any other faction. If you do, you will have violated our terms and will be completely blacklisted by the Star Pavilion. We will never sell you anything again. If you think you can sell them without us finding out... well, by all means, try." Steward Huang said with a faint smile, his tone laced with confidence.

The Star Pavilion’s intelligence network was first-rate. If Yi Tianyun were to sell the Demon Beasts elsewhere, he would undoubtedly be blacklisted.

However, the Star Pavilion wouldn’t go so far as to eliminate Yi Tianyun over it; they would simply blacklist him, barring him from entry forever. As one of the top Treasure Pavilions on the Celestial Realm Continent, being blacklisted by them would mean being barred from most other major pavilions as well—a massive loss for any Cultivator.

"Don’t worry," Yi Tianyun smiled. "Since I gave my word, I will honor it."

"I believe you," said Steward Huang. "So, is there anything you need from us? A ship, perhaps?"

"That won’t be necessary. Just providing me with the general route is enough," Yi Tianyun said.

"Of course. I’ll go get the detailed information for you now so you can take a look." Steward Huang stood up and walked into the room behind him. He quickly returned holding a Star Disc, an instrument that could display the relevant routes.

After taking the Star Disc, Yi Tianyun accessed the information within. As expected, it was an incredibly detailed map that encompassed the entire Celestial Realm Continent. Just off the coast of the continent, a single point of light blinked: Demon Cloud Island.

"That’s Demon Cloud Island," Steward Huang said with a smile. "Just follow the route, and you’ll get there."

"Excellent. I’ll take it, then. Wait for my news." Yi Tianyun put away the Star Disc and turned to leave.

"Young Master, wait a moment," Steward Huang called out. "May I ask, how many people are you traveling with?"

"None. I’m going alone."

With a placid smile, Yi Tianyun left the dumbfounded steward in his wake.