Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector

A Spirit Pearl of the Seventh Grade or higher?

Li Qingyan’s head snapped up, her eyes filled with shock.

She couldn’t understand what this man wanted a High Grade Spirit Pearl for.

’He’s not a Cultivator. Even if he got a High Grade Spirit Pearl, he probably couldn’t even use it.’

But she didn’t dare ask any more questions. She could only suppress her doubts and answer respectfully, "To answer, Master, High Grade Spirit Pearls are all produced in the High-level Waters deep within Black Water Lake. The yin-cold energy there is extremely dense, and it’s incredibly dangerous underwater. An ordinary Pearl Collector would just be sending themselves to their death."

"That’s why those areas are usually harvested by Martial Dao experts captured by the Sect, or by disciples who have made grave mistakes."

Li Qingyan paused, her voice dropping even lower. "I... I was previously in charge of overseeing one of the High-level Waters. It was only because the environment was too harsh and production was consistently poor that...I..."

She didn’t finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear.

The main reason for her demotion was losing a power struggle, and a secondary reason was her lack of any significant achievements over the years.

"Can you buy them?" Chen Ye interrupted her.

"Yes," Li Qingyan nodded. "But it requires spending Sect Contribution Points, and the price is extremely high. I have almost no Contribution Points left now. Forget a Sixth Grade Spirit Pearl, I can’t even afford a Seventh Grade one. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have resorted to exploiting those Sinful People."

As she finished, her words were laced with deep resentment.

Seeing this, Chen Ye understood.

’It seems the internal competition within the Blood Lotus Sect is truly brutal. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have brought the once-arrogant Li Qingyan to such a sorry state.’

Seeing Chen Ye’s silence, Li Qingyan hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "Master, there’s actually another place where you might be able to get a High Grade Spirit Pearl."

"Oh? Where?" Chen Ye’s interest was piqued.

"Within the Blood Lotus Sect, there’s an underground Ghost Market. It’s a place where Sect disciples trade privately, post unsavory tasks, and sell forbidden items. High Grade Spirit Pearls, being a hard currency, sometimes appear in the Ghost Market. And... you don’t necessarily have to use Sect Contribution Points there. You can use Spirit Stones, or even barter."

"I used to go there often to trade for things and would occasionally find something unexpected. But I haven’t been back since I was demoted to Black Water Lake."

’The Ghost Market?’

Chen Ye’s eyes lit up.

"Take me there."

"But Master..." Li Qingyan looked troubled. "We’re penniless right now. Even if we get into the Ghost Market and see a High Grade Spirit Pearl, we can’t afford it."

Chen Ye glanced at her and suddenly smiled.

"Who says we don’t have money?"

Li Qingyan froze, not understanding what Chen Ye meant.

Chen Ye didn’t keep her in suspense. He said calmly, "Aren’t Low Grade Spirit Pearls money?"

’Trade with Low Grade Spirit Pearls?’

Li Qingyan’s expression was a bit strange. "Master, that would probably take a massive number of Low Grade Spirit Pearls to trade for a single High Grade Spirit Pearl. The price difference..."

"It doesn’t matter," Chen Ye cut her off. "As long as we can make the trade."

Li Qingyan looked at the confident Chen Ye, her heart still filled with doubt.

But she didn’t dare say more. After all, over the past two days, she had discovered that Chen Ye’s control over her was growing deeper. Now, even the slightest thought of doubting him could bring about agonizing punishment.

This made her even more terrified of Chen Ye’s methods, and she didn’t dare to question him any further.

Over the next few days, Chen Ye began to enter the water for Pearl Collection.

He no longer feared the yin-cold of these waters. Coupled with his Level 4 Spirit Clam Sensing ability, collecting Spirit Pearls was as easy as flipping his hand.

On the first day, Chen Ye brought back several dozen Spirit Pearls. He repeated the process over the following days and quickly amassed a large batch of them.

Finally, one day, just as dusk fell, Chen Ye and Li Qingyan changed into inconspicuous black clothes, put on conical hats and masks to hide their faces, and headed for the Ghost Market.

The entrance to the Ghost Market was located in an extremely hidden reef cave at the edge of Black Water Lake.

Two guards stood at the cave’s entrance. Their auras were heavy and focused; they were clearly not amateurs.

Li Qingyan stepped forward and expertly presented her Identity Token.

After inspecting it, the guard didn’t say much, but his gaze lingered on Chen Ye for a moment.

"My follower and servant," Li Qingyan explained in a cold voice.

Only then did the guard look away and wave them through.

After passing through a deep, damp tunnel, the view suddenly opened up.

A huge underground cavern appeared before them. It was brightly lit and bustling with voices, a lively street carved right into the rock.

Both sides of the street were lined with all sorts of stalls. Most of the vendors, like them, were shrouded in black robes with their faces hidden by masks, exuding an air of mystery and danger.

"Master, the left side is the Material Area, and the right is the Elixir and Magical Artifact Area. At the end of the street is where tasks are posted and intelligence is traded," Li Qingyan said in a low voice, following closely behind Chen Ye and explaining the Ghost Market’s layout.

"Cultivation Resources like Spirit Pearls are usually found in the deeper parts of the Material Area. The vendors there are more powerful, and their goods are rarer."

Chen Ye nodded and walked straight toward the Material Area.

As they walked, all sorts of strange and bizarre items opened his eyes.

There were Magic Robes sewn from human skin, skulls with flickering ghost flames, and strange, still-writhing flesh soaking in jars.

’Truly worthy of being the underground market of a Demonic Sect.’

Soon, they arrived in the deeper part of the Material Area.

There were noticeably fewer stalls here, but the items displayed at each one emanated a significant fluctuation of Spiritual Qi.

And on a few of the stalls, he did indeed see Spirit Pearls for sale.

Chen Ye’s gaze swept over them quickly, finally settling on a stall in a corner.

On it sat a Spirit Pearl that was a deep, ethereal blue. A profound radiance flowed across its surface, occasionally coalescing into illusions. It was, unmistakably, a Sixth Grade Spirit Pearl.

The vendor wasn’t wearing a mask. He was a young man with a sinister face and fingers as thin as claws, listlessly polishing a dagger that gleamed with a green light.

He seemed to notice Chen Ye and Li Qingyan’s gazes. He slowly looked up, his triangular eyes scanning them both before finally resting on Li Qingyan’s exquisite curves, which even her black robe couldn’t fully conceal.

"You two, interested in this Sixth Grade Spirit Pearl?"

He grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth and a malicious smile.

"Hehe, you’ve got good taste. But this isn’t something just anyone can afford."

His voice was hoarse, and his gaze roamed shamelessly over Li Qingyan’s exposed neck and wrists, filled with aggression.

"I wonder what this junior sister plans to trade for it?"

Li Qingyan’s delicate body tensed, and she subconsciously took half a step back, hiding behind Chen Ye.

Chen Ye stepped forward, blocking the man’s line of sight, and asked in a disguised, raspy voice, "What’s the trade?"

"Barter." Ghost Claw Liu reluctantly tore his gaze away from Li Qingyan and let it fall on Chen Ye, a hint of indifference flashing in his eyes.

Chen Ye didn’t waste words. He took an Eighth Grade Spirit Pearl from his robes and placed it on the stall.

Ghost Claw Liu’s eyes lit up instantly, but he quickly returned to his lazy demeanor. He curled his lip. "Not enough. I went through hell and high water to get this Sixth Grade Spirit Pearl."

"How many?" Chen Ye asked.

"For Eighth Grade Spirit Pearls like this, at least one hundred and fifty. Or, if you have Seventh Grade Spirit Pearls, fifteen will do."

’What a rip-off!’

Chen Ye sneered inwardly.

On the way here, he had already learned about the market rates from Li Qingyan.

The exchange rate between Spirit Pearls of adjacent grades usually fluctuated between a ratio of one-to-eight and one-to-ten.

Ghost Claw Liu demanding a one-to-fifteen ratio was clearly treating him like an ignorant fool ripe for the fleecing.

Chen Ye didn’t waste words and gave his own price directly. "One to eight. Otherwise, there’s no need to discuss this further."

Ghost Claw Liu had just been testing the waters with that price, seeing if this guy knew the market. Now, seeing he couldn’t be fooled, he nodded. "Fine. But I want them now."

"Of course!"

With that, Chen Ye glanced around. "We’re trading right here?"

Ghost Claw Liu laughed. "Don’t worry. I’ve been running this stall for years. No one’s ever dared to cause trouble here."

Chen Ye paused in thought for a moment, then made up his mind and began to take things out.

Two Seventh Grade Spirit Pearls, their glow far surpassing that of an Eighth Grade, were placed on the stall.

Ghost Claw Liu’s breath caught in his throat.

But that wasn’t all.

CLATTER CLATTER CLATTER—

One pile, two piles, three piles...

Forty Eighth Grade Spirit Pearls, stacked into a small mountain.

Following that were over a hundred Ninth Grade Spirit Pearls, which Chen Ye poured out all at once as if they were worthless glass marbles.

For a moment, the dazzling radiance of the pearls was almost blinding.

Even Ghost Claw Liu was dumbfounded. Although Ninth Grade Spirit Pearls weren’t very valuable, seeing so many of them together was still an incredibly shocking sight.

Just then, Chen Ye broke the silence with his raspy voice.

"Is this enough?"

Ghost Claw Liu snapped out of his shock, gave Chen Ye a deep look, and then nodded.

"Enough!"

Chen Ye said no more, took the Sixth Grade Spirit Pearl, and turned to leave.

Li Qingyan also snapped out of her daze and hurried to follow.

The two didn’t leave immediately. Instead, they wound their way through the Ghost Market, making a large loop to ensure they weren’t being followed before quietly departing from the chaotic place.

Only when they had returned to the docks did the two of them finally relax.

Li Qingyan studied Chen Ye with curiosity, wondering what he intended to do with that Sixth Grade Spirit Pearl.

’If only he would give it to me. With a Sixth Grade Spirit Pearl, I might be able to repair my damaged foundation and return to my Peak.’

But she only dared to fantasize about it. After all, her life and death were in his hands. How could she dare to have such improper thoughts?

Chen Ye, of course, had no idea what Li Qingyan was thinking. Moreover, his wariness toward this woman hadn’t lessened in the slightest.

’After all, every last one of these Demon Sect disciples is an extremely selfish being.’

’She’s only been subdued by my methods for now. That doesn’t mean I can rest easy.’

Chen Ye was convinced that if he let his guard down even for a second, this seemingly harmless woman would absolutely try to find a way to kill him.