Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector

He postured as if he had everyone’s best interests at heart, yet his words were filled with arrogance.

Everyone present was a veteran of the Martial World; it wasn’t hard to read between the lines.

Lei Cang, the tattooed man leaning against the wall, didn’t so much as raise an eyelid, as if he were deep in meditation and utterly unconcerned.

Beside him, the skeletal Sickly Ghost, Zhao Ada, was covering his mouth with a handkerchief, letting out a series of violent, wracking coughs. It sounded as if he were about to hack up a lung, so he naturally had no time to concern himself with the dispute.

Shi Meng, the muscular giant who resembled an iron tower, snorted in disdain, though it was unclear at whom the gesture was aimed.

Only the round-faced girl, Su Yuan, seemed to find the scene interesting. Her large, dark eyes, full of curiosity, darted back and forth between Chen Ye and Lü Song.

As for the sagely Daoist Yun Heqing, he held his Duster with a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips, clearly enjoying the drama and hoping it would escalate.

Seeing Chen Ye remain silent, a flicker of black energy flashed in Lü Song’s eyes. A current of bone-chilling Yin Qi materialized out of thin air and swept toward Chen Ye.

"Kid, try and take this! If you can’t even block a little wisp of yin wind, you should scram now. Don’t stand here and make a fool of yourself!"

This blast of Yin Qi wasn’t a killing blow, but it was bone-chillingly cold—enough to send an ordinary Qi Cultivation Realm Cultivator into a panicked, pathetic scramble.

Chen Ye remained expressionless. He simply drew his saber, lunged forward two steps, and slashed.

With a flash of his blade, the menacing current of cold Yin Qi was cleaved in two, parting as easily as a bolt of cloth sliced by shears, offering no resistance whatsoever.

The two halves of the current slid past either side of Chen Ye, making his robes whip and snap in the wind before dissipating into nothing.

Not only that, but a lock of hair drifted down from Lü Song’s temple.

The entire room fell deathly silent.

It was as if everyone had stopped breathing.

The smug, mocking expression on Lü Song’s face froze solid. In the next instant, all the color drained from his cheeks, leaving them ghostly white.

In an instant, cold sweat drenched his back.

Others might have only seen an unbelievably fast slash, but he had clearly felt it. In that split second, a wave of sharp, bone-chilling Sword Qi had scraped right past his cheek.

If the blade had been off by an inch—no, even half an inch—it wouldn’t be a lock of hair on the floor, but half of his head.

’This Qi Cultivation Realm kid... has such a terrifying Saber Technique!’

A strange light flickered in Xiao Hongye’s beautiful eyes. She knew Chen Ye’s Saber Technique was good, but she never imagined it was this formidable.

Lei Cang, who had been resting with his eyes closed, had opened them at some unknown point. The tower-like Shi Meng also cast aside his contempt.

Both of them began to re-evaluate the young man they had previously ignored, their gazes now full of scrutiny.

As for the round-faced girl, Su Yuan, her curiosity only grew. She blinked her large, round eyes, staring at Chen Ye with an innocent and guileless expression, as if trying to see right through him.

Her pure and innocent look made Daoist Yun Heqing’s heart skip a beat.

Just then, Chen Ye slowly sheathed his saber.

"Can we go now?"

"Ahem, since everyone is here, let’s set out." Xiao Hongye quickly smoothed things over and took the lead, heading out of the city.

Lü Song’s face alternated between pale and livid. In the end, he said nothing more, only shooting Chen Ye a venomous glare before hurrying to catch up.

The group set off. Along the way, Daoist Yun Heqing produced an exquisite Fengshui Compass from his robes. He walked at the head of the party, pinching his fingers and making calculations as he went.

"The Evil Qi here is heavy. Go thirty paces to the left to get around it."

"Yin Qi is pooling up ahead. Pass through quickly and don’t linger."

Under his guidance, the group successfully avoided several dangerous areas in the wilderness, which made everyone more confident in his skills.

After they had walked for some time, Yun Heqing seemed to grow bored. His eyes darted about before finally landing on Su Yuan, who looked like the most harmless member of the group.

He sidled up to her, a kind and amiable smile on his face. "Little miss, I can see that your brow is bright and your bone structure is extraordinary. You must have an affinity for the Dao. How about you let me read your palm and divine your future fortune?"

"Okay, okay!" Su Yuan replied, her face a picture of pure innocence as she trustingly extended her small, delicate hand.

Yun Heqing was inwardly delighted. He quickly reached out with his own withered hand, making a show of taking Su Yuan’s palm.

But the moment his fingertips brushed her skin, he recoiled as if bitten by a venomous snake. He snatched his hand back, his face turning deathly pale. Fine beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and the smile on his face twisted into an expression uglier than a grimace.

In that brief moment of contact, he had keenly sensed an incredibly subtle, yet incomparably sinister aura trying to burrow into his body through his fingertip!

’It’s Gu!’

’This seemingly innocent girl is actually a Gu Master—the most troublesome kind to deal with!’

’Every move, every gesture, even every breath of a person like that could carry a deadly Gu Insect, capable of poisoning you without you ever realizing it.’

’If I had actually gone through with it, I wouldn’t even have known what killed me!’

"Hee hee hee..."

Seeing the sickened look on Yun Heqing’s face, Su Yuan let out a peal of laughter like tinkling bells, crisp and sweet to the ear.

Having learned his lesson, Yun Heqing behaved himself for the rest of the journey. He didn’t dare try any more tricks and simply focused on leading the way.

Finally, at Noon, the group arrived at their destination.

Black Wind Stronghold was built within a treacherous mountain ravine.

From a distance, the entire stronghold was wreathed in a dense black fog. Though it was broad daylight with the sun blazing overhead, the place gave off the gloomy illusion of twilight, creating a stifling feeling in one’s chest.

The path up the mountain was completely blocked, overgrown with waist-high thorns and weeds, leaving no discernible trail.

"I’ll handle this!"

The tower-like giant, Shi Meng, let out a gruff shout. Without another word, he drew the Giant Sword from his back—a blade wider than a door panel.

He took a deep breath, the muscles on his arms bulging like knotted roots, and swung the Giant Sword in a great sweep at the thorny thicket ahead!

WHOOSH!

A violent gust from the blade howled past, sending grass and debris flying into the air.

The tough thorns and weeds were as fragile as tofu before the Giant Sword, violently hacked apart and shredded.

With just a few swings, a wide path, broad enough for three people to walk abreast, appeared before the group.

The raw, overwhelming power of a Body Forging Martial Artist was on full display.

The group followed the path Shi Meng had cleared and stepped within the bounds of Black Wind Stronghold.

The moment he stepped through the stronghold’s main gate, the saber at Chen Ye’s waist suddenly emitted an almost imperceptible hum, as if warning him.

A chill went down Chen Ye’s spine, and his hand instinctively tightened on the hilt of his saber.

’This Black Wind Stronghold really is a cursed place!’