Soul Emperor Awakening

"Brother Lin, it looks like they’re talking about you," Tuo Yunhai said quietly, staring at the bounty. "The reward is incredibly high..."

"Of course. ’I didn’t even realize I was worth so much,’" Lin Xuan chuckled, his eyes fixed on the name signed at the bottom: the Lan Family. According to Qing Liuyun’s memories, the Lan Family was quite famous.

The Lan Family might not be number one in the Demon Cloud Sea, but they were definitely in the top three! If their power wasn’t in the top three, how would they dare to monopolize the mines? How could they so brazenly purchase slaves from Pirates? It was even possible that some of the Pirates were sent out by them to plunder in the first place.

In any case, they were not to be trifled with. He hadn’t expected to provoke such a colossal power. ’But it doesn’t matter,’ he thought. ’The bounty is for a "youth who rides a Phoenix." As long as I don’t summon the Phoenix, who’s going to find me?’

As they looked on, they overheard a discussion behind them.

"The Lan Family is really going all out this time. But if they can capture a Phoenix for that price, it’s an absolute bargain!"

"If you ask me, a youth who can ride a Phoenix must have an extraordinary background. Otherwise, how could he? The reward is good, but you have to be alive to collect it."

"Whatever his background, the order is to capture him alive. A bounty this huge will definitely attract some Spirit Pill Stage experts, especially with that Spirit God Pill on offer. Tsk, tsk... it’s just too tempting."

...

The crowd of onlookers understood the risks and rewards. Everyone knew what a Divine Phoenix was, but was the person riding it an ordinary man? If you’ve got what it takes, go find one and try riding it yourself. A Phoenix has to be raised from a young age to let someone ride it. Who would dare provoke someone with that kind of backing?

That was why the Lan Family was being cautious, insisting that Lin Xuan be captured alive, not "dead or alive." The reward was tempting, but the information provided was too vague. Without a portrait, how was anyone supposed to recognize him? Once the Phoenix was put away, who would be foolish enough to just fly around on it for no reason?

Lin Xuan shook his head and led Tuo Yunhai toward the entrance of Gathering Spirit Island. As they approached the gate, a Guard looked them up and down, scrutinizing them. He was mainly trying to see if they matched the description on the wanted poster. Only after determining they weren’t a match would he let them pass.

"Ten Primordial Stones," the Guard said, his words simple and direct, with no nonsense.

Lin Xuan took out ten Primordial Stones and led Tuo Yunhai inside. ’The price is steep,’ he thought, ’but if you want the protection offered here, you have to pay up. Otherwise, they won’t even let you in.’

As for whether it was truly safe inside, there were no absolutes. If an overwhelmingly powerful Core Formation Stage expert showed up, who would dare to stop them? Generally, though, cultivators below the Spirit Pill Stage wouldn’t start fights randomly. That much, at least, was guaranteed.

This guarantee only applied within Gathering Spirit Island. Once you stepped outside, all bets were off. The golden rule was to not provoke anyone.

Inside Gathering Spirit Island, there was nothing particularly remarkable. Aside from the slightly more luxurious architecture, the main difference was the sheer number of people. The crowds were dense with cultivators of all levels. It wasn’t even surprising to see Spirit Pill Stage experts here.

As for Essence Pill Stage experts, they were everywhere. Everyone here was incredibly burly. Due to the chronic lack of sunlight, their skin was very pale. Under the glow of the inscribed lights, their complexions looked frighteningly pallid, almost bloodless.

Yet, they were exceptionally muscular, much more so than people from Lin Xuan’s home region. You could feel an astonishing strength radiating from them. He had already noticed this with the Pirates; they were physically powerful, stronger than cultivators of the same level from the Soaring Dragon Empire.

This was only natural. To adapt to the harsh environment, they all had to become incredibly strong, or they wouldn’t be able to swim for long periods in the Demon Sea. Their fair skin even granted them some immunity to the Demon Sea’s Elemental Power-draining effect. That’s why, when Zi Yi saw those Pirates, she had said that this place was their domain.

If they fell into the water, they could swim even faster than the Tiger Fish. For Lin Xuan and his companions, however, it would be a death sentence. Not only would their Elemental Power be drained, but they wouldn’t be able to swim fast either.

This was also evident back at the mines. The miners’ cultivation levels weren’t very high, but they could strike with great force, allowing them to excavate Primordial Stones. Anyone from outside the Demon Cloud Sea would have been worked to death or whipped to death long ago.

"Excuse me, how do I get to the auction house?" Lin Xuan asked a nearby shop owner. Qing Liuyun’s memories didn’t include any visits to the auction house; generally, one didn’t go unless they needed to buy something.

"Can’t you look for it yourself? Just go straight down this road, take a turn, and keep going..." the Shopkeeper began impatiently. His tone changed instantly when he saw Lin Xuan hand him a Primordial Stone, and his face broke into a wide, greedy smile as he pointed the way.

Lin Xuan didn’t waste any more words on him. The gazes of the people in the crowd were cold; they were all ruthless types. No one who came to Gathering Spirit Island was a simple character, and these shopkeepers were no exception—they only cared about money. After all, people flocked to Gathering Spirit Island from all corners of the Demon Cloud Sea, so there were many unfamiliar faces. If they stopped to give directions to everyone who asked, they’d never get any work done.

He then led Tuo Yunhai to the auction house. It was just as bustling and prosperous as the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, with one key difference: everything was sold by auction. There was no regular stock for sale! Absolutely nothing was sold directly. Items were brought in by others from various places, and the auction house simply took a cut of the profits.

Many people came and went every day, often to fence their ill-gotten gains, so the auction house was always lively with new items. If you happened to see a minor family’s treasured Clan Martial Arts up for auction one day, you shouldn’t be surprised. It just meant that family had been wiped out, and their techniques were now for sale.

Or perhaps an item from a major family might be on the block. In that case, it was likely stolen. The auction house didn’t care about an item’s origins. If you brought it, they sold it, no questions asked, and they never revealed the seller’s identity.

Of course, it was impossible to expect them to have any real integrity. If someone offered enough Primordial Stones, the seller’s information would be revealed just as easily. There was nothing more to it. All that mattered were Primordial Stones. With enough Primordial Stones, anything was negotiable. With enough valuable items, anything was negotiable. If you had neither, you could get lost.

As they walked in, an attendant immediately greeted them with a sweet smile. Her extremely fair skin had a peculiar, delicate beauty to it, the kind that made one feel a sense of pity. Or rather, the kind that made one want to "pity" these women in bed. However, most men would beat a hasty retreat upon sensing their cultivation—Essence Pill Late Stage Cultivation.

All the attendants here were at the Essence Pill Late Stage, a terrifying level of strength. If anyone dared to cause trouble, there would be no need for guards; the attendants themselves were more than capable of handling it.

"Are you two gentlemen here to auction items or to purchase them?" the attendant asked sweetly.

"To purchase," Lin Xuan replied succinctly.

"In that case, please present the amount of Primordial Stones you possess so that we may provide the appropriate level of service," the attendant said.

Lin Xuan directly handed her the Storage Ring containing the most Primordial Stones. She took it and inspected its contents, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. Immediately, her smile became even sweeter. "A Celestial Level buyer. Please, follow me this way."

’As expected,’ Lin Xuan thought. ’Here, money truly is king!’