Soul Emperor Awakening

’The tasks here are quite varied...’

Lin Xuan strolled around the Task Hall and saw plenty of missions posted on the task boards—quests like searching for Spirit Medicine or hunting Demon Beasts, all clearly detailed. These missions offered varying amounts of Contribution Points based on their difficulty. Contribution Points functioned like currency, similar to Primordial Stones, but Primordial Stones were by no means equivalent to Contribution Points.

This was because once you accumulated enough Contribution Points, you could exchange them for a wide range of things, such as residences, positions, rare Elixir Pills, or Martial Arts. Almost anything was available for exchange, and some items couldn’t be bought with Primordial Stones at all.

Primordial Stones were really only useful for those with lower Cultivation; for high-level cultivators, the speed at which they increased one’s Cultivation was far too slow, especially since the concentration of Elemental Power here wasn’t low. While not as pure as the energy from Primordial Stones, it meant the stones were less critical here—a stark contrast to the Demon Cloud Sea, where the ambient Elemental Power was frighteningly scarce.

There, one had to rely almost exclusively on Primordial Stones to absorb Elemental Power. It was different on the Demon Race Continent, where the concentration of Elemental Power was quite high. This didn’t mean Primordial Stones couldn’t be used as currency—they could, but their use was somewhat limited.

At the same time, Lin Xuan also learned that to stay here, those at or below the Essence Pill Stage could earn their keep by farming or doing odd jobs. For instance, there was always a need for cleaners or construction laborers.

As for those with Cultivation above the Essence Pill Stage, they weren’t permitted to do manual labor like farming, even if they wanted to. After all, they were qualified to take on missions and were required to complete at least one per month. This requirement applied to low-difficulty missions; completing a single high-difficulty mission was equivalent to finishing more than a dozen simple ones.

Thus, completing one high-difficulty mission could allow someone to stay here for a year without worry. Of course, this depended on the circumstances. If a mission was completed by a team, the rewards were split evenly among the members.

Missions could award anywhere from a single point to several thousand Contribution Points. A mission worth over a thousand points was basically on the level of slaying a dragon—something far beyond his capabilities.

"I heard they’re selling a Demon Fox over at the market. Should we go buy one to play with?"

"Don’t be an idiot. Demon Foxes are ridiculously expensive. How could we afford one? We should stick to the missions; it’s much more practical to save up for some useful Elixir Pills. A Demon Fox? You must have a death wish."

"We should at least go check out the commotion! Come on, let’s go take a look. Just looking can’t hurt!"

...

Just as Lin Xuan was about to accept a mission, he overheard their conversation. His brow furrowed, but he decided to follow them.

He followed them to Unity City’s market, which was a true hub of commerce. Many vendors operated from street stalls, their wares spread out on the ground—all sorts of Weapons and Elixir Pills. Others were selling various Demon Beasts, their bodies locked in iron shackles. With a Pattern carved onto them, their Cultivation could be completely suppressed.

This was tantamount to slavery. However, few people sold other types of Demon Beasts; the trade focused primarily on those like the Demon Foxes, or other members of the Demon Race who possessed human-like beauty.

Before him stood two Demon Foxes, bound in iron chains. Patterns carved into the restraints locked away their Cultivation. Lin Xuan knew how to create such Patterns himself. They weren’t very practical, however, as they only worked on those with low Cultivation. Against anyone stronger, they were completely useless.

Furthermore, this Sealing Pattern’s Grade wasn’t low, requiring a Fourth Grade Pattern Master to inscribe it. It was only capable of sealing those at the Refining Spirit Stage Level.

The two Fox Girls before him had relatively low Cultivation—only at the Refining Spirit Stage Level. Thus, they were easily suppressed and posed no threat. Chained in place, they glared furiously at the humans around them, occasionally baring their sharp teeth and snarling, as if to prove they were not human.

The heavy iron chains binding them looked especially disproportionate to their petite frames. Their exquisitely beautiful faces still held a touch of childishness, indicating their youth. For the Demon Race, Cultivation was directly proportional to age. An adult would typically have an Essence Pill Stage Cultivation, so these two were clearly minors.

Underage Demon Foxes were an exceptionally tempting commodity, a fact that only made their captors seem all the more depraved.

And yet, the fiercer the girls acted, the more excited the crowd became; it made them more appealing. Without a bit of wildness, they wouldn’t even be interested. The thought of taking one home to slowly "tame" her was what promised the greatest thrill.

"Well now, look at these two Demon Foxes. They’ve got some real spirit. I wonder what the asking price is?"

"Yeah, if the price is low enough, I’d love to buy one to play with. Life is so stressful these days, having one around to fool with would be a great release."

"Don’t be a fool. They haven’t announced a price, but it’s not like we haven’t seen them sold before. That price... tsk, tsk. Don’t even think about it. We’re better off focusing on our Cultivation."

...

The crowd’s vile discussion disgusted Lin Xuan. He understood their inner turmoil. When pressure builds, one naturally seeks an outlet to vent and find relief. In principle, it was an effective coping mechanism, but he would never resort to this.

After all, these beings possessed intelligence; in that sense, this was utterly inhumane. From the perspective of inter-species conflict, however, it was understandable. On the Demon Race Continent, slaughter among the Demon Race themselves was common, to say nothing of their conflict with humans.

The Minotaur Race he’d encountered before, for example, were no different. So, while Lin Xuan was repulsed, he could understand the mentality. However, because he himself had been shown kindness by the Golden Dragon Race, his perspective on these Demon Foxes was naturally quite different.

"As you can all see, we have two freshly caught Demon Foxes, and they’re twins! Absolutely fresh, completely untouched!" the seller announced, rubbing his hands together with a grin. He suddenly raised a whip and lashed it across both of them. They cried out, tears of pain streaming down their faces, looking pitifully beautiful and utterly moving. The crowd below, however, only clapped and cheered. It was completely depraved.

The seller was simply adding another selling point, giving the crowd one more reason to be tempted.

"What is the price!" Lin Xuan shouted coldly from the crowd.

The others in the crowd turned to look at him, many with leering expressions. They assumed Lin Xuan was overcome with lust and wanted to know the price so he could buy them.

"Heh heh, this guest seems quite eager! The price is steep, mind you. Since they’re twins, I won’t sell them separately—that would be far too much of a bargain. I’m setting the price at two million Primordial Stones, and not a stone less!" the seller announced.

When the price was announced, everyone who had been interested fell silent. The price was simply too high. A single Fox Girl usually went for five or six hundred thousand at most. For a pair of twins, the price had skyrocketed to two million. It was highway robbery!

"I’ll take them," Lin Xuan said indifferently.

Those three words, spoken in a flat tone, stunned the onlookers who were about to voice their complaints about the price. To buy them for two million Primordial Stones just like that... wasn’t that a bit too extravagant?