Chapter 398: Cultivators, Monster Beasts, and a Small Island

**Volume Four: Winds Rise Overseas (Part 1)**

What puzzled Han Li even more was that, apart from the shops, the area was completely silent, with no one in sight.

He pondered for a moment, then chuckled wryly. How could he have forgotten! This wasn't a leisurely island in the Inner Star Seas. Anyone brave enough to come here had to be a Core Formation cultivator or, at minimum, a mid-to-late stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. With others dispersed across various demonic beast islands, the total population here naturally wouldn't be large. The cultivators on Verdant Isle must have all gone out to hunt demonic beasts by now!

Thinking this, Han Li raised his head and looked around. He then noticed that the area was built against a small earthen hill.

After a moment's thought, Han Li headed towards the general store, which appeared to be constructed from haphazardly piled stones.

"Do you have an updated map of the nearby sea regions?" Han Li asked calmly. He knew before arriving that maps of all demonic beast islands were constantly being updated, so he naturally intended to purchase the latest version.

"Yes! We have two versions: a rough one and a detailed one. Which would Senior prefer?" The owner of the general store, a middle-aged Qi Condensation cultivator, brightened immediately upon seeing Han Li and Qu Hun approach and quickly explained.

"The detailed one," Han Li said without hesitation.

"A detailed sea map will cost one hundred spirit stones!" The middle-aged man declared, quoting an exorbitant price.

"One hundred?" Han Li felt his ears must be faulty; he thought he'd misheard the price. But his face immediately darkened with anger. While he didn't intend to stir up trouble, he also wouldn't tolerate being brazenly extorted by a low-level cultivator.

"Senior, please don't misunderstand! This price wasn't set by me; it was determined directly by the higher-ups. We're just following orders. Moreover, the price we pay other Seniors for these new sea region maps isn't cheap either!" The general store owner, seeing Han Li's expression turn grim, showed no fear. Instead, he began to pour out his troubles.

"Higher-ups? Which trade alliance do you belong to?" Han Li's anger slightly lessened as he frowned and inquired. He knew well that any business operating on a demonic beast island wouldn't be a small trading association. It could even be a branch of one of the Four Great Trade Alliances!

"Hehe. Senior is truly insightful. This junior merely makes a living under the Bountiful Joy Trade Alliance." The middle-aged man chuckled, then smiled deferentially after a brief surprise.

"One of the Four Great Trade Alliances, the Bountiful Joy Alliance that runs the Bountiful Joy Auction House in Heavenly Star City?"

"Precisely, Senior!"

Hearing this, Han Li stopped wasting words and tossed out a mid-grade spirit stone. Immediately, the general store owner, all smiles, handed Han Li a jade slip.

"Are the other shops also part of your Bountiful Joy Trade Alliance?" Han Li glanced at the other shops, put away the jade slip, and asked with a hint of annoyance.

"How could that be? Except for the acquisition office to the west, all the other establishments are run by different alliances and have nothing to do with our Bountiful Joy Alliance," the middle-aged man said with a hint of animosity after glancing at the other shops.

Hearing this, Han Li said no more, turning and leaving with Qu Hun.

As he took a few steps and summoned his Divine Wind Boat, just about to fly off, a green rainbow suddenly descended from the sky, landing precisely in front of an acquisition office diagonally opposite. After the light dissipated, a burly Core Formation cultivator was revealed.

"Fan boy, you've got business!" The burly man yelled towards the acquisition office as soon as he appeared, then pulled out a storage bag from his robes and emptied its contents onto the ground. A flash of shimmering light later, the corpse of a bizarre fish, two to three zhang long, lay on the ground. It was called a fish merely because its body was covered in greenish scales, yet it possessed a strange, python-like head and a pair of massive, sharp claws on its belly. Near the front of its back, a gaping, blood-soaked hole suggested its demonic core had already been extracted.

"Ah, Senior Hao has arrived! This Azure Phosphorus Fish Demon is incredibly tough to kill! Only someone with Senior's immense power could defeat them." A young Qi Condensation cultivator swiftly emerged from the acquisition office, his eyes remarkably bright and sharp. He approached to inspect the demonic beast's corpse, all the while showering the burly man with constant flattery, which made the man burst into hearty laughter, revealing him to be a truly forthright individual.

Suddenly, the burly man turned his head towards Han Li and Qu Hun, and after a brief glance, he cheerfully greeted them: "Both of you look quite new; you must have just arrived at Verdant Isle! Would you be interested in hunting demonic beasts together?"

Seeing the burly man's enthusiasm, Han Li smiled without speaking, but Qu Hun, at his instruction, subtly shook his head in refusal.