Chapter 1410: The Encouraged Chu Shen

After Lu Ye eliminated the Mid-Constellation Realm cultivator he had targeted, the remaining nine cultivators from both teams realized something: this "disabled" squad, which had suddenly appeared, wasn't just there to watch the show. They were there to cause trouble, and their strength was quite formidable.

Lu Ye's spells spread out once again, this time targeting another Mid-Constellation Realm cultivator. Warned by the previous incident, this person sensed danger and tried to evade, but was still a step too slow. After hastily defending against a few spells, they fled.

Lu Ye observed the spiritual aura on the cultivators passing by for a while. He then compared it to his own, using this as a reference to roughly deduce their cultivation levels.

Overall, cultivators at the second and third layers of the Spirit Creek Realm were the most numerous, while those at the first layer were fewer. Rogue cultivators made up the majority.

Although cultivators qualified to train and travel on the battlefield as long as they reached the first layer of the Spirit Creek Realm, various sects, big and small, would naturally wait until their disciples had higher cultivation levels before allowing them to leave their strongholds, provided they had the resources. This ensured their disciples had more capital for self-preservation.

Rogue cultivators, having no backing, knew that while the battlefield was dangerous, opportunities were everywhere. If they wanted to live well, they naturally came out early to strive for success.

This was somewhat like the difference between children from poor families and those from rich families.

There were also cultivators at the fourth layer of the Spirit Creek Realm, though their proportion was small; typically, only one or two would be seen among dozens of cultivators.

Lu Ye also saw someone suspected to be at the fifth layer of the Spirit Creek Realm. That person's perception was extremely keen; the moment Lu Ye saw him, he turned his head to look back. His crimson eyes, like a beast's, exuded immense pressure, making Lu Ye feel a chill run through him.

After this period of observation, Lu Ye had a general understanding.

Recalling Manager Yang and Zhou Cheng, whom he had killed earlier in the mine, Lu Ye realized that at the time he only knew their cultivation levels weren't high, but he hadn't known their exact ranks.

Now, it seemed Manager Yang likely had a cultivation of the third layer of the Spirit Creek Realm, while Zhou Cheng was at most at the second layer.

However, one of them was interfered with by the primal magnetic field, making it difficult to utilize his spiritual power, while the other was severely injured, allowing Lu Ye to take advantage. By now, the grass on their graves was probably three zhang high.

He wondered if it was an illusion, but Lu Ye felt that the spiritual aura around him was clearer than that of other cultivators at the first layer of the Spirit Creek Realm.

As he was observing in this manner, someone suddenly squatted down in front of him. That person picked up a piece of ore from Lu Ye's stall and asked, "How much for this?"

Lu Ye had no idea how to price it. He had placed these pieces of ore here precisely to test the waters, so he had already prepared his response: "Make me an offer; if it's suitable, I'll sell."

At the same time, he checked the other person's cultivation level. From the spiritual aura around them, they appeared to be a cultivator at the second layer of the Spirit Creek Realm, but their spiritual aura seemed much cloudier than others.

Lu Ye suddenly realized, could this be the "obscure spiritual power" situation that the Sect Master had mentioned? If so, it meant this person had consumed too many spiritual pills recently, causing blockages in their body. The person then quoted a price: "Two spirit stones!"

"Get lost!"

Although Lu Ye didn't know the exact value of his ore, he was certain that the person was trying to get a bargain, so there was no need to consider the offer further.

The person didn't get angry. They had merely seen Lu Ye's seemingly naive demeanor and come over to see if there was an opportunity to get a bargain. Having confirmed that Lu Ye wasn't someone to be easily taken advantage of, they naturally wouldn't causelessly make an enemy of him. They put down the ore and left.

Afterwards, others came one after another to inquire about prices. Lu Ye consistently asked them to make their own offers, but not a single transaction was successful.

What caught Lu Ye's attention was that the primal magnetic ore was inquired about the most, and the offers for it were the highest, reaching a price of twenty spirit stones. This offer came from a cultivator at the fourth layer of the Spirit Creek Realm.

It seemed this item was indeed valuable. No wonder both Manager Yang and Zhou Cheng had secretly hoarded some using their official positions.

Items of such value were a considerable fortune for cultivators at their level.

Lu Ye's stall didn't make any sales. In contrast, the items at the female cultivator's stall next to him steadily decreased. She was selling herbs she had collected from Qingyun Mountain, which had a wide appeal and were all sold out in less than half a day.

The female cultivator packed up her belongings, preparing to leave. Before doing so, she asked Lu Ye, "You want to know the value of these ores, don't you?"

She had been watching from the side for a while; how could she not have discerned Lu Ye's intentions?

"Yes," Lu Ye nodded. "Sister, do you know the value of these items?"

The female cultivator shook her head. "I don't have much knowledge of ores; I can't even identify what these stones of yours are, so I don't know their value. However, if you truly want to sell them, you can go to the Heavenly Secret Alliance. Although their buying prices are slightly lower than the normal market rate, they are generally fair and honest. The main issue here is that cultivators aren't particularly wealthy. Selling small items is fine, but for something like your primal magnetic ore, there aren't many with the financial means to purchase it, so the offers won't be very high."

In fact, Lu Ye had also noticed this issue, but he hadn't intended to sell his ores here in the first place. Upon hearing the female cultivator's words, he readily accepted her advice: "Thank you for your guidance, Sister."

"Then I wish you good luck!" The female cultivator smiled gently at Lu Ye, walked a few steps, and disappeared into the crowd.

Not long after the female cultivator left, Lu Ye also packed up his stall.

He hadn't set up his stall here to sell things; his main purpose was to observe other cultivators more conveniently and find a way to assess their strength.

Now that his goal had been achieved with the female cultivator's guidance, there was naturally no need to waste more time.

Approximately fifteen minutes later, Lu Ye stood before a massive circular building, looking up.

In the market, which was chaotically laid out and lacked any clear structure, such a building was definitely a striking landmark.

This was the Heavenly Secret Alliance. A single building subtly demonstrated its profound heritage and vast financial resources.

The Alliance's plaque hung above the main entrance. The wide-open doors resembled a beast's maw, with countless cultivators entering and exiting. On both sides of the door hung a golden couplet: the left side read, "Welcoming Guests from the Nine Continents," and the right side read, "Gladly Receiving Wealth from All Directions." The horizontal inscription read, "Make Yourself at Home!"

Lu Ye followed the flow of people into the grand hall. What was remarkable was that despite the many cultivators entering and exiting, the hall itself was extremely quiet.

Immediately, a female cultivator with a beautiful face and graceful figure came forward to greet him. She bowed gracefully to Lu Ye and said, "Greetings, Senior Brother."

Lu Ye returned the bow, unable to resist glancing at the pair of furry ears on her head.

This was another demon cultivator, and one who hadn't fully transformed. According to the fat cultivator from earlier, once demon cultivators reached a higher cultivation level, their beastly features would gradually disappear, and they would become indistinguishable from ordinary humans.

So it wasn't strange to see many demon cultivators with beastly features here, as the cultivators in this area generally didn't have high cultivation levels.

Although she noticed Lu Ye's gaze, the female demon cultivator was accustomed to it and showed no unusual reaction. She still asked gently, "Senior Brother, are you here to buy or sell? Or just to look around?" It seemed different choices led to different forms of reception. Lu Ye composed himself and said, "Sell." The female demon cultivator beamed a smile and gestured with her hand: "This way, Senior Brother, please."

Lu Ye followed her in that direction. There seemed to be many private rooms there, and he could faintly make out figures sitting and conversing inside them.