Chapter 298: Astral Crystal

Five minutes later.

Under Qiao Yuanshan's horrified eyes, Li Pin took down fourteen Skeleton Demons with devastating ease.

The entire fight lasted only half a minute. He spent one full minute charging at the fourteen Skeleton Demons, and the remaining three and a half minutes searching for any valuables left behind after these monsters burned to ash.

Luck was on Li Pin's side this time, as he managed to find an Astral Crystal among the remains. What's more, it was a genuine one

Li Pin walked over to Qiao Yuanshan. "Astral Crystals are a globally accepted hard currency. You have got channels to sell them here, right?"

Qiao Yuanshan didn't answer immediately, having not yet recovered from the shock.

He blurted out, "Martial Saint Li... are you... a High-Class Astral Cultivator?"

"No," Li Pin responded. "The difference between an Astral Cultivator and a martial artist is pretty obvious. Ordinary people might not sense it, but there's no way a Martial Saint like yourself can't. I'm just a unique martial artist who's walked a bit further down the path of Martial Saints thanks to a bit of talent."

Many names flashed through Qiao Yuanshan's mind.

He's a gifted prodigy? Who is he? Ten-Thousand Slaughter? Ao Haichuan? Tai Long? Wang Liancheng!?

While the land of Great Moon had nearly lost all contact with the outside world, as one of the top experts under Xiangye City's city lord, Qiao Yuanshan wasn't completely ignorant of external affairs.

Despite their severe delays in acquiring information, he had heard about the most recent King of the Century Competition that had caused an uproar and reached every corner of the world.

He was also familiar with the term "gifted prodigies" commonly associated with Supreme Martial Saints.

It's just that, he was surprised by how powerful these prodigies were.

Are Supreme Martial Saints really this powerful? Perhaps they could slay a mid-tier demonic creature in a life-and-death battle, but probably none could do it as effortlessly as Martial Saint Li, right?

Or has the martial arts scene in Great Moon fallen behind the times?

Even so... wasn't this too much?

Li Pin clearly wasn't planning to explain further, and Qiao Yuanshan didn't dare ask more.

This terrifying Martial Saint, whose power nearly rivaled that of a High-Class Astral Cultivator... already had the power to easily overturn the Xiangye territory.

Li Pin glanced at the devastation in Ginkgo Village.

After gauging the strength of the Skeleton Demons, he lost any desire to delve deeper into the Ancient Beastfolk Battlefield.

"Let's head back together," Li Pin said.

Qiao Yuanshan quickly complied, "Yes."

At that moment, Qiao Yuanshan finally recalled Li Pin's earlier question and answered promptly, "Martial Saint Li, both Great Shang and Royal Empire have dedicated procurement stations in several large cities within Molong Country. We can exchange rare materials with them for whatever we need, and Astral Crystals are one of the most valuable items!"

He glanced at the crystal in Li Pin's hand. "A genuine Astral Crystal like this is worth three million Royal Empire Gold Yuan or six million Great Shang currency."

Li Pin frowned slightly at the quote. "Three million, six million..."

The exchange rate between Great Shang and Tianyuan currencies was about equal, while the Royal Empire Gold Yuan traded at about 1:2 with Great Shang currency. Still, these buying prices were far below market value.

After a brief pause, Li Pin didn't dwell on it further.

It was just material wealth. With his abilities, making money wasn't a problem.

Li Pin tossed the Astral Crystal to him. "Sell it for me and purchase some supplies. I'll give you a list later."

"You want me to sell it?" Qiao Yuanshan quickly caught the crystal and stammered, "This... this is a genuine Astral Crystal worth three million Royal Empire Gold Yuan!"

In this land, three million Royal Empire Gold Yuan could buy the life of a Martial Saint!

Li Pin didn't offer further explanation. "Go."

Since he planned to train in Great Moon for some time, it felt inappropriate to keep freeloading at Wen Yusheng's estate.

Soon, the vehicle returned, and it was another bumpy four-hour ride.

As they neared Xiangye City, Li Pin had the driver stop in front of a mud-brick house.

Two children were playing outside when the car rolled to a stop, a boy and a girl. When the two saw visitors arriving, especially ones riding in a vehicle, they quickly ran inside their home.

Moments later, a man in proper clothing emerged. When he saw Qiao Yuanshan, he bowed respectfully."Teacher Qiao."

Qiao Yuanshan looked at the man but didn't recognize him.

The man quickly explained, "Eight years ago, I attended one of your martial arts lectures at Xiangye Conference."

Qiao Yuanshan nodded.

When they first arrived in Xiangye Territory, they had indeed promoted martial arts to help the people become self-reliant, not wanting them to be defenseless in the face of danger. They even held public martial arts lessons in the Xiangye Conference Hall.

However, they soon realized the real issue was hunger. People were already struggling to eat, and they lacked proper nutrition. Forcing them to train would only harm their bodies. Therefore, three months after the classes started, they had to be canceled.

Unfortunately, the problem of food and shelter remained unsolved.

Despite the lord's efforts over nine years, the heavy taxes from the higher-ups made it impossible to resolve. Things started to get even worse five years ago. Three years after that, the situation deteriorated even further when the tax officials observed a noticeable improvement in the morale of Xiangye City residents and decided to raise taxes further.

"Yesterday, due to special circumstances, I took a set of clothes from your home," Li Pin said, pulling out a stack of gold yuan. "This is compensation."

The man's eyes lit up at the sight of the gold. However, after a few moments, he quickly made a decision and bowed. "It's an honor that you valued those clothes."

Qiao Yuanshan, watching from the side, said firmly, "Just take it."

"Please, Teacher Qiao, don't be angry," Meng Ren said, bowing lower. "My lord, I humbly ask that you take my son, Meng Yang, as a servant. From now on, he can serve you—"

"How dare you!"

Meng Ren's words were cut short by Qiao Yuanshan's roar.

Qiao Yuanshan turned to Li Pin and said, "Don't listen to him. Give them an inch, and they'll take a mile."[1]

Qiao Yuanshan turned back to Meng Ren. "Borrowing clothes is a small matter. Even if it were something bigger, you still can't make a request like this. If you try to use this as leverage, you're unworthy of being a citizen of Xiangye. Speak like that again, and I'll have you exiled!"

Terrified, Meng Ren dropped to his knees. Trembling, he pulled up his sleeve, revealing a darkened wound with black smoke spreading through his body.

Looking at the gruesome wound, Qiao Yuanshan turned visibly shocked. "Death Aura? Did a Ghoul wound you?"

However, he quickly backpedaled. "No, you're not a martial artist. If you'd encountered a Ghoul, you wouldn't have survived."

Meng Ren's eyes reflected grief, but more than that, there was despair. "I was cut by a stone tainted with Ghoul's blood... while searching for ores."

Qiao Yuanshan fell silent.

The Black Gold Mine was the largest mine left over from the Great Moon era, with its tunnels spreading in all directions. During the chaos of that time, many Great Moon soldiers retreated into the mine, where countless soldiers and miners perished under pursuit by the Astral Cultivators.

Due to the sudden attack, much of the mine's valuable resources couldn't be evacuated. Since then, many from Xiangye Territory and nearby regions have ventured into the mine, hoping to discover copper, crimson iron, black iron, mithril, and adamantium ores to make a fortune.

Over time, the soldiers, miners, and later treasure seekers who died inside were corrupted by astral energy, turning into Ghouls and Majin. The mine became one of the most dangerous regions, posing a grave threat to the surrounding territories. Yet, countless people continued to venture inside, risking their lives to search for valuable ores and extract the rich mineral deposits.

In Xiangye Territory alone, hundreds perished each year.

"Enough. The lord won't abandon any of his people. I'll apply for welfare assistance," Qiao Yuanshan said firmly.

"And what about your daughter, if you send your son to serve me?" Li Pin asked.

He had noticed two children in the yard earlier—a boy around ten, and a girl about five or six.

At this, Meng Ren opened his mouth, wanting to say something. But ultimately, he lowered his head in fear. He didn't even dare to look toward the house.

Li Pin glanced at Qiao Yunshan. "Is Death Aura truly incurable?"

"If it were just the wound, cutting off the arm might save him... but the Death Aura has already penetrated his body."

Qiao Yuanshan shook his head. "It's said only the Top-Tier Astral Cultivators can remove Death Aura."

Only the most powerful warlords in Great Moon had access to Top-Tier Astral Cultivators. Most warlords were no more than High-Class Astral Cultivators themselves.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

A small lord like Xiangye Territory didn't have any Astral Cultivators. Their greatest military strength likely came from two or three Martial Saints.

Of course, given how rare Astral Cultivators were in Great Moon, six hundred rifles held more sway than a few Martial Saints.

Qiao Yuanshan sighed. "Now that I know about this, I can't turn a blind eye. I'll inform the lord, and the relief department will take care of raising those two children."

Meng Ren, overcome with emotion, kowtowed repeatedly as tears streamed down his face. "Thank you, Teacher Qiao, thank you!"

"You're not even a martial artist, yet you dared to go into the Black Gold Mine? Of course you were going to die, leaving those children as orphans!" Qiao Yuanshan scolded, his voice filled with frustration.

"Meng Yang... he's got real talent... I... I just didn't want him to end up like me... living a life with no future..." Meng Ren's voice trembled as he spoke.

Hearing this, Qiao Yuanshan could only sigh. At its core, Xiangye Territory was simply too poor.

This kind of situation was all too familiar for him. Without saying more, he gestured to Li Pin, and they both got into the car.

The group then returned safely to Lord Wen Yusheng's estate without incident.

1. implies that people can be greedy. ☜