"That's right. So just answer Master as I told you, and when he sends more people, we'll be able to dig up all that guy's treasures." Linden Lin chuckled.
Calvin Xie, tempted by Linden Lin, grew even more excited.
As for Evan Yang, who had already left that area, he had no idea that his small actions had made a cautious schemer think this way.
"What city is this?" As Evan Yang walked, he came to the outskirts of a city.
"Big brother, want to go in and take a look? Maybe those guys won't be able to catch our scent anymore." Jade Rabbit suggested.
"Jade Rabbit, do spirit beasts all have sensitive noses? Can they easily pick up a locked scent?" Evan Yang asked curiously.
"Yeah, most spirit beasts are like that, but some aren't so good at it." Jade Rabbit nodded.
"In that case, guess I'll have to check out the city." Evan Yang thought for a moment and decided to take a look at the city ahead.
Once inside, Evan Yang finally realized where he was.
"Eightfold City, Forden Wayne... Didn't expect to end up here. It's way richer than White Slope City." Staring at rows of high-quality houses, Evan Yang couldn't help but think of White Slope City and Brandon Tu's shabby little town.
Eightfold City was just east of White Slope City, and its city lord was none other than Forden Wayne. He had spent a fortune on Spirit Crystal Ore in the pill contest, only to hand it all to Evan Yang for nothing—so much that he still lost sleep over it. Especially since Evan had 'robbed' him of herbs in his own shop, an insult he hadn't forgotten.
Evan Yang had no idea about any of this. He was just wandering into the city, planning to find a busy inn and stabilize his cultivation.
"Sir, are you looking for a room or a meal?" As soon as Evan Yang entered, an inn waiter hurried over to ask.
"I want a room. Arrange a quiet one for me—no interruptions." Evan Yang instructed the waiter.
"Sure! Five gold coins a day. How many days would you like to stay?" The waiter perked up at the prospect of a guest.
"Five days," Evan Yang replied after thinking for a moment.
"Thirty gold coins, including meals. How does that sound, sir?" The waiter calculated that five days would be twenty-five coins, and for just five more, meals would be included.
Evan Yang had already outgrown mortal food and didn't want interruptions, but seeing the waiter's hopeful look, he took thirty gold coins from Elder Lee's old pouch, smiled, and said, "Here, thirty coins. But don't bring meals up—I'll eat on my own when I want to."
"Alright, alright." Hearing he didn't have to deliver food, the waiter was even happier. He took the coins and led Evan Yang to the best room on the top floor.
"Sir, this is our best room, right at the top—you can see the whole city from here." The waiter opened the window and explained to Evan Yang.
Evan Yang looked out. Even though it was only the sixth floor, the very top, he could see the whole cityscape around him.
"How do you like it, sir?" The waiter asked as Evan Yang stood at the window, taking in the view.
"Mm, not bad. I'll take this room." Evan Yang nodded.
"Alright, sir, please rest well. If you need anything, just let us know." The waiter left with a cheerful smile, coins in hand.
With the waiter gone, Evan Yang finally had some peace and quiet. "Phew, so this is Eightfold City? It really is a wealthy place." He looked down from above and confirmed again how prosperous Eightfold City was.
"Big brother, I want to see too!" Hearing Evan's praise, Jade Rabbit couldn't stand the boredom and popped out to look outside.
Evan Yang let her gaze as she pleased. Just then, he noticed several figures flying back and forth in the sky not far away.
"Are those the same people?" Evan Yang asked Jade Rabbit.
Jade Rabbit's nose was much keener than most spirit beasts. After sniffing toward the figures, she shook her head, "No, they're not from the same sect."
"That's odd. Who are these people? Does the rich city lord just let anyone fly around in the sky?" Evan Yang knew that flying was usually forbidden above city skies, but today he saw several figures soaring back and forth.
"Maybe something happened." Jade Rabbit replied, puzzled.
"Maybe. Anyway, I'd better stabilize my cultivation—just in case something happens, I'll be ready." Evan Yang closed the window, set Jade Rabbit on the desk, and replied.
Jade Rabbit obediently lay there, while Evan Yang sat on the bed and began meditating.
In a city like this, it was perfectly normal for people to cultivate. No one paid much attention to Evan Yang, and cultivators could be seen everywhere—some even got into little scuffles over trivial matters.
That peaceful cultivation lasted until the third day, when the calm was broken. Evan Yang opened his eyes, went to the window, and pushed it open—he saw even more people flying in the sky, and they were flying lower than before.
"Jade Rabbit, has it been like this these past few days?" Evan Yang had been focused on cultivation for three days, so he turned to ask Jade Rabbit, who was lying there.
Jade Rabbit opened her eyes and said, "Pretty much, but there are more people these last two days."
"Did something happen in the city?" Evan Yang noticed that all the cultivators were flying in the same direction.
"Big brother, want to go take a look?" Jade Rabbit, who had been cooped up for half a year and was itching to explore, suggested when she saw Evan Yang's curiosity.
Evan Yang was thinking the same thing. After several days, his cultivation was stable—he was just one step away from breaking through to the next realm.
So he put Jade Rabbit back into her usual cloth pouch and headed downstairs. He found the inn much busier than when he arrived, with many cultivators deliberately flaunting their power—forcing ordinary people to eat off to the side.
Curious about these cultivators' behavior, Evan Yang found a table and sat down to listen to their conversations.
He saw several groups of cultivators gathering at tables, apparently discussing something important.
"Sir, what would you like to eat?" The waiter hurried over to serve Evan Yang as soon as he came downstairs.
"Anything's fine." Evan Yang replied, not caring about the food and focusing on listening to their conversation.
The waiter quickly went to prepare the meal, leaving Evan Yang alone at the table.
This chapter isn't finished yet~.~ Please click the next page to continue reading the rest!
"How are things over there now?" someone asked.
An informed person replied, "I heard they dug up something good in that Spirit Crystal Ore area."
"Really? I've heard before that Spirit Crystal Ore can yield rare treasures—materials for forging and even herbs for pill refinement." someone exclaimed.
"Exactly. This time, traces of rare treasures were found on the outskirts of the largest Spirit Crystal Ore area in the Eastern Continent, so a lot of cultivators showed up," another cultivator chimed in.
"Why don't you go in and take a look?" someone asked the person who brought the news.
"You think it's that easy? All those families and sects have blocked the area. Even if something good turns up, it's never us rogue cultivators who get it," the man said angrily.
"Why don't we team up and check the outskirts?" someone tempted by the idea suggested.
"I'm in. Why should the sects and families always get all the good stuff?" several disgruntled cultivators agreed.
With someone taking the lead, more and more cultivators grew bold. Soon, a large group formed and set off for their destination.
"These people..." Evan Yang sighed, knowing it was pointless. There were always a few reckless types who'd charge ahead when provoked.
"Big brother, let's go too!" Jade Rabbit said after the crowd had left.
"Why?" Evan Yang knew those people were just showing off, and didn't think Jade Rabbit would want to get into trouble for no reason.
"Didn't you hear? Those rare treasures aren't just formed out of nowhere. I ran into a few before, but that old guy always snatched them up first—so frustrating," Jade Rabbit explained.
"Then you must have heard—there'll be tons of sects and families there. If we go, we'll run right into them, maybe even that old guy you mentioned." Evan Yang knew that such well-known treasures would attract crowds, especially those still searching for him.
"Spirit Crystal Ore areas are usually huge. Most people just stick to the spots where treasures have already appeared. We can just take a detour," Jade Rabbit replied, sounding very experienced.
"You've been there before?" Evan Yang was tempted by Jade Rabbit's words. He'd never visited such a massive crystal mine, and wanted to see it for himself.
"I haven't been to this one, but I've gone to others with that old guy. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so eager to find me. Everyone says this crystal mine is the biggest in the Eastern Continent." Jade Rabbit had always wanted to visit this mine, but never had the chance. Hearing others talk about it today, she couldn't help but feel excited.
"The biggest?" Evan Yang muttered to himself.
"Maybe there are lots of rare treasures!" Jade Rabbit pleaded.
"What do you want those rare treasures for?" Evan Yang teased, giving her a playful look.
"Big brother, did you forget? I need to cultivate and survive too. I missed out on the good stuff in the sea of fire before, and now there's a huge crystal mine—I have to check it out." Jade Rabbit said, feeling aggrieved.
Seeing Jade Rabbit so upset, Evan Yang realized she hadn't cultivated in a long time. He stood up and smiled, "Alright, but let's ask around first about what's going on with this big crystal mine."
"Mm-hmm, big brother, you're the best!" Jade Rabbit looked at Evan Yang as if she'd found a treasure, staring until he shivered. He quickly stuffed her back in the pouch and left the inn.
After leaving the inn, Evan Yang explored many places, especially where cultivators gathered. Only after spending some time did he finally understand what this big crystal mine was all about.
This massive crystal mine was the largest in the Eastern Continent. The outskirts were divided up by families and sects, but no one dared enter the interior—because it was known as the Death Crystal Ore Zone.
When Evan Yang first heard 'Death Crystal Ore Zone,' he was shocked. But after hearing others explain, he learned that since the big crystal mine was discovered, the dangerous area had been named as such. It was one of the perilous places of the Eastern Continent, and even after hundreds of thousands of years of digging, the mine was never exhausted.
No one dared approach the Death Crystal Ore Zone—it was a place for the strong to cultivate. It was common knowledge that the purer the crystal ore, the faster the cultivation, so people fought over the ore and even used it as currency.