Chapter 8: Reward

Tie Li prepared in a hurry, not thinking to bring a container.

Without protective measures, the spiritual energy will dissipate.

"You can swallow it directly; I'll protect you," Li Li said.

He felt a bit guilty and intended to make amends for Tie Li's protection.

Tie Li was not shy; after swallowing the Mystic Spirit Grass, he sat cross‑legged on the ground and began refining.

Unique spiritual energy flowed from his abdomen, and his martial soul involuntarily manifested, strands of white light encircling the martial soul.

It gradually improved the quality of the martial soul.

At that moment, a commotion came from below; two injured Soul Masters helped each other and, unaware, walked toward the mountain peak.

Li Li immediately went to block them.

Just then, Tie Li suddenly stopped refining, got up, and went to the spot where the Mystic Spirit Grass had just been harvested.

He took a unicorn horn from his bosom to dig, and a flash of delight crossed his tightly knit brows.

A bead resembling dew was unearthed by Tie Li.

Without a hint of emotion, he picked up the Iron Arm Ape's skull and slipped the bead into it.

To avoid drawing attention, he took a rope, bound the Iron Arm Ape's corpse, and slung it on his back.

"Little brat, be sensible and get out of the way."

The two, seeing Li Li dare to block them, felt an unnamed fury rise within them.

Even though they were injured, they were still Soul Masters.

One white, one yellow; the two's Soul Ring Configuration was identical, both being double‑ring Grand Soul Masters.

Li Li summoned his martial soul, and a yellow Hundred-Year Soul Ring appeared.

"I've already absorbed the Soul Ring; let's go!"

Tie Li's voice came from behind, not only reminding Li Li but also giving the other two an explanation.

The two, seeing the Iron Arm Ape on Tie Li's back, couldn't help but think.

No wonder that little brat dared to block them; it turned out a companion was absorbing a Soul Ring.

All of this seemed reasonable.

Li Li naturally understood Tie Li's meaning: the Mystic Spirit Grass couldn't be exposed, but in this short time, could he fully refine it?

In Li Li's view, Tie Li stopped because he wanted to avoid conflict, which added to his guilt.

But asking him to produce a Mystic Spirit Grass to make up for Tie Li was certainly impossible.

"You'd better leave from the other side; out there there's a band of thieves."

These two were Soul Masters from a caravan; for certain reasons, they chose to hide in the forest.

"Could you do a favor? Report to the Wind and Snow Trading House in Manuo City; they'll reward you," the other Soul Master couldn't help but say.

"If we don't encounter thieves, perhaps we can," Tie Li said.

Tie Li and Li Li didn't want to linger here; the two slipped into the forest, and if the thieves might have also entered, they still needed to leave quickly.

Li Li had two Mystic Spirit Grasses on him, while Tie Li had slipped the bead into the Iron Arm Ape's skull.

Both carried treasures, so naturally they wanted to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible.

"Thanks."

…

Perhaps it was luck, or perhaps they wound around to avoid the thieves; when the sun rose in the morning, the two safely returned to Manuo City.

"Want to go together to the Wind and Snow Trading House?" Tie Li asked.

"I'm not going; are you going?"

"Hmm, not only is there a reward, we can also sell the Iron Arm Ape to them."

Li Li currently just wants to refine the two Mystic Spirit Grasses; not only can it boost the martial soul's quality, but also raise his soul power level using the grass's spiritual energy.

The competition at the Intermediate Soul Master Academy will become fiercer, putting considerable pressure on him.

Since Li Li isn't going, Tie Li will go alone.

Before that, Tie Li extracted the Mystic Spirit Dew from the Iron Arm Ape's skull.

Seeing the Mystic Spirit Dew, a smile tugged at Tie Li's mouth.

Li Li clearly hadn't studied properly; the roots of the Mystic Spirit Grass sometimes produce Mystic Spirit Dew, whose effect is several times that of the grass.

If the Mystic Spirit Grass sells for five hundred Gold Soul Coins on the market, the Mystic Spirit Dew goes for five thousand Gold Soul Coins.

After securing the Mystic Spirit Dew, Tie Li carried the Iron Arm Ape's corpse to the Wind and Snow Trading House.

The manager of the Wind and Snow Trading House, upon seeing Tie Li, knew he had come to sell a Soul Beast corpse.

Many Hunting Soul Groups take on Soul Ring hunting contracts; after their employers absorb the Soul Rings, they package the Soul Beast corpses and bring them back to sell to trading houses or inns.

When Tie Li entered the Wind and Snow Trading House, he saw the manager—burly, dressed in lavish clothes—with a Soul Master beside him; Tie Li could sense the soul power fluctuations around him.

"Eh? It's a Hundred-Year Iron Arm Ape."

The plump manager wasn't surprised by the Hundred-Year Iron Arm Ape, but by Tie Li's age;

A boy who seemed only ten could actually slay a Hundred-Year Soul Beast.

"So, how much can you sell it for?"

"Aside from the back wound, the hide is intact and the body whole; only the skull is severely damaged, so the price can be set at about thirty Gold Soul Coins."

The plump manager couldn't help but examine the Iron Arm Ape's skull several more times;

The Iron Arm Ape must have been beheaded by the boy; why is the skull so badly damaged?

When Tie Li heard thirty Gold Soul Coins, his eyes instantly brightened; he had thought it could only fetch twenty.

With this windfall, his family's situation could be resolved; even if Tie Wen and Tie Wu have to enter the Soul Master Academy, it wouldn't be a big problem.

"Right, when I returned I ran into your trading house's caravan; they were ambushed by bandits and asked me to report to you. They said you would give a reward." By the end, Tie Li's tone grew a few degrees heavier.

"What?" The fat supervisor's face changed, and he immediately rose to deal with the matter.

As for Tie Li's reward, a staff member nearby was sent to fetch it for him.

Leaving the Wind‑and‑Snow Trading House, Tie Li felt the money pouch in his chest again.

A total of forty Gold Soul Coins.

With money in hand, ideas naturally multiplied.

For example, now Tie Li is fantasizing about saving up to purchase a high‑level meditation method.

The strength of a Soul Master family or sect, besides a powerful inherited martial soul, requires constantly tapping the martial soul's potential to stay prosperous.

The future development direction of the martial soul, the optimal pairing of Soul Rings with the martial soul to generate soul skills, and the creation of the most suitable meditation method for the martial soul.

A family that inherits the Iron‑armored Rhinoceros martial soul might develop three development paths within the clan: strength, defense, and offense.

They record each Soul Ring absorbed and the soul skill produced with their own martial soul, then across generations match Soul Rings, summarizing the best Soul Ring combinations for the martial soul's development direction.

Achieve the best possible pairing of martial soul and Soul Rings.

Equally unignorable are meditation methods; a sect or Soul Master family with deep foundations always has a meditation method that best matches its inherited martial soul.

Do not underestimate any sect or Soul Master family; with a massive base, a dazzlingly extraordinary Heaven‑Pride will inevitably arise to fill the missing gaps.

If Tie Li could obtain a high‑level meditation method, preferably of the strength or elemental type, he would choose to cultivate it without hesitation.

Cultivating a high‑level meditation method not only speeds up cultivation, but also subtly improves the quality of the martial soul.

(End of Chapter)