Chapter 32: Soul Points

A voice, ancient and raspy, drifted from within the shop—like a demon from the Nine Underworld—sending chills down the spine.

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed, his mind racing. He knew he could be here only because of the Soul Token; at least his safety was guaranteed.

Xiao Yan took a deep breath, unafraid, stepped to the door, and gently pushed open the rotting wooden panel, stepping inside.

The first impression the Soul Sacrifice Old Shop gave Xiao Yan was that this wasn't a shop at all—it felt like stepping into a graveyard, a haunted place.

Inside the Soul Sacrifice Old Shop, the light was dim, illuminated only by a few candles placed on the counter; the entire shop was pitifully small, smaller than the tiniest shop in the Xiao Clan's marketplace.

Aside from a dilapidated wooden cabinet of indeterminate age, the left and right walls held only shelves thick with spiderwebs—nothing else.

Beside the cabinet hung a black curtain; Xiao Yan could not see what lay behind it—only utter darkness, leading nowhere he could tell.

At that moment, Xiao Yan's gaze fell upon an old man seated before the counter, his right hand propping up his cheek, eyes closed, as if dozing off. The old man was emaciated, skin clinging to bone, sunken eye sockets, only a few sparse strands of hair—his appearance made him look more like a corpse three days dead!

Had it not been for the voice just now proving he was alive, Xiao Yan might have jumped back in shock, truly believing a dried corpse sat there.

Even for someone as bold as Xiao Yan, this place raised goosebumps all over his body; the air itself was cold, deeply unsettling.

Gathering courage, Xiao Yan stepped to the counter and lightly tapped the surface. "Hello, old man—what is this place?"

Hearing Xiao Yan's question, the old man slowly stirred, like a dried corpse moving, his eyelids creaking open to reveal a pair of deep green eyes fixed on Xiao Yan—like ghostly eyes.

"You don't even know what this place is—and yet you dared walk in?" The old man's voice, hoarse and low, emerged from his throat.

Xiao Yan felt embarrassed, forcing a nervous laugh. "I was just wandering around, then accidentally wandered here."

The old man cracked a grin, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth, half missing. "No one without my clan's permission can pass through the spatial barrier to reach this place."

After a moment's thought, Xiao Yan did not hide it—he pulled the black token, made of some unknown material, from his pocket.

The old man's eyes narrowed slightly, studying Xiao Yan with curiosity. "You're neither of the Soul Sovereign clan nor a member of the Soul Sect—yet you possess our Soul Token. Interesting. Very interesting."

Xiao Yan rubbed his nose. "A man named Hun Xu Zi gave me this. He said I had talent for Spirit Refining and urged me to come to Wang Du in the Jia Ma Empire to join the Soul Sect."

Xiao Yan's words were half-truths: the token was indeed given by Hun Xu Zi—but Hun Xu Zi had never said Xiao Yan had talent for Spirit Refining, nor had he begged him to join the Soul Sect.

Xiao Yan's goal was to elevate himself.

Hearing this, the old man smiled meaningfully, then stiffly shook his head, closing his eyes as if about to sleep.

"This is the Soul Sacrifice Old Shop—our Soul Sovereign clan's external transaction hub."

"Transaction?"

Only now did Xiao Yan seriously examine the items on the shelves. When he brushed aside the spiderwebs and saw what lay upon them, his expression changed instantly.

"Chen Xiang Soul Wood! This is an extremely rare treasure! Ground into powder and worn in a sachet, it slowly enhances Soul Strength—and it's the primary medicinal material for refining Six-Grade Soul Pills!"

"Dream A Flower Honey."

"Dragon Millet Rice!"

Xiao Yan turned his gaze to a gemstone beside the Chen Xiang Soul Wood. When he identified it, his eyelids twitched violently—it was Yin Yang Stone, one of the primary medicinal materials for refining the Seven-Grade Pill, Yin Yang Dragon Soul Pill.

Whether Yin Yang Stone had other uses, Xiao Yan didn't know; had it not been for the Pill Formula for Yin Yang Dragon Soul Pill stored in his space ring—which described this gem—he wouldn't have recognized it at all.

"Jie jie jie, not bad. You've got an eye for value."

Xiao Yan had spent over a decade memorizing every Pill Formula, the Herbal Medicine Collection, and the Rare Treasures Illustrated Guide in his space ring—but even now, some items here eluded him.

Without exception, every item Xiao Yan recognized was extraordinarily valuable—starting at least as Five-Grade Pill medicinal materials.

Xiao Yan swallowed hard, pointing at a dried leaf in the cabinet behind the old man. "How much for that leaf?"

The most valuable item Xiao Yan recognized was unquestionably the dried leaf behind the old man.

The old man spoke without emotion. "The main leaf of the Di Mai Sacred Tree—it nourishes the Spiritual Soul, extends lifespan, and is the primary medicinal material for refining the Eight Grade Pill, Soul-Returning Pill. The Soul-Returning Pill can repair fragmented souls and restore Soul Force."

The old man recited its uses flawlessly, as if listing family heirlooms.

"Not expensive. One high-level Dou Zong's Spiritual Soul."

!!!!!!!!

The items here were not traded with Gold Coins or Elixirs—but with the Spiritual Souls of cultivators!

"No wonder the books say the Soul Sect hunts Spiritual Souls across the continent," Xiao Yan realized inwardly—the Soul Sect's currency was Spiritual Souls!

Xiao Yan shrugged helplessly. "Forget Dou Zong—I'm barely a Dou Zhe, not even a Dou Shi. Forget it. None of this suits me."

A Dou Zong? Even if the man lay on the ground, Xiao Yan couldn't harm him even if he emptied all his Fighting Qi.

"Boy, these things are but a drop in the ocean. Everything here was taken from the Black Horn Region—mere junk sold by Soul Envoys to earn Soul Points."

"What my Soul Sovereign clan possesses goes far beyond this."

The old man was frail, yet his tone was immense.

Xiao Yan internally scoffed: how alike all Soul Sect members are—the last one called Bone Spirit Cold Fire trash, and now this one calls everything here junk.

But Xiao Yan finally understood the purpose of this Soul Sacrifice Old Shop—it was the Soul Sect's black market. Even if you weren't a member of the Soul Sect, you could trade Spiritual Souls here for goods.

And from the old man's words, these items were useless to the Soul Sect; the truly valuable things were traded with Soul Points.

As Young Clan Leader, Xiao Yan understood well: every Faction had its own merit points. The Xiao Clan's Cultivation Methods and Magic Crystal Weapons could only be exchanged for merit.

For example, the Xiao Clan's Medicine Gathering Team earned higher merit for collecting rare Medicinal Materials.

The purpose was to motivate disciples.

"What can Soul Points buy?" Xiao Yan asked curiously.

The old man grinned. "Anything."

Xiao Yan's eyes sharpened. "Even Spirit Flames?"

The old man seemed to anticipate Xiao Yan's desire for a Spirit Flame. He grinned, emitting a grating laugh. "Jie jie jie—of course! Even specific intelligence on a Spirit Flame's location, methods to capture it—all available, if you have enough Soul Points."

"My Soul Sovereign clan can provide it all."