Chapter 418: Mutual Probing

Ye Liuyun didn't know this person's intention, so he didn't dare to reply. He only silently probed the other's strength.

On the Azure Hawk beside them sat five people. All wore iron masks, so their faces were completely hidden. The one speaking to him was probably at the Heavenly Gang Seventh Layer. The other four, clearly guards, stood around him, each at the Heavenly Gang Third Layer.

"What a strong power! But they shouldn't be from the Golden Peng Dynasty," he thought, feeling much more at ease when he saw they all wore masks. People of the dynasty wouldn't travel wearing masks.

The man speaking to him, seeing Ye Liuyun give no reply, asked again, "What, outsider, are you planning to defect to the Golden Peng Dynasty?"

Ye Liuyun used his Golden Pupil to look through the mask and saw his true face: a middle‑aged man in his forties, thick eyebrows, large eyes, a square jaw, and a stern expression.

Ye Liuyun liked his impression of the man, so he casually replied, "Just passing by."

The man immediately sensed that Ye Liuyun had seen through his mask. "You've got some skill! Interested in joining our Iron Eagle Sect?"

"Not interested!" Ye Liuyun said without hesitation, refusing outright.

"Hahaha!" the man laughed a few times, said nothing more, then activated the Azure Hawk and flew away first, leaving Ye Liuyun looking bewildered.

"What a strange fellow!" Ye Liuyun shook his head helplessly. "But I might keep an eye on the Iron Eagle Sect in the future. I don't know what kind of Sect it is."

This iron‑masked man was the deputy sect leader of the Iron Eagle Sect, Jing Wudi. For someone of his stature to actively recruit an unknown foot soldier already shows how much he values Ye Liuyun.

In fact, he had only felt bored on the road and was testing Ye Liuyun; if Ye Liuyun had agreed on the spot, he would have looked down on him.

The Iron Eagle Sect is considered a top‑tier great Sect within the Golden Peng Dynasty, but its relationship with the dynasty is tense, and both sides vie for influence over this region.

Their information network is swift; they had already been notified by a branch. He now knows that Ye Liuyun can tame beasts, can fight beyond the Third and Fourth Realms, has a strong Divine Sense, and can see through things. From a brief encounter, he discerned all this.

But he hadn't expected to run into Ye Liuyun, so he was just toying with him. Whether he truly intends to recruit Ye Liuyun will require further observation.

After seeing the Azure Hawk enter the city, Ye Liuyun folded his Flying Boat from a distance, followed the crowd into the city, and after making inquiries, headed straight for the Tianyu Pavilion.

He hasn't released the others yet. On one hand, to let them practice in peace; on the other, to avoid Lei Ming and others causing unnecessary trouble.

The Tianyu Pavilion inside the Royal City is far more grand than the one he saw in North County, built like a palace, splendid and magnificent.

After entering the merchant guild, Ye Liuyun didn't go straight to the Steward; instead he called a sales guide to attend to him.

This Tianyu Pavilion, unlike Wanbaoge, has no one who knows him; to attract the merchant guild's Steward's attention, he first has to let the sales guide see his strength.

His current attire is a black robe that wraps him tightly; at a glance he is a Demon Cultivator. So the sales guide dares not provoke him, yet doesn't have high expectations for him.

Famous and powerful Demon Cultivators all know each other; Ye Liuyun is a fresh face, possibly just passing through. Passing customers usually don't spend much.

Moreover, when she heard Ye Liuyun wanted to sell rather than buy, she lost interest. Typically Demon Cultivators don't have many valuables, and aren't especially wealthy.

Thus her attitude toward Ye Liuyun is courteous but not particularly enthusiastic.

Ye Liuyun understood the reason, so he wasn't in a hurry. He directly took out the Storage Rings he had gathered and the supplies from the City Lord's Treasure Vault. These items had already been inspected by Wu Qingcheng and were things they couldn't use.

"Sell all these items and exchange them for Spirit Stones. If the price is good, I have even better things to sell later," he said lightly.

Ye Liuyun spoke casually, but when the sales guide saw the items inside, a smile instantly spread across his face and his body leaned almost onto Ye Liuyun.

Inside there were over thirty spirit artifacts alone, and countless cultivation supplies; she was about to make a fortune this time!

"Sir, I apologize for my poor eyesight just now! How may I address you, young master? Are you converting all these items into Spirit Stones, not Crystal Stones?" she asked again.

"My surname is Ye. Yes, exchange everything for Spirit Stones," Ye Liuyun said, ignoring her change in tone and simply stating his request.

He believed that converting these items into Spirit Stones should be enough to persuade their Steward. If not, he'll sell a few more items from the Poison Dragon Treasure.

"Very well, I'll consult an appraiser to calculate the price and report back immediately. Would you like to move to our VIP lounge to rest? I can arrange for some fine tea and snacks."

As the saying goes, money makes the ghost turn the mill; the sales guide's attitude made an instant 180‑degree turn.

"Fine," Ye Liuyun didn't decline. He followed the sales guide into the VIP lounge. Inside were four maids attending, a piano could be played, and food and drink were served—completely different from an ordinary trading room. Moreover, the privacy was superior, with a formation that better blocked Divine Sense detection. People at the Heavenly Gang Realm generally cannot have their Divine Sense penetrate here.

Ye Liuyun relaxed, listening to the piano music and sipping tea while waiting for the sales guide to return.

Soon after, the sales guide returned happily. "Young Master Ye, we have exchanged a total of 209,869 Spirit Stones, plus some change. I just applied with the Steward and can give you 210,000 Spirit Stones in total; does that work for you?"

Ye Liuyun nodded without speaking. The sales guide then ran to fetch the Spirit Stones for him.

"Over two hundred thousand Spirit Stones—that's a substantial amount!" Ye Liuyun, not seeing the Steward arrive, silently suspected. Still, he wanted to test whether the Steward would appear if he left.

But he wasn't in a hurry; after the sales guide returned the Spirit Stones, he didn't count them, tossed them into a Storage Ring, and stood up to leave.

"Young Master Ye, didn't you say you had other items to sell us?" the sales guide, seeing the value of the items Ye Liuyun had just presented, assumed there were better ones. Seeing him about to leave, he hurriedly asked, fearing to miss a bigger profit opportunity.

"You can't handle the remaining items!" Ye Liuyun said calmly, lifted his leg, and prepared to leave.

The sales guide, who had just made a big profit and was excited, now felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, his heart chilled. It seemed the big money was now out of reach.

But just as Ye Liuyun stepped out of the VIP lounge, a Steward greeted him.

"Young Master Ye, I am the Steward Mao, sorry! I was occupied with other matters and couldn't come promptly, causing you to wait," the elderly Steward said very politely.

Ye Liuyun's black robe concealed his face, so the Steward couldn't see his expression. Yet Ye Liuyun's mouth curved into a smile. "Old fox, trying to test me—did you think I'd negotiate a big deal with a sales guide?"

He only thought that to himself and didn't say it aloud. Some things are understood by all; speaking them would be pointless.

Steward Mao indeed only wanted to gauge Ye Liuyun's caliber. If Ye Liuyun dealt directly with the sales guide, Mao wouldn't need to intervene and could instead press the price down.