Chapter 161: An Opportunity to Ascend to Heaven in One Step?

"It's people from the Shengda Merchant Guild!"

"I didn't expect them to have received the news and rushed over too."

"These two have always been at odds; now we're in for a good show."

A wave of discussion suddenly erupted all around.

Lu Yu was also caught off guard; he hadn't expected the Shengda Merchant Guild to suddenly cut in.

"Friend, the prices offered by our Shengda Merchant Guild will be even fairer."

The man in the lead let his gaze fall on Lu Yu, looked him up and down, then the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing a hint of arrogance as he said: "Looking at you, this must be your first time in Yongan City, right? How about it, are you interested in joining our Merchant Guild?"

Hearing this, a clamor suddenly broke out all around.

Lu Yu frowned slightly.

The attitude of the person opposite was truly arrogant and rude, and he had pointed out his status as a newcomer right away; although this was something anyone with a sharp eye could see, it still made one feel uncomfortable.

What's more, the other party was spouting nonsense about him joining the Merchant Guild, which was baffling.

Thinking of this, he shook his head without hesitation and said:

"Sorry, I just want to sell these prey, I have no intention of joining any Merchant Guild."

Sheng Yuan was slightly stunned, then his eyes narrowed, a hint of displeasure showing in his gaze as he said: "Friend, you might not yet understand what it means to be able to join my Shengda Merchant Guild."

"What do you mean?"

"What do you mean?"

Sheng Yuan chuckled, his tone full of smugness as he said: "The boss of my Shengda Merchant Guild is none other than those few renowned Awakened lords in Yongan City!

If you join my Shengda Merchant Guild, it is equivalent to joining under the command of those few Awakened lords.

Not only will you be able to bring your family to settle in Yongan City, but you will also have plenty of opportunities in the future to see those lords and serve them; this is an incomparably glorious thing."

As soon as he finished speaking, the eyes of the crowd looking at Lu Yu were filled with envy.

For people like them, what they had always dreamed of was obtaining a quota to settle in Yongan City.

However, for ordinary people, this was simply harder than ascending to heaven.

But for Awakened, or Martial Artists who have reached the In-Jin stage, it is relatively easier.

Of course, it's not to say that just any Awakened or In-Jin Martial Artist can do it; there is a prerequisite, which is that one must serve the few Awakened lords in the city. Only in this way is there a chance to enter Yongan City to settle down.

But what is wrong with that? Those few Awakened are the big shots who control the entire Yongan City!

And Sheng Yuan, as the younger brother of the Merchant Guild's president, his words could, to a certain extent, also represent the intentions of those few Awakened.

As long as this person in front of him agreed, the next moment, he and his family could obtain the right of permanent residence in Yongan City!

However,

Beneath the mask,

Lu Yu's brows were tightly furrowed into a "chuan" shape.

What does that mean? Let him go work his life away for those few C-Rank Awakened?

He couldn't wait to beat those bastards who imprisoned Sister Meng Yu until they were missing teeth; go work for them? What a joke!

"Sorry, I just want to sell the Fierce Beast materials."

He shook his head firmly once again.

Sheng Yuan's expression turned extremely ugly in an instant.

He never imagined that even after he had said all that, the other party would still refuse.

He is just an In-Jin Martial Artist, didn't he just kill a dozen or so Intermediate-level Fierce Beasts? Does he really think of himself as some remarkable figure?

"Friend, have you really thought it through? Once this village is passed, there won't be this shop."

He stared fixedly at Lu Yu, complex light flickering in his eyes.

"Friend, this is an excellent opportunity for you to ascend to heaven in one step; you must think about it carefully."

Behind Sheng Yuan, a middle-aged man advised meaningfully.

He himself was an In-Jin Martial Artist, and a Dark Energy Martial Artist at that.

Yet even so, in front of those few Awakened lords, he didn't even have a chance to fight back.

Under those few Awakened, there were even Hua-Jin Martial Artists serving them!

The surroundings were silent, so quiet that one could hear a needle drop on the ground. Countless eyes stared fixedly at Lu Yu, as if they wanted to see right through him.

Standing to the side, Liu Yong's eyes revealed a hint of unease.

He had personally brought people to rush over, not just to acquire the Fierce Beast materials in Lu Yu's hands, but also harboring the intention of winning Lu Yu over to join the Martial Arts Association.

There were only a few dozen In-Jin Martial Artists in total in Yongan City, and everyone was very familiar with each other. Therefore, regardless of whether Lu Yu wore a mask or not, appearing so high-profile while dragging a pile of prey would certainly attract others' attention at the first moment.

It wasn't just Liu Yong; the Sheng Yuan opposite held the same goal.

Anyone with a sharp eye could see that the momentum on Sheng Yuan's side was much stronger than on Liu Yong's side; this wasn't really a secret either.

One must know that Awakened and ordinary people are completely two different classes; some Awakened don't even treat ordinary people as their own kind.

And Awakened and Martial Artists actually belong to different classes as well. Although everyone fights for the human race, the people at the top might have decent relations, but the people at the bottom get along very ordinarily.

Take their Yongan City branch for example; it had always been suppressed by those few C-Rank Awakened in Yongan City, squeezed at every turn, and its strength was just so-so.

Therefore, once the Martial Artists here reach the In-Jin stage, most choose to join Yongan City to serve those few Awakened, rather than joining the Martial Arts Association.

Liu Yong had considered this point from the beginning, so he wasn't in a hurry to offer an olive branch, but intended to take it slow.

"No need." Just then, Lu Yu's voice broke the silence.

If it were Awakened from other places, Lu Yu might consider joining for the sake of obtaining resources, but for those few in Yongan City, he would not agree under any circumstances.

"Good, very good." Sheng Yuan nodded with a gloomy face, staring dead at Lu Yu, and said coldly: "I hope you won't regret today's decision in the future."

After speaking, he flicked his sleeves and left with his group without looking back.

Seeing this scene, the people around shook their heads and sighed, feeling that Lu Yu's decision was too irrational.

By refusing Sheng Yuan, he was effectively refusing those Awakened lords; it would likely be difficult for him to gain a foothold in Yongan City from now on.

"How inexplicable," Lu Yu muttered to himself.

He had merely brought his prey to Yongan City to sell for some money and exchange for a few Blood Qi Pills; he hadn't even entered the city yet, and he had already run into a group of people forcing him to pick a side.

They were actually angry that he wouldn't stand with them; it was clear they were accustomed to being arrogant and didn't hold anyone else in regard.

"Friend, don't take it to heart."

Liu Yong's face was full of smiles as he spoke: "Let's continue our previous discussion; I wonder if you would be willing to sell all these Fierce Beast materials to us?"

In truth, Liu Yong had been thinking about recruiting Lu Yu into the Martial Arts Association all along, but bringing it up at this moment felt a bit like taking advantage of someone's predicament.

Therefore, he decided to wait until the transaction between the two parties was complete before finding a suitable opportunity to sincerely invite Lu Yu.