Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Chapter 656 Trap

Veronica smiled and led him to a table further inside, where she personally poured him a cup of hot tea.

She sized up Xilun across the table, but her heart was far from as relaxed as her face suggested.

The old Xilun was also sharp, but that sharpness was visible.

Now he sits there, his breathing extremely steady, and only when he occasionally raises his eyes does one suddenly remember that the person in front of him is still holding a gun.

"The news from the Linglong Tower has arrived." She pushed the teacup forward. "Sixth in the inner courtyard, congratulations."

Although the words were simple, my heart was filled with surprise and caution.

Clearly, the fact that a friend she had casually befriended in the past had now risen to sixth place in the inner academy and was even setting his sights on becoming a core disciple was hard for her to believe.

Xilun did not continue the pleasantries.

"I'm looking for some sea creatures."

Veronica paused in her act of serving tea.

"Alive?"

"I want their location and their abilities."

The smile on her face faded a little, and she sat up straight.

"What level?"

"Third-tier top-level, the more unique the methods, the better. Those who rely solely on brute force need not be sent."

Veronica looked at him for a while.

"This request is not cheap. The location is easy to find, but the ability is hard to verify. Some information requires risking lives to test."

"Prices will be set according to the rules."

"Are you planning to go by yourself?"

Xilun looked up but did not answer.

Veronica understood, nodded gently, and didn't ask any more questions.

In the information business, the biggest taboo is putting curiosity before rules.

She got up, took a thick book, turned to the middle pages, and began to recount the news she had recently received.

A third-tier sea beast lurks beneath the reefs, its carapace capable of deflecting blunt force shocks; a strange creature that frequents deep trenches sprays a sticky substance that corrodes iron; and another that excels at hiding in sea fog, once inflicting heavy losses on a team of hunters.

Xilun asked very detailed questions.

Who is the witness? When was the last time they appeared? What does the wound look like? Did anyone bring back scales or tissue?

After several rounds of questions and answers, Veronica simply closed the booklet.

"None of these are suitable?"

"The first one relied too much on its shell, the second one's rank is questionable, and news about the third one came out half a year ago."

Xilun picked up his tea and took a sip.

"I'm not in a hurry to leave today. Inaccurate information is more troublesome than no information at all."

Veronica sighed softly.

"I understand. What you need isn't a nautical chart, but someone who has actually witnessed how it kills people."

Xilun nodded.

"Ideally, someone will come back alive."

Veronica looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"That's the truth. Leave your requirements, and I'll keep an eye out for you. There's been a lot of news from the north lately; if there's anything suitable, I'll have someone send it up the mountain."

The mention of the north stirred something within Xilun.

"Over there in the tribe?"

"Some of them, what, you've heard about it too?"

"I've heard some of these things, but I haven't verified them."

"Then let's wait for the evidence." Veronica didn't boast. "In this area, five out of ten rumors have been tampered with, and the other three are rumors that even the people who said them don't understand."

Xilun put down his teacup and left a deposit.

"Let me know if you have any news."

When I left Zuihua Residence, the streetlights were already on.

He returned along the mountain path and did not go anywhere else.

In the following days, Xilun continued his practice as usual.

After completing the Overturning Sea Technique, the speed at which one can continue to refine the remaining strength is not as astonishing as it was during the breakthrough, but there is no longer any significant obstacle.

He set aside time each day to hone his marksmanship, repeatedly practicing the more than one hundred marksmanship techniques of the woman in gray.

As for hunting sea monsters, we'll have to wait for news for now.

On the afternoon of the fourth day, people from Zuihuaju came to their door.

What was delivered was a sealed paper bag.

Xilun inspected the seal, and after opening it, he first saw a simple map of the northern coast, followed by a stack of neatly written records.

Fire Ghost Tribe.

His gaze froze.

The name Elena had mentioned before actually appeared in this commission.

According to reports, many tribes are scattered in the northern part of the island, and there are no roads between them, and their languages ​​and customs are also different.

In some places, people still cover themselves with animal skins, retain the custom of eating raw flesh and blood, hang bone ornaments around the village, and hold totem worship after nightfall.

But the extraordinary nature of these people is astonishing.

Typically, a tribe of around 10,000 people can produce one Tier 3 Extraordinary Individual.

Xilun read the line of text again.

Ten thousand people, third rank.

If placed in a resource-poor area lacking a complete heritage, such a ratio would be quite alarming.

There seem to be many extraordinary individuals in Star Ring City, but that's because trade routes, academies, families, and countless riches converge here, making it incomparable to isolated tribes.

Totems clearly play an important role in this.

These tribes do not only worship inanimate objects. Behind some totems are powerful alien species that dwell in bays and caves.

Tribes offer food and flesh in exchange for protection, or even some kind of power that helps them embark on an extraordinary path.

Offering something does not mean subjugation.

In recent years, there have been several incidents of totem beasts going out of control in the north.

The village was destroyed, the priest was killed, and in the end, the survivors had to spend their savings to hire extraordinary beings from outside to kill them.

This time, the one involved was the Fire Ghost Tribe.

A rebellion broke out within the tribe. A group of people seized control of the totem beast that they had been worshipping together, and used it to destroy the dwellings of the rebels and block nearby passages.

Those who escaped carried their valuables and pleaded for help, hoping someone could slay the giant beast.

Xilun turned the page.

The descriptions of the behemoths are not exaggerated; on the contrary, they are quite specific.

They live in bays year-round and can move between land and water. Their scales are dark black, and they emit unusual heat when injured.

Witnesses said it left burn marks on the wet mud, and that attackers' strength would be briefly disrupted when their weapons touched the scales.

Rank assessment: Top-tier third rank, possibly approaching the ultimate level.

Xilun's finger paused on the edge of the page.

Such methods are indeed worth noting.

But he didn't pack his things immediately; instead, he continued reading.

Veronica left a note at the end, indicating that some escapees had entered the southern town, and that the commission had not come out of thin air. However, the specific strength of the totem beast still needed further verification.

Xilun put down the letter, pondered for a moment, and then wrote a reply.

He wants to see the person who provided the information.

At the same time, it is also necessary to confirm the route from Star Ring City to the Fire Nether Tribe, as well as the location where the giant beast was last seen.

The wind outside the window rustled the corner of the paper.

Xilun reached out and pressed it down, his gaze returning to the narrow bay at the northern end of the map.

At the same moment, in a study in Star Ring City, Celtic was also looking at a picture.

However, in addition to the Fire Nether Tribe, his map also included several places marked with ink dots.

"Have you given the instructions?"

His voice was calm.

The servant standing by the table bowed and handed over the report in his hand.

"Everything is arranged. The tribal rebellion is real, the totem behemoth is real, and the news sent to Zuihuaju went through normal channels. Veronica only knew that someone was offering money for help, but she didn't know that we were behind it all."

Celtic nodded slowly.

"Don't present the news in a too-sounding way. He's not the kind of person who would ignore everything else just because he sees an opportunity."

"Understood. We've made sure all the missing parts are covered and arranged for people who actually escaped from the north."

"What's the route?"

"Someone will tell him that taking the marked path will make it easier to reach the client."

The study was quiet for a moment.

Celt reached out and stroked the black and gold longsword on the table. The cold touch traveled up his fingertips, calming the inexplicable restlessness in his chest.

Three months later, he was sixth in the inner courtyard.

These past few days, every time he thinks of those words, they feel like a thorn in his side.

When the one-year agreement was first made, he still had the leisure to mock Swain.

But now, only three months have passed, and he has already begun to calculate in the dead of night how fast that man's gun would be and how much his strength would be tempered if he were given another ten months.

Strictly speaking, there are less than ten months left in the assessment period.

But that number is no longer important.

He didn't want to wait nine months or ten months.

"My uncle has already agreed," Celtic said.

The servant slightly raised his head, then lowered his voice: "That lord—has broken through?"

"Just broke through to the fourth rank."

Celtic finally showed a slight smile.

"A fourth-tier extraordinary being can keep an eye on a third-tier one without any problems. Once he arrives at his destination, he can then lead Xilun to a suitable location."

"Young Master wants to—"

"I want to fight him myself."

The Celt interrupted the servant.

He wasn't foolish enough to think that winning once outside would allow him to arbitrarily erase the assessment rules established by the elders.

But rules are rules, and once a person has had a bone broken, they will eventually remember the pain when facing the same enemy again.

He wanted to make Xilen remember him.

Remember the helplessness when the blade falls, remember the feeling of all asceticism being crushed head-on.

Ideally, every time you close your eyes to cultivate in the future, you should remember this battle.

"There's still a lot between the fourth and sixth." Celt gripped the hilt of his knife, slowly standing up. "I'm confident I can make my move now."

The servant kept his head down and did not reply.

If it were truly a sure thing, why bother inviting a fourth-tier extraordinary individual?

But of course, he dared not say those words.

Celt walked to the window, looking at the mountain silhouette of the Holy Light Monastery in the distance, the smile in his eyes gradually fading.

He didn't feel that he was afraid.

There's no need to hand over the initiative to others, nor is there any need to wait for Xilun to make all the preparations before standing proudly before us.

The copper coin trading company could offer him more than just medicine.

Information, manpower, and roads are all forms of power.

"There's one more thing," the servant hesitated for a moment, "I've found some information about the old history of Xilun."

"explain."

"He has only been truly cultivating for about five years now."

Celt's hand, which was holding the knife, suddenly stopped.

Outside the window, wheels rolled over the stone road, the sound growing louder as it receded into the distance.

After a long while, he turned around and folded the map on the table.

"As soon as possible."

This time, he didn't say he was sure he would win.

Three days later, late at night.

Outside the Holy Light Monastery, in a secluded forest off the mountain path, Xilun pushed aside the branches blocking his way and suddenly stopped.

A huge bird of prey lay nestled among the trees ahead. Its feathers were grayish-white, and its back was marked with pale silver patterns like flowing clouds. Although its wings were folded, they still flattened a patch of the surrounding vegetation.

Hearing the noise, it slowly turned its head, its amber eyes sweeping over Xilun, and a low growl emanated from its curved beak.

A double saddle had already been installed on the broad back, with a thick felt padding under the leather straps. A middle-aged man sat in front of the saddle, wearing a neat gray robe with a few strands of white hair at his temples. He looked refined and easy-going, not like a hunter who had fought against ferocious beasts for many years, but more like a shopkeeper sitting in a store doing accounts.

"Mr. Siren?" The man nodded with a smile. "Setting off at night means calmer winds and fewer eyes to be seen. Come on, we'll talk on the way."

Xilun did not approach immediately, but first glanced at the bronze medal he was handed over.

The notch on the bronze plaque and the flame engraving on the back match the tokens checked during the day.

During those three days, he met two real northern refugees, and the injuries on their bodies matched the details of the rebellion.

He had already registered at the monastery to go on a training expedition, bringing plenty of medicine and dry rations, and even memorized several roads near the Fire Ghost Tribe.

The originally agreed-upon exotic express train was replaced by this bird of prey just before departure.

The man seemed to sense his confusion and patted the saddle: "Flowing Cloud Eagle, there are several sections of the road that have been destroyed. Taking a detour will take too long, and the tribe cannot afford to wait."

Xilun took a few steps closer and examined the layers of feathers.

He had heard of the Flowing Cloud Eagle before, but this was the first time he had ever seen one in person.

These exotic horses that can be ridden are extremely rare, and they are exceptionally difficult to tame, making them far more expensive than ordinary exotic horses.

However, it is not good at long-distance flight. Carrying two people, it can only fly a thousand miles at a time before reaching its limit, after which it must eat and rest.

interest.

Such an expensive item, yet its durability is so poor, no wonder it's rarely seen.

"The Fire Ghost Tribe still keeps mounts like this?" Xilun asked.

The man's smile remained unchanged: "Traveling around all year round, one needs something convenient for getting around. I do some business outside, and I can barely afford it."

The aura emanating from him was roughly at the third level of cultivation, with distinct levels of depth, and it didn't feel particularly oppressive.

"What new information?" Xilun pressed on with this question. "The records from Zuihuaju indicate that someone is using a totem beast to cause chaos, but you said yesterday that you wanted to kill another ferocious beast."

The man sighed softly: "News is always delayed. The rebellion is real, but those people didn't have long to be triumphant. Another thing came to the bay and swallowed our totem beast. Now the mountains are in chaos. How could those who escaped before know what happened next? That's why I rushed back."

He took out a piece of charred animal bone from his pocket, with fine bite marks remaining on the surface. "Found at the totem sacrificial site. We no longer expect to reclaim the old land. We only hope that you will take action and destroy that ferocious beast so that the living can have a way to go."

Xilun took the animal bone, sensing the strange aura remaining on it, his eyes flickered slightly.

It devours powerful alien species, can move freely on land and water, its scales disrupt the opponent's energy, and its wounds release heat.

If some phenomena recorded in the previous and subsequent records belong to the same ferocious beast, then its talent is probably greater than it thought.

"Let's get there first, I want to see it with my own eyes." Xilun handed the animal bones back and turned to sit in the saddle behind him.

The man didn't rush him, but only reminded him to fasten his belt.

The Flowing Cloud Eagle stood up, its thick legs sinking into the mud, and then suddenly flapped its wings.

Leaves swirled and twigs scattered, and Xilun felt a sudden sinking as the entire forest receded beneath his feet.

After a few rises and falls, the lights of the monastery had turned into a cluster of tiny dots of light in the distance.