Trading system, I exchanged vegetables for golden pills.

Xia Wudi then said with a smile, "Of course, being a guardian has its advantages. If there were no advantages at all, I wouldn't have bothered to invite you!"

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow: "Oh~, tell me, what are the benefits?"

Ye Chen had actually guessed that there were some advantages to it. The probability of a guardian joining was 100%. Thinking about it the other way around, there must be conditions that were hard to refuse!

Joining Beidou has its benefits; you can't become a guardian empty-handed!

Even without flowers and applause, it still has some substance.

The immortals on land are not real immortals, but rather beings without desires or wants.

Of course, Ye Chen did not choose to join for the so-called benefits.

The benefits were negligible to him, but he wouldn't refuse them if they were available.

Who can resist a free benefit?

Xia Wudi kept everyone in suspense: "I'll keep you in suspense about the benefits for now. You'll find out this afternoon. Let's eat first; I'm afraid you won't be able to eat after you find out!"

Ye Chen glanced at Xia Wudi: "Wow, judging from your attitude, you're getting pretty good benefits!"

The three old men exchanged a glance and smiled without saying a word.

Ye Chen didn't press for details about the benefits, but instead asked, "Are there other places on Blue Star like us?"

Master Lu Yin nodded: "There are definitely some, but not many, however..."

Ye Chen did not interrupt and let Master Lu Yin continue speaking.

"However, although there aren't many people—you could count them on one hand—there are quite a few animals!"

Master Lu Yin seemed somewhat worried as he spoke.

Xia Wudi and Ma Dongcan also put away their smiles, their expressions becoming more serious.

Ye Chen asked suspiciously, "Animals? What do you mean, like...?"

Actually, he had this suspicion in his heart, but he still wanted to find out more clearly.

The mythical creature he and Ah Long released earlier was the best example; Ye Chen believed its cultivation level definitely exceeded Foundation Establishment.

It's even very possible that it could be above the Golden Core stage.

From that time on, Ye Chen had a new understanding and conjecture about this world.

Ma Dongcan chimed in, "For example, I've seen a dragon at the Golden Core realm when I was gathering ginseng. And then there's Little Sakura's giant snake; although it's subject to some restrictions and can't act freely, its strength is at least at the Golden Core realm, or even higher!"

Ye Chen blinked: "Above the Golden Core stage?"

"That's uncertain, but that's the message Xiao Qi brought back from his mission in Sakura!" Ma Dongcan sighed.

When Ye Chen went to Xiaoyinghua to carry out the mission, he immediately thought of someone. The Xiao Qi that Lao Ma mentioned should be Senior Qi from Beidou.

Senior Qi had already stepped into the Golden Core Realm before carrying out the mission, but he still returned severely injured. Therefore, the information he brought back should be quite accurate.

Ye Chen's expression also became somewhat solemn; he hadn't expected such a creature to exist.

It seems he was a bit too arrogant before!

Some even had the idea of ​​going there to cause trouble like the cherry blossoms, but if they went there rashly, it might be dangerous.

If that giant snake was truly at the Nascent Soul stage, then he was no match for it in the past.

No wonder the Orochi Group dared to be so arrogant; they have powerful backers and are therefore fearless!

"Are there any other beings like the giant serpent?" Ye Chen asked tentatively.

If so, he'd better keep a low profile in the future, because this world is more dangerous than he thinks...

It seems he'll have to lie low for a while longer!

Xia Wudi glanced at Ye Chen: "Knowing about one is already a huge headache for us, how many more do you want?"

Ye Chen scratched his head. Well, he had successfully stimulated the weak nerves of these old men.

Xia Wudi remained silent for a long while before finally saying, "Alright, you're a member of the Guardians now too. I won't hide it from you; we estimate there are no fewer than three, not including those native to China!"

Ye Chen's eyes nearly popped out when he heard the number—no less than three?

Holy crap, are you serious?

There are only 5 guardians, including him, and they are all at the Golden Core stage!

Now tell him there are at least three Nascent Soul level creatures...

It seems he needs to hurry up and cultivate. Although his spiritual power has reached the Nascent Soul stage, the strength of the second level of the Golden Core stage still doesn't give him much of a sense of security.

He would need to cultivate to at least the late stage of the Golden Core realm before he would feel somewhat secure.

Ye Chen understood and agreed with Xia Wudi's last sentence.

The flying creature he and Ah Long encountered last time should have been at least of this level.

"Since there are beings that have reached the Nascent Soul level, have any people reached that level?" Ye Chen couldn't help but ask.

The answer he most wants to hear right now is that humanity also has Nascent Soul level guardians, but they are in seclusion and do not come out!

When Ye Chen saw Xia Wudi nod without hesitation, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, yes, that's good. If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. It's alright now."

Xia Wudi nodded and sighed softly, "Alas!"

Hearing Xia Wudi sigh, Ye Chen immediately had a bad feeling: "Hey Xia, you're not going to say something else, are you? I don't want to hear it! Do you guys always talk like this, taking such long breaths? My heart can't take it!"

Xia Wudi gave a wry smile: "Do you think I don't want to say something to boost morale? I can't lie to you. There were definitely Nascent Soul cultivators in the past, and more than one. The founder of the Taiyi Sect was one of them, but they're all gone now!"

"That's it? You mean there are no Nascent Soul stage cultivators left? Not a single one? What about the foreigners?" Ye Chen was extremely upset.

The good news is that there used to be Nascent Soul cultivators, and humans could cultivate to that level. The bad news is, it seems like they're all gone now...

Xia Wudi shook his head: "Yes, it's definitely gone. The Nascent Soul stage is a thing of the past. As for how it disappeared, don't ask me. I don't know either. That's all I know!"

"Damn, what you're saying makes me feel really insecure. A powerful demon with a Nascent Soul but no cultivators with a Nascent Soul? Are you kidding me!" Ye Chen couldn't help but mutter.

Ye Chen finally understood why the three old men had those expressions when Nascent Soul level beings were mentioned.

Damn it, if danger arises, they're the only ones left to deal with it. A Golden Core cultivator fighting a Nascent Soul cultivator... they could be killed in the blink of an eye.

It seems being a guardian isn't so easy. Ye Chen's head was buzzing.

"Then, since there are beings of this level, why are they so quiet? Logically speaking, stirring up trouble shouldn't be difficult for them!" Ye Chen asked, voicing what puzzled him.

Xia Wudi rolled his eyes: "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? Maybe there are some restrictions, or some taboos, that prevent me from acting recklessly."

Hearing this, Ye Chen could barely consider it good news.

Although there are Nascent Soul beings, they don't seem to pose a threat to him for the time being.

Okay, then it's fine. What he needs most right now is time!

Give him another year or two, and maybe he'll break through again?

At that point, we won't care if they're at the Nascent Soul stage or not; we'll just beat them up one by one!