Translator: Jon Editor : Dhael Ligerkeys The transaction was successful. During the process, the Manager didn’t even ask what Lu Ye’s name was. That was because the moment he set his eyes on the thousands of Storage Bags, he realized Lu Ye’s identity. The battle in the mine where 2,000 cultivators of Thousand Demon Ridge were killed had caused an uproar, so those of the Divine Trade Association were naturally aware of it. In fact, they knew more details than an average cultivator. After all, the Divine Trade Association was involved in all sorts of business, including the collection and sale of information. At this point, on the entire Cloud River Battlefield, no one could produce so many Storage Bags other than Lu Ye. Empty Storage Bags weren’t worth a lot of money, but there was a large amount of them. Coupled with the miscellaneous items Lu Ye intended to sell, it was a significant transaction all in all. As such, the Manager was meticulous with the calculations, and it took him half a day before he passed the money to Lu Ye. After stepping out of the room, the Manager suddenly turned around with a hesitant expression. He looked at Lu Ye and said meaningfully, “The area around the Association has been bustling with noise as of late. I hope it won’t disrupt your rest.” With that, he cupped his fists and turned around to leave. Lu Ye closed the door and walked toward the window. Then, he concealed his figure and looked out in secret. Yi Yi asked, “What’s wrong?” “Our whereabouts have been exposed.” “Huh?” Yi Yi was astounded. “No way!” “It’s to be expected. Many people must have seen me shouldering a large package. The fact that a cultivator is carrying a huge package is suspicious. It was only natural that I drew some attention back then.” Anyway, Lu Ye had already expected the outcome. He had no other choice at that time unless he was willing to give up the loot. Otherwise, he couldn’t possibly conceal his presence in the wilderness with so much loot. “However, those people didn’t see my face, and I kept Amber in the Spirit Beast Bag. So, even though they suspect that I’m hiding here, they don’t have any evidence.” Yi Yi suddenly recalled what the Manager had said before he left. She didn’t think too deeply about it at that time, but she now realized what he was trying to say. “Did the Manager try to give you a heads-up?” Lu Ye dipped his head. A doubtful Yi Yi asked, “Isn’t the Divine Trade Association known for being impartial? They’ve never been involved in the fight between the two sides. Why did they do you a favor all of a sudden?” “It’s not necessarily a favor.” Lu Ye walked away from the window and took a seat before pouring himself a cup of water. Then, he took a sip and continued, “Maybe they’re worried I’ll misunderstand that they’re the ones who have exposed my whereabouts.” That was the reason the Manager appeared hesitant before he left. It was because the Divine Trade Association would never interfere in the battle between the two sides. Supposedly, there wasn’t a need for the Manager to give Lu Ye any information. However, if the Manager didn’t give Lu Ye a heads-up, there would be a misunderstanding when he stepped out of the Divine Trade Association and was immediately besieged. If Lu Ye was resentful of the Association because of this, their reputation would be tarnished. The Manager was hesitant, and he didn’t make himself clear. Nonetheless, Lu Ye could naturally understand his not-so-veiled hint. Anyway, even if the Manager said nothing, Lu Ye would still discover the anomaly outside. He had been busy opening the Restraining Locks for the past few days, so he was oblivious to the situation outside. When he had some time to look out the window, he would realize something was off. The Manager’s hint was helpful, but it wasn’t necessary. “What should we do now, then?” Yi Yi asked. “What else can we do? Just keep them waiting.” Regardless of how eager those people were to kill Lu Ye, they couldn’t barge into the Divine Trade Association and cause a scene, for conflicts were not allowed here. Even if Lu Ye left the Association, those cultivators might not be able to destroy him. However, ever since he left Ameliorate Valley, he had been on the run and involved in the battle of wits against his opponents. As such, he was exhausted and in need of rest. He tapped on the Battlefield Imprint to look at his own information. Name: Lu Yi Ye Identity: The disciple of the Crimson Blood Sect Cultivation: Fifth Order Cloud River Realm Location: Cloud River Battlefield Contribution Points: 176,520 Battle Points: 56 When he left Ameliorate Valley, he only had around 70,000 Contribution Points, but it was now over 170,000. Naturally, it was thanks to his experience in the mine. To most cultivators, a few thousand to ten thousand Contribution Points were a lot, but to Lu Ye, Contribution Points were merely a number. For the time being, he had no major use of the points other than using them to buy some Mystic Flames from the Vault of Providence or call upon the Divine Opportunity Column’s help when he was in danger. However, as far as he was concerned, Contribution Points were very useful to Real Lake Realm Masters. It could be said that in the cultivation world of Jiu Zhou, Contribution Points were an integral part of a cultivator’s life. Regardless of how powerful a cultivator was, he could never do without Contribution Points. The need for such points was especially immense when one ascended to the Real Lake Realm. As for the exact use of such points, Lu Ye didn’t ask about it. He had only heard Shui Yuan talking about it when he was in the headquarters of the Crimson Blood Sect back then. Since there was a huge need for Contribution Points, the heritage of a Sect couldn’t be propped up by a few powerful cultivators only. The quality of the weaker cultivators was especially important. Shui Yuan had been stuck in the Ninth-Order Real Lake Realm for years, and it wasn’t until last year that she ascended to the Divine Ocean Realm. The main reason was that the Crimson Blood Sect was poor, so she didn’t have sufficient Contribution Points to increase her power. Otherwise, she would have made it to the Divine Ocean Realm long ago, considering her aptitude. The aptitudes of the first-generation Senior Brothers and Sisters of the Crimson Blood Sect were some of the best in the entire Jiu Zhou. The deceased Eldest Senior Brother, Feng Wujiang, needed no introduction. He was a figure who had led a huge army and almost wiped out the opposing side. Although it had been over 30 years since he passed away, the legends about him were still prevalent in Jiu Zhou. Shui Yuan, Xiao Xinghe, and Li Baxian were all gifted, and Li Baxian was especially talented. If not for the fact that his Spiritual Points were damaged, which made him get stuck on the Spirit Creek Battlefield for over ten years, he would’ve been close to ascending to the Divine Ocean Realm by now. For the time being, Lu Ye didn’t intend to leave the Divine Trade Association, and he could cultivate his power with peace of mind as he had ample resources. That left his opponents who were waiting for him to appear feeling restive. Although these cultivators, who had come from different places and speculated that Lu Ye was hiding inside the Divine Trade Association through various traces, no one had seen him entering the place. As such, they were not sure if he was even there. They could only stay outside and wait for Lu Ye to show up. The prerequisite was that he was indeed inside the Association. Nonetheless, seven to eight days had passed, but Lu Ye was still nowhere to be found. Some of them were already running out of patience. They believed that even if Lu Ye was inside the Divine Trade Association, he wouldn’t leave the place anytime soon, for the outside world was dangerous, so it was safe for him to hide inside the Association. Furthermore, Lu Ye was a filthy rich man with countless Contribution Points, and coupled with the fact that he had looted the Storage Bags of 2,000 cultivators, he naturally wasn’t lacking cultivation resources. They wouldn’t be surprised even if he decided to stay inside for one to two years. While Lu Ye could stay in the Association for a long time, these cultivators couldn’t possibly wait for him indefinitely. They were not even sure if Lu Ye was hiding in the Association, and even if he was, they had no idea when he would show up. Therefore, many cultivators had no patience left, which prompted them to leave one by one. However, there were still those who were waiting, like Chu Yun and Zhou Pei of Cult Blackfyre. They were not lacking patience. As long as they could destroy Lu Ye, they were willing to wait for eight to ten years, let alone one to two years. Several days had passed in the blink of an eye. Lu Ye had been enjoying his life at a leisurely pace. He would consume Spirit Pills to cultivate and read some books every day. Although it wasn’t as efficient as when he was in Ameliorate Arcane Glade, the difference wasn’t huge. He wasn’t fussy about his cultivation environment, after all. Moreover, the World Spiritual Qi in this room was equivalent to that of a Secundus-level Arcane Glade. The only problem was that the accommodation fees were expensive, which were out of reach for most people. Certainly, a wealthy man like Lu Ye wasn’t bothered by it. His rationale was simple. Regardless of how many resources he had, they were external items. Only when he turned them into his internal power could their true value be unlocked. Most of the time, Yi Yi would stay by his side and cultivate in silence. She and Amber were inseparable. Whichever one of them cultivated, it would also help increase the other’s power. This was an advantage no cultivator or Spirit Beast had in Jiu Zhou. It was also the reason Yi Yi and Amber were able to keep pace with Lu Ye when it came to their increase in powers. In the past, Lu Ye was always slightly more powerful than Yi Yi and Amber, but they were basically equal now. It was mainly thanks to the Mutant Core of the Champion-class Spirit Beast. There were times when Yi Yi would go out there to buy some food for Lu Ye or gather some information. People were only aware that Lu Ye had Amber with him; they never learned of Yi Yi. That allowed Yi Yi to move around without worries. When the door was pushed open, Yi Yi stepped into the room in excitement. “Lu Ye! Lu Ye! There’s an auction of Amulets in the Association tonight.” “Oh?” Lu Ye’s interest was piqued. It had been half a year since he arrived at the Cloud River Battlefield, and he had acquired many Amulets through various means. However, it was the second time he came across an auction of Amulets. This was also the only chance he could buy Amulets with Contribution Points. He was never lacking Contribution Points. In the previous auction he had participated in, he had bought most of the Amulets. “What Amulets are there?” “I heard there’ll be a Purple Amulet.” Yi Yi put down the lunch box. Amber leaned close and took a whiff, but the tiger lost interest when it realized the food had been cooked. “Are we going to take part in it?” “Let’s take a look later.” Lu Ye could take this opportunity to find out if there were any Flames of Earthen Spirits on sale in the Vault of Providence. Following the battle in the mine where he had killed 2,000 enemies, he had run out of fuel for the Tree of Glyphs. Although he had a reserve of Flames of Earthen Spirits, they were to be used at the most critical moment. As such, he decided not to touch them. Since he had ample Contribution Points now, he decided to shop around in the Vault of Providence.