Chapter 3: The Battle (Part 2)

“Amazing! Grandpa Qinan is truly formidable—fighting bare-handed against a Great Beast Warrior and still holding the upper hand.”
Guo Shier was in awe. After all, Great Beast Warriors possessed the spirits of talisman beasts, giving them at least a 30% boost in strength. Yet Qinan Nanshan remained dominant throughout the fight, leaving Liu Changfeng in a mess.
Luo Jie said, “Liu Changfeng is very strong. If Da Shan hadn’t advanced, the two would have been evenly matched.”
By now, Liu Changfeng could no longer withstand Qinan Nanshan’s attacks. He suddenly dashed forward and shouted, “Wait!” As soon as those words left his mouth, more blood sprayed out. Coughing, he said dejectedly, “I lost!” Then he turned and left.
Qinan Nanshan felt both joy and regret. He knew that with his current strength, none of the West Talisman Sect’s Great Beast Warriors could match him.
The people of the North Talisman Sect were overjoyed. Previously, they had always been suppressed by the West Talisman Sect, especially in terms of warriors—whose strength was boosted by 30% thanks to the spirits of talisman beasts or wild beasts. This time, Qinan Nanshan had defeated three Great Beast Warriors in a row, leaving the West Talisman Sect’s members defenseless.
This competition saw a complete victory for the North Talisman Sect, causing a huge sensation in West Symbol City. Everyone now knew the North Talisman Sect had an extremely skilled expert.
…
After staying inside the West Talisman Sect for three days, Guo Shier hardly went outside, unless his master sent him. He spent his days in his small room, reading and practicing, ignoring everything else.
Chen Hong brought in a cup of water and asked, “Shier, reading again?”
Guo Shier found it amusing. “What do you mean ‘again’? I’ve been reading the whole time!” He took the hot water and warmed his cold hands, then asked, “Chen Hong, what’s the matter?”
Chen Hong smiled. “Hehe, I knew I couldn’t hide it from you! Shier, let’s go shopping. We’ve been here for three days without going out. It’s so boring staying in the courtyard all the time.”
Guo Shier said, “You go ahead. I still have books to read.”
Chen Hong sighed. “Shier, if you don’t go… who will dare to go?”
Guo Shier said, “Come in all of you. Don’t stay outside!” Huo Bao and the others entered the room, their faces filled with anticipation. Guo Shier sighed and said, “Alright, alright. I’ll go… Shi Tuo, go inform Uncle Eagle Demon and Uncle Luo. We’ll go together.”

Huo Bao cheered and said, “I told you, as long as Xiao Hong steps in…” He suddenly stopped speaking when Guo Shier’s murderous gaze swept over him, scaring him into turning and running: “I’ll go call Uncle Eagle Demon…”
Chen Hong’s face turned slightly red, but she remained calm and said, “I’ll go find Uncle Luo.”
Guo Shier said, “Shi Tuo, since they’ve gone to inform the uncles, you go find the person in charge here and ask him to find us a guide.”
Hong Shi also turned and left.
Guo Shier put on a thick leather coat, heavy leather boots, and a large leather hat, fully equipping himself. As the weather grew colder, he became increasingly uncomfortable with the local climate.
Soon, Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan came in. Eagle Demon smiled and said, “Shier, why do you want to go out today?”
Guo Shier replied, “I’ve been cooped up in the room for too long. I’ll go for a walk and take a look at their market. Maybe there are some unique items I can buy to give as gifts.”
Eagle Demon said, “Before we all go out, let me remind you to bring your weapons. Hehe, fights can happen at any time, and in the West Symbol Gate, one cannot refuse a fight.”
Luo Zhan said, “Everyone knows about the battle between Old Master Qi and the West Symbol Gate a few days ago. Hehe, it’s an honor. Once you go out, you’ll be watched closely because we’re from the North Symbol Gate.”
Guo Shier felt dizzy. “Uh, so that means as long as we go out, we’ll definitely fight?”
Eagle Demon affirmed, “That’s right!”
Guo Shier smiled bitterly. “This is the West Symbol Gate. If they all attack together, what chance do we have?”
Eagle Demon replied, “That won’t happen. It’s usually a one-on-one fight between people of the same level, unless you choose to challenge someone above your level.”
Guo Shier asked, “What if I get killed?”
Eagle Demon said, “If you die, someone will come to collect your body… So be careful in fights. If you lose, don’t hold on—admit defeat immediately. People here won’t mock those who fail, because no one can win forever.”
Guo Shier remembered the battle with Qi Nanshan a few days ago. The people of the West Symbol Gate indeed did that—once they realized they couldn’t win, they immediately admitted defeat without hesitation. He said, “Okay, I get it.” Suddenly, he thought of something and asked, “Uncle Eagle Demon, if someone challenges me, can I ask you to fight instead?”
Eagle Demon couldn’t help but laugh. This kid was really lazy. He said, “Unless it’s a team vs. team fight, in a one-on-one fight, you can’t refuse…”

Guo Shier couldn’t help but curse, “What the hell is this rule? What if some big beast martial artist challenges me? How am I supposed to fight?”
Luo Zhan said, “Don’t listen to Eagle Demon. Challenges usually only happen between peers at the same level; otherwise, everything would fall into chaos.”
Chen Bing said, “If it’s a squad against a squad, hehe, we’re invincible!”
Eagle Demon said, “Of course. With us two great masters here, any squad that comes will be completely destroyed.”
Guo Shier said, “Alright, let’s go. We probably can’t make it to Xifu City—it’s too far. Let’s just stroll around the inner sect’s market. There should be plenty of good stuff there… I hope there’s no fighting. I’m a civilized person.”
“A civilized person? What does that mean?”
Eagle Demon had never heard that term before. Guo Shier smiled and said, “Compared to barbarians.”
Luo Zhan was also confused. He said, “Barbarians… seem like people with strong martial skills, right?”
Guo Shier said, “Mm, that’s the idea…”
Eagle Demon said, “Hmm, I like barbarians. I don’t like civilized people.” Luo Zhan and the four kids agreed as well, leaving Guo Shier frustrated. He snapped, “Let’s go, you bunch of barbarians!”
Huo Bao said excitedly, “I’m a barbarian! Haha, I’m a barbarian…” Guo Shier was speechless. He rolled his eyes and said, “Find me a carriage… It’s so cold. I don’t need to ride a horse; a carriage is more comfortable…”
Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan exchanged a wry smile. This little brat was extremely afraid of the cold. It was hard to imagine how he had survived that journey across the grasslands, where it was constantly snowy and much colder than in the city.
The inner sect of Xifu Gate had several large markets, just like those in Beifu Gate, all serving the inner sect disciples and their families. People from the outer sect couldn’t enjoy these services unless they got special permission. As for people from Xifu City, aside from certain merchants, ordinary people simply couldn’t get in.
“We’re here!”
Guo Shier got off the carriage. As the leader of the squad, Eagle Demon and the other six relied on him for support, so he also enjoyed their services. Looking up, a huge stone archway stood before him, with three big characters on it that left Guo Shier speechless.
“Beast Market!”
Guo Shier couldn’t help but say, “Damn, who came up with this name? So creative!”
Eagle Demon asked puzzledly, “What’s wrong with it? The Beast Market is the most famous market in the inner sect.”
Guo Shier said, “Hmm, I wonder if there’s a Thug Street?”
Eagle Demon said, “I’ve never heard of any Thug Street.”

Guo Shier sighed and said, “Sigh, we have nothing in common. Come on, let’s go in… and act like beasts.”
Eagle Demon had been wandering the great plains all along and never saw anything wrong with being called a beast. He laughed and said, “Great! Let’s act like beasts then, hehe.”
At Xi Fu Gate, “beast” was just an ordinary word, carrying no positive or negative connotation. The professional system of Xi Fu Gate was built on the concept of beasts.
The group entered the Beast Shop.
Guo Shier lazily followed Eagle Demon and asked, “Uncle Eagle Demon, what’s special about the Beast Shop?”
Eagle Demon replied, “In the market where beasts are sold, if you’re lucky, you might see live talisman beasts, hehe. But according to your classification, there would be at most first- and second-grade talisman beasts—there won’t be any seventh-grade ones.”
Guo Shier laughed and said, “Seventh-grade talisman beasts? Hehe, uncle, you’re joking. If it were a seventh-grade talisman beast, it could definitely destroy the entire inner sect—it’s that powerful.”
There weren’t many people in the Beast Shop. When Guo Shier and his group arrived, the disciples of Xi Fu Gate’s inner sect stared at them as if they were rare beasts, their eager expressions clearly visible on their faces. Guo Shier forced a smile and said, “They seem pretty unfriendly, hehe.”
Eagle Demon wasn’t surprised. “That’s normal… Your Grandpa Nanshan defeated three great beast martial artists in one go. It would be strange if they were friendly.”
Luo Zhan said calmly, “We shouldn’t stir up trouble, but we don’t need to be afraid either. If they dare to challenge us, we’ll hit them hard so they won’t dare to come again.”
Guo Shier asked, “Uncle Eagle Demon, which is the biggest shop in the Beast Shop?”
Eagle Demon laughed and said, “You should be able to see it now. It’s around the corner. See the sign? That’s it.”
“The Beast Pavilion!”
Guo Shier could only force a smile. In his past life, “beast” was a clear derogatory term, yet here it was openly used as a sign and a symbol. He said, “Alright, let’s go to the Beast Pavilion.”
The Beast Pavilion had a large sign, but a small entrance, mainly due to the local climate. Lifting the thick beast-skin door curtain, Eagle Demon led the way, with Luo Zhan behind, protecting Guo Shier as they entered.
Inside, it was brightly lit and crowded with customers. As soon as Guo Shier and the others entered, those people’s gazes pierced at them like knives and swords. Guo Shier laughed and said, “There are quite a few people in here.”
“Hey, aren’t those people from Bei Fu Gate? What are they doing here?”
A woman stepped out of the crowd, examining everyone curiously with an unreserved gaze.

There are generally few women among professionals, especially in the West Talisman Gate and the North Talisman Gate. It is said that there are many female professionals in the South Talisman Gate, and quite a number in the East Talisman Gate as well.
This woman was clearly a professional, as she had followers—two Beast Warriors following behind her.
Guo Shier asked, “Can’t we come here?”
“Sis! I found something great—please help me buy it!”
A little girl ran down from upstairs. The woman said, “Xiaoyun, come here quickly.”
The little girl saw Guo Shier and the others at once and showed a surprised expression. She hurried over to the woman and asked in a low voice, “Who are they?”