Chapter 9: The Hiring Association (Part 1)

Guo Shier said, “A wandering professional, Guo Shier.” He didn’t care about revealing his real name—this world valued strength above all, and names were unimportant.
Wan Ruoyu said, “It’s an honor for our association to have you join us, senior.”
Then Luo Jie revealed his altar. Wan Ruoyu was instantly shocked. She stared in awe for a long moment before exclaiming, “Oh my god, a seventh-tier altar…” Those with more than a fifth-tier altar were true top professionals—regardless of their family or sect, they occupied the highest rank, without exception.
The altar flashed briefly before disappearing above Luo Jie’s head. He didn’t like to carry it around constantly; showing off his strength was enough, so the altar appeared only for a short time.
Wan Ruoyu couldn’t believe that among these six people was someone with a seventh-tier altar. In her shock, she didn’t even realize it was a famous Soul Altar.
Luo Jie said indifferently, “Luo Jie, a wandering professional.” Another wandering professional. Wan Ruoyu covered her forehead in frustration—when had wandering professionals ever had such experts among them?
Qi Nanshan also revealed his altar and said, “Heh, a wandering professional, Qi Nanshan.” His altar disappeared just as quickly.
Wan Ruoyu exclaimed in horror, “A sixth-tier… altar!”
Qi Nanshan nodded. “Is there a problem?”
Wan Ruoyu stammered, “No… no problem…” She thought to herself, “This is terrible! Experts with sixth- and seventh-tier altars… Oh my god, what day is it today? How could such experts join the association?”
Next, Ying Mo and the others revealed their altars—one after another, all of them professionals with first-tier altars.
Wan Ruoyu was astonished. The strength of these six people could easily sweep through an entire family—it was terrifying. Without hesitation, she sent a message token directly to the headquarters of the Hiring Association. Seriously, with six solid altars, three of them at the Ancestor level—she simply couldn’t handle such people.
Guo Shier said, “Go through the procedures for senior membership. We need to take on a mission.”
Wan Ruoyu didn’t dare delay or say more. She immediately ordered her subordinates to get things started while waiting for a reply via the message token.
The two servants following Wan Ruoyu nervously issued senior membership jade tokens to the six people. They were all low-level professionals who had never seen such high-level experts in their lives. Not to mention experts with sixth- or seventh-tier altars—even those with first-tier solid altars were rare.

The talismans were prepared quickly, and the Eagle Demon immediately started to take on missions. Their purpose in joining the Mercenary Association was not that—it was to go to the Gumi Continent.

Wan Ruoyu received a reply letter. After checking it, she said, “Someone from headquarters will be here soon. We hope to meet with all of you esteemed guests.”

The Eagle Demon said, “We’ll set off for the Gumi Continent in about ten days.”

Guo Shier said with a smile, “There’s enough time. We can even take a break in Yejian City.”

Luo Jie said, “Miss, we won’t meet with anyone from your headquarters. Um, is there any place… you can recommend for us to stay?”

Wan Ruoyu looked troubled. “There’s no problem with accommodation, but… someone from headquarters has already arrived. Um…” Her face turned slightly red. If Luo Jie refused to meet, she couldn’t do anything.

Guo Shier said, “Then let’s meet. We have a few things to ask.”

Luo Jie replied nonchalantly, “Shier, you decide.”

Wan Ruoyu immediately breathed a sigh of relief. She hurriedly said, “Please come to the guest lounge to rest.”

Everyone went to the guest lounge. It was a lounge specially designed to entertain altar-level experts, spacious with partitions made of screens, and the floor covered with thick animal skins. Guo Shier and the others sat cross-legged, and various exquisite fruits and fine wines were quickly placed on the low tables—all provided free of charge.

Wan Ruoyu also sat down. As the person in charge here, she had contributed greatly to the recruitment of these high-level professionals. For professionals like her, who couldn’t go out to gather materials, they relied on various rewards and points to obtain what they needed. So, with Guo Shier and the others joining the association, she could receive many rewards.

She said, “Please rest for a while. The senior professionals from headquarters will arrive soon.”

Guo Shier nodded and asked, “Is there any information we don’t know about the Gumi family hiring expert professionals this time?”

Wan Ruoyu glanced at Guo Shier in surprise. She couldn’t understand why these high-level professionals came here, joined the Mercenary Association, and immediately rushed to take on their first mission, whose prerequisite was an altar-level professional. It seemed to her that they joined the association just for this mission, but she didn’t dare ask too much.

She said cautiously, “This mission was issued by the Gumi family. It caused a stir as soon as it was announced, but not many altar-level professionals have joined yet. So far, the Gumi family has refused to reveal the reason behind issuing this mission. It seems simple on the surface, but it has inscrutable backstories.”

Eagle Demon laughed and said, “I’ve seen the task. Hehe, it’s quite fun—stay in the Gu Mi family for a while and be part of the team tasked with protecting the family’s city. That’s all there is to it.”
Wan Ruoyu said, “Well, I just got some news. It seems the Gu Mi family offended a few extremely powerful high-level professionals, which is why this task was issued.”
Guo Shier said casually, “Are there any particularly powerful high-level professionals taking on this task?”
Wan Ruoyu replied with hesitation, “We’d have to go to the headquarters to find out… And for the employers, this should be confidential information of our association; it can’t be disclosed casually…”
Guo Shier nodded. It wasn’t surprising—the employment association should keep the identities of those taking on tasks secret. He said, “Hmm, then I won’t ask anymore.”
Wan Ruoyu was under great pressure sitting there, especially in the presence of Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan. The slight pressure of their souls, inadvertently revealed by the two, made her feel very uneasy.
At that moment, a servant came in and said, “The seniors from the headquarters have arrived.”
Wan Ruoyu quickly stood up and said, “Please wait a moment. I’ll be right back.” She left in a hurry.
Luo Jie said, “This place is nice. We should come back again if we get the chance.”
Guo Shier laughed and said, “Better not. After this task, they’ll know what we do. If we come back here, who knows if they won’t cause trouble?”
Luo Jie replied indifferently, “They’d dare!”
A moment later, three people came in from outside, with Wan Ruoyu following behind. Guo Shier and Eagle Demon were stunned. They recognized the person at the front—it was Chou Mo, whom they had met in the Bloody Secret Realm. Back then, he was a professional at the fifth-tier altar. However, Guo Shier and Eagle Demon had changed greatly, so Chou Mo didn’t recognize them.
Guo Shier also recognized the two people behind Chou Mo—they were his two disciples.
Wan Ruoyu stepped forward and introduced them, “This is Lord Chou Mo, a professional at the fifth-tier altar.” Then she introduced Luo Jie and the others one by one. When it came to Guo Shier and Eagle Demon, a hint of confusion flashed in Chou Mo’s eyes. It seemed he remembered something, but then dismissed it and said, “Pleasure to meet you!”
Everyone stood up. After all, he was a professional at the fifth-tier altar, and basic courtesy was necessary. Luo Jie nodded and said, “Pleasure to meet you…” With his current strength, he actually didn’t need to be too formal.

Guo Shieru hesitated for a moment but ultimately held back from asking about Li Ran’s situation. He didn’t know Choumo’s current status nor whether Choumo was in contact with Li Ran, and he didn’t want that to affect his revenge plan. Since he now had the chance to enter the Gumi Continent, he didn’t want to create extra complications.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Choumo and the others invited everyone to sit down. He asked, “I wonder where Brother Luo comes from?”

Luo Jie replied, “We came from a secret realm and accidentally discovered Yejian City. Hehe, this is our first time here; we didn’t know anything about it before.”

Qi Nanshan said, “We’re just wandering professionals, traveling around to see different places, so we don’t have a fixed residence.”

Choumo thought to himself, Wandering professionals? He had never seen professionals with such high strength before. You see, once they reached the altar-level, most professionals would attach themselves to a family or sect because they needed a large amount of materials to advance. A lack of materials was the biggest problem for altar-level professionals, and to make progress more easily, they wouldn’t continue wandering outside.

However, Luo Jie and his companions were extremely powerful, so Choumo knew he needed to be cautious. He introduced Yejian City and sincerely invited everyone to stay, explaining that he didn’t have time to remain there.

Realizing he couldn’t force them, Choumo chatted with them a bit more before getting up to leave.

Wanruoyu immediately arranged accommodation for everyone. On a street not far from the Employment Association, she prepared a small courtyard and asked Luo Jie and the others to stay there temporarily.

Guo Shieru said, “I need to retreat for the next ten days or so… Hehe, I should be able to advance to the fourth level of the altar.”

Luo Jie asked, “Do you have enough materials?”

Guo Shieru nodded. “I have everything. The materials from robberies, plus those I already had, are sufficient for the advancement.” With the old man helping to construct the altar, it was easier for him to advance compared to ordinary altar-level professionals.

Luo Jie nodded. “Alright. Those who want to rest can stay, and those who want to go out can do so. Everyone is free to act during these ten days.”

Nanyou didn’t say a word and left the courtyard right away. He had long wanted to explore the outside. The city was full of strange things, and he was eager to experience its local customs. He also wanted to buy some local specialty products. This was a habit among all professionals—when they arrived in a strange city, they always looked for something unique.

Yingmo stayed in the courtyard, habitually guarding Guo Shieru. Especially when Guo Shieru was in retreat, he would definitely stay outside to watch over him.

Luo Jie, Qi Nan Shan, and Luo Zhan also left the courtyard, with the three of them splitting up to act separately. Unlike Nan You, they had reconnaissance tasks to carry out—first, they needed to learn more about the situation in Wildfield City and gather any available information.

Guo Shier entered the room, set up the altar, and asked, “Elder Shuai, why are you in such a hurry to advance?”

Elder Shuai replied, “Your soul is already strong enough, and all the necessary materials are in place. Advancing now is just right…” His tone was somewhat heavy.

Guo Shier grew curious and said, “That can’t be the reason you’re in such a hurry to have me advance, right?”

Elder Shuai said, “The battles ahead will become increasingly brutal. Although I can help, it’s your own strength that truly matters. At least that way, if you can’t win, you’ll have the ability to escape. Reaching the fourth-tier altar… means attaining a certain level of professionalism, granting you greater soul power. You know, aside from the professionals from the Gu Mi family, this mission for the Hiring Association can help the Gu Mi family recruit many altar-level experts. This strength cannot be underestimated.”