Chapter 1: Extracting Oil from Stones (Part 1)

The handsome old man said, “I want a complete set of natural runes, including those of metal, wood, water, fire, earth, soul, prohibition… and so on. Remember, they must all be natural runes—no copied ones.” In fact, he already had many natural runes, mostly obtained through robbery and extortion. He wanted a complete set because there were still some he hadn’t gathered. This was pure extortion.
Ruo Wangtian, Yi Jumaru, and Hua Wulang all paled. Natural runes weren’t rare to them; with their strength, they could collect many as well. But a complete set of natural runes was something they had never heard of or attempted to gather before.
Li Ran and Zhen Wuji were also surprised. Li Ran couldn’t help but laugh—Guo Shieru was truly ruthless when it came to extortion. In reality, Guo Shieru was being wronged; the real ruthless one was the handsome old man. Guo Shieru hadn’t even thought about gathering a complete set of natural runes.
No professional in this world had ever managed to collect a complete set of natural runes on their own—it was an impossible task. After all, natural runes were unique to this world, treasures born naturally here, and the foundation of the rune-casting profession. Though countless natural runes existed scattered throughout the world, finding them all was extremely difficult.
After discussing for a while, Ruo Wangtian and the others had no choice but to endure the extortion. If those three joined the attacking force, their families would never get another chance. Losing Bone Mountain meant they’d gain nothing, suffering huge losses. If they could keep Bone Mountain, their gains would far outweigh their losses.
Even together, the three families couldn’t afford a complete set of natural runes. After a long while, they managed to gather about three hundred various natural runes, some of which were duplicates and some already owned by Guo Shieru. It had taken them a great deal of effort to collect so many.
Guo Shieru stopped pressing them further, happily taking the natural runes and agreeing to their request. He wouldn’t side with either party, acting merely as a bystander.
The handsome old man happily took the natural runes and retreated to the altar. With these, he could strengthen the altar once again. He valued the altar even more than Guo Shieru—it was his true home.
Zhen Wuji shook his head and said, “You’re ruthless! Shieru, even from stones… you can extract oil!”

Li Ran just kept laughing, deeply impressed by such extortion tactics. Not only had they failed to recruit anyone from those three, but they had also been robbed by Guo Shier. By the time they left, the three of them must have been crying.

Guo Shier sat on the altar, smiling and saying, “Brother Li Ran, you should release the altar so that no one will disturb us. Hehe, if no professionals with altars beyond the ninth level appear, we’ll leave.” He knew Li Ran still wanted to find a professional with an altar beyond the ninth level, which was why they stayed here.

Li Ran nodded, and together with Zhen Wuji, they released the altar. Immediately, the professionals who had been approaching them retreated. No one would be foolish enough to attack these three; they didn’t even dare to get close, only watching from afar. Especially Li Ran’s altar attracted a great deal of attention. The leaders of various ancient clans quickly gathered to discuss the situation. The sudden appearance of a professional with an altar beyond the ninth level on the battlefield was something they couldn’t ignore.

The three flew high into the sky to get a clear view of the battlefield. Only the three of them were up there; the other professionals were all operating within a range of a thousand meters. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to come up—it was the harsh winds at high altitudes, which even the weaker altars couldn’t withstand, let alone allow them to fully utilize their strength.

Li Ran said with a smile, “This place is good. It’s safe, and we can see most of the battlefield.”

Guo Shier pointed in the distance and said, “Look, they’ve started negotiating… But I think it’s unlikely they’ll reach an agreement. To make the Yuanke Alliance, the Red Flag Merchant Alliance, and the Dayang Sect back down, the professionals from these ancient clans aren’t enough. In terms of strength… in my opinion, the professionals from the ancient clans are slightly weaker.”

Li Ran said, “Besides looking at the level of their professionals, we also need to consider their elite combat forces. Professionals with fifth- or sixth-level altars who can dominate various continents, or those with seventh-level altars who hold positions as ancestors in their clans, are only considered main combat forces here. Only professionals with eighth- or ninth-level altars are truly elite combat forces.”

Professionals with ninth-level altars were extremely rare. From Li Ran’s experience, he had only seen a dozen or so, and now, after coming to Dayuan Tan, he had met a few more. Top-tier professionals in this world were truly scarce. It was unknown how many professionals with ninth-level altars would appear from various clans this time. If a professional with an altar beyond the ninth level showed up, Li Ran would be very happy.

Obviously, even if there were experts above the Ninth-Level Altar among the various families, none of them appeared among the negotiators. Perhaps they really didn’t exist, or maybe they were hiding in the crowd, sharing the same tactics as Li Ran, aiming to strike later.
Guo Shier guessed, “It’s likely they really don’t exist. If an expert above the Ninth-Level Altar appeared during negotiations, their deterrence would be immense, and they could gain even more benefits. If they don’t show up now, it means they’re either absent or… this guy is also an idiot.”
Li Ran glanced at Guo Shier, somewhat suspicious that he might be implying something else. Guo Shier also felt his words were a bit inappropriate. Seeing Li Ran’s gaze, he quickly turned away, pretending not to see.
Zhen Wuji laughed and said, “The Gu family has barely managed to gather four professionals at the Ninth-Level Altar, and their strength is still relatively weak. Hehe, if I were still running around, I might have joined them this time too.”
Guo Shier said, “Four against five—not much of a difference. Hehe, if the difference were too large, they couldn’t fight. This time… it’s likely hard to avoid. I wonder how many professionals will die in this battle.”
Li Ran replied calmly, “If you want to secure resources and benefits, how can there be no deaths…?”
Guo Shier said, “Not necessarily… We’ve gained a lot without killing anyone.”
Zhen Wuji laughed and said, “That’s because you’re cunning… finding loopholes, manipulating others, using false pretenses to force those three families to suffer losses. I guess the professionals from those three families must hate you to death.”
Guo Shier smiled and said, “It’s an honor. I think this is the best solution.”
Li Ran said, “Little fox.”
Guo Shier laughed and said, “Am I not old enough? Little fox? I think I should be called an old fox.” He had lived three lifetimes, so it wasn’t wrong to say that.
Zhen Wuji asked, “Judging by your age, you don’t seem old. How old are you?”
Guo Shier was stunned for a moment, counted on his fingers for a while, then sighed and said, “Having wandered around for so long, I really don’t know how old I am. I can’t figure it out.”
Li Ran looked down and suddenly laughed, “Hehe, they don’t want a large-scale battle either, so they’ve started using battle formations. Interesting. Shier, you should take a close look. These battle formations here are probably at the highest level in this world.”
Guo Shier certainly knew about battle formations. If neither side wanted to engage in a large-scale battle, they would send experts to fight each other, using certain things as stakes—essentially large-scale gambling battles.

Zhen Wuji said, “It seems these three families are quite clever too. They’ve adopted Guo Shier’s method—avoiding direct conflict and instead using strength to resolve issues. Let’s go down. Hehe, I think… they’ll come to us.” As expected, as soon as the three of them landed from above, representatives from both sides came forward. Guo Shier smiled and said, “It seems you’re being asked to act as referees. Hehe, my chance has come again.” Li Ran and Zhen Wuji were speechless. This guy could find an advantage in anything—a rare skill indeed. Li Ran took the lead, using the altar to block Guo Shier while staring intently at the newcomers. Besides Ruowang Tian, Yi Jumaru, and Hua Wulang, there were two more professionals at the ninth-level altar. These two belonged to the Gu family. Ruowang Tian greeted them, saying, “Greetings, seniors.” Although the three families had been severely exploited by Guo Shier, only a professional beyond the ninth-level altar truly carried influence and could serve as a referee in battles; others, even if at the ninth level, were not qualified. The other two professionals at the ninth-level altar looked at the three of them with suspicion. They stepped forward slightly and bowed together, saying, “Greetings, seniors.” Meeting a professional beyond the ninth-level altar was considered lucky, and since this supreme expert wasn’t on their side, the Gu family’s professionals breathed a sigh of relief. “Ti Luo family, professional at the ninth-level altar, Ti Luoya.” It was an elderly woman with gray hair, sitting on a ninth-level altar. She seemed somewhat cold, but she showed great respect toward Li Ran. It was her first time encountering a professional beyond the ninth-level altar, so she felt uncertain. “Ri Gu family, patriarch of the ninth-level altar, Ri Guang.” Guo Shier almost laughed out loud. There were such strange names in this world. Ri Guang had a youthful face, but his eyebrows were completely white. Dressed in magnificent brocade robes, he appeared very imposing. However, having seen many professionals at the ninth-level altar, Guo Shier no longer felt fear toward him. Li Ran simply said, “Li Ran.” Ri Guang and Ti Luoya stood up from their altars and bowed simultaneously, saying, “We see you, senior.” After bowing, they glanced at Zhen Wuji, while completely ignoring Guo Shier. A professional at the seventh-level altar meant nothing in front of them due to the huge gap. Zhen Wuji also introduced himself, saying, “Professional at the ninth-level altar, Zhen Wuji.” Seeing that the two ignored him, Guo Shier didn’t approach to embarrass himself. Instead, he narrowed his eyes with a faint smile, seemingly lost in thought.