Chapter 9: Trouble Caused by Recruitment (Part 2)

Yu Zhong said, “Nonsense! You released so many Spirit Beasts… and even Soul Devouring Beasts. How could I possibly win? I give up!”
Not only was Guo Shier stunned, but Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan were also shocked. Guo Shier wondered, “No way, you’re a professional from the Eighth-Level Altar. How can you just give up like that?” He felt as if he had used all his strength to throw a punch, only to hit nothing—a truly unpleasant feeling.
Yu Zhong replied, “I can’t kill that many Spirit Beasts, nor can I escape. Other than giving up, do you expect me to fight to the death? We don’t have any deep grudges.”
Guo Shier thought it made sense. The dispute arose simply from a disagreement, plus Yu Zhong’s domineering attitude. There really was no reason for a life-or-death struggle. He rubbed his nose and said, “But I’m not willing to accept it… I was about to win…”
Yu Zhong said, “It’s not that you were about to win—it’s that you already won!”
Guo Shier’s mind was a bit confused. He thought, “Damn, that’s not what I meant… But why do I feel something’s off?” He felt disheartened, without any excitement from defeating his opponent, as if something was missing.
Eagle Demon interjected, “You lost… so you must pay a price!”
Only then did Guo Shier realize it. With his usual temperament, how could he win without gaining anything? He had been confused by the opponent’s quick surrender.
Luo Zhan couldn’t help but laugh. He said, “Eagle, you’ve gone bad too.”
Guo Shier slapped his thigh and said, “That’s right! That’s exactly what I mean! I wondered why it didn’t feel right.”
Yu Zhong felt bitter inside, blaming himself for getting involved with this guy. Worse, he couldn’t resist. Seeing the overwhelming number of Spirit Beasts, he grew nervous. Gritting his teeth, he said, “What do you want? I just want you to join our sect. I have no ill intentions!”
Guo Shier didn’t want to extort him either. He had robbed and extorted too much and had gradually lost interest in such tactics. Smiling, he said, “Actually, it’s not much. You don’t need to pay a huge price. There’s just one requirement. I wonder if you’ll agree?” Impliedly, if he agreed, the battle would be over.
Yu Zhong breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid Guo Shier would make some embarrassing demand, but it seemed unlikely. He said, “Go ahead… as long as I can do it.”

Guo Shier nodded and said, “Hmm, we don’t know much about the Golden Flame Well. Could you act as our guide? We’re here to find someone.” He didn’t want to offend a professional from the Eighth-Level Altar either. Although he could defeat them, arousing the wrath of a high-level professional was never a good thing—unless he was willing to sacrifice a bunch of Soul Beasts to completely eliminate them.

Yu Zhong relaxed. This request was nothing at all. He nodded and said, “Sure, no problem.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Guo Shier waved his hand, and the Golden Soul Cauldron emitted a brilliant glow. Those Soul Beasts and Evil Soul Beasts were drawn into the cauldron. Yu Zhong realized his vest was soaked with sweat. Tens of thousands of high-level Soul Beasts exerted immense pressure.

Yu Zhong smiled wryly. Guo Shier gave him a mysterious impression. In his life, he had never met a professional who could challenge those above his level. He never expected Guo Shier not only to be able to suppress him but also to possess Soul Beasts that could threaten his life. He didn’t know where Guo Shier got so many of them. He didn’t believe Guo Shier had hunted them himself. No matter how powerful a Seventh-Level Altar professional was, it was impossible for them to hunt so many Abnormal Symbol Beasts and Mutated Symbol Beasts.

Guo Shier asked, “Is the Golden Flame Well on this land?”

Yu Zhong replied, “That’s right, it’s on this land. But there’s still some distance to go. Oh, by the way, who are you looking for? Only high-level professionals can enter here.”

Guo Shier threw out a jade talisman and said, “Take a look. Do you recognize these two?”

Yu Zhong examined it carefully. He narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment before saying, “No, I’ve never seen these two before.”

Eagle Demon asked, “How long have you been here?”

Yu Zhong replied, “Less than ten days. But I used to come here often. The Golden Flame Well generates a special fluctuation that’s very beneficial for high-level professionals to advance.”

Guo Shier was surprised. “There’s such a thing?”

Yu Zhong found it strange. He said, “You don’t know? Almost all high-level professionals who come here do so for this purpose. But this fluctuation has a time limit… It needs to occur at a specific time. Once the time passes, it’s not only useless but also causes great damage.”

There were two types of fluctuations. Guo Shier was very sensitive to fluctuations because he could also emit two types of soul fluctuations. His curiosity surged, and he said, “Alright, take us there.”

Yu Zhong said, “It will take two days to reach the Golden Flame Well by flying.”

The Eagle Demon said, “That far? Heh, lucky you’re here. Otherwise… we wouldn’t know when we’d find them.” Not only did he blush, but Guo Shier and Luo Zhan also blushed. These three experienced explorers had already struggled greatly to find an entrance to the Golden Flame Plain Well in that small area of the Magma Sea. If they were to search for their destination on their own, who knows when they would find it?

Yu Zhong flew with the three of them for a day until they reached a stream. He said, “Let’s rest for a while and eat something.”

Guo Shier and the others also wanted to rest. They had hardly had any real rest along the way. The four of them landed by the stream in a sparse forest. It was already dark, and there seemed to be no large wild beasts or mutated talisman beasts here, only ordinary ones.

Guo Shier was too lazy to prepare talisman food. He simply set up a large pot and cooked some hot soup, along with a basket of marinated meat and flatbreads. After eating briefly, Guo Shier summoned the Hidden Talisman House. Yu Zhong said, “I’ll keep watch at night. You rest.”

The three didn’t refuse. They were indeed very tired. Although they could stay awake indefinitely, over time, they would still get tired—a kind of exhaustion that affected their souls. So they still needed to sleep.

…

The next morning, Guo Shier stepped out of the Hidden Talisman House refreshed. He went to the stream to wash up and then sat there, lost in thought. Yu Zhong came over. He found a green stone slab, sat down next to Guo Shier, and asked, “Hey, brother. Who is the person you’re looking for?”

Guo Shier wasn’t expecting Yu Zhong to approach him on his own. He said, “It’s my master and master’s wife. I haven’t seen them in a long time and haven’t been able to find them.”

Yu Zhong looked at him strangely and said, “Once professionals go out on adventures, it’s better not to look for them. It’s impossible to find them unless you know the exact location. It’s better to return to the continent where your master set off—there’s a chance you might wait there. But if you try to search… the chances are slim.”

Guo Shier nodded. “I know. But I have other matters to attend to, so I must find them as soon as possible. That’s why I came out.” He knew he couldn’t wait at the Fire Sect, and he also didn’t know whether Kuumu and Monier would return to the Chenxiao Sect, which had now become ruins.

Yu Zhong and Guo Shier also became acquainted through conflict. As advanced professionals, unless there was deep-seated hatred, they wouldn’t persist in targeting another advanced professional—it wasn’t a wise move. Of course, there were always a few paranoid individuals. Generally speaking, advanced professionals were quite tactful; those who were too paranoid often died quickly, especially in this world where individual strength could reach terrifying levels. Those who were too arrogant didn’t live long.

The two had a pleasant conversation. Yu Zhong found that Guo Shier wasn’t difficult to talk to, which made him feel slightly annoyed. At first, when dealing with Guo Shier and the others, he had been too arrogant; otherwise, he might have really become friends with them. Now, no matter what, he felt there was still a slight rift between them. He said, “At Jin Yan Yuan Jing, one can often encounter advanced professionals—those at the seventh or eighth level of the altar. If lucky, one might even meet super experts at the ninth level.”

Guo Shier asked with a smile, “Have you seen professionals at the ninth level of the altar?”

Yu Zhong nodded. “Yes, I’ve seen one. But that person was very arrogant and ignored me. At that time, I was only at the sixth level of the altar.”

Guo Shier couldn’t help but laugh. Some advanced professionals indeed looked down on others; sometimes he himself would fall into such a habit.

Eagle Demon came over. He squatted by the stream, splashing water to wash himself, and said, “Shier, you’re up so early?”

Guo Shier replied, “It’s not early. We still have a day’s journey ahead. Uncle Eagle Demon, once you’re done washing, check if Uncle Luo has gotten up.”

Eagle Demon didn’t answer but instead raised his head and let out a howl. Soon, Luo Zhan’s voice was heard, “I’m coming, I’m coming!”

Luo Zhan teleported over immediately and said, “Eagle, don’t keep shouting. Be careful of attracting mutated talisman beasts…”

Eagle Demon grinned, his snow-white teeth gleaming in the morning light. He said, “There are no mutated talisman beasts here.”

Luo Zhan squatted down next to Eagle Demon and started washing himself. He said, “Eagle, yesterday was the most comfortable sleep I’ve had in a long time… Damn, that sleep really calmed my soul completely…”

Eagle Demon nodded. “Yes, the soul becomes extremely restless when staying in the Magma Sea for too long. The heat affects it, causing unrest in the soul. Thankfully, it’s over now.”

While in the Magma Sea, none of them had noticed anything, but after leaving, they realized that staying there for too long was harmful to their souls. They hadn’t understood it before, but only after leaving the Magma Sea did they realize just how serious it was.

Yu Zhong was very thin and unremarkable in appearance, but his eyes shone brightly, occasionally emitting the glow of runes. He looked up at the sky and said, “It’s getting late. We can leave now.”
Guo Shier didn’t waste words either. He immediately went back to pack up the Hidden Symbol House and said, “Let’s go.”
The four of them rode the altar into the air and flew toward the distance.
…
The plants on the ground grew sparser, revealing yellow-brown soil and large pieces of broken rock. After half a day, it was hard to see any trees; mostly wild grass swayed in the wind. The ground was full of pits and holes, looking increasingly lifeless.
Guo Shier said, “It’s starting to become desolate here.”
Yu Zhong replied, “That’s normal. In the Jinyan Yuanjing area, there are hardly any plants at all—it’s like a dead land.”
Suddenly, Guo Shier shouted, “Stop! There’s a battle ahead!”
Almost at the same time, Yu Zhong also sensed disturbances in the distance and was secretly shocked, as Guo Shier had detected the activity ahead before him. He said, “That’s right. Someone is fighting. We… should go take a look.”
The four of them paused briefly before flying forward again, each unleashing their sacred treasures.
There were no mutated symbol beasts in this area, so if a battle occurred, it must be between professionals.