Chapter 5: The Terrifying Upgrade (Part 1)

Guo Shier said, “No need. This stuff doesn’t cost much.” He refused outright. Though he liked to take advantage of opportunities, he wouldn’t stoop to it for such trivial things.
Ao Ao stood aside, feeling awkward. He really hoped Guo Shier would accept the Star Sect’s generosity, but he couldn’t force him. With his experience, he understood that pressing him might anger him, so he stayed silent.
Soon, the large bags for storing talismans were brought back. After a quick glance, Guo Shier frowned and said, “Is that all?” There were 320 bags, all large leather sacks similar to the punching bags he used in his past life—tall, round, and bulky. His habit of collecting food was to get as much as possible.
Ao Ao said, “Shopkeeper, go back and get as much as you can. I’ll send someone to pick it up.”
Guo Shier didn’t stop him. He liked this kind of grain; if there were more, he certainly wouldn’t refuse. Since successfully constructing the altar, he had deliberately collected various supplies in this world. He had gathered several types of rice, keeping seeds and cultivation methods for each. He sometimes found it amusing—whenever he saw unique products, he couldn’t help but buy them all.
After purchasing a few more items, Guo Shier and the others left the store. Along the way, Ao Ao and Zhang Lang were stunned, thinking Guo Shier was like a long-suppressed shopping maniac, spending heaps of gold talismans. For every item, he didn’t buy just one or two; once he liked it, he bought everything—both what was on display and what was in the warehouse.
Ao Ao and Zhang Lang couldn’t understand why Guo Shier was shopping so wildly, but since he was willing to spend his own money, they had no reason to stop him.
Guo Shier’s shopping skills and insane endurance were even beyond the Eagle Demons’ tolerance, though they had long gotten used to it. Ao Ao, Zhang Lang, and Huo Bao followed behind, exhausted. Fortunately, the items Guo Shier bought were immediately stored in the altar, eliminating the need for physical labor to transport them.
In addition to various food ingredients, fabrics were also among Guo Shier’s targets. There weren’t many fabrics in this world, and even fewer high-quality ones—most were various types of leather. What was most abundant here were different kinds of furs, with extremely high tanning standards. Moreover, many natural runes formed on the furs, making them truly precious treasures.

Li Ran once told Guo Shier that the most precious things in this world included mutated and alienated talisman beasts. Such creatures didn’t exist outside, so the more they could collect, the better. If they could take them to the outside world, they would be worth a fortune.

As for ordinary wild animal pelts and those from lower-tier mutated or alienated talisman beasts, they were also excellent—vibrant in color and diverse in patterns, making them perfect materials for fine clothing. Guo Shier had no interest in finished garments; he only collected tanned pelts of various kinds.

Previously, Guo Shier would purchase pelts in every city he visited, but this time the quantity was even larger because he now had enough space to store a vast amount of goods.

Five days of continuous purchasing gave all the professionals of the Star Sect a headache, but every shop owner was overjoyed—this kind of business was simply too profitable. Guo Shier never haggled; he paid whatever amount was asked, and of course, they didn’t dare set exorbitant prices either. The Star Sect had warned them severely that angering these customers could lead not only to apologies but also to life-threatening consequences, so no one dared act recklessly.

Guo Shier not only bought large quantities of food and fur materials but also many specialty fruits. He purchased fruit trees as well and planted them in the secret realm, which served as his plant repository. As for plants that could be used as materials, he acquired them in even greater numbers.

The secret realm was far superior to the Plant Storage Talisman—plants transplanted there might die or stop growing if not taken care of properly. After obtaining the secret realm, the old man immediately transplanted all the plants he had collected there.

Ao Ao and Zhang Lang suffered immensely accompanying Guo Shier on his shopping trips—it was torture rather than enjoyment. Yet they dared not object and had to follow obediently, eagerly introducing things and showing him the way. Five days was a short time, but for them, it felt incredibly long, almost as unbearable as death. As for Huo Bao and the others, they had long returned to the courtyard to reinforce the Void Form Altar. Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan continued to follow, as they were already accustomed to it.

Five days later, Guo Shier returned to the courtyard, ready to advance to the ninth-tier altar.

Ao Ao and Zhang Lang returned to the Star Sect’s headquarters. Ao Ao said with a bitter smile, “I don’t know how long these guys will stay or how much longer they’ll torture us… Shopping? Damn it… They’re absolute bastards. An eighth-tier altar professional buying tons of useless stuff… I… I really want to kill them!”

Zhang Lang said, “Kill who? It would be better if he killed us—there’s too big a gap; we’re not someone he should offend.”
Ao Ao slapped him hard and said, “Me killing him? Sigh, I just wanted to kill someone, not him… It’s useless to even think about it. Forget it, stop talking. I hope they leave here soon. Damn it, I originally wanted to go to Haimen, but now I can’t go anywhere.”
Zhang Lang asked, “Why go to Haimen?”
Ao Ao smiled and said, “A few old friends have come; I wanted to meet them and catch up. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to this time.”
Zhang Lang comforted him, “There will still be opportunities to meet in the future. Let’s forget this time for now. With those bastards in the Star Sect, we can’t leave. We must stay inside the sect until they leave.”
Ao Ao said, “I hope this period won’t be too unbearable.”
…
Half a year passed again. Since Guo Shieru entered the courtyard after making massive purchases, he hadn’t come out at all. Yet everyone in the Star Sect felt as if each day stretched like years, filled with tension. Professional warriors from other continents who entered the Star Continent found that the warriors of the Star Sect had changed drastically—they were no longer so domineering and rarely caused trouble, as if it were a different sect altogether.
A rumor spread widely: several extremely powerful high-level professional warriors lived in the Star Sect, having killed over a dozen great sage masters in one go, and even some altar-level warriors. These people were extremely cruel, and they were currently living in the Star Sect.
Most professional warriors believed this rumor because they had seen the changes in the Star Sect’s warriors with their own eyes.
Many continents connected to the Star Continent began sending large numbers of professional warriors there. They came purely to try their luck. If they could establish some connection with Guo Shieru and the others, that would be ideal. Even if not, it would still be good to see them—true high-level altar-level warriors were extremely rare.
As time went by, more and more professional warriors flocked to the Star Sect, the only city there. Unconsciously, the city became increasingly prosperous. Ao Ao and Zhang Lang hadn’t expected this, and they weren’t sure whether to be happy or worried.
One day, Ao Ao and Zhang Lang sat in the headquarters chatting idly. They couldn’t cultivate or go outside, just to avoid accidents, which caused them great distress. They could only handle some affairs at the headquarters, always ready to deal with emergencies.
Ao Ao sighed and said, “How much longer do we have to wait… Damn it, I can’t do anything.”

Zhang Lang remained calm and said, “It shouldn’t take too long. Let’s be patient. I wonder what they’re hiding in the courtyard for… Our people are really unlucky, hehe.”
Apart from the two of them, other professionals from the Star Sect had to take turns guarding outside the courtyard. They couldn’t go out to collect materials nor leave the city of the Star Sect. Secretly, they were full of complaints, but with no way to vent them, they became depressed, and the entire Star Sect was shrouded in resentment.
Ao Ao said, “After this turmoil passes, I’m going to leave the Star Sect.”
Zhang Lang was shocked and asked, “Why?”