Chapter 9: The United Spirit Kingdom (Part 1)

Guo Shier asked, “What’s the matter?”
Xing Yunzi said, “Do you know where we’ll be once we leave here?”
Guo Shier replied, “It’s the United Spirit Kingdom. Lan Landai told me just now—there’s a defensive outpost there.”
Xing Yunzi nodded. “Yeah, she’s right. But she doesn’t know how powerful that defensive outpost is. Not far behind, on an asteroid, there’s also a large base with numerous space battleships. It’s best if you don’t disturb them when you go there.”
Lan Landai smirked. “With your abilities, you can already fly in the void. They probably won’t dare provoke experts like you.”
Xing Yunzi said, “That’s not necessarily true…”
Guo Shier quickly interjected, “We’ll be careful.” He was afraid the two would argue again. If they lost control and started fighting, it wouldn’t be fun at all—this place was too sensitive.
Li Ran, however, sensed something was off. He asked, “What’s not necessarily true?”
Xing Yunzi replied, “I’ve just heard rumors that there are very powerful experts in that defensive outpost. It seems strange to me. Usually, even a seventh-level star nation wouldn’t go to the trouble of sending such experts to guard it. Well, they must be from the Secret Clan.”
Li Ran asked, “Are there many of them? Are their abilities similar to yours?”
Xing Yunzi couldn’t help but laugh. “There won’t be many of them. Compared to us… there’s definitely a gap.” He was also a top expert of the Secret Clan, ranking among the greatest experts in the vast world. Their numbers were extremely rare compared to the Secret Clan—just like Guo Shier and the others, who were among the highest-level experts in the Spellcraft Clan, surpassing all other professionals.
Lan Landai said, “You guys are quite strong. You don’t need to fear those people. But… if you kill them, hehe, that would be fun.”
Xing Yunzi warned, “Try not to kill them if possible. Getting involved with the Secret Clan would be very disadvantageous for you.”
Li Ran laughed. “The Secret Clan isn’t necessarily the strongest. Hehe, as far as I know, there are also the Hidden Clan, and… the True People, right?”
Lan Landai said, “I know about the Hidden Clan, but who are the True People?”
Xing Yunzi pondered for a moment, his expression slightly changing, before saying, “People of the True Self? Do such people really exist?”

Guo Shier glanced at Li Ran thoughtfully. Qi Wuzhen and the others were somewhat confused; they knew nothing about the vast universe and world. Only after hearing their conversation did they realize that the world was also extremely complex, filled with skilled individuals who were difficult to deal with.
Lan Landai said, “That’s impossible. If there were real people, I would definitely have seen them.”
Xing Yunzi replied, “It’s just a legend. Anyway, in the star realm where I am, such people don’t exist.”
Li Ran didn’t explain further. He thought to himself, “I am a fragment of the real person’s soul. In terms of combat strength, I’m not inferior to you… My original soul is powerful, but mine now is even stronger. It depends on luck this time.” He still had great concerns. His fragment of soul had been weak at first; it wouldn’t have become so powerful if he hadn’t been reborn in the spell world. After all these years, his original self must be even stronger. He wasn’t sure if he could defeat them. If not, he wouldn’t exist anymore.
Lan Landai added, “As for the Hidden Clan, I do know about them. They’re even more mysterious, with almost no one coming out. So what if they’re strong? Hehe, if I get the chance, I’d like to communicate with them. Hey, how did you know?” She knew that Li Ran and the others weren’t from the vast world.
Li Ran smiled without answering, appearing very mysterious.
Neither Lan Landai nor Xing Yunzi pressed further. At their level as skilled individuals, if someone didn’t want to talk, no one could force them. They already regarded Li Ran and the others as equals, so they wouldn’t be foolish enough to ask about things others were reluctant to discuss.
Xing Yunzi said, “I’d like to exchange some more Void Worms…” He then pulled Guo Shier aside and whispered, “Guo Shier, do you still have Soul Spring Water? Give me some more. I have some hard currency from the vast world here. Would you like some? When you go to the vast world… you’ll need money. Without it… you can’t move an inch.”
Guo Shier secretly chuckled, knowing this guy was obsessed with Soul Spring Water. He didn’t want to trade more Void Worms anymore—each one used reduced their supply, while Soul Spring Water was inexhaustible. The handsome old man often refined some and stored it in the Soul Calming Cauldron, where there were many souls. Soul Spring Water nourished them, so he had plenty of it, making it a good item for trading. He said, “I don’t have much left…”
Xing Yunzi showed a disappointed expression.

Guo Shier continued, “But there are still some Soul Spring Water available for trade. Well, as for the Sealed Void Worms, you can trade with them. What do you think?”
Xing Yunzi was overjoyed and said, “No problem, no problem! I owe you one! Just tell me how to trade. Hehe, I want all the Soul Spring Water I can get!”
Guo Shier asked, “What’s your hard currency? Please introduce it.”
Xing Yunzi replied, “The best hard currency is Spirit Jade. Of course, it hardly appears in the market because it’s extremely precious. No one uses it to exchange money. Spirit Jade is the hard currency used in transactions between our Secret Clan and the elites of various star nations.”
“Next is Super Energy Crystal—this one… Here’s one piece, commonly known as Blue Crystal. It’s an energy crystal that can only be purified in star nations of level seven or eight. One piece is already very expensive, and it’s a valuable hard currency in star nations below level six.”
It was a deep blue crystal the size of a thumb. As Guo Shier held it in his hand, he could sense the powerful energy hidden within. He was a bit surprised and said, “This thing is quite good!”
Xing Yunzi smiled and said, “Of course. It’s also very expensive in star nations of level seven or eight. It’s not something ordinary people can afford.”
Guo Shier nodded and asked, “Are there any other hard currencies?”
Xing Yunzi replied, “Yes. The currency of level eight star nations is also a hard currency. There are also some other items, but because they’re large in size, they’re only suitable for merchants to trade with. For individuals, Spirit Jade and Blue Crystal are the best hard currencies, usable in any star nation. Hehe, of course, to possess such things, one must have great strength, otherwise they’ll be stolen.”
Guo Shier was very interested in Blue Crystal. He said, “Alright, let’s exchange some Spirit Jade and Blue Crystal. Hmm, I want more Blue Crystal.”
Xing Yunzi was delighted. Spirit Jade was precious to him, but he had plenty of Blue Crystal. As a top expert of the Secret Clan and affiliated with a level eight star nation, Blue Crystal wasn’t rare at all. What was astronomically expensive for ordinary people, he had in abundance. Every year, the level eight star nation would pay him a large sum as tribute, mostly in Blue Crystal, with a small amount in Spirit Jade.
Guo Shier asked, “How do we trade?”
Lan Landa saw the two of them talking in a corner. Her ears were extremely sensitive. Even though Xing Yunzi had lowered his voice, she still caught fragments of their conversation. Curiosity got the better of her, and with a quick movement, she arrived beside them, smiling and saying, “You two are acting so sneaky. What are you up to?”

Xing Yunzi snapped, “Who’s sneaking around? We have matters to attend to—please leave!” The moment he saw Lan Landai approaching, he knew things were bad. After all, this woman needed Soul Spring Water the most. If she found out that Guo Shier had it, he wouldn’t be able to get it easily. He pulled Guo Shier aside and said, “Let’s go somewhere else to talk. Ignore her!”

Just as the two flew about a hundred meters away, Lan Landai teleported back to their side. She reached out and grabbed Guo Shier, saying, “What are you trading with him? I want to trade too!”

Xing Yunzi wished he could kick this damned woman to death. Fuming, he said, “Wait until I finish trading, then come! Stop messing around!”

Lan Landai also grew hostile, saying, “I’ll just keep messing around. What can you do?”

Guo Shier stepped between them and said, “Xing Yunzi, Lan Landai, how about this? I’ll trade with both of you.”

Xing Yunzi grew anxious. Of course, if it were just the two of them trading, everything would be manageable. But with an extra person involved, especially with bidding, it would be unbearable. He quickly said, “Um… um… trade with me first. I’ll give you the best price! After I finish, you can trade with Lan Landai.” His intention was clear: he wanted to get the Soul Spring Water from Guo Shier as soon as possible. By the time Lan Landai traded, he hoped Guo Shier would have none or only a little left. Then, Lan Landai would surely come to him for help.

Lan Landai asked, “What are you two trading?”

Xing Yunzi replied, “What do you care what we’re trading? Wait until I’m done, then come, okay?”

Lan Landai wasn’t stupid. She said, “Wait until you’re done? Hehe, do you think I’m stupid? Once the trading is over, what business do I have left? Xing Yunzi, you’re getting dumber by the day!”

Desperate to get the Soul Spring Water, Xing Yunzi made a mistake out of panic. He knew Lan Landai was suspicious now. Though she still didn’t know what it was, she understood it must be very valuable. He couldn’t resist the urge to act, but thinking of the consequences, he held back. Even if he fought, he might not win, and once a fight started, no one could complete the trade. If Guo Shier left, who knew when they’d meet again.

Lan Landai said, “Guo Shier, what are you two trading? I want it too!”

Guo Shier smiled bitterly and said, “You really do need this thing…”

Realizing he couldn’t stop her, Xing Yunzi glared fiercely at Lan Landai, clenching his fists, wishing he could punch that damned woman to death.

Lan Landai exclaimed in surprise, “What is it? Tell me quickly!”
Guo Shier said calmly, “Soul Spring Water!”
Lan Landai almost collapsed. She couldn’t help screaming, “Xing Yunzi!”
Xing Yunzi was startled. Although he resented her, it didn’t mean he was truly afraid. What annoyed him the most was her persistent pursuit. He said, “What is it?” with an expression of confusion, which made Guo Shier unable to help but laugh. This guy was quite good at pretending to be stupid sometimes.