"Do you two really think you've got me for sure?"

Yun Hanshuang's face was completely calm. He showed no nervousness despite the rugged middle-aged cultivator revealing his cultivation level.

"Although I can't sense your cultivation level, I'm guessing it doesn't exceed the Qi Refining stage. Besides, after fighting for so long, the spiritual power in your body must be nearly depleted by now." The refined middle-aged cultivator pointed at the pile of Snow Rabbits and smirked.

Hearing this, Yun Hanshuang merely chuckled. If these two knew that in just this brief moment, his spiritual power had already fully recovered, he wondered what kind of expressions they would show.

"You're welcome to try." Yun Hanshuang took out an Explosive Flame Bomb and tossed it lightly, letting the two middle-aged cultivators see it.

The moment the two middle-aged cultivators clearly saw the object in Yun Hanshuang's hand, their faces paled in fright.

"Explosive Flame Bomb! Little brother, we were just joking earlier. Don't take it to heart. We'll leave right now."

"Strike."

Squelch, squelch.

Just as the two middle-aged cultivators were about to turn and leave, the sound of flesh and skin being pierced rang out. The chests of the two middle-aged cultivators were penetrated by a pair of sharp claws.

"Why... why did it turn out like this? How did you do it?" The refined middle-aged cultivator looked at Yun Hanshuang with immense unwillingness. He couldn't understand why, with something they had been so confident about, the two of them still ended up losing their lives.

"Dead men don't need to know too much. So take your questions to the grave." With a rather mischievous sense of humor, Yun Hanshuang flung two Ice Arrows, piercing through the heads of the two middle-aged cultivators.

‘Wealth is also a kind of strength!’

Yun Hanshuang looked at the Explosive Flame Bomb in his hand and couldn't help but sigh. After putting the Explosive Flame Bomb away, he looked at the Profound Spirit Ice Sparrow beside the two corpses.

When Yun Hanshuang had been struck by the first arrow and collapsed onto the snow, he had summoned the Profound Spirit Ice Sparrow and controlled it to the size of a thumb. While Yun Hanshuang was talking with the two middle-aged cultivators, the Profound Spirit Ice Sparrow burrowed through the thick snow behind the two of them.

After Yun Hanshuang gave the command, the Profound Spirit Ice Sparrow instantly enlarged and used its innate ability, Deathflame Claw, to claw through the chests of the two middle-aged cultivators. If the two middle-aged cultivators had been on guard, the Profound Spirit Ice Sparrow could not have succeeded. But they thought they had Yun Hanshuang cornered and thus let down their vigilance, which allowed the Profound Spirit Ice Sparrow to succeed.

After looting both bodies, Yun Hanshuang looked at the pile of Snow Rabbits and was stumped. Killing them seemed a pity, but he couldn't take them with him if he didn't.

"How about three thousand spirit stones? Sell them to me." Suddenly, an honest-sounding voice reached Yun Hanshuang's ears. He followed the sound and saw a ship over thirty meters long approaching from the distance. At the bow of the ship stood a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth with an honest and simple face. When the ship was about fifty meters from Yun Hanshuang, it stopped.

‘Heaven Alliance Merchant Guild?’

Yun Hanshuang looked at the totem on that ship and recognized it as the insignia of the Heaven Alliance Merchant Guild, one of the five major powers.

"I am Han Hao of the Heaven Alliance Merchant Guild. May I ask how Fellow Daoist is addressed?"

"I am Han Yunshuang (pseudonym). Fellow Daoist truly intends to pay three thousand spirit stones for these Snow Rabbits?" Yun Hanshuang did not give his real name and looked at Han Hao suspiciously, because the value of those Snow Rabbits was at most a thousand Low-Grade spirit stones. Now that the other party was willing to offer three thousand, Yun Hanshuang couldn't help but grow wary.

"I see that Fellow Daoist has no spiritual power fluctuations whatsoever yet can cast spells at will. I am extremely curious about this. If it's convenient, I would like to purchase this method." Although Han Hao said this, the greed in his eyes was impossible to conceal.

Hearing Han Hao's words, Yun Hanshuang showed a faint smile. "I wondered what this was about! So it's that! However, this method cannot be sold, because it requires extremely precious heavenly treasures. Not only that, it also requires a person of our own clan to conduct a Spirit-Sealing Ritual for the recipient."

When saying these things, Yun Hanshuang's expression was utterly sincere. He even revealed a nostalgic expression as he gazed toward a certain direction, the corners of his eyes reddening slightly, and finally a single tear rolled down his cheek.

Seeing Yun Hanshuang like this, Han Hao was momentarily at a loss for how to continue the conversation. He wanted to wait until the other party had emerged from this emotional state before bringing up the purchase of the method to conceal spiritual power fluctuations again.

Out of the corner of his eye, Yun Hanshuang glanced at Han Hao and complained inwardly: He really has no sense of timing. Isn't this the moment when he should be asking what I need, so I can make outrageous demands?

Just as Yun Hanshuang was about to be unable to keep up the act, Han Hao finally couldn't resist and spoke. "If Brother Han truly misses his homeland, I could send someone to pilot a flying boat to escort you back."

"Sigh, my trial is not yet complete. I still cannot return now." Yun Hanshuang revealed a troubled expression.

Upon hearing this, Han Hao expressed that he could help. "I wonder what Fellow Daoist Han's trial is? If possible, I too would like to contribute what little I can."

"This isn't really appropriate! My trial task is to earn three million Low-Grade spirit stones within five years." Yun Hanshuang lowered his head, perfectly capturing the emotions of embarrassment and awkwardness.

"Though three million spirit stones is no small sum, as long as Fellow Daoist Han agrees to sell the method of concealing spiritual power fluctuations to me, I can give you the three million spirit stones right now." Though Han Hao's face was smiling, his eyes were full of coldness. His offering of these three million spirit stones was merely going through the motions, because Han Hao believed that this sum of spirit stones would eventually return to his own hands.

That's why he didn't hesitate at all to produce three million spirit stones. Using spirit stones that would come back to him anyway to exchange for a method to conceal spiritual power fluctuations—no matter how Han Hao thought about it, he felt it was a profit.

"Better not! Fellow Daoist Han, even if you give me more spirit stones, it would be useless, because no one outside our clan can perform that ritual. Most importantly, the materials needed for the ritual are all far too precious. Gathering them all would be very difficult." Yun Hanshuang put on a conflicted expression, then heaved a deep sigh and ultimately resolutely refused Han Hao's proposal.

Seeing that Yun Hanshuang was about to turn and leave, Han Hao immediately produced a storage ring and pressed it into the other's hand. "Fellow Daoist Han, take the spirit stones first. As for the precious materials you mentioned, I will certainly gather them all within half a year. I will need your help then."

"Very well then." After some demurral, Yun Hanshuang reluctantly accepted the storage ring. "Fellow Daoist Han trusts me so much, and I have no way to repay it. Those Snow Rabbits are a gift to you, Fellow Daoist."

Seeing this, the corner of Han Hao's mouth twitched, and the killing intent in his eyes as he looked at Yun Hanshuang nearly spilled over. With a wave of his hand, two Late Qi Refining subordinates descended from the ship and collected all the Snow Rabbits.

"Fellow Daoist Han, would you like to stay aboard my ship for a short while?"

"I'm used to being alone, so I thank Fellow Daoist Han for his kindness." Yun Hanshuang very tactfully refused, inwardly complaining: Only a fool would go and let you monitor me.

Han Hao was not surprised by Yun Hanshuang's refusal. "Very well then. I must trouble Fellow Daoist Han to write down the materials needed for the ritual for me."

"Oh, I nearly forgot."