After completing his own match, Su Yu quietly waited for Gao Dalou to come out from the Xishui Alliance's arena.
"Gao Dalou."
"Who are you?" Gao Dalou looked at Su Yu warily.
He was very poor and didn't have money for Su Yu to rob.
If he really had anything valuable on him, it would probably be the Blood Coagulation Carving Knife.
Of course, his so-called poverty was just on the surface; over the years, he had made quite a few Soul-guiding Devices himself.
He just wasn't willing to sell them to improve his life.
Not even selling Soul-guiding Devices to buy Rare Metals to improve his Soul-guiding Technology was feasible.
"I want to have a chat with you. Do you have the time?"
Gao Dalou was reluctant to pay attention to Su Yu.
After all, suddenly having a stranger stand in front of you and asking you for a talk didn't sound reliable.
Moreover, he really did have something on him that the other might covet.
"Go! Go, go, go!"
Feeling Su Yu's terrifying aura lock onto him, Gao Dalou instantly changed his mind and did not speak out the word "scram."
Oh my, at least he must be a Soul Saint, right?
Feeling the terrifying Spiritual Power and Soul Power of Su Yu, Gao Dalou was shocked.
Even the control over these powers left Gao Dalou in despair. The other people around him couldn't feel any of Su Yu's leaking energy aura at all.
No, it wasn't that they couldn't feel it—there wasn't any.
Apart from intimidating himself, not a trace of energy leaked out.
Gao Dalou was miserly, but he was afraid of death.
"Friend, whatever your purpose, just say it. Let Old Gao die a quick death."
"Who said anything about killing you?"
Su Yu took Gao Dalou to a secluded corner, feeling speechless at Gao Dalou's solemn tone.
"I represent Mingde Hall and invite you to join Mingde Hall. How about it?"
"What?"
Gao Dalou was thrilled.
The Soul Guide of Mingde Hall?
Inviting him?
"Are you from Mingde Hall?" He asked again to confirm.
Su Yu nodded, looking at Gao Dalou.
"Can Mingde Hall provide me with Rare Metals to practice and enhance Soul-guiding Devices?"
"Yes."
Gao Dalou thought for a moment, gritted his teeth, and asked, "The Soul-guiding Devices I create, are they my personal property?"
Su Yu quietly looked at him and didn't speak.
Under Su Yu's stare, Gao Dalou felt increasingly guilty.
He knew such a request was somewhat excessive.
Even though he knew it was excessive, his inherent miserly nature made him say it.
Unable to withstand Su Yu's gaze, he finally gave in to his fear of death, overcoming his miserly personality.
"Alright, I'll join Mingde Hall."
"After joining Mingde Hall, whether it's Soul-guiding Technology or Rare Metals, everything comes with a clear price. Everything must follow the rules of Mingde Hall, and of course, the assessment criteria must also follow Mingde Hall's standards."
After speaking, Su Yu and Huo Yuhao brought Gao Dalou back to Mingde Hall.
"Blood Coagulation Carving Knife?" Gazing at Gao Dalou, a familiar face appeared in Mirror Hongchen's mind.
"Your father is Gao Facai?"
"Uh..." Gao Dalou was somewhat embarrassed and cautiously glanced at Mirror Hongchen, awkwardly replying, "My father's former alias was Facai, but his real name is Gao Qian."
Make money?
Isn't that essentially the same meaning?
"Your father was once an Eighth-level Soul Guide. Although he might not have met Mingde Hall's standards, reaching the eighth level through self-exploration was indeed something noteworthy."
Mirror Hongchen clearly knew of someone like Gao Qian, especially as the owner of the Ranking Carving Knife.
Moreover, Gao Qian was extremely miserly but willing to spend money on expensive Elixirs for himself, and cultivated solely on his own. Though back then, he was only at Soul Emperor cultivation, producing an eighth-level Soul-guiding Device was achieved through various clever methods.
Self-explored to produce eighth-level Soul-guiding Devices with merely Soul Emperor level Soul Power.
One must admit, his talent was formidable.
Su Yu was also surprised, not expecting Gao Dalou's father to possess such talent.
However, according to Mirror Hongchen, Gao Qian was stuck for many years and only produced the eighth-level Soul-guiding Device much later in life.
As for Su Yu, even without the Battle Armor's support, he could easily produce an eighth-level Soul-guiding Device within a decade at the Soul Emperor level.
So it wasn't overly shocking.
One could simply remark that this family seems quite talented when it comes to Soul-guiding Devices.
"A Fifth-level Soul Guide, meeting the threshold for Mingde Hall, eligible to join under the standard treatment of a Soul Guide at Mingde Hall."
Someone will come to introduce you to the context later.
Furthermore, don't think about slacking off; Soul-guiding Technology regresses if not advanced. If you want money, then improve the standard of your Soul-guiding Devices.
I can tell you this: the value of an eighth-level Soul-guiding Device exceeds that of a sixth or seventh-level one, and a Ninth-level Soul-guiding Device is worth several times that of an eighth-level one.
The same Rare Metal made into one Ninth-level Soul-guiding Device is valued more than two eighth-level ones combined.
Mirror Hongchen, worthy as the Hall Master, succinctly explained the stakes.
Directly addressing the heart of Gao Dalou.
Mingde Hall gives you a chance to advance your Soul-guiding Devices, but you must abide by all the rules a Soul Guide at Mingde Hall should adhere to.
As for whether you'll grit your teeth to craft Soul-guiding Devices and then reluctantly hand them over to Mingde Hall to improve your Soul Guide level, I've made the consequences clear.
The resources at hand, rather than making Low Level Soul-guiding Devices, would be more valuable if crafted into higher-level ones.
Your insufficient level in Soul-guiding Devices is merely wasting the potential value of your resources.
"..."
Easily maneuvered.
"Alright, you can leave now."
Mirror Hongchen allowed Gao Dalou to leave and then asked Su Yu, "Xiaoyu, did you discover any issues with the Xishui Alliance?"
Su Yu nodded.
On getting Su Yu's confirmation, Mirror Hongchen roughly understood Su Yu's goal for participating in the Soul Guide competition this time.
"To what extent do you wish to achieve?"
Xishui Alliance, a stronghold for Evil Soul Masters.
Although not the headquarters, it's definitely an important branch.
"These three black markets shouldn't exist."
They were indeed dens of corruption.
Of course, Su Yu's primary aim was to flush out some forces behind them.
First, eradicate the tumors, and then, after Xu Tianran's demise, the reformation would progress more smoothly.
Mirror Hongchen, sensing Su Yu's determination, didn't dissuade him.
Even though he didn't understand why Su Yu was so committed to reform, it was inherently beneficial for the Sun and Moon Empire, hence unnecessary to prevent it.
As long as he could withstand the pressure, there was no need to stop it.
Su Yu also didn't stand on ceremony with Mirror Hongchen.
Unification, reformation, spreading faith.
This concerned Su Yu's future cultivation, so there was no room for slack; Su Yu tolerated no error in this aspect.
The creator of the Rune System, he aimed to be.
The initiator of Cultivation Techniques, he aimed to be.
The founder of Battle Armor, he aimed to be.
The forefather of Qi Blood Martial Dao, he aimed to be.
The founder of Soul Spirit Technique, he aimed to be.
He wanted it all!
But the prerequisite was a harmonious and beautiful environment.
At least, more people should focus on his achievements to nurture pure and extensive faith.
Otherwise, trembling in fear daily, who would consider the greatness of Cultivation Techniques, or the greatness of its founders?
"Xu Tianran invites the wolf into the house, fearing that he will be powerless at that pivotal moment to eradicate the Evil Soul Masters utterly. I originally planned to avoid this issue, but since you're ready to deal with the black market side, our intervention doesn't matter. At least, should Xu Tianran fail, we could control the situation," Mirror Hongchen stated.
After concluding the Xishui Alliance topic, Su Yu requested an item from Mirror Hongchen.
"A branch of the Golden Ancient Tree?"
Mirror Hongchen was curious about Su Yu's use for such an item.
Undoubtedly, a branch fallen from the Golden Ancient Tree's trunk has numerous wondrous uses.
It can virtually gather Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, and can also accelerate the Soul Master's absorption efficiency of Primordial Energy.