Chapter 172 – Foreign Assassins Are About to Arrive on the Battlefield

Mu Yuan logged into the Taixuan Forum and searched, finding numerous bounty and wanted notices.

Some bounties had been posted for ten or twenty years and still remained.

This was normal. The Eternal World was too vast and expansive, with great distances between cities. Wanted criminals only needed to find a place to hide to evade many pursuits. Moreover, these wanted players could leave the Taixuan Alliance and head to various neutral territories, such as Giant Amber City.

Some blacklisted players might have died in some unknown corner, their wanted notices remaining posted for ten or twenty years.

Mu Yuan found the bounty information for Giant-Hand Scarface and Hundred-Faced Scholar.

The former had once led bandits to raid and destroy an entire player territory before fleeing.

The latter had used supernatural powers to commit numerous crimes in Blue Star Xuan Nation. While being pursued by the arrest team, he luckily escaped into the Border Zone and crossed into the Eternal World, vanishing without a trace since.

The other wanted criminals were not ‘powerful figures’ with high bounties.

They were also on the wanted list but had no bounties on their heads. Their heads could only be exchanged for the basic reward of 20,000 Soul Sand.

“Quite poor.”

“Wait, I’m really getting ahead of myself. How long would it have taken my employees to earn 20,000 Soul Sand before!”

Even now, without special income, his Tianyuan Territory would need about a day and a half to earn that amount of money.

It was all hard-earned money.

Moreover,

The four basic wanted criminals totaled 80,000 Soul Sand, the scholar 320,000, and Scarface 400,000. This added up to a full 800,000 Soul Sand.

A huge amount! An enormous amount!

Any loot, equipment, or treasure maps were nothing compared to this sum of Soul Sand.

Even the profits from selling large quantities of Crystal Corn and Snakescale Fruit during this trip were far less than the bounties obtained.

So, ‘playing weak to catch the strong’ and luring wanted criminals was the true path to wealth!

Although he hadn’t intended to play weak, it was just that Sophia and the others were too inexperienced and really looked weak. Of course, Mu Someone was too.

Apart from having an epic general, numerous excellent troops, having slain a descended servant, ruling the entire Festival Grounds, and chatting and laughing with big shots, he was just an ordinary civilian player.

In everyone’s eyes, these heads were like shiny golden gems, precious enough to fear dropping while holding them.

“But how do we claim this bounty? Should we return to Stone Ridge Town to exchange it? I previously saw a bounty redemption counter in the association,” Sophia asked.

Mu Yuan shook his head, “Not advisable.”

Sophia’s group was already somewhat conspicuous, having attracted two groups of bandits. If they were to redeem the bounty in Stone Ridge Town, it would likely draw more attention and put themselves in danger.

He looked at Dolai, “You carry these heads and go to Boulder City to redeem them. I’ll have two Storm War Falcons coordinate with you.”

Dolai widened its eyes, not finding it troublesome at all. It loved such bounty redemption tasks!

Even though these small sums… no, large sums of money ultimately had to be handed over to the Lord, the mere act of having them pass through its hands was a joyful thing.

“Without delay, you should set off as soon as possible.”

One Dolai and two birds immediately took to the sky.Although the exact location of Boulder City wasn’t entirely clear, Mu Yuan could roughly estimate it by comparing it to Stone Ridge Town. Given Dolai’s combat power, flight speed, and survival capabilities, this trip wasn’t particularly dangerous.

General Dolai had already set off.

Lu Liu and the others quickly made their way back as well.

That same afternoon, the Guangyuan trade caravan, on its first expedition, returned to Tianyuan Territory, taking only two-thirds of the time it had taken to get there.

Not long after they arrived home, Dolai fluttered its wings—transformed from the Shapeshifting Badge—and descended from the sky, performing a rather formal salute. “General Dolai has fulfilled the mission~!”

It stretched out its hand, and a hollow space appeared in its palm.

Clatter—

One after another, dazzling Soul Crystals tumbled out, piling up into a small hill of several hundred crystals.

We’re rich now.

Mu Yuan sighed with emotion and immediately rewarded Dolai, Lu Liu, Sophia, and the others—though only symbolically, as the amount wasn’t substantial.

After all, Tianyuan Territory currently operated under a “three guarantees” policy: covering food, accommodation, and cultivation. Reforms were planned for the future, but at this early stage of the territory’s development, everyone had little money to spare, and there were few places to spend it within the territory.

The only place that could be considered a “luxury venue” was the territory’s grand bathhouse.

…

With a large batch of Soul Crystals in hand, Mu Yuan began contemplating the purchase of Remnant Souls.

He still needed to focus on reality.

The market in Stone Ridge Town was indeed more diverse than White River Market, but for bulk purchases, he had to rely on reality or intermediary Secret Realms like the “Elven Courtyard.”

He planned to approach major commerce guilds to purchase large quantities of Militia Remnant Souls, aiming to elevate Isloria to the Epic tier as quickly as possible.

As for whether this would attract attention?

It probably would, but not significantly.

After all, the Sacrificial Black Coffin could Devour monster corpses to produce Remnant Souls, and there were naturally other items or structures that could gain benefits by “sacrificing Remnant Souls.”

The key was to choose a reliable commerce guild.

“I heard Frog-Selling Bro is doing quite well in First Hand Commerce. I can ask him to check out the market conditions.”

With this in mind, Mu Yuan “biu”-ed back to Blue Star, pulled out a charging cable to plug in his phone—which had only 9% battery left after days of disuse—and then opened it to take a look.

The unread messages in the White River Soaring Dragon group had already surpassed 999+. Without the pressure of trials and life-or-death struggles, the newcomers had indeed become much more relaxed and active.

He opened the group and noticed a message that had tagged all members.

The sender was “Vice-Chairman Chen,” another vice-chairman within the association. Vice-Chairman Jiang Cheng was said to have been transferred to guard an important location and hadn’t been seen in White River for a long time.

Vice-Chairman Chen Hemao, “Attention, all members: As the Dragon Court Competition between our Taixuan Alliance and nations like Divine Radiance and Eternal Star enters the preparation phase, there will be a significant increase in spies from the Divine Radiance Empire infiltrating our Taixuan territory during this period. Your territories are located on the outermost edges of the Alliance, so you must remain vigilant. Report any abnormalities immediately.”

After a pause, the vice-chairman continued, “Of course, the Taixuan Alliance is vast, and the likelihood of spies infiltrating is relatively small. However, since your territories are still in their early stages and have weaker defenses, if you encounter any issues, remember that your top priority is to ensure your own safety. The Alliance will also provide you with the most timely support.”

Spies from the Divine Radiance Empire?

From the vice-chairman’s words, he had learned that the spies’ main tasks were to locate territories like “Wuji” and “Kongming” and carry out harassment and assassinations.The Dragon Court Competition stipulates that only ‘Rising Star Lords’ can be sent by each nation to participate in the confrontations, as per the contract regulations and notarized by the Holy Griffin Empire.

However, no one has stipulated that sabotage cannot occur off the field.

If a nation’s competitors could be severely injured or assassinated before the competition begins, it would be easy to gain an advantage. At the very least, some disruption could be caused to create chaos within the opposing alliance.

The competition is a test of comprehensive national strength!

Infiltration, espionage, and assassinations began long ago, but they are intensifying as the Dragon Court Competition approaches.

More foreign assassins and covert operatives are infiltrating from the edges of the Taixuan Alliance.

As new lords, they are merely small fish caught in the crossfire.

“Others might just be collateral damage, but I might not be so lucky. The spies from the Divine Radiance Kingdom would surely not mind taking the opportunity to locate the Tianyuan Territory while causing trouble. And if I were discovered…”

Damn, it’s too dangerous!

Starting today, patrols in the territory must be doubled!

As for the ‘Dragon Court Competition’? Mu Yuan had heard a little about it, initially from Vice-Chairman Jiang Cheng. At the time, Jiang had casually remarked with a smile, “Work hard, and you might have the chance to fight for the nation someday.”

But beyond that, Mu Yuan knew very little about the Dragon Court Competition.

He wasn’t the only one curious; Tan Moumou had asked quite a few questions.

Mu Yuan scrolled up slowly, browsing through the messages.

Vice-Chairman Chen: “Those who can participate in the Dragon Court Competition are all exceptional talents, the most outstanding lords our Taixuan Alliance has produced in recent years. Not only do they bring glory to the nation, but participants also receive extensive cultivation from the alliance.

“To put it simply, once the candidates are confirmed, participants will enter various advanced and top-tier Secret Realms for further training. Their strength and foundations will see significant improvements. If they manage to secure resources for our nation, the rewards from above will never be lacking.”

Tan Moumou: “[Yearning.jpg]!”

Tan Moumou: “Uncle Chen, how are the slots selected? Do we have a chance?”

Vice-Chairman Chen chuckled, “The selection for the Dragon Court Competition is based on performance in the naturally formed Secret Realm, the ‘Land of Trials.’ This realm is a top-tier challenge-type Secret Realm. Many seasoned lords continuously challenge it, both to prove themselves and to receive gifts from the world by clearing its stages.

“However, this is still quite distant for all of you. Work hard, and you might have the chance to bring glory to the nation in some of the lesser competitions in the next cycle. As for this year’s Dragon Court Competition, that is the battlefield for young talents like Wuji and Kongming.”

Tan Moumou: “Wait, Uncle Chen, what about Tianyuan? Tianyuan dominated all opponents at the Festival Grounds, showing an invincible presence.”

Vice-Chairman Chen: “It is widely believed that Tianyuan will dominate the entire battlefield with an invincible presence in the next Dragon Court Competition. However… this year’s Tianyuan is too young. Even with limitless potential, his personal combat strength and the strength of his generals are far inferior to Kongming and Wuji. This is rather unfortunate.

“Even though Tianyuan has recruited the ‘Daughter of Stars,’ a top-tier Hero, her Rank is still significantly lacking. Moreover, a single tree cannot make a forest. No matter how strong an individual is, they cannot carry an entire battle alone. Are you asking about Lord Wuji? It’s true he doesn’t have any exceptionally outstanding generals, but the troops and elites from his territory are by no means weak. Otherwise, how do you think he earned his place as one of the most promising rising stars?”After reading the chat logs, Mu Yuan let out a long sigh.

He was fully aware of his limitations and certainly didn’t think he could match lords like Wuji and Kongming in overall strength. His only advantage lay in potential, yet these lords also possessed immense potential—and had already realized more than half of it.

Still, the thought of contending and giving it a try had crossed his mind.

At the very least, he wanted to see the gap for himself.

“However, the prerequisite for trying is gaining access to the ‘Land of Trials.’ Where should I go to obtain the key to this top-tier Secret Realm?

“I’ve heard that many powerful players have struggled in vain to acquire a single key.”

Mu Yuan felt disheartened, gazing wistfully at the moon outside the window as he sighed softly.

Gurgle, gurgle—tomorrow, I’ll strive to start even earlier_(:з」∠)_

(End of Chapter)