At that very moment, a piercing roar erupted from deep within the Dark Forest.

The sound was so shrill and high-pitched that it spread outward like rolling thunder. Wherever the sound waves passed, flowers, grass, and trees trembled violently. Fish plunged into the depths of the water, hiding in the mud. Insects scrambled into any crevice they could find, fleeing for their lives. Countless startled birds took to the sky, fluttering away in panic.

“What was that commotion?” Jiang Chen’s expression changed slightly.

Judging by the source of the sound, it should have come from deep within the Dark Forest. It was important to remember that the place was riddled with monster lairs. A monster capable of producing such a sound was definitely not ordinary.

Therefore, Jiang Chen immediately summoned his Paper Crane and decisively put distance between himself and the area.

Watching the north gate of Green City draw nearer, his hanging heart finally settled. After all, a Golden Core Perfected Master was stationed inside. Even if a monster really did come charging out, it could be dealt with easily.

Along the way, Jiang Chen saw many monster-hunting teams rushing toward the Dark Forest.

“Next month’s auction is going to be exciting!”

These rogue cultivators showed no signs of tension; on the contrary, their excitement was palpable.

Watching them, Jiang Chen murmured to himself, “If I had also become a rogue cultivator, would I be like them?”

In that moment, he felt immensely grateful for his past decision to stay with the [Cloud Sea Sect].

Soon, Jiang Chen returned inside [Green City].

But his first move wasn’t to look for Tie Zhu; instead, he headed for a trading house. The top priority was to offload the loot.

Anything belonging to Wang Hu and the others that could be sold would be sold. He absolutely could not leave behind any clues, evidence, or handles that could be used against him.

While spirit tools, pills, spirit plants, and such were certainly tempting, compared to one’s life, they ultimately fell short.

Of course, he wouldn’t sell everything to just one trading house. He would use multiple vendors and sell in batches. He had at least that much sense. He even cleared out some items at stalls he passed along the way.

Soon, all this “ill-gotten gain” was exchanged for Spirit Stones.

The spirit plants sold for 15 Mid-grade Spirit Stones. The spirit tools sold for 20 Mid-grade Spirit Stones. The pills sold for 5 Mid-grade Spirit Stones. Some other miscellaneous items added up to 3 Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

The total final haul from his first real fight amounted to 63 Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

This meant that not only had he not lost anything from this trip to the rogue cultivator market, but he had actually made a hefty profit. He hadn’t even incurred any costs.

“Time to find Junior Brother Tie Zhu.” Jiang Chen took out a communication talisman.

Not long after, a voice came from the other end.

“This Junior Brother is also done here. Let’s meet up!”

Soon, the two agreed on a specific location.

As Jiang Chen was walking, two men approached him from ahead. Both were middle-aged.

Shen Rong let out a long sigh. “Fellow Daoist Han Fei, I’ve finally found you.”

Jiang Chen recognized him. “Manager Shen?”

Shen Rong pointed at the person beside him and introduced him. “Fellow Daoist Han Fei, this is my Shen family’s current clan head, Shen Rong.”

Jiang Chen gave him a casual once-over and then asked, “Have you made up your mind?”

Shen Rong smiled slightly. “Fellow Daoist Han Fei, this isn’t a good place to talk. Why not come to my Shen family residence for a short rest?”

Jiang Chen decisively refused. “Apologies, I don’t wish to waste time.”

He was joking; although he was a sect disciple, theoretically he shouldn’t fear these rogue cultivators. But while one shouldn’t harbor ill intentions toward others, one must never let down their guard. Who knew what might happen if he followed them? Ultimately, his own life was paramount.

Shen Rong was taken aback for a moment before nodding with a smile. “Alright. To show our sincerity, let’s proceed with the transaction directly.”

Jiang Chen extended his right hand. “Spirit Stones are your greatest show of sincerity.”

How could Shen Rong and Shen Yu not understand? They hurriedly took out enough Spirit Stones to purchase 500 jin of Tier-2 Spirit Rice and handed them over immediately.

In total, it was 4 Mid-grade Spirit Stones and 17 Low-grade Spirit Stones.

It didn’t seem like much on paper, but it actually wasn’t a small amount. The Shen family was buying 500 jin of Tier-2 Spirit Rice at a 1:1.2 ratio. This rate was higher than both the market price and even higher than what the sect offered; it was quite disadvantageous for them.

But there was no choice; Tier-2 Spirit Rice was scarce, especially in resource-poor rogue cultivator markets like this one. It was very hard to come by.

“Very good.” Jiang Chen took out the Spirit Rice with satisfaction.

After inspecting it, Shen Rong suddenly took out his own communication talisman and offered it with a chuckle. “Fellow Daoist Han Fei, next time you come here, please notify us in advance. That way I can have our Manager make proper preparations.”

Jiang Chen understood immediately that this was a reminder for future business. He promptly accepted the communication talisman and nodded. “Alright.”

Afterward, he headed toward the place where he had agreed to meet Tie Zhu.

Shen Rong and Shen Yu stood together watching Jiang Chen leave.

Shen Rong said slowly, “To be honest, I initially thought this person might be a swindler.”

Shen Yu beside him looked surprised. “And now?”

Shen Rong said seriously, “But after seeing this Top-quality Spirit Rice with my own eyes, I dare say this person is not only not a swindler but is absolutely a sect disciple.”

Shen Yu asked with interest, “Why do you say that?”

Shen Rong replied rather smugly, “In my early years, I followed Perfected Master Wang for some time. From him, I learned that Spirit Rice comes in three grades of quality. Different qualities mean different concentrations of spiritual energy within the rice. Out here in places like rogue cultivator markets, being able to eat Tier-1 Spirit Rice is already considered good. Only sect disciples can offload such large quantities of Top-quality Spirit Rice harvested from Tier-2 Spirit Farms all at once.”

The 500 jin of Tier-2 Spirit Rice purchased from Han Fei (that is, Jiang Chen) had an extremely high concentration of spiritual energy. All of it reached Top-quality grade. If consumed long-term, it would bring great benefits to everyone in the Shen family. Even if they couldn’t compare to sect disciples, within this small Green City, they would still secure themselves a place. Therefore, Shen Rong had already prepared himself for long-term cooperation with this person, even if it meant taking some losses.

On another side, Jiang Chen had already reunited with Tie Zhu.

Jiang Chen asked, “Junior Brother, what should we do next?”

Tie Zhu glanced at the sundial, confirmed the time, then answered, “We’ve already missed the giant flying sword. We can only spend the night here first.”

Then, under Tie Zhu’s lead, the two arrived near the Green City Tree. Compared to the rogue cultivator market, this place was actually more lively and prosperous. Even the air smelled sweet and fragrant.

Jiang Chen could see many sect disciples and rogue cultivators—basically all sorts of people.

Tie Zhu led the way while saying, “Senior Brother, most sect disciples who come here almost all spend the night at the [Fragrance Pavilion]. Since it’s your first time coming, we won’t make an exception.”

Hearing this, Jiang Chen released his spiritual sense, and everything within a hundred meters became clear in his mind.

Hearing indescribable sounds… feeling these people’s actions… how could he not understand what kind of place the [Fragrance Pavilion] was?

But his heart held no rejection; instead, he felt somewhat excited.