Chapter 90 - 87: I Don’t Have the Habit of Yielding to Dogs

He wondered, "Could it be that someone is deliberately putting it up for sale to draw me out?"

After all, his true identity as Mo Qianqian used a spear! If he came and saw a Spiritual Spear, wouldn’t he be extremely tempted? Although this Spiritual Soldier was incredibly precious and rarely put up for sale just to bait one person, he couldn’t rule out the possibility.

Unless someone trained with a spear, why would they spend a massive fortune to buy a Spiritual Spear for no reason? If he bought it, his current disguise might draw suspicion. He had even tossed the spear created by the armored middle-aged man into the Ninefold Coffin and hadn’t taken it out since. He did this specifically to avoid carrying it and arousing suspicion. In any case, he couldn’t buy it in the short term. Furthermore, he didn’t even have the funds to buy it anyway.

"I’ll go take a look!" Mo Qianqian strode toward the Imperial City’s Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion.

Following the streets of the Imperial City, it didn’t take long for Mo Qianqian to arrive in front of a grand pavilion. The building was dozens of feet wide and five stories tall, boasting a majestic and luxurious exterior. He stepped directly inside.

On the first floor, numerous transparent display counters were filled with a dazzling array of items. However, the most eye-catching spot was situated at the very back. Two guards stood watch there, and a massive crowd was huddled just beyond them. Peering through the throng, he could faintly make out a golden spear hanging on the wall. Even at a glance, one could sense its extreme hardness and sharpness, as if it were about to pierce right through the onlookers.

"That’s the Spiritual Spear?" Mo Qianqian was astonished.

He wondered why it was displayed right out in the open on the first floor for everyone to see. Wasn’t the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion worried about being robbed? But upon second thought, given the formidable strength of the Imperial City’s Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion, and the fact that this was the Imperial City, who would dare to rob them?

"Exactly what does one need to buy this Spiritual Spear?" a middle-aged man in the crowd asked. His eyes burned with fervor, clearly captivated by the weapon.

"Senior, the Spiritual Spear is only available for barter. We will only trade it for something the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion desires," a rather elegant young woman nearby explained with a smile. "We have sealed papers over here. You can write down the item you wish to offer in exchange, and it will be presented to the Pavilion Master for review."

Beside her lay writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and special stationery with sealing strips.

"I’ll write!" the middle-aged man hurried over to do so.

"I want to write one too," another bystander chimed in.

"Me too!" yet another person stepped forward.

"What are you writing for? You don’t have a damn thing of value!" his companion scolded in a low voice.

"This is about what the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion wants, not what’s objectively valuable. What if I happen to have exactly what they need? Wouldn’t I strike it rich?"

Various voices echoed back and forth without pause. The scene grew incredibly lively, as countless people had gathered solely to lay eyes on the Spiritual Soldier.

Just as Mo Qianqian approached the crowd, a harsh voice rang out from behind him. "Get out of my way! Does a bunch of penniless paupers like you really think you’re worthy of looking at a Spiritual Soldier?"

Mo Qianqian frowned slightly and turned around. He saw several young men marching aggressively toward the inner circle. The rest of the crowd also turned to look.

"Who do you think you are? Why should we make way just because you said so?" someone shouted defiantly at the group.

"I am Li Shangyuan of the Ye Xiao Conglomerate!" the leading young man, dressed in a wide-sleeved gray robe, declared with a haughty expression. "Do you think I have the right now?"

"Ye Xiao Conglomerate!" The person who had just spoken turned pale and quickly nodded. "You have the right. You absolutely have the right."

With that, he hastily stepped aside. The surrounding crowd also parted like the Red Sea to let them through.

Mo Qianqian, however, stood his ground. He hadn’t learned much about Spirit Masters before, nor was he particularly familiar with these conglomerates. However, back in Luocheng, he had heard Luo Wushuang mention something called the Bai Xiu Conglomerate.

He had heard of Ye Xiao. He was ranked ninth on the Hidden Dragon List. Being twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, he was nearing thirty and would soon age out of the Hidden Dragon List entirely. As for that Bai Xiu, he hadn’t heard of him. Judging by the names of these so-called conglomerates, they were directly named after individuals. They were likely the private factions of Spirit Masters, functioning somewhat similarly to merchant guilds or mercenary bands.

"What are you staring at? Get the hell out of my way!" Li Shangyuan cursed at Mo Qianqian, looking down his nose at him.

"This is the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion. You dare to cause trouble here?" Mo Qianqian asked in surprise. Of course, the voice that came out of his mouth belonged to a middle-aged man.

"Who the hell do you think you are? You’re the one causing trouble by blocking the way, and you dare accuse me?" Li Shangyuan bellowed furiously.

"Hmph, where did this ugly freak come from? It’s bad enough you’re too ashamed to show your real face, but are you blind, too? Can’t you see Brother Li is here? How dare you talk back!"

"Brother Li came to see the Spiritual Spear, and you’re blocking the path! You’re clearly the one causing a scene, yet you dare blame Brother Li?"

"Old man, do you want us to make you regret ever being born?"

The young men flanking Li Shangyuan all began to shout and hurl threats.

Mo Qianqian was utterly speechless. This was the Imperial City. How could mere members of a conglomerate dare to act so tyrannically? Furthermore, when did he become an "old man"? Did a middle-aged disguise make him ancient in their eyes?

"Who is this guy? Does he really not know what the Ye Xiao Conglomerate represents?"

"Ye Xiao is one of the three great Spirit Master geniuses. At the upcoming Spirit Master Banquet, he might just take first place among the middle-aged and younger generation. Offending him means you won’t have a good life ahead of you."

"He probably doesn’t know what it means to become Master Kui."

"Once someone becomes Master Kui, all the major factions will scramble to recruit them. As long as they name their price, those factions will gladly fight on their behalf. That’s the equivalent of having the backing of countless powerful people. It’s something ordinary factions can’t even dream of comparing to."

"Let alone after winning the title! Even right now, Ye Xiao himself is a Second-Grade Spirit Master. How many people can withstand his power?"

The crowd whispered fervently among themselves.

Hearing the murmurs of the crowd, Li Shangyuan and his group wore expressions of smug triumph. Li Shangyuan arrogantly sneered at Mo Qianqian, "Did you hear that? You filthy dog, hurry up, apologize, and get out of my way."

"I don’t have the habit of yielding to dogs," Mo Qianqian replied with a detached tone.

"What did you say?" Li Shangyuan flew into a rage.

"You piece of trash, do you have a death wish? How dare you disrespect members of the Ye Xiao Conglomerate!"

"Believe it or not, the second you step out of the Imperial City, we’ll tear you to pieces!"

"Get on your knees and apologize to Brother Li right now!"

Li Shangyuan’s lackeys unleashed a barrage of threats.

"After all that talk, if I refuse to accept your challenge, do you even dare to lay a finger on me?" Mo Qianqian asked, looking at the group with genuine amusement.

He wanted to see if these people were truly arrogant enough to ignore the rules of the Imperial City and attack someone unprovoked. Not to mention, they were standing inside the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion.

"You..." Li Shangyuan was taken aback by his sheer audacity.

They knew how to pick their targets within the Imperial City. If they ran into a Prince or Princess or the top geniuses of major families, they wouldn’t dare throw their weight around. But those who lacked prominent backgrounds were fair game to be bullied. In all this time, he had never met someone who dared to stand up to them so brazenly. Even members of the three great families wouldn’t casually offend the Ye Xiao Conglomerate. Yet, this man had the nerve to ask such a provocative question?

"Hmph, do you think we can’t afford to beat you up? Our Ye Xiao Conglomerate has plenty of pills. Even if Brother Li doesn’t make a move, any of us at the Spirit Vein Realm can handle you! We can easily afford the Combat Tax of ten grade-one pills. You have one last chance!" a lackey beside Li Shangyuan sneered.

Ten grade-one pills—whether low-grade or high-grade—were naturally a drop in the bucket for the Ye Xiao Conglomerate. However, the one throwing the punch would have to front the cost themselves before seeking reimbursement from the conglomerate later. Whether or not they actually got their money back was entirely up to the higher-ups. If they truly had to pay out of their own pockets, they would go completely bankrupt. Because of this, as long as the other party didn’t accept the challenge, they naturally didn’t want to strike first.

"I don’t make a habit of apologizing to a pack of barking dogs," Mo Qianqian said, crossing his arms.