Chapter 185: The North Prince Holds a Grudge
This time, it took Qin Bei quite a bit longer to absorb these soul powers.
It took him a whole half an hour to absorb fewer than a hundred soul beads.
Of course, it wasn’t because there was just too much soul power that needed to be integrated slowly.
The main reason was that Qin Bei needed to distinguish how much soul power each soul bead contributed to him.
It must be said that there is still a significant difference between first-level soul beads and third-level soul beads.
If I had to describe it, the soul power in a first-level soul bead is like a drop of water entering the ocean; at best, it just creates a tiny splash, and then—nothing.
Conversely, a second-level soul bead entering the mix is like splashing into a river. The effect may still be minimal, but at least it can flow downstream to more places.
As for the soul powers contained in third, fourth, and fifth-level soul beads, they don’t just grow exponentially; instead, they explode in growth.
By the time you reach sixth-level soul beads, though, the increase is noticeably less intense.
In the end, based on the utilization of his krypton gold points, Qin Bei concluded that the most cost-effective option was still the fifth-level soul beads.
‘It’s cost-effective for sure, but the places in the Imperial Mausoleum where I can obtain soul beads are limited. If I want the most soul power, then selecting the sixth-level soul beads is certainly the best choice.’
Huh~
Qin Bei opened his eyes, scanning the surroundings of the Imperial Mausoleum.
He thought to himself, ‘If I want to maximize profits by going for sixth-level soul beads, it doesn’t seem like I have enough krypton gold points left.’
This was his most tangled dilemma.
If he could spend spirit stones to gain krypton gold points outside, Qin Bei wouldn’t hesitate to choose the highest quality available.
Unfortunately, this was the Imperial Mausoleum.
‘Too bad I don’t have any spirit stones right now, and there’s no place to use them here in the Imperial Mausoleum.’
Qin Bei originally thought saving up twenty thousand krypton gold points was already impressive, feeling he could splurge a bit.
He imagined that a trip to the Imperial Mausoleum Trial wouldn’t cost too many krypton gold points.
Yet, he never imagined that this little amount of krypton gold points would disappear so quickly.
If he really started to waste them, it would just take a few minutes.
In the end, Qin Bei hesitated but decided to go for the fifth-level soul beads.
He would save the remaining krypton gold points for comprehending the “Void Sutra.”
After all, that “Void Sutra” was the primary goal of his trip.
It’s a pity that choosing fifth-level soul beads wouldn’t raise his soul power to the extent he desired.
Just when Qin Bei felt regretful, the conversations of a few people in the distance reached his ears.
“I’ve always known that soul beads have the ability to enhance soul power, but I didn’t expect someone would actually use soul beads to enhance it. Isn’t that a bit too extravagant?”
“With so many soul beads, it would be nice if I could just have half of them.”
“Aren’t you a bit greedy? Half? Just give me one fifth-level soul bead! How many training hours could that save me? It’s only a matter of time before I surpass my senior brother.”
“Stop talking! He’s awake! Be careful he hears your dangerous thoughts and gives you a few bloody holes!”
“What’s wrong? Can’t we just discuss this? Besides, we’re all from legitimate sects. We would never do anything like robbing!”
“Right! If you’re upright, you have nothing to fear. Should we just stop talking? What’s wrong with being reasonable?!”
“Quit it! He’s looking this way. Oh no, he’s coming! Run!”
Rustle!
Seeing Qin Bei approaching, the group that was engaged in lively discussion suddenly panicked.
“Wait~ no, I…”
Qin Bei raised a hand, trying to clarify his intentions.
But the moment he extended his hand, the crowd, originally just a bit anxious, went into total chaos.
“Run! He’s going to attack!”
Someone screamed from the crowd, and before Qin Bei could even react, the group scattered like a flock of frightened birds.
Whoosh—Rustle!
A cool breeze brushed by, sending tender green leaves fluttering to the ground, adding a touch of color to the bald ground amidst the chaos…
“No, all I wanted to do was chat! No need to react so strongly, right? I don’t eat people!”
Qin Bei helplessly called out to the now-empty venue.
Mu Zhaoxue and Ji Zhuyue stepped forward, watching Qin Bei’s expression at that moment with an urge to laugh.
Now, his bad reputation had surely spread.
“What were you hoping to talk to them about, dear husband?” Ji Zhuyue asked, chuckling.
“Well, I heard they’re very interested in soul beads, so I thought maybe I could sell them a few? I’m just not sure if they’d be willing to buy or what a fair price would be.”
Qin Bei spoke seriously.
If these people were interested in soul beads, then he could offer them some.
While he might not boast a lot in the Imperial Mausoleum, he definitely had enough soul beads.
As long as they were willing to trade spirit stones for them, he could sell a few soul beads.
Wouldn’t that bring in more spirit stones for him?
As for how to spend the spirit stones, that was a matter for another day. Right now, Qin Bei hadn’t contemplated that yet.
It was unfortunate, though, that his fierce reputation had spread a bit. Now, when these people saw him, they ran away.
Qin Bei felt exasperated.
“Selling soul beads?”
Ji Zhuyue looked at Qin Bei in bewilderment, unsure of why he had such an idea.
“Exactly! I’m a prince, so I should be magnanimous. If they like soul beads, then I can give them a few—though I can’t just give them away for free, right? So, I thought a symbolic exchange of spirit stones would be nice.”
Qin Bei’s idea of ‘symbolic’ spirit stones was, of course, not actually symbolic.
He merely used that term because he was still unfamiliar with the market situation.
If he truly understood the market, he would definitely take advantage of these people.
“But looking at the situation now, it seems these folks aren’t too willing to trade with me.”
Qin Bei looked at the empty venue, feeling rather helpless.
Mu Zhaoxue:…
Ji Zhuyue:…
Does my husband really think that?
This isn’t about not wanting to trade; it’s about them being scared!
“They’re not reluctant to trade; they heard about your arrogance, or rather your dominance, and they’re afraid of provoking your anger—that’s why they scattered.”
Ji Zhuyue shook her head, chuckling.
Mu Zhaoxue chimed in, “Right! If your husband truly wanted to sell those soul beads, they’d definitely be willing to buy them. However, they might have many requirements, like the level of the soul beads or the levels and types of martial arts involved. They’d surely be picky, and finding soul beads that satisfy them would be challenging and time-consuming. Five days simply isn’t enough to sell too many.”
After listening to the girls, Qin Bei finally had his lightbulb moment.
Turns out they were just a bunch of cowards, scared of his power!
Since soul beads were in high demand, Qin Bei no longer worried about customers.
As for the problem Mu Zhaoxue mentioned about finding suitable soul beads, that was indeed an issue for ordinary people.
After all, there were just too many tombstones in this Imperial Mausoleum.
And the number of tombstones means a variety of martial arts skills.
Finding one that suits you among so many would certainly be tough.
But Qin Bei was different.
Where others took their time, he could sweep through everything at once.
As long as he had enough krypton gold points, sweeping was just a matter of time.
And five days was more than enough.
By then, he could probably hold a selection of thousands of soul beads for these cultivators to choose from. He’d be willing to bet that there wouldn’t be a single one that suited their needs.
Since there was a market, Qin Bei didn’t hesitate any longer.
With five days remaining, the most important goal now was to find a cluster of tombstones and gather plenty of soul beads.
As for the selling issue, he would leave it to Mu Zhaoxue and Ji Zhuyue.
‘I’m a genius!’
Qin Bei internally praised himself.
With this approach, he was leveraging the trial opportunity to convert krypton gold points into spirit stones, and then convert spirit stones back into krypton gold points.
Sure, the system clearly stated that things exchanged that way couldn’t be sold.
But these soul beads weren’t given by the system; he could deal kindly with them.
This back-and-forth movement meant not only did he gather enough krypton gold points, but he also collected a bunch of spirit stones.
Most importantly, he could significantly boost his soul powers— all while simply looking for tombstone clusters.
This free profit-making scheme was too good to pass up; Qin Bei was dreaming of doing more than just this.
In that case, would he still be worried about not having enough krypton gold points to spend?
Would he still be anxious about lagging behind his top peers?
He wouldn’t have to fear being clueless either— as long as he had krypton gold points, he could accomplish everything he wanted to do.
“Let’s go, let’s proceed to the next stop.”
Qin Bei could hardly contain his eagerness to find those tombstone clusters.
As long as he found tombstones, he could obtain soul beads, plus there would definitely be people around those tombstone clusters.
When that time comes, he could promote a bit and let those folks help him advertise, and voilà, his business could boom in an instant.
Mu Zhaoxue and Ji Zhuyue exchanged glances, feeling a little uneasy about Qin Bei’s energetic attitude.
The Imperial Mausoleum Trial had already taken five days.
In those five days, let’s just say Qin Bei has been as inactive as ever, right?
Now, with his sudden peaks of enthusiasm, who knows if something good is about to happen.
But regardless of their thoughts, Qin Bei’s excitement still brought them joy.
Now, Qin Bei seemed like the perfect man in their eyes.
He truly was a ridiculously strong man in everything!
…
In the palace loft.
Emperor Xia glanced at the lively Qin Bei, the corners of his eyes twitching.
His bad premonition was growing increasingly strong.
…
Qin Bei and the other two didn’t search blindly.
Nope, they took the same route back.
That’s right, it was the path they had taken over the past days, and Qin Bei led Mu Zhaoxue and Ji Zhuyue back over it again.
Only this time was different because Qin Bei was moving at full speed.
The pace of this journey was more than several dozens of times faster than when they first arrived.
“Dear husband, there are many tombstone clusters ahead; we could find them at a more leisurely pace. Turning back now will put us further from the entrance to the inner circle,” Mu Zhaoxue frowned.
She and Ji Zhuyue both believed they should press on toward the central position of the outer area.
Because that’s where the entrance to the inner circle is— a place teeming with aspiring geniuses.
Since Qin Bei wanted to sell the soul beads, that was undoubtedly the most suitable spot.
However, Qin Bei did not agree with this line of thought.
He wanted to scour the outer areas thoroughly once again.
Mu Zhaoxue and Ji Zhuyue, unaware of his extreme thoughts, didn’t find it fitting to argue.
The outer area isn’t particularly vast.
With Qin Bei’s cultivation level, traversing every corner of it wouldn’t take five days.
So Qin Bei felt confident he could realize his ultimate goals.
In just half an hour, Qin Bei and the girls found a cluster of tombstones.
This spot was populated with many young geniuses.
Intriguingly, many were from that very crowd who had been scared off by Qin Bei only moments before.
Upon seeing Qin Bei arrive, they were left dumbfounded.
“What’s going on? Hey, we just had some reckless thoughts and misspoke, offending Prince Bei, but is it truly necessary to chase us this far?”
“Yeah, we all know how Prince Bei is infamous for his vengeful nature and arrogance, but we never imagined someone could be this ruthless! We merely exchanged a few words— is it necessary to wipe us out?”
“I miss the elder of our sect. The cultivation world out here is terrifying!”
“Damn! If it comes to that, let’s just fight! With so many of us, can’t we take down Prince Bei?”
“If you want to fight, go ahead! I won’t, though. I’ll cut off a limb to show my penance!”
A cultivator, who had previously expressed an interest in that soul bead in Qin Bei’s possession, broke down completely upon seeing Qin Bei “pursuing” him.
Though he appeared fierce, he was, in fact, quite timid at heart.
He made up his mind and aimed a punch at his own left arm.
Snap!
A crisp sound rang out, and an instant hush fell upon the scene.
Everyone could discern this was the sound of a bone breaking.
Some clueless onlookers gazed at the lad as if he were moronic.
Only those who had shared similar experiences grasped that this dude was surrendering.
“Brother! That’s too extreme! You broke your arm just like that?!”
“If you don’t go to extremes, you can’t keep your footing! It’s better to break an arm than risk Prince Bei’s vengeance and end up with a pile of bloody holes!”
The youthful figure, gritting through the pain, spoke to those around him.
“Maybe you guys should follow my lead? After all, Prince Bei only wants a name to settle the score, so let’s just give it to him!”
The bold boy not only took action against himself, but he also prompted others to follow suit.
“Let’s skip that. I don’t think Prince Bei would detest us that much. We simply said aloud what everyone was thinking. What’s so wrong with that?”
“Exactly, everyone should show some restraint! After all, we all have some status, right? Surely a little face can be granted to us?”
A group of geniuses who had previously fled from the tombstones began to communicate with one another.
They outright rejected this behavior.
After all, it genuinely hurts.
And it’s so embarrassing— what if Prince Bei isn’t as cruel as the rumors say?
That would be utterly humiliating!
“Fools!”
Just as everyone pondered this way, the boy’s exclamation snapped them back to reality.
Before anyone could get angry, he continued, “Don’t you think about where we currently stand?”
“Where is that?”
“This is the direction back towards the outskirts.”
“And so?”
Everyone felt puzzled, totally unsure of what this meant.
Yet some sharper minds recognized something amiss.
“Prince Bei’s target is the inner circle! He was making for the inner circle from this very direction. He was undoubtedly close by, yet he isn’t moving toward it but rather to the outskirts. Must I tell you the reason? Who would stroll back for no reason?”
…
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