Su Yan asked about the Desolate Mountain affairs. Gao Zheng mused for a moment, thinking it was time to brief the newcomers.
"In fact, the matters concerning the Desolate Mountain are not mysterious, but they mostly involve martial artists, Desolate Beasts, and Treasure Plants, which is why ordinary people know little." Gao Zheng organized his thoughts: "The Desolate Mountain has the word 'desolate,' but its range is wider than the Outer and Inner Mountains combined. It has countless peaks, many treacherous and dense forests, and, importantly, it is a place where spiritual energy converges. Hence, it breeds numerous Treasure Plants, Spiritual Medicines, and continuously reproduces Desolate Beasts."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Su Yan knew this well; training in the mountains felt distinctly different.
"I suppose the difference between the Wild Mountain and the Inner and Outer Mountains is similar."
"The Wild Mountain is teeming with Savage Beasts; even second-tier Savage Beasts, which are equivalent to the True Intent Realm, are not unheard of in the deepest parts. The various families hold the mountain pass, carving up the mountain and governing their respective areas. While this is certainly profitable, there is one crucial point: the necessity of guarding it."
Su Yan's eyes shifted slightly: "Savage Beasts coming down the mountain?"
Gao Zheng shook his head slightly: "A Savage Beast Rampage—if the Savage Beasts were to breed without restraint, even with the abundant spiritual energy in the mountains, they would probably be forced to descend. They would wreak havoc on the various areas of Yun Cang Town, causing widespread unrest."
When martial artists develop the Wild Mountain and hunt the Savage Beasts, it is essentially a form of check and balance, establishing a sort of equilibrium.
"Not to mention, if a second-tier Savage Beast were to go mad one day, that would be a true catastrophe. Decades ago, a second-tier Rock Bone Python went berserk and charged down the mountain, starting a Beast Tide. If not for the former old master of the Sky Wind Weapon Shop sacrificing himself to fight it, the death toll would have been more than just a few thousand people."
Gao Zheng had only heard the rumors, but those few thousand people likely wiped-out countless villages.
"In that great battle, the old master—a second-tier True Intent Realm expert—died. The court's Left Commandant and the Lin family's Old Ancestor were poisoned and died of illness barely a hundred years old."
A True Intent Realm expert, having passed the four stages of Body Tempering and undergone a complete transformation, should live for well over two hundred years if uninjured and healthy.
Dying at a hundred years old is considered an early death.
"Can't the True Intent Realm experts of the various families simply exterminate all the second-tier Savage Beasts deep within the Great Wild Mountain?" Dian Jing asked in a deep voice. If the second-tier Savage Beasts were wiped out, the threat of a Beast Tide, at least one led by a second-tier beast, would be gone.
Gao Zheng chuckled: "How could they be completely wiped out? The Yun Ling Wild Mountain stretches for eight hundred li. How many Savage Beasts and strange creatures are there? Even if they kill one second-tier Savage Beast, there's no guarantee that a first-tier late-stage Savage Beast won't devour some rare spiritual herb or treasure plant and instantly become second-tier. How can you ever kill them all?"
"Furthermore, a second-tier Savage Beast's entire body is a treasure. It's excellent material for refining second-tier pills. Whether selling it to the County City or to a major sect like the Beast King Sect, it's a good business that can be exchanged for medicinal pills."
Su Yan contemplated this. The Yun Ling Wild Mountain was too vast to fully open up, and there was no need to. Regular hunting and mutual checks and balances were, in fact, the means of survival for the martial artists of Yun Cang Town.
"Senior Brother, based on what you said, are these also the businesses of our Golden Ape Martial Hall?"
Su Yan asked about the Golden Ape Martial Hall's industries. Gao Zheng replied: "We have a bit of everything, but we can't compare to the Lin family, the Sky Wind Weapon Shop, or the Hundred Herbs Hall. The Sky Wind Weapon Shop mainly focuses on mining and hunting; most of the mountain ore is exploited by them. The Lin family occupies the most mountain peaks and once had a disciple in the Beast King Sect, giving them simple methods for domesticating and raising low-tier Savage Beasts. They specialize in raising and selling Savage Beasts, and while they are only very low-tier creatures, their prices are extremely high. The Hundred Herbs Hall focuses on cultivating medicinal herbs. The other families are involved to some extent, but not on a large scale."
They chatted for a while, clinking glasses. Gao Zheng repeatedly emphasized: "Our Martial Hall's villages have their own land and forests, where we cultivate special crops like Red-Tooth Rice and Nourishing Spirit Fruit. Beyond that, we hunt Savage Beasts and gather spiritual plants. Junior Brother, with your ability to find and collect medicine, you are sure to shine."
Hunting Savage Beasts requires teamwork for safety, and gathering spiritual plants also requires teamwork, again for safety; this is the norm for almost all factions.
However, Su Yan had other plans. He was different from others. Setting aside his medicine-finding ability, his two controlled spirit-bugs were the best assistants.
Moreover, after entering the Wild Mountain, the number of magnificent, exotic spirit-bugs, while still fewer than common Savage Beasts, would be greater than in the Inner or Outer Mountains.
At that point, it would be like a dragon entering the sea.
Su Yan naturally could not team up with others—that was a baseline.
"Senior Brother, what if I only want to go alone?"
Everyone was stunned by this question. Gao Zheng asked hesitantly: "Junior Brother, you want to explore alone?"
Su Yan nodded. Gao Zheng frowned slightly: "Junior Brother, it's not impossible to explore alone, but you're only in the Skin Refining Realm. You really can't rush this. The Yun Ling Wild Mountain is dangerous, and it's easy to meet a bad end there. You must be careful. It won't be too late to go alone once you break through to the Muscle and Bone Realm or even the Blood Shifting Realm."
He paused, then added: "Although the Golden Ape Martial Hall is not as powerful as the Lin family or the Hundred Herbs Hall, the internal resources are sufficient for your muscle and bone cultivation."
Though Gao Zheng continued to advise caution, Su Yan understood.
Although they were entering the mountain together, the Golden Ape Martial Hall did not forbid solitary excursions. That was enough.
Su Yan smiled and said: "Senior Brother, don't worry, I have a sense of proportion."
Gao Zheng's eyes flickered, and he thought: 'Could he have already broken through to the Muscle and Bone Realm?'
Halfway through the feast, with the cups half-empty, Gao Zheng and the others did not delve further into this question.
Instead, they talked more about the Great Wild Mountain, giving Su Yan a clearer picture of the place.
When the afternoon arrived, the others dispersed, and Su Yan's courtyard finally grew quiet again.
He put out the fire and cleaned the dishes.
Su Yan's eyes glittered as he considered Gao Zheng's words.
"Ultimately, the revenue for the various families in the Yun Ling Wild Mountain boils down to three categories: Enclosure, Exploration, and Treasure Grounds."
Enclosure means the families section off areas of the mountain that are easy to access and suitable for setting up camps, establishing them as their own territory.
For example, the Golden Ape Martial Hall occupies five peaks where they grow specialized crops like Red-Tooth Rice, which serve as an economic source.
The Lin family's low-tier Savage Beast domestication and the Sky Wind Weapon Shop's mines all fall under this "Enclosure" for self-sustaining profit.
Exploration is the continuous push into uncultivated parts of the Great Wild Mountain to hunt or search for treasures.
The core disciples of the various families use this for experience, and if they travel in groups, the profits are shared to varying degrees.
The last category is Treasure Grounds—areas where spiritual energy gathers, and special spiritual herbs and Savage Beasts live. These areas are regularly sealed off, then opened for a great hunt to acquire a large number of resources.
These spots are even used for competitive challenges to determine which faction occupies and dominates them, representing the biggest chunk of profit.
Su Yan smoothed out the details, and a smile appeared on his face.
"For others, exploring the Yun Ling Wild Mountain alone might be difficult, but I am different. The Velvet Fire Scorpion is already mature, and the Shadow Water Centipede is long past its halfway point of maturity. If I can get it past its mature stage in the next few days, then I can explore alone. As long as I can find more exotic bugs..."
Su Yan's eyes flashed. More exotic bugs meant his combat power would increase exponentially.
He only had the Skin Refining Realm before, so his methods were somewhat lacking, but things were different now.
Shasha shasha
Thinking this, he summoned the Shadow Water Centipede. He fed it one Poison Dragon Pill after another, and its growth rate continued to rise.