The Herbal Trade Convention was held in Thousand Spirit City, a subordinate city of Hundred Spirit Medicine Sect.
The harbor sat only thirty li away.
The city was built by the water, wealthy by nature—
but during the convention, it became truly extravagant.
Lin Ye inhaled slowly.
"The spirit qi here is far denser than Wind-Thunder River Domain."
Even the circulation speed of his Nine Revolutions Asura Art increased noticeably.
Xia Wei nodded, her eyes glowing with longing.
"Upperstream, Midstream, Lowerstream… they're divided by spirit qi density."
"I've heard Upperstream's spirit qi is a hundred times stronger than Midstream."
"And in the very center of Upperstream… there are sacred cultivation lands."
"One day of training there…"
"…equals a year of cultivation in Lowerstream."
She exhaled softly.
"That kind of place…"
"Even if you threw a pig into it… it could become a supreme feral beast."
That was the cruelty of the world.
The strongest controlled the richest resources.
Even the weakest Upperstream sect…
could crush every sect in Lowerstream combined.
That gap was nearly impossible to bridge.
Lowerstream might produce a monstrous genius once every few centuries.
Upperstream?
They could nurture ordinary talents who would still dominate Lowerstream.
This was why the three-stream hierarchy remained ironclad.
Lin Ye understood it perfectly.
In Shenchuan Continent, the imperial Lu Clan held the top resources.
Their foundation lasted tens of thousands of years.
Even if civil conflict raged inside—
outsiders still couldn't touch them.
That was real power.
A single genius could never compare to millennia of accumulation.
Suddenly, behind them—
a carriage thundered forward, almost ramming into the crowd.
"Move!"
"Get out of the way!"
"Slow trash—are you trying to die?!"
People were shoved aside, some falling straight into the dirt.
Even the Uugang Panther turned its head.
The carriage was coming straight at it.
The panther opened its mouth and fired a burst of black light—
BOOM!
The wheel exploded.
The entire carriage shattered instantly.
But a black-robed guard grabbed a fat middle-aged man and flew out safely, landing without a scratch.
The fat man screamed immediately.
"WHO DARED BLOCK MY YANG FAMILY'S ROAD?!"
"And who destroyed my Yang Family carriage?!"
Yang Family.
Many nearby people went pale.
Of course…
No wonder he was so arrogant.
The Yang Family was practically an attached clan of Hundred Spirit Medicine Sect.
Many of their descendants were sect disciples.
Some even rose to high positions.
In Thousand Spirit City, the Yang Family was untouchable.
This fat man was Yang Jiuchun—
ninth-ranked elder of the Yang Family.
High enough status to bully freely.
And the black-robed man was his personal bodyguard.
His guard leaned in and whispered urgently:
"My lord… that is a Fourth-Rank feral beast."
"Uugang Panther."
"Equivalent to a Heavenly Phenomenon Realm expert."
"Whoever rides it… is not someone we can offend."
Yang Jiuchun froze.
All his arrogance drained instantly.
He forced a laugh and walked forward quickly.
"Ahem—my apologies, my apologies!"
"I'm Yang Jiuchun of the Yang Family."
"I was rushing, I didn't expect to offend a great figure…"
"Please forgive me."
Xia Wei blinked.
They hadn't even spoken yet.
The panther wrecked his carriage.
And yet he apologized?
She almost laughed.
But she quickly adopted Lin Ye's calm, unfathomable posture.
She waved casually.
"Forget it. Move along."
The panther turned and continued walking.
Yang Jiuchun wiped sweat from his forehead, relieved.
Thank the heavens…
they didn't pursue the matter.
That pair looked far too dangerous.
On the panther's back, Xia Wei's thoughts stirred.
Why did everyone act so obedient around Lin Ye?
Yunyan Sect.
Now the Yang Family.
They were the ones suffering loss, yet none dared raise their voice.
And then she understood.
It wasn't a mystery.
It was strength.
True strength created pressure without words.
Out in the world, everyone had one goal:
survive.
Pride could wait.
They entered Thousand Spirit City.
On both sides of the streets, vendors openly sold rare herbs:
thousand-year ginseng.
ten-thousand-year lingzhi.
Things almost impossible to find in normal shops…
here, they appeared everywhere.
If you had enough spirit stones—
everything was within reach.
Xia Wei checked the calendar.
"The convention begins in two days."
"It will be held in the central plaza."
"But many people already arrived early and are selling herbs now."
Lin Ye nodded.
"Find an inn."
They chose a high-end guesthouse.
A private courtyard cost five thousand spirit stones per day.
Lin Ye paid for three days immediately.
Two rooms.
One courtyard.
Perfect.
The Uugang Panther lay in the yard.
After the constant ship rocking, it looked relieved to touch solid ground again.
Lin Ye stood in the courtyard and began planning.
His next pill would be a Sixth-Grade pill.
But first…
he wanted to strengthen his body.
To enhance the power of Shatter-Calamity Claw.
"Sixth-Grade pill…"
He murmured.
"Hundred-Forged Ironbone Pill."