Yang Kai's jovial demeanor faded the instant they were alone. His expression darkened, the easygoing smile replaced by something colder and sharper. He didn't like being used—especially not by someone who might end up costing him more than he gained.

He turned slowly, eyes locking onto Wang Chen.

"So," Yang Kai said flatly, "now that we're here…"

The unspoken question hung heavy in the air.

Wang Chen noticed the shift in Yang Kai's demeanor immediately—the relaxed cheer drained away, replaced by wariness and irritation. Still, he didn't care in the slightest.

With the same mild smile on his face, Wang Chen calmly met the fatty's gaze and asked,

"Brother, would you be kind enough to tell me which region of the Soaring Dragon Continent this is, and in which direction the Thousand Sword Sect lies? If you can help, I would be extremely grateful."

The question caught Yang Kai completely off guard.

For a split second, disbelief flickered across his face.

How ignorant does one have to be to ask something like that?

Unless—

A thought surfaced, and the temperature in Yang Kai's eyes dropped sharply.

Unless this is his first time on the Soaring Dragon Continent.

Only then would someone not recognize this place.

Cold realization settled in.

This was Ancient Sword City—the holy land of sword cultivation across the entire Seven Cloud Convergence World. A city where sword intent permeated the air, where even the stones beneath one's feet had been tempered by countless years of slaughter and enlightenment. More importantly, it was the headquarters of the Thousand Sword Sect, the undisputed number one power of the continent.

Yang Kai couldn't help himself. He let out a cold snort and said frostily,

"This is Ancient Sword City. The headquarters of the Thousand Sword Sect."

His eyes narrowed.

"Now, Brother, don't waste my time any further. Hand over the Blood Demon Ore. As you know, I am in a hurry."

Despite the suspicion gnawing at him, Yang Kai didn't immediately explode. Some instinct—one honed by years of dealing with monsters in human skin—warned him that acting rashly would be a mistake.

That feeling unsettled him.

He looked at Wang Chen again, this time carefully, stripping away assumptions.

Plain clothes.

Unremarkable appearance.

Golden Core cultivation—decent, but nothing extraordinary.

And yet…

Why does he make my skin crawl?

Wang Chen, for his part, didn't care what was going through Yang Kai's mind.

He flicked his wrist.

The space in front of them rippled violently, as if the void itself had been sliced open. A faint metallic screech echoed as reality parted—and under Yang Kai's widening eyes, a fist-sized block of crimson-red metal slowly drifted into view.

"Hiss—!"

Yang Kai sucked in a sharp breath.

"Blood… Blood Demon Iron…"

The metallic scent of fresh blood wafted through the air, thick and unmistakable. There was no need to test or verify it—this was the real thing.

Blood Demon Iron.

A metal formed from the iron essence within demon blood, condensed only after the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of demons. Rare to the point of absurdity, impossible to artificially refine, and priceless to anyone who knew its true value.

This was the very reason Yang Kai had crossed continents and risked his father's wrath.

His eyes burned as he stared at the floating metal, shock and greed warring within him.

And for the first time since meeting Wang Chen, a single thought echoed clearly in Yang Kai's mind:

This man… is not simple at all.

"You really had the Blood Demon Iron…"

At Yang Kai's stunned exclamation, Wang Chen merely smiled faintly.

"My part of the deal is complete," he said calmly.

With that, he turned and walked away.

For a brief moment, he did feel the temptation—to press further, to toy with Yang Kai's shaken nerves, to remind him just how cheaply his urgency had been purchased. But in the end, he dismissed the thought. Yang Kai hadn't shown open hostility, and Wang Chen wasn't so bored as to bully a simpleton for amusement.

Yang Kai stared at the crimson metal floating before him, then at Wang Chen's retreating back. His expression twisted with conflicted emotions—shock, caution, and a faint trace of regret.

Just as Wang Chen was about to vanish into the crowd, Yang Kai blurted out hurriedly,

"Big Brother, wait! Please—come with me to the Yang Family estate! My father would definitely wish to thank you personally!"

The address had changed.

From Brother to Big Brother.

Yet Wang Chen's steps didn't pause in the slightest.

Wang Chen quickly pushed the Yang Family from his mind.

So this is Ancient Sword City, huh…

The headquarters of the Thousand Sword Sect.

His gaze drifted across the tightly packed streets and towering buildings forged from rare metals and spirit stone alloys. Sword intent hung thick in the air, sharp enough to prickle his skin. Within minutes, he had already spotted dozens of Golden Core cultivators moving about casually.

Any one of them could dominate an entire region in the Azure Dragon Continent.

Here, they were just background noise.

Just as he was absorbing the atmosphere, a sudden disturbance caught his attention. Groups of cultivators rushed past him, their voices filled with excitement and disbelief.

"Did you hear? Some young man challenged the top hundred outer disciples of the Thousand Sword Sect!"

"Stop joking. Who would dare pull something like that?"

Before the first speaker could respond, another voice cut in, louder and more shocked.

"Not only did he challenge them—he defeated all hundred with a single move!"

"What? You're kidding!"

"What's his name?"

"Lin Huang… Lin—wait, I've never heard of such a family. Where did this monster come from?"

Wang Chen nearly chuckled.

So he made it in time.

At least his disciple was still alive.

But before that faint amusement could settle, another voice rang out—this time brimming with anticipation.

"Quick! To the battle arena! That madman just challenged the inner sect disciples—he even angered one of the sect elders!"

That last sentence made Wang Chen's expression darken slightly.

He had never held a good opinion of elders who hid behind status and authority.

Without another word, he shifted his direction and merged with the rushing crowd—heading straight for the battle arena.

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