Finishing a pot of tea while thinking about the following day, Bai Qi decided to leave the tavern and seek lodging. While cultivators above the initial Soul realm could spend weeks without sleeping, and Warrior Lords would not require sleep nor food to maintain themselves, they still needed a place to meditate to gather qi and recuperate. And obviously, some tavern room or the streets of a city were not such a place.

By common sense, since Bai Qi had accepted the [Sima Family] lady commission through Zhu Hu, they should be the ones providing lodging. But as the matter was something that they wanted to keep hidden, Bai Qi was to maintain a distance from the [Sima] estate until the arranged duel's time. Thus, he had to go and search for a place to stay by himself.

Not that Zhu Hu forgot to recommend a few places, and even went so far as to leave a pouch of small spirit stones for Bai Qi to not worry about expenses.

Bai Qi thought as he left the tavern after finding out that not only the tab had been already closed, but there were actually nearly 40 shards of credit left for him to enjoy inside if he wanted.

_______

For the first time in weeks, months even, excluding his cultivation periods, Bai Qi found himself alone and in an unknown place, in this case, the small-sized [Eastern Inscription] city.

Since his somewhat forceful ascension to the Warrior Lord realm before the events at the [Void Palace], and coupled with the following his truly forceful cultivation session at [Black Grass Hill], Bai Qi's soul had not only linked but fully merged with Kui Mulang's and Wu Guang's ones. Then, after his breakthrough to calm his demonic counterpart, he found out that it was not his majestic, previously Immortal level, soul the one to pave the path but Wu Guang's weak, mortal soul.

And that soul, now just a miniature part of his new three-pieced one, had awoken all the young mortal boy's desires inside the newly constructed soul, no matter the far greater opposing forces of the past Immortal and Demon. From camping in the wild to actually becoming a cultivator, from eating delicious food to traveling around. Some of them quenched by Bai Qi's actions, others by the experiences he had already lived up to in this new body of his. And still, there had been a couple that Bai Qi had no chance to resolve.

For one, it was the natural curiosity of a teenager, but as it coupled well with Bai Qi's original thirst for knowledge, it would not trouble him. After all, as much as Wu Guang's original desire was to explore new places and find things he hadn't seen before - it still paled before Bai Qi's absolute thirst. Even this mediocre city was a place to discover and learn something from. Thus, by acting as he usually would do in an unknown place - exploring it, Bai Qi would satiate both parts of his soul.

For the next one, it had actually been a bit hard for Bai Qi to maintain it under control. After all, while he had lived for over 800 hundred years, and Kui Mulang had also lived a whole, mature life, Wu Guang was only 14 years old when he died, so he hadn't even kissed a girl, what to mention other things. Having met and interacted with dozens of beauties since this awakening and always accompanied by a bewitching fox, Ma Su, the desire to know a woman was becoming akin to an uncomfortable itch for Bai Qi. Thankfully, now that he was alone, it wouldn't be the hardest to solve, even if Bai Qi's mind actually felt no desire for such a thing.

The real problem, which Bai Qi had thought of no way to solve, was Wu Guang's longing for a place to belong, a home. After all, he had lost his family early, and except for his uncle, who had never been too close to him, Wu Guang had died with not a single place to call his own. While somewhat suppressed by the friends and acquaintances that Bai Qi had made since he occupied the recently dead body, the longing had always been there, and now that it was etched directly into Bai Qi's current soul, even he felt at a loss as to what to do. After all, no matter his change of plans to actually start building a power, it was clear that Bai Qi wasn't planning to settle anywhere soon!

Thus, it was no wonder that lately, Bai Qi sometimes found himself in deep thought, trying to find a way to solve these problems before they escalated into inner demons, or worse, clashed against Kui Mulang's warlike and arrogant desires, or for the case, against his own. After all, deep inside, except the curiosity and a small revenge desire of the youngster, which had already been completed, there were nearly no points of intersection with the other two pieces of his current soul!

_______

Bai Qi wasn't very passionate about the idea of visiting a brothel, but with the nagging of the youngster's soul desire, he considered it to be a far lesser evil than what could happen if he ignored it. Thus, after leaving this small gate-side tavern called the [Sunset Wine House], it was no wonder when one considered that they had entered from the West gate, while Bai Qi's pace was one of leisurely walking around, even stopping in a few of the stores on the nearby streets, not that he was interested but as simple sightseeing experience, he slowly started moving towards the so-called free trade zone, or the seedy part of the town, located in between the most trafficked west and south gates.

No matter his general aversion, he planned to, once and for all, solve at least one of the three issues nagging at his emotions, and after some small talk here and there, he had found that for his objective, that would be the right destination. Furthermore, one of the shop owners he interacted with, a somewhat sleazy-looking man in his older fifties directly recommended a place called [Red Smoke Chamber], "While it one of the most expensive places in the free trade district, it's not only the best and safest, but it also serves as an auction house for... miscarried resources."

On one hand, such a place was something to avoid, but Bai Qi looked at it from the other side.

While none of Bai Qi's late opponents had been people with known backgrounds, who knew the trouble he could get in when selling their weapons and treasures?

Between spoils, [Zhihoadao] arena bets and prizes, the two palaces rewards, and also [Zhihoadao] City Lord ones, since his return to the [Great Forest] region, Bai Qi had accumulated nearly 40 thousand mid-grade crystals. And that was without accounting for the rings over rings of materials, herbs, weapons, and other treasures.

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Compared to his initial wealth on the plane, less than 5,000 mid-grade crystals between shards, materials, and else; it was truly an enormous increase. Especially if one considered that all of the assets of a four-tiered power would reach no more than a hundred thousand!

The [Red Smoke Chamber] would also serve him for another reason. If he was right and it was a place controlled by the shady side of the martial world, they would have measures to monitor the visitors, meaning that the still-following him, concealed Warrior Kings would have to reveal to some degree if they were to follow him inside.

But such a plan to kill three birds with one stone wasn't meant to be...

***

Bai Qi had just walked around for half an hour as he noticed that the alleyway he had entered was absolutely deserted, something uncommon when one considered that it was one of the main entryways towards the free trade district. Similarly, there would be no reason for the few stores on the street to be closed at this hour, would there?

While he had avoided releasing his senses more than normal for a Warrior Lord of his cultivation, this time Bai Qi expanded their coverage and power, reaching a degree comparable to the peak of his realm. Not enough to alert a Warrior King expert, but enough for him to find out that the street wasn't so deserted as he thought. Indeed, both the residents and the owners of the stores hadn't just decided and left but had closed doors and windows while remaining inside their properties.

As for the reason behind such conduct, it was quickly found by Bai Qi. Although he could have spared the effort, as the so-called reason, in the face of seven Warrior Lords of differing cultivation, with the strongest being a 7-th level man in his forties, approached and proceeded to surround him.

Although Bai Qi had noticed the group of seven with enough time and distance to escape or take other measures, he chose not to. Firstly, he was interested in finding out who they were, and secondly, he had plans to create an incident that would put him in the limelight. He wanted to establish a power and work towards completing the task he had accepted from the Emperor of the Black Empire. Both of these required recognition, which, for Martial Cultivators, came with fights and incidents.

Some time before;

In the aftermath of his humiliating encounter with the Pan Trade Company, Dongpo Qingqiu sought solace and solidarity among his drinking buddies in the guard tower near the city gates. Among them were seven Warrior Lords of varying cultivation levels, with Dai Zhenya, a stagnant 7th level cultivator, standing as the strongest among them. Once hailed as a young genius, Dai Zhenya had fallen from grace in his own clan and now served Dongpo Qingqiu in exchange for resources and favors.

As Dongpo Qingqiu vented his frustration and wounded pride to his companions, Dai Zhenya suddenly proposed a plan to target the young troublemaker, Bai Qi, who had dared to challenge the genius city's heir authority. Convinced by Dai Zhenya's sycophantic assurances and wanting to vent at least some of his feelings, Dongpo Qingqiu eagerly embraced the idea of demonstrating his might by eliminating this offender to his dignity.

The plan was simple: follow Bai Qi, observe his movements, and ambush him when he least expected it. With Dai Zhenya and his cronies acting, Dongpo Qingqiu would continue drinking until the deed was done, ensuring his hands remained clean and only later reveal that it had been done on his orders. As for witnesses and any potential interference from guards, what was easier to do for the current overseer of the Gates, and the son of the city's ruler?

In their eyes, the plan seemed foolproof, especially considering Bai Qi's cultivation level of the 6th level Warrior Lord realm. And had no company but a servant.

However, the individuals involved made a few mistakes due to arrogance or simply not thinking enough. They underestimated not only Bai Qi's power but also that the young master of the [Pan Trade Company] had openly intervened. And so, for anyone slightly more intelligent, it should be clear that he would not sit idly by after entering the gates.

Surrounded by Dai Zhenya and his cronies, Bai Qi remained composed, a flicker of laughter evident in his eyes. Dai Zhenya, however, viewed this as Bai Qi being fearful as if perceiving an undercurrent of dread beneath what he assumed was a facade.

With a contemptuous smirk, Dai Zhenya taunted, "Ah, look at you, little troublemaker. Do you truly believe you can defy the might of the Dongpo Clan and escape unscathed?"

As if it were a routine they had practiced countless times, the other six, companions in both licking Dongpo Qingqiu's feet and the wicked deeds commanded by the latter, released their auras in synchrony, attempting to pressure Bai Qi even further. They laughed loudly, thinking that the young troublemaker - as Bai Qi not only looked but felt to be far from reaching 20 - was already done for.

What could they know that, for Bai Qi, it was them who were done for?

***

"Haaa... And here I was thinking just who decided to ambush me in the middle of the [Eastern Inscription] city. Turns out to be some robbers, what a bad security the [Dongpo Clan] has." As if not noticing that he was surrounded not only physically but also by six overlapping auras, the older and stronger cultivator still retaining his, Bai Qi shook his head while speaking of it both as a small matter but also hinting at the incompetence of the City Lord's mansion.

Such manner and words immediately angered the six younger bootlickers, and one of them, a 5th level Warrior Lord, even commanded his aura offensively against Bai Qi while starting to roar something angrily "You..!"

At this moment, Dai Zhenya suddenly felt that something was amiss and quickly released his senses to the utmost, in an attempt to find the most logical source of confidence for this youngster, a hidden helper. Yet, before he could even scan a hundred of feet, Bai Qi had already acted.

*Whoosh*

With a single string of aura released from his suddenly raised finger, Bai Qi directly broke the attacking 5th level Warrior Lord one, even forcing the latter to step back a couple of steps as he suffered some light internal damage from his aura wave being shattered.

And then, before anyone could react, not even a hidden observer that neither Bai Qi nor Dai Zhenya had noticed, Bai Qi forcefully released his aura while releasing a single level of his heaven-defying ability to battle above his class.

*Shatter* *Crash* *Crash* *Crash*

As if a tsunami it was, Bai Qi's aura surged, easily shattering the six surrounding ones, forcing the six people back, and even sending three of the weaker Warrior Lords crashing against the nearby buildings. Not that it was strange when one considered that except for Dai Zhenya, no one had a level above the 5th one, and the three weaker ones were just mere 1st and 2nd levels.

In fact, even the previously passive Dai Zhenya had to take a step back and release his own aura to not be sent flying away.

While Bai Qi's soul power, since his ascension and souls merging process, was now far more limited in realm, it was still condensed to a level that no Warrior Lord could have, and so, even if he released it as a 7th level Warrior Lord one, it was one at the upper class of the level, to the point that no peak 7th level Warrior Lord would risk to fight it without preparation.