Chapter 178 Doubt

"Do you really have a High-Grade Cultivation Manual which can instantly promote you to Path Forging Realm?"

"Of course! Why would I lie?"

Xin Ruo answered Sang Yi.

The straightforward man did not hear any deception in her voice. He was convinced that she was speaking the truth.

"Where can I buy it?"

Sang Yi asked, unable to conceal his ecstasy. The way Xin Ruo had introduced them made him want to get his hands on one immediately.

"Calm down, Captain Sang. We do not have them in the Rift. But you can see them once we are outside."

Xin Ruo spoke, dowsing his enthusiasm. He realized how overeager he had been and took deep breaths to calm himself.

'The Manuals may sound miraculous but they also need to suit the Clan's needs. If they are like any other High-Grade Manual, there is no point in buying.'

Sang Yi thought once he regained clarity.

The Nian Clan had seen many different types of Martial Cultivation techniques in the Elm City's markets. Quite a few were High-Grade Manuals too!

Of those techniques, not many suited the Nian Clan's needs. The ones that did were all outstanding techniques, coveted by all.

The Nian Clan could not match the spending capacity of others and hence, lost every bid. Still, these techniques had raised their standards and requirements when looking for a High-Grade Technique.

Sang Yi had inherited those biases. When he calmed down, he remembered all of those crappy techniques that barely met the mark to be considered a High Grade. His expectations fell further.

'How can a third-tier city have better manuals than the markets of Elm City?'

Sang Yi sighed and shook his head as he looked at Xin Ruo who was enthusiastically telling his clansmen about their Battle Techniques.

Just then he felt a lurch in his stomach. It was a telltale sign of teleportation.

All the people in the exit area were teleported to outer space. They felt the familiar feeling of weightlessness and suffocation from lack of air.

Soon, they were sucked into a portal and they were standing before the Planar Rift in Beech City.

—---

"... You should definitely come to…"

Ikasa did not get the chance to finish his sentence before he was teleported. A few seconds later, he was spat out of the Planar Rift along with many others.

The bright light of the Sun blinded him after spending a long time in the dark of the Planar Rift. His ears buzzed and he felt dizzy due to the sudden change in environment.

A few breaths later, Ikasa regained control of his senses. He immediately looked for Feng Yan, Xin Ruo, and the kids. When he saw them all sprawled on the floor, moving to sit up, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Look! The first parties are already back from the Rift."

"Tsk! They didn't even last for the entire three hours! If I could enter the Rift, I wouldn't have wasted the chance and tried to get as many treasures as possible."

Ikasa heard the disdainful comments of the sparse few who were standing guard outside the opened Space Isolation Formation.

'We were not even inside for three hours? How is that possible?'

The time he spent inside felt like an entire month so he was shocked to know that less than three hours had passed outside.

His astonishment was mirrored by the other Sense Trainers who came out of the Rift. They had never heard of such a thing happening before. However, they did not have much time to ponder over it.

"The Space Isolation array will close in fifty breaths! Everyone should leave unless you want to be stuck inside for the next month."

Path Finder Qian's loud voice sounded in the ears of all the Sense Trainers who returned from the Rift. They immediately crowded to the narrow entrance of the Array formation and hastily went out.

"Master Ikasa! Brother Feng! I am glad you are fine."

Elder Yi Gan greeted Ikasa and Feng Yan. He then thoroughly scanned the kids and Xin Ruo to check if they had any injuries. Satisfied, he stopped fussing over them and awaited Ikasa's orders.

"Elder Yi, I have made a few friends inside. Would it be okay if they came to you for treatment?"

During his time as the leader of his company, Ikasa had learned this trick. Asking people for their convenience was the best way to make them feel valued.

They would not feel like their Boss was a slave driver who worked them to their bones when in fact they took on more work than an average employee would.

Elder Yi was touched by Ikasa's words. He happily agreed to his arrangements.

After Ikasa had taken care of his potential new customers, Xin Ruo alerted Ikasa about the potential interest shown by the Nian Clan.

"Brother Ikasa, Sang Yi has shown immense interest in our manuals. Though they are only interested in purchasing, I think it is possible to turn them into our partners for Elm City."

Ikasa looked at Xin Ruo with an incredulous expression. Then he broke out into joyous laughter.

"Hahaha! Xin Ruo, you did a great job! Getting that guy to talk about business is no easy feat."

Ikasa remembered the gathering he had attended before going into the rift. Sang Yi had rebuffed every merchant who had approached him with a business proposal.

Ikasa had learned from them and preferred to talk about business with people other than Sang Yi.

And here, Xin Ruo had prevailed over the experienced merchants who had practiced their glib tongues for many years!

Just as they were talking, the Commander of the Zhen Family forces, Path Finder Qian Bu approached them.

"I am glad to see you are in good health, Brother Ikasa."

The old man with a young face spoke with a wide grin. Ikasa smiled back in response. Though he had antagonized him, Ikasa didn't lose his temper so easily.

Commander Qian continued to speak.

"I hope Path Finder Mu Shi did not trouble you inside. I heard a rumor that he was going to challenge you to a duel because of how close you are with Path Finder Zhen Ya."

Ikasa narrowed his eyes slightly but the smile on his face did not fade.

'Was this bastard the one who spread those rumors?'

He wondered but quickly decided to investigate it later. At the moment, he had to answer this two-faced snake before him.

"Hahaha! Commander Qian, you sure have a good sense of humor! Why would a Path Finder challenge a Sense Trainer to a duel?"

Commander Qian took Ikasa's reaction as the nervous bravado of someone who was in trouble. The smile on his face widened.

Ikasa then suddenly turned serious and placed a hand on Path Finder Qian Bu's shoulder.  The commander looked at the hand with distaste and annoyance. He shrugged his shoulder to make him move his hand, but Ikasa only tightened his grip.

"Commander, speaking of rumors, I also heard a very horrifying rumor. I heard Mu Shi was killed by Steel Guardian Beasts. I may be wrong, but who knows the truth?"

Blood drained from Commander Qian's face. Ikasa gently patted the shell-shocked Path Finder on his shoulder and turned to walk away with his group.

'Why is that guy so concerned about Mu Shi?'

Ikasa wondered as he walked away.

Commander Qian recovered a few breaths later and saw Ikasa and his group leave the premises of the Array complex without a hint of worry.

'Is that rumor true? I need to find out.'

The Path Finder hurried over to other returned Sense Trainers. He heard similar variations from all of them -

Mu Shi fought the Su Family and killed them. Then he was killed by the Steel Guardian Beasts.

Commander Qian clutched his hair with frustration.

Mu Shi was the fiance candidate chosen by the Second Elder of the Zhen Family for Path Finder Zhen Ya. His arrival in the Beech City was no mere coincidence; It was carefully arranged by the Second Elder.

By sacrificing Zhen Ya, he wanted to secure the backing of the Mu Family. With their backing, his son had a chance to become the Successor of the Patriarch!

This ambitious Second Elder was the master of Commander Qian!

Thus, the death of Mu Shi affected Commander Qian very much.

Not only had his Master's plan to gain the favor of the Mu's failed, but instead he may have attracted their hatred!

When the Mu Family learns of this, they would definitely hold the Second Elder responsible. As the enabler and the man on the field, how could Qian Bu escape the blame?

It was no wonder that Qian Bu was frustrated and pale.

Qian Bu abandoned his duties and returned to his room in a daze. He was constantly thinking about how to escape the blame.

He slammed his palm on the desk in his room with fury, cursing.

"Damned, Steel Beasts! How could they kill Mu Shi?"

Suddenly he had a thought.

"Wait, Beasts?"

Commander Qian went through the information he received once again. Almost all of them mentioned Beasts.

He looked up with a strange face. He noticed a very glaring discrepancy.

"The Steel Guardian Beast are very territorial creatures. They never cross into the other beast's territory. So, how come most of the people said that Mu Shi was attacked by multiple Beasts?"

Had it not concerned him, Qian Bu would never have scrutinized every single word of the rumor he heard. However, this concerned his life and death.

So, he became suspicious. Looking outside his window, Qian Bu saw the Planar Rift in the distance. He narrowed his eyes and muttered,

"Something is fishy here…."