Chapter 667: Chapter 667

The chief manager of the Qiongyu Merchant Guild must be incredibly powerful, likely at the middle or even late stage of the Core Formation Realm. Qin Sang wondered if such a guild might even have the means to command Spiritual Infant grandmasters.

After some further conversation, Qin Sang finally brought up the purpose of his visit.

Ran Luo paused briefly in thought, then said, "For us human cultivators, offering mutual support in foreign lands is only natural. A few Daoists have already agreed to travel together, so you may rest assured, Daoist Master Qingfeng. However, I do have a few questions. Would you be willing to answer them?"

"Please, go ahead," Qin Sang replied calmly, sitting upright.

Ran Luo nodded. "May I ask if this is your first time heading to the Stormy Demonic Sea? What are your plans once you're there? Do you intend to hunt demonic beasts alone, or have you already made arrangements to partner with other cultivators?"

Qin Sang frowned and responded in a low voice, "These are private matters. Do they concern your guild?"

He was not inclined to reveal his situation to strangers.

Ran Luo waved her hand lightly. "Please don’t misunderstand, Daoist Master. You are not obliged to answer. I ask only out of concern, in case this is your first time visiting the Stormy Demonic Sea and you’re unfamiliar with its dangers. There, even cultivators as strong as you and I rarely travel alone. Most choose to join a faction or form a small group of fellow cultivators to advance and retreat together. If you have not yet allied with any faction, you might consider our Qiongyu Merchant Guild."

She looked directly at Qin Sang and made her offer candidly.

Qin Sang had already heard that every Core Formation cultivator who came to the Qiongyu Merchant Guild would be approached for recruitment, so he did not reject her outright and took the time to consider the proposal.

"Outer Sea Guest Cultivator?" Qin Sang murmured softly.

That was the title Ran Luo had offered him earlier.

"That's right," Ran Luo replied, seeing his curiosity and offering a detailed explanation.

"Those of us who frequently travel to the Stormy Demonic Sea call it the 'Outer Sea,' while referring to Canglang Sea as the 'Inner Sea.' The division between inner and outer isn’t just geographical. Many factions now operate based on this distinction."

"The most common example is merchant guilds like ours. We are not sects and have no sectarian bias. To maintain our influence in the Outer Sea, we recruit many powerful cultivators like yourself as Outer Sea Guest Cultivators."

"Most of these guest cultivators are disciples of top sects in the mainland, and joining a merchant guild does not affect their affiliations."

"Matters in the Outer Sea are kept entirely separate from the Inner Sea."

"Once you enter the Inner Sea, if you wish to remain a guest cultivator, we will gladly accept it. If not, we will not insist. In the Inner Sea, we part ways and will not interfere with your original connections."

"Becoming a guest cultivator of our guild brings countless benefits..."

Ran Luo explained it smoothly, trying her best to ease Qin Sang's concerns and tempt him with the various advantages.

Some of them genuinely moved him.

He was not a native of Canglang Sea and had no sect ties. Joining the Qiongyu Merchant Guild would not be a problem. However, Qin Sang was fully aware that none of these benefits came without cost.

"What responsibilities would I have as a guest cultivator?" he asked.

Ran Luo smiled lightly. "If the guild faces a crisis, you would be expected to stand with us and overcome it together. In ordinary times, however, the guild will not restrict your movements. On the contrary, we will help you connect with other cultivators to go out to sea and hunt demonic beasts..."

So it was as he expected.

Benefits always come with obligations. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novel※fire.net

The title of guest cultivator sounded nice, but in reality, it meant being a hired combatant.

The Stormy Demonic Sea had always been unstable. Danger could erupt at any moment.

He was alone, and if danger came, his instinct would be to flee. But once he became a guest cultivator of the guild, that freedom would be gone. He would be bound by obligation.

Accepting benefits but failing to fulfill responsibilities would not be tolerated. If he abandoned the guild in a moment of crisis, not only would the Qiongyu Merchant Guild pursue him, but likely the entire Dongji Alliance would place him on a wanted list. He would find it difficult to survive in either sea.

Still, having the backing of a powerful force did offer significant advantages.

Ran Luo had spoken the truth. Solo adventuring in the Stormy Demonic Sea simply did not work.

Qin Sang had long understood how hard life was for a rogue cultivator.

After thinking for a moment, a new idea came to him. He asked, "Does your guild only recruit this type of guest cultivator? What if there is someone skilled in artifact refinement or alchemy? Would they be eligible to join?"

Artifact refiners and combatants bore different responsibilities.

Besides, Qin Sang had already planned to continue studying the path of artifact refinement. Joining a faction as a refiner would be the perfect cover.

Ran Luo’s eyes lit up. "If there are Daoists skilled in artifact refinement or alchemy, any merchant guild would welcome them with open arms. Why would we turn them away? Daoist Master, could it be that..."

Qin Sang gave a slight nod. "I have some experience in artifact refinement."

Ran Luo was overjoyed. "What kind of astras have you refined, Daoist Master?"

Why does this feel like a job interview?

Qin Sang inwardly muttered to himself and said with slight embarrassment, "I’ve only refined my own life-bound astra so far and am still in the process of studying it. However..."

Due to the guidance of his cultivation art, refining his life-bound astra had not been difficult. He simply followed the method step by step, as outlined by the technique. But other astras were a different story entirely.

The spiritual materials required for astras were all incredibly valuable.

Qin Sang only had access to some orally transmitted insights from an artifact refiner of Xuling Sect. He had barely scratched the surface of true inheritance, let alone fully understood and mastered it, so he dared not recklessly attempt to refine a full astra.

He still had one complete yin ring left from the Primordial Unity Ring, and its refinement would be much easier.

Once he successfully refined the Primordial Unity Ring, his mastery over artifact refinement would undoubtedly improve by leaps and bounds.

Noticing a flash of disappointment in Ran Luo’s eyes, Qin Sang quickly shifted his tone and said with confidence, "That said, I’m highly skilled at refining artifacts, especially top-grade artifacts. Given the same spiritual materials, I can achieve a higher success rate than most, and the power of the artifacts I refine is always superior."

This confidence came from the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells.

He had already confirmed its effectiveness while refining the Essence-Devouring Spike in the Black-Winged Eagle’s cave. The Devilish Flames of Nine Hells provided a significant advantage in artifact refinement.

With his current cultivation, using the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells would greatly boost both the success rate and the power of his refined artifacts. Creating top-grade artifacts would pose no difficulty at all.

While top-grade artifacts were not as rare as astras, they were still in high demand in the world of cultivation. The Qiongyu Merchant Guild did not only serve Core Formation cultivators, after all. Qin Sang was certain they would be interested.

Sure enough, upon hearing his firm and confident declaration, Ran Luo became visibly intrigued. "The demonic corpses we purchase from the Outer Sea often aren’t suitable for refining astras or pills, so we use them for refining artifacts instead. Our guild is eager to recruit talent. If you truly possess unique artifact refinement skills and are willing to join the guild, you may name your terms. I’m sure we can offer something that will satisfy you."

Qin Sang caught the implication behind her words. After glancing around and pausing briefly, he said, "There are still some matters I must attend to. Since we’re heading to the Stormy Demonic Sea together, why not wait until we arrive? Once we have enough demonic corpses, I can demonstrate my refinement skills in person. How about that? We can discuss everything in detail then."

The Qiongyu Merchant Guild was assessing him.

He intended to assess the Qiongyu Merchant Guild in return.

Qin Sang still lacked a proper understanding of the Stormy Demonic Sea and did not wish to commit too quickly. He would wait until they reached the sea before deciding which faction to join.