Inside a secluded house in town.

Several shadowy figures gathered.

"Boss, that kid you told me to pay special attention to has taken his people and left the Wu Family Collection!"

"What’s next? Are we going to take out that kid?"

A figure hurriedly slipped in from outside and spoke immediately.

"Oh? The market day isn’t over yet, is it? Why did he run off early?"

The leader of the group, a one-eyed bald man, had a fierce glint in his remaining eye. His voice was low.

"How would I know?"

"I was just doing as you said, Boss—watching the town gate for news. Then I saw him, the kid you told me to keep an eye on, leaving through the gate with his whole group."

"He must be well on his way back by now!"

At this, the man couldn’t help but ask:

"Boss, that kid seems completely unremarkable. His cultivation and strength are only at the Qi Introduction Fourth Layer. Why are we wasting so much energy paying special attention to him?"

"With that little strength, he probably doesn’t have much loot on him. Besides, the reward we’ll get for completing that big shot’s task is much, much better."

"If this gets in the way of the big shot’s business, we’ll be in deep trouble, won’t we?"

As he spoke,

the others around him nodded, all turning to look at the one-eyed bald man.

They shared the same confusion.

For the past few days, the one-eyed bald man had ordered them to go to the Workshop and secretly dig up information on a kid named Shen Changchuan, as well as gather intelligence on his entourage.

With their many years of experience,

a task like this was second nature to them.

By now, they had a rough idea. The kid, Shen Changchuan, was only at about the Qi Introduction Fourth Layer.

And the cultivators from the countryside with him were all between the Qi Introduction Third and Fourth Layer.

You could say they were pathetically weak. It was a miracle they’d made it to the Wu Family Collection without being robbed.

So why were they being told to focus on such weaklings?

’It was just plain weird.’

"There’s more to this than you know."

A glint appeared in the one-eyed man’s eye as he spoke in a low voice:

"A month ago, that big shot held a gathering. They say everyone who was there were old-timers, veterans at the Qi Introduction Late Stage or higher. They were planning something big..."

"We don’t know the details, but a rumor leaked from that gathering: the He Mountain Four Fierce supposedly bit off more than they could chew and were taken down by that kid, Shen Changchuan."

"Now, that kid has inherited everything from the He Mountain Four Fierce, including the very thing that made them so infamous—the Soul-Attracting Bell!"

As he spoke,

an unmistakable look of greed spread across the one-eyed man’s ferocious face.

"The Soul-Attracting Bell?! You mean the legendary Magical Artifact the He Mountain Four Fierce used to go up against Qi Introduction Seventh Layer experts?!"

Gasps of shock echoed from all around.

Looks of disbelief quickly morphed into expressions of naked greed.

The Soul-Attracting Bell.

To Tribulation Cultivators of their low and middle rank, the reputation of that Magical Artifact was legendary.

The He Mountain Four Fierce had built their fearsome reputation precisely by relying on that one Magical Artifact.

With the power of the Soul-Attracting Bell and their own seamless teamwork, the four of them possessed strength enough to rival someone in the Qi Introduction Late Stage!

A Qi Introduction Seventh Layer expert from the Wu Family Collection had once personally hunted them, but even after several confrontations, he couldn’t defeat them and was ultimately forced to give up.

The He Mountain Four Fierce only left the region because they feared the Wu Family’s prestige,

not because they were being hunted by that one Qi Introduction Seventh Layer member of the Wu Clan.

And after leaving the Wu Family Collection’s sphere of influence,

they continued to build an infamous reputation, thriving with their methods as if they were fish back in water.

In the eyes of low to mid-level Tribulation Cultivators like them, the He Mountain Four Fierce were glamorous, top-tier figures!

Now, suddenly hearing that the He Mountain Four Fierce had been wiped out,

and on top of that, learning that the powerful Soul-Attracting Bell they had used to run rampant had fallen into the hands of a puny Qi Introduction Fourth Layer brat—

it was like watching a toddler walk by, clutching a bar of solid gold.

How could their hearts not race with temptation?

"Boss, let’s do it!"

"If we get that Soul-Attracting Bell, with your Qi Introduction Sixth Layer strength, Boss, we’ll become the next He Mountain Four Fierce!"

"That’s right! With that thing, we could even quit being Tribulation Cultivators. It’d be nice to just settle down somewhere and be the local kings!"

"Exactly! Treasures belong to those worthy of them. A mere Qi Introduction Fourth Layer brat has no right to possess something so valuable!"

"Hmph! He’s not worthy of it. That kid is courting death!"

The men all turned to the one-eyed man, their voices loud with excitement and their eyes eager.

They couldn’t help but be excited.

Although the Sixth and Seventh Layers of Qi Introduction were only one Realm apart, the difference in strength and status was night and day!

It was the boundary between the Qi Introduction Middle Stage and Late Stage. It was the line that separated experts from ordinary Cultivators!

Take Tribulation Cultivators, for example.

Tribulation Cultivators below the Qi Introduction Seventh Layer were considered mid-to-low tier. They couldn’t make much of a name for themselves.

But above the Qi Introduction Seventh Layer,

they could already make a name for themselves, their reputations formidable enough to strike fear into the hearts of everyone in the region!

If they could get that Soul-Attracting Bell,

and combine their strength, they too could possess the power to contend with the Qi Introduction Seventh Layer, just like the He Mountain Four Fierce before them.

Their power would undergo an earth-shattering transformation!

"Of course I want to do it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have sent you to investigate the kid."

"It’s just... I have my doubts. Remember, this information came from that big shot’s gathering."

"Everyone at that gathering was an old fox from the Qi Introduction Late Stage or higher, each more cunning than the last. Why would they just let a piece of news like this slip out for no reason, instead of going after the Soul-Attracting Bell themselves?"

"After all, the Soul-Attracting Bell would be a powerful weapon in their hands, too."

"So why didn’t they take it for themselves? Why leak the news and let us go for it?"

The one-eyed man raised his palm and pushed down gently in the air, signaling for the others to quiet down.

He voiced his concerns in a low tone.

"There’s no such thing as a free lunch."

"I suspect those old foxes want us to test the waters, to face the danger so they can swoop in and reap the rewards from behind."

At his words,

the excitement in the room died down a little.

The boss’s suspicion wasn’t baseless.

No,

in fact, it was very likely the truth!

Since they were all Tribulation Cultivators,

who among them would do a good deed for someone else?

It was obvious that by spreading the news, those old foxes were sending them in to trigger a trap!

It was like finding a huge gold nugget on the road, but instead of picking it up, someone just shouts about it for all to hear.

Something was definitely fishy!

Still,

they just couldn’t stomach letting it go!

Conflicted expressions appeared on everyone’s faces.

"Boss! To hell with their schemes and plots! As long as we get the Soul-Attracting Bell, it’ll all be worth it!"

After a long moment, the man who had first reported in finally succumbed to the temptation of the Soul-Attracting Bell. He slammed his hand on the table and spoke with vicious excitement.

"Yeah, Boss! Opportunity knocks but once! If we hesitate, someone else is going to beat us to the punch!"

"Who cares what those old geezers are planning! We grab the prize and get the hell out of dodge! As long as we have power rivaling the Qi Introduction Seventh Layer, we can make a name for ourselves even if we run all the way to the Nanyue Kingdom!"

The others all chimed in in agreement.

The one-eyed man frowned, lost in thought for a moment.

"Lao Wu, are you sure that kid has no other bodyguards? And their strength is really that low?"

"Boss, I’m absolutely certain!"

"The whole group is just that handful of people. We figured that out days ago."

"The kid seems to be from the Shen Family. He’s had some dealings with the Shopkeeper at the Sanhe Chamber of Commerce these past few days. The staff there are sharp as tacks and would spot us in a heartbeat, so I didn’t dare get too close. But that’s all there is to it. I’m not wrong!"

Hearing this,

a final, vicious glint flashed in the one-eyed man’s eye:

"Fine! If that’s the case, we’re doing it! Fortune favors the bold! To hell with any traps!"

"Worst case, before we make our move, Lao Wu, Lao Liu, you two scout the area. Make sure those old foxes don’t pull a ’mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind’ on us."

"We leave now! We’ll catch that kid, grab the goods, and get out of there!"

The men roared in agreement,

a bloodthirsty, excited glint in their eyes.

It was as if they could already see it: once they had the Soul-Attracting Bell, their power would skyrocket, launching them into the ranks of the Qi Introduction Late Stage!

Of course,

this all hinged on one thing:

that they were quick enough on the draw,

quick enough to make it a done deal before those scheming old foxes had time to react.

Or even get away beforehand,

so those old geezers couldn’t catch them.

As for that kid named Shen Changchuan and the other members of his group?

No one gave them a second thought.

A pathetically weak brat at the mere Qi Introduction Third or Fourth Layer? Once they made their move, he’d be like a fish in a barrel.

Just a fat pig waiting to be slaughtered.

Not long after,

several figures quickly left the house.

Silence fell over the room once more,

as if nothing had ever happened.