As a member of the Qin Family, one of Yellow Sand City's top Hunter Clans, Qin Li had been immersed in their world since childhood and knew a great deal about it. What he wanted most right now was to increase his strength, and what he needed was a Combat Skill suited for him!
Besides the great families, Sects, or the Royal Family, the only ways to obtain a Combat Skill were through auction houses and the Hunter Guild. Auction houses were out of the question; an Advanced Technique could cost over one hundred thousand silver, a sum the current Qin Li couldn't possibly afford. Therefore, if he wanted to get an Advanced Technique, his only option was the Hunter Guild.
Clients commissioned the Hunter Guild to post missions with bounties of money or items. Anyone who completed a mission would receive the reward, and the Hunter Guild, acting as both intermediary and guarantor, would take a certain fee for its services.
Generally, a mission's difficulty was directly proportional to its reward; the harder the mission, the better the reward. The Hunter Guild had no shortage of missions offering Primordial Power Heart Methods and Combat Skills, but most were just common, low-level techniques. There were a few Middle-Level ones, but their missions were incredibly difficult. This created a dilemma: those strong enough to complete them alone usually had no need for a Middle-Level technique, while those who desired one couldn't handle the mission by themselves. As a result, the Hunter Guild was always filled with teams looking to recruit partners.
For someone to offer an Advanced Technique as a mission reward, one could only imagine how difficult that mission must be! In all its years, the Hunter Guild in Yellow Sand City had only seen such a case once, and that was over twenty years ago.
Legend had it that within the Execution Ground, one of Yellow Sand City's four great danger zones, there were Ancient Ruins. At that time, someone posted a bounty, offering an Advanced Sword Technique in exchange for hiring Adventurers to find those ruins. The mission would be considered complete as long as they could find the exact location, draw a detailed map, and then guide the client there.
Over the past decades, no fewer than several hundred people had tried one after another, only to fail this mission. No one could complete it. It was said that among the Martial Artists who accepted this mission, there was even a First-Stage Earth Level expert! Likewise, no one ever saw him return. Thus, to this day, that Advanced Sword Technique remains locked away in a secret room in the Guild's basement.
And this mission, worth over one hundred thousand silver, came to be regarded by Adventurers as the number one of the Ten Terrifying Missions.
What was once a popular mission had long since become one that nobody would touch.
In Yellow Sand City's Hunter Guild, the second-ranked of the Ten Terrifying Missions was also a quest to find Ancient Ruins. In fact, in many people's minds, this mission was even more terrifying than the one to explore the ruins in the Execution Ground.
The reason wasn't the mission itself, but the reward.
This mission was to explore the Ancient Ruins submerged in Phoenix Lake. Many years ago, someone had accidentally discovered the existence of buildings in Phoenix Lake and successfully brought back several exquisite ancient artifacts from there, which were priceless! The person who discovered the ruins swore that the buildings there were perfectly preserved and that a mysterious force was holding back the water. However, the danger lay in the fact that Phoenix Lake was teeming with Water Spirit Beasts, many of which had never been seen before!
And the reward for this mission was a Divine-level Technique!
Many people doubted whether Divine-level Combat Skills even existed, just as many didn't believe in the existence of reclusive masters or mysterious Sects on the Celestial Essence Continent. After all, to them, such things were too ethereal and unrealistic. They all believed that seeing is believing and staunchly refused to acknowledge anything they hadn't seen with their own eyes.
Therefore, there had always been great controversy surrounding this Divine-level Combat Skill. But one thing was undeniable: cultivating this Combat Skill granted immense power!
"So, kid, what do you say? This old man isn't trying to pull a fast one on you. I swear on my honor, it's all true! This Combat Skill is absolutely Divine Level! If you don't believe me, you can start cultivating it right now. Even with just First-Level Primordial Power, I guarantee you'll be able to easily beat opponents two or three stages stronger than you! And if you can master it completely, hmph! Even an expert an entire level above you will be no match for you!"
A disheveled old man with long hair that looked like it hadn't been washed in months sat behind a battered old table, spewing spittle as he boasted to Qin Li.
It was from this very old man that Qin Li had just heard many interesting stories about Adventurers. Originally, Qin Li had wanted to accept that death mission for the Advanced Sword Technique, but the old man had physically dragged him over here, grumbling that Qin Li didn't value his life and that the mission was a one-way trip. However, in Qin Li's view, this disheveled old man's mission was hardly any better!
Phoenix Lake. It sounded like a beautiful name, but no local from Yellow Sand City would ever think so. That place devoured people whole, not even spitting out the bones!
Phoenix Lake's water was clear and cold. When there was no wind, it resembled a mirror. Surrounded by mountains, it looked like a paradise on earth. But both the lake and the surrounding mountains were teeming with ferocious beasts, and some had even reached the Transformation realm! Spirit Beasts and humans had always been hostile toward one another; one could only imagine the danger for a human Martial Artist entering their territory.
'Besides, my intelligence isn't that low. A Divine-level Combat Skill, given away for free before the mission even starts... Is there really such a good deal in this world? Even if there were, would it fall into my lap? It would've been snatched up so fast that not even dust would be left!'
And when he saw the name of this so-called Divine-level Technique, Qin Li had to fight the urge to laugh.
'Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, Only I am Venerable... That's the full name of this Cultivation Technique! The cover is brand new, and the calligraphy is actually pretty good—very flamboyant and wild. But even a young child could see this technique has probably been copied countless times. He didn't even bother to make it look old... This old man is just an unprofessional swindler!'
The Hunter Guild was bustling with people coming and going. Many noticed the commotion and began to snicker amongst themselves. One even shouted, "Elder Qi, you're scamming people again! That Divine-level Technique of yours isn't even worth two cups of wine! All you know is how to prey on ignorant little kids, HAHAHA!" The speaker was a brawny, barrel-chested man who looked quite strong, and he was loudly mocking the disheveled old man.
"Bullshit! My technique is the best in the world! If you don't have what it takes to cultivate it, then shut your mouths!" the disheveled old man retorted, rolling his eyes, not backing down an inch.
Someone else chimed in with a laugh, "Give it a rest. Cultivating other techniques costs money, but cultivating your bullshit Divine-level Technique will cost you your life! Only someone with a death wish would dare to cultivate that thing."
At that moment, the brawny, barrel-chested man walked over, clapped Qin Li on the shoulder, and said with a grin, "Come on, little brother. It's obvious this is your first time here. Don't let this old coot fool you. Let me tell you about his bullshit 'Divine-level Technique,' haha."
Watching the 'engrossed' youth get pulled away by the man, Elder Qi was so furious he started cursing up a storm, though he didn't dare actually pick a fight with the brawny man.
Because everyone there knew that this big man, a regular at the Guild, was the famously renowned "Iron Fist" Hu from Yellow Sand City's Adventurer Realm!
A Seventh-Stage Profound Level master!