Chapter 62: Chapter 62: The Value of Information_1
"What’s the situation here?"
The next day at noon, Li Xijian shattered the Shadow Space Boundary in Wang Linchi’s office, revealing a headless corpse and a bored-looking Wang Linchi.
"Oh, my coworker was a member of the Shadow Covenant. He attacked me, and I killed him," Wang Linchi summarized.
Li Xijian didn’t question how Wang Linchi had managed the counter-kill. He saw at a glance that the headless corpse hadn’t undergone any cultivation and was only at the initial White Porcelain level.
As for how Wang Linchi had blown the man’s head off, splattering gore everywhere, Li Xijian didn’t press for details.
Considering Wang Linchi had managed to acquire the Soul Forging Method, obtaining a new Soul Seed wasn’t unthinkable. Every year, many non-Battle-type Awakeners became Battle-type Awakeners through illegal means; it was just rare to find someone like Wang Linchi, who actively avoided using his power.
"The Soul Seed Bureau is getting more and more useless. A Shadow Space Boundary was up here for twelve hours, and no one noticed," Li Xijian sneered, clearly dissatisfied with the Soul Seed Bureau. "Twelve minutes might have been excusable, but this was twelve hours!"
"Probably their latest Soul Device," Wang Linchi said, casually tossing the Shadow Amulet to Li Xijian.
This thing is useless to me, Wang Linchi thought. Once activated, I can’t control it. So, either I wait for the Shadow Space Boundary’s energy to run out on its own, or it gets shattered by an overwhelming force. It’s surprisingly sturdy, though. I hit it dozens of times with the Soul Seed Page: Fanciful and Fickle, and it didn’t even crack. If I used it and killed an enemy, I’d still be stuck inside for ten days to half a month. If I used it and couldn’t beat my opponent, it’d be even worse—I’d be trapped like a turtle in a jar. This thing doesn’t trap others; it just radiates out from the user.
"Hmm, I’ll credit you for this one." Li Xijian wasn’t one for empty promises; he genuinely gave Wang Linchi credit. However, this credit was for the Shadow Amulet itself, not for Wang Linchi killing a Shadow Covenant member and exposing a mole within the Soul Seed Bureau. That particular credit would come from the Soul Seed Bureau’s Chief, who hadn’t arrived at work yet. He probably partied too hard last night,
Li Xijian mused."Did you get anything out of him? If so, that’s another contribution. The Six Doors can give you two more Natural Treasures that allow you to break the White Porcelain level Mental Power Capacity Limit," Li Xijian added.
"Ten," Wang Linchi stated firmly. "And they have to be top-grade. This information is absolutely explosive!"
"Tell me first. If it’s valuable enough, the Six Doors won’t be cheap," Li Xijian replied without haggling. He knew Wang Linchi wasn’t the type to make baseless claims.
And I’m not the type to make empty promises without delivering, Li Xijian thought. If you want people to work for you, you have to offer real benefits, not just words, especially for major incidents like this.
Wang Linchi then relayed what Ruan Tian had said, though he omitted any mention of his parents’ deaths. Whether it was the Court or the Shadow Covenant, I can’t fight them now. The best thing is to ignore it until I’m strong enough. Then I’ll investigate slowly and make them pay. Revealing it now would be foolish. If I did, I might just ’die of an illness.’
After sharing Ruan Tian’s intelligence, Wang Linchi added, "I can’t be sure if any of this is true; I don’t have any way to detect lies. But you can check with the Peacock Sword Sect."
"Fang Cheng must have told them everything, and they also have the Soul Seed containing the key’s information."
Li Xijian remained silent for a long while. He hadn’t anticipated this would involve a Gigantic Secret Realm. And if they possessed the key, the Court could gain control over it.
"Aren’t you bitter at all?" Li Xijian finally asked. "After all, if they hadn’t interfered, that Gigantic Secret Realm could have been yours."
Is this guy an idiot?
Wang Linchi thought. "Even the Peacock Sword Sect hasn’t managed to secure the Gigantic Secret Realm. What makes you think I could?" He felt Li Xijian was trying to set him up, and the man seemed completely clueless."Let’s not even talk about me. If it were you, what are your chances of controlling this Gigantic Secret Realm?" Wang Linchi retorted.
"Not even a ten percent chance. Perhaps the State Shepherd could do it," Li Xijian admitted frankly. He was just an Elite Gold Level Awakener. The Peacock Sword Sect had many such Awakeners, and they hadn’t succeeded, so what chance did he have?
"And you say it would have fallen into *my* hands? I’m White Porcelain level, not Morning Star level," Wang Linchi scoffed.
"Alright, this information is indeed crucial. Ten top-grade Natural Treasures to break the White Porcelain level Mental Power Capacity Limit isn’t enough. Name what else you want, as long as the Six Doors has it." Li Xijian had become an Officer Jin Zhang not just because of his own strength, but also due to his willingness to share the rewards with his subordinates, which had helped him rise to his current position.
"If I said I wanted a Legendary Level Soul Seed, the Six Doors definitely wouldn’t have one," Wang Linchi mused aloud.
"So, what do you think you *can* offer?" Wang Linchi pushed the question back.
"How about a Soul Device? I can help you pick out a good one from the Six Doors’ collection," Li Xijian suggested.
Soul Devices were essentially equipment. The Shadow Amulet was one type, and Storage Treasures were another. Some Soul Devices boosted attributes, while others had special effects, providing additional capabilities. The key difference was that Soul Devices could only be used and equipped by those with a Soul Resemblance; non-Awakeners couldn’t use them.
"Alright," Wang Linchi agreed. "Preferably one that boosts cultivation efficiency or can temper the Spirit, Soul, and Soul. Failing that, something that enhances Thinking Logic or learning ability would also work."
Since Li Xijian had made the offer, Wang Linchi didn’t hold back his requests.
"That’s asking for quite a lot," Li Xijian said with a wry smile. "I’ll do my best to find something for you, but I can’t guarantee it’ll perfectly match what you want."
The Six Doors had plenty of Soul Devices, but most were for combat or tracking. The kind Wang Linchi was asking for was rare. Even if such items existed, they were usually personal possessions.
"No problem. Just do what you can. If there’s nothing like that, a Soul Device that boosts my defense or gives me an escape ability would be fine too," Wang Linchi conceded, lowering his expectations once more. If nothing else, I’ll focus on staying alive.
"Understood. I’ll prioritize looking for a Soul Device that enhances cultivation efficiency," Li Xijian assured him, having no intention of just stringing Wang Linchi along.
If I try to brush him off now, he might do the same to me the next time he has a lead. Li Xijian had his own principles when it came to handling relationships.
"Alright, let’s leave it at that for now. I’ll call your Bureau Chief and tell him to get back here. We don’t want you running into any more trouble." Li Xijian was being thorough. With the Elite Gold Level Chief of the Soul Seed Bureau around, it would be much safer.