Chapter 154: A Boiling Pot of All Major Guilds

At the Southern Suburb, near the entrance of the Martial Soul Secret Realm, thousands of players gathered in scattered clusters. Almost all of their eyes were fixed on the gigantic teleportation array. Occasionally, a team would step onto the array, causing a number to appear in the void before extinguishing a moment later. This signified that the challenging team had failed.

When the secret realm had first opened, players had rushed forward toward the teleportation array in a mad frenzy. However, after paying a bloody price, the remaining players were now mostly watching from the sidelines. Out of over a hundred teams and more than a thousand players, not a single one had successfully cleared the trial. This had thoroughly terrified the remaining players; no one was willing to throw their lives away for nothing, nor did they want to watch the equipment they had worked so hard to acquire get devoured by those monsters.

The areas closest to the teleportation array were occupied by players from the major guilds and clans of Lieshan City—Longteng, Liehu, Legend, and Fierce Wolf—with almost all of the top ten guilds present. Not far from them were high-end independent teams and various elite studios, among which the members of Azure Feather were prominently listed.

"Sister Qingcheng, what on earth is Ye Chen playing at? He actually made us wait for half an hour." Li Yetong's in-game nickname was Wutong under the Moon, and her class was a pet-taming hunter. At that moment, she was boredly kneading her white wolf pet while complaining discontentedly in the team channel.

"Little Ye is indeed a bit unreliable this time, not telling us clearly and acting all mysterious. Fortunately, we've been waiting for him; otherwise, we'd definitely be like those hot-headed players who rushed into the secret realm, losing both levels and equipment," Drunken Acacia said gently, raising her eyebrows as she looked around.

"I trust Ye Chen. Since he's doing this, he must have his reasons. Remember that incomparably thorough guide to the Rock Forest? That's definitely not something an ordinary player could get. Perhaps he's discovered some secret about the Martial Soul Secret Realm," Lingyue spoke up in defense of Ye Chen.

Sword Qingcheng nodded in agreement, saying in the team channel, "Let's wait patiently for a little while. I believe Ye Chen won't let us down. I'm looking forward to him surprising me once again."

Hearing this, the group of girls quieted down and began whispering to each other about other matters.

In contrast to the calmed-down Azure Feather Studio, the major guilds positioned ahead of them appeared extremely anxious. The teams continuing to enter the secret realm right now were vanguard units they had dispatched to figure out a solution. Every time a number dimmed, the faces of these guild higher-ups darkened by a fraction.

The members of Longteng were gathered on the left side of the giant teleportation array, where several upper-echelon members were engaged in a heated discussion.

"This won't do. Three elite teams have already been sacrificed in vain. I disagree with continuing this aimless trial-and-error and sacrificing more people; it's a huge blow to the guild's morale," Longteng Battlecrazy said with a livid expression, watching as the vanguard team he had just sent out was wiped out once again.

"So your meaning is to give up? I disagree. I firmly disagree. Look at the other guilds—do they show any intention of giving up? Do you want Longteng to be the first deserters? Furthermore, how do you know there's no method without trying? Giving up means we will fall behind. What if another guild manages to enter the Martial Soul Secret Realm first? The officials have already released news that unpioneered secret realms will refresh many powerful martial souls. If our rivals get hold of them, they might surpass us in one fell swoop!" The speaker was Thief Leaves No Trace. As he spoke, he glared fiercely in the direction of Liehu. Currently, Liehu's ambitions were soaring, and their relationship with the top-ranked Longteng was as incompatible as fire and water.

"Then are we just going to keep sending people to their deaths like this?" Longteng Battlecrazy raged.

Hearing the quarrel between the two, Longteng Prodigal's expression hadn't looked too good from the start, as he was also finding it difficult to make a choice. However, right after Longteng Battlecrazy roared, a trace of joy suddenly flashed across his eyes. He waved his hand at the two, signaling them to stop arguing, then switched his transmission from the public channel to the party channel. In a low voice, he said, "There's no need to continue sending people to clear the trial. Those bastards at Liehu have already found a way; we just need to sit back and reap the benefits."

"What? Liehu has already found a method? Won't they take the lead over us then?" Longteng Battlecrazy asked anxiously.

"Rest assured, even if they take the lead, it will only be by a short while. I've already arranged for an insider to find out as soon as possible," Longteng Prodigal said with an air of composure.

"Ha, as expected of Brother Prodigal's far-sighted vision. Planting an agent right when Liehu is expanding rapidly—otherwise, how could we get this kind of intelligence?" Thief Leaves No Trace flattered.

"Far-sighted my ass. Which major guild doesn't plant agents in the others? It's just that the positions of those agents vary in status," Longteng Prodigal scolded with a laugh.

"That's still due to Brother Prodigal's brilliance in obtaining such intelligence. That agent of ours must hold a considerable position. I wonder which brother it is," Thief Leaves No Trace continued.

"Stop prying. I'm in direct contact with them. It took a lot of effort to make this move. If I expose them, I'll come looking for you, alright?" Longteng Prodigal retorted sharply, causing Longteng Battlecrazy to burst into a loud laugh, seemingly quite fond of watching Thief Leaves No Trace get rebuffed.

At the same time, the other major guilds had also more or less received news regarding this matter. For a moment, undercurrents surged.

Meanwhile, the higher-ups of Liehu had turned into ants on a hot pan, every single one of them wearing an anxious expression.

"What's going on? What's going on? We should have been the first to find the cracking method! Elemental Gold Stone—if Little Xiao hadn't just finished mining and happened to be carrying that item, we wouldn't have discovered it either. Logically speaking, we definitely should have been the first to buy them all out, but dammit, there isn't a single Elemental Gold Stone on the market. It's like running into a ghost."

"Could there be a mole? Dammit, Liehu has expanded too fast recently, and the other guilds definitely must have planted insiders inside."

"Having a mole is certain, but our upper management consists of the original core members. They shouldn't know the specific details yet, so their actions couldn't possibly be faster than ours. Who the hell is this?"

"Talk of this is useless now; let's talk about what to do instead. Boss Overlord, what do you think?"

Liehu Overlord's expression was also gloomy at the moment. Someone had actually figured out the cracking method a step ahead of them, leaving him extremely depressed. However, he quickly came up with a countermeasure. Speaking in a deep voice within the party channel, he said, "What are you panicking for? Since no team has successfully cleared the trial up until now, it means the person sweeping up the Elemental Gold Stones is definitely not from any of the major organizations. The other party clearly wants to profit from this, and I believe they'll show up to sell them soon enough. Our Liehu is wealthy and powerful; are we afraid of competing with others? In the end, us stubbornly holding out here was just out of fear that another faction would seize the lead. On the same starting line and comparing who has more money, who's afraid of whom?"

Hearing this, the group of Liehu higher-ups regained their confidence. Liehu's background was quite formidable, and it was said that the financial backing behind them was already preparing to exert force. Money should not be an issue.

Liehu Roar furrowed his brow and asked a blue-robed mage named Qingyuan, "Any news from the people you arranged to go to the mines? How is it? Did the level-three mines produce any Elemental Gold Stones?"

The blue-robed mage fell silent, evidently inquiring via friend chat with his subordinates far away, before speaking with an ugly expression, "There are only two level-three mines, but not a single Elemental Gold Stone can be mined inside. According to those miners, a madman entered the level-three mines this morning and swept up every single Elemental Gold Stone inside. Rare mineral deposits refresh once every twenty-four hours; if we want to mine them, we can only wait until tomorrow."

"Damn it!" Even Liehu Overlord couldn't help cursing, thinking to himself that this fellow was far too thorough in his clearing, truly leaving no opportunity for others at all. The rest of the Liehu members cursed this shameless person even more vehemently.

Calming down the frustrated feeling of being beaten to the punch, Liehu Overlord said in the party channel, "Twenty-four hours—the matter of the Elemental Gold Stones definitely cannot be kept under wraps. Since that's the case, we'll use this matter to test those middle and lower-level managers and strive to root out all the moles for me."

"Brother Overlord, do you mean we should leak the news?"

Liehu Overlord nodded and smiled with a hint of gloominess, "Correct. You all know which people under your command are unreliable. Shortly, spread the news one by one while notifying our insiders in the other guilds to keep a sharp eye on their movements. Once they get the news, they'll undoubtedly act impatiently to buy up stock. Better to mistakenly kill an innocent than let a guilty party escape; the future Liehu must be forged into a single rope."

"Brilliant, Brother Liehu is truly brilliant."

"Damn, comparing strength alone isn't enough; we even have to play Infernal Affairs now."

"Haha, of course."

As soon as Liehu finalized their plan, sure enough, within a short while, the other guilds began to stir in response, successively dispatching people to rush toward the market and the mines. Naturally, they returned empty-handed once again, and the tale of the "mine madman" spread across all the guilds. While everyone gnashed their teeth in hatred, they simultaneously began preparing funds, waiting to be fleeced.

"Hey, look, isn't that Ye Chen? That guy has finally arrived. Let's hurry up and call him over," Li Yetong said with sharp eyes. Amidst her bored gazing, she happened to spot Ye Chen approaching slowly. Although Ye Chen was draped in a cloak at the moment, he wasn't wearing the hood, so Li Yetong recognized him instantly.

Just as Li Yetong spotted Ye Chen, Ye Chen also noticed Li Yetong and the others. Seeing that the girls were about to come over to greet him, Ye Chen hurriedly sent a private message to Sword Qingcheng: "Big Sis, don't come over, and tell the girls not to come either. Just pretend you don't know me."

Although Sword Qingcheng didn't know why Ye Chen said this, hearing his serious tone, she immediately restrained the girls, telling them neither to look at Ye Chen nor to greet him. She then secretly whispered back, "What on earth is going on? You at least need to let me know what to expect."

"I plan to fleece a bunch of people. To prevent them from seeking revenge afterwards, it's better if we pretend not to know each other to avoid dragging the studio into this. Besides, you guys will need to act a little play with me later, so don't give yourselves away. Here's what you need to do..." As Ye Chen spoke, he explained how he wanted the girls to cooperate.

"That's no problem, it's quite simple. Women are born actresses, you can rest assured," Sword Qingcheng joked for once, then pursued the question, "Who exactly are you planning to fleece? Are the enemies that powerful?"

"Powerful? I'm going to cook all the major guilds of Lieshan City in one pot. Sister Qingcheng, do you think that's powerful or not?" Ye Chen's laughter carried a wave of heroic boldness, and the words he uttered left Sword Qingcheng slightly stunned.

Cook all the major guilds in one pot? What an immense ambition! What on earth was he planning to do? Sword Qingcheng's heart was filled with questions.