Profound Realm was considered to be the first major step into the cultivation world. Only after reaching this realm would one be able to soar in the skies without any external help. It connected the heavens to the internal body allowing cultivators to use strength far beyond their reach.

They could traverse the abyss and void, destroy entire cities with a flip of their hands and peer into the secrets of the world. It was a huge step and that was why 70% of the cultivators were never able to get over this hurdle and were stuck at this bottleneck.

To be a general in the Mei kingdom required one to be at the profound realm and have served the kingdom meritoriously. That was why out of the Twenty or Thirty billion population of the Mei Kingdom, there were only a few dozen generals.

Normally cultivators would leave their homelands to venture out in the vast world after reaching the Profound realm, the only reason so many stayed was because of the imminent danger to the kingdom from the Jia people.

Suffice it to say, it was a rare sight to see someone so close to the profound realm. So when First truly unleashed some of his spiritual pressure, everyone was awestruck, especially considering his very young age.

"Well? Who wants to bully my junior brother?

" He spoke in an authoritative voice and looked around.

No one met his eyes. No one wanted to. And those few beings that had some other plans for Hao Xuan also gave up. Nothing was more important than living. They might have a chance to find some other treasures later on but if they died right here, it would all be meaningless.

"Hmph, let's go brother,

" First said as he walked out of the seating area and towards the stage.

No one dared get in their way. They walked up to the side of the stage, First looked at

"Li

" who was still standing on the stage and he smiled and nodded back at them, and they continued on and walked behind the stage.

"The auction comes to an end. Fellow cultivators have a nice day,

" Li said quickly and then followed after First and Hao Xuan.

There were several people at the back who didn't know what to do. Usually, guests weren't allowed to be backstage, instead, they had to go to another area to pick up their winnings.

But soon after Li walked in as well, releasing some of the tension.

"Dear guests, please follow me,

" he said with a smile and led the duo through a couple of hallways into a very similar room they had met the other

"Li

" person.

They all sat down and Li poured tea for them, apparently, this was a custom of sorts to these people.

"My name is Li Ming. The 'Den' is an establishment owned by our Li family so unless necessary we only introduce ourselves as just Li,

" he said while taking a sip of the tea.

"You can just call me First.

"

"I'm Hao Xuan, nice to meet you,

" They both introduced themselves as well.

"I'll have your things brought here. I sense a token on yourself, are you perhaps here for the private auction?

" Li asked after thinking for a few seconds. It wasn't nice to pry into others business, and whoever gave them the token had the same privileges as him.

"Yes, I have a beast core that I want to trade,

" Hao Xuan said with a nod and took out the token.

"If you don't me asking, what type of core do you have and what are you looking for in return?

" Li asked very politely so as not to offend them.

Hao Xuan explained the whole situation to him and he furrowed his brows in response.

"I'm afraid you won't have much luck in the private auction either. The beast core that you describe is exceedingly rare and dangerous. Not many people would risk getting involved in that in the first place. And even if they did, the chances of finding a core of similar value is almost non-existent, especially in this low-grade kingdom.

"

"Why is that?

" Hao Xuan asked worryingly. This was his ticket to leveling up quickly in cultivation and techniques.

"Because it's simply too rare. To find an elemental core from such a strong beast bloodline is nigh impossible in a small kingdom like this. I suggest you trade with some treasures if you can't use it yourself,

" Li said with a calm face. And he was right.

When beasts reached a certain level, they gained consciousness and started their own clans and kingdoms. All of their offsprings were protected and cared for by the elders. Hao Xuan's encounter was more or less a miracle. If anyone from the ice dragon tribe found out about this, they would wage war with the Mei kingdom. Beasts weren't really known for being calm and collected.

"First brother?

" Hao Xuan said looking towards First for advice, he really was too inexperienced.

"Then do you have any treasures with a lightning element that could be used for training?

" First asking after a few seconds.

"We should have something, although not of equal value to your core. But let me check first,

" Li said while getting up and left from a side door.

Few mins later he came back holding a large tray covered with a cloth.

"Here are your items,

" he said while putting the tray down on the table and removing the cloth. There was a scroll and a shinning crystal ball inside. Hao Xuan waved his hand and a small hill of spirit stones appeared on the floor next to him.

"Actually because of the rude behavior of the guest in the private booth, the technique is on the house. We do apologize, that 'Young master' is the only problematic person that frequents our establishment,

" Li said as he moved his hand over the pile of spirit stones and exactly 2,500 of them vanished.

"Who was that anyway?

" Hao Xuan asked getting slightly angry remembering what happened.

"We can't give out the names of our customers, but he belongs to a very rich family with ties to the royal court. He is the only heir,

" Li said while smiling at First.

"The Mu Clan?

" asked First, and Li nodded in return.

"But you don't have to worry too much. Although he is known to be a spoiled brat, there are limits. He won't be able to do anything to you with your backing and strength.

"

"And I checked but unfortunately we don't have anything in stock of equal value to the core. But if you want, I can request lightning elemental spirit stones from one of the bigger branches of the empire. They can be here in a couple of days and will be even better for training as they are just like normal spirit stones but with lightning element mixed inside. We can also give you a VIP token for life which can be used at any branch of the Den,

" said Li while looking at Hao Xuan with hope.

He would be able to get some recognition from the main clan if he was able to get this deal.

"Other branches? Where are your other branches?

" Hao Xuan asked furrowing his brow.

"We have branches all over the continent, especially in more prosperous areas. With a VIP token, you will be able to place orders, get notifications in case of a hidden or forbidden land opening, buy and sell confidential information and much more.

" Li smiled proudly.

Hao Xuan thought about it and it was the best deal he could probably get at this point. The core was useless to him as is, and with spirit stones, his objective would be complete.

So he agreed to the terms and gave him the core. First gave Li a delivery address to deliver the stones at and they left.

They headed straight back to the camp and went back to sleep as it was late in the night by the time they got in.

The next morning Hao Xuan got up and finally remembered to take a look at the Demonic Steps movement technique he had gotten.

He brought out the scroll and put a drop of blood on it to unseal it as per the instructions. As soon as the drop hit the scroll, it started burning, catching Hao Xuan by surprise. But then the smoke from the scroll hovered in mid-air for a second and then entered Hao Xuan's body through his nose and eyes.

He 'felt' something appear in his mind. Closing his eyes he saw another book along with the other two with the name

"Demonic steps

" on it.

He willed it and it opened. The first paragraph went,

"Be the silent killer in the night, or a great demon on the battlefield. This demonic technique changes depending on the cultivator and cultivation materials, all it requires, in the end, is a strong heart without doubts. Do not hesitate when you step on the battlefield, for it will be the death of you.

"

There were no levels to this technique and no clear definition of what the results would be.. If a person cultivated it with righteous Qi then the resulting movement would be different from someone that did a lot of evil deeds.