Chapter 347 - 230: Golden Stone Gang Realm, Four Treasures of Jade Refinement

Chapter 347: Chapter 230: Golden Stone Gang Realm, Four Treasures of Jade Refinement

Jingshan Province is located in the southeastern region of the Yu Kingdom. It connects to a Boundary Realm called the Golden Stone Gang Realm, which is a relatively stable and safe one.

Before arriving, Yu Fei had done some research. The Golden Stone Gang Realm was rich in various types of extraordinary metal ores and raw jade vein stones.

When he saw this information, Yu Fei’s eyes were instantly glued to it.

The Melt Gold Jade Body Skill he cultivated was a perfect match for this Boundary Realm. However, as he read on, Yu Fei gradually calmed down. Things were not as simple as he had imagined.

The Golden Stone Gang Realm also had xeno-races. Two types of them lived in this Boundary Realm year-round, named the Gang Tie Race and the Jade Spirit Race.

Unlike the Abyss, these two lifeforms were not numerous, but each individual was much stronger.

They would appear randomly anywhere in the Golden Stone Gang Realm. Killing them would yield rare ores and jade crystals of varying types.

Furthermore, the Boundary Realm also contained numerous extraordinary mineral veins.

Thus, the Golden Stone Gang Realm was a resource realm in the truest sense. This Boundary Realm was controlled by a large organization called the Bright Jade Alliance, which only paid a certain percentage of its resources to the seven major powers each year.

The Bright Jade Alliance had complete control over the Golden Stone Gang Realm, allowing no outsiders to enter. Only a few companies belonging to the Alliance were granted access. Even for someone like Yu Fei, the class president of the Shenhan Celestial Pride Class, they likely wouldn’t make an exception.

Yu Fei had spoken with Ye Shuping about it. The Bright Jade Alliance was backed by a dozen or so Martial Saints and had formed two Grade-A legions of its own. Their power was not to be underestimated.

Even if Ye Shuping personally intervened, Yu Fei might get in, but he would likely be under constant surveillance and not be allowed to explore freely.

At the time, Yu Fei had asked in confusion why a situation where an organization of Martial Saints was allowed to control an entire realm would occur. Ye Shuping had told him with a complicated expression that it was the result of a delicate balance of power. Among the Martial Saints of the Yu Kingdom, spheres of influence were intricately intertwined. No one dared to flip the table, so they were all just enduring one another and making their own plans.

Everyone believed that to change the status quo, all forces had to be consolidated under a unified command.

But the question was, who would be on top and who would be below? Who would be the leader?

They were all Martial Saints; who would dare to place themselves above the others? If anyone tried to rally support and take charge, they would likely be struck down on the spot.

He still remembered the look of utter exasperation on Ye Shuping’s face.

"Teacher, isn’t there a Supreme Council? It’s said that major issues are decided there, and all Martial Saints have a vote!"

"Heh. The Supreme Council can only adjudicate on matters beneath the level of a Martial Saint. When it comes to the Saints themselves, unless that person is universally despised, no one dares to push them to the brink. Given the fragile ecosystem of our home planet, a single Martial Saint going berserk would mean the deaths of millions!"

"What?"

’It was as if each Martial Saint was a walking nuclear bomb,’ Yu Fei thought. ’They couldn’t nuke each other, but they could cause fundamental destruction to the world. So here they were, all crammed onto this tiny home planet, loathing the sight of one another but completely helpless to change anything.’

There was something Ye Shuping didn’t say. A Martial Artist before becoming a Martial Saint was a completely different person from who they were after. Few remained consistent. Most adopted the attitude of, ’I endured humiliation and hardship to finally reach the peak. Now, all of you here better answer to me—other Martial Saints excluded, of course!’

’Even with Yu Fei,’ Ye Shuping mused, ’I don’t know if the first thing he’ll do after I’ve finished training him is beat these old bones of mine to a pulp.’

’It didn’t matter. As long as Yu Fei could become the strongest among the Martial Saints, possessing an overwhelming level of power, he would naturally become a standard-bearer.’

’Some people, wanting to change the status quo, would automatically gather around him. Others would try everything in their power to eliminate him, because he would interfere with everyone’s freedom.’

’At that point, even if Yu Fei was inherently undisciplined, his fate would no longer be his own to decide.’

This was precisely what Ye Shuping hoped for. Even an unreliable leader for the martial world was better than no leader at all. A structured organization, at any time, is infinitely stronger than a disorganized mob!

So much for that tangent. After confirming the intelligence on the Golden Stone Gang Realm, a case posted on "Pacify the World"—the theft of a Martial Saint’s relic—caught his eye.

This mission fit Yu Fei’s needs perfectly. He hoped to find a way into the Golden Stone Gang Realm—not openly, of course, but with a degree of secrecy and the freedom to explore.

Songfeng City was a second-tier city in Jingshan Province. The prosperity of the Yu Kingdom’s provinces varied. Generally, provinces with more exploitable Boundary Realms had more corresponding martial resources, which attracted large numbers of Martial Artists to settle down and live.

And since the spending power of Martial Artists was far greater than that of ordinary people, they brought a unique kind of prosperity with them.

To the average person, Songfeng City was known for its hydropower and textile industries, as well as being one of the top ten jade trading centers in the country.

In fact, its status as a jade trading hub was quite baffling to ordinary people. On the surface, neither Songfeng City nor Jingshan Province was famous for mining. Yet, of the largest jade trading centers in the nation, Jingshan Province was home to seven—a fact that was indeed rather strange.

But to Martial Artists in the know, the reason was clear: the Golden Stone Gang Realm.

「Songfeng City, the Zhang Family Ancestral Estate.」

"Mr. Ma, what’s the situation?"

"Patriarch, there’s not a single trace. The Vast Sea Pearl seems to have vanished into thin air, and we’ve lost our ability to sense it!"

Zhang Wenji was completely baffled. ’To sever the connection between the Vast Sea Pearl and the other three treasures... even a Grandmaster might not be able to pull that off. But for a Grandmaster, our Zhang Family’s so-called Martial Saint relics are useless, aren’t they?’