Chapter 15 Four Seas Pavilion

The Nine Yang Divine Art circulated on its own, every bone becoming searing hot as a vast, masculine energy coursed through his entire body.

His whole body felt warm, and an irrepressible heat surged within him, as if it could pierce the heavens, though he forcefully suppressed it.

He had no way to vent this heat right now.

Once he reached Longhua Prefecture, he would have to properly vent the heat he had accumulated over these past few days.

[Cultivation: Second Realm Martial Artist, Late Stage]

[Nine Yang Divine Art (Second Layer 1294 / 4000)]

"There are 160 points of experience left, so I'll add them to the Great Demon Subduing Fist!"

This Great Demon Subduing Fist was a martial art from the Nine Yin Manual, characterized by its fierce and aggressive nature, following a path of ultimate hardness and masculinity.

It complemented the Nine Yang Divine Art perfectly.

He probably shouldn't use his blade techniques much from now on; otherwise, even with his disguise, observant people could easily trace it back to him.

Once he leveled up the Great Demon Subduing Fist, he could use it as his primary means of combat for the time being.

"I can't stay in this place anymore."

Having achieved a Breakthrough, Yan Chu looked at the blood-stained ground and wanted to leave immediately.

He wanted to avoid being discovered and having the deaths of Zheng Jianhao and his sister pinned on him.

He had to remember that this was self-defense; he couldn't be the scapegoat.

However, he searched the bodies before leaving.

Surprisingly, the search yielded results.

He discovered a sheepskin map hidden extremely carefully in the inner lining of Hua Feifei's clothes.

If Yan Chu hadn't been thorough, he might have missed it.

"Could this be the secret Hua Feifei mentioned?"

But looking at the map, it seemed to be a fragment, only a quarter of the whole. Even if it were a treasure map, how easy would it be to find the other three parts?

Despite this, Yan Chu still kept it.

If he didn't take it, someone else might, and that would be a huge loss.

Confirming there was nothing else missed, Yan Chu braved the rain and set off on the road to Longhua Prefecture.

Three days later, Four Seas Pavilion in Longhua Prefecture.

Yan Chu received an iron token from an old man with a goat-like beard, with the character "Two" engraved on it.

The old man's surname was Zeng, known to everyone as Seventh Master Zeng, one of the managers of the Four Seas Pavilion.

The Four Seas Pavilion was a massive, loose organization that integrated various services such as information sales, task delegation, treasure auctions, and armed escort services.

This organization was spread throughout Cangzhou Prefecture.

Except for a few core personnel, the rest were externally hired retainers. They had no subordinate relationship with the Four Seas Pavilion; they only accepted tasks from the Four Seas Pavilion when they needed to, earning rewards in return.

These tasks could involve escorting goods for security firms, helping the government capture wanted criminals, or transporting prisoners.

They could also serve as guards for auctions or sell information.

The retainers of the entire Four Seas Pavilion were divided into seven Ranks.

Based on their cultivation level, they were ranked one to seven. Only by becoming a retainer of the corresponding Rank could one accept the corresponding tasks.

After being evaluated by professionals at the Four Seas Pavilion, Yan Chu was confirmed as a Second Realm Martial Artist and had now become a Level Two retainer of the Four Seas Pavilion.

"Brother Duan, this is your retainer token. Please keep it safe."

Seventh Master Zeng smiled as he handed the token to Yan Chu and asked, "Brother Duan, do you have any tasks in mind? I can recommend some for you. With Brother Duan's strength, I believe there's nothing in the Level Two tasks that could stump you."

During yesterday's evaluation, he had seen it with his own eyes.

A guard from the Four Seas Pavilion, a veteran Second Realm Martial Artist, hadn't even been able to withstand three moves against the middle-aged man before him.

This level of strength was definitely among the top tier of the Second Realm.

Although his martial path potential had reached its limit, his Martial Skills were honed to perfection.

He might be useful in certain aspects.

Seventh Master Zeng felt it was necessary to build a good relationship with him.

"Many thanks, Seventh Master."

Yan Chu said, "I already have plans for my tasks, so I won't trouble you for now, Seventh Master. If I need your guidance next time, I hope you won't hesitate to advise me!"

"Easily done, easily done!"

Yan Chu left the Four Seas Pavilion, looked back at the towering building and the crowds of people coming and going below, a strange look flashing in his eyes.

The person behind this Four Seas Pavilion was not simple.

Anyone who completed tasks at the Four Seas Pavilion could receive gold and silver, or contribution points, which could be used to exchange for Secret Manuals.

This was a high martial arts world.

Secret Manuals, as the only way to master powerful force, were obviously of immense importance.

But the fact that the Four Seas Pavilion could directly offer Secret Manuals as rewards showed the breadth of vision of the person behind it.

Many martial arts Sects would also distribute rewards by having their Disciples take on tasks.

However, Sect Disciples usually learned from masters at a young age and had deep feelings for the Sect, creating a cohesion that a loose organization like the Four Seas Pavilion couldn't compare to.

The only difference was that the conditions for accepting Disciples into Sects were strict, requiring talent, Heart-Nature, and background—none could be lacking.

In this situation, the Four Seas Pavilion became the choice for many loose Jianghu people.

After all, these people had no way to obtain advanced Secret Manuals and could only hope to become stronger Martial Artists one day by taking on tasks from the Four Seas Pavilion.

Therefore, the Four Seas Pavilion accepted a wide variety of people.

According to what Yan Chu knew, even some descendants of noble families and Sects were registered in the Four Seas Pavilion, using it as a way to gain experience.

Of course, the relationship between the Four Seas Pavilion and its retainers was quite fragile.

If you failed a task or died at the hands of an enemy, don't expect the Four Seas Pavilion to seek justice for you.

Both sides were in the most tenuous employment relationship.

It was similar to the labor dispatch of his previous life.

Yan Chu had his own considerations for joining the Four Seas Pavilion.

Possessing the System, it was impossible for him to Cultivate as peacefully as ordinary people; who knew how long it would take to reach the Ninth Realm that way.

And in the Four Seas Pavilion, there were many tasks commissioned by the government to suppress bandits and capture wanted criminals.

This was Yan Chu's goal.

Although he was also on the wanted list of the Six Doors.

This didn't affect his chivalry and desire to settle scores at all.

A simple bandit suppression task could earn a large amount of experience, and it was a completely legitimate means.

Moreover, there were many retainers in the Four Seas Pavilion, so joining wouldn't be as eye-catching as being a bounty hunter.

Walking on the spacious bluestone road of the prefecture city, the central avenue, which could accommodate six carriages side-by-side, was still bustling with people.

The tall city walls stood quietly in the sunset, the mottled surface bearing the marks of time.

A circle of people was gathered at the city gate.

One of the wanted posters featured his portrait, and the bounty had now increased to two thousand taels.

This was thanks to the Lian Family's efforts, which had made him a little famous in the prefecture city.

He was even registered in the Four Seas Pavilion under his current alias.

It was even higher than the Six Doors' bounty.

Unfortunately, Yan Chu was not called Yan Chu now, but Duan Zhengchun.

Regardless of appearance or age, he was completely different from before his disguise.

Come to think of it, in his previous life, he had envied that old lecher very much, especially those voluptuous wives, each of whom was a top-tier beauty.

Being able to make a group of married women yearn for him showed the ability of this Prince Duan.

Now that he was using his name, Yan Chu hoped that one day he could be just like him.

Glancing at the wanted poster on the city gate, Yan Chu stopped paying attention and rode his horse slowly out of the city gate.

Heading into the distance, facing the sunset.