บท 31: Unfinished Business (1)

Kai sprinted out of the swamp at full speed while avoiding the roaming [Fungus-Ape] groups. The last thing he wanted was to waste any more Qi on meaningless fights.

On his way back, Kai noticed even more Hunter groups sweeping the area with hurried steps. Most were large professional teams wearing matching hunter gear, while others moved in smaller less coordinated groups. What they all had in common was that they were slowly moving towards the center of the swamp.

Kai ignored them all and left the swamp. He knew first hand that most [Slime-Vines] had already been eradicated so all these people were just wasting their time. All they would find are angry [Fungus-Apes] groups waiting to tear them to shreds.

Kai stepped out and discovered the number of carriages waiting outside the swamp had doubled.

He walked over to a carriage that seemed ready to leave and asked the driver for a lift back to the city. The driver agreed to take him back for 10 copper which Kai gladly accepted. His carriage was long gone and he didn't feel like running back to the city, so he felt the convenience was worth the few coins. He had also noticed a few groups eyeing his backpack with greed in their eyes, so he decided to get back to the city as quickly as possible.

Fighting was not allowed in Huang City. Any aggressors who were caught would either be permanently expelled or killed on sight by the Twin-Lions sect's guards. Because of this, Kai would only feel safe once he was back in the city.

The back of the carriage was taken by another Hunter group, so Kai could only sit at the front passenger seat, alongside the carriage driver.

The journey back to Huang City was short and uneventful as Kai expected. He entered the city as soon as the carriage arrived and went directly to the Hunter's Lodge. He was still covered in signs of battle but this didn't bother him much.

The Hunter"s Lodge hall was relatively empty so he walked up to the receptionist and handed her his map. She recorded down his contribution points and to Kai's surprise, he had earned 115 points from the single trip. Each [Fungus-Ape] kill netted him 50 contributions, while the 15 [Slime-Vine] he found gave him 1 each.

While Kai was lost in the math, the receptionist spoke.

"There is a Silver Rank request currently open if you would like to participate?. All [Slime-Vine] gallbladders are being purchased for 20 copper right now. If you have any, I can exchange them for coins?", the receptionist said with a professional smile.

Kai smiled and asked a question instead. "Do you know any place that has beasts similar in strength and numbers to the [Slime-Vine]?. Preferably ones that nobody would bother hunting."

The receptionist thought the request was strange but still checked for him. After a moment, she shook her head. "There are no places within the vicinity of Huang City that match your requirements".

Kai was feeling disappointed. He figured as much seeing as the map show any places that matched his requirements either.

"But I do know of a place further away..." The receptionist continued, which rekindled a bit of hope for Kai.

"There is a place, a few days south of here called the Southern Catacombs. It lies just before the Great Desert and has beasts that fit your description"

Kai looked at his Map again. North lead to the plains where he had come from with Mina and Ryu. If he went in that direction, he would end up back at their village.

East lead to the Eastern Swamps where he had been hunting recently. further East was a range of massive lakes and marshes which became more and more dangerous the further one went.

West was where the beasts were coming from. It was made up of a variety of climates so beasts of all types flocked there depending on the season.

As for the South, Kai found out that it would lead deeper into the heart of the Southern continent the further he went. This was also where all the powerful Sects that ruled the continent were. Compared to cities in the South, places like Huang City were no better than undeveloped villages.

"Can you tell me more about these catacombs?. I don't see them on the map" Kai asked curiously

"Well, the first thing I must tell you is that it's very far away. 3 day's carriage ride from Huang City to be exact, so the map will no longer be able to record your kills. The Catacombs are also made up of a series of caves that interconnect with hundreds if not thousands of underground tunnels. These tunnels are covered in underground dwelling beasts which can be very dangerous. The deeper ones are even rumored to house [Grade-3] beasts in large numbers lead by Lord Class beasts."

"Lord Class?". Kai had never heard this phrase before so it took him off track.

The receptionist nodded her head. She had already grown used to Kai's ignorance so she continued to explain without pausing.

"Lord Class is a special designation given to beasts that can break through to [Grade-4]. They are the rulers of large groups of beasts and are also extremely dangerous".

"I see", Kai nodded his head in understanding. "Do Body Cultivators and Internal cultivators also have similar names based on their rank?". Kai was now going completely off topic but his curiosity got the better of him.

The receptionist nodded once again. "Body cultivators are also given names based on the grade. For example, [Mortal Grade 1 and 2] are classified as 'Beginner Body Cultivators'. [Mortal Grade 3 and 4] are 'Intermediate Body Cultivators' and finally [Mortal Grade 5 and 6] are 'Advanced Body Cultivators'. Higher than that would be the fabled 'Master Body Cultivators' and higher still are the 'Grand-Master Body Cultivators'."

Kai nodded his head again. He now knew that his new Body cultivation manual could get him to the peak of what Advanced Body Cultivators could achieve which was pretty amazing.

The receptionist continued. "Internal Cultivators are a little trickier since not much information is shared with us mortals, however, general knowledge is that their power varies depending on the internal manuals they practice and their spiritual root grade."

The receptionist looked over at Kai who was paying full attention to her. She enjoyed the feeling so she gladly continued.

"The first known stage for internal cultivators is the [Qi-Condensation] stage which can be considered as their beginner level. Next is the [Foundation Establishment] Stage, which can be considered as their intermediate level. Lastly, there is the [Core Forming] Stage that can be seen as the Advanced stage"

"Just remember that these classifications of beginner, intermediate and advanced only apply to other Internal Cultivators. A rule of thumb for mortals is to never underestimate any Internal Cultivator. Not only can they use the power of Qi, but most will practice body cultivation methods as well. That, combined with their long lifespans puts them in a league of their own. Qi-Condensation Internal Cultivator disciple can and do defeat even Advanced Body Cultivators"

Kai felt his understanding of this world's power levels become clearer. He had similar assumptions using his knowledge of the various cultivation novels he had read, but being able to get a proper answer was beneficial.

"So what comes after the Core Forming Stage?" Kai asked. She had stopped there as if that was the peak, but Kai knew better than to think that.

The receptionist eyed Kai curiously. She didn't understand why was he so interested in internal cultivators...

"Unfortunately, that is not general knowledge. You can exchange for this information using contribution points. I only gave you the general knowledge I that I know of".

Kai accepted this and decided to get back into his main topic. As for paying for knowledge on cultivation stages, it wasn't necessary. The system would show him the higher levels once he got a stronger Internal cultivation manual anyway.

"Thank you for the free information then. Sorry for going off-topic there. You were about to go into detail about the Catacombs?".

"Not a problem, I quite enjoy these discussions," The receptionist said with a friendly smile.

"All the free information I have around the catacombs is outdated and second-hand information, but I do know that the top layer tunnels are filled with [Grade-1] Wyrm beasts. They're dangerous in large numbers but manageable in smaller groups. If you have an experienced team, then you should have no issues hunting there. Miners will usually hire these Hunter's to keep them safe on the first layer which is quite profitable."

"Miners huh, Is there a town or city nearby?" Kai was interested in that place but since it was a few days away, so he wouldn't be able to come back to Huang City easily.

"There is a mining town which is managed by the Roaring Sands Sect. Their sphere of influence stretches from the outskirts of the Great Desert to the catacombs. There is a major dispute between the Roaring Sands Sect and our Twin-Lions sect, so the southern region can be quite dangerous if you're alone. Please consider joining an experienced escort team if you want to go there"

The receptionist seemed sincerely worried. Kai could only smile and assure her that he would consider it. He thanked her for the information and finally got her name, Lei Hai.

As Kai was about to leave, he heard a familiar cold voice coming from the second floor.

"I've been waiting for you. Come on up, we have some unfinished business, you and I"

Kai looked up and saw the armor-clad woman standing by the second-floor balcony, her right arm now in a sling and she was staring menacingly at him.