CHAPTER 1242: CHAPTER 1214: SCALPER

Seeing Lin Yi and the girls leave, Li Chen refocused his attention on his own affairs, stepping towards the entrance.

As Li Chen reached the entrance of the martial arts conference venue, he found himself somewhat stunned.

Because the congestion here couldn’t simply be described as crowded; it was utterly jam-packed.

Though the event was quite large, sending martial artists to check tickets at the entrance was not a task anyone would enjoy.

Thus, there were only about ten people in charge of the entrance.

And as Li Chen glanced around, there seemed to be over a thousand martial artists lined up who hadn’t yet entered.

Seeing this long queue, Li Chen’s expression turned hesitant.

"I should’ve gotten a ticket beforehand. Do I really have to wait in line now?"

The Palace of the Nether King had a vanguard, and such things had certainly been arranged in advance, which is why Li Chen felt assured letting Lin Yi and the girls leave first.

Also, since the Martial Arts Conference was hosted by the Hongmeng Pavilion, anyone thinking of causing trouble would first have to consider if they could contend with Hongmeng Pavilion.

As Li Chen hesitated, a man dressed in a suit walked up to him. Looking at Li Chen, this man suddenly started looking quite shady.

The feeling was rather odd, like a well-read, righteous poet suddenly blurting out a rude phrase.

The man sidled up to Li Chen, glanced around, then lowered his voice and said, "Brother, I have a ticket ready, only three spirit stones. Interested?"

Li Chen was taken aback.

Even in big places, there are certain occupational existences.

Such people are often found at station and venue entrances, but Li Chen hadn’t expected to find such individuals at the entrance to a martial arts conference.

This was a creature known as the ’scalper.’

They appear and disappear mysteriously, have connections everywhere, and can always get rare tickets to spare you the hassle of queuing.

Of course, this hassle-free service comes at a cost.

"I thought the tickets for the martial arts conference were two spirit stones?" Li Chen asked curiously.

"Yes, they sell for two spirit stones at the entrance, but..." The scalper motioned toward the endless queue beside Li Chen without saying more.

Li Chen chuckled, then nodded, "Alright, I’ll take a ticket, but it’s genuine, right?"

"Of course it’s genuine!" the scalper said, patting his chest. "I’m Huang Tieshan, not some transcendent powerhouse, but I have a reputation in this trade. You can ask around; I’d never sell fake tickets."

"Alright." Li Chen nodded again, then pulled out five spirit stones. "Tell me about the situation here, and these are yours."

Seeing the five gleaming spirit stones in Li Chen’s hand, light flickered in Huang Tieshan’s eyes.

He hadn’t lied about the ticket; he did earn just one spirit stone per ticket sold.

And most of the martial artists here hadn’t reached the Earth Level yet, and cultivation resources were quite scarce. For most people, queuing just meant wasting a bit more time, so why waste an extra spirit stone?

Therefore, earning money this way wasn’t easy, and Li Chen offering five spirit stones at once equated to selling four more tickets.

Huang Tieshan was tempted.

"Deal!" After hesitating for a moment, Huang Tieshan glanced at the ticket in his hand and agreed.

"The current Kunlun Mountains are just like the traffic in the capital—jam-packed." Huang Tieshan walked beside Li Chen, describing the situation in Kunlun Mountains.

"You’ve been to the capital?" Li Chen asked curiously.

"Of course!" Huang Tieshan nodded vigorously. "I am a loose cultivator; I’ve been around for many years... Judging by your appearance, you too seem to be doing well outside?"

Huang Tieshan surveyed Li Chen, deducing from his attire that Li Chen must be wealthy.

After all, having money in the enchanted world is entirely different from having money outside; the currencies in the enchanted world and outside are completely different.

From Li Chen’s clothing, with his years of outside experience, Huang Tieshan could instantly tell it was top-grade craftsmanship, worth an ordinary worker’s annual salary.

It was for this reason he approached Li Chen for this transaction, unexpectedly hitting a jackpot.

"It’s alright." Li Chen responded casually.

Seeing that Li Chen didn’t want to further the conversation, Huang Tieshan continued explaining,

"Now in Kunlun Mountains, generally speaking, every major force has its own place, specially arranged by the people of Hongmeng Pavilion. This is why many loose cultivators have recently chosen to join factions."

"Loose cultivators can participate in the conference, but their area is just..." Saying this, Huang Tieshan pointed towards a large area not far away.

Li Chen glanced over, and the place resembled a refugee camp, filled with makeshift tents.

Some people simply found a patch of cloth and started meditating. After all, martial artists aren’t highly demanding regarding living conditions; a bit of wind or sun is no big deal.

Given the arduous cultivation martial artists endure, it wasn’t a significant issue. But compared to those quaint mountainside courtyards, it was a stark contrast.

"The disparity is really big." Li Chen chuckled wryly.

"Isn’t it?" Huang Tieshan also shook his head, "Loose cultivators are powerless, and it’s been this way for a long time. We’ve gotten used to it. Plus, having so many loose cultivators makes management difficult, so they just dump them together here. There’s no comparing to those from major forces."

Looking at the distant courtyards, Huang Tieshan clicked his tongue.

Li Chen nodded, having gathered some information he needed.

At this moment, a group of young men dressed in white suddenly came towards them.

Seeing their attire, Li Chen pulled up his hood, slightly lowering the brim: "Let’s go have a look around."

"Sure!" Huang Tieshan, unaware of Li Chen’s unusual behavior, continued accompanying him to other areas.

The group of young men passed by Li Chen and Huang Tieshan. Only after the two had gone did their leader sense something amiss, suddenly turning to look in their direction.

"What’s wrong, Senior Brother Guu?"

"Nothing, just felt something was off. That person seemed to be avoiding us?" Senior Brother Guu asked, puzzled.

"Ah! I thought it was something serious. Loose cultivators often avoid us when they see us; it’s our sect’s reputation after all."

"True!" Senior Brother Guu laughed, no longer concerned.

"After all, we are Holy Mountain Disciples."