CHAPTER 262: CHAPTER 257 EXCHANGE LIST! BREAK INFANT PILL?_1

Jia Ren had just obtained the Misleading Bizarre from the Tianxing Trade Association when trouble from the Bizarre-Suppressing Guard came knocking.

The Smiling Bizarre hadn’t even fully settled in, and now the Town Demon Alliance wanted to take his Bizarre Demons? This inevitably infuriated him.

The Insect External Incarnation arrived at the audience hall on Star Pole Island and met two visitors from the Town Demon Alliance.

One was the former island master, Yu Chang. The other, also a Golden Core Cultivator, had a head of fiery red hair.

"Allow me to introduce you," Yu Chang said. "This is Evil-Suppressing Envoy Fire Cloud True Man. And this is the Island Master of Star Pole Island, Xu Daoyou."

Fire Cloud True Person had a rosacea nose and tilted his head back, looking down his nostrils at others.

"A mere Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator is qualified to sit with us as an equal and be addressed as a Daoist friend?"

"Wasn’t the Qunxing Archipelago previously Yu Daoyou’s territory? He should be the one serving as Island Master of Star Pole Island."

It was unclear whether Fire Cloud True Person was feigning ignorance or deliberately trying to stir up trouble, but his words were grating.

Yu Chang looked embarrassed, unsure how to respond.

Fire Cloud True Person’s words could easily be misinterpreted as an attempt at a coup, vying for power and profit, which would bring no benefits, only trouble.

"Your words could easily lead others to mistake you for an accomplice of the Corpse Demon Sect, Daoist Fire Cloud," Xu Yi retorted. "Surely you wouldn’t want to personally test the might of the Five Flying Corpse Demons, would you? The mission assigned by the Alliance is paramount, and I’d rather not be the one collecting your corpse."

It wasn’t that Fire Cloud True Person had any past connections with the Corpse Demon Sect; he was just naturally abrasive, a trait that had often landed him in trouble.

Fire Cloud True Person was mostly jealous of Xu Yi. How could a mere Foundation Establishment Cultivator manage to seize five Flying Corpse Demons and even sit at the same table as him?

As a dignified Golden Core True Person, being outshone by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator irked him immensely.

Prompted by Yu Chang’s subtle reminder, Fire Cloud True Person sobered up slightly and fell silent.

"Dao... Island Master Xu, please don’t misunderstand. I joined the Town Demon Alliance not long after leaving the Qunxing Archipelago," Yu Chang explained.

"The purpose of our visit to the Qunxing Archipelago is for the Alliance to seek cooperation with Star Pole Island," he continued.

"Star Pole Island has established the Suppressing Specters Hall to address the Bizarre Demon menace. The Town Demon Alliance is willing to cooperate with any sect willing to combat these Bizarre Demons."

Yu Chang had no interest in the Qunxing Archipelago and certainly didn’t want to make a powerful enemy.

It was better to clarify things early to prevent any misunderstandings on Xu Yi’s part.

"This is the Town Demon Alliance’s exchange list. I’m sure Island Master Xu will find it interesting," Yu Chang said, smiling at the Insect External Incarnation as he proactively handed over a Jade Slip.

He wasn’t here to reclaim the Smiling Bizarre? Then what was this Town Demon Alliance exchange list about? Jia Ren didn’t believe such a good opportunity would fall into his lap for no reason.

Opening the Jade Slip, an extensive list of exchangeable items appeared. The very first treasure immediately caught his eye.

"Break Infant Pill!"

The foremost treasure on the exchange list was the Break Infant Pill. It significantly increased a Golden Core Cultivator’s chances of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, its value far surpassing even the Golden Core Formation Pill. It could be exchanged for one hundred million Town Demon Alliance contribution points.

The Nascent Soul Sword Cultivation Technique, "Cloud Luo Sword Sutra," was listed at an exchange price of eighty million Town Demon Alliance contribution points.

The Divine Skill, "Star Luo Chess Board," was priced at seventy million Bizarre Alliance contribution points.

The Supreme Grade Magical Treasure, Eight-Door Cloud Cluster Saber, was listed at fifty million Bizarre Alliance contribution points.

Besides these, there were top-tier Elixirs tailor-made for cultivators, Nascent Soul secret techniques, and more.

All items in the first column of the exchange list were Nascent Soul-level treasures.

Jia Ren scrolled to the second column, where exchange prices dropped below ten million. Soon, he found the Golden Core Formation Pill he was looking for, priced at two million Town Demon Alliance contribution points.

"Are all the treasures on this list really exchangeable?" Jia Ren stared at the Jade Slip in disbelief. It contained items cultivators dreamed of. How could the Town Demon Alliance possibly be willing to trade them?

Yu Chang remained calm, unsurprised by Xu Yi’s reaction.

Most ordinary cultivators would be shocked upon seeing the exchange list; these were not items they typically had access to.

"As long as you have enough Town Demon Alliance contribution points, you can exchange for any of these treasures," Yu Chang affirmed.

"There’s one more thing I haven’t told you: this exchange list is only available to Sects."

"The exchange list isn’t static; it’s updated every six months."

Without sufficient incentives for sealing Bizarre Demons, why would the inherently self-interested Sects willingly take action?

Bizarre Demons had always been a critical threat to humanity. Without the backing of powerful individuals, how could the Town Demon Alliance have survived to this day?

The Town Demon Alliance was supported by Divine Transformation Stage Powerhouses. However, these powerhouses couldn’t be expected to personally handle every Bizarre Demon incident.

For the sake of protecting humanity?

Ninety-nine percent of cultivators and Sects lacked such selfless dedication.

If there were no benefits, could Divine Transformation Stage powerhouses coerce them into action?

Inevitably, many Sects would merely pay lip service while secretly resisting. Some might even disband to avoid being conscripted to fight Bizarre Demons.

This, in turn, led to fewer Sects and more Cultivation families and Loose Cultivators.

Cultivators naturally gravitated towards benefits and avoided harm, always finding ways to evade danger rather than selflessly taking risks.

Divine Transformation Cultivators weren’t omnipotent. Only by offering tangible benefits could they motivate Sects to act.

This was the origin of the Bizarre Alliance’s exchange list.

If Jia Ren were a Loose Cultivator, he would never have had the chance to see such a thing in his entire life.

By establishing Star Pole Island, he had unexpectedly obtained a ticket to this new world.

"How does one obtain Town Demon Alliance contribution points?"

The Town Demon Alliance’s exchange list wasn’t a simple matter of using Spirit Stones.

If it were that easy, Jia Ren feared he’d have no chance; the listed treasures would have been snapped up by the Great Sects long ago, leaving nothing for him. This might be his chance to quickly obtain a Golden Core Formation Pill.

"There are three ways to earn Town Demon Alliance contribution points."

"The first is by protecting mortals!"

"Mortals are the foundation of Cultivation and the future of the Cultivation World. Only by ensuring the survival of a large number of mortals can more cultivators emerge."

"Protecting humans in units of ten thousand is assessed every ten years. This can earn one thousand Town Demon Alliance contribution points, provided the mortality rate among the protected mortals does not exceed ten percent..."

Protect mortals? Mortals are the foundation of the Cultivation World; they lack strength and reside at its lowest stratum. Forget facing Bizarre Demons, even normal survival is incredibly difficult for them. If they encountered Bizarre Demons, their fate would be unimaginable. Sects do look after mortals, but mostly those from their own affiliated families. Ordinary mortals are often treated like livestock, exploited and slaughtered at will. If this continues, the very foundation of humanity will cease to exist. The Town Demon Alliance alone cannot sustain itself. It must unite with the Great Sects to provide protection for mortals to ensure their long-term survival. Protecting one million mortals for a hundred years could earn one million Town Demon Alliance contribution points, enough to exchange for half a Golden Core Formation Pill—a guaranteed profit. Ordinary mortals can survive with enough food. Sects, unless facing annihilation, wouldn’t easily abandon mortals and would do their best to protect them. Mortals born with Spiritual Root Aptitude would continuously provide a fresh supply of new blood to the Sects. This is the most stable source of Town Demon Alliance contribution points for the Great Sects.

"The second way is to Seal the Strange Beasts!"

"Sealing Bizarre Demons and resolving a local Bizarre Demon crisis earns varying amounts of Town Demon Alliance contribution points, depending on the danger level of the Bizarre Demon, with a minimum of thirty thousand points."

"For sealed Bizarre Demons, there are two handling methods. The first is to record them, then seal and manage them yourself. Depending on the Bizarre Demons’ danger level, this yields a minimum of ten thousand Town Demon Alliance contribution points every century for maintenance."

"The second method is to hand them over to the Town Demon Alliance for them to handle, yielding a minimum of twenty thousand Town Demon Alliance contribution points."

"If Bizarre Demons under a Sect’s protection escape, the Town Demon Alliance will hold the Sect accountable."

Bizarre Demons are the root of the problem. Only by resolving the Bizarre Demon issue can the trouble truly be eliminated. Even the weakest Bizarre Demons can yield a decent amount of Town Demon Alliance contribution points. However, sealing Bizarre Demons is quite dangerous, and most cultivators are unwilling to take this path. Furthermore, there’s always the risk of a sealed Bizarre Demon escaping.

"The third method is to submit special materials and treasures needed by the Town Demon Alliance. A new list is updated annually, and contribution points are awarded based on the value of the materials."

"I almost forgot, does the Corpse Demon Sect cooperate with the Town Demon Alliance?"

No wonder the Corpse Demon Sect has no sealed Bizarre Demons. They might have already traded them to the Town Demon Alliance for benefits. The only question is, since the Corpse Demon Sect abandoned its territory, what happened to the mortals they were protecting?

At the mention of the Corpse Demon Sect, the two Evil-Suppressing Envoys’ expressions turned peculiar.

"The Corpse Demon Sect enjoys using its mortals for Corpse Refining and has been removed from the Town Demon Alliance’s list of cooperative partners."

The Corpse Demon Sect was a Demonic Sect to begin with, and Corpse Refining targets humans. Too many mortals must have died under their jurisdiction, angering the Town Demon Alliance enough to expel them.

"Expelled..." The Corpse Demon Sect was indeed widely detested.

Jia Ren scanned the exchange list, searching for the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus.

As an exceptionally skilled Alchemist, it was more cost-effective for him to concoct Elixirs himself, which would also require fewer Town Demon Alliance contribution points. Currently, he only lacked one main ingredient to concoct the Golden Core Formation Pill: the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus. All he needed to do was exchange for it.

The normal exchange price for a Thousand-Year Spiritual Medicine was one hundred thousand Town Demon Alliance contribution points. However, because the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus was rare and a primary ingredient for the Golden Core Formation Pill, it required three hundred thousand contribution points.

But the large "SOLD OUT" sign next to it was particularly jarring.

"Does Island Master Xu wish to exchange for the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus?"

"The exchange price for Golden Core Formation Pills is excessively high. Sects all have their own Alchemists and prefer to concoct the pills themselves, making the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus consistently high in demand..."

Yu Chang knew Xu Yi’s hidden identity as Shi Bai, a Pill Dao Master. He also knew Xu Yi had acquired the Corpse Demon Sect’s wealth and would certainly want to concoct the Golden Core Formation Pill himself.

He had long intended to build a connection with Xu Yi and didn’t mind offering a reminder.

"There’s news within the Alliance that a trade caravan has been dispatched to the Northern Desolation Region to acquire Thousand-Year Snow Lotus."

"If Island Master Xu wants to exchange for the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus, you’ll need to act quickly."

Jia Ren put away the exchange list and nodded at Yu Chang in thanks.

The reminder was a gesture of goodwill, not an obligation.

"What’s the use of telling him all this? Can he possibly gather three hundred thousand Town Demon Alliance contribution points within a year?"

"The Thousand-Year Snow Lotus is highly sought after. It sells out almost immediately after being restocked. The next opportunity will be ten years from now."

Fire Cloud True Person was indifferent. A small Sect without even a single Golden Core Cultivator would normally have no chance of cooperating with the Town Demon Alliance.

How could they possibly amass three hundred thousand Town Demon Alliance contribution points in such a short time?