Chapter 835: Chapter 835 Face Of The Guardian
The guy with the mustache cleared his throat. "Spots loaded with dark energy are usually old battlefields. And what happens most on battlefields? Obviously, leftover treasures get scattered around!"
"Wherever treasures exist, people come to grab them. That naturally cuts down the dark energy supplies."
I sounded pretty impatient. "Cut the chatter and get to the point."
The mustached guy looked at me with a mysterious expression. "I know about some major battlefields where the dark energy got so intense they had to seal them up. Nobody’s brave enough to go near them."
"Where are they?" I asked eagerly.
The guy shook his head. "Forget about it. Not even a Martial Saint could survive there."
"Story goes that a Martial Saint tried once, and the second he stepped inside, he got turned to dust."
Hearing that made me suck in a sharp breath.
The small spark of hope I’d felt just died out completely.
"Even Martial Saints got instantly turned to dust?" My eyebrows pulled together slightly.
"That’s right." The mustached man nodded.
"And since those battlefields got sealed away, nobody knows where they are anymore."
I felt pretty defeated. "Well, that’s completely useless..."
The mustached guy shrugged. "If getting stronger was simple, everyone would do it."
True enough - in today’s world, qi resources were incredibly rare.
The Capital City Martial Arts Association hoarded most of them, and what remained was practically nothing.
"Mason, the real resources belong to the powerful families." The mustached man switched topics here.
"Rather than asking me, you should approach those top martial arts houses. They definitely have more intel than I do."
I nodded, looking at the mustached guy quietly. "So I still have to head to Capital City."
"Exactly." The mustached man nodded approvingly.
Then I asked, "What’s your next move? Coming with me or...?"
"I’m definitely not tagging along." The mustached guy gave me a look.
"You’ve got enemies everywhere. I don’t want any part of that mess."
I rolled my eyes. "Be real. What are you actually planning?"
"Keep traveling and doing my archaeological work." The mustached man answered with a smile.
I patted his shoulder. "If you find anything valuable, remember me. I only need the dark energy - you can take everything else."
"Deal." The mustached man agreed right away. He could use a strong ally.
After saying goodbye to the mustached guy, I headed toward Capital City.
The new year was approaching and the temperature kept dropping.
Capital City had gotten hit with an unusual heavy snowfall.
I walked through the snow, listening to all the noise around me.
Kids were throwing snowballs and building snowmen, while grown-ups on the streets cursed constantly about traffic jams and car accidents.
I watched these everyday life scenes play out, feeling oddly captivated.
"If I hadn’t started cultivating, I wonder what my life would look like right now," I thought, like I’d suddenly understood something.
My mental state leveled up in that moment.
This unexpected breakthrough surprised me.
"No wonder those powerful realm cultivators dive into regular society when they hit roadblocks in their training," I murmured quietly.
Life’s countless experiences are what truly define existence.
While I was thinking deeply, my phone suddenly buzzed.
I picked it up and saw Pearson Bowman was calling.
He laughed into the phone. "Mr. Raymond, we’re throwing a party. Want to come?"
"A party?" I considered it, then agreed. "Sure, where at?"
Pearson Bowman chuckled. "At my place. I’ll send someone to get you!"
"Don’t bother. Just give me the address," I replied.
Since I seemed set on it, Pearson didn’t push, gave me the location, and hung up.
I’d been thinking about approaching the leading families for resources, so Rick Bowman’s call came at the perfect time.
After ending the call, I flagged down a taxi and went to the Bowman family compound.
When I got to the Bowman estate, the place was already packed with people.
You couldn’t miss how huge the Bowman estate was. In the open courtyard, party tables filled every available space.
Fancy cars crowded the entrance. Clearly, not just the younger martial arts crowd but also Capital City’s wealthy second-generation kids had been invited.
"Mr. Raymond." Right then, Wayne Ran walked over and greeted me.
I nodded back and smiled. "Pretty busy scene today."
Wayne Ran laughed. "Yeah, it’s Pearson’s birthday today. He throws a big celebration every year."
"Birthday? I... I didn’t get a chance to buy a gift." I felt a bit uncomfortable.
Wayne Ran laughed. "Don’t worry about it, just showing up is plenty."
While we talked, Wayne Ran walked me over to a sofa.
The people sitting there were naturally the few I already knew.
"Mr. Raymond, have a seat. I need to go help Pearson." Wayne said.
"Sure." I nodded slightly.
After Wayne walked away, I observed, "Pearson really has the social game figured out."
Zora Solomon, sitting close by, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, his fighting skills aren’t amazing, but he loves networking and knows tons of people."
As we chatted, Elena Green and Saumel Baton showed up.
"Mason, funny running into you here too." Saumel Baton laughed.
I nodded at him, returning his greeting.
Then Saumel exchanged hellos with everyone there and finally focused on me.
"Mr. Raymond, can we talk privately?" Saumel Baton asked.
I didn’t overthink it, stood up right away, and followed Saumel to a quiet spot.
In a place where others couldn’t hear, Saumel said, "Mason, didn’t you want to see the Guardian’s portrait? I’ve got a picture of it."
"Really?" My eyebrows went up, strong curiosity showing in my eyes.
Saumel pulled out his phone and displayed a photo.
Then he passed the phone to me. "This is the Guardian’s picture."
When I took the phone and looked at the Guardian’s photo on the screen, shock flashed across my face.
