"Do you think the Li clan will be able to make the purchase? What a joke!"

"Isn't that so? Why would Zhang Lie help his enemies? He wouldn't, would he? At the very least, I certainly wouldn't sell to the Li clan!" 

The Li representative's arrival sparked a vigorous discussion among the crowd, while the Li representative buried his head in shame. The remarks skewered him like sharp swords, turning his face even redder.

Li Mo, who was waiting in a hovercar parked outside the Zenith Dojo, turned grim. The Li representative was wearing a transceiver so that Li Mo could respond immediately to any unforeseen circumstances, so the other clans' remarks landed directly in his ear.

He had expected that he would be able to send a relatively unknown person to make the purchase without drawing any attention, but that seemed impossible now.

To have hunted the white grubs to near-extinction before revealing this crucial piece of information… Zhang Lie really was a cruel bastard!

Li Mo gritted his teeth. Anger was devouring his rationality and stirring up the genetic energy in his body. Nevertheless, no matter how enraged he was, all he could do was continue gritting his teeth and clenching his fists.

"Head, I'm not certain we'll be able to purchase these white-grub cores," one of the elders beside him sighed, a hint of brooding resentment in his tone. The blood feud between the Li clan and Zhang Lie had been caused almost entirely by the clan head, and it was his poor decisions to date that had led them to their present straits. It would be near-impossible to purchase some white-grub cores under these conditions.

Li Mo went silent. He didn't know if he could purchase these cores either, but it wasn't up for debate: he would have to get them some way or another, or the clan would surely decline comparatively in strength with the next generation, leaving the Li clan doomed to extinction.

"Let's see what they say. If we can't purchase anything, we'll get someone to buy them on our behalf," Li Mo concluded. His fists were clenched so tightly that his bones were starting to creak.

The Chu and Yun clans had sent Chu Feng and Yun Bing as their representatives, in light of the fact that Zhang Lie had promised to give them a discount. Even if they had already bought a sufficient number of cores, they could start stockpiling more now.

Nevertheless, Chu Feng and Yun Bing were worried about meeting Zhang Lie again. During the opening ceremony, despite the danger Zhang Lie was in, neither the Chu nor Yun clans stepped in to help him. Weren't they being shameless to ask him for a discount now?

The long lines persisted from sunrise to sunset; as buyers left, elated with their purchase, more joined the line. By the end of the day, what changed wasn't the length of the line, but rather the people within it. 

After a whole day and night, the Qin, Li, and Wang representatives finally made their way to the front of the line. As they glanced at Zhang Hong, standing outside the entrance to the dojo, their heart palpitated.

"Those here to purchase white-grub cores, this way!"

When they walked by Zhang Hong without being stopped by her, they scurried to the left, as though they would be expelled if they were just a little slower.

"What? Is Zhang Lie so generous that he'd sell to the Qin, Wang, and Li clans? In that case, I'm sure we'll be able to get our discount, then!" Chu Feng sighed in relief.

Yun Bing didn't comment. Given her understanding of Zhang Lie, she was quite certain that Zhang Lie had something in store for the three clans' representatives, and even the discount that she and Chu Feng had negotiated would likely be invalidated.

"Ah, is it Young Master Chu and Miss Yun? Please head to the left."

Zhang Hong made her way over with a smile. Both of them had been to the dojo before, and Zhang Lie had introduced them as friends. She knew nothing of the Chu and Yun clans, but some of the members of Team Zenith had mentioned that the two of them had helped them out tremendously in the Eclipse Sage's ruins, so she naturally felt some goodwill toward them.

Chu Feng and Yun Bing hesitated for a moment before glancing at each other.

"In the past, we were always able to purchase the cores directly from Dojo Leader Zhang. Can't we do so anymore?" Chu Feng ventured, his expression a little embarrassed.

"Unfortunately, that's what I was told," Zhang Hong replied, her voice kind but firm.

Chu Feng and Yun Bing both sighed. As expected, their discount no longer applied. In that case, they had no choice but to follow the rest of the crowd. 

As they headed to the left, they saw the Qin, Wang, and Li representatives, who had just registered for the purchase. After registering, the three of them left overjoyed, as though they were guaranteed to be able to buy the precious white-grub cores after doing so.

What they didn't notice was the attendant smirking maliciously after they had recorded their names.

"Young Master Chu, Miss Yun!" When she saw Chu Feng and Yun Bing walk over, she hastily plastered a smile on her face as she greeted them.

"Can we see the dojo leader?" Yun Bing asked, hesitating momentarily.

"Unfortunately, Dojo Leader Zhang has instructed us that he won't be entertaining any visitors for the moment."

She looked at them apologetically. It was her second day working at the dojo. Before, she had been merely a citizen of the slums, and she still wasn't used to being able to talk to such privileged people as the two young clan heads of the Yun and Chu clans.

"But, in the past—" Chu Feng seemed rather upset by the cold shoulder, but Yun Bing pulled him back.

"That was then, and this is now. If either of you want a few cores, I'm happy to give you a few for free." Just as the attendant was trying to formulate a diplomatic response, Zhang Lie walked out into the lobby with Lin Xiu.

Chu Feng and Yun Bing both turned to him; Zhang Lie was smiling.

"Zhang Lie, we've worked together in the past. Are you going to do this just because of a misunderstanding...?"

"I've already given you a batch of cores on discount. Now that everyone's here to purchase cores, don't expect to be able to buy in bulk just like you did last time," Zhang Lie explained.

Chu Feng and Yun Bing both sighed.

Yun Bing was visibly worried. "In that case, as for Potion #1—"

"Don't worry. I know the two of you are beholden to your clans, and I won't renege on my promises to the two of you." 

Zhang Lie might have been unhappy with the Yun and Chu clans, but he understood that Yun Bing and Chu Feng weren't necessarily able to direct their clans, and just the fact that they had come to his dojo beforehand was valuable enough already. Furthermore, he still owed them both a favor from the Eclipse Sage's ruins.

After a relaxed conversation, Chu Feng and Yun Bing went to register to buy the cores just like everyone else. Fortunately, at least, they didn't return empty-handed.

"Alright. Head to the Blacksteel Inn in the Blacksteel Settlement and find Yang Ze. With this receipt, you'll be eligible to buy the white-grub cores from him," the attendant told them.

Their business concluded, Chu Feng and Yun Bing left the Zenith Dojo. 

At the same time, the Qin, Li, and Wang clan heads relaxed after hearing that their representatives had successfully registered to purchase white-grub cores. 

These cores would be instrumental to the clans' further development. Given their enmity with Zhang Lie, they didn't expect to be able to purchase the cores so readily, but their registration had gone off without a hitch.

"As expected, he's a poor lad from the slums, greedy for money. With these cores in hand, Qin Xiao will surely be able to defeat him during the Void Cup, I'm sure of it!" Qin Zongming unclenched his fist as he cackled.

Back in the dojo, Zhang Lie narrowed his eyes as he glanced at the countless names on the microchip.

"Review these names carefully; I'll defer to your judgment. I won't sell to the Li clan, so strike their name off the list. Furthermore, raise the price fivefold for those dojo leaders that struck at me during the opening ceremony, and tenfold for the Qin and Wang clans. Do you understand?"

Zhang Hong noted everything down and reviewed the other names on the list. When she was finished, she handed the finalized list of the eligible buyers to Yang Ze.

Before this, Zhang Lie had given no explanation for this process, so all those who had registered thought that they would be able to purchase these white-grub cores.

He's a rather wicked hunter, isn't he? Lin Xiu couldn't help thinking to himself.

Those who were struck from the list didn't know that they had lost their eligibility, and were happily heading toward the Blacksteel settlement in the dimensional world. He was honestly quite curious as to how they would react when they finally found out about the news from Yang Ze.

By the time, Yang Ze had the finalized list in his hands, the Blacksteel Inn was already filled with a gigantic crowd.

"What's the matter? Are you trying to cut in line? That'll bar you from making a purchase!"

"Ouch, you've stepped on my foot!"

"What?! So what if you're the Liu clan? The Light's Radiance dojo isn't afraid of you!"

Even before the main event began, there were already countless clashes within the inn, and several opposing factions were already making plans to settle the score with a brawl outside the settlement.

"Don't make a fuss! Line up quietly. If anyone hollers, their eligibility for purchase will be revoked!" Yang Ze shouted, walking out from his suite.

The entire Blacksteel Inn fell silent the next moment.

"Yang Ze, the list is out! The captain said that we could start selling the cores now!" Li Feng rushed into the inn. His exclamation sounded particularly loud amidst the silence, and the hunters close to him couldn't help craning their heads to try to sneak a peek at the list.

Yang Ze held the list of buyers in his hands like an imperial edict, and the crowd collectively held a breath.

"We'll start selling the cores now, starting with the first in line!"

The hunters at the front of the line were naturally overjoyed; after this purchase, they would be able to experience a foundational breakthrough for themselves!

"How much do you think these cores will sell for?"

"Who cares? They're cores from the lowest-grade lifeform in the dimensional world. How expensive can they get?"

Many hunters were quietly murmuring to each other, guessing what the price of these cores would be.

"What? Are you crazy? A hundred thousand points for a single core?!  You must be joking, surely!" one of the hunters at the very front exclaimed, causing a huge commotion throughout the inn.