Ibis Galaxy, one of the four major bases of the Spiritualist Association.

The Silver Specter did not choose to land at the main spaceport but at an alternate, desolate spaceport, instead. This was all because of the Silver Specter’s too odd frame, which could easily attract people’s attention. Also, as it was not convenient for Old Fuchen to show his face around here, they needed to keep a low profile and maintain their distance from others.

Xia Fei put Furball in his bosom, got up, and moved to disembark from the ship, only for Fuchen to stop him with a wave of his hand before handing him a card with a sunflower print.

“What’s this?” Xia Fei inquired.

“Something that will help you move about freely in the Spiritualist Association. With this free pass, you won’t be restricted and will have free access to the various rooms and compounds of the association. You also won’t have problems calling up data and participating in transactions.

“Right now, your identity is that of a guest, someone from Chaos Society. After you enter, you’ll be subjected to many heavy restrictions; I doubt that you’re the sort to enjoy being watched like a hawk, or are you?” asked Fuchen softly.

Xia Fei was surprised. “There’s something so useful? You mean to say that I won’t be restricted once I have this card and will be treated no differently from other Spiritualists, able to come and go as I please?”

Fuchen knitted his eyebrows together. “I’m starting to have regrets when you put it that way. Given your personality, who knows what shenanigans you might end up getting into? Remember: What I just gave you is for emergency use only; please don’t go in there and cause trouble for no reason.

“Aside from that, I have another request: Go to a place on my behalf and take back something. I just sent the general details for that to your terminal. Remember: Don’t go through those doors without any guards or signs.

“Any place with a sign on the door or manned by guards is part of public space. The rest are private areas. Even I can’t save you if you end up provoking any old monster of the association.”

Xia Fei chuckled. “Don’t worry; I know my limits. My main goal this time is to browse through the Spiritualist Association’s database, nothing else. I shouldn’t run into any trouble.”

“Your words aren’t necessarily reassuring.” Fuchen pursed his lips as he muttered this under his breath.

Chaos Society’s branch office in this galaxy was only a street away from the Spiritualist Association’s agency. Xia Fei first compared the two places visually before entering them. Chaos Society looked luxurious from the outside, while the Spiritualist Association actually appeared a lot more somber, with plenty of trees obscuring it from public view. No one from the outside could sneak a peek inside at all. The silence pervading the place made people feel uneasy.

Comparing the two, the former was like a nouveau riche, flaunting its wealth and power, while the Spiritualist Association was like a dragon in hibernation, its might hidden amid the unnerving silence.

Not many people were about, just a hundred or so, but Xia Fei could not recognize even a single face among them. The Spiritualist Association was of course no market, so though they agreed to give Chaos Society a batch of soul weapons, they had set very strict rules for it; not letting too many people in at any one time was among the many rules they had imposed.

The two representatives from the Spiritualist Association slowly droned away all these rules, not allowing this or that and only leading these various clan representatives into the Spiritualist Association after they had rattled through them.

…

“Xia Fei, how could it be you?” Tong Jinliang had been chatting with someone under a giant tree’s shade when he spied Xia Fei among the entourage. He immediately made his way over and gave Xia Fei a warm greeting.

“Well, wasn’t it because we scored a hundred points in Chaos Society’s evaluation? This time, I’m here to represent my clan in getting soul weapons from the association,” Xia Fei replied with a slight smile. “I see that the esteemed elder is carefree, able to come and go at a place like the Spiritualist Association as you please. The guards searched my person several times when I entered the compound; those people even nearly confiscated my little pet.”

Tong Jinliang laughed. “It’s only natural for the Spiritualist Association to bar the rabble from coming in. Honestly, even I got searched through when I entered the place; it’s fortunate that I have a few old friends in the association, so I managed to obtain permission, though barely, and can move freely within the premises.”

Tong Jinliang felt rather pleased with himself when he said that, as though having a card, which let one entry the Spiritualist Association’s grounds, was something to be proud of.

‘I wonder till what level of restriction this card Fuchen gave can get me past,’ Xia Fei thought to himself.

The people around all felt shocked to find Xia Fei chatting with Tong Jinliang, and hushed conversations started among them.

…

“Isn’t that Tongxin Pavillion’s owner, Tong Jinliang, the great collector known for hoarding more than a million soul weapons?”

“That is him, alright. He seems so familiar with that young man? Does anyone know which clan that kid belongs to?”

“I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t even realize he’s there if you didn’t point it out. He’s like a ghost that has suddenly appeared from nowhere.”

“Still, anyone who can be so casual with Tong Jinliang is no ordinary person. They probably share a special connection.”

As the crowd whispered to one another, their impression of Xia Fei rose. People who knew Tong Jinliang all stepped forward to greet him, only to be absentmindedly waved away. These people were all the Alpha Universe’s Tier 2 clan representatives, and in Tong Jinliang’s eyes, they were hardly as important as Xia Fei. After all, this young man had a Great Spiritualist master, someone who possessed rare healing-type soul weapons!

“I don’t have anything on right now; why don’t I accompany you inside to look around? Although this is the Spiritualist Association, the soul weapons here are inevitably assorted. It’s a must for you to choose carefully,” Tong Jinliang offered courteously.

Xia Fei did not mind. “The esteemed elder’s offer is of course something I can’t refuse. Let’s go in together, then.”

Tong Jinliang,a man of stature, was naturally easily recognized by the Spiritualist Association’s staff, who had been sent over to assist them. As such, Xia Fei and Tong Jinliang very easily entered the place together.

Passing across a stone bridge by a manmade river, their group arrived at a tranquil three-story building. The place, which had a retro style, hardly took up much space.

“Everyone, this here is the holographic simulation hall. You can pick any of the soul weapons inside, with each of them having a separate price. There’s no need for any of you to go to the second floor, since no one can afford the items there with the little points you received. Browsing the selections on the first floor will do,” the man with the little mustache that led the way drawled.

Xia Fei furrowed his brows. Having been closely watched the entire way in, he felt that he was following a tour group, taking in the sights. Since he had agreed to retrieve an item for Fuchen, Xia Fei had no intention of wasting that pass at all. This trip could only be considered worthwhile if he managed to access the Spiritualist Association’s database.

‘I’ll need to find a chance to slip away no matter what.’ Xia Fei made a mental note.

Entering the hall, Xia Fei discovered that the place was a lot bigger than it looked from the outside. There were over a thousand simulation cabins, as well as a lounge, a restaurant, and even a library, inside. It looked like a fairly pedestrian building from the outside, but its interior was actually very lavish. Everyone could not help but gasp in awe at the splendor and wealth of the Spiritualist Association.

Tong Jinliang felt fairly enthused. As he was very familiar with many things related to the Spiritualist Association, he was more than happy to explain everything to Xia Fei.

“While Chaos Society said that every Tier 2 clan can get a batch of soul weapons this time, that’s not exactly the whole truth, because every soul weapon taken here will cost one some points. Using a hundred points, one may be able to redeem a few soul weapons of the lowest quality, but if they’re seeking something of a higher grade, they’ll have to pay more; they might even be unable to get one with only a hundred points,” Tong Jinliang said with a shrug.

Tong Jinliang swiftly leaned into Xia Fei’s ear and whispered, “If you’re willing to give me a healing-type soul weapon, I can then give some of my points to you, allowing you to use them freely. I’ll have you know that points aren’t just something that you can use to exchange for soul weapons alone.”

Xia Fei shook his head firmly. “I’m sorry, but I really don’t have any more.”

Seeing how decisively Xia Fei had rejected his offer, Tong Jinliang could only sigh. He sat beside Xia Fei and pointed to the card reader on the table, saying, “Insert that card they gave you and you can begin. Everything will be done in the holographic simulation.”

Xia Fei took out a gray card. Tong Jinliang gave it a glance and said, “A temporary ID, for one time use only. The card will be rendered useless after use. I have a special visitor card from the Spiritualist Association, and the permissions, points I have can’t be compared.”

With that said, Tong Jinliang pulled out his card. It was green in color.

Xia Fei knitted his eyebrows. Tong Jinliang was considered to be rather significant. Because of his hobby collecting soul weapons, he would often come and go around the Spiritualist Association. If his card were green, it made Xia Fei wonder the difference in permissions he would have with Fuchen’s that golden card?

*Clack*

Wearing the simulation helmet, Xia Fei was immediately brought to a mystical setting.

What made Xia Fei unhappy was that, even inside the simulation, those people were still being very rude, constantly telling him to make his selection quickly and leave the place immediately.

Tong Jinliang grew quiet, too. He waved the card he had in his hand once more, intentionally. This old man had quite the serious obsession with soul weapons, and the two healing-type soul weapons he got from Xia Fei was not enough for him, and he was still eager to get more.

Unfortunately, Xia Fei ignored Tong Jinliang, minding his own business as he went browsing the selections in the simulation.

The Spiritualist Association lived up to its name, as the catalog they allowed visitors to look through numbered well in the tens of thousands. Standing among these was like stepping into an ocean of soul weapons, a dazzling spectacle that people would have trouble taking all in. Someone would even be unable to examine all these soul weapons once even if they were given several days to do so.

Every soul weapon that Xia Fei selected to view, the system would proceed to create a holographic simulation of, allowing him to very easily understand the grade and attributes it had.

Just that these soul weapons were often expensive, and the acquisition of each required several tens of points, with even some reaching a hundred points.

The simulation setting was like an ancient maze; it had countless corridors to stroll through. A holographic image of a soul weapon was placed every meter or so, and the more than a hundred people very quickly spread out, disappearing into the complex and winding corridors around.

Aside from viewing several soul weapons at the beginning, Xia Fei did not bother checking them anymore. His speed was fast, and he kept running through the corridors, almost as if none of these soul weapons interested him at all.

Xia Fei had no idea that the place that they were visiting was jokingly called the garbage dump by the people of the Spiritualist Association. Every failed soul weapon, or weapons that had failed to meet requirements, was all gathered here and was exclusively sold to scam the laymen after beautifully packaging them.

Every year, there were simply too many who would beg their ancestors to come and search for soul weapons here, and Xia Fei felt that all the soul weapons he had seen thus far were no different from products made from an industrial assembly line. There was nothing unique about them and would at most have a slight change in appearance. The usually picky Xia Fei was of course not interested in any of these triflings.

“Nothing caught your eye, eh?” Tong Jinliang asked.

Xia Fei shook his head, wordless.

Tong Jinliang nodded as he quietly thought to himself, ‘He’s the disciple of a Spiritualist, alright, able to tell at a glance that everything here is just crap that is more form over function. I’m curious to see just what items he’ll end up picking out in this dump.’

All of a sudden, Xia Fei came to a halt. There was a look of puzzlement in his eyes.