"I seek materials that may be... difficult to obtain," Wudi Egun replied, his tone conversational despite the implications of his request.
Manager Ying's smile widened slightly, revealing teeth of perfect whiteness. "You have come to the right establishment, then. The Sky Jade Building prides itself on providing items that others might consider impossible to source. What specifically are you seeking?"
"I'm not certain you would have what I require," he said, the statement carrying a hint of challenge rather than doubt. "My needs are somewhat specialized."
Her expression shifted to one of professional pride tinged with amusement. "I assure you, honored customer, there is very little we cannot provide. The Sky Jade Building has connections throughout the cultivation world and beyond. Name your desire, and we will endeavor to fulfill it."
Wudi Egun considered her for a moment, his expression revealing nothing of his thoughts. Then, with the same calm tone one might use to request tea, he asked: "Do you have a Devil's Soul available? The higher the rank, the better."
The effect of this question was immediate and dramatic. Manager Ying's perfect smile froze in place, her eyes widening slightly as she processed what she had just heard. For a brief moment, her professional mask slipped, revealing genuine surprise beneath.
"I... beg your pardon?" she said, her voice carefully controlled despite her evident shock. "Did you say a Devil's Soul?"
"I did," Wudi Egun confirmed, his expression remaining placid despite the reaction his request had provoked. "Is that a problem?"
Manager Ying recovered her composure with impressive speed, though a new wariness had entered her gaze as she reassessed the unassuming man before her.
Devil's Souls were not merely rare or valuable—they were dangerous, forbidden items that even in the City of Sin were not casually discussed or traded. For someone to request one so directly, without elaborate codes or introductions from trusted sources, was unprecedented in her experience.
"Not a problem, precisely," she replied carefully. "But such items are... exceptionally valuable. I must ask if you are prepared for the level of investment required?"
There was delicate skepticism in her tone—a polite way of suggesting that he likely could not afford what he was asking for, giving him an opportunity to withdraw his request without losing face.
Wudi Egun's response was a slight smile that contained no warmth whatsoever. "Money is not an issue. The item is what matters."
Something in his tone—absolute certainty without a hint of boasting—caused Manager Ying to reassess him once again. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she studied him more carefully, looking beyond the unremarkable exterior for some indication of who or what he truly was.
After a moment of consideration, she came to a decision.
"Please follow me," she said, gesturing toward a doorway partially concealed behind an ornamental screen. "We should discuss this matter in a more private setting."
She led him through the hidden door and down a corridor that seemed to descend slightly, though the incline was so subtle it might have been imagination. The walls here were different from those in the main hall—darker stone inscribed with characters that glowed faintly when they passed, suggesting protective measures of considerable sophistication.
After several turns that would have made it difficult for an unfamiliar visitor to find their way back unassisted, they arrived at a heavy door reinforced with metal bands and covered in more of the glowing inscriptions. Manager Ying placed her palm against its center, channeling a brief pulse of spiritual energy that caused the characters to flare brightly before the door swung open of its own accord.
Beyond lay a chamber unlike any other in the building—a circular room with walls of some black material that absorbed light rather than reflecting it. The only illumination came from the center, where a glass containment vessel approximately three feet in diameter hovered above a pedestal inscribed with complex formations.
Within the vessel, suspended in what appeared to be nothing at all, floated a mass of absolute darkness—not merely black but a void that seemed to devour the light around it. This darkness pulsed and shifted like a living thing, occasionally forming shapes that suggested faces or limbs before dissolving back into formlessness.
Most remarkable were the golden chains that wrapped around and through this darkness—not physical restraints but manifestations of pure spiritual energy, glowing characters forming links that bound the darkness in place.
These were no ordinary spiritual techniques but manifestations of fundamental laws, their power so concentrated that even without cultivation abilities, Wudi Egun could feel their weight pressing against his consciousness.
"A Devil's Soul," Manager Ying announced, her voice hushed despite the privacy of their location. "And not just any specimen, but one of exceptional quality and historical significance."
Wudi Egun approached the containment vessel slowly, his eyes fixed on the writhing darkness within. His expression had changed—the mask of mild interest replaced by intense focus that transformed his ordinary features into something altogether more compelling.
"What rank?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper as he circled the pedestal, examining the soul from all angles.
Manager Ying's pride was evident as she answered, clearly pleased by his obvious appreciation of the item's significance. "This is the soul of an Ancient Devil known as the Space Devouring Devil—a being that terrorized this region over one hundred thousand years ago. It required the combined efforts of the Sin Lord and several other masters of the city to defeat it."
She gestured toward the containment vessel with a graceful movement of her hand. "Our founder managed to capture its soul before it could escape back to whatever hellish realm spawned it. It has been one of our most prized possessions ever since, though few have the knowledge, resources, or courage to make use of such an item."
Wudi Egun nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving the pulsing darkness. "Its cultivation level?"
"It had reached the Ethereal Projection Realm in the Soul Cultivation System," she replied, watching his reaction carefully. "Equivalent to the Nascent Soul Realm in Qi Cultivation or the Blood Surge Realm in Body Cultivation."
This information caused Wudi Egun to inhale deeply, the first sign of genuine emotion he had displayed since entering the building.
Such a cultivation level represented power far beyond what most cultivators would achieve in their lifetimes—and for a Devil, whose natural abilities typically exceeded those of human cultivators at equivalent levels, it suggested truly formidable capabilities.
More significant to Wudi Egun, though he revealed nothing of this in his expression, was the fact that this was specifically a Soul Cultivation practitioner. For his intended purposes—the advancement of the Twelvefold Devil-Pattern Engraving Scripture he had obtained through means known only to himself—such a soul would be far more valuable than one from a Qi or Body cultivator.
The irony that he now sought to use the very cultivation method that had been forced upon him by the "old devil" who had brought him to this world was not lost on Wudi Egun. But pragmatism overrode any such considerations—the method was powerful, and with this Devil's Soul, he could advance far more rapidly than would otherwise be possible.
"What is your price?" he asked, finally turning his attention back to Manager Ying.
She named a figure that would have caused most cultivators to blanch—five hundred thousand Fifth Grade Refined Jade, a sum that could purchase a small city in many regions. She justified this by explaining that the original price had been set at one million, but given the age of the item and the uncertainty about whether its power had diminished over the millennia, they were offering a substantial discount.
Wudi Egun showed no reaction to the astronomical figure. Instead, he reached into his pouch—the same unremarkable leather container from which he had produced his alchemical tools and the demonic skull—and withdrew a smaller pouch that clinked softly with the weight of its contents.
He handed this to Manager Ying without comment, his expression suggesting this was a perfectly routine transaction rather than the exchange of wealth that would strain the resources of most noble families.
Manager Ying accepted the pouch with a smile that combined professional courtesy with genuine pleasure at concluding such a significant sale.
"It has been an honor to do business with you," she said, the formality of her words belied by the gleam of satisfaction in her eyes.
"I have additional requirements," Wudi Egun replied, his tone making it clear that their transaction was far from complete. "This is merely the first item on my list."
The manager's smile widened, her earlier wariness now completely replaced by the enthusiasm of a merchant who has recognized a truly valuable customer.
"Of course," she said, gesturing toward the door with a graceful movement that somehow managed to be both deferential and commanding. "Shall we return to the main hall to discuss your other needs? I assure you, the Sky Jade Building can provide whatever you seek... for the right price."
As they exited the chamber, the containment vessel with its precious cargo floated after them, now bound to Wudi Egun by whatever transaction had occurred when he handed over the payment.
The Devil's Soul—a being that had once terrorized an entire region—was now his property, a tool to be used in his pursuit of power through methods that even in the City of Sin would be regarded with horror and revulsion.
Yet his expression revealed nothing of triumph or anticipation—only the same mild interest with which he observed everything around him, the perfect mask that concealed whatever truly lay beneath.