Those who do business in such places certainly have their ways.

Elder Baluo of the Hanyong tribe remained remarkably composed under the circumstances, speaking to Ye Liuyun with neither subservience nor arrogance—a rare sight indeed.

Ye Liuyun nodded at his words before countering, "Truth be told, no one really cares about right or wrong in matters like these. You kill me today, I kill you tomorrow—that’s just the way of the martial world. In the end, it all comes down to who’s stronger. The law of the jungle never changes, does it?"

Elder Baluo considered this. Ye Liuyun’s implication was clear: if he was stronger, he could bully them as he pleased. Yet the logic in his words was undeniable, so the elder nodded—though not without adding, "But one should know when to stop. Too much wickedness, too much arrogance, never ends well."

His meaning was just as clear—a warning for Ye Liuyun not to push his luck. And of course, Ye Liuyun understood.

"Hah! I like your attitude," Ye Liuyun laughed. "If the Hanyong tribe ever wants to negotiate with me in the future, you’re the one I’ll talk to. The rest aren’t worth my time."

With that, he turned to leave. He had already gathered most of the resources he wanted from the area and had initially planned to take a few more captives. But Elder Baluo had impressed him—there was some skill to the man—so he decided not to press further.

Just as he was about to go, however, Wan Gang finally spoke up. He couldn’t stomach the humiliation Ye Liuyun had dealt to Baluo—and by extension, their entire tribe.

Baluo, who had just begun to relax, tensed again. He silently willed Wan Gang not to stir up more trouble.

But Wan Gang squared his shoulders and declared to Ye Liuyun, "By the laws of our tribe, I challenge you—personally. If you defeat me, you can take what you’ve seized without payment. But if you lose, not only will you pay for everything, but you’ll also leave Xiaoruo behind."

"Oh?" Ye Liuyun chuckled, eyeing Wan Gang with amusement. "Your tribe has rules like that? Allowing those of higher cultivation to challenge those beneath them?"

He wasn’t bluffing. Through the slave mark, he had just confirmed with Xiaoruo that while their tribe did have a tradition of settling disputes through combat, such challenges were strictly between equals. For a stronger warrior to challenge a weaker one would be seen as nothing but bullying.

Wan Gang’s face flushed crimson, but no retort came.

Ye Liuyun couldn’t help but laugh at his awkward expression. "Haha, hit the nail on the head, didn’t I? But sure, I’ll take your challenge—though your terms aren’t fair. I’ll add one more condition: if you lose, you become my slave! Still game?"

"Wan Gang, don’t be rash! You’re walking right into his trap!" Balo warned urgently.

Wan Gang, however, was already fired up, unwilling to pass up the chance to teach Ye Liuyun a lesson. "As long as you fight me fair and square, I accept!" he declared without hesitation.

Ye Liuyun nodded, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Fine. Then I’ll fight you fair and square."

"Deal!" Wan Gang immediately leaped forward, his body coiled like a spring.

Balo sighed and shook his head, knowing full well there was no stopping his hotheaded friend.

Once in position, Wan Gang crossed his arms and said gruffly, "You’re at a lower cultivation level—I won’t take advantage. You strike first!"

He wasn’t without pride; he did feel a twinge of guilt about the disparity in their strength. But for the sake of the tribe’s resources and to rescue Xiaoran, he couldn’t afford to back down.

Ye Liuyun merely chuckled. "Doesn’t matter. If we’re fighting, cultivation levels are irrelevant. Ready? Here I come."

"Bring it!" Wan Gang roared, planting his feet and raising his fists.

Yet instead of a physical clash, Ye Liuyun unleashed a direct soul attack.

In a contest of pure cultivation or martial prowess, he stood no chance against Wan Gang—unless he tapped into the power of his spatial realm. But that, he decided, was entirely unnecessary.

Though Wan Gang’s soul force wasn’t weak—comparable even to Xiaoran’s—the warriors of his tribe had only rudimentary methods of wielding it. Their combat skills in soul battles were lacking, making them no match for Ye Liuyun. In an instant, Wan Gang was branded with a slave seal.

Still, Ye Liuyun merely used the seal to prevent further hostility, leaving Wan Gang’s mind untouched.

"You cheated!" Wan Gang bellowed, his face flushing with outrage.

"Since I defeated you using soul power, how is that cheating? Isn’t soul power part of one’s strength? If it weren’t, why would you even bother cultivating it?" Ye Liuyun retorted without hesitation.

He then turned to the crowd and challenged, "Can anyone here honestly claim soul power isn’t part of one’s strength? As martial cultivators, we train in three fundamental aspects—true essence, physical body, and soul power. Each is an integral part of our combat prowess. Who dares deny that?"

Ye Liuyun had a point. Soul power was undeniably a core component of a cultivator’s strength, foundational even. For a moment, no one could refute his argument.

However, when Wan Gang had spoken of a "fair fight," he clearly meant a contest of true essence and physical strength—excluding soul power. The problem was, neither had specified the terms beforehand.

"You—!" Wan Gang was so infuriated he could barely speak. He wanted to lash out, but the slave mark restrained him, making it impossible to attack Ye Liuyun.

With a heavy sigh, he channeled his frustration into a single punch aimed at the air, the force of it cracking the atmosphere like thunder.

"Let’s go. A loss is a loss—no point sulking," Ye Liuyun said breezily, already turning toward the other market stalls. Xiao Qi followed closely behind, while Wan Gang trudged after them, head hung low.

Balo, meanwhile, signaled his tribesmen to stand down. He sensed Ye Liuyun hadn’t been serious about fighting Wan Gang. Despite his lower cultivation level, Ye Liuyun’s cunning suggested he had other means to deal with Wan Gang if he’d wanted to. Charging in recklessly would only lead to more losses.

The onlookers murmured among themselves—some condemning Ye Liuyun for his underhanded tactics, others sympathizing with Wan Gang’s humiliation. Yet none dared confront Ye Liuyun directly.

They had all witnessed the potency of his soul power. It didn’t seem overwhelmingly strong, yet he had effortlessly subdued so many, including Lie Hu, who was renowned for his formidable soul defense. This led many to suspect Ye Liuyun possessed some sinister technique.

Compounding their fear was the fact that he had already enslaved numerous powerful warriors. No one was foolish enough to provoke him now.

Unbothered, Ye Liuyun moved from stall to stall, instructing Xiao Qi to sweep up goods into his Interspatial Ring. No one resisted as they looted freely.

By the end of the day, Ye Liuyun had amassed not just resources but also a small army of elite fighters. Even Xiao Qi’s Interspatial Ring was absorbed into his spatial world.

But his brazen plundering had stirred widespread outrage. Every affected merchant had already reported the thefts to their respective clans.

The problem was, Ye Liuyun’s current strength made him nearly untouchable. Some tribes were still deliberating how to handle him, while others sought alliances to oppose him collectively. A few were even rallying their strongest experts for a direct confrontation.

Just as the crowd assumed Ye Liuyun would leave after his spree, he stunned them all by announcing, "I’ve decided to stay on this trading planet for the time being."

Then, with chilling finality, he added, "From now on, this place is under my control. Any faction wishing to do business here will answer to me."