This area was filled with many wandering demons.
Of course, their level was far below that of the Twelve Kizuki, so they posed no threat to Bai Ye.
However, Bai Ye wasn't interested in the demon-slaying quests in the neutral zone. Only one blue-quality item for every one hundred and twenty demons was far too inefficient.
But this was typical of the neutral zone. The quests there were relatively low difficulty. If one could easily obtain good items, any fool would explore dangerous areas or enter restricted zones.
Bai Ye's reason for killing demons was still to test the capabilities of the Goro Goro no Mi.
There was no questioning its power; the gold quality spoke for itself.
It was just that his two techniques were a bit monotonous. In a real fight, it would be pure power pushing through.
However, the good news was that the proficiency increase speed was quite good. At least the first stage of proficiency increased rapidly. After killing thirty demons, Bai Ye's proficiency had risen to over 500, with only half left to max out.
But this was only the initial boost. As proficiency increased, it would certainly become harder to raise later.
There was also some bad news...
Both the Ning Shuang Sword and the renowned Bloodthirsty Blade had been traded away by Bai Ye, reducing the number of weapons available for synthesis and significantly decreasing the increase in the amount of weapons in the Gate of Babylon.
"It seems that besides relying on the gacha machine, I'll need to get a few more weapons for synthesis to supplement the Gate of Babylon."
Bai Ye pondered for a moment, then prepared to return to the neutral zone.
Bai Ye intended to stay in the neutral zone for a couple more days.
The primary reason was to await the results from the Evil Spirit Gang. If the Blood Battle at Ju Xian Manor yielded substantial gains, Bai Ye believed that Gao Ming would soon come looking for him.
"Mr. Bai Ye."
Upon returning to the ancient town, Bai Ye planned to find an inn to sleep in when he heard someone call out to him.
Turning around, he saw the trio of Tanjiro Kamado. These three were likely the legendary protagonists, always acting together.
Bai Ye smiled and said, "You guys just got back too? Went demon hunting again?"
Bai Ye's attitude towards Tanjiro Kamado was extremely good. After all, this was the person who helped him draw out the Goro Goro no Mi!
If he could get another draw later and pull out another golden item card bug, wouldn't that be wonderful!
Gacha Machine: *You're dreaming.*
"Yes!" Tanjiro Kamado smiled and said, "We're planning to report back. What about you, Mr. Bai Ye?"
Bai Ye replied, "I just got back from killing demons too."
Tanjiro Kamado asked, "Since Mr. Bai Ye possesses such immense power and is willing to kill demons, why not join the Demon Slayer Corps? I even think you have the potential to become a Hashira."
Bai Ye said, "I'm just a traveler and will be leaving soon, so it's best not to."
The Nine Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps were still quite interesting to Bai Ye.
However, the words "used to be" needed to be added before that statement.
After obtaining the Goro Goro no Mi, Bai Ye felt confident he could confront any Hashira of lower standing. He also didn't fear the Twelve Kizuki of the Demon King, except for the top few Upper Moons; he could disregard the rest.
Moreover, there wasn't much in this area that truly attracted Bai Ye.
The Demon Slayer Corps primarily offered Breathing Styles. While powerful when cultivated to the extreme, Breathing Styles also required practice, which in essence meant proficiency.
Since that was the case, wasn't it better for Bai Ye to honestly improve his Goro Goro no Mi?
As for demons, the most precious things were undoubtedly the Demon King's blood and powerful Blood Demon Arts.
But the Demon King wasn't easy to kill, unless the proficiency of the Goro Goro no Mi could be increased by several tiers.
Most importantly...
Bai Ye did not want to become a demon.
Therefore, the Demon King's blood and Blood Demon Arts held no allure for Bai Ye.
Tanjiro Kamado didn't insist, nodding and saying, "That's truly a shame."
Just then...
"Hey, you guys up ahead!"
A voice called out from behind Bai Ye and the others.
Turning around, they saw a tall, white-haired man appearing behind them, wearing a sleeveless vest, with two swords on his back, a diamond-inlaid forehead protector, and silvery-white hair.
Tanjiro Kamado blinked in surprise, "Isn't that the Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui!"
Tengen Uzui took a step forward, his speed astonishing, almost instantly appearing before the group.
Tengen Uzui asked, "Are you heading back to headquarters?"
Tanjiro Kamado nodded, "Yes."
"Don't go back," Tengen Uzui declared. "I'm short of people here and need some help. All of you, come with me!"
Tanjiro Kamado hesitated, "That's against the rules. Our squad..."
Hashira had their own exclusive squads, and becoming a squad member had stricter qualifications. Tanjiro Kamado and his two companions didn't yet have that eligibility.
However...
"Stop babbling," Tengen Uzui said impatiently. "A real man should act with flair."
After speaking, Tengen Uzui, disregarding whether Tanjiro Kamado and his companions agreed, grabbed Inosuke and Zenitsu and hoisted them onto his shoulders.
"Let go of me, you bastard! Let go!"
Inosuke immediately started struggling, but Tengen Uzui ignored him and ran off.
In an instant, Tengen Uzui was dozens of meters away. He then turned to look at Tanjiro Kamado and Bai Ye.
"Hurry up," Tengen Uzui urged. "Don't dawdle, we're running out of time!"
Bai Ye pointed at himself in surprise, "I'm involved too?"
"You have received a hidden quest."
"Assist the Sound Hashira Tengen Uzui in investigating the Entertainment District, find the hidden demons, quest reward: Sound Breathing x1."
The moment Bai Ye asked, he saw the hidden quest appear.
Bai Ye immediately had no objections.
With a hidden quest, Bai Ye didn't care whether he was a member of the Demon Slayer Corps or not.
As long as he wasn't working for free!
Thinking this, Bai Ye exchanged a glance with Tanjiro Kamado, then quickly followed.
Leaving the ancient town with Tengen Uzui, they headed southwest.
After passing the surrounding fields and a barren area, they still hadn't reached their destination. Tengen Uzui directly summoned a carriage and they continued their journey.
Only then did Bai Ye realize that this hidden quest might take far longer than he had anticipated.
Tanjiro Kamado couldn't help but say, "Mr. Uzui..."
"Lord, you must call me Lord," Tengen Uzui corrected. "That word is more flamboyant."
Tanjiro Kamado said reluctantly, "Lord Uzui, where exactly are we going?"
"The Entertainment District," Tengen Uzui replied. "Yoshiwara Entertainment District."
Tanjiro Kamado and his two companions didn't understand, while Bai Ye began to cough violently, nearly choking on his own saliva.
"What kind of place is that?" Tanjiro Kamado asked with a look of bewilderment, then turned to Bai Ye, "Bai Ye, do you know?"
"You can understand it as..." Bai Ye's lips curled slightly, "a paradise for men?"