Chapter 162: Chapter 152: Opening the Marketplace
Feifeng Mountain.
Across from Dragon Head Peak.
Today, the foot of the mountain was bustling with a noisy, jostling crowd of disciples from the Bright Void Sect’s three lineages and Loose Cultivators from all around.
CRACKLE POP...
The sound of firecrackers was endless, and every storefront was festooned with lanterns and decorations.
"Congratulations!"
"Congratulations!"
"And to you! And to you!"
Ning Ruxue, dressed in a festive, bright red robe, stood in front of her shop, greeting guests with a smile.
"Junior Sister."
Zhu Ju presented a congratulatory gift worth two Spirit Stones and said,
"May your opening be auspicious, and may you have a prosperous future."
"I’ll take that as a good omen, Senior Brother." Ning Ruxue smiled so widely her eyes narrowed to slits. She took the gift and gestured inside.
"Please, come in, Senior Brother."
"Mm."
Zhu Ju nodded and followed the flow of people into the shop.
Today was the grand opening of the Bright Void Sect Marketplace, and Ning Ruxue had borrowed a hefty sum to secure a shop.
She planned to open a Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
It would sell all sorts of items needed by Cultivators.
’The Xiao Family has a Treasure Pavilion in their marketplace that rakes in money. How could my Hundred Treasures Pavilion be any worse?’
But it had to be said...
In Zhu Ju’s opinion, Ning Ruxue had no real talent for business and took things far too much for granted.
With over a hundred shops in the marketplace, you needed a special skill to make a name for yourself and be remembered.
Whether it was Alchemy, Artifact Refining, or Talisman Making...
You had a chance to run a decent business if you had the ability to specialize in one of these fields, or if you had a reliable channel for a steady supply of goods.
But trying to do everything usually meant you’d accomplish nothing.
Wanting it all...
...was a cardinal sin in business!
The Xiao Family’s Treasure Pavilion raked in money because the Xiao Family had operated on the edge of the Ten Thousand Mountains for centuries. They had channels for all kinds of goods, which was how they managed to turn a "general store" into an institution.
’What did Ning Ruxue have?’
Her so-called extensive network and smooth connections were far from enough to sustain a business long-term.
"Senior Brother Zhu."
Xiao Bufan was also there today. He looked at the bustling crowd outside and remarked with emotion,
"It’s so lively!"
"If the marketplace can maintain this level of foot traffic... no, even if it just keeps thirty percent, it will be able to establish a firm foothold in the Ten Thousand Mountains."
"Indeed," Zhu Ju nodded.
"The marketplace is located at the foot of Feifeng Mountain, and disciples from the three lineages patrol the area to prevent Tribulation Cultivators. At the very least, doing business here is safe."
"Give it time, and the future will be bright!"
"You’re right, Senior Brother." Xiao Bufan’s eyes lit up.
"If I had known, I would have scraped together the Spirit Stones to get a shop too. Senior Sister Ning has probably received over a hundred Spirit Stones in gifts today alone."
"Doing business is really the fastest way to get Spirit Stones..."
Hm?
Zhu Ju remained noncommittal.
His gaze shifted, and his eyes flickered. He quickly walked over to an Inner Sect Disciple.
"Brother Zhao, I heard you have a type of Spirit Talisman that can check for abnormalities in a Cultivator’s body?"
"Could you sell one to me?"
"Is something bothering you lately, Junior Brother Zhu?" Brother Zhao turned his head at the question and took out a Spirit Talisman, handing it over.
"A Cave Body Talisman isn’t worth much, so don’t worry about paying. But if you’re not feeling well, you should see a senior brother with mastery in medicine."
"Yes." Zhu Ju accepted the Spirit Talisman.
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
"Of cou—"
Just then.
The sound of gongs and drums came from outside.
"To celebrate the establishment of the Bright Void Sect Marketplace, for the next seven days, all goods in the Sect’s Ascension Pavilion will be sold at a twenty percent discount."
"Furthermore!"
The booming voice vibrated in everyone’s eardrums.
"In ten days, at the auction held in the marketplace, our Sect will be offering a Foundation Establishment Pill as one of the items."
’A Foundation Establishment Pill?’
’The Sect is really going all out!’
One had to understand that Foundation Establishment Cultivators were the very foundation of a Sect’s legacy. The entire Bright Void Sect only had a few.
A single Foundation Establishment Pill, if used on the right person, could create a Dao Foundation Cultivator.
The news shocked Zhu Ju.
WHOOSH...
As expected.
Hearing the news, the people in the shop swarmed out onto the street, all looking in the direction the voice came from.
"A Foundation Establishment Pill? Where did the Sect get a Foundation Establishment Pill?"
"Ever since we left Dazhou and lost the Secret Realm, the Bright Void Sect hasn’t been able to refine its own Foundation Establishment Pills..."
"I heard they got one from the Five Poison Sect, but wasn’t that given to the senior brother from Celestial Sword Peak?"
"They must have gotten another one. Using a Foundation Establishment Pill as bait... the Sect is determined to make this marketplace a success."
"Indeed! Indeed!"
A buzz of discussion erupted. Although the Foundation Establishment Pill had nothing to do with them, they wouldn’t miss out on the excitement.
Ning Ruxue stood at the entrance of her shop, her face flushed with excitement.
The news of the Foundation Establishment Pill would surely draw a huge crowd to the marketplace, which meant her business would get better too.
...
「In the Quiet Chamber.」
Zhu Ju had left the marketplace early and returned to Dragon Head Peak.
"Cave Body Talisman!"
"Out!"
With a low shout, the Spirit Talisman shot out like a bolt of lightning, transforming into a swirling Spiritual Light that slowly seeped into his left hand.
The Spiritual Light was pristine and bright, without a trace of impurity.
’No problem.’
Although the Cave Body Talisman detected no abnormalities, Zhu Ju didn’t let his guard down. Instead, he took out another item.
The Moonlight Treasure Pearl!
This item was worth ten Spirit Stones and was a single-use consumable that could detect abnormalities within a Cultivator’s body.
Even a hidden technique left by a Dao Foundation Cultivator could potentially be discovered with the help of this item.
Looking at the Treasure Pearl worth ten Spirit Stones in his hand, Zhu Ju’s face showed his reluctance. In the end, he gritted his teeth and crushed it.
CRACK!
Wisps of spiritual energy flowed into his body like a cool, icy stream, traveling up his arm and straight into his Divine Soul’s Sea of Consciousness.
In the center of his Sea of Consciousness.
A giant hand silently appeared.
The palm glowed with a faint light, a confluence of the Power of the Five Elements, and it allowed the stream of energy from the Moonlight Treasure Pearl to merge with it.
After a long while.
WHOOSH...
Zhu Ju slowly opened his eyes.
’Whether it’s my Physical Body or my Divine Soul, everything is under my control. There are no traces of any foreign power infiltrating.’
’It should be fine.’
Even if there was a problem, if it could go unnoticed by both the Cave Body Talisman and the Moonlight Treasure Pearl, it wasn’t something his current self could solve anyway.
He flexed his palm. His left hand was noticeably heavier than his right, as if he were wearing a thick glove.
He lightly pinched the fingers of his left hand, and the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy gathered in his palm at a near-frenzied pace.
HISS...
Zhu Ju hastily stopped.
This was Dragon Head Peak. There were plenty of Late-Stage Innate Qi Refiners, and the Pseudo-Dao Foundation Cultivator Feng Wuju was stationed here.
If he caused a major disturbance, it would be hard to explain.
’When I use my left hand to cast the Five Elements Sword Point, its power is several times greater than when I use my right, comparable to a Middle-Stage Innate Qi Refiner.’
’And yet it consumes the same amount of True Qi...’
After a moment’s thought, he took out a piece of Iron Evil Stone.
His right hand couldn’t make it budge. But when his left hand held the Iron Evil Stone, a gentle squeeze was all it took to crush the astonishingly hard stone into fragments.
SWISH!
The Five-Pointed Flying Sword circled in the air and slashed toward his left hand.
DING DING DANG DANG...
Sparks flew everywhere.
A few insignificant nicks appeared on the back of his hand, but they healed quickly as his Innate True Qi nourished them.
’Without using the Five Elements Sword Technique, the Five-Pointed Flying Sword, by virtue of being a Low Grade Spiritual Artifact, can only break the skin.’
’This left hand of mine is even tougher than the physical body of a Demon from the Magic World!’
Not only that.
Zhu Ju could clearly feel a distinct resistance when the Five-Pointed Flying Sword struck his hand.
It was like... repulsion!
With a thought, the giant palm appeared in his Sea of Consciousness, and his left hand immediately glowed with a five-colored halo.
SWISH!
The Five-Pointed Flying Sword slashed down again.
This time.
Zhu Ju gently spread the five fingers of his left hand. A streak of glowing light coiled upward, freezing the Five-Pointed Flying Sword in mid-air.
He made a grasping motion with his fingers.
Even though the Flying Sword struggled and trembled violently, it was still pulled into his palm by the glowing light, bit by bit.
’A Low Grade Spiritual Artifact has almost no power to resist.’
’This left hand of mine...’
’No!’
’It must be the "Giant Palm" Visualization Technique in my Sea of Consciousness. What on earth has it transformed my left hand into?’
A Demon’s arm?
But...
The giant palm in Zhu Ju’s mind was based on his own hand, not some unknown Demon’s.
He had a premonition.
There were still many mysteries about the giant palm in his Sea of Consciousness and his own left hand yet to be discovered, and they were sure to hold a surprise for him.
*
*
*
The Bright Void Sect Marketplace was an instant success.
The resources of the three lineages, the Foundation Establishment Pill, absolute security, and the chance to join an Immortal Sect continuously attracted Loose Cultivators to gather there.
Good news arrived one after another.
Daoist Muu, a Dao Foundation Loose Cultivator from the Ten Thousand Mountains, accepted the Bright Void Sect’s recruitment and became an Honored Guest Elder of the Sect.
The Han Family of Xieqiu Mountain, famous for their Beast Taming skills, pledged their entire clan’s allegiance.
A person with a Pure Yin Body was accepted as a disciple by an Elder of the Flying Phoenix Lineage.
...
Ning Ruxue sat on a stool, watching the flow of people coming and going outside. The initial joy was gone from her expression.
In its place was anxiety.
Aside from the first two days of the marketplace’s opening, business at her Hundred Treasures Pavilion had been getting worse by the day.
Now.
For several days in a row, the number of customers she served had been in the single digits, and the number of actual sales was pitifully small.
Forget making a profit; she couldn’t even afford the monthly tax.
’I already bought the shop, so why do I still have to pay taxes? And why are the taxes so high?’
’Why is the Pill Shop next door doing so well? I sell elixirs too, and for the same price.’
Ning Ruxue clenched her silver fangs. Watching the flow of people outside, she even felt the urge to go out and shout to attract customers.
But in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to lose face.
TAP...
"Hundred Treasures Pavilion?"
A figure cloaked in black appeared before her. He glanced at the shop’s sign and said with a low chuckle,
"That’s a nice name."
"Are you buying?"
"Yes!" Ning Ruxue shot to her feet and looked at him.
"What are you selling, sir?"
"A Demon Beast corpse." Zhu Ju stepped into the shop and with a wave of his hand, a pile of Demon Beast Flesh landed on the floor.
Feeling the thick, lingering Evil Qi on the corpse, Ning Ruxue couldn’t help but gasp.
’A Late-Stage Innate Great Demon!’
"One moment, sir."
Composing herself, she took out a Spirit Talisman and tossed it onto the corpse. Lights of various colors flickered across it.
"An Ape Demon, barely considered Tier One High Grade."
"Sir, the Demon Qi from this corpse is very strange. It’s different from what I’m familiar with."
"Are you buying or not?" Zhu Ju ignored her question and spoke in a muffled voice.
"Yes!"
"How many Spirit Stones?"
"This... a hundred?"
Zhu Ju raised his hand to retrieve the corpse. This was the essence of flesh and blood he had carved from that giant ape.
’How could a Demon be worth only a hundred Spirit Stones, even if there wasn’t much flesh left?’
"Wait!"
Seeing his movement, Ning Ruxue’s expression changed, and she said hurriedly,
"Two hundred! Two hundred Spirit Stones!"
Two hundred Spirit Stones was closer to the market price. He might get a higher price elsewhere, but it wouldn’t be as safe.
"Alright."
Zhu Ju nodded.
"The Spirit Stones, then."
"Um..." Ning Ruxue said in a small voice.
"Can I trade for it with something else?"
"Something else?" Zhu Ju turned his head.
"A Shopkeeper who can open a store like this can’t possibly be unable to produce a mere two hundred Spirit Stones, can she?"
"What can you offer in trade?"
"..." Ning Ruxue pursed her lips and took out an item.
"A Tier One High Grade Earth Escape Talisman."
?
Under the hood, Zhu Ju’s eyebrows rose.
"A good item, but not enough. I can value it at one hundred Spirit Stones."
...
「A few days later.」
Zhu Ju returned to his courtyard.
’The Sect Marketplace is newly established, and many things are scarce. To refine the Soul-Shocking Bell, it looks like I’ll have to make a trip to the Xiao Family’s Marketplace after all.’
