The words ‘Fourth-Order’ and ‘Fifth-Order’ slightly accelerated Tong He’s breathing. Clenching his fists, he replied decisively, “Good, grandson will listen to Grandpa.” After saying so, he disappeared without a trace.
Shopkeeper Tong turned to look in the direction of Tong He’s departure, and turned again to look in the direction the numerous Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land were gazing. Stroking his grey beard, his eyes flashed wildly while he considered his current situation. Despite what he said to his grandson, he was actually a little worried, for fear that, as his grandson said, Void Land would arrange for someone to raise the price to eventually win the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill back into its own hands.
But as he said, this was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If they succeeded, then the grandfather-grandson pair would soar in the future, and they would no longer have to struggle at the bottom of the world. If one did not grasp the opportunities right in front of them, one could only remain poor.
A large number of Open Heaven Realm Masters followed behind Yang Kai as he surveyed the Star City, allowing his identity to quickly spread, drawing the attention of all remaining cultivators in the Star City. People gathered together and whispered from time to time, pointing in his direction. At this point, many youths cast their eyes at him, admiration rising in their hearts. This was what a real man should be like!
They were Emperor Realm cultivators too, but while they were toiling away for a few trivial Open Heaven Pills, Yang Kai was already sitting high above, commanding many Open Heaven Realm Masters. The difference was simply overwhelming…
“Sect Master, are you really going to auction that Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill just to boost momentum?” Lu Xue, who was next to Yang Kai, asked softly.
Yang Kai nodded, “Right now, we can only rely on the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill, so naturally we will need to raise some popularity.”
He mentioned this plan before, so no one was surprised, but there were advantages as well as disadvantages to taking out the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills. The advantages included a large and rapid boost to the popularity of the Star City, while the biggest disadvantage was provoking greed from other great forces.
However, whenever potential gains appeared, risks would as well. If Shopkeeper Tong had the courage to gamble his life’s savings, how could Yang Kai not have the same courage?
Moreover, Void Land had now even migrated its Headquarters, and with the protection of two mature Divine Spirits, it more or less had some ability to defend itself.
“But with just three days, there will be no time to publicize the event. I’m afraid that only the cultivators who are still in this Star City will participate in the auction when the time comes.” Lu Xue was worried, “We won’t be able to fetch a high price.”
To auction an extinct treasure such as the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill, it was necessary to start an advertising campaign a long time in advance to give the major forces time to gather funds, so as to obtain the maximum profit. Even the pill auction back in Thousand Birds Star City was advertised a year or two in advance, and with the addition of the opening of Blood Monster Cave Heaven, many Masters gathered in Thousand Birds the Star City, to profit from that.
It was really hasty for Yang Kai to announce an auction just three days before it took place.
Yang Kai, however, just smiled, “The price doesn’t matter. A Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill may be quite precious to others, but to Void Land, it’s nothing rare.”
Yang Kai had given each of the more than 300 cultivators from Abundance City a Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill to assist their advancement to the Open Heaven Realm, including those who would only break through to the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm. What did it matter if one was auctioned now?
It was not necessarily a bad thing to lose profit sometimes.
It could be imagined that after this auction was over, Void Land would no longer need to deliberately promote itself because the news of this auction would spread like wildfire throughout every Great Territory in the Outer Universe. By then, there was no need to worry about the popularity of Void Star City.
Lu Xue pondered about it for a while and it seemed to make sense so she did not say anything more.
The Star City was not too large, so the inspection was soon completed. The representatives of the seven Third Class great forces, including Golden Light Dock and Soaring Crane Sect, had also heard of Yang Kai’s arrival and quickly came to greet him. Yang Kai naturally showed them a welcoming attitude and appropriate respect, allowing them to let out a sigh of relief.
As Subordinate Sects of Void Land, and being located in the same Great Territory, they lived and died at Void Land’s whim. Logically speaking, when Void Land encountered a crisis, they should have mobilized to help, but they did nothing at the time.
This was also Human nature. The strongest cultivators in these seven great forces were just Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. Given the situation at the time, trying to intervene would be akin to trying to break a stone with an egg. If they were unlucky, their entire Sect could be annihilated. The Hundred Sect Alliance was hundreds of times more powerful than them, so how could they possibly stick their necks out?
Yang Kai knew their difficulties and naturally would not hold them accountable.
Still, they were afraid that Void Land would settle accounts after the incident was resolved, so after receiving the order from Yang Kai, they all contributed large pieces of spirit land from their Headquarters and busied themselves with the expansion of the scale of the Star City.
Yang Kai surveyed the work and soon calculated that the Star City’s landmass had now expanded to more than five times its original size! Although it was still not as good as Thousand Birds Star City, it was not far off. With such a vast area, the scarce population in the Star City became even more apparent; however, this was not a big deal. As long as Yang Kai’s plans for the Star City came to fruition, it would not be long before every inch of Void Star City would become priceless!
Yang Kai had stayed in Thousand Birds Star City for a while, so he had a deep understanding that even in such a large Star City, the annual rent for a store located in a good location was extremely high.
So, the current vacancy of Void Star City was not to be underestimated, because every bit of land here would soon bring enormous benefits to Void Land.
This place would surely become a treasure trove that continued to churn out Open Heaven Pills for Void Land, providing long-term funding for its development.
“Elder Chen!” Yang Kai called out.
Fatty Chen immediately stepped forward and replied respectfully, “Subordinate is here, what are your orders, Sir?”
Yang Kai pointed ahead and gave his command, “Take some people with you to record all the shopkeepers who own stores in the Star City. Contact them, and tell them that Void Star City will undergo a complete reconstruction, so all the original buildings will be levelled. Reassure them that Void Land will compensate them with a new store in the same location as their previous one and they will not suffer any financial losses.”
“Yes!” Chen Tian Fatty responded quickly and brought some people with him to carry out this task. In order for Void Star City to develop properly, it needed better planning. Even if there was no compensation, these shopkeepers wouldn’t dare to complain, not to mention that they would be compensated with a new store in the original site.
“Yun Xing Hua!” Yang Kai called out again.
Yun Xing Hua straightened his back, took two steps forward, and cupped his fist, “Subordinate is here!”
Yang Kai tapped his foot, “Build a grand auction house in this spot. You will be solely responsible for this matter!” This was the very centre of the entire Star City, the best location in the land. As this auction house would be directly affiliated with Void Land, it naturally had to occupy this spot.
Yun Xing Hua was taken aback, but he accepted the order sonorously, “Rest assured, Sir. This Subordinate will not fail!” After a pause, he added, “Sir, what are the requirements for this auction house?”
Yang Kai thought for a while before speaking, “It needs to be large enough to accommodate 10,000 comfortably! En, you can go back to the Headquarters to ask Yue He for her input.”
Yun Xing Hua had only broken through to the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm recently. As his strength was somewhat low, his knowledge and experience were obviously not comparable to Yue He’s. It would be much better if Yue He could give him some advice.
Yun Xing Hua immediately accepted the order and led a group of his subordinates straight to Void Land. Yue He was currently stuck with Bi Xi playing chess, unable to extricate herself, so she was in need of ‘rescue’.
“Elder Mo!” Yang Kai called again.
Mo Mei responded, “Subordinate is here.”
Yang Kai turned his head and looked at her with a smile, “The blueprint of the Star City’s construction is your duty now. I want this completed in the shortest possible time. Once plans are finalized, begin construction immediately.”
Mo Mei laughed lightly, “This is a big project!”
Yang Kai assured her, “All 600,000 disciples in Void Land are at your disposal. If you need anyone’s help, you may transfer them as you wish. If you need materials, consult with Second Manager.”
Mo Mei saluted elegantly, “I have received the order, and will definitely live up to the Sect Master’s expectations!”
As soon as everything was given their assignments, Yang Kai headed back to Void Land, allowing the resurrection of the Star City to begin.
The representatives of the seven Subordinate Sects led the disciples of their respective forces to expand the scale of the Star City with great enthusiasm, so it would not be long before the project was completed. At the same time, Chen Tian Fei led a group of people to convene the remaining shopkeepers still in the Star City and explained to them the plans made by Void Land. All the shopkeepers agreed without a single refusal.
For one, who had the courage to object? Void Land’s strength was overwhelming, and Chen Tian Fei, who was right in front of them, had a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation. For another, this was a good deal for them. They were getting new shops without needing to pay for them, all they had to do was to sit back and wait. Naturally, there was no need to object. For those reasons, Chen Tian Fei’s duties were progressing very smoothly.
Yun Xing Hua and his subordinates found Yue He, and together they began brainstorming various matters regarding the auction house, which was going to be built in the very centre of the Star City. Yue He had been to many places over the years, and participated in numerous auctions, so she had no trouble providing some ideas and references.
Mo Mei, after convening with Bian Yu Qing, brought 30,000 disciples from Void Land to carry out large-scale construction work across the Star City.
Neat rows of houses were quickly assembled, and streets wide enough to accommodate 20 people walking side by side were paved. Golden Light Dock and the other Subordinate Sects also took the initiative to contribute to the construction process once they were done expanding the Spirit Province. Although the number of people was not large, it was the intention that mattered…
The entire Star City was filled with activity.
Shopkeeper Tong and the others had been living without a fixed place for the past two days as there really was nowhere for them to stay after their shops were levelled. As such, these shopkeepers gathered either in groups of three or five to spectate the rapidly rising buildings in the Star City, excitement filling their hearts.
At this moment, they no longer had any doubt about their decision to remain. They initially had only stayed because they had nowhere else to go, but no one knew that it would turn out to be such a huge blessing in disguise.
Void Star City was not thriving yet because it was not built up, and its reputation has yet to be established; however, when the time came, this place would definitely prosper.
“Shopkeeper Tong!” A voice reached Shopkeeper Tong, who turned his head to look. He smiled slightly and cupped his fist in return when he recognized it was an acquaintance, “Shopkeeper Jin!”
Shopkeeper Jin was also an elderly man. Both he and Shopkeeper Tong were Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters, and were both unfortunate cultivators. They had always been at the bottom of the 3,000 Worlds, struggling and striving for every small profit, exerting themselves for a mere dozen Open Heaven Pills.
But now, both of them looked radiant, beaming and buoyant in spirits. If Shopkeeper Tong could see the bright future of Void Star City, how could Shopkeeper Jin not see it too? Now, all they needed to do was wait for the popularity of Void Star City to rise before getting back to work.
“What is it, Shopkeeper Jin?” Shopkeeper Tong asked while wondering, [This old fox always only appears when there is something that could benefit him.]
Both of them had been doing business in the Star City and were fond of each other’s character after having dealt with each other on numerous occasions.
Shopkeeper Jin chuckled, “This Jin is here to congratulate Shopkeeper Tong.”
Shopkeeper Tong snickered in response, “What is there to congratulate?”
Shopkeeper Jin replied, “Void Land’s doing something big and the Star City is going to be promising in the future. As part of the group who stayed behind, we will naturally be the first to reap the benefits. Isn’t this something worth congratulating?”
“Congratulations to you too then. Didn’t Shopkeeper Jin stay behind as well?”
Shopkeeper Jin sighed, “En, I was forced to stay, but I didn’t expect it to be a blessing in disguise. When Shopkeeper Sun and the others find out, they will probably rot in regret.”
The mentioned Shopkeeper Sun was one of the shopkeepers who escaped from the Star City as soon as the situation in Void Land deteriorated. It was truly expected that such a drastic change in circumstances would happen in Void Territory.
“What’s meant to be will be, it can’t be forced if it’s not.” Shopkeeper Tong chuckled.
Shopkeeper Jin pointed to the bustling construction activity in the Star City in front of them, “Shopkeeper Tong, this Jin probed Senior Chen earlier. The remaining shopkeepers like you and I can get a new shop lot at our original site. On top of that, we’re not required to pay rent. In other words, the shops will be yours and mine in the future, and no one can take them away.”
Shopkeeper Tong was overjoyed when he heard this, “Is this really true?”
Shopkeeper Jin nodded, “It’s absolutely true. This is what Sir Chen Tian Fei said.”
“That’s really great,” Shopkeeper Tong clenched his fists tightly. Although he managed to open a shop here before, he was only renting the space and didn’t own it. Now that Void Land had rewarded them all with new stores, stores that belonged to them, it was indeed great news. Whether they would operate the shops themselves or simply rent out the space, it was guaranteed to make a profit.
After pondering for a while, Shopkeeper Tong asked, “What about Shopkeeper Sun and the others?”
Shopkeeper Jin sneered, “Shopkeeper Sun and the others left the moment the Star City fell into troubled times. Do you think they’ll have a share of the shops even if they come back?”
Shopkeeper Tong nodded when he heard the words, “Void True Monarch is indeed fair with rewards and punishments.”
Regardless of whether they stayed back intentionally or were simply forced to, they stayed in the Star City and maintained its remaining population, that was why Void Land was willing to give them a new store. As for those who abandoned them, why would Void Land care about their interests?
Shopkeeper Jin added, “Now, Void Star City has expanded to more than five times its original size, with plentiful shops and grand architecture, as well as immaculate organization. It can be imagined that the Star City will definitely be very popular in the future, and every inch of this place will definitely be worth a fortune!”
“Shopkeeper Jin is right,” Shopkeeper Tong nodded in agreement.
Shopkeeper Jin turned his head to look at him, “Shopkeeper Tong, you and I are both people without any backing. Back then, all I could do was some small business. It’s rare to have an opportunity like this, so doesn’t Shopkeeper Tong want to do something big?”
Shopkeeper Tong frowned slightly, “Both of us have no connections nor any backing, how do we do something big?”
Shopkeeper Jin balled up his fist, “As long as we have capital, we can naturally do something big! Just with the funds you and I have on hand, even if we occupy a store, it’s hard to be too ambitious. We’ll probably just continue dealing in small trades.”
Shopkeeper Tong frowned and sighed, “What Brother Jin said is exactly what this old man has been worried about these days. Whatever plan it is, capital is still the problem!”
Shopkeeper Jin’s eyes blazed, “It’s easy to get the capital, it just depends if Brother Tong is willing to take a gamble with me.”
Shopkeeper Tong’s eyes lit up, “Does Brother Jin mean…”
“Tomorrow will be the first auction of Void Star City. Void True Monarch said it himself that they will be auctioning a Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill. This is our chance!” After Shopkeeper Jin finished speaking, he gave Shopkeeper Tong a meaningful look, “Brother Tong, I know you’ve been selling your entire inventory over the past two days at any cost. Don’t tell me that you have no plans for the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill?”
“Hmm…” Shopkeeper Tong silently cursed the cunning old fox. He was able to catch a clue as soon as a move was made. It was pointless to deny it now, so Shopkeeper Tong simply nodded and admitted, “Yes, this Tong does have some plans for the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill, but this pill is precious, and this Tong is low on funds, so I’m just doing my best and leaving the rest to destiny.”
Shopkeeper Jin smiled slightly, “How about we work together?”
Shopkeeper Tong was moved when he heard the words, “How shall we cooperate?”
“Neither of us has a lot of funds, at least not enough to compete with the few big Shopkeepers still remaining in the Star City. If they participate in the auction, you and I may not be able to succeed. Since that’s the case, why don’t we pool all of our funds together and give it our all? It would be excellent if we succeeded, and we’ll just accept fate if we don’t! We’ll re-sell the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill at the right time when the price is right, then split the profit equally between the two of us.”
Shopkeeper Tong frowned deeply, struggling with his thoughts.
Shopkeeper Jin stood by and waited quietly without interrupting. He knew that Shopkeeper Tong would not reject his proposal; after all, it was a decision that was beneficial to both parties, unless Shopkeeper Tong had enough money to triumph over other competitors without his aid.
Sure enough, after a while, Shopkeeper Tong looked up decisively, “Good, let’s do it together!”
After saying that, he raised his palm forward, and Shopkeeper Jin raised his own palm to meet his. After three shakes, the two old foxes grinned knowingly.
…
The auction was held as scheduled without any publicity or marketing campaign, the only participants being the few cultivators who were still stranded in the Star City. There were not many people, a few thousand at most, of which some forty to fifty were Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters, with only a handful being Third-Order and the rest all weaker.
The Void Auction House was still under construction, and Yang Kai’s requirements were not low. Yun Xing Hua was naturally not able to finish the construction within three days.
Therefore, the auction was held in the original auction house of the Star City.
Although Void Star City did have its own auction house, that didn’t mean other great forces didn’t have one. No one knew which great force owned this particular auction house, but it was already empty now, so Void Land did not need the consent of others to requisition it.
Although the number of people who attended the auction was small, it was extremely lively.
Void True Monarch had previously said that the auction item was a Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill, but no one had seen such a rare Spirit Pill before, so they all worried whether Void Land really had such a precious treasure.
And now was time to verify their doubts. Whether what Void True Monarch said was true or false would be revealed today.
Shopkeeper Jin and Shopkeeper Tong sat together, their heads leaning in together from time to time, while looking around silently observing potential opponents.
It did not take long before the auction stage lit up, the lights converging on a beautiful silhouette that was slowly making its way onto the platform.
The commotion in the audience suddenly died down as everyone turned their eyes to the stage, to see that the person who stepped on the platform was a slender woman with a beautiful face, looking no more than 30 years old, dressed in a light blue dress.
Many in the audience stiffened at the sight of this woman, not because of her beauty, but because of her shocking identity. Over the past few days, they had also come to be more familiar with the Masters of Void Land, so this woman was readily recognized as soon as she appeared.
She was an Elder of Void Land named Lu Xue, with a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation!
Those who participated in the auction were at best Third-Order Masters. In normal times, how would they dare stare at a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master so recklessly? However, now they were given a chance to look at one all they wished.
Lu Xue felt a little lightheaded, and her chest suddenly became tight.
She was forced to take up this task. Although she was a former Manager of Sword Pavilion, she had never hosted an auction before. Among all the Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land, the cultivators of Abundance City had never participated in an auction ever, and had no clue on the auctioning procedure at all. Chen Tian Fei, Yun Xing Hua, and the others who were good at administrative and public works were all swamped with their own tasks, so Lu Xue was the only suitable candidate to be the auctioneer. Fortunately, although she had never hosted an auction before, she had participated in many. Besides, there was no need to raise enthusiasm or rile up the crowd for this auction, so it was not a difficult task.
She took a deep breath and thought about how she could crush everyone in front of her with a snort, allowing her nerves to quickly calm down.
Lu Xue had a somewhat aloof personality, so she did not say much and just immediately started the auction.
Since it was an auction, they could not possibly be auctioning off just a single Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill. Void Land had also prepared some other items suitable for the cultivators in the audience. Void Land had harvested plenty of loot when the Hundred Sect Alliance was wiped out, so it was just right to take some small things out to meet some of the auctioning demands.
This was a unique auction, because all the items, regardless of their value, had a reserve price of 1 Open Heaven Pill. Many cultivators were ecstatic when they found this out and did not hesitate to increase the price.
However, the financial resources of the people here were limited, and no matter how much they increased the price, no item exceeded 1,000 Open Heaven Pills so far, with most selling for around 100 or so.
No matter how one looked at it, this auction was a big loss for Void Land, because the market value of every auctioned item was far more than it was auctioned off for.
However, everyone knew that Void Land was willing to take a temporary loss to reap a long-term gain. The objective today was to raise the Star City’s popularity, therefore, it was understandable to take a small financial loss.
Fortunately, since all the items were essentially a steal, even if Lu Xue did not say much, the crowd was incredibly fired up and the bidding audience was not mellow at all. For these people, no matter what they bid for, they were guaranteed to make a profit, all they needed to do was wait a little while before re-selling these items.
Auction items were quickly displayed and sold under the hammer. An hour later, Lu Xue announced, “The next item is our finale for today’s auction, I hope you won’t be disappointed!”
Silence fell as everyone in the auction house immediately straightened their backs. It was so silent that needles could be heard falling on the ground.
As they all knew, the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill was coming!
Shopkeeper Tong and Shopkeeper Jin met each other’s eyes, and sat up involuntarily, staring at the platform unblinkingly. On the auction stage, a woman who appeared to be a maid walked up with a tray in her hand and a smile on her face, and stopped beside Lu Xue. The tray was covered with a red cloth, obscuring what lay beneath from the prying eyes below.
Lu Xue raised her hand to remove the red cloth, revealing to everyone a jade bottle.
Lu Xue’s crisp voice resounded throughout the entire auction house, “A Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill. It can help one to comprehend the essence of splitting Heaven and Earth apart when a cultivator is attempting to break through to the Open Heaven Realm, thereby greatly improving the chances of one completing the process successfully. With the complement of this Spirit Pill, as long as one’s aptitude is not terrible, they can definitely advance to the Open Heaven Realm. The reserve price is 1 Open Heaven Pill, and there is no limit on the increase in price. Please!”
After saying that, Lu Xue stood on the auction platform and said no more.
Contrary to the previous scene where all kinds of items were auctioned and everyone responded heatedly, vying to increase the price, the appearance of this final item drew no bids. Everyone just stared at Lu Xue blankly, unable to believe their own ears.
Shopkeeper Tong and Shopkeeper Jin too, looked at each other, almost thinking that they had heard it wrong.
[The starting bid of a Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill is 1 Open Heaven Pill?]
Although all the previous items started from 1 Open Heaven Pill with no exception, this was the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill that had long since vanished from the 3,000 Worlds. Was its reserve price really just 1 Open Heaven Pill?
The information was so shocking that no one could open their mouth to start bidding, lest they desecrate the precious Spirit Pill with their lowly bids.
The auction house fell into a quaint silence for a while before the sound of rapid breathing began filling the air.
Lu Xue, who was standing on the stage, was a little stunned, thinking that she might have not explained clearly. How had the atmosphere, which was so heated earlier, suddenly turned so quiet?
Suddenly, a voice asked weakly, “Elder Lu, may I ask if the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill of your noble Sect really has an opening price of 1 Open Heaven Pill?”
Lu Xue said lightly, “Yes!”
The man hesitated, then asked again, “But the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill is such an extremely precious thing, how could it only start from 1 Open Heaven Pill…? Elder Lu, please don’t kid with us. We have low cultivation, and our knowledge is very limited, so none of us have ever seen such a Spirit Pill before.”
If one had seen it before, there was essentially no way to distinguish its authenticity, and just how many were there in the 3,000 Worlds who had actually seen a Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill before?
Although this man did not finish what he wanted to say, many quick-witted cultivators present understood what he meant. This guy was speculating if Void Land had fabricated a counterfeit Spirit Pill to pass it off as a Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill. However, he did not dare to say so outright and was just beating around the bush.
Shopkeeper Tong sneered in his heart when he heard this. The person who said this really was stupid. The reason Void Land was willing to take such a massive loss in this auction was to create publicity for their Star City. Were not all of the previous auction items sold at a loss too? Although it was a bit bizarre that the starting price of the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill was only 1 Open Heaven Pill, Void Land had the capacity and daring to do so.
On top of that, this was the first time Void Land held an auction. If they really did auction a counterfeit item, their reputation would be forever ruined. Who would come to support them in the future if they did such a despicable deed?
Therefore, regardless of the oddity of the situation, the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill should not be fake.
On the auction stage, Lu Xue looked in the direction of the man and replied, “This Queen is here to preside over the auction under Sect Master’s direct order. This Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill was bestowed to me by the Sect Master, who refined it personally. Many Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land have also benefited from such Spirit Pills. If anyone thinks this pill is inappropriate in any way, they don’t have to participate in the auction. Please begin bidding!”
Shopkeeper Jin cleared his throat, and shouted, “This Old Master offers 1,000 Open Heaven Pills!”
Not to mention 1,000 Open Heaven Pills, this Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill was possibly worth 10 million Open Heaven Pills. Shopkeeper Jin naturally did not expect to get the Spirit Pill with this bid, but he took the initiative to start the process. For one, he wanted to test the waters; for another, it was to show favor to Void Land. It was up to Void Land, however, if they saw through his intentions.
In the previous auctions, the highest price an item was sold for was just over 1,000 Open Heaven Pills. The price Shopkeeper Jin offered was just a fraction of the true value of the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill, but it was still reasonable in this strange situation.
Just as he finished speaking though, voices exploded from all directions in the auction house, filled with cultivators shouting their bids for the item.
In just three breaths, the price had already exceeded 10,000 Open Heaven Pills and was continuing to rise at an extremely rapid rate.
Shopkeeper Jin and Shopkeeper Tong turned their heads from time to time to look in the direction of the other bidders, observing the reactions and expressions of these potential opponents, inferring their limits.
The two old foxes were waiting for everyone to exhaust themselves before jumping out to make the final call!
The atmosphere of the auction house suddenly became scorching hot. People were shouting their prices over each other because their previous bids were quickly outdone.
Twenty breaths later, the price of the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill had exceeded 100,000 Open Heaven Pills!
At this point, there were only three people left in the competition. These three people were undoubtedly shopkeepers in the Star City. When it reached 120,000, there were only two people left.
However, these two were obviously approaching their limits. Each increase in price was not high, and they were gnashing their teeth each time they offered a new bid, as if they had a deep hatred for the other party.
Shopkeeper Tong and Shopkeeper Jin looked at each other and nodded lightly.
They had been holding back for the right timing to make a move, and it had finally arrived. The two had been observing from the sidelines, so they had a very detailed grasp and judgment of the situation. This was a good opportunity to make a move.
“130,000!” Shopkeeper Jin called out decisively. This time, he added 10,000 Open Heaven Pills all at once, which for the people present was not a small number.
In the crowd, a cultivator turned his head angrily at him with his eyes red, “Shopkeeper Jin, you…”
Shopkeeper Jin cupped his fist towards him with a smile, “Shopkeeper Zhou, please excuse me!”
Shopkeeper Zhou ground his teeth for a while before shouting decisively, “133,000!”
“140,000!” Shopkeeper Jin remained calm and relaxed.
Shopkeeper Zhou’s initially straight back slumped and he released a deep sigh as he shook his head.
On the auction stage, Lu Xue waited for a moment, but seeing that no one raised the price, after three breaths, the hammer finalized the deal!
Shopkeeper Jin’s and Shopkeeper Tong’s tightly clenched fists finally loosened as they both grinned wildly.
[We did it! We really did it!]
At this moment, Shopkeeper Tong felt extremely fortunate that he chose to partner with Shopkeeper Jin; otherwise, he would not have been able to win the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill with his limited financial resources. At the very least, Shopkeeper Zhou was much wealthier than he was.
A Spirit Pill that was worth tens of millions of Open Heaven Pills was now actually won by two old foxes for a mere 140,000 Open Heaven Pills. Such a lucrative trade was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The reason was that the cultivators remaining in the Star City were all from humble backgrounds and had limited financial resources. The people who really had the means and resources had already escaped; otherwise, they would not have the chance to grab such a great deal!
Now, although both of them have sold most of their belongings for cheap and could not do any business in the near future, as long as they waited for the right opportunity, they could resell this Spirit Pill for millions!
Lu Xue’s voice once again rang out, “Many thanks to all of you for your support this time. Though this auction has ended for today, in three months’ time, Void Land will be holding another auction, where another Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill will be auctioned. It will be like this every three months thereafter!”
After saying that, Lu Xue turned around and walked down.
In the auction house, many cultivators were stunned for a while, followed by a loud commotion.
There would be another auction in Void Star City in three months, and there would also be another Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill sold every three months from now on!
In other words, every three months, Void Land would be auctioning off a Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill!
Simply astonishing! Many had made a large profit today, but they still could not help feeling moved at the news of another auction in three months.
There were not many opportunities like this for them to take advantage of a great force. If one missed it this time, one still may have another chance, but if one did not grasp the chance, it would be impossible when Void Star City truly flourished.
Shopkeeper Jin and Shopkeeper Tong stood there, the smiles on their faces suddenly stiffened.
After a while, Shopkeeper Tong took in a deep breath, “Just how many Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills does Void Land have?”
If they were willing to take one out for auction every three months, it meant that they had enough to spare. But wasn’t this Spirit Pill said to already be extinct? It was precisely because of this that the value was high. If it was available everywhere, it would not be worth much.
Shopkeeper Jin’s eyes flashed and speculated, “Elder Lu just said that this Spirit Pill was refined by Void True Monarch himself. It seems that Void Land does have a lot in stock!”
“Then our Spirit Pill…” Shopkeeper Tong’s initial joy turned into worry.
Shopkeeper Jin chuckled, “What are you worried about? As long as this kind of Spirit Pill is not released in massive quantities, its value will never decrease. Void Land is clearly planning to use these Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills to draw in people to their Star City, so they will naturally only release a limited supply. In other words, we made a lot of money this time!”
Shopkeeper Tong thought for a while after hearing the words, then cracked into a smile, “You’re right, Void Land will never let the value of the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill fall unless they want to sabotage themselves.”
“Let’s go!” Shopkeeper Jin stood up, “Let’s collect our Spirit Pill, I’ve never seen such a precious thing before in my life after all.”
As they walked out of the auction house, both Shopkeeper Tong and Shopkeeper Jin trembled, unable to contain their excitement.
A jade bottle was held in Shopkeeper Jin’s hand, containing the rare Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill!
Recalling what Elder Lu just said, Shopkeeper Jin praised admirably, “Void Land really is efficient and upright!”
“En.” Shopkeeper Tong stroked his beard and nodded, “There’s no more need for you and I to worry, we just need to wait for the right opportunity.”
When the two went to Elder Lu to retrieve the Spirit Pill, she assured them that before the two resold the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill, their safety and that of their families would be guaranteed by Void Land. In addition, if they found a buyer in the future, if necessary, they could request Void Land to act as an intermediary to ensure impartiality and that the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill was sold at a reasonable price.
The two shopkeepers were ecstatic to hear the news!
Earlier, they were a little worried that after obtaining the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill, it would be hard to fend off greedy Masters who intended to bully or outright rob them with their meager abilities. Now, with Elder Lu’s assurance, what else did they need to worry about? Who in Void Star City would dare to cross Void Land?
Void Land obviously took their concerns into account, so they took the initiative, and Void Land also knew that even if they won the Spirit Pill, they would not use it themselves. They surely would be selling off such a precious item for a good price.
Logically speaking, after the two won the Spirit Pill, Void Land bore no responsibilities to them, but Void Land’s initiative to give them such a guarantee truly bought their trust and respect.
Shopkeeper Jin handed the jade bottle in his hand to Shopkeeper Tong and said, “Brother Tong, according to the agreement, you will be in charge of guarding it for the first month.”
Shopkeeper Tong smiled when he heard the words, “There’s no need, Brother Jin can keep the Spirit Pill by his side.”
If there was no guarantee from Void Land, Shopkeeper Tong would have to be a little wary of whether Shopkeeper Jin would pocket all the profits himself, but now he no longer needed to worry about this at all, unless Shopkeeper Jin was willing to take the risk of offending Void Land.
Safeguarding the Spirit Pill also meant that he had to bear the risk of losing it, so why would Shopkeeper Tong take up such an arduous but fruitless task? That was the reason for his forthrightness.
They were both cunning old foxes, so how could Shopkeeper Jin not know what Shopkeeper Tong was thinking? Still, he just laughed and nodded, “Brother Tong, you really are too lazy. Fine, I’ll keep the Spirit Pill. It’ll probably be sold off after a few months, and this Old Master is not going anywhere during this time.”
Shopkeeper Tong smiled and cupped his fists, “Many thanks for your hard work, Brother Jin!”
After the first auction of Void Star City, many cultivators left one after another in a hurry, especially the shopkeepers. It was unknown where they went.
The already deserted Star City was left with even fewer occupants now, but the 30,000 Void Land disciples continued the reconstruction projects without pause.
Construction done by cultivators was indeed different from mortals. There were obvious changes in the Star City every day, and in less than a month, the rebuilding of the entire Star City was completed.
Even the huge auction house ordered by Yang Kai was completed through the joint efforts of Yun Xing Hua and Yue He. According to Yang Kai’s request, the size of this auction house should be no less than that of Red Clouds Auction House back in Thousand Birds Star City, which meant it could comfortably accommodate 10,000 people. The huge auction house located in the very center of the Star City would soon become one of its most important landmarks.
Yang Kai personally inscribed ‘Void Auction House’ onto a giant plaque that hung proudly above the main entrance of the auction house.
Nanmen Da Jun had been working non-stop recently. The newly expanded and reconstructed Star City naturally needed a new Grand Array. That said, his accomplishments in the Dao of Arrays could not match that of Grandmaster Wu Liang’s, and Void Land was no longer as resource-rich as before, so it was impossible to create another Nine Heavenly Layers Grand Array.
However, Nanmen Da Jun had been shadowing Grandmaster Wu Liang for a few months, so with his exceptional talent in Dao of Spirit Arrays, it was not difficult to arrange some decent Arrays in the Star City.
Of course, limited by his own cultivation and many other factors, the strength of the Spirit Arrays Nanmen Da Jun arranged was not high, and they would be unable to resist powerful attacks.
But Void Land was just 100 kilometres away from the Star City, which to Open Heaven Realm Masters was essentially within arm’s reach. Who would dare to attack the Star City under Void Land’s watch? If so, the 300 Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land would not mind teaching the intruders a harsh lesson again.
The Star City was now completed, and compared with the original, its scale was several times bigger. Also, because of the strict planning, the buildings in the Star City were also well-organized, no longer chaotic like before.
The Star City had been built, but a Governor had yet to be chosen.
Yang Kai imitated the management system of the Thousand Birds Star City of Great Battle Heaven, establishing a Governor’s Mansion in the Star City, and charging Mo Mei, a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, to serve as the first Governor of the Star City.
There was no other option really. In the entire Void Land, Yue He and Mo Mei were the strongest. Yue He did not want to take up the responsibility and just wanted to stay by Yang Kai, so Mo Mei had no choice but to take up this task.
Although she was born in Blood Monster Cave Heaven, she had been City Lord of Abundance City for many years, giving her plenty of experience in management. She only needed some time to get familiar with the new environment and things would proceed smoothly.
Under the jurisdiction of the Governor’s Mansion, the Star City was divided into four major districts – north, south, east, and west; each district having its own supervisor in charge. The East City District was overseen by Pang Duo, West City District by Gong Yang Xi, South City District by Fan Wu Xin, and North City District by Chen Tian Fei. These four reported directly to Mo Mei. With the four of them assisting her, managing the Star City would not be a problem for her.
This arrangement disappointed Yun Xing Hua a little; after all, he had been in charge of the Star City before this. As an official from Void Land, he had a high position and authority, and countless people attempted to curry favour with him every day.
However, he was not even a Commander in this new Star City.
He did not dare to complain though; after all, the Star City was lost right under his nose. Furthermore, he was only a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. He understood that it was impossible to entrust him with such an important task.
Fortunately, Yang Kai did not disregard his hard work and handed over management of Void Auction House to him.
The Void Auction House was located in the very centre of the Star City, not belonging to any of the four districts. It was directly under the control of the Governor’s Mansion, and everyone understood that auctions would play a pivotal role in the future of the Star City, so being its Head Manager was not worse than being in charge of a district.
Yun Xing Hua was naturally grateful for this arrangement.
Yang Kai originally wanted Lu Xue, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, to serve as a Commander, but she refused. Her personality was not suitable for works that involved public relations, and she did not like communicating with strangers, so she decided to remain in Void Land as the Hall Master of the Martial Hall, while also serving as a member of the Elder Council.
Yang Kai took into account that the cultivators in Void Land would need a Master to guide and pass down their experiences, so Lu Xue deciding to assume command of the Martial Hall was also a boon.
With this arrangement, everyone in the Star City was assigned their own duties, and the general framework of the Star City was established. In the entire Star City, apart from Void Auction House, which was directly owned by Void Land, there were more than eight blocks of shops reserved for Void Land, while the other shops would be leased out.
Yang Kai had been relatively free recently, so after heating up his furnace and refining some Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills, he went into retreat.
His current situation was a little awkward. He could not leave because he was under close watch by a few Cave Heavens and Paradises, so he could only stay hidden in Void Land, waiting for a Seventh-Order Yin Element treasure to arrive at his doorstep.
He had a lot of free time now. His Wives were all cultivating in retreat so he could not bother them, which meant he could only cultivate by himself. Whenever he was bored, he would play chess with Bi Xi to kill some time.
At the Void Dock, a group of Void Land disciples had nothing to do but did not dare to slack off and decided to patrol in every direction in groups of three to five.
There was always at least one Void Dock in each Star City, which served as the gateway in and out of the Star City. It made managing the entries a lot more convenient; otherwise, anyone could enter the Star City from any location. Unrestricted and unregulated access could lead to unnecessary chaos and even unrest, allowing those with ill intentions to easily slip in and stir up trouble.
There was a Void Dock in Thousand Birds Star City. When the Proprietress first brought Yang Kai there, she was stopped by a Master on duty from Great Battle Heaven and had to undergo certain entry procedures.
Void Star City aimed to become a top-tier Star City, so it was naturally essential to have a functioning Void Dock. However, Void Star City only had a single Void Dock.
Of course, the current Grand Array set up by Nanmen Da Jun was not very strong, but no one would break the Grand Array unless they wanted to offend Void Land.
The one overseeing the Void Dock was Jin Yuan Lang!
The Void Dock was the face of the Star City, so the one guarding it could not have low cultivation; otherwise, the Star City would inevitably be underestimated. Jin Yuan Lang, who was in the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, was the perfect choice.
This was also a small means by Void Land to display their authority. It was believed that anyone who came here would not dare to look down on Void Land after knowing Jin Yuan Lang, a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, was guarding the entrance.
No matter how big Thousand Birds Star City was, the one guarding its Void Dock was also a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
It had been almost two months since Void Land migrated here, and during this time, the Void Dock remained quite idle.
Since no one came to the Star City, naturally no one passed through the Void Dock.
On this day, however, a disciple was observing the void when he suddenly rubbed his eyes and stared carefully at a certain spot. A shudder ran through him as he shouted, “Someone is approaching!”
As soon as the shout resounded, the surrounding cultivators moved simultaneously towards the Void Dock.
Some disciples immediately went to report to Jin Yuan Lang, who was cultivating.
By the time Jin Yuan Lang had walked out of the nearby palace and come to the dock, a ship could be clearly seen approaching from the void.
Jin Yuan Lang narrowed his eyes slightly. He had been living in Blood Monster Cave Heaven all this time, so he was not very familiar with the 3,000 Worlds. However, after experiencing the battle that destroyed the Hundred Sect Alliance, he had gained a little bit of insight.
He could tell at a glance that the ship belonged to a Second Class great force!
The size of this ship was not small, and was clearly not of a size an ordinary Third Class great force could afford. Only a Second Class great force was qualified to own something like this.
After a while, a disciple from Void Land’s side approached the ship to guide it towards the Void Dock. As soon as the ship was properly berthed, a middle-aged man immediately disembarked, followed by a group of uniformly dressed cultivators with varying degrees of strength.
The middle-aged man had a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm cultivation and wore a light smile on his face. He walked straight to greet Jin Yuan Lang with a cupped fist, “Gathering Yuan Trade Firm, Li Jing Yuan, greets Sir. May I know how we should address Sir?”
Li Jing Yuan could naturally feel Jin Yuan Lang’s Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm aura and his heart shuddered slightly. It seemed it was not just a groundless rumour after all. The sudden rapid rise in numbers of Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters in Void Land seemed quite unbelievable to him; after all, the rise of a great force was not an overnight effort, it had to be accumulated slowly over countless years.
But he was a little convinced after finding out the man who stood guard over the Void Dock here was actually a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. To have a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master guarding their entrance obviously meant there were many more Open Heaven Realm Masters maintaining the operation of this Star City.
The news of the collapse of the Hundred Sect Alliance had spread like wildfire over the past few months, and Void Land’s name had been widely circulated in the 3,000 Worlds ever since. Since Gathering Yuan Trade Firm was a mercantile force that prioritized business, it was naturally well-informed about current events in the Outer Universe.
Jin Yuan Lang’s face was calm as he replied softly, “This King’s surname is Jin.”
Li Jing Yuan quickly responded, “So it’s Sir Jin!”
Jin Yuan Lang looked up at the ship, “This Jin has been entrusted by Sir Sect Master to safe keep this place by inspecting all who pass through our Void Star City’s Void Dock. For the sake of security, I must ask you a few questions and perform some simple checks. Brother Li, please understand.”
Li Jing Yuan smiled, “As you should. We will cooperate with Brother Jin’s inspection.”
Jin Yuan Lang nodded with satisfaction, his expression softening a little, “Sir Sect Master has left an order that anyone who enters the Star City, regardless of their cultivation, must register and report their intentions. Different Jade Tokens will be distributed according to each visitor’s intended length of stay. Is Brother Li planning to just stop by here for supplies or is he planning to stay in the Star City long term?”
Li Jing Yuan pondered for a while, and replied bluntly, “Sir Jin, we, Gathering Yuan Trade Firm, are always searching for business opportunities, following the Dao of Commerce. Our Trade Firm has never been to Void Star City before, so we will need to inquire about the situation here before we decide if we want to stay. I wonder how this will be handled?”
Jin Yuan Lang answered, “That’s simple. I will give you a Jade Token for a short-term stay, valid for one month. After a month, if you wish to continue your stay in the Star City, you need only report to the Governor’s Mansion to renew or upgrade your Jade Token. If you don’t renew your token in time, you may find yourself in trouble with the Star City law enforcement team.”
“Very good!” Li Jing Yuan nodded. He was ordered to come here this time by his Headquarters to one, verify the existence of the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills, and two, to inspect the future prospects of Void Star City. If possible, Gathering Yuan Trade Firm would definitely be willing to set up a branch here, but it also depended on whether Void Star City had the potential to develop in the future. If there was no such potential, naturally there was no reason for them to invest in this place.
Meanwhile, Jin Yuan Lang had ordered his subordinates to register the names of everyone from Gathering Yuan Trade Firm and their purpose for visiting. He then issued tokens to each of them.
Li Jing Yuan was pleased and nodded, “Many thanks Sir Jin. Please accept this small token of our respect!” While speaking, he shoved a Space Ring towards him.
Jin Yuan Lang’s brow furrowed slightly before accepting the ring and quietly waving his hand, “Let them pass!”
A crack opened in the Grand Array of the Star City, allowing everyone from Gathering Yuan Trade Firm to pass through.
Watching the group leave, Jin Yuan Lang looked at the Space Ring in his hand and found that there were 300 Open Heaven Pills inside.
After he was entrusted by Yang Kai to guard the Void Dock, Jin Yuan Lang sought out Chen Tian Fei for some advice; after all, it was the first time he had taken up a task like this, and he was really unfamiliar with it. Although Chen Tian Fei’s cultivation was lower than his, he was definitely more experienced than him in this aspect.
Chen Tian Fei had indeed mentioned that the task of guarding the Void Dock was a very profitable one because ‘gifts’ were a normal part of the job. It was likely for visitors to enter and exit more than once, so it was better to form good relationships with the one safekeeping the Void Dock, allowing them to save some trouble in the long run.
Even when the Proprietress took Yang Kai to Thousand Birds Star City for the first time, she did the same thing, so nothing need be said about others.
Jin Yuan Lang did not expect that he would be receiving gifts from the very first visitor…
300 Open Heaven Pills was really nothing to him as a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but many grains of sand would eventually build a tower, and this was just the beginning.
Just when he was about to distribute the 300 Open Heaven Pills to his subordinates, the lookout disciple shouted again, “Elder Jin, someone else is approaching, and there is more than one ship this time!”
Jin Yuan Lang looked up, and sure enough, he spotted five ships heading in this direction.
…..
Inside the Star City, Li Jing Yuan led a group of people around on a tour of the grounds. To be honest, the scale of Void Star City was indeed not small. If it was well managed and if the population was high enough, it would definitely become a First Class Star City, and this Star City had only just been expanded, so the majority of the shops and lots were still unowned.
For any profit-seeking businessman, this was undoubtedly a good place to flex their muscles.
After a short round of inspection, Li Jing Yuan was already confident that Void Star City had promising prospects. This could not be helped, for the news of the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill had already spread far and wide. If they had come here because of that, they certainly would not be the last ones to be attracted. Once more forces began arriving, the popularity of the Star City would not be an issue at all.
Furthermore… Li Jing Yuan could not help but turn his head to look in the direction where a great behemoth, which was Void Land’s Headquarters, was lying in the void.
Rumour had it that Void Land’s Headquarters actually rested on the back of an Ancient Divine Spirit. Many had witnessed this with their own eyes on the day it migrated here, causing a huge commotion.
Since Void Land’s Headquarters had migrated here, it showed that it was determined to build up this Star City. The sooner one grabbed hold of this kind of opportunity, the greater the rewards one could reap. As for the feud between Void Land and other great forces, Li Jing Yuan did not need to worry too much. If war really was initiated, the Star City would not be affected; after all, this was a land of gold, so anyone who planned to usurp this place would not allow it to be destroyed.
Therefore, after only three days of inspection in the Star City, Li Jing Yuan had already made up his mind to set up shop in Void Star City.
He was a Manager at Gathering Yuan Trade Firm and had some decision-making power. As long as this matter was done well, his status in the Trade Firm would also improve.
After just three days, Li Jing Yuan also noticed that a lot more people had arrived in the Star City. The inn where they had been the only occupants was now almost overcrowded.
Most of the inns that were open in the Star City were owned by Void Land. The eight rows of shops reserved by them were dispersed around the Void Auction House, and among these shops, some inns were opened, as well as a couple of restaurants.
Of course, it was not just Void Land’s property that was doing business. Many shopkeepers who had remained in the Star City from before had received new shops in their original spots as compensation and had begun operation hastily. Unfortunately, because of the Star City’s low population, the streets were still quite empty.
Nevertheless, accommodations were a necessity. One could not be expected to sleep on the street every night, which was why all inns were fully booked now. Void Land had opened five inns, but now it seemed that was far from enough.
Many cultivators were even forced to rent the empty cave mansions from the Governor’s Mansion!
A mountain range in the Star City that was no taller than three kilometres, was contributed by Golden Light Dock. Considering that many cultivators would definitely settle in the Star City in the future, it was impossible for them to live in inns every day, so Void Land opened up countless cave mansions in this mountain range. These cave mansions were divided into different categories, and also came with different prices, but all of them were managed directly by the Governor’s Mansion.
When the inns were filled, cultivators who had no place to stay could only rent the cave mansions. The cave mansions had a one-month minimum rental period, and because it was quieter and more private, many flocked to rent such places despite their higher prices.
The operation of the inns and restaurants, as well as the rental of the cave mansions, had already gained Void Land a small fortune in the Star City, and this was just the beginning!
Since the arrival of Gathering Yuan Trade Firm to the Star City, the Void Dock had not had a free moment. All the disciples on duty were exhausted, and because there was only one Void Dock in the entire Void Star City, a long line had formed outside, waiting for entry. No one dared to trespass or cut in line, so they could only wait for Jin Yuan Lang to slowly inspect and register them before allowing them to pass through one by one.
The popularity of Void Star City had soared through the roof, and showed no signs of cooling down anytime soon.
Li Jing Yuan led two attendants to the Governor’s Mansion, and after reporting his intention, was led into a certain Grand Hall.
In the Grand Hall, the Manager in charge of the Void Star City’s properties received him.
The Manager was an Open Heaven Realm Master from Abundance City and a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Master, so Li Jing Yuan dared not underestimate him.
The Manager soon activated a projection, displaying the layout of the shops in the entire Star City.
Li Jing Yuan glanced at this map and pointed to an area that was glowing in green, asking, “Manager Liu, why are these places coloured differently?”
Manager Liu replied, “The green lots represent land that is already occupied. If you wish to open a storefront, please look for the white ones.”
Li Jing Yuan was stunned when he heard the words, [I thought we were already quite fast, how did others get ahead of us?]
He took a closer look at the areas that were highlighted in green and quickly understood that they were the most central and prosperous areas in the Star City.
He suddenly realized that these were the shops reserved by Void Land for itself!
The Star City belonged to Void Land, so it was inevitable for them to keep the best locations for themselves. This was something that would happen in every Star City. Secretly thinking to himself that it was a pity, Li Jing Yuan pointed to where the next best shops were located, “Here, here and here…”
He pointed at more than ten locations in one go, all of which were where the streets met.
Although Li Jing Yuan was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he was a businessman after all and had very sharp eyes. Naturally, he could foresee that these more than ten places would be the second most popular places in the Star City in the days to come. Once the stores were in his hands, Gathering Yuan Trade Firm would be able to win the top spot in Void Land, and they would make a steady profit regardless of what kind of businesses they operated in the future.
“I’m sorry, Fellow Brother.” The Manager suddenly interrupted him, “The Governor has decreed that no one can own more than three shops in Void Star City. You have picked too many.”
Li Jing Yuan was taken aback for a moment, “There is such a rule?”
He had been to a lot of Star Cities, but this was the first time he had encountered such a rule. How confident was Void Land to be making such a decision? Were they so sure that the Star City would be so popular in the future that they were already limiting the number of stores one force could occupy in advance?
But after thinking about what he had seen and heard for the past three days, he felt relieved. As long as there were no accidents, Void Star City would indeed become extremely popular.
He pondered for a while, then with a smile on his face, he reached into his sleeve inconspicuously and pulled out a Space Ring. Placing it in front of the Manager quietly, he started, “Sir, we, Gathering Yuan Trade Firm run many types of businesses, so three shops are really not enough. Couldn’t you accommodate another one or two?”
The Manager glanced at the Space Ring on the table, then shook his head slowly, “Forgive me, the Governor has passed down clear orders, I am simply following them.”
“Is there really no other way?” Li Jing Yuan was a little reluctant.
The Manager shook his head without another word.
An idea suddenly struck Li Jing Yuan then and he quickly smiled, “Three shops then.”
He picked out the best three shops from his previous selection then asked eagerly, “How much does it cost to buy these three stores in total?”
The Manager answered, “The shops in the Star City are only for rent, not for sale!”
Li Jing Yuan frowned, “This is the case for all shops?”
“There are no exceptions!”
Li Jing Yuan’s tongue clicked. It was common for the major Star Cities to reserve their good locations, but there would always be some that could be bought and sold. He never thought that none of the shops in Void Star City were for sale at all.
Not wanting to discuss further on this matter, Li Jing Yuan replied shortly, “Then I will rent these three shops.”
The Manager replied, “There are options of ten-year leases and hundred-year leases, the prices differ too. Which one do you want?”
The corners of Li Jing Yuan’s brow twitched.
…..
After a long time, Li Jing Yuan walked out of the Governor’s Mansion feeling a little tired. He had been to many Star Cities and dealt with the people who managed properties numerous times, but he had never encountered a Star City that had policies like Void Star City did.
[They are already positioning themselves in such a manner before the population of Void Star City even gathers. How irritating.]
Moreover, the rental of the shops here was really not cheap, almost 20% more expensive than his original estimates. If it was an ordinary Star City, he would not be willing to splurge, but he was so optimistic about the future potential of Void Star City that he agreed to the conditions and signed the agreement with the Manager.
He originally planned to rent more shops through the hands of his subordinates, but at the moment he gave up on this idea. The rental price of Void Star City’s shops were quite expensive. Although he was optimistic about the development prospects here, he decided to act a bit more cautiously. It would not be a great loss to use three shops to test the waters first.
At least, that was his initial plan…
However, just after two days, he regretted his caution greatly.
That was because, after just a few days, the number of cultivators who had poured into Void Star City was nothing short of a torrent. From a distance, he could see several long lines of flight-type artifacts queuing up at the Void Dock, just waiting to enter the Star City.
The street in front of the Governor’s Mansion was brimming with visitors, and he even saw several familiar faces there, all of whom were Managers of other Trade Companies.
Needless to say, they were there to lease shops.
Li Jing Yuan made up his mind to lease more shops through his subordinates, and entered the Governor’s Mansion. Unfortunately, he found that all the shops with good locations that he had his eyes on before had already been rented out.
The Star City was beginning to get lively.
Since the arrival of Gathering Yuan Trade Firm, thousands of cultivators had been flowing in from all directions, and as time went by, the numbers continued to increase rapidly.
After just a few days, the number of people who were passing through the Void Dock daily exceeded 3,000, and the numbers were climbing rapidly! The dock was so jam-packed that Jin Yuan Lang was beginning to get overwhelmed. He had no choice but to requisition more support!
Yue He reported to Yang Kai immediately after receiving the news, and he naturally did not refuse, sending her to personally bring more disciples to the dock to maintain order.
With the arrival of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master and a large number of Void Land disciples, the situation at the dock improved slightly.
A few days later, while reporting the situation in the Star City to Yang Kai, Bian Yu Qing became very excited when it came to the matter of the number of cultivators in the Star City, “Sect Master, the number of cultivators who have passed through the dock today alone has exceeded 5,300.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly while he took a sip from his teacup.
Although this situation was expected, he felt relieved by the news of the current progression.
The Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill that was auctioned before was not wasted. With the emergence of this Spirit Pill, and the last sentence Lu Xue said at the end of the auction, there was no need for Void Land to deliberately promote the Star City, for others would naturally spread the news for them.
Once the news spread out, countless people would be attracted.
“What about the Star City? How many people are there now?” Yang Kai asked again.
“Approximately 80,000. Our Star City can accommodate up to 1 million people. At this rate, I’m afraid it will be overcrowded within a few months.”
Yang Kai instructed, “Mo Mei will need to increase the number of patrols and the number of law enforcers in the Star City to prevent troubles that could ruin our reputation. Make sure she understands that those who dare to cause problems in the Star City will not be tolerated.”
Bian Yu Qing smiled, “Protector Mo has already arrested a number of people in the past few days, all of whom have been sent to the dungeon.”
Yang Kai looked up in the direction of the Star City, pondering for a moment, “The auction should have begun by this time, right?”
Bian Yu Qing nodded, “Yes, the auction started about an hour ago, and should be finishing up soon.”
“Who is hosting this time?”
“Manager Yun himself!”
Yang Kai nodded lightly. The last time, he had no choice but to let Lu Xue take up the task. Still, now that the auction house was under Yun Xing Hua’s management, and with him being a far more sociable individual, Yun Xing Hua was a much more suitable candidate to host the auction.
As they were talking, Bian Yu Qing suddenly changed her expression, took out a communication bead, and poured her Divine Sense into it. After a while, she happily reported, “Sect Master, there’s good news.”
Yang Kai almost spat out his tea as his eyes widened, “Tell me!”
Bian Yu Qing giggled, “The auction has ended successfully. The finale item, the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill, was sold for 3.5 million Open Heaven Pills, and the total revenue with the rest of the auctioned items came to nearly 8 million Open Heaven Pills!”
Yang Kai almost choked. 3.5 million Open Heaven Pills was far from the true value of the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill. Even 10 million was not sufficient for its worth. The reason for the price this time was probably because the cultivators here were still not fully prepared. The price of the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill would surely soar again in the next auction, and by that time, the situation in the Star City would begin to stabilize.
As long as Void Land managed the Star City well, there was no need to worry about cultivation resources for its disciples in the future.
After solving the issue with resources for Void Land, the next issue was Yang Kai’s own resource needs.
A Seventh-Order Yin Element treasure… He did not even know where to start looking for one, giving Yang Kai a slight headache.
…..
Shopkeeper Jin and Shopkeeper Tong walked out of Void Auction House absentmindedly. They had participated in this auction mainly for research purposes and witnessed the popularity of the last Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill.
Compared to the first auction three months ago, the auction this time could only be described as brutal. When the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill appeared on the stage, voices screaming bids constantly overlapped each other, and the price climbed so fast that left them both feeling utterly shocked.
“Brother Jin, we truly picked up an enormous bargain.” Shopkeeper Tong spoke solemnly.
If it were not for a coincidental opportunity, how could the two of them obtain a Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill for a mere 140,000 Open Heaven Pills? The same Spirit Pill was sold today for 3.5 million Open Heaven Pills, which was dozens of times the price they had paid.
At this point, they no longer doubted the authenticity of the Spirit Pill. Even though they could not recognize it, would all these others not be able to? Besides that, Void Land would never do anything to sabotage their reputation at this critical moment.
“What we need to do now is to find someone to sell the Spirit Pill to as soon as possible. Void Star City is becoming more and more popular, and our shops need funds to operate.”
Shopkeeper Jin replied, “Brother Tong, to tell you the truth, someone contacted me privately yesterday, offering 1 million Open Heaven Pills to buy our Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill!”
“1 million?” Shopkeeper Tong’s eyes widened as he snapped, “He might as well just rob us!”
If he had not participated in today’s auction, 1 million would be enough to impress him, but after witnessing the great struggle for the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill, 1 million was clearly not enough to excite him anymore.
Shopkeeper Jin chuckled, “I naturally refused, though I think that more people will be contacting us in the next few days. We should not stray far from each other, so we can talk if we encounter a good opportunity.”
Day after day, a large number of cultivators poured into the Star City, and in less than a month after the end of the second auction, the number of cultivators residing in the Star City had reached 200,000 according to the statistics of the Governor’s Mansion.
Such a number had far exceeded the limit of the previous Void Star City. If Yang Kai had not expanded the scale of the Star City in advance, it would have been extremely cramped.
The more people there were, the more problems would happen; there were people picking fights and provoking trouble every single day. The Star City law enforcement team had also arrested many people, which brought the Star City back to stability again.
The shopkeepers who had fled before also rushed back and gathered before the Governor’s Mansion to protest to get their shop back. Void Land ignored them, but later on had no choice but to send them to the dungeon after they ignored warnings to not cause a public disturbance.
About one-third of all the stores in the Star City had been leased out, and the profit from rent alone was a huge number.
Merchants from near and far had come to rent shops. This further drove the popularity of the Star City. Void Star City was no longer a desolate backwater, and one could buy any goods they looked for and could sell anything they wanted to sell.
Everything was on track.
As long as they could sustain this pace for a year and a half, the Star City could be completely stabilized and form a healthy circulation. By then, there would be no need to worry anymore.
Everyone was waiting for the start of the third auction.
Bian Yu Qing would come every half month to report on the situation of the Star City to Yang Kai at his residing palace, and today was no exception.
“Sect Master, according to the observation of this subordinate, people from the Cave Heavens and Paradises have arrived in the Star City, but have hidden their identities. It’s impossible to identify which Cave Heaven or Paradise they’re from.”
Yang Kai gave a small nod, “The matter regarding the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill is very important, it’s only natural for them to send people to investigate.”
“Then Sect Master… Should we make contact with them?”
Yang Kai shook his head, “Just ignore them. Since they have hidden their identities, they obviously don’t want to reveal themselves. If they really want something, they will naturally come to us… En, was it a pair of Star City shopkeepers who bought the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill in the first auction for 140,000 Open Heaven Pills?”
Bian Yu Qing replied with a smile, “Sect Master is correct. Shopkeeper Jin and Shopkeeper Tong both originally ran small shops, but had no choice but to stay back because they were reluctant to abandon their property, allowing them to pick up a great bargain instead.”
“Send someone to protect them. Be cautious if someone comes in contact with them and wants to buy the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill.”
Bian Yu Qing’s expression changed slightly, “Does Sect Master mean…”
Yang Kai smiled slightly, “No harm being prepared.”
Bian Yu Qing understood and bowed, “Rest assured, Sect Master. Elder Lu promised them before that if they needed help in the sale of Spirit Pill, they could inform Void Land, and we would act as an intermediary. They have no background or backing, so if they really want to sell off the Spirit Pill, they would definitely seek help from Void Land.”
“That’s good. In addition, quietly spread the news that I need a High-Rank Yin Element treasure.”
“Yes!” Bian Yu Qing bowed, “If Sect Master has no other orders, this subordinate will retreat now.”
“Go.” Yang Kai waved his hand.
Bian Yu Qing stepped back respectfully, but turned back as soon as she left.
Yang Kai looked at her, “Is there anything else?”
Bian Yu Qing reported, “Sect Master, I just received news that some of your friends have come to Void Land and want to visit with you.”
“Friends?” Yang Kai raised his brows, “Who?”
“I was told that they’re from Great Moon Province, but I don’t know who they are.”
“Great Moon Province!” Yang Kai’s eyes lit up, suddenly having an idea of who they were, so he immediately called out, “Bring them in!”
“Yes!”
After a while, Yang Kai stood outside his palace with a smile on his face, watching a group of people speeding towards him. When they approached, he took a few steps forward to greet them.
Led by Bian Yu Qing personally, the group landed not far in front of Yang Kai. The leader of the group was a burly man, accompanied by a pretty woman. Both of them were Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters. They were Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang from Great Moon Province, whom Yang Kai had met years ago. Behind them stood two men and two women.
All six of them were familiar faces, and many memories flitted through Yang Kai’s mind as his eyes swept across them.
However, they all seemed very reserved. Great Moon Province was only a Third-Class great force, and its leader was only a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master. Void Land now possessed the atmosphere of a top-tier Second Class great force, with numerous Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters. It was inevitable for them to feel stressed to be here.
The guests saw Yang Kai, who had come out to greet them, and the older looking man and one of the women were delighted, speeding up their pace a little, but they seemed to remember something a moment later and slowed down slightly.
“Great Moon Province’s Wei Que greets Sect Master Yang!” Wei Que took a step forward, cupped his fist and shouted.
Yang Kai stretched out his hand to hold him up and said with a smile, “Senior Wei, it’s good to see you again.”
Wei Que broke into a grin at the word ‘Senior’, and his stiffened body relaxed a lot.
Yang Kai turned to Tao Rong Fang again, nodding gently, “Senior Tao.”
Tao Rong Fang bowed elegantly, “Sect Master Yang!”
Yang Kai then looked at the two men and two women behind them with a happy smile on his face.
Old Fang too, was smiling, but his smile was a little stiff. Meng Hong on the other hand, who was standing beside him, looked perfectly calm. Meng Hong had been with Yang Kai for over ten years in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, and formed a close friendship with him; therefore, even though Yang Kai was now the owner of a prosperous great force, with powerful subordinates, Meng Hong did not feel too much pressure.
Behind the two were Dié You and Ah Sun. At this moment, Dié You was looking at Yang Kai with a complicated expression. She could not help but recall the days when they all lived together in Seven Wonders Land.
Back then, when the very ground under their feet was still Seven Wonders Land, they lived a life without hope for the future, wasting away their time and resources for trivial Third-Order materials.
Even as a mere Worker, however, Yang Kai was able to find a way to thrive, and now, after years of separation, he was the owner of this land. It was indeed true that capable people were able to achieve more than what ordinary people could.
Old Fang was grinning, he did not know what to say. Before coming here, he thought about what to say to Yang Kai when they met, but was really intimidated by the prosperity of the Star City and the strength of Void Land when he arrived.
Yang Kai took two steps forward, and gave Old Fang a hearty bear hug while Old Fang continued to gaze at him dumbfounded, giving him a huge pat on the back, “I haven’t seen you for many years, Old Fang, you’re looking older than ever!”
Old Fang’s initially stiff body immediately twitched and he shouted angrily, “Nonsense, despite this Old Master’s age, he is still as mighty as a Dragon and fierce as a Tiger, how am I getting old!?”
Yang Kai’s warm welcome had made him forgo his embarrassment and anxiety. He chuckled and shook his head, “You brat…”
Yang Kai let go of him, turned to Dié You and Ah Sun with open arms, “You two on the other hand have grown even more beautiful!”
Dié You blushed and swerved away, glaring at Yang Kai. Ah Sun foolishly wanted to lean forward and accept the embrace, but Dié You hurriedly grabbed her and snapped, “He’s trying to take advantage of you, you silly girl.”
Ah Sun suddenly realized, then made a face at Yang Kai as she shouted, “My Master is here, be careful or she’ll beat you up!”
To the side, Tao Rong Fang laughed dryly. Given that Yang Kai’s identity was different now and she was just a Third-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, how would she dare to make a move against him in Void Land? If her Disciple was really taken advantage of, all she could do was to pretend not to see it.
“It’s just a hug, you won’t lose anything!” Yang Kai complained, “Look how generous Old Fang was.”
“Bah!” Dié You spat, “He’s an old man, how can he be the same as us?”
Old Fang was suddenly upset, “Who’s an old man!?”
The group quarreled noisily, and the atmosphere suddenly became harmonious. The previous respect and caution was longer present. Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang exchanged glances, grateful that Yang Kai had deliberately broken the ice between them.
It seemed that their trip here was not a mistake. Even though Yang Kai now held a lofty position, he never despised them for their weakness, and all the previous worries had vanished.
“Brother Meng!” Yang Kai saluted to Meng Hong again.
Meng Hong saluted back, “Brother Yang!”
Meng Hong was quite likeable, and one of the three Mid-Rank World Fruits Yang Kai had was given to him by Meng Hong. In the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Meng Hong received much help and protection from Yang Kai, allowing him and the other Great Moon Province disciples to remain unscathed. The Mid-Rank World Fruit was Meng Hong’s way of thanking Yang Kai.
However, only one out of the three Mid-Rank World Fruits were left. One of them was given to Yue He to help her advance to the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, and another was given to Lu Xue for her advancement to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm.
“You have travelled far. Let’s talk inside.” Yang Kai ushered them in warmly, and turned to instructed Bian Yu Qing, “Prepare a banquet. Today, I won’t go home unless I’m drunk with these old friends!”
“Yes!” Bian Yu Qing saluted elegantly and left immediately.
After a while, in the Main Hall, wine flowed freely and cups went gaily round, making for a lively atmosphere. Yang Kai, Old Fang, Ah Sun, and Die You were all Workers in Seven Wonders Land previously. Everyone reminisced sadly as they looked back on the days when it seemed that they would never see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Who would have thought they could ever escape Seven Wonders Land? Perhaps only Yang Kai, who had been planning his escape since the first day he entered Seven Wonders Land.
Old Fang and Dié You had been enslaved by Seven Wonders Land for hundreds of years, and if it was not for Yang Kai, who threw everything into chaos and finally led them to escape, they would not have been able to ever have a new life.
But now, the once Worker of the land was the overlord of Void Land, leader of over 300 Open Heaven Realm Masters, and even the owner of a thriving Star City that was renowned throughout the 3,000 Worlds.
Although Old Fang and the others did not have grand accomplishments like Yang Kai did, they were still doing pretty well in Great Moon Province. At the very least, there was hope for the future, and the days were no longer as dark as they used to be.
Yang Kai’s, Old Fang’s, and the others’ voices and laughter resounded endlessly in the banquet hall. Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang looked at each other secretly, feeling relieved. They had come here by the orders of the Leader of Great Moon Province to make a request.
They were initially a little worried about whether it would go well, but now it seemed that the two of them were unnecessarily anxious.
Yang Kai was obviously someone who cherished old friendships. In this case, the matter regarding Great Moon Province’s request should not be difficult. However, it was not a good time to bring it up, so they could only wait for an opportunity.
But who could have imagined that the owner of Void Land, the man who destroyed the Hundred Sect Alliance and killed off more than 10,000 thousand with a single order, the one who beheaded a mighty Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, Heavenly Sword Union’s Union Master, Kong Feng, would be such a genial person?
Previously, the Hundred Sect Alliance was led by Heavenly Sword Union to besiege Void Land but instead had the tables turned on them. When they received such news, Great Moon Province found it hard to believe them. Even though they had learned that Yang Kai had occupied Seven Wonders Land, renamed it Void Land, and became its new owner, the Hundred Sect Alliance was formidable, not to mention that it had several Second-Class great forces such as Heavenly Sword Union in it.
After confirming from various sources that the information was true, Great Moon Province was greatly shaken.
Old Fang and the others had wanted to come and provide help. Although their strength was limited, they had gone through life or death together with Yang Kai. Back then, when Yang Kai was pursued by many great forces after robbing the Golden Crow corpse and hiding in First Inn, they had no choice but to follow Wei Que to Great Moon Province. They still felt guilty because of that.
They felt as though they had abandoned Yang Kai.
It was only natural that they felt uneasy when they learned that Yang Kai was in trouble.
However, Void Land had become famous through this battle. Later, when it was reported that the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill had appeared in Void Star City, the Leader of Great Moon Province agreed to Old Fang’s and the others’ request and ordered Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang to be their escorts.
It may appear that they were just going to escort Old Fang and the others to Void Land, but in fact, Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang had another task.
After three rounds of drinks, Yang Kai asked Old Fang and the others about their cultivation.
Old Fang took a gulp of wine, wiped his mouth, and replied with a chuckle, “This Old Master is just an old man, I don’t want to fuss around anymore. It’s already not bad to achieve the Third-Order Open Heaven Realm in the future, but Xiao You and the others used the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water that you gave them to wipe clean the Powers in their Dao Seals and have started cultivating from the beginning again.”
After leaving the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and occupying Seven Wonders Land, Yang Kai sent Meng Hong to provide Old Fang and the others some cultivation resources, including the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water and complete sets of Fifth-Order Heaven Realm materials.
However, one needed great will and daring to use the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water. Old Fang had low ambitions and was already quite old. He might just die if he pushed himself too much. As such, he simply accepted his fate. Although Third-Order Open Heaven Realm was a lower starting point, as long as one worked hard over time, they still had hope to advance to the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm, it would just take a little longer.
However, with the combination of Meng Hong’s example and experience and their own careful consideration, it seemed that Dié You and Ah Sun had chosen to use the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water to cleanse their Dao Seals, and restarted their cultivation.
Now both of them were condensing the Fifth-Order Elements, with the hopes that they could directly achieve the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm in the future! Their starting point would be much higher than that of Old Fang’s, and their road ahead would thus stretch further.
Wei Que and Tao Rong Fang were a little worried about the dangers they might encounter while advancing to the Open Heaven Realm in the future; after all, although both of their aptitudes were good, condensing Fifth-Order Powers was still quite risky.
Since Yang Kai was someone who cherished old friendships dearly though, he would not ignore them. Now that the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill was auctioned here in Void Land, it should not be a problem to get two to help with their advancement.
Yang Kai turned to look at Dié You and Ah Sun and although he did not know how much suffering the two had gone through, he could imagine that it would not be far off from what happened to Meng Hong when he took the Tai Yi Soul Cleansing Water previously.
After pondering for a while, Yang Kai turned to address Wei Que, “Senior Wei, this Junior has a request that he wonders if Senior would agree to.”
Wei Que hurriedly sat up straight and replied sternly, “Sect Master Yang, please speak freely. I, Wei Que, will never refuse as long as I’m capable.”
The only reason Yang Kai called him Senior was because of his friendship with Old Fang and the others, so Wei Que did not dare to show a trace of arrogance. The handsome young man before him was capable of killing over 10,000 cultivators; he was the one who annihilated the Hundred Sect Alliance with a single order and was the one who personally cut off the head of a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
Wei Que was aware that his own Great Moon Province was not even worthy of carrying Heavenly Sword Union’s shoes.
Yang Kai proceeded, “Enemies targeted our Void Land recently, and the Star City faced a major downturn. Now that we have achieved a great victory, it is time to focus on raising our Star City’s popularity. Since you are already here, this Yang hopes you will not leave too quickly. I would like to ask Senior to continue his stay in the Star City. I can allocate a few shops to Great Moon Province. No matter what business Great Moon Province does, it will be of great help to me.”
Wei Que gasped and stood up quickly, his face turning red, “Sect Master Yang, t-t-this is…”
The mission given to him and Tao Rong Fang by their Leader was to obtain a shop in Void Star City, one shop. Great Moon Province was not a very accomplished or ambitious Sect, while Void Star City’s popularity was rising at an astonishing rate. If one could secure even a single stall here and run some small businesses, it could be a great help to maintain one’s livelihood and sustain the cultivation needs of one’s Disciples.
Wei Que was still pondering how to bring this issue up with Yang Kai, so he never thought that Yang Kai would take the initiative to mention it.
In all honesty, what could they do to help Void Land? Yang Kai was only phrasing it this way to give them face. They passed by the Star City before arriving here, and it was clearly overflowing with vitality while all the shops were doing very well. Why would Void Lan need a trivial Great Moon Province to help?
Yang Kai had long seen their intention of coming here…
Wei Que was now thoroughly embarrassed.
Yang Kai smiled, “Or does Senior Wei think that Void Star City is facing a bleak future? If so, I won’t insist.”
“That is absolutely not true, Sect Master Yang.” Wei Que flailed his arms wildly as he hurriedly stated, “Being able to stay in Void Star City is exactly what Great Moon Province wished for, and if that’s the case, I would like to thank Sect Master Yang for his deep kindness.”
He then cupped his fist solemnly.
Yang Kai nodded and turned to Bian Yu Qing, who was sitting next to him, “Go back to the Governor’s Mansion to make arrangements. Have the Manager in charge of the Star City shops to reserve five premium located stores under Great Moon Province’s name.”
Bian Yu Qing was slightly startled, but quickly replied, “Yes, Sect Master rest assured, I’ll see to it right away!”
Reserving shops under the name of Great Moon Province meant that ownership itself would be transferred to them, not leased. In other words, these five stores would belong exclusively to Great Moon Province in the future, and would no longer belong to Void Land.
Wei Que obviously understood the meaning of this, and exclaimed involuntarily, “Sect Master Yang, how could we possibly accept such generosity!? Five is too many for Great Moon Province, one is enough…”
Great Moon Province was a mere Third Class great force, so it was not an exaggeration that they would not know what to do with five shops. It was just as Wei Que said, one shop was plenty.
Yang Kai raised his hand, “Say no more, Senior Wei. These five shops will be entrusted to you, whether Great Moon Province chooses to do business with them or lease them out, it will be for you to decide. Old Fang and the others are dear friends of mine, and Brother Meng and I have faced many life-and-death tribulations together in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary. On top of that, Brother Meng even gifted me an incredibly precious treasure. These trivial five shops are nothing compared to such things.”
How could Wei Que refuse after what Yang Kai had said? With no other choice, he cupped fists and bowed his head deeply, “Many thanks, Sect Master Yang!
However, he was still a little puzzled, [What did Meng Hong give to Yang Kai that could be called an ‘incredibly precious treasure’…?] However, now was not the right time to ask, so he could only suppress his curiosity.
Yang Kai was not just trying to be polite; after all, how could a mere five shops compare to a Mid-Rank World Fruit? Not to mention five, even fifty shops would still pale in comparison! That was a treasure that could help a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master directly advance by a whole Order, and would even increase their lifetime limit by an Order. Such a treasure would even be of extreme interest to High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters!
It was not that Yang Kai was reluctant to give more shops to Great Moon Province, but he was also aware of Great Moon Province’s limitations, it was useless to give them more shops and would only attract the greed of others, causing more harm than good.
When the banquet ended, the members of Great Moon Province left, with Bian Yu Qing personally leading them to the Governor’s Mansion in the Star City to select the locations of their five new shops.
The news that the owner of Void Land required a High-Rank Yin Element treasure spread out quietly. Yang Kai hoped that someone would secretly come to him to trade, but no one approached even after waiting for a long time, though some people did come to give information of places where he might find High-Rank Yin Element treasures.
Yang Kai sent subordinates to inquire about the credibility of this information, but the results were disappointing. Most people just made fraudulent reports in the hopes of gaining some benefits, while the ones who did provide legitimate possibilities only did so for places Void Land could not confirm or even approach, so the matter was left to drift.
Yang Kai sighed, it seemed that High-Rank Yin Element treasures were only accessible by the Cave Heavens and Paradises.
As time passed, the number of people residing in the Star City reached as high as 500,000. Such a scale had already surpassed the limits of a Second Class Star City and it was steadily developing into a First Class one.
On the eve of the third auction, another old friend came to visit.
After receiving the report from Bian Yu Qing, Yang Kai ordered her to be shown in.
In the reception hall, Yang Kai smiled as he watched a great beauty sashay in, “Senior Sister Qu!”
Qu Hua Shang smiled enchantingly, her eyes radiating an intense charm. As her lashes fluttered lightly, she asked sweetly, “Junior Brother Yang, have you been thinking of me?”
Bian Yu Qing, who brought her in, glanced at Qu Hua Shang with a strange expression, but quickly lowered her eyes again.
Yang Kai half choked, half laughed, thinking to himself, [This enchantress is still so unfiltered with her words].
He was about to tease her in return when suddenly his expression changed. With a raised brow he asked, “Has Senior Sister advanced to the Open Heaven Realm?”
At this moment, a World Force aura was lingering around Qu Hua Shang, but it seemed that she had just broken through so her cultivation had not been completely stabilized yet, so she was not able to withdraw her aura freely.
“Thanks to Junior Brother, this Senior Sister was fortunate enough to break through after leaving the Blood Monster Cave Heaven.” Qu Hua Shang covered her lips and giggled.
Yang Kai suddenly recalled something. This seductress told him before that she was cultivating the Heartless Dao. If she wanted to advance to the Open Heaven Realm, she had to fall in love with someone and then cut ties with that love.
At that time, she had told him frankly that he was the one who she chose to fall in love with and give up the love she had for him.
They went through dire situations together and supported each other throughout the Blood Monster Cave Heaven. Being alone together, even a man like Yang Kai who had seen plenty of beauties could not help feeling some fondness for Qu Hua Shang. However, due to various reasons, he did not want to overstep his boundaries. However, Qu Hua Shan had apparently already fallen in love along the way.
It was easy to fall in love, but not so much to cut ties.
Now that Qu Hua Shang has advanced to Open Heaven Realm, it meant that she has successfully given up her love, but Yang Kai had no idea how she had done it and was still standing here in front of him, flirting so casually.
Obviously, Yin-Yang Cave Heaven should have some special methods. Whatever the case was, Yang Kai was truly happy that she had advanced to the Open Heaven Realm, and he immediately cupped his fist with a smile, “Congratulations, Senior Sister. Having the Sixth-Order Open Heaven as your starting point, Senior Sister’s name will surely resound throughout the 3,000 Worlds in the future.”
Qu Hua Shang pouted, “What’s there to congratulate? This Senior Sister’s heart is hurting so bad. If you don’t believe me, you can feel it yourself!” After saying so, she puffed her chest out and leaned towards Yang Kai.
Bian Yu Qing’s head was lowered so far by now that it was like she wanted to bury her head in the ground.
Yang Kai could not stand it any longer and hastily took two steps back.
“Ahem, ahem…” A soft cough suddenly came from beside him, and a somewhat familiar voice followed after, “This Old Master is not dead yet. If the two of you are going to flirt, can you please not do it in front of this old man? This old man is getting old and his Blood Qi is not so strong anymore, the stimulation isn’t good for me.”
Yang Kai turned to look at him, “You are…”
Qu Hua Shang did not come alone. She was accompanied by another person covered in black clothes, making it difficult to make out the body, appearance, or even gender of this individual.
But as soon as Yang Kai heard the voice, he could tell that the person was a man, and he should be quite elderly.
Moreover, Yang Kai felt that he should have met this person before; otherwise, the voice would not have sounded familiar.
The man lifted his hood, revealing an old face with a slight smile. He cupped his fist, “Sect Master Yang, we meet again.”
Yang Kai pondered for a while, then suddenly asked, “Old Zhou?”
This elderly man was obviously the Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master from Asura Cave Heaven. His surname was Zhou, and that was all Yang Kai knew about his name. He only knew Old Zhou because he was the person in charge of the Asura Arena in Thousand Birds Star City.
The last time Yang Kai went to Thousand Birds Star City in search of the Proprietress, he was forced by Yu Luo Sha, a Core Disciple of Asura Cave Heaven, to participate in a bout in the Asura Arena against her. In that battle, Yang Kai bet 100 million Open Heaven Pills on himself, and won a fortune with the 10:1 odds against him. In the end, it was Old Zhou who came forward and handed over his prize. At that time, Old Zhou also compensated Yang Kai an extra 150 million with an agreement that he would never set foot in any Asura Arena again in the future.
Yang Kai could truly be called invincible below the Open Heaven Realm. Even Yu Luo Sha was beaten by him in a single move. With such a display, Old Zhou really had no choice but to make such a proposal.
There was no way Yang Kai would not want to gain benefits without any cost. In addition to that, Old Zhou also revealed that some Cave Heavens and Paradises were targeting him, so it was a good trade.
Facts had proven that what Old Zhou said was right, the tree that rises above the forest would be the first one toppled by the wind. In the Blood Monster Cave Heaven, Yang Kai was targeted by many disciples from various Cave Heavens and Paradises, especially Pei Wen Xuan from Myriad Demon Heaven and Yin Xin Zhao from Xuan Yuan Cave Heaven, both of whom repeatedly tried to kill him.
Yang Kai did not expect that the person who came to Void Land with Qu Hua Shang was actually Old Zhou. He had always thought it was some Master from Yin Yang Heaven who was sent to protect Qu Hua Shang.
Now that he thought about it though, this situation made more sense. Now that Qu Hua Shang was a Sixth-Order Master, despite not having full control of her strength, there were not many left in this world who could threaten her. All the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters were old monsters, so who would embarrass a Junior for nothing?
Yang Kai was of course an exception. He stood out too much and represented a future threat that forced two High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters to secretly establish the Hundred Sect Alliance. In the end, these two Masters were forced to act personally, but were ultimately deterred by two Divine Spirits.
“Why is Old Zhou here instead of tending to Thousand Birds Star City’s Asura Arena? And with Senior Sister Qu too, for what reason have you come today?” Yang Kai asked suspiciously.
Qu Hua Shang replied, “This Senior Sister met Manager Zhou right outside Void Land. We didn’t make any arrangements in advance. Manager Zhou asked me to help bring him in, probably because he had something to discuss with Junior Brother Yang.”
The people of the Cave Heavens and Paradises were more or less allies. Qu Hua Shang had also been to Thousand Birds Star City, so she naturally recognized Manager Zhou. Qu Hua Shang could not refuse if Manager Zhou made such a request, and it wasn’t a big deal anyway. Yang Kai would not blame her for this, so she made the decision on her own.
Manager Zhou smiled slightly, “This Old Master is here to discuss something with Sect Master Yang.”
Yang Kai’s eyes flashed before replying with a smile, “Please come in and talk.”
They were guests after all, so Yang Kai could not let them stand outside forever, that would be quite rude.
The two of them entered while Bian Yu Qing made arrangements for the maidservants to serve fruit and tea before leaving.
After taking a few sips of tea and saying a few pleasantries, Manager Zhou got down to business, “This Old Master is here on the orders from the Master Sect. There are two things for which we would like to partner with Void Land.”
Yang Kai raised his eyebrows, “Partner?”
“Indeed!” Manager Zhou nodded.
Yang Kai played with the teacup in his hand and asked, “Didn’t Old Zhou hear about the battle that happened in Void Land recently? The Hundred Sect Alliance suddenly ambushed us, and Void Land was forced to fight back. The battle resulted in over 10,000 casualties, including countless Open Heaven Realm Masters. Various Cave Heavens and Paradises are already openly targeting me. Are you not afraid that you might upset others if Asura Cave Heaven does business with me?”
Manager Zhou chuckled, “Even Sect Master Yang said that it was the Hundred Sect Alliance that invaded your Void Land. It has nothing to do with the Cave Heavens and Paradises.”
Yang Kai looked at him with a half-smile.
Manager Zhou shifted his gaze uncomfortably before lightly clearing his throat, “Sect Master Yang is a worldly man, there’s no need to state things so bluntly. The Hundred Sect Alliance seemingly had the upper hand, and they knew well about your Void Land, but still ended up in a disastrous defeat. Even Kong Feng was captured in the end; otherwise, those two would not have shown up rashly.”
Yang Kai replied lightly, “Does Manager Zhou mean that my Void Land should have been breached and all of our 600,000 disciples living here should have been ruthlessly exterminated?”
Manager Zhou noticed his displeased expression then quickly added, “Sect Master Yang is too serious, this Old Master did not mean to imply that.”
Yang Kai softly snorted.
Manager Zhou continued solemnly, “What this Old Master meant to say was that even the Hundred Sect Alliance couldn’t defeat Void Land, and unless the Cave Heavens and Paradises take action themselves, no one can do anything to Void Land in the 3,000 Worlds. Now Void Land even has two Divine Spirits protecting it, with one of them being Bi Xi, who has lived for countless millennia. One would have to gather at least five Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters if they wanted to take down Void Land without suffering disastrous losses.”
[Has Bi Xi’s identity been exposed?] Yang Kai’s heart clenched; however, it was not surprising when he thought about it. It was not something that could be hidden any longer after so many people witnessed Void Land’s blatant migration.
“It doesn’t mean that the Cave Heavens and Paradises are not capable of dispatching such a lineup. Every Cave Heaven and Paradise has extraordinary heritage, so which one of them does not have at least a few Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters? It’s just that those Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters have long since stopped caring about worldly affairs, and are always cultivating in retreat. They will not show up unless a true disaster appears. So it’s essentially impossible to gather five Eighth-Order Open Heaven Realm Masters.” Manager Zhou explained eloquently, “So Sect Master Yang, as long as Void Land does not threaten the existence of any Cave Heaven or Paradise, there will be no more worries. No one would dare to attack Void Land again.”
Yang Kai smiled slightly, “So is that why Asura Cave Heaven wants to partner with me?”
Manager Zhou replied sternly, “Void Land is also qualified to partner with my Asura Cave Heaven.”
Yang Kai pondered for a while b efore nodding, “What does Asura Cave Heaven want to partner with me on?”
Manager Zhou answered, “Sect Master Yang has been to the Asura Arena, so you should know that it is my Asura Cave Heaven’s biggest source of income and one of its most important training facilities. All other First Class Star Cities have their own Asura Arenas, even some Second Class Star Cities have Asura Arenas. Now that Void Star City is so popular and it is still continuing to rise, Asura Cave Heaven naturally doesn’t want to miss out on such an opportunity, so the Master Sect has sent this Old Master here to build an Asura Arena!”
“I see. So that’s the proposal!” Yang Kai nodded lightly.
Yang Kai has experienced the popularity of the Asura Arena. As a place that used violence to solve all matters, the Asura Arena was a good place for hot-tempered cultivators with grievances that could not be resolved with words, or for blood-thirsty cultivators who were hindered by various rules to vent out their frustrations.
That was the reason why the Asura Arena was so well-liked.
When Void Star City was rebuilt and the new Governor’s Mansion established, the law enforcement team were deployed and anyone who dared to start a quarrel or stir up trouble would all be quickly suppressed and captured.
In this way, although the order of the Star City could be maintained, grudges and grievances would inevitably rise up in the long run.
Some things were better to be allowed to happen than to be prevented. If an Asura Arena was built in the Star City, it would be a good place to settle such issues and for those who liked to cause trouble to vent.
Furthermore, the existence of the Asura Arena could definitely enhance the popularity of the Star City and drive its development even further.
This was a win-win situation for Void Land and Asura Heaven.
Yang Kai had no reason to disagree.
So after just a moment of contemplation, Yang Kai nodded and agreed, “This Yang is glad that Asura Cave Heaven is willing to build an Asura Arena in my Void Star City, but Void Land will need to participate in this venture.”
Manager Zhou frowned, “What does Sect Master Yang mean?”
Yang Kai replied, “The land required for the Asura Arena will be provided by Void Land free of rent or taxes, but Void Land will require 30% of the profits made!”
Manager Zhou gaped at him but quickly smiled, “Sect Master Yang, isn’t your appetite a little too big?”
If the Star City was a goose that laid golden eggs, the auction house and Asura Arena would be the biggest and heaviest eggs.
The auction house was independently operated by Void Land, and no one else could intervene at all. It was the one and only auction house in the entire Void Star City, and Void Land was still not satisfied and wanted to intervene in the Asura Arena too? This was an extraordinarily large appetite.
Yang Kai chuckled, “Is it that big? I don’t think so. Old Zhou is a sensible person. My Void Star City has only been established for a trivial few months, yet it has already become so popular and is far from reaching its peak. One can imagine what the future will be like. Millions of cultivators will flow through this city regularly, and Asura Cave Heaven building an Asura Arena in my Star City would be equivalent to planting a tree that grows leaves of money here. Void Land will provide you with the venue, free of rent, free of tax, for just a 30% share of the profits. This deal is more than fair!”
Manager Zhou frowned as he spoke, “Sect Master Yang, Asura Arena is one of the most important industries of my Asura Cave Heaven, and there is no room for any mistakes. Can you change the conditions?”
Yang Kai shook his head slowly, “Old Zhou, don’t tell me that no other great force takes a share of the Asura Arena’s profits in other cities! As far as I know, Great Battle Heaven takes a significant share of the profits earned by the Asura Arena in Thousand Birds Star City, yes? Why is it that Great Battle Heaven is cut in but my Void Land isn’t? Is it because my Void Land is not good enough for Asura Cave Heaven?”
Old Zhou hurriedly answered, “Sect Master Yang is too serious. This Old Master never said as such!” Although he was a Manager from Asura Cave Heaven and also a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he did not dare to be offensive in the slightest inside Void Land. This was the place where hundreds of Open Heaven Realm Masters recently died, and with two mature Divine Spirits keeping watch, who dared to underestimate Void Land?
No other Second Class great force could make someone like Manager Zhou set his pride aside like this.
After pondering for a while, Old Zhou offered, “Sect Master Yang is right, many other great forces do share profits of the Asura Arenas, but no one has ever taken 30%. Even Great Battle Heaven only gets 20% of the profits from the Asura Arena in Thousand Birds Star City. How about this, this Old Master will offer Void Land 10%, does that sound good?”
“30%, nothing less!” Yang Kai shook his head slowly.
Old Zhou smiled bitterly, “Sect Master Yang, such a price is unreasonable. 30% is really non-negotiable.”
Yang Kai flicked off imaginary dust on his clothes and smiled, “I only intend to allow Asura Cave Heaven to establish an Asura Arena in this Star City because the name of Asura Arena is well known, making it convenient for advertisement. But even without the Asura Arena, I can well build a similar venue on my own in this Star City, with a similar name, like Blood Arena, what do you think?”
Old Zhou’s face twitched slightly, completely speechless.
Then again, if Yang Kai really planned to build a ‘Blood Arena’ and completely cut out Asura Cave Heaven, there was really nothing they could do.
Asura Cave Heaven was one of the 36 Cave Heavens, so the existence or loss of a single Asura Arena did not matter much to the Master Sect, but it meant a great deal to Manager Zhou, who was just a trivial Manager. The matter could bring him a lot of benefits, so it was not something he could just ignore.
After a while of careful consideration, Manager Zhou spoke, “30% is really too much. This Old Master can’t make such a decision on his own and will need to consult his superiors. But if Sect Master Yang can agree to another condition, this Old Master can guarantee that the Master Sect will agree to this proposal.”
“Another condition?” Yang Kai raised his eyebrows slightly.
Manager Zhou smiled, “This is the second matter this Old Master is here to discuss with Sect Master Yang.”
Yang Kai gestured for him to continue.
Manager Zhou coughed lightly, “I heard that your noble Sect has auctioned two Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills in recent months. I was wondering if that was true or not?”
Yang Kai knew that this old guy was really here for the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills, so his expression remained unchanged as he snickered silently to himself. After waiting for such a long time, it seemed things were finally getting started.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “En, Void Land did auction two Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills!”
Manager Zhou’s expression brightened, “And, it was said that the Void Auction House will host an auction every three months from now on, where a Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill will be auctioned.”
“Correct!”
Manager Zhou’s eyes sparkled a little as he asked, “So, does that mean that your noble Sect is capable of refining this lost ancient pill? Could it be that your noble Sect has found a source of World Source Liquid?”
When he asked the question, Qu Hua Shang, who had been silent all the time, also had her beautiful eyes flash as she stared eagerly at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai smiled without answering.
Manager Zhou continued, “Before the Blood Monster Cave Heaven opened, Red Clouds Auction House once auctioned a Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill and the recipe for this pill. As far as I know, those items were won by Sect Master Yang, but the Spirit Pill was exchanged for a Seventh-Order Primordial Yang Profound Ginseng with an Elder from Sword Pavilion, while the pill recipe was left… But according to the recipe, World Source Liquid was required to refine this Spirit Pill, and World Source Liquid has long since disappeared from the 3,000 Worlds. Now that Void Land is able to take out a Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill every three months for auction, it could only mean that Void Land had found a way to obtain World Source Liquid. There is no other explanation for why so many rare Spirit Pills could be auctioned.”
The extinction of the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill was because of the extinction of World Source Liquid. It was a treasure that was formed by chance when a new World was born. Where could it be found now?
This situation was inevitable, and Yang Kai had already expected this would happen when he decided to use the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill to help bolster the popularity of his Star City.
Taking a sip of his tea, Yang Kai smiled, “Blood Monster Divine Monarch left many good things behind inside the Blood Monster Divine Palace, including some World Source Liquid.”
Manager Zhou looked at him hesitantly, not sure if he should believe him. However, obviously, the timing fit. Yang Kai obtained the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill and its pill recipe before the Blood Monster Cave Heaven opened, and the Spirit Pill was only first auctioned in the Star City after the Blood Monster Cave Heaven collapsed. It was entirely possible that Yang Kai really got World Source Liquid from Blood Monster Cave Heaven.
Yang Kai moved the conversation forward with a smile, “Does Asura Cave Heaven also need this Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill?”
Manager Zhou replied, “Who wouldn’t want such a Spirit Pill? I’m afraid that many from the Cave Heavens and Paradises have quietly entered Void Star City, waiting for the next auction. Don’t tell me that you, Sect Master Yang, are unaware of this.”
It did not matter for the other Cave Heavens and Paradises whether they snuck in or announced their presence, but it was different for Asura Cave Heaven. If they really wanted to build an Asura Arena here, they would have to show up sooner or later. The Asura Arena was a symbol of Asura Cave Heaven, and that was the reason Manager Zhou visited Yang Kai.
However, he had no idea what Yang Kai’s impression towards the Cave Heavens and Paradises were after the previous battle, so he asked Qu Hua Shang to help bring him in.
Just in case he got rejected by Yang Kai after notifying him of his visit.
Yang Kai put down the tea cup and asked bluntly, “How many does Asura Cave Heaven need?”
Manager Zhou chuckled, “The more the better, of course.”
Yang Kai burst out laughing, “Does Old Zhou think that the Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills are cabbages? If I hadn’t needed financial resources for Void Land and needed to build up my Star City, I would never have sold a single Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pill to the public. These are very rare, and I don’t have much World Source Liquid on hand, so it will run out from refining some of these Spirit Pills.”
Manager Zhou nodded in reply, “This Old Master understands that. How about this? If Sect Master Yang sells 10 of these Spirit Pills to Asura Cave Heaven, this Old Master will guarantee Sect Master Yang’s request regarding the Asura Arena is granted!”
“10? Manager Zhou sure does know how to open his mouth wide!” Yang Kai’s face stiffened.
Manager Zhou chuckled heartily, “We will never take advantage of Void Land, we will offer 8 million for each Spirit Pill. What do you say?”
Yang Kai nodded, “The price is very fair, but 10 is really too many, Void Land doesn’t have such a quantity.”
The look on Yang Kai’s face showed Manager Zhou that he was probably pushing a little too hard; of course, if he knew that Yang Kai had given Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills to people trying to advance to the Second-Order Open Heaven Realm, he would have coughed up ten mouthfuls of blood and died on the spot. These extremely coveted Spirit Pills really weren’t treated much differently than cabbages in Void Land.
“If 10 is too many, 8 will do, no fewer.”
“3 pieces max!”
Manager Zhou was a little speechless, “3 is just too few, Sect Master Yang is too stingy!”
Yang Kai replied sternly, “I’m not stingy, I really can’t come up with more.”
Manager Zhou urged further, “… How about 5?”
Yang Kai tapped the armrest of the chair lightly and pondered for a long time before he spoke, “Since Manager Zhou has made a proposition, allow me to make a counter-offer. If Manager Zhou can agree to this condition, I don’t even want the 30% share from the Asura Arena. Not only that, I will also give you the 5 Heavenly Yuan Seal Stabilizing Pills free of charge!”
Manager Zhou’s face became excited at the words, “What is it that Sect Master Yang wants?”
Yang Kai raised a finger, “A High-Rank Yin Element treasure!”
The excitement on Manager Zhou’s face was immediately replaced by bitterness, as he muttered embarrassedly, “Sect Master Yang, aren’t you intentionally making things difficult?”
Yang Kai replied, “Asura Cave Heaven runs many industries and has existed for aeons, a single High-Rank Yin Element treasure is surely just a drop in the bucket for you. How is asking for one making things difficult?”
“Sect Master Yang should know that what this Old Master referred to was not the value of this High-Rank material.” Manager Zhou replied exasperatedly. After a pause, he continued, “Since Ancient Times, despite the 36 Cave Heavens and 72 Paradises having occasional disputes, we have always been generally united, especially regarding certain sensitive issues. Now that Void Land is guarded by two Divine Spirits, I’m afraid no one would be interested in provoking it anymore, but that doesn’t mean that some people will condone Sect Master Yang’s direct advancement to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm. If they really find out that we, Asura Cave Heaven, provided you with a High-Rank Yin Element treasure, how will Asura Cave Heaven keep its foothold in the 3,000 Worlds in the future?”
Having said this, he persuaded earnestly again, “Sect Master Yang is truly a dragon amongst men, but you should take a step back and endure for a while. Why bother taking the risk of challenging the Ancient Order of the 3,000 Worlds? With Sect Master Yang’s aptitude, even if you achieve the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm, you will still be able to soar. It’s better to follow the current than swim against the river.”
Yang Kai snorted at the words, “Whose order? What current? I, Yang Kai, entered this vast universe only concerned about my own cultivation. I have never sought trouble with or offended others intentionally, so I will not allow others to stand in the way of my Grand Dao!”