The items listed were essential resources for cultivators, and the prices were far more reasonable than what the sect caravans from the cultivation world would offer, which only came by occasionally. Those caravans never lowered their prices, no matter how much was bought—it was always the same price, take it or leave it.
Revered Xunfang's thoughts were racing, but the small cultivator across from him didn't give him much time to ponder. With a polite smile, Li Zhouxuan said to him and the second elder beside him:
"You can take these two lists to the guest lounge on the right to discuss them at your leisure. Once you've made your decisions, bring the lists back, and we can finalize the orders."
Hearing this, Revered Xunfang nodded, collected his thoughts, and rose to leave. "Very well."
As the two from Chixiao Sect departed, the Qingyun Peak disciple by the door called out loudly, "Next!"
The next pair quickly entered the room.
"Han Shangyi, Sect Master of Qinghe Sect. We're here to lease a shop and take two supply orders!" Before anyone could sit down, Elder Lü beside Han Shangyi eagerly called out their business.
Li Zhouxuan's conversation with the two from Chixiao Sect had not been soundproofed, so the other cultivators waiting outside had heard everything clearly.
From then on, starting with Qinghe Sect, the process went much faster.
Soon, all the sects and royal families present had received their shop vouchers and the supply order lists from Shuishui City.
They all moved to the guest lounge on the right, where they used soundproofing spells or communicated through spiritual sense to carefully discuss the orders with their companions.
Though these cultivators had stayed in Shuishui City for several days, they hadn't been idle. They had either sent people or messages back to their sects or families to tally up their stock of goods, resources, and the personnel available for fulfilling orders.
Thus, after receiving the lists today, they quickly determined which orders they could take and in what quantities.
However, they were more cautious with the purchasing list. Just because the prices Shuishui City offered were favorable didn't mean they rushed to place large orders.
Even with the precedents set by the Li family and the three major sects, other sects and royal families still had doubts about whether Shuishui City could actually deliver the goods in full when the time came.
After all, while the output had previously been limited to Puyi Kingdom, now so many other forces were involved. What if Shuishui City couldn't handle the volume? What if they delayed payments?
As a result, most sects were reluctant to spend their precious spirit stones recklessly.
Only the three major sects and the Li family were different.
They, aside from keeping some spirit stones for emergencies, had spent a lot, purchasing large quantities of materials and cultivation resources.
Had they not already spent so much during the recent auction, they might have doubled their orders.
The various spiritual seeds purchased earlier by Qinghe Sect had already been sent back to their sect, and the Lingxian Sect had even dispatched specialized disciples from the Spiritual Fields division to teach them how to cultivate the seeds.
Once the orders were filled out and returned to Li Zhouxuan, the sect leaders went to the shop rental office next door to finalize their leases.
Before signing the lease, however, they had to draw lots.
A long street has a beginning, an end, and a middle, and naturally, everyone wanted the more prominent storefronts at the head of the street.
But there was no choosing—only luck would decide.
Although there were many scattered rogue cultivators in the mortal world, high-level cultivators were rare. Most rogue cultivators were those who had left their sects after giving up on further cultivation.
For them, the spirit stones they had saved during their time in the sect were all they had, and once they were gone, there wouldn't be any more.
Thus, these sects and royal families rented shopfronts in Shuishui City's commercial district partly to earn what little spirit stones they could from these rogue cultivators. But their real target was the other sects and royal families who hadn't secured trade routes with Shuishui City.
That was a much larger market.
With the goods in Shuishui City priced so reasonably, after fulfilling their orders and receiving their first payment next month, they could immediately purchase more at wholesale prices and stock their shops.
And with enough spirit stones, they could buy raw materials in bulk to manufacture their own unique sect items—assuming they had such skills.
However—
"What are your thoughts on your shop's main business focus?" Revered Xunfang asked, dropping the soundproof spell surrounding himself and the second elder.
After signing their shop leases, they hadn't immediately left the Trade Affairs Center. Instead, they reconvened in the guest lounge to continue their discussions, though this time they were more open to exchanging ideas with the other sects and royal families.
Hearing the renowned Sect Master of Chixiao Sect raise such a question, the others were momentarily confused.
"What do you mean by that, Sect Master Xunfang?" someone asked.
Revered Xunfang didn't mince words and replied directly, "Since we are all opening shops, it would be wise to differentiate ourselves. Each shop should have its unique feature, perhaps a signature item or exclusive product. It wouldn't be beneficial if we all opened generic shops selling the same goods. That would only drive down profits as we compete for the same customers. Wouldn't it be better for us to establish a healthy competitive environment?"
Hearing this, the others took a moment to reflect, then nodded in agreement.
Revered Xunfang glanced toward the door before continuing, "Since Shuishui City intends to establish a stable commercial district, I doubt they'll allow us to engage in destructive price wars. We should be upfront now and agree on each sect's main business focus. That way, we can coexist harmoniously in the district."
"You are absolutely right, Sect Master Xunfang," several voices echoed in agreement.
Though each sect had different strengths, most had certain areas of expertise they excelled in. Dividing up the business this way wouldn't hurt.
However, most of them hadn't yet thought about their shop's main focus. Up until now, they had simply planned to stock their shelves with goods purchased from Lingxian Sect, mark up the prices, and sell them.
At that moment, a gentle and melodic voice echoed through the room, "We at Luoshen Mountain are skilled in talisman crafting and possess several unique ancestral talismans. We intend to specialize in talismans. If there are other sects focusing on talismans, perhaps we can discuss dividing the market."