The inspection area was built on the eastern side of the reception island.
Compared to the quiet hall from before, this place was much wider. Several formation fields were arranged beside each other, each one surrounded by low jade pillars. Mortal Gu Masters moved along the edges of the formations, carrying recording Gu, measuring Gu, and sealing Gu. Above them, three Gu Immortals waited with restrained auras.
Lu Chen led Fang Ming to the largest empty formation field.
"Brother Feng, this field is enough for ten thousand food beasts. If you are ready, you may release them here."
Fang Ming nodded.
He raised his hand, and a faint opening appeared behind him. The opening was small, but the aura of an immortal aperture leaked out for an instant before being suppressed again.
Lu Chen's eyes moved slightly.
He could not see inside, but from that brief trace, he could tell that Fang Ming's aperture was not barren. There were resources inside, and the qi was stable.
Soon, groups of Red Junglefowl and Green Junglefowl walked out from the aperture opening. They entered the formation field in organized waves, their feathers bright, their bodies healthy, and their movements lively.
Five thousand Red Junglefowl.
Five thousand Green Junglefowl.
The formation field immediately became noisy. The junglefowl spread across the field, but they did not panic. Their movements were active yet not chaotic, showing that they had been raised in a controlled environment.
One of the appraisers, an old woman with silver hair, stepped forward first. She waved her sleeve, and dozens of small pale-yellow Gu worms flew into the air. They circled above the junglefowl, releasing faint dust-like light.
Another appraiser took out a water basin. The water inside reflected the junglefowl below, but the reflection did not show their bodies. Instead, it showed faint traces of dao marks.
The third appraiser was a thin man. He did not use many Gu worms, only standing at the edge of the formation with closed eyes, listening to the breathing, movement, and cries of the beasts.
Fang Ming watched calmly.
Lu Chen stood beside him. "Inspection usually takes some time. Food path beasts are not only judged by size. Some sellers force growth using harmful methods. The beasts look good at first, but after being bought, they die easily, lose fertility, or contaminate feeding grounds."
Fang Ming said, "That kind of seller does not last long."
"True, but they can still harm the buyer once." Lu Chen smiled. "That is why the alliance exists."
The old woman finished checking the Green Junglefowl first. "Green Junglefowl are healthy. Vitality is stable. Dao mark density is within normal range. No obvious disease. Breeding condition is acceptable."
Her tone was plain.
The Green Junglefowl were good, but Eastern Sea was not lacking in them. They had value, but they were not enough to surprise experienced appraisers.
Then the three appraisers moved their attention to the Red Junglefowl.
This time, they were much more careful.
The old woman personally picked up one Red Junglefowl and checked its feathers, claws, eyes, and blood flow. The thin man opened his eyes and walked into the field, stopping among the flock. The water basin appraiser changed Gu worms twice before continuing.
Lu Chen noticed Fang Ming watching them and explained, "Eastern Sea has many Green Junglefowl sellers, but Red Junglefowl are different. They are not impossible to buy, but stable supply is rarer. Many buyers use them to feed specific beast groups or as supporting materials in food path refinement."
Fang Ming nodded without speaking.
After a while, the old woman finally gave her judgment. "Red Junglefowl are also healthy. Dao mark density is slightly above the ordinary standard. No signs of harmful stimulation. Their bodies are strong, and their fertility should be stable."
The thin man added, "They were not raised in a poor environment. Their movements are natural. Their feeding cycle should be reliable."
The water basin appraiser nodded. "No issue for trade."
Lu Chen's smile deepened.
"Brother Feng, congratulations. The goods passed."
Fang Ming was not surprised. "Then we can discuss buyers."
"Of course." Lu Chen waved his hand, and a mortal Gu Master quickly brought over a jade board.
The jade board was large, about the height of a man. Rows of writing appeared across its surface, each row representing a posted demand within the Trade Merchant Alliance.
Some requests were simple. A lone immortal needed ten thousand food path beasts within one year, species unrestricted, payment slightly below market price.
Some were urgent. A small force required thirty thousand food beasts within six months to stabilize a beast group after a feeding shortage.
Some were specific. One buyer wanted dragonfish only. Another wanted junglefowl, but did not care whether they were Red Junglefowl or Green Junglefowl. A few requests were even stranger, asking for food beasts with high fertility, low aggression, or compatibility with water path environments.
Lu Chen pointed at the board. "These are only the demands suitable for Brother Feng's current registration level. After you complete more deals, the alliance can introduce larger buyers. But for now, most of these are from lone immortals and small forces."
Fang Ming looked through them quietly.
The prices were not attractive.
Most were five to ten percent lower than the common treasure yellow heaven price. Some urgent requests were slightly better, but the quantity and delivery period were harsh.
Lu Chen observed his expression.
Many newcomers frowned when they saw these prices. Some even became angry, thinking the alliance looked down on them. But Fang Ming remained calm, reading each request from beginning to end.
After a while, Fang Ming pointed at one row. "This one."
Lu Chen looked over.
It was a request from a lone immortal who needed mixed food path beasts within four months. Quantity was not too large, but payment was immediate after inspection.
Fang Ming pointed at another row. "This one too."
Then another.
And another.
At first, Lu Chen still smiled.
But as Fang Ming continued choosing, his smile slowly faded.
Fang Ming did not only pick small orders. He also picked several larger ones from small forces. Some required delivery within six months, some within eight months, and one required partial delivery every two months. The prices were not generous. By ordinary merchant standards, there was profit, but not enough to make most sellers excited.
When Fang Ming finally stopped, Lu Chen calculated the total value.
Five hundred and forty immortal essence stones.
Delivery period: within eight months.
Lu Chen looked at Fang Ming again.
"Brother Feng, are you certain?"
Fang Ming said calmly, "Is there a problem?"
"There is no problem with the rules." Lu Chen paused. "But this is not a small amount for a first batch of deals. Also, these prices are not especially good."
"I saw that."
"Then why take them?"
Fang Ming looked at the jade board. "Because they can be completed."
Lu Chen was silent for a moment.
This answer was simple, but it revealed confidence.
A seller with no stock would talk about price first. A seller with unstable production would talk about time first. Fang Ming looked at the requests and only judged whether they could be completed.
Lu Chen suddenly laughed.
"Brother Feng is bolder than I thought."
Fang Ming did not explain.
In Lu Chen's eyes, Fang Ming was likely selling at a low margin to quickly build a trade record. Completing many deals in a short time would make future buyers look at him differently. If he could prove that his goods were stable, his quantity was real, and his delivery was reliable, he would have a chance to contact larger forces.
This was a common strategy.
But few newcomers dared to do it at this scale.
Most people wanted reputation, but they also feared failure. A single missed delivery could damage a seller's name before it even formed.
Fang Ming, however, had selected these requests without hesitation.
Lu Chen reassessed him silently.
This person was not merely cautious. He was ambitious.
What Lu Chen did not know was that his guess was only half correct.
Fang Ming did want a trade record. He did want to use these deals to open a path toward larger buyers. But these orders were not as easy for him as Lu Chen imagined.
The selected deals would consume roughly eighty percent of his production output for the next seven months.
The remaining twenty percent would be sent to treasure yellow heaven, not for maximum profit, but to let his seller identity appear there as well. Treasure yellow heaven was still the largest open market. Even if it was not ideal for stable contracts, it was useful for spreading a business name.
This meant Fang Ming had only about one month of leeway.
If there were problems in production, transport, or inspection, the margin would shrink rapidly.
But Fang Ming had already calculated it.
His formations were stable. His immortal aperture's time flow gave him an advantage. The risk existed, but it was within an acceptable range.
A cautious entry would be safer.
But it would also be slower.
Right now, Fang Ming did not lack courage to take calculated risks. What he lacked was a public foundation.
These deals would become that foundation.
Lu Chen looked at the selected requests again, then waved his sleeve. The jade board glowed faintly, marking Fang Ming's choices.
"I can help Brother Feng submit these applications. Since your goods have already passed inspection, the buyers will receive notice soon. Some may accept directly. Others may ask for a second inspection before signing."
"That is fine."
"For one-time deals, the alliance will take a small matchmaking fee. For stable contracts, the first-year fee is higher because the connection itself has greater value. But after the first year, if both sides continue trading without needing our services, the alliance will no longer take a cut."
Fang Ming nodded. "Reasonable."
Lu Chen smiled. "Many people say that only after they learn treasure yellow heaven's fees."
"Treasure yellow heaven is convenient," Fang Ming said. "Convenience has a price."
"Brother Feng speaks like someone who has done business for many years."
"I have lost enough to learn."
This was vague, but Lu Chen did not ask further.
The more he spoke with Fang Ming, the more he felt that this person was worth befriending. Rich people were not rare in the Gu Immortal world, but rich people who understood risk and dared to move decisively were different.
Lu Chen liked such people.
More importantly, he liked becoming familiar with them before they rose higher.
After the mortal Gu Masters finished recording the selected requests, Lu Chen personally took out a document Gu and imprinted Fang Ming's temporary trade mark into it.
"Brother Feng, after these deals are completed, your trade history will look much better. At that time, I can introduce you to better buyers."
Fang Ming accepted the document Gu. "I will trouble Brother Lu then."
"No trouble." Lu Chen smiled. "Helping good sellers find suitable buyers is also how I earn."
He paused, then added casually, "There is also another matter. Since Brother Feng plans to trade seriously here, you should know about the Annual Immortal Gu Convention."
Fang Ming's eyes moved slightly, but his expression did not change. "Immortal Gu Convention?"
Lu Chen nodded. "Once a year, registered merchants gather under the alliance. Ordinary goods are traded all year round, but Immortal Gu are different. Most Gu Immortals are unwilling to sell Immortal Gu for immortal essence stones unless desperate. At the convention, people exchange Gu for Gu."
"Any path?"
"Any path, as long as both sides agree. A star path Gu Immortal might have obtained a strength path Immortal Gu that is useless to him. A strength path Gu Immortal might have a star path Immortal Gu he cannot use. The convention gives such people a place to meet safely."
Fang Ming's gaze remained calm.
But inwardly, his attention sharpened.
Immortal Gu-for-Gu exchange.
For other Gu Immortals, this was only useful if they possessed an unsuitable Immortal Gu and found someone with the exact Gu they needed.
For Fang Ming, the meaning was different.
He did not need to own the original forever.
He only needed opportunity.
Of course, he would not show this.
"When is the next convention?" Fang Ming asked casually.
"Still far away." Lu Chen smiled. "Brother Feng does not need to rush. By the time it arrives, if your trade record is good, attending will be much easier."
Fang Ming nodded. "I understand."
Lu Chen looked at him and laughed. "Then let us first complete these orders. Immortal Gu are matters for later. A merchant's first reputation is built from delivery."
Fang Ming stored the document Gu.
"That is true."
The inspection field gradually quieted. The ten thousand junglefowl were sealed into temporary holding spaces, ready to be divided according to the first accepted orders. The appraisers withdrew, and the mortal Gu Masters finished recording the inspection results.
Lu Chen personally sent Fang Ming to the edge of the field.
"Brother Feng, from today onward, you can be considered someone who has stepped into the Trade Merchant Alliance's market."
Fang Ming looked at the jade board one last time.
Five hundred and forty immortal essence stones.
Eight months.
Many deals.
Thin margins.
High pressure.
But if all were completed, the name Feng Ming would no longer be empty.
He turned away from the board.
"Then let the buyers decide quickly."
Lu Chen smiled. "With this quantity and this price, they will not be slow."
Fang Ming did not answer.
He already had production.
Now, he had deadlines.
For an immortal, pressure was not always bad.
Sometimes, pressure was the fastest way to turn hidden strength into visible value.