After flying without pause for another two days, Song Changsheng guided his flying vessel down outside a majestic city.
This was Tianyuan City, the base of operations for the Gold Crow Sect's governor of Yuanzhou. While not as bustling as Luoxia City, its strength was not to be underestimated. It was one of the few true strongholds within the Great Qi cultivation world.
Because the two sects were still officially at war, the procedures for entering the city were far more complicated than before.
After spending a quarter of an hour undergoing inspections and questioning by the guards, Song Changsheng hired a local guide and went straight to the Wanlong Chamber of Commerce.
As a mercantile giant that spanned multiple nations, Wanlong naturally occupied the best district of Tianyuan City. Its estate stretched vast, and its daily profits easily ran into the tens of thousands of spirit stones.
The moment Song Changsheng stepped through the doors, a young attendant quickly came forward and bowed respectfully.
"Senior, may I ask what services you require?"
"I would like to meet with your chamber's manager."
Though Song Changsheng did not explain, attendants at the Chamber of Commerce were specially trained and skilled in reading people. It was obvious this man had come to conduct major business, and thus, he must be taken to someone in charge.
The attendant's expression became even more reverent. "Please, Senior, this way. One of our stewards will be with you shortly."
Song Changsheng inclined his head. "Thank you."
He was shown into a private guest room, where graceful serving girls soon brought out spiritual tea and refreshments. Their service was impeccable, though his mind was far from such indulgences.
Before long, a vigorous-looking elder in fine robes entered, smiling warmly even from a distance. He bowed.
"My apologies for keeping you waiting, Daoist Friend. I am Li Mingyang, a steward of this Chamber. May I ask what business brings you here?"
"Late Foundation Establishment?" Song Changsheng raised a brow in mild surprise. A large Chamber truly had deep resources; someone at the late Foundation Establishment was only a steward.
He quickly stood to return the courtesy.
"I am Song Changsheng. I've come to purchase a batch of supplies, and I also have some beast materials I'd like to sell."
"So it is the young patriarch of the Song Clan!" Li Mingyang's smile broadened. Who in the cultivation world didn't know how the Song Clan had made a fortune at their last auction? This was a premium client.
He immediately gestured. "Please, follow me to the third floor, where we can discuss details."
In the third-floor guest room, the two sat across from one another. Li Mingyang slid a catalog across the table with a genial laugh.
"All of the Chamber's goods are listed here. Please, take your time and choose as you like."
But instead of flipping it open, Song Changsheng placed a storage pouch on the table.
"Inside are some spirit herbs and forging materials. Please have them converted into spirit stones."
"No problem." Li Mingyang shot a glance at the maid beside him, who picked up the pouch and withdrew respectfully.
"Cataloging and appraisal take time," Li said smoothly. "I ask that the young patriarch be patient."
"That's fine." Song Changsheng nodded.
At last, he opened the catalog and began browsing. At once, he couldn't help but sigh in admiration. A major Chamber truly lived up to its name; the selection ranged from pills, talismans, arrays, and tools to manuals of divine abilities.
He first turned to the section on third-grade talismans. In recent years, his clan's stock of these had been heavily depleted, and restocking was a must.
Third-grade Supreme Talisman [Radiant Sky-Slashing Seal]: 208,000 lower-grade spirit stones.
Third-grade High Talisman [Metal-Breaking Void Rune]: 130,000 lower-grade spirit stones.
…
One glance and Song Changsheng's eyes nearly glazed over. Good heavens! He had thought his four hundred thousand spirit stones were already quite a sum, but they could barely buy him two talismans.
Poverty truly shackles the imagination.
Skipping past the absurdly overpriced ones, he focused on the more modestly priced options near the end. At last, he nodded in satisfaction. This was more like it.
Looking up, he said, "Daoist Li, I'll take three of the third-grade low-tier [Golden Flame Earth Talismans], and one of the third-grade mid-tier [Heavenly Thunder Demon-Suppressing Talisman]."
Li Mingyang's smile grew warmer still. He immediately calculated:
"That will be 98,000 lower-grade spirit stones in total."
Song Changsheng's face twitched. Spirit stones vanished fast, nearly a quarter of his stock gone in one sweep!
But there was no helping it. Stones sitting in storage bred no new stones.
After selecting his talismans, he continued browsing. One after another, names tumbled out of his mouth:
"Three bottles of [Jade Essence Pills]. Two bottles of [Purple Void Pills]. Three bottles of [Profound Origin Pills]. Thirty [Jade Spirit Peaches]. One pouch of [Golden Sun Ginseng] seeds. One pouch of [Calming Lotus] seeds. Eight hundred catties of [Black Tortoise Fine Steel]…"
These were all on the list he had prepared before arriving. Whenever he spotted something, he bought it outright. By the end, he had chosen over two hundred items before finally setting the catalog down.
"All told, how many spirit stones?"
Li Mingyang's wrinkled face was practically glowing.
"With the talismans included, the total comes to 536,000 lower-grade spirit stones."
In less than half an hour, Song Changsheng had spent over half a million. His heart bled good items they were, yes, but so expensive!
At that moment, Li Mingyang produced another list and placed it on the table.
"These are the materials you brought with you. They've been tallied and appraised at 126,000 lower-grade spirit stones.
After deduction, you only need to pay 410,000."
Song Changsheng couldn't help but sigh inwardly. By his calculations, he should have had some spirit stones left over, but the Wanlong Chamber's prices were simply outrageous. In the end, he was still short by ten thousand. Fortunately, he still had a trump card.
He reached into his robes and took out a silver waist token, placing it before Li Mingyang.
"I've heard that the Chamber's guest token grants certain discounts. Daoist Li, could you recalculate?"
The instant that glint of silver caught his eyes, Li Mingyang's pupils shrank sharply. He hurriedly picked it up, turning it over several times to verify, before bowing deeply in a gesture that startled Song Changsheng. His voice was now full of reverence.
"Steward Li Mingyang pays his respects to the honored Guest Elder!"
Song Changsheng hurriedly sidestepped, utterly stunned.
"Guest Elder? Daoist Li, surely there's been some mistake?"
Li Mingyang paused at this unexpected response. Seeing that Song Changsheng's expression was genuine rather than feigned, he looked puzzled.
"Did the young patriarch not know? Possessors of a silver guest token are officially Guest Elders of the Chamber."
Song Changsheng could only give a bitter smile and shake his head.
"I truly didn't know."
To dispel any suspicion, he briefly explained how he had come by the token.
Upon hearing the story, realization dawned on Li Mingyang. Ah, so it came from that young miss… no wonder.
In principle, the Chamber only issued silver tokens to Purple Mansion cultivators, and only the President, Vice-President, or Grand Elders had authority to distribute them.
But Peng Siying was an exception. Her father, the Chamber's President, had given her a few to help her win over promising young talents.
The original intention was good, but Peng Siying's personality was bold and carefree. She never looked at a person's background, aptitude, or cultivation when gifting tokens. If she liked you, she might hand you one on the spot.
Thus, Li Mingyang didn't doubt Song Changsheng's story. He merely thought that the young miss had been too reckless this time. In the past, giving out iron or bronze tokens was one thing, but this time she had handed out a silver one.
And silver meant more than just discounts; it conferred the official status of Guest Elder.
That status carried immense weight. A Guest Elder's standing was on par with the Chamber's elders, with a measure of authority as well. For example, if Song Changsheng were dissatisfied with Li Mingyang's service, he could submit a complaint to the local elder in charge, and Li Mingyang would be reassigned at once, and if conflict arose, punished severely.
Such a weighty privilege was now in the hands of Song Changsheng. A Guest Elder at the only Foundation Establishment, it was likely the first time in the Chamber's thousand-year history.
But the deed was done; nothing could change it now. Li Mingyang could only secretly be grateful that he had not offended Song Changsheng earlier.
He respectfully returned the silver token with both hands, bowing low.
"Then I shall recalculate for you at once, honored sir."
Song Changsheng looked at the token in his palm, his thoughts in turmoil. Peng Siying had truly handed him a remarkable gift!
Soon, Li Mingyang returned with new figures.
"Reporting to honored sir: altogether it comes to three hundred seventy-five thousand two hundred lower-grade spirit stones. Rounding off the small change, let's say three hundred seventy-five thousand. After deducting what you've provided, you only need to pay two hundred forty-four thousand."
Song Changsheng's eyes widened slightly in surprise. They rounded off the balance? Just like that, he saved over five thousand spirit stones.
Indeed, a great Chamber always did things with style.
After some quick mental calculations, he realized that even after paying, he would still have one hundred fifty-six thousand spirit stones left.
Before departing, the Grand Elder had handed him a list, instructing him to procure all the resources on it. Anything left over would be his to keep as a reward from the clan.
By Song Changsheng's estimate, the list was worth about four hundred thousand spirit stones.
With the discount and proceeds from his sales, he would end up with at least two hundred thousand spirit stones in profit.
He understood this was the clan's way of caring for him. Still, he thought the Grand Elder's list had been incomplete, so he had expanded it himself. Even so, he was left with a sizable surplus.
Song Changsheng was no saint. Expanding the list had been for the clan's sake, but now… it was time to think of his own.
He picked the catalog back up, scanning carefully. Soon, one item caught his eye: [Wutu Divine Thunder].
Third-grade low-tier releases a thunderous explosion upon activation, powerful enough to threaten Purple Mansion cultivators.
Song Changsheng's eyes lit up. Now this was a treasure! The price of only thirty-five thousand was more than fair. He ordered three on the spot.
When spending clan funds, he was cautious. But with his own? He was lavish.
Next, he found a defensive jade pendant, mid-grade third-tier, capable of withstanding a single fatal blow from a Purple Mansion cultivator. It was perfect for him.
At his current level, Foundation Establishment cultivators posed little threat. But with [Wutu Divine Thunder] and this jade pendant, even against a Purple Mansion, he stood a chance of surviving.
He added several bottles of pills as well. Altogether, he spent five hundred ten thousand, leaving himself with sixteen thousand in reserve.
When Li Mingyang finally handed him the storage pouch, Song Changsheng couldn't help but feel deeply moved. That connection with Peng Siying had truly paid off.
By market value, this haul would have cost at least seven hundred fifty thousand spirit stones. Thanks to the token, he had gotten it for just over five hundred ten thousand, saving more than two hundred thousand.
"My thanks for your assistance, Steward Li. I'll take my leave."
After offering his heartfelt gratitude, Song Changsheng wasted no time. He boarded his flying vessel and returned straight to his clan.
While Song Changsheng was returning from Yuanzhou to Lingzhou, Bianzhou was on the brink of an earth-shaking battle.
After nearly a year of siege, Luoxia City's resources had been consumed by more than half. To conserve what little remained, disciples had begun engaging the beasts directly on the walls a month ago, blood soaking every inch of stone.
All disciples of Luoxia City who had reached the age of sixteen were summoned to the battlements. Beyond that, the City Lord's Mansion had issued multiple conscription orders, drawing in the majority of cultivators within the city to assist in its defense. Only then had they held on until now.
During this time, battles at the Purple Mansion level had erupted dozens of times. Three Purple Mansion cultivators of Luoxia City had fallen, while the beasts lost seven great demons. Both sides had paid a grievous price.
Now, after fighting to this point, both man and beast stood on the brink of collapse.
All knew the final battle was near.
Xu Yunhe sat cross-legged in a pool of blood, his entire body soaked scarlet. Around him lay piles of corpses, both human and beast.
Looking around, he realized that on this hundred-meter stretch of wall, he seemed to be the only one still breathing.
He had been among the first to answer the call to arms. At the start, twenty-six had stood with him here, six disciples of Luoxia City and twenty conscripted cultivators.
Now, all of them had died in the last beast tide. Even that young man named Zhang Yanhe, a disciple of Luoxia, had perished right beside him.
Xu Yunhe had admired the youth so full of vitality. But in that moment, when Xu himself was barely holding on, all he could do was watch helplessly as the boy was torn in half by a beast.
A haze filled Xu Yunhe's mind. Can this battle be won?
The Thundercry Demon King had yet to strike with full force, and the old black dragon of Heishui Marsh had not even appeared. Yet already, Luoxia's defenses were riddled with holes.
Without reinforcements from the two great sects, Xu Yunhe could not imagine how they could win.
Tap, tap, tap
A string of footsteps reached his ears. Turning his head, Xu Yunhe saw another squad of cultivators climb onto the wall. They were younger and fewer in number, only sixteen in all.
"Daoist friend, are you alright?" A middle-aged man in Luoxia City's robes extended a hand to him.
Xu Yunhe forced a crooked grin, gripped the hand, and stood.
"Not dead yet."
"Hurry and regulate your breath. The beasts will likely charge again soon." The man's eyes flickered with respect as he looked at the countless wounds covering Xu Yunhe's body.
Just as Xu Yunhe was about to reply, a piercing dragon's roar rang out from the distant mountains, rolling nearer and nearer. The heavens themselves seemed to tremble in answer.
In that instant, the hordes of beasts erupted into furious howls.
The faces of all present turned pale.
The final battle… has it truly arrived?
-support me in Patreon for more chapter, 260+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader