White Jade Tower, the main hall.

"Have any major events occurred in the Sect while I was in closed-door cultivation?"

Bai Zichen had just emerged from his training room. Peng Jinhua was using a spell to trim the weeds in the Cave Mansion, ensuring they didn’t crowd out the space for several rare flowers.

He then summoned Su Lie and began to question him.

"To answer Young Master Bai, there have been no significant incidents within the Sect. The Sect Leader is still in seclusion. Word is that the great war between the Righteous and Demonic Dao has died down. A Nascent Soul True Monarch intervened to mediate, so both sides had to cease hostilities."

Su Lie was clearly well-prepared. With a draft already in mind, he took a silk scroll filled with itemized notes from his sleeve and presented it.

"A Nascent Soul True Monarch?"

Bai Zichen frowned and asked, "Where would a Nascent Soul True Monarch come from in Mizhou? The top figure of the Demon Path, Blood God True Man, is only at the Perfect Core Formation Realm!"

If a Core Formation True Man was considered High-Tier Combat Power in Mizhou, capable of turning the tide in a local conflict and deciding the fate of a sect or clan...

...then a Nascent Soul True Monarch was on a completely different level of existence. Without even needing to act personally, a few words from them could change the entire course of the war between the Righteous and Demonic Dao.

"This humble one’s status is too low to find out the specifics. This is all just from what I’ve overheard in the idle chatter of the Outer Sect Disciples."

"Some speculate that a Supreme Elder from the Holy Lotus Sect of Qii Mountain made a move. After all, this war has already affected more than ten sects across three provinces, so it’s possible the Holy Lotus Sect would step in to mediate."

Bai Zichen tapped his fingers lightly on the table, lost in thought.

’The consequences of a single thought from a Nascent Soul True Monarch could affect thousands upon thousands of cultivators. But that realm is too far removed from my own. The information trickling down is likely just the speculation and imagination of low-level cultivators.’

"Tell me about other matters."

"The matter the disciples are most concerned with right now is surely the Sect Competition. People have already started placing bets privately. I’ve written down the names of the five Outer Sect Disciples with the best odds."

"Last month, a servant disciple discovered a Thousand-Year-Old Golden Crown Lingzhi while out gathering herbs. After turning it over to the Sect, he was promoted to an Outer Sect Disciple and given a handsome reward... All the servant disciples have gone mad, nearly digging that entire mountain bare."

"Among the Inner Sect Disciples, two have sent messengers with invitations, hoping to meet with Young Master Bai at your convenience. A total of seven Outer Sect Disciples have come to pay a visit..."

Su Lie reported each item methodically, in perfect order.

If Bai Zichen showed interest in any particular point, Su Lie could immediately elaborate with a detailed description.

For instance, he knew the dispositions and styles of the two Inner Sect Disciples who had sent invitations, as well as any past deeds worth noting.

He also knew the cultivation progress of the seven Outer Sect Disciples, their connections within the Sect, and their potential for promotion.

He had clearly done his homework.

It seemed Bai Zichen hadn’t chosen the wrong person. An aide like this would save him a great deal of trouble.

"Send a reply to the two Senior Brothers from the Inner Sect. Arrange a small gathering for the latter half of this month, and let them pick the day... As for the Outer Sect Disciples, I won’t see them. If any more come to visit in the future, just turn them away directly."

As they were also Inner Sect Disciples, Bai Zichen was willing to spend some time building connections and, in the process, gauge where his own strength ranked.

He couldn’t be bothered with Outer Sect Disciples.

In the Cultivation Realm, ultimate power came from oneself. There was limited room for those who relied on social maneuvering and complex stratagems.

’Even if I were to win over a group of Outer Sect Disciples to cheer for me, what good would it do? It wouldn’t help me get promoted to True Disciple in the slightest.’

"You’ve done well. Continue gathering information using this template from now on. Keep the focus on matters within the Sect."

It wasn’t that outside information was unimportant, but at Su Lie’s level, it was difficult to verify the authenticity of any intelligence he gathered. Information from within the Sect, however, was always traceable.

"Right, how much do you know about the Sect’s Market?"

Bai Zichen changed the subject, asking about the Market he had been curious about for a long time.

"If I may inform Young Master Bai, I used to make a living in the Market before I joined the Qingfeng Sect. I worked as a Welcoming Guest Officer for the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion for several years."

Su Lie’s spirits lifted. As an aide, the more value he demonstrated, the more trust he would earn from the Inner Sect Disciple he served.

...

The Qingfeng Sect’s Market.

It was located roughly a hundred and fifty miles from the Qingfeng Sect’s main mountain, situated at a key pass into and out of Black Mountain.

Although it was called a market, after several hundred years of development, it had grown to the size of a small town.

What started as a dozen or so buildings had now expanded to four streets and an ever-growing plaza for stalls.

Loose Cultivators had even built residences on the outskirts. The Qingfeng Sect didn’t interfere, and over time, the population grew, eventually gathering more than half of all the Loose Cultivators in Black Mountain.

The descendants of these Loose Cultivators who were born without Spiritual Roots also lived and multiplied nearby, all of them depending on the large community of cultivators for their survival.

Thus, when Bai Zichen arrived at the Market on his sword, the scene that greeted him was completely different from what he had imagined.

A chaotic, dense cluster of buildings, which from the air looked like countless matchboxes stacked on top of each other.

Closer to the center was a long, ring-shaped plaza. A large number of Loose Cultivators, unable to afford renting a shop in the Market, simply claimed a spot here to set up a stall and sell their wares.

A huge crowd of people gathered in the plaza, picking through the goods at the stalls for items they desired.

Much of the time, they didn’t even use Spirit Stones for transactions, opting for barter instead.

The core area was, of course, the four orderly, intersecting streets—the true Qingfeng Sect’s Market.

A thin layer of mist enveloped the entire Market.

This was the Market’s protective Grand Array. The Qingfeng Sect had stationed two Foundation Establishment Elders here to oversee it, a testament to its importance.

By controlling this Market, all the cultivators in Black Mountain County were, in a way, working for the Qingfeng Sect. Countless Spirit Stones and vast amounts of Cultivation Resources converged here, generating profit for the Sect.

The Market’s annual revenue was still growing rapidly.

’Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, Five Elements Sect Trading House... As expected, both of them have prime locations. I wonder where the Bai Clan’s shop is. Judging by Fatty’s tone, it’s probably somewhere on the outskirts.’

Several Qingfeng Sect disciples stood guard at the main entrance to the Market, but they didn’t question the cultivators coming and going.

According to Su Lie, once night fell, only three types of people were allowed to remain: Qingfeng Sect disciples, those who owned a shop or were long-term employees of one, and those who were staying in the inns run by the Qingfeng Sect, which cost a considerable sum of Spirit Stones.

Everyone else had to leave the Market.

It also wasn’t as Bai Zichen had imagined, with all the shops in the Market belonging to the Qingfeng Sect.

Aside from the inns, which it operated exclusively, the Qingfeng Sect also ran seven or eight other shops in prominent locations, covering nearly every trade.

The remaining shops were all sold to major Cultivation Families. There were even some Loose Cultivators who had saved up Spirit Stones their entire lives to pool their resources and buy a small shop.

After all, the Market had a policy: any Loose Cultivator with a descendant who possessed a Spiritual Root and had a good credit history could make a thirty percent down payment. The remaining Spirit Stones, plus interest, could be paid off over a period of up to sixty years.

There were two other shops in the Market, established in the most conspicuous locations at a street intersection.

The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion and the Five Elements Sect Trading House—branch stores opened in the Qingfeng Sect’s Market by two Core Formation Level powers.