For the scions of noble families, presentation while traveling was also extremely important.

If their transport was shabby, others might suspect they held a low position within their family, or even that their family’s fortunes were in decline.

If he could help it, Zuoqiu Ye naturally didn’t want to lose face, but the affair with the Profound Carp Association had dealt a devastating blow to the Zuoqiu Family. The Spirit Stones they had earned from the association over the years had long since been converted into numerous assets and distributed among their family members.

He gritted his teeth in frustration. ’Why couldn’t the Ticket Shop have appeared sooner? If it had, the Zuoqiu Family wouldn’t have been forced to sell off their assets at rock-bottom prices when they were in desperate need of Spirit Stones.’

The Sima Family’s Flying Pavilion appeared to be only fifteen zhang square on the outside, but thanks to the Spatial Restrictions within, it was far larger than it looked. It was like a veritable palace, with ornate carvings and painted beams, a magnificent sight to behold.

Even as a direct heir of a Noble Family, Zuoqiu Ye felt as though his horizons had been greatly expanded.

’This is how a true man should live!’

The thought surfaced in his mind, but when he remembered the Zuoqiu Family’s current dire straits, his spirits sank.

By now, many scions of noble families had gathered in the main hall of the Flying Pavilion, drinking fine wine and feasting on delicacies as they were attended to by Maids.

Wisps of smoke curled from a Bronze Incense Burner in the hall, as Maids in light gauze shuttled back and forth, carrying platters of food. Sima Peng sat high in the host’s seat, wine cup in hand, constantly encouraging his guests to drink.

He looked utterly self-satisfied.

’Back in the Central Continent,’ he thought, ’I, Sima Peng, would just be another unremarkable face at a banquet. I’d never be the center of attention like this.’

Sha Li, who stood quietly behind Sima Peng to lend him an air of prestige, felt a little uneasy. According to intelligence from the Celestial Treasure Tower, this shareholders meeting was shaping up to be a far grander affair than anticipated; more than a few Nascent Soul Cultivators had already arrived.

The only thing Sima Peng had to rely on was his status as a member of a Central Continent noble family.

It was far too naive to think he could use that alone to stir up a storm in the Western Continent.

But Sha Li could see that Sima Peng, buoyed by the flattery of these scions from the Western Continent, was already getting carried away. ’If I try to warn him now,’ Sha Li thought, ’he definitely won’t listen. He’ll just turn his anger on me instead.’

So, he decided to just turn a blind eye. ’Besides, with Sima Peng’s status, it’s not like he’s in any mortal danger. At worst, he’ll just learn a lesson the hard way.’

’On the other hand, if Sima Peng starts to resent me, that would be a true disaster.’

"Speaking of which, it was only after I arrived in the Northern Domain that I realized how astonishing the profits of the Seven Nations Ticket Shop truly are. In less than five months, it has generated eighty million Spirit Stones in revenue."

Although everyone present was already aware of the Ticket Shop’s profits, hearing the number again still made their breath catch in their throats.

And that was with many of its loans yet to be repaid.

By integrating with nearly every major Great Trading House in the Northern Domain Seven Kingdoms, it had earned close to twenty million Spirit Stones from transaction fees alone.

Even though they were scions of Noble Families, the most profitable venture they had ever witnessed was operating a Spirit Stone Mine, digging Spirit Stones directly out of a Spirit Vein.

But extensive mining damaged the Spirit Vein and required immense manpower. It was nothing like the Seven Nations Ticket Shop, which could practically rake in Spirit Stones just by sitting there.

If not for an explicit decree from the Six Great Sects stating that for the next few years, only the Seven Nations Ticket Shop could engage in this line of business, these influential Noble Families would have long since opened their own ticket shops within their territories.

Some Noble Families even paid lip service to the decree while secretly defying it, mimicking the Seven Nations Ticket Shop to run their own lending operations. But their profits were a far cry from the Ticket Shop’s, and they even lost a considerable amount of Spirit Stones to loan defaulters.

"But for such a stunningly profitable enterprise to be in the hands of a few Golden Core Clans... truly, it’s a bright pearl cast into darkness."

Sima Peng lamented, downing a cup of Spirit Wine.

The eyes of the noble scions at the banquet glinted. They had, of course, all come for a stake in the Seven Nations Ticket Shop.

The price per share in this new offering certainly wouldn’t be like the last one, which was only ten thousand Spirit Stones.

Based on projections, the annual dividend for a single share was likely to reach nearly ten thousand Spirit Stones. Thus, to compete for more shares, these Noble Families from the Western Continent had each scraped together around ten million Spirit Stones. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Young Master Sima, do you have a plan?"

A young man in a Brocade White Treasure Robe asked.

"I hear that on paper, authority over the Seven Nations Ticket Shop rests with its board of directors. But the directors are either busy with their own affairs or in seclusion for their cultivation. As a result, the real power of the Seven Nations Ticket Shop is concentrated in the hands of a single person: the Secretary of the Board."

Everyone present perked up, knowing they had reached the heart of the matter.

Anyone with eyes could see that effective control of the Seven Nations Ticket Shop was currently in the hands of Yang Jing.

Even if one were to seize the position of Board Secretary, there was no guarantee they could command the same authority he did. But this was a behemoth through which hundreds of millions of Spirit Stones circulated.

The mere thought of it was enough to set their imaginations running wild.

However, Yang Jing was not without his own backing. The Five Elements True Spirit Sect and Canyuan True Monarch were both his steadfast supporters. More importantly, his own skill in Magical Combat was a cut above the rest among Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

The reputation of an ordinary Noble Son might be inflated, but this man’s fame was built upon the heads of countless True Disciples of the Demon Sects. There wasn’t an ounce of exaggeration in it.

In fact, one of Yang Jing’s defeated opponents was right here among them.

Some already cast mocking glances toward Zuoqiu Ye.

"I’ve heard that this Yang Jing fellow comes from a mere Independent Cultivator background," Sima Peng continued. "I never expected that here in the Western Continent, someone of such lowly birth could actually usurp such a high position. With his limited perspective, is he truly capable of handling such a heavy responsibility?"