Chapter 3

Chapter 1: The First Floor of Tianyi Building

Passing through the quiet back courtyard, circling around several corridors and small gardens, Shen Shi walked along the corridor with a blank expression, feeling the gradually increasing noise ahead, a sound he was all too familiar with from his childhood. Soon, after rounding a wall, a door with a hanging curtain appeared ahead. Here, the noise became much louder. Shen Shi stopped, stared at the door for a moment, took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and then stepped forward, instantly feeling a wave of sound rush towards him.

Spring is the time for planning, and morning is the time for action. Although it was still early, Shen Tai, Shen Shi’s father, had just opened the Tianyi Building, which he had operated for over a decade in Xilu City. Despite this, the spacious hall was already bustling with people, with a constant stream of customers coming and going.

In the vast universe of Hongmeng, the Hongmeng World, also commonly known as the "Hongmeng Main World," is the most important and expansive realm. Since ancient times, the majority of living beings have resided in this boundless world, which has yet to be fully explored. The other known realms are generally considered subordinate to the Hongmeng Main World, accessible only through ancient transmission arrays left from the mysterious ancient era.

The land area of the Hongmeng Main World far exceeds the combined land area of all other realms. Since the ancient era of the Heavenly Demon King, the geographical division of "one city and ninety states" has been established, and even in the current era of human prosperity, this division is still widely recognized.

The "one city" naturally refers to the ancient capital of Tianhong City, a city that has stood for over ten thousand years, known as the convergence of the essence of all Hongmeng realms. Located in the center of the Hongmeng continent, on the eastern shore of the inner sea, the city is vast beyond imagination. Legend has it that the city contains two massive mountain ranges. The population within the city is countless, numbering in the billions, making it incredibly prosperous and the most prominent city in the Hongmeng world, a place that everyone aspires to visit at least once in their lifetime.

The remaining vast territory of the Hongmeng continent is divided into ninety states of varying sizes. In reality, even the smallest state covers an area of several million square miles, with a vast population. In this era of human prosperity and flourishing cultivation, the entire region is a scene of vibrant life.

Shen Shi’s location is in the southwestern part of the Hongmeng continent, commonly known as "Yin State," named after the vast Tianyin Mountain Range that spans the state. Among the ninety states, Yin State is located in the southwestern corner but is still a relatively prosperous area due to its vast size.

Due to the current flourishing of the cultivation path, numerous cultivation sects are established in Yin State. Among them, the Xuan Yin Sect, a renowned cultivation sect, occupies the most famous cave heaven and blessed land, the Tianyin Mountain. The sect is known for its numerous talented disciples and is in a state of thriving development, making it the most powerful sect in the cultivation world of Yin State.

Shen Tai, Shen Shi’s father, was once a disciple of the Xuan Yin Sect. However, his talent in cultivation was mediocre, and he remained stuck at the basic Qi Refinement stage for many years, unable to break through to the Condensation of Essence stage, which is considered the true beginning of the cultivation path.

Unable to achieve his cultivation goals, Shen Tai had to give up on the path of immortality and, as an outer sect disciple, came to Xilu City, the largest city within a thousand miles of Tianyin Mountain, to manage the Tianyi Building, a business affiliated with the Xuan Yin Sect. Unexpectedly, Shen Tai, who failed in cultivation, showed an extraordinary talent for business. In just a few short years, he transformed the originally mediocre Tianyi Building into one of the two largest businesses in Xilu City, earning countless spirit crystals from the various cultivators and practitioners who frequented the city. Over the years, the amount of wealth he contributed to the Xuan Yin Sect was so vast that it could be described as a mountain of gold and a sea of silver.

As a result, over the years, Shen Tai, despite being an outer sect disciple, gradually gained the attention of some elders within the Xuan Yin Sect. He was promoted to the position of chief manager of the Tianyi Building. Moreover, his only son, Shen Shi, recently received news from the Xuan Yin Sect that he would be allowed to join the sect without the usual rigorous selection process, a privilege typically reserved for the descendants of the sect’s long-standing附属家族. This was a strategy used by the Xuan Yin Sect to attract talented individuals.

At this moment, the Tianyi Building, which had just opened for the day, was bustling with activity. Over the years, under Shen Tai’s management, the Tianyi Building had transformed from a small shop selling basic cultivation techniques and manuals, which the Xuan Yin Sect considered too rudimentary to use themselves, into a large-scale business. The spacious shop now had dozens of large counters, selling a wide variety of items related to cultivation, including techniques, manuals, pharmacopoeias, spirit herbs, minerals, demon cores, talismans, and spirit medicines. Among these items, there were even some rare and precious ones, though their prices were correspondingly very high.

On the west side of the shop, there was a long counter where the Tianyi Building would appraise and purchase spirit materials. Any cultivator who wanted to sell their spirit materials for various reasons could do so, and the Tianyi Building would buy them, often reselling them at a higher price.

In this way, the business thrived, with both buying and selling.

Shen Shi, who had grown up playing around the Tianyi Building, was familiar with all the shop assistants, most of whom were also from the Xuan Yin Sect but had failed in cultivation and thus became shop assistants. Everyone recognized the son of the chief manager and greeted Shen Shi with smiles. Shen Shi, as usual, smiled and greeted everyone with familiar terms, calling them brothers and sisters, and continued towards the entrance of the Tianyi Building.

The spacious shop was filled with light from the entrance, with people moving in and out, seemingly just a step away.

Shen Shi’s heart was beating faster, but he managed to control his demeanor. As he approached the entrance, a young woman in her early twenties suddenly appeared from behind a counter on the left side and called out to him, "Little Stone, wait a moment."

Shen Shi’s body stiffened, and a strange sound seemed to echo in his mind. He stopped, took a deep breath, turned his head, and smiled, saying, "Sister Xiaohong, what’s the matter?"

The woman, named Xiaohong, was dressed in the same uniform as the other shop assistants. She waved at Shen Shi and said with a smile, "Little Stone, come over and help me. A customer wants to sell some spirit herbs, but I’m not sure about them."

Shen Shi hesitated for a moment, raised an eyebrow, and then replied decisively, "Sure thing." He then walked over to the long counter where the purchases were made.

***

In the back courtyard of the Tianyi Building, Shen Tai left the quiet room and walked into the courtyard. He looked up at the Tianyin Mountain Range, which was shrouded in dark clouds, and a complex expression crossed his face.

Many years ago, he had also been deep in that mountain, along with many companions of similar age, all sharing the same dream and aspirations for the path of immortality. It was during that time that he met the gentle woman.

Later...

He suddenly closed his eyes and shook his head forcefully, as if trying to shake a thought out of his mind. When he opened his eyes again, his face had returned to a calm and composed state. He took one last look at the mountain and then turned to leave.

The courtyard was quiet, with most people busy in the front shop. Only a few figures in the uniforms of inner sect disciples of the Xuan Yin Sect could be seen in the secluded corners, guarding the Tianyi Building. With the business thriving and earning large amounts of spirit crystals daily, the Xuan Yin Sect was increasingly valuing the Tianyi Building.

Although Shen Tai’s cultivation was low, his current position as the chief manager of the Tianyi Building meant that ordinary Xuan Yin Sect disciples did not dare to look down on him. After all, no one wanted to offend such a wealthy figure, and it was rumored that several high-ranking elders within the Xuan Yin Sect held Shen Tai in high regard. Thus, in the eyes of ordinary disciples, Shen Tai was a unique figure who had broken the usual rule of the cultivation world, where strength was paramount, and had earned respect despite his weak cultivation.

As for the actual situation behind the scenes, that was another matter, unknown to anyone.

Shen Tai walked along, nodding to the Xuan Yin Sect disciples who were guarding the area. Occasionally, he would chat with those he was more familiar with, appearing as usual. The Xuan Yin Sect disciples guarding the area were all at least at the Condensation of Essence stage, in stark contrast to the outer sect disciples in the front shop who had no hope of cultivation.

After walking for a while and passing through two courtyards, Shen Tai arrived at a secluded courtyard. This area was clearly different from the surrounding courtyards, with more Xuan Yin Sect disciples guarding it. The door to the courtyard was marked with the words "Storage Room," indicating that it was where the Tianyi Building stored various spirit materials.

Seeing Shen Tai approach, the Xuan Yin Sect disciples guarding the area greeted him with smiles, showing no suspicion. As the chief manager of the Tianyi Building, Shen Tai frequently visited this area, so there was nothing unusual about his presence.

Shen Tai, as usual, smiled and chatted with the guards for a moment before entering the courtyard. He took a set of keys from his waist, unlocked the storage room door, and walked in under the watchful eyes of the guards.

The door creaked shut behind him.

The storage room was large, but the closed windows and doors made the lighting dim. The smile on Shen Tai’s face gradually faded.

He coldly surveyed the spacious room, the mountains of valuable spirit materials, and the neatly arranged shelves. Everything here was the result of his years of hard work.

He was familiar with every inch of this place.

But perhaps after today, he would never see these things again.

The short, fat man suddenly smiled and took a step forward. His footsteps echoed through the shelves, and he walked past one after another until he reached a certain spot deep in the storage room. In front of him was a shelf that, unlike the others filled with spirit materials, contained only a few jade boxes. On the back of the shelf, a piece of white paper was attached, with four words written on it:

Elder’s Offering.

Shen Tai reached out and opened one of the jade boxes. As the lid lifted, a clear, azure light slowly spilled out, illuminating the dim storage room and casting a beautiful glow on Shen Tai’s face.

He gazed at the object in the box for a moment, and the corners of his mouth twitched. He then smiled coldly, reached into his chest, and pulled out something. A familiar azure light suddenly appeared in his palm.

It was a strange gemstone, shimmering with a clear, azure light, as if countless waves were rising and falling within it. Shen Tai’s breathing suddenly quickened. In the gentle blue light, he seemed to grit his teeth and then gently placed the azure spirit gem into the jade box. A moment later, when he withdrew his hand, a spirit gem almost identical to the one he had just placed in the box appeared in his hand. However, the azure light was not as intense and brilliant as before, but the gemstone’s luster seemed more gentle and clear.

“Click!”

Shen Tai closed the jade box, hid the azure gemstone in his chest, and turned to leave.

(Another chapter at 7 PM...)

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