Chapter 5

Stepping over the threshold, the clamor of the crowd surged past Shen Shi like a tide. On this bustling and prosperous Horse Hoof Street, where Tianyi Building was located and which was also the busiest street in West Lu City, a steady stream of people flowed through the streets.

On both sides of the wide street, as far as the eye could see, were rows of shops with their doors open. Countless people moved back and forth among these street shops. Tianyi Building, on this long street, was undoubtedly the largest and most imposing establishment, both in terms of the flow of customers and the grandeur of the building itself. The only place that could rival Tianyi Building was another ancient and magnificent building on the opposite side of the street, which seemed in no way inferior to Tianyi Building.

That was the other major shop in West Lu City, known alongside Tianyi Building as one of the two leading establishments. On the large and heavy door, a signboard bore three golden characters: Immortal Gathering.

Standing at the entrance of Tianyi Building, Shen Shi naturally glanced at the bustling Immortal Gathering branch across the street, his expression somewhat complicated.

Immortal Gathering, a name that resounded like thunder, was not just famous within West Lu City. In fact, Immortal Gathering could be said to be the most powerful and largest commercial empire in the history of the Primordial Realms. Its influence extended to all the territories known to the human race, as the saying went, "In the Primordial City of Ninety States, Immortal Gathering is everywhere." This had never been achieved by any merchant in the past, even during the era of the ancient demon kings.

This commercial empire had a long and storied history, dating back to the time of the great war between humans and demons ten thousand years ago. It was born amidst the chaos of war, providing strong support to the human race, which had been brutally oppressed by the hundred races of the Primordial Realms, and to the six young and weak sages of humanity at that time.

Over the ten thousand years, this mysterious and powerful commercial empire did not rise and fall like many cultivation sects. Instead, it continued to develop quietly but rapidly. Today, in the main realm of the Primordial Realms, in every important city and region, there was almost always an Immortal Gathering branch, gathering wealth day and night. The immense credibility accumulated over ten thousand years made Immortal Gathering the first choice for all cultivators in the cultivation world when it came to buying and selling goods.

Corresponding to this terrifying financial power, although Immortal Gathering had always conducted its business in a low-key manner, in the Primordial Realms, apart from the current "Four Orthodox and Seven Mystic" eleven major sects, almost everyone, whether they were numerous independent cultivators or noble descendants of prestigious families, privately acknowledged that Immortal Gathering was actually the twelfth major power in the main realm of the Primordial Realms.

Some even believed that with Immortal Gathering's terrifying financial power, its omnipresent influence, and its countless spies, although it was just a commercial empire, the number of cultivation experts it supported and the numerous sects and noble families it had good relations with were countless. By this calculation, Immortal Gathering's hidden strength might even surpass the openly powerful Four Orthodox and Seven Mystic.

However, this claim was naturally just the subject of idle chatter for some bored people. At least on the surface, Immortal Gathering had never shown any obvious intention to seek power in the cultivation world. It had always just quietly made money and conducted business. It was under this background that Shen Shi's father, Shen Tai, with his limited cultivation, had almost single-handedly turned Tianyi Building into a major shop in West Lu City that could rival Immortal Gathering, which was truly a miracle.

Of course, this "miracle" was limited to West Lu City. In the vast main realm of the Primordial Realms, it was insignificant. But looking at the countless large and small cities in the Primordial Realms, how many people could achieve this? Therefore, Shen Tai, this short and stout man, had been increasingly valued by the Xuan Yin Sect over the years. As a result, Shen Shi also benefited, receiving a message from the Xuan Yin Sect that he could be given an additional spot to smoothly join the sect for cultivation.

This treatment might not seem particularly special, but just by looking at the countless independent cultivators on the streets, who were struggling to make a living with just a few spirit crystals, one could understand how important it was to have a powerful cultivation sect as a backing.

The Xuan Yin Sect was considered the most powerful cultivation sect in the Yin State. Although it was still far from the top-tier sects like the Four Orthodox and Seven Mystic, it was already powerful enough in the vast territory of the Yin State. Moreover, the Heavenly Yin Mountain was a spiritual mountain, with a valuable spirit vein deep in the mountains that could absorb the essence of heaven and earth, condensing and producing spirit crystals. Just this alone made it far superior to independent cultivators.

"Immortal Gathering, huh..." He slowly withdrew his gaze from the signboard, glanced around the street outside Tianyi Building, and saw a few men who looked like independent cultivators standing or sitting on the steps by the door, chatting lazily, their eyes either on the street or occasionally glancing at the people coming and going from Tianyi Building.

Shen Shi smiled and walked straight over.

The four or five men who looked like independent cultivators, three of whom were sitting against the wall, did not get up. However, the two standing and chatting, one with a beard and the other younger, the bearded man laughed and said, "Go away, don't cause trouble, we're just idle men."

Shen Shi sneered and said, "Cut it out, everyone in West Lu City knows you guys are Tianyi Building's guards, and you pretend to be independent cultivators every day. Aren't you tired?"

Tianyi Building, which made a fortune for the Xuan Yin Sect every day, was a crucial source of wealth. The Xuan Yin Sect would naturally send some cultivation experts to protect it, both openly and secretly. Otherwise, it would have been plundered long ago.

The younger man laughed and said, "You make it sound easy. Unlike you, who have a money-making father, we are so poor that we have to come here to guard the door for your father, at least to earn a few spirit crystals to go back to the mountain for cultivation."

Shen Shi pursed his lips, spat, and laughed, "Don't talk nonsense. You don't know what goes on in this building. Every spirit crystal earned has to be handed over to the sect. My father is just a worker for the sect."

The four or five men all laughed, but no one contradicted Shen Shi. The bearded man laughed and said, "Alright, you're not without benefits. Didn't you hear a few days ago that you, like the noble descendants of families that have been subordinate to the sect for hundreds of years, can easily join the sect?"

He shook his head and sighed, as if recalling something from the past, with a hint of self-mockery, "Back in the day, the hardships I went through to join the sect..."

Shen Shi smiled, bowed to the men, and said, "So, if I ever go to Heavenly Yin Mountain, I hope you all will take care of me."

The bearded man waved his hand, laughed, and scolded, "Get lost, get lost. With your father, not to mention us low-level Condensation Realm disciples, even the high-ranking 'Divine Realm' elders will treat you politely. I'm counting on you to take care of me in the future!"

A burst of laughter came from behind him, and the three or four men all laughed, their expressions warm and friendly. It was clear that over the years, Shen Shi had gained a lot of popularity at Tianyi Building, even with these Xuan Yin Sect disciples who had already advanced to the Condensation Realm.

Shen Shi was chatting with these disciples when he suddenly heard a voice from behind, "Hey, isn't that Little Rock from the Shen family?"

Shen Shi turned around, frowned, and saw several people standing behind him. The one in front was a boy about his age, with a fair complexion and slightly taller than him, followed by a few servants.

Shen Shi's lips twitched, and his expression turned cold, "Young Master Wang, is there something you need?"

This young man, surnamed Wang, seemed to come from a good family, naturally exuding an air of arrogance. He looked at Shen Shi with a half-smile and said, "Little Rock, it's been a long time. But this year, the sect is accepting new disciples, and I heard you received the sect's favor and can join without an exam?"

Shen Shi looked at him deeply and said, "That's not certain yet. I don't know. What about you, Wang Hou? Will you be selected to join the Xuan Yin Sect for cultivation?"

The young man, whose name suggested great ambition, said proudly, "Our Wang family has served the sect for over two hundred years, so we naturally have the qualifications. And this year, we received more than one spot, a total of five people." He stretched out his hand, waving five fingers in front of Shen Shi.

Shen Shi glanced at the fingers, his jaw muscles trembling slightly, and then said, "Impressive, impressive; I admire you, I really do."

Wang Hou snorted, glanced at Shen Shi, and seemed to look down on him. He then said, "By the way, do you remember my black Tibetan mastiff?"

Shen Shi's face darkened, and he didn't speak. Wang Hou, seeing his expression, suddenly became happy and laughed, "I remember when we were kids, along with the children from the Sun, Li, and Ou families, we used to play together, and that black Tibetan mastiff always followed us. One time, the dog went crazy and bit people, but it only chased you, not the others. Oh, you were chased so badly back then, weren't you?"

Shen Shi looked at him, his expression calm, and said, "Yes, I was scared to death that time."

Wang Hou laughed loudly, looking extremely pleased, and then Shen Shi asked, "What happened to that big dog?"

Wang Hou's smile faltered, and he shrugged, "Two years ago, the black Tibetan mastiff slipped out of the house and disappeared. I don't know if it ran off with some female dog."

Shen Shi said, "Oh," and didn't say anything more. Wang Hou laughed and said, "Little Rock, once we join the sect, we'll be fellow disciples with the children from other families. Although your family is a bit poorer, it doesn't matter. The important thing is that you can join the sect. We'll see who progresses faster in cultivation."

Shen Shi smiled and said, "Sure."

Wang Hou looked at him meaningfully, suddenly laughed loudly, and then turned and walked away. Shen Shi watched his back for a moment, then turned around, his face showing no anger, and said to the men, "Kids arguing, I apologize for the disturbance."

The men all laughed, and the bearded man looked over and said, "Oh, that's the young master of the Wang family?"

Shen Shi nodded and said, "Yes, the eldest grandson of the main branch." He chatted a bit more with them, then said he had some things to do and left, walking down the street.

Behind him, the men's gazes returned to their lazy postures outside Tianyi Building. The younger man said, "It seems the young master of the Wang family looks down on Little Rock."

The bearded man sneered, "The Wang family just relies on their long history. They look down on the Shen family, but they don't think about what Tianyi Building is today. Just based on them... huh?" He suddenly frowned, as if he had thought of something.

The young man asked, "Senior Chen, what's wrong?"

The bearded man, surnamed Chen, his face showing a strange expression, did not immediately answer his junior. Instead, he turned to look in the direction Shen Shi had left, and after a moment, turned back, his expression still strange, and said, "I just remembered something..."

The young man asked, "What is it?"

The bearded man laughed dryly and said, "Two years ago, Little Rock once pulled me to the street for a walk. Later, in an alley, we saw a black Tibetan mastiff. This little guy said he wanted to eat dog meat and kept pestering me to kill it. We then made a fire and had a dog meat feast together."

Upon hearing this, the other men's faces all showed surprise, and for a moment, no one spoke. Finally, the young man pursed his lips and laughed bitterly, "The kids these days are really something..."

(Another chapter at 7 PM.)

Page break with ads

Page break with ads end