Chapter 146: War Opportunity

“The artifacts are on the third floor, senior, please!”

Upon hearing Xu Qing’s request for artifacts, the young woman, who had served many Foundation Establishment cultivators from various sects, immediately realized that this exceptionally handsome peer before her must be a Foundation Establishment cultivator. This made her heart flutter. Her way of addressing him changed, and her eyes became moist, as she respectfully led the way.

At the stairs, she was particularly mindful. Instead of asking Xu Qing to go first, she actively stepped forward to lead the way. This was not impolite. As she ascended the steps, her figure inadvertently revealed its curves with her every movement, especially her prominent, shapely buttocks, which caused her robes to swell, outlining a peach-like form. While full of allure, the swaying of her twin ponytails also added a touch of innocence. Unfortunately, Xu Qing ignored it.

Upon reaching the third floor, the young woman felt a slight pang of disappointment. She hadn't sensed any particular interest from Xu Qing. However, she quickly composed herself and, after ushering Xu Qing into a private room, respectfully inquired about his artifact needs.

“Offensive type, under 300,000 spirit stones!” Xu Qing stated calmly.

The young woman nodded upon hearing this and excused herself. It wasn't long before she returned with a tray holding three items. There was a small blue sword with a talisman affixed to it, sealing ninety-nine percent of its fluctuations, allowing only a hint to be felt. The second item was a necklace, set with five black beads, each the size of a fingernail, also sealed by talismans. The last item was a small red bell.

“The Cold Mountain Sword. This sword contains the aura of the Forbidden Sea. During its creation, it was submerged in the seabed for three years, imbuing it with astonishing coldness. When wielded with spiritual power, it can emit a chilling aura, and it excels in speed and unparalleled sharpness.”

“The Five Fiend Beads. Each bead seals a strand of Golden Fiend aura. Once released, they can transform into Golden Punishment Thunder, obliterating everything. They will not stop unless exhausted. To use them, one must infuse spiritual power while engraving the opponent’s name onto a bead.”

“The Soul-Binding Bell. Once shaken, it can make an enemy’s soul tremble, rooting them to the spot. However, it is ineffective against anomalies and only works on cultivators with a physical body. Moreover, this artifact has a flaw: once activated, the user, also having a physical body, will be affected. Yet, because it is a rare soul-type artifact, its price is actually higher.”

“The Cold Mountain Sword is 270,000 spirit stones, the Five Fiend Beads are 300,000, and the Soul-Binding Bell is 330,000 spirit stones,” the young woman stated crisply, then looked at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing’s gaze swept over the three items. On the surface, he appeared calm, but inwardly, he lamented the high cost of artifacts. However, he knew that artifacts were especially crucial before he could activate his Profound Radiance state. Especially since... he felt that since war was coming, he naturally had to prepare thoroughly. Otherwise, once the news spread, prices would likely become even higher.

He actually liked all three artifacts, but he couldn't afford to buy them all. He also needed to buy jade talismans and a large quantity of poisonous herbs. So, after examining each one, Xu Qing finally grit his teeth and bought the Soul-Binding Bell. Although the item had a flaw, Xu Qing had a way to mitigate it. He planned to bind it to his black iron stick, allowing the Adamant Sect Patriarch to use it for long-range attacks. As an artifact spirit rather than a flesh-and-blood soul, the Adamant Sect Patriarch would not be affected.

“This one, then,” Xu Qing said slowly, holding the Soul-Binding Bell.

The young woman was somewhat excited, as artifact sales were big business. After respectfully completing the transaction for Xu Qing, she then, at his request, took him to the second floor to view jade talismans. Here, Xu Qing bought three defensive jade talismans and one offensive jade talisman, spending another 120,000 spirit stones.

As he exited the shop, Xu Qing patted his pockets and sighed inwardly. During Qi Condensation, he found the required resources expensive. At Foundation Establishment, he thought Qi Condensation resources were fine, and Foundation Establishment Pills were the priciest. But now, looking back, he felt none of that compared. It was the Foundation Establishment jade talismans and artifacts that were truly the most expensive.

“And my Dharma boat needs to be upgraded, which also requires a lot of spirit stones…”

Xu Qing shook his head. Having bought the artifacts, he suppressed the pang of regret and prepared to visit the Clear Spirit District of the main city's Second Peak to check on herbs. After all, the variety of herbs in the Port District was inferior compared to the Clear Spirit District. At the same time, he also wanted to see if there were any Ghost Desires Horseshoe Crabs or ammonites for sale, as these were crucial for him to attract sea beasts and open his Dharma Apertures when venturing out to sea.

However, as Xu Qing was on his way to the Clear Spirit District of the Second Peak, his identity token vibrated. Xu Qing took it out and saw it was a voice transmission from Zhang San.

“Xu Qing, you’re back?”

“Returned yesterday,” Xu Qing replied.

“Where are you? Do you want to come over, or should I find you? I need to discuss something important with you.”

“I’m planning to check out herbs in the Clear Spirit District.” Xu Qing was curious about what Zhang San wanted and also recalled the records on his cave mansion's central console about the captain having looked for him multiple times.

“Alright, there’s a Hundred Herb Pavilion in the Clear Spirit District. Let’s meet there.”

The voice transmission ended.

Xu Qing pondered, then headed towards the Clear Spirit District of the Second Peak. Soon after, he found the Hundred Herb Pavilion Zhang San had mentioned. The shop was large, considered a famous establishment in the second district. From a distance, Xu Qing spotted Zhang San outside the Hundred Herb Pavilion. He was sitting on a nearby step, smoking a pipe, his grey daoist robe inconspicuous. Seeing Xu Qing, Zhang San smiled, stood up, patted dust off his backside, and hurried over.

“Junior Brother Xu Qing, has the captain been looking for you these past few days?” Zhang San asked in a low voice, pulling Xu Qing to a corner once he was close.

“I haven't seen the captain since I returned,” Xu Qing replied, a little puzzled, glancing at Zhang San.

“That’s good. That guy, the captain, has been frantically borrowing money lately. He almost mortgaged my port development rights, telling me he wanted to buy a method to disguise himself as another race, claiming it would yield at least a hundredfold profit if successful. I figured he’d probably look for you too.”

“Junior Brother Xu Qing, you still have your port development rights, right?” Zhang San asked, looking at Xu Qing expectantly.

“Yes,” Xu Qing nodded.

“Excellent!” Zhang San chuckled, speaking rapidly. “Xu Qing, give me your port development rights. I finally managed to persuade the captain not to mortgage his own, so with yours included, we can pull off a big one.”

“I have reliable information that the sect is about to go to war with the Sea Corpse Race. Many people have actually guessed this, but information like this, when heard by different people, sparks different thoughts; it's about perspective.”

“Some hear of war and think of self-preservation, others think of how to gain contributions, some are anxious and tense, and a few can think of getting rich but don’t know how to achieve it. At most, they just think of hoarding resources, but I’m different,” Zhang San said, a proud expression on his face. “Xu Qing, let me tell you, once war begins, it’s a golden opportunity to get rich. At this time, don’t think about stockpiling resources; it’s useless and will only earn you resentment. We don’t earn money from our fellow disciples; we earn it from the sect!”

“This time, the sect will undoubtedly make a grand show of force against the Sea Corpse Race. When that happens, all ports will certainly be requisitioned for wartime service, whether for deploying artifacts, positioning warships, or facilitating the movement of disciples from various peaks. Ports will be key. The Seventh Peak has a limited number of ports. So, if I open three interconnected ports at this time, such a large port would undoubtedly be the sect’s first choice for requisition. And requisitioning requires payment. So, we just need to simply build them before the war starts, setting up more berths. I’ve calculated that if the war lasts three months, we’ll break even. If it lasts a year, we’ll earn at least four times our investment!”

“And the war between the two sides will only last longer. This is a once-in-a-century opportunity; we absolutely must seize it.”

Hearing Zhang San’s words, Xu Qing’s eyes widened. He looked deeply at Zhang San, and a feeling of admiration couldn't help but rise in his heart. He truly felt that Zhang San’s acumen for making money far surpassed that of ordinary people.

Noticing Xu Qing’s expression, Zhang San felt very pleased and chuckled. “Xu Qing, like the captain, you don’t need to put in a single spirit stone. Just give me the development rights. I’ll handle the initial investment, and then for all profits, you and the captain will each get twenty-five percent, and I’ll take fifty percent. Is that acceptable?”

“And even after the war ends, the ports will still be operational, so this profit will be long-term and continuous.” Zhang San looked at Xu Qing, awaiting his reply.

Xu Qing thought for a moment, then took out a token and handed it to Zhang San. This token was the proof of port development rights. Zhang San’s expression brightened as he took it, seemingly full of vigor.

“In a year, I guarantee you’ll get at least several million spirit stones!” Zhang San chuckled, took out a jade slip, and quickly began contacting his network to organize the construction. He then waved to Xu Qing and departed.

Watching Zhang San leave, Xu Qing sighed inwardly. He truly felt that Zhang San was a prodigy, not only talented in artifact refining, with seemingly fast cultivation speed, but also possessing an astonishing nose for making money. “I hope I really can get that much in a year,” Xu Qing thought, his heart quickening slightly as he recalled Zhang San saying he could earn several million spirit stones a year later. The amount of profit Zhang San spoke of was enormous, a powerful attraction for Xu Qing, whose pockets were almost empty.

After a while, Xu Qing took a deep breath and entered the Hundred Herb Pavilion.

Two incense sticks later, Xu Qing emerged, having purchased the necessary poisonous herbs. Although it cost him a significant amount of spirit stones, he felt somewhat satisfied, as the shop had an exceptionally large quantity of poisonous herbs, even surpassing the True Sun Herb in abundance. Xu Qing felt this was how a normal herb shop should look. After all, the vast majority of medicinal herbs are, ultimately, toxic. Here, he bought many poisonous herbs he had only ever read about in Master Bai's old texts. He now planned to return and try refining new poisons. His only regret was that they didn't have Ghost Desire Horseshoe Crabs, but the shopkeeper offered full-price ordering, with pickup available in about a month, which Xu Qing agreed to.

“I must refine a poison that can swiftly kill Foundation Establishment cultivators, especially the Sea Corpse Race!”

Xu Qing’s body rose into the air, heading straight for his cave mansion on the Seventh Peak.

Time passed. Half a month quickly went by as Xu Qing refined poisons and cultivated in his cave mansion. A piece of news rapidly spread throughout the sect, capturing everyone's attention. The entire atmosphere of the Seven Blood Eyes Sect became heavy and oppressive as this news spread.

“It seems the Sea Corpse Race and the Seven Blood Eyes are on the verge of all-out war!”