Chapter 225: Guilingfang Market Opens, Jin Miaoshan Visits

Matters involving two major entities are almost always like this. Negotiations lasted four years, and obtaining the compensation will still take time. Ultimately, the vast majority of this compensation ended up with Yunling Prefecture City.

Only a very small portion went to Guiling, and that was only because Wang Yu was directly involved. If he hadn't been quick-witted enough to call for help, it wouldn't have even reached this stage.

More likely, the Yellow Springs Temple would have simply slipped away.

As for the true purpose of True Master Dizang, Elder Xuanyan might know, but Wang Yu was not informed. It seemed to involve a secret related to the land in Yunling Prefecture.

Although he didn't know, he could guess.

The opponent's goal in seizing the sacred offering was to lure him out of the city, then capture Wang Yu alive and secretly gain control of Guiling.

Therefore, this matter must be related to Guiling. What else could be in the vicinity? Only the Ancient Ruins of Dongjijing!

He suspected that the previous struggle for the Spirit Transformation inheritance led True Master Dizang to discover some hidden secret. This was reinforced when, after their ceding of land and cities, the border expanded towards Youzhou.

Further to the east, several more cities that originally belonged to Yellow Springs Temple were added. This diminished Guiling's unique position, as cultivators exploring the ancient ruins now had more options.

Being out of the limelight wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

After all, the geographical advantage still existed. Anything that happened at the Dongjijing ruins would not escape Wang Yu's notice.

Of course, all of this was merely his speculation.

If his guess was wrong, True Master Dizang would certainly not give up after a single failure. In the future, he would devise more schemes against Guiling.

At that time, it would be convenient to verify Wang Yu's theories.

For now, there was no need to worry too much. The negotiations had just concluded, and during this sensitive period, the Blood Spirit Sect's surveillance of Yellow Springs Temple would also intensify.

This would be a rare period of calm.

Seizing this excellent opportunity,

Wang Yu prioritized the Guiling Market project, which he had been preparing for years. He chose an auspicious day and, together with all forces in his alliance of interests, opened for business.

He reorganized Guiling's entire industrial layout. The central district was cleared of mortals and converted entirely for cultivators, incorporating the City Lord's Mansion as well.

He constructed twenty Tier-3 cave dwellings, three hundred Tier-2 cave dwellings, and eighteen hundred Tier-1 cave dwellings, distributed in inner, middle, and outer rings.

This would be the start of his cave dwelling rental business.

The three districts to the east, west, and south were originally controlled by Guiling's three clans. After the Bai clan's demise, their properties were divided between the Guan and Jiang families. However, their influence struggled to extend across an entire district.

Scattered shops, even in prime locations, were of little use because establishing the Guiling Market was essential, and separating the management of cultivators and mortals was even more so.

Centralization was key to attracting foot traffic, and the rebuilt central district served this function well. Shops from various families converged there, significantly increasing land value.

This involved setting up formations, constructing residences, gathering spiritual energy, and relocating residents, among other tasks.

Numerous disparate factions in the northern district also needed to move to the central district. Specifically, for the Yunmeng Pavilion business, from which Wang Yu received substantial annual offerings, he arranged an excellent location.

Although Madam Chaoyun had gone to Sanmao City to assassinate Luo Chen, Xiangxiang was still there. As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, she was sufficient to maintain the basic operations of Yunmeng Pavilion.

The Blood Blade Gang, on the other hand, had entirely become his black-gloved proxy. With Blood Blade Guest gone, only a few remnants remained, and he had them properly settled.

As for the Purple Gold Merchant Association, it had been completely absorbed by the City Lord's Mansion. Wang Yu appointed True Master Qingyang to temporarily oversee it, ensuring that business with the Yama Ghost Market continued. Even if it meant a loss, maintaining that channel was crucial.

The original northern district was transformed into a workshop hub, including alchemy chambers, artifact workshops, facilities for tanning talisman paper and demon hides, the Guan family's workshops for making paper, ink, brushes, and inkstones, as well as exotic stone processing and formation flag manufacturing—there were simply too many workshops.

Among these, alchemy and artifact chambers were the most numerous, and they were also available for rent by rogue cultivators.

The Guiling Market would be the main source of spirit stone income in the future.

Wang Yu also invested heavily in formation funds. Labor, however, was inexpensive; he had repurposed the City Guard into a construction team, and they certainly justified the salaries he paid them.

That paltry amount of spirit stones wasn't enough for a desperate struggle, but working for him would surely suffice?

After being City Lord for a long time, he gradually learned some effective ways to motivate his subordinates.

Capitalizing on the Guiling Market's opening, Wang Yu conducted a major census of the city's cultivator population. There were over 120,000 cultivators in total, with Qi Condensation cultivators making up 99%, and early-stage cultivators being particularly common.

However, only about 50% of them actually owned residences in Guiling, most of which were ancestral homes. The other half consisted of a transient population.

For various reasons, they settled in Guiling, staying anywhere from several months to several years, with some even remaining for over a decade.

With the market opening, they flocked to join the excitement, effectively gathering these transient individuals in one place.

This also simplified management and reduced expenditures for the city patrol. It was a good opportunity to dismiss some of the early-recruited rogue cultivators and promote the loyal ones.

The sheer number of transient cultivators was somewhat beyond Wang Yu's expectations.

He immediately ordered the continued construction of Tier-1 cave dwellings, estimating that at least ten thousand would be needed to meet basic demand. If the central district's area was insufficient, they would build upwards.

If that still wasn't enough, they would build underground, and those living in basements would simply receive a discount on spirit stones.

These individuals were also qualified to operate shops in the market.

For temporary stalls, Wang Yu specifically designated three streets for them, charging a daily rent of just a few spirit stones. This, too, amounted to a significant sum.

Another advantage of centralized market management was that no transaction, no matter how small, could escape the City Lord's Mansion's oversight. Everyone had to pay taxes!

Before the market opened, most of the fixed shops had already been sold, allowing City Lord Wang to experience a surge in wealth, with his spirit stone reserves increasing rapidly. The central district had always been his territory.

Not only rogue cultivators but also others in the alliance of interests were subject to this. However, since this was the primary direction for Guiling's development, the alliance members relinquished their shops in their respective districts.

Choosing to fully cooperate with him certainly involved giving substantial discounts. However, the eastern, western, and southern districts were now exclusively for settling mortals, with only annual spirit-testing ceremonies required.

This wave of land sales brought Wang Yu a one-time influx of five million spirit stones. This was inextricably linked to his previous management: the competition between Golden Full Tower and Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, his policy of sacrificing immediate profits for long-term gains, and the external capital brought by the surge in Dongjijing explorations had all made Guiling City far wealthier than before.

Reaping the rewards at this moment was incredibly satisfying, and this was even after he had exercised considerable restraint!

From its opening, the Guiling Market flourished. Various discounts and promotions lasted for a full month, and Heavenly Treasure Pavilion also cooperated with Wang Yu's operations, ensuring a bright future for everyone.

March, year 31 of his Deacon tenure!

On that day,

Wang Yu was in his Niwan Palace, condensing the thirty-third Soul-Piercing Evil Boat. This soul-searching secret technique, empowered by his strong divine sense, had already reached the minor accomplishment stage, capable of extracting souls and memories.

It subtly connected with the "Heavenly Soul Qi" secret technique, as if the two were inherently complementary. His cultivation speed for this secret technique was unexpectedly fast.

"My Lord City Lord, a distinguished guest has arrived and requests your presence at the Welcoming Pine Hall."

"A distinguished guest? Has an envoy from the Yellow Springs Temple arrived?"

Wang Yu stopped his cultivation and pushed the door open.

Outside the door was Xu Ruozhou. With his rare dual spirit root aptitude and cultivation resources from the City Lord's Mansion, he had now reached the peak of the eighth stage of Qi Condensation.

He was expected to attempt a breakthrough to Foundation Establishment within ten years. If successful, he would be the first Foundation Establishment cultivator truly belonging to the City Lord's Mansion, and Wang Yu could then provide him with Qi Condensation stage resources.

Foundation Establishment resources, including Foundation Establishment Pills, could not be met by the salary of an ordinary official.

He would have to rely on himself, or contribute more, to obtain advanced resources from Wang Yu; merely performing miscellaneous tasks would be far from enough.

Faced with the question,

Xu Ruozhou shook his head.

"It's not someone from Yellow Springs Temple, but a female cultivator with an unfamiliar aura, at the early Core Formation stage."

"Oh?"

This truly stumped Wang Yu. He could only go to Welcoming Pine Hall to see for himself.

Soon after,

A woman wearing a veil, exquisitely made up, with moist, crimson eyes that seemed to hide a thousand unspoken words, and a mane of mixed black and white hair, appeared before Wang Yu.

Her robes were predominantly black with silver patterns, cinched at the waist and wrists, giving her a sharp, capable appearance. Her ample bosom was prominent, revealing her fair and appealing collarbones.

Though her aura was unfamiliar, he could feel a surge of familiar killing intent. His Yin Nether Pupil silently opened, and he saw, within a dense scarlet mist,

A point of spiritual light, unwavering under the protection of her spiritual platform.

Wang Yu smiled.

"Fellow Daoist Jin, it's been a long time."

Indeed, the visitor was Jin Miaoshan, whom he hadn't seen in years. Their last meeting felt like an age ago, and he could barely recall the details.

Their relationship couldn't be called friendly, but they had set aside their irreconcilable differences. After the matter of the Heavenly Soul Sect inheritance transaction, Wang Yu unilaterally acknowledged this "friendship."

He was prepared to extract more benefits from her, but unfortunately, Jin Miaoshan had been plagued by troubles, remained in seclusion for a long time, and had even drawn the renewed machinations of Jin Lin.

Compared to their previous encounter,

Jin Miaoshan's overbearing and imperious demeanor had significantly diminished. Up close, he could even detect a faint scent of blood on her.

Her expression could only be described as indifferent, devoid of joy or sorrow—a drastic change in character.

The influence of the "Asura Killing Saint Scripture" greatly alarmed Wang Yu. A Spirit Transformation inheritance was truly terrifying!

Fortunately, his "Minor Asura Killing Fist" wasn't so exaggerated, nor was it a purely spiritual dao magical ability, or even the dao he comprehended from the Killing Intent Stele.

It was more about restraint, with only a small portion dedicated to catharsis.

This likely had a significant connection to the Asura Venerable's self-bound state at the time.

Jin Miaoshan remained silent for a long while after hearing how he addressed her.

Then, she sighed.

"For Miaoshan, a mere dozen years has felt like an entire lifetime. I still haven't thanked you for the matter concerning Master Tianshui."

Wang Yu's smile was gentle, his handsome face radiating amiability.

"No need to be polite, Fellow Daoist Jin. Ruozhou."

"Yes, sir."

Xu Ruozhou quickly bowed, handed over a memory stone, then swiftly retreated, closing all the hall doors behind him.

"This is..."

"Fellow Daoist Jin will know once you've seen it."

The images within were precisely of Tianshui destroying the central district with a Thunder Tribulation Pill, and the resulting... ruins!