58: Chapter 58 Wanxiang Tower and Tianyuan Chamber of Commerce

At present, the most well-known establishments among Cultivators in Huangfeng Prefecture are Wanxiang Tower and Tianyuan Chamber of Commerce.

Both are long-standing giants that span across many regions of cultivation, with vast and boundless spheres of influence.

Wanxiang Tower specializes in gathering intelligence from across the world; whether it be worldly secrets, opportunities in Secret Realms, the movements of Yao Beasts, or even conflicts between Sects, as long as the price is right, there is no information they cannot uncover.

Tianyuan Chamber of Commerce is a comprehensive trading firm with a complete range of products. Relying on their resounding slogan, "Tianyuan products are guaranteed to be high-quality," they enjoy a reputation far and wide, becoming the top choice for Cultivators of all paths to exchange treasures and purchase Spiritual Plants.

Li Changqing and his companion steered their flying boat slowly toward the boundary, and the first thing to enter their field of vision was the thick city wall surrounding the entire Huangfeng Market.

This city wall was not built from ordinary bricks and stones; its entire body flowed with a warm, solid, dark golden luster. Its texture was hard and dense, appearing as if it were a single piece of natural Ore refined repeatedly over the ages, seamless and without a single trace of being joined together.

After the flying boat landed steadily on the open ground outside the city, the two leaped down and walked slowly toward the city gate.

The city wall stood a full ten zhang high. The wall surface was not smooth and flat; intricate and dense pale golden patterns were deeply engraved within the wall, serving as the foundational veins of the city's defensive Formation.

As the warm sun poured down, the patterns flickered faintly with the flow of Spiritual Qi. The surging, heavy, and majestic Aura of Spiritual Qi rose and fell, making one feel a sense of trepidation just by looking at it.

There has always been a rumor in the market that rare Dark Iron Essence Gold was mixed into the city wall's base Materials, making it sturdy enough to withstand the all-out assault of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

The runes on the wall are also connected to the third-tier defensive Formation within the city, complementing each other so that even if a Golden Core Immortal Master were to arrive in person, they would not be able to shake it in the slightest for a short time.

The central city gate was imposing, and the two characters "Huangfeng" written in ancient seal script on the lintel had sharp strokes. Between the iron-like brushwork, a cold Sword Intent was faintly contained; even after a thousand years, its sharpness had not diminished.

People came and went beneath the city gate, with a continuous stream of Cultivators from all directions, yet it remained orderly without a hint of chaos.

Those stationed here were not ordinary Martial Artists. Four Cultivators wore matching pale golden soft armor, their Auras condensed and restrained, standing quietly on both sides with an imposing presence of their own.

Li Changqing focused his attention to investigate, and his heart was suddenly shocked.

These four gatekeepers were all actually at the Qi Refining Stage 10 level of cultivation.

In an ordinary small market, Qi Refining Stage 10 could already be considered a top-tier expert, respected by others, but in Huangfeng Market, such strength could only serve as a city gate guard.

Just from the guards at a small city gate, one could glimpse how profound the Foundation of this place, governed by a Golden Core power, truly was.

To enter the city, one must pay one Low-Grade Spirit Stone. The Cultivators waiting in line all looked calm, clearly accustomed to this rule, and no one complained.

From time to time, streaks of light flashed across the sky, with bright sword lights and colorful Magical Artifact Auras alternating, dazzling to the eye. Everyone tacitly lowered their flight altitude and never dared to fly wantonly over the city. This was an unspoken rule among Cultivators and a sign of reverence for the Golden Core Immortal Master presiding over the city.

This was Li Changqing's first time stepping into Huangfeng Market. After paying the Spirit Stone, he stepped through the light screen of the city gate. This light screen faintly rippled with space, capable of both screening out evil spirits and detecting deliberately concealed cultivation Realms.

The moment he crossed the light screen, the quiet atmosphere outside the city vanished instantly. The clamor of voices mixed with rich and mellow Spiritual Qi rushed toward him, making the scenes inside and outside seem like two different worlds.

The main thoroughfare inside the city was wide and spacious, more than enough for ten carriages to pass side by side.

The road surface was paved entirely with Qinggang Stone, polished by the footsteps of pedestrians over the years until the stone surface was smooth and bright, like a mirror.

Buildings were scattered on both sides of the street, with exquisite flying eaves and corners, and carved beams and painted pillars full of ancient charm.

Many of the buildings were themselves large-scale, fully refined Magical Artifacts, surrounded by layers of protective light halos with flowing light. Above several towering pagodas in the heart of the market, Spiritual Qi was dense like clouds, ethereal and persistent. Without needing to guess, they were surely the core residences of the top powers in the city.

The stalls lining the street were quite similar in appearance to the marketplace in Wangshan Town.

The sounds of hawking and bargaining rose and fell, while the faint vibrations of Magical Artifacts and the low roars of Spirit Beasts intertwined, creating a lively scene.

It was just that the treasures sold here were of a higher grade, with everything from Spiritual Plants and Medicinal Pills to divine weapons and exotic beasts, the variety far richer than that of a small town market.

"Complete fur of a second-tier Low Grade Red Fire Ape, in perfect condition, an excellent material for crafting fire-attribute inner armor, can be yours for one hundred and fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones!"

"Unknown Ore newly excavated from the Huangfeng Valley Secret Realm, containing thick metal energy inside. Gambling on stones and identifying treasures depends entirely on your own judgment!"

"Bigu Pills, Qi Recovery Pills, and Mind Clearing Pills supplied directly by Lingyao Mountain, with pure and reliable efficacy, priced a full ten percent lower than in the shops!"

"Recruiting three Fellow Daoists at Qi Refining 7th Layer or above to travel together to the shores of Chenxi Lake to harvest Star Shine Grass. The final harvest will be distributed based on the amount of effort contributed!"

The stalls stretched along the long street, and the street was crowded with Cultivators bustling back and forth.

Most of the stall vendors were at the mid-to-Late Stage of Qi Refining, though occasionally one could see Foundation Establishment Cultivators with calm and restrained Auras, sitting before their stalls guarding rare items, waiting quietly for those fated to come and inquire about the price.

The concentration of Spiritual Qi here was far superior to that of the mountains and wilderness outside. Beneath the market, there must be more than one third-tier Spiritual Vein hidden, to be able to nourish such abundant Spiritual Qi.

Li Changqing vaguely sensed several Divine Senses of varying strengths constantly scanning the crowd, secretly maintaining the order of the market and preventing disputes.

The sky gradually darkened, and the night curtain slowly shrouded the city.

Li Changqing and his clan uncle Clan Leader Li Huaming found an inn exclusively for Cultivators and settled down.

The two had come here for two goals: first, to go to various shops to purchase resources for the Family, a task mainly handled by Clan Leader Li Huaming; and second, to wait for the Cultivators' exchange meeting opening the day after tomorrow.

This grand event was organized by the three Golden Core Sects: Spirit Beast Sect, Xuanyuan Valley, and Lingyao Mountain, and it was completely different from the scattered street transactions on ordinary days.

At present, Yao Beasts were acting abnormally with increasing frequency, and the crisis of a large-scale Beast Tide was pressing in step by step. Cultivators in the entire region were facing a life-and-death test. This exchange meeting was a key measure by the three powers to cope with the crisis, and its underlying intent was profound.

The first was to integrate and allocate resources from all sides to improve the overall survival rate.

The scale of the Beast Tide could not yet be estimated, and the material reserves of any single power were ultimately limited, making it difficult to sustain the war for long.

This cross-level exchange event could gather and consolidate special Spiritual Plants, defensive Talismans, and other Materials scattered in the hands of low-level Cultivators, and then distribute them according to need to those who needed them most.

Qi Refining Cultivators could take out their surplus Spiritual Plants to exchange for Talismans and Medicinal Pills for protection and life-saving; Foundation Establishment Cultivators could use idle Magical Artifacts to exchange for rare resources for cultivation and healing; the three great Sects also used this Opportunity to collect scarce Materials for Formations to reinforce the city's defensive Formation.

By circulating and exchanging various Materials, they could maximize the utilization of existing resources and accumulate strength to resist the Beast Tide.