Bordering the territory of the Five Elders Council, Jiushan Province served as the true front line of conflict.
Across countless wars spanning millennia, its ownership had changed hands again and again. Rather than squander resources developing land that might soon fall to the enemy, both sides tacitly agreed to leave it in a state of perpetual chaos, a buffer zone separating their domains.
Thus, through this unspoken understanding between the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Council, Jiushan Province became a lawless land.
At the entrance to Tianchang Mountain, Eminence Qingmu revealed his identity to the stationed guards.
Once inside Tianchang Mountain City, the tension in their bodies finally dissolved. Fatigue surged forth like a tide, leaving everyone visibly worn.
After a brief discussion, they agreed to rest within the city first.
Li Fan felt relatively unaffected. After all, this was just an avatar; its loss would cost him almost nothing.
With no need for rest, he chose to wander through Tianchang Mountain City instead.
The city was built directly into the mountainside, its layout vastly different from that of other sky cities.
It was divided into nine descending tiers, cascading down the slope.
At the very summit stood a colossal statue of the Heavenly Venerable Dao Teacher, gazing down upon the mortal world below.
The tier beneath housed official Myriad Immortals Alliance institutions such as the Martial Hall and the Heavenly Mechanism Hall.
Further down lay a clearly demarcated boundary, where the core of the city’s grand protective array was anchored.
Below that, the city grew increasingly disorderly, densely packed with shops, workshops, and residential dwellings.
From a distance, Li Fan felt as though the upper three tiers had descended from the heavens themselves, pressing down upon the mountain with overwhelming force. Their austere grandeur stood in stark contrast to the architectural harmony of the lower levels.
Another defining feature of Jiushan Province’s cities was the complete absence of Tianxuan Mirrors.
Li Fan had learned beforehand that no Tianxuan Mirrors were installed anywhere within the province, likely for security reasons.
If neither trading party possessed a portable Mini Tianxuan Mirror, transactions could only be settled using spirit stones.
Li Fan’s avatar had come for a single purpose: to acquire cultivation techniques.
After asking around, Li Fan soon arrived at the Wanfa Trade Association on the sixth level.
The building itself was remarkably unassuming. Were it not for the familiar “Wan” embroidered on the banner fluttering at its entrance, Li Fan might have suspected he had come to the wrong place.
No one stood guard or greeted him. Li Fan entered alone.
The instant he crossed the threshold, the lighting shifted abruptly. Only then did he realize that the modest exterior concealed a grotto-heaven within.
A distant roar of voices surged into his ears, and before his eyes unfolded a vast sea of bustling figures.
It resembled a massive marketplace, with cultivators crowding every corner, many having set up stalls of their own.
After a brief survey, Li Fan noticed zones marked by various towering banners labeled with bold words: Artifacts, Arrays, Pills, Talismans, Manuals, and Miscellaneous.
At the very center of these trading zones stood a lofty pavilion. Hanging above its entrance was a plaque bearing a single, imposing word:
Techniques.
Li Fan threaded his way through the dense crowd toward the Wanfa Pavilion, where cultivators streamed ceaselessly in and out.
The moment he entered, a Qi Refinement cultivator clad in ritual robes hurried forward with a bright smile.
“What brings you here, honored guest? Techniques, forbidden items, or slaves?” he asked enthusiastically.
“I’ll browse for now,” Li Fan replied calmly.
The attendant nodded at once. “Very well. Please take your time. Should you need anything, simply call.”
Li Fan began strolling leisurely through the pavilion.
From the numerous notices posted along the walls, he learned that the first floor only sold items at the Foundation Establishment level and below.
Even so, the sheer variety was eye-opening.
Techniques were displayed in long rows like books on shelves, their effects clearly annotated. Slaves stood motionless behind barriers, their eyes empty and lifeless. There were artifacts with unique powers commissioned from master craftsmen, as well as storage rings recovered from fallen cultivators—advertised as unexamined, their contents unknown.
There was even a private customization service. As long as one paid the price, the pavilion could rapidly procure nearly any artifact, slave, or technique, sparing the buyer the trouble of searching manually through the Wanfa Pavilion.
All goods could be viewed but not touched. A faint, shimmering barrier separated each item from the visitors.
By locking onto an item with ones divine sense, its detailed description would immediately appear on the light screen.
If one wished to purchase it, calling over a shop assistant was sufficient. The transaction could be completed swiftly using contribution points via a Mini Tianxuan Mirror.
Once an item was sold, it vanished instantly, replaced by another product, ensuring that not a single display space was ever left vacant.
After completing a circuit of the floor, Li Fan couldn’t help recalling his past experiences shopping in malls before his transmigration.
Compared to trading directly with the Tianxuan Mirror, this method felt almost primitive. Yet paradoxically, it seemed far more effective at stirring the urge to spend.
Passing through a barrier, Li Fan ascended to the second floor of the Wanfa Pavilion.
According to the pavilion’s rules, a cultivator could normally only access goods up to one major realm above their own.
The second floor catered to the Golden Core level, and was the highest level Li Fan could presently enter.
The categories of goods were the same, but their quantity was noticeably reduced.
The shop assistants here all possessed Foundation Establishment cultivation, yet their smiles remained professional and unfailingly courteous.
Li Fan browsed for some time before stopping before a technique named Mist and Vast Waters.
He focused his divine sense upon it, and its description appeared.
A water attribute Golden Core technique. Upon mastery, the cultivator’s spiritual qi transforms into a boundless lake spanning ten thousand li, endlessly replenishing itself. The body becomes like drifting mist—ethereal, elusive, and difficult to grasp.
Price: 70,000 contribution points
Buyout Price: 140,000 contribution points
The buyout option was something Li Fan had not seen on the first floor. The price was exactly double the standard listing.
Curious, he called over a shop assistant to inquire.
After a brief explanation, Li Fan understood.
The so-called purchase of a technique normally granted only its usage rights. The Wanfa Pavilion would retain a backup copy.
If, within thirty years, no cultivator successfully cultivated the technique, it would be relisted for sale.
The buyout price, however, granted complete ownership. Once sold, the pavilion would erase its copy entirely.
If the buyer lost the technique, it could not be recovered. If the buyer died without leaving behind an inheritance, the technique would vanish from the world altogether.
This concept of technique buyouts is rather intriguing. The price is twice that of the standard sale...
Whether it's profitable or a loss truly depends on perspective.
Li Fan did not rush to make a decision. Instead, recalling the shop assistant’s earlier mention of “forbidden items,” he realized he had yet to encounter any.
He asked about them.
“The forbidden items sold here aren’t necessarily expensive,” the assistant explained eagerly. “They’re simply unsuitable for public sale due to certain... considerations. If you wish to view them, Fellow Daoist, you must first sign a confidentiality contract.”
Li Fan had no objections and signed immediately.
The assistant produced a golden talisman bearing the word “Technique.” Radiant light burst forth, enveloping them both.
In the blink of an eye, Li Fan found himself on an unfamiliar floor.
There were far fewer visitors and merchandise here.
He surveyed his surroundings with keen interest. True to their name, the forbidden items did not disappoint.
The very first item to catch his eye instantly seized his attention:
The Heavenly Venerable Dao Teacher Seizes the Taishang Primordial True Scripture—Illustrated Scroll.