Chapter 75. Fengyang Trading Post (Location)

She paused briefly before continuing, "In my opinion, among the over 1 100 Foundation Establishment cultivators across the entire Border Province, only a dozen or so possess the potential to break through to the Purple Mansion realm in the future."

"Chen Changxuan of the Chen family and this Eldrin are among the chosen dozen or so individuals. Who knows, we might have to live under their shadow in the future. It wouldn't hurt to establish goodwill with them in advance."

"You always see only the surface of matters," the Liu Family Matriarch shook her head and spoke with resignation. "This is precisely why our grand-uncle passed the clan leadership to me instead of you back then."

“…”

Eldrin soared through the skies atop his flying sword, heading toward Fengyang Trading Post. As he journeyed, he pondered the underlying intentions behind the Patriarch of the Liu family's words.

This female leader presiding over the Liu Immortal Clan was truly seasoned in her methods. Though Liu Juéshān intended to build rapport with the Chen Family, she maintained perfect composure—neither subservient nor arrogant, striking just the right tone.

Strictly speaking, 70 years ago, the Liu Clan suffered heavy losses just like the Chen Clan, and they had even joined forces back then to oppose the Qingyang Sect together.

But this cunning Immortal Clan leader had unexpectedly chosen to sell the treasure to him, even at the cost of snubbing the cultivators of the Qingyang Sect. This was beyond his expectations.

In truth, what he didn’t know was that the very reason Liu Jueran had resolved to sever ties with the Qingyang Sect was Chen Qingyuan’s demise after consuming the Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object).

This matter seemed insignificant at first glance, yet like discerning autumn from a single leaf or understanding the whole from a minute detail, those with keen perception had already glimpsed the chilling indifference lurking within the upper echelons of the Qingyang Sect. It shattered their impractical illusions once and for all.

This matter chilled the hearts of many, striking a chord not just with 1 Foundation Establishment clan but resonating deeply. It solidified the long-simmering resolve of every major family, pushing them to finally make their decision.

A man, wounded and defeated, can always start anew if he regains his resolve. But once the heart's spirit scatters, it can never truly return to what it was before.

"It appears that the Foundation Establishment clans of Fengjun, at the very least this Liu Family, have intentions of forming an alliance."

Eldrin (Person Name) pondered this thought. The Chen Family now stood as the foremost immortal clan of Yu Prefecture. With 6 major immortal clans jointly governing the territory, they remained largely unified when faced with shared interests or imminent threats.

To some extent, the current Chen Clan could speak on behalf of all prominent families across Yu County.

2 decades and some years later, the beast tide was poised to strike. No single prefecture within Border Province possessed strength enough to withstand alone the demonic beasts under the command of the Celestial Python Demon King.

Perhaps Liu Jueran was first establishing a connection with him here, intending to later discuss alliance possibilities with the major families of Fengjun County.

"Perhaps I'm overthinking it."

The relationships among the major clans across the 3 prefectures of Bianzhou were intricately tangled. Countless grudges had taken root in their struggles for advantage, leaving deep-seated enmity between many.

"Unless the beast tide outbreak is imminent, it would be nearly impossible to abandon grudges and form an alliance."

With this thought, Eldrin suppressed his musings and continued flying on his sword toward Fengyang Trading Post.

Just 2 days later, he had already flown over 10 1000 li, arriving at the largest cultivation market in Feng Commandery.

Compared to Yu County, which lies closer to the 100-1000-Mile Great Barrens, Feng County's cultivation world was somewhat more prosperous. By rough estimate, it boasted about 7 or 8 more Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Most crucially, Feng Commandery was guarded by the presence of the Xu Family, a Zifu Immortal Clan.

The Xu Immortal Clan had carried on its legacy for over 8 100 years, yet it was not until 3 centuries ago that they truly rose to prominence, producing their first Eldrin Realm cultivator.

After ascending to the status of a Purple Mansion Immortal Clan, the Xu Family cultivated a Grade-3 spirit vein. In addition, they also occupied the Grade-3 underground earth vein within Feng County.

That underground earth vein was only of the lower third grade, yet it could nurture some earth-attributed heavenly treasures from time to time. Most crucially, once every 100 years, it would produce a single Wu Earth Crystal (Spiritual Object).

The Wu Earth Crystal (Spiritual Object) is a rare natural treasure formed within the subterranean earth veins. Like the Li Fire Crystal (Spiritual Object), it contains a wisp of creation energy, capable of assisting earth spirit root cultivators in breaking through to the Purple Mansion realm.

Moreover, they could also get a share of the profits from the Bian Mountain Vein—the only small-scale spirit stone mine in Bian Prefecture.

A small-scale mineral vein can transform Earth Mother Qi (Spiritual Root) to nurture spirit stones, serving as a renewable resource. With continuous investment of resources for maintenance, it can be mined for tens of thousands of years.

This spiritual vein could yield over 10,000 spirit stones annually. After sharing the profits with the 2 Purple Mansion immortal clans—the Xu Family and the Yang Clan of Lingjun—it still generated an average yearly income of more than 7,000 spirit stones.

Relying on the spirit stone mine and the third-tier subterranean earth vein, the Xu family had cultivated a total of 3 Purple Mansion cultivators over the past 3 100 years. Excluding the founding Patriarch who passed away in seclusion and 1 who fell during the beast tide 70 years ago, 2 still remained alive today.

Subterranean Earth Veins, Border Province Spirit Stone Mine.

"Leaving aside the underground earth veins, the dividends from the spirit stone veins alone exceed the annual revenue of the entire Yuyang Market. The benefits a Purple Mansion Immortal Clan can claim are truly far beyond what our Foundation Establishment clans could ever obtain."

Eldrin stepped into Fengyang Trading Post, a quiet sigh escaping his heart.

With a Purple Mansion family overseeing it, this Fengyang Trading Post (Location) was considerably livelier than the Yuyang Market.

Within Yuyang Market, second-tier magical instruments were nearly impossible to acquire. Yet at the Fengyang Trading Post (Location), the establishment operated by the Xu Family maintained a limited selection of second-tier artifacts available for purchase.

For this reason alone, it was second only to the Celestial Ruins Mountain (Location) market, and even among the 3 prefectures under the Qingyang Sect's jurisdiction, it could be considered a market of considerable standing.

With a dozen or so days remaining until the trading assembly, Eldrin chose not to idle away the time and instead began exploring Fengyang Trading Post.

The Fengyang Trading Post (Location) was jointly managed by the Xu Immortal Clan and the 6 major Foundation Establishment clans of Feng County, with the Xu Clan alone holding a 50% stake in the Fengyang Trading Post (Location).

Within Fengyang Trading Post (Location), the only place where 1 could purchase second-tier treasures was the Xu Family's shop.

Eldrin (Person Name) had just stepped into the Xu Clan's establishment, the Fengyang Pavilion, when the Foundation Establishment cultivator in charge emerged with a welcoming smile.

This man was a scholarly-looking middle-aged gentleman. The moment he saw Eldrin, he smiled and said, "I am Xu Mingyang. Greetings, Fellow Daoist."

With that, he invited Eldrin into the inner chamber's study, had a cup of tea brewed for him, and then spoke with a respectful tone.

"You seem quite unfamiliar, friend. Might I ask where you hail from?"

"I am Eldrin of Verdant Chariot Mountain." Eldrin cupped his hands in a traditional salute before continuing, "This is my first visit to Fengyang Trading Post, so it's only natural you find my face unfamiliar, Fellow Daoist."

"So it is Fellow Daoist Chen before me."

Xu Mingyang’s expression turned solemn, a trace of reverence flashing in his eyes. “I’ve heard that you achieved Foundation Establishment on your own, and during the Verdant Chariot Mountain (Location) sword contest, you thoroughly defeated Lin Baixi. Seeing you today, the rumors truly do not do you justice.”

"You flatter me, Fellow Daoist." Eldrin quickly replied, "These are but mere trivial reputations."

After exchanging pleasantries, Xu Mingyang still inquired, "Might I ask what Fellow Daoist wishes to purchase?"

"The treasure catalog of this shop," he said, handing over a ledger.

Eldrin took the roster and saw that most of the items were second-tier heavenly treasures and magical artifacts.

In recent days, most of these rare natural treasures were earth-attribute treasures. Eldrin spotted Azure Void Soil, Dark Cloud Stone, and other natural treasures suitable for refining second-order natal magic treasures.

There were also several magical artifacts, most of which were also treasures of the earth attribute.