Jiang Ding walked through the streets of Swamp Demon City, finding his way around so easily that he looked nothing like a first-time visitor. He seemed more like a native of Mud Swamp.
Before long, he arrived at a midsize auction house called True Scripture Auction House.
"Greetings, proprietor!"
A square-faced, gray-bearded elder who looked every inch a respected man of the righteous path bowed formally to Jiang Ding, accompanied by several attendants.
They carried themselves with impeccable manners, observing every rule so precisely that they seemed almost rigid.
Though they bowed low, there was nothing fawning about it—only respect. Their manner was nothing like the demonic style of Spring Breeze Pavilion, where every gesture stirred desire. They seemed more like members of a righteous sect founded by old scholars, one that had even abandoned the warmth and friendliness expected of a service business.
In the auction trade, that rigidity was a virtue worth its weight in gold.
The Debauched Human Demon really is a business genius. No wonder he reached Spirit Transformation through commerce...
The thought occurred to Jiang Ding.
True Scripture Auction House was, in fact, one of the Debauched Human Demon's businesses.
The man had started as an ordinary mortal with three spiritual roots in the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder True Sovereign. He had no talent, connections, or lucky opportunities to speak of, and little aptitude for battle. The last time he saw Jiang Ding, he had fled before even confirming whether Jiang Ding was an enemy. Yet he had reached late-stage Spirit Transformation at just over six thousand years old—a minor prodigy even among Spirit Transformation cultivators—entirely through his talent for business.
Even with a small, third-tier business like Spring Breeze Pavilion, he attended to every detail.
During Jiang Ding's deliberate efforts to play the wandering