Penglai Beauty

Penglai Trading House!

Located in the golden heart of Central State City's most prosperous Central Ring Avenue, it covered a thousand square meters. It was a three-story pavilion of painted beams and carved rafters, glazed tiles gleaming in the light, built entirely from redwood.

Unlike the Spring-Autumn Trading House, whose rumored backer bore the shadow of Great Qin Empire's Chancellor, the Heaven-Defying Sage Lü Buwei; or the Nine Provinces Trading House, which had the shadow of the Great Qin Empire behind it.

The Penglai Commerce Association had always been exceedingly mysterious. No one knew what force, or what person, stood behind it. Yet its reputation was acknowledged throughout the realm. Whether imperial kin and noble clans or common folk, the Penglai Commerce Association had always treated all equally.

"This one, then!"

Walking slowly through the bustling streets and listening to Luo Sheng's assessment of the three great trading houses, Jian Shang happened to arrive before the magnificent, transcendent, and distinctly individual Penglai Trading House. He stopped, spoke to the others, then stepped inside first.

"Welcome to Penglai Trading House! We wish everyone a pleasant transaction and a wonderful mood at the Penglai Commerce Association! May I ask what Xiao Lan can do for you?"

Worthy of being one of the three great trading houses, the moment Jian Shang and the others entered, a delicate-looking attendant with a sweet, clear voice came forward to greet them. She did not look down on Jian Shang's group for their plain clothes. Of course, perhaps she had noticed Gao Gong and Luo Sheng carrying parcels of every size, looking as though they had just completed a massive shopping spree.

"Please take us around the counters for each category, and introduce your shop's specialties while you're at it!"

He had initially intended to decline the service and browse on his own, but after considering it carefully, Jian Shang did not refuse the attendant's request.

"This way, honored guests. So long as a customer desires an item, our trading house can certainly provide it. Even if we do not currently have it, it can be ordered, with supply guaranteed! At present, our shop is mainly divided into several major sections: weapons, armor, special items, military treatises and manuals, cultivation arts and secret manuals, pills, elite soldiers and guards..."

Hearing Jian Shang's words, the attendant smiled like a blooming flower. Fresh and pleasant, she led the way while introducing the shop.

"Is that so? Then can I buy the Spring and Autumn Annals of Lü, the Nine Divine Land Cauldrons, or the Great Qin Golden Men?"

Hearing the attendant make such sweeping promises, Jian Shang could not help smiling as he asked.

"Ah?"

Just then, Jian Shang and the others entered a hall several hundred square meters in size. A wave of suppressed gasps rose up, and the countless customers and attendants browsing or purchasing items inside all turned to look at Jian Shang's group.

"Uh..."

Jian Shang was briefly stunned, secretly reproaching himself for being too rash. Everyone knew that the Spring and Autumn Annals of Lü was the ancestral treasure of Lü Buwei, Great Qin's Chancellor, State Commissioner, one of the Eight Loose Immortals, and the Heaven-Defying Sage. The Nine Divine Land Cauldrons and Great Qin Golden Men, meanwhile, were precious treasures of Great Qin's realm, treasures that stabilized and consolidated the Great Qin Empire.

With a sweep of his eyes, Jian Shang saw that the overwhelming majority in the hall were natives. Among these hundred-odd people, he spotted two or three who seemed possibly to be players, though he did not dare be certain.

"Eh?"

As his gaze swept around, Jian Shang's eyes suddenly paused on a woman behind the shop counter. She held an account book in her hand and had raised her head to look at him.

Stunning!

No, that was not it!

She had an oval face, willow-leaf brows, phoenix eyes, and twin eyes as bright and profound as stars. Her skin was white as jade. She wore a wide-sleeved dark-purple gauze robe and a purple-gold ornament carved into a soaring phoenix upon her head, ethereal and elusive like an immortal from a painting.

Yet Jian Shang's first impression was not beauty, but individuality and fairness.

Perhaps individuality was not quite the proper word for a woman; temperament should have been more fitting. Yet Jian Shang felt that even temperament was insufficient to describe the visual impact she gave him.

Noble, elegant, transcendent, mysterious—like an immortal maiden untouched by mortal dust, one who did not belong to this mundane world.

A single glance was enough to brand her image into one's mind, impossible to forget.

It was not flawless, peerless beauty, but rather an overwhelming impact like a purple tulip or a purple rose, impossible to erase.

"Yes! The Spring and Autumn Annals of Lü requires a deposit of one hundred million Diamond Coins. Any one of the Nine Divine Land Cauldrons or Great Qin Golden Men requires a deposit of ten billion Diamond Coins. Our shop promises delivery within one year!"

The attendant paused, stunned for a moment, before recovering her gentle, smiling expression. Her voice remained soft as she answered, displaying excellent professionalism.

The attendant's voice jolted Jian Shang awake. He hurriedly withdrew his gaze from the beautiful woman and followed the attendant toward the various sections.

The beauty pursed her lips, shook her head, and lowered her head to continue reading the account book...

It was a tiny interlude, without ripple or wave.

Three-Edged Five-Hooked Divine-Flying Spear, low-grade divine weapon, ten thousand Diamond Coins...

Twin-Wing Exquisite Halberd, top-grade sharp weapon, three thousand Diamond Coins...

Seven-Treasure Gilt Helmet, mid-grade sharp weapon, one thousand two hundred Diamond Coins...

Phoenix-Tail Purple-Gold Crown, supreme-grade sharp weapon, eight thousand five hundred Diamond Coins...

Centennial Vermilion Fruit, ten thousand Diamond Coins, increases cultivation by one hundred years...

Six-Leaf Snow Lingzhi, five thousand three hundred Diamond Coins, increases cultivation by fifty years...

Yin-Yang Withered Azure Pill, one thousand one hundred Diamond Coins, increases cultivation by ten years...

Coiling Dragon Spirit-Gathering Pill, one hundred twenty Diamond Coins, increases cultivation by one year...

Six Paths Mad Demon, five thousand Diamond Coins, General's Skill. It condensed vast inner force and a bloodthirsty, ferocious will into a tangible demonic form, devouring souls and seizing lives with boundless vicious evil...

Clearing the Clouds, Seeing the Sun, three thousand Diamond Coins, Strategist's Skill. It changed the weather between heaven and earth, turning overcast skies clear...

Living-Heaven Immortal Art, fifty thousand Diamond Coins, Strategist's Skill. Based on Intelligence, it greatly healed the injuries of everyone within range...

Mysterious Wave True Energy, ten thousand Diamond Coins, Blue Grade inner cultivation method...

Heroic Martyrs Monument, eighty thousand Diamond Coins, special item...

After one or two hours, Jian Shang's eyes had been opened wide. His eyes gleamed as he stared in astonishment. They really sold everything here—but those prices... they could be admired from afar, but not profaned by approach!

For killing a village chief-level leader first, he had obtained a Purple Grade inner cultivation method, Cloud Dragon Nine Transformations, and a Blue Grade cultivation art, Flying Rainbow Sword Technique. By the prices among Otherworlders, Blue Grade cultivation arts cost roughly one to three thousand Diamond Coins. Purple Grade inner cultivation methods were more expensive, roughly five to ten thousand Diamond Coins. Yet at Penglai Trading House, a Blue Grade inner cultivation method alone cost ten thousand Diamond Coins...

Of course, if one wanted to gain without labor and bully others with wealth, one had to bleed heavily. The world of Forging the Sacred Court would not so easily allow real-world financial conglomerates with money and power to rapidly grow stronger. These prices were likely only for the current stage; once the real-currency and game-currency exchange platform opened, they would soar all the way upward.

No wonder there were hardly any players shopping here. They could not afford it!

Still, the various pills that increased cultivation were worth noting. Those were relatively reliable, and their prices were not overly outrageous. Roughly one hundred Diamond Coins equaled one year of arduous cultivation!

After all, if one relied solely on ordinary cultivation, no player could cultivate a single technique to Great Perfection even if they trained until death.

Take Cloud Dragon Nine Transformations, for instance. To cultivate it to Great Perfection and break through into the realm of Transcendence would require more than one hundred ninety thousand years. How could anyone cultivate that?

Unfortunately, Jian Shang currently needed wealth to recruit troops and buy horses in preparation for the coming calamity of the Chaos Military Camp. He also needed to lay foundations for his own development, so he did not yet have the means to spend a fortune raising his own strength.

"Right! After looking around for so long, it seems you don't have any Earth Artifact-grade items on display!"

Seeing that they were about to finish touring every section, Jian Shang asked curiously. This time, however, he lowered his voice and was not so loud.

"We do! They simply are not displayed. So long as you pay a deposit of ten thousand Diamond Coins, our shop will provide a list for honored guests to choose from! We even have Earth Grade cultivation arts that can carry one all the way to the Innate Realm. Deposits begin at one hundred thousand Diamond Coins..."

Jian Shang had only looked and bought nothing. The attendant had accompanied him for nearly two hours, until even Jian Shang himself felt somewhat embarrassed. Yet she continued smiling, answering every question.

"A deposit of ten thousand Diamond Coins means the full price is at least one hundred thousand Diamond Coins, and it could even reach a million. I'm afraid not a single player faction in all of Forging the Sacred Court can afford that. Saying it is no different from saying nothing! But aren't Purple Grade cultivation arts the highest-grade techniques? There are Earth Grade cultivation arts too? And what is the Innate Realm?"

The muscles on Jian Shang's face twitched several times as he muttered inwardly. He then stopped inspecting the goods and asked calmly,

"May I ask whether your shop purchases all kinds of items?"

******

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