In a secret room.
Shui Yuanjun looked somewhat expressionless as he stared at the various holy medicines piled up on the table in front of him. The room was filled with spiritual energy and a fragrant aroma. Each plant was a rare and valuable item that would make other cultivators envious and willing to kill for.
As the hidden owner of this large trading firm, Shui Yuanjun had seen many valuable items over the years and had done a lot of big business. However, Qi Yalan had brought out an unusually large amount of holy medicines this time.
“How about it?”
Qi Yalan calmly put down her teacup and smiled subtly, “Are these holy medicines all right? If you don’t plan to buy so many at once, then I’ll go to another place.”
“Of course not, I want them all!”
Shui Yuanjun snapped back to his senses and quickly expressed his desire. As someone who ran a business, how could he be afraid of too much profit?
Such a big customer was not easy to come by. If he missed this opportunity, who knows when he would have another chance like this?
“I wonder what treasures Miss Qi plans to exchange for?”
Shui Yuanjun glanced at Qi Yalan and Junior Brother, then smiled brightly, “I can see that you and this Junior Brother have gained a lot this time. Ordinary treasures, pills, and talismans may not catch your eye. Well, the list of special resources that our store can provide is here. You can take your time to choose.”
As he spoke, he took out a translucent white bone card from his space bracelet and handed it to Qi Yalan.
Qin Muling also leaned over to take a look. This bone card was a magical tool that recorded information. It contained a catalog of dozens of items and resources, all of which were either rare and precious or things that could be taken out of the Misty Illusion Secret Realm. Each item was truly priceless.
The first item on the list of special resources was the quota. It represented the number of people who could enter the Misty Illusion Secret Realm.
Qin Muling now understood that the quotas that the Dao Lineage forces in the Great Void Starry Sky could obtain during each opening of the Misty Illusion Secret Realm were not fixed. Some forces would receive more, while others would receive less.
The allocation was based on the actual strength of each force and their contribution to the Heavenly Human Clan remnants in the secret realm, that is, how many resources they could provide.
Since there were very few things that could be taken out of the Misty Illusion Secret Realm, cultivators had to trade their harvests in the secret realm, except for what they needed for themselves.
It was necessary to trade because after each complete closure of the Misty Illusion Secret Realm, everything left on the cultivators, including clothes, magical tools, pills, and resources, would disappear into nothingness. Nothing would be left.
When the Misty Illusion Secret Realm opened again after several years, most cultivators would still be empty-handed and have to start from scratch.
Of course, those cultivators with strong cultivation and special magical tools would have more advantages and could win at the starting line.
Therefore, in the period before each closure of the Misty Illusion Secret Realm, it was the most active time for the trading market in the secret realm. Cultivators would bring out everything they could to exchange for as many quotas as possible.
If their own Dao Lineage forces obtained more quotas, they would have more of their own people to help search for opportunities in the next opening of the secret realm, forming a virtuous cycle.
Since the decline of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace thousands of years ago, things had not been going well, and their harvests in the Misty Illusion Secret Realm had been unsatisfactory year after year. As a result, the number of quotas they could receive had become fewer and fewer. This time, only a little over three hundred people could enter the secret realm, even less than some powerful Dao Lineages.
Fortunately, thanks to Qin Muling, Qi Yalan had enough capital to be extravagant this time and give more Elder Disciples the opportunity to come in and search for resources and benefits.
“How many quotas can you provide at most?”
After weighing it in her heart, Qi Yalan raised her head and asked.
Shui Yuanjun’s eyes flickered slightly, “As long as it’s not more than twenty quotas, I can decide. If Miss Qi still feels it’s not enough, then we need to report to the City Lord’s Mansion. Of course, as long as the price is right, it’s just a matter of going through the process.”
“Okay, then I’ll take twenty for now. By the way, you go and apply for the report. I’ll reserve one hundred and fifty quotas. Is there a problem?”
Shui Yuanjun pondered for a moment and said, “One hundred and fifty? That’s a bit too much. I’m afraid the resources you brought out this time may not be enough to pay the deposit.”
“Don’t worry about that. I have plenty of resources here.”
Qi Yalan smiled indifferently, opened her space bracelet, and took out fifteen different-shaped divine medicines, placing them directly on the floor. In an instant, the room was filled with brilliance and a rich medicinal fragrance, filling the space with a Dao Rhyme.
Shui Yuanjun’s face changed slightly, and he quickly approached, carefully examining each divine medicine in his hands. He then had someone bring out dedicated magical tools to store them properly. Such rare resources that were qualified to be put up for auction could not be treated carelessly. Even a slight damage to the roots would be a heartbreaking loss.
“Miss Qi’s harvest this time… is truly unexpected. It seems that you will definitely bring more surprises to me in the future?”
Shui Yuanjun said meaningfully, then glanced deeply at Qin Muling without continuing.
Shui Yuanjun naturally knew the cultivation realm and corresponding strength of external cultivators. Although Qi Yalan was a high-level sword cultivator known for her destructive power, it was unlikely that she could easily obtain so many rare resources just by going out once, even if she made a fortune.
Therefore, the problem could only lie with the beautiful young man beside her. However, besides having an astonishing amount of luck and fate, his cultivation level seemed ordinary on the surface, and it seemed impossible for him to accomplish such a thing… unless he had some unknown special talent.Qi Yalan’s smile faded slightly, “Enough talk, let’s get to the appraisal.”
Lord Water nodded, instructing the maid beside him. Soon, four elderly men with white hair and sharp eyes entered the room. They were all senior pharmacists employed by the business at high salaries.
The appraisal didn’t take long. In the end, apart from securing twenty spots and paying the deposit for another one hundred and fifty, the remaining balance wasn’t much.
The price of these spots was indeed steep, or rather, it was a kind of darkness where one couldn’t see their own fingers…
Qing Muling grumbled inwardly, but there was no better solution. After all, this was a monopolistic trade. One party was the remnants of the Heavenly Human Clan, and the other was foreign cultivators. There was no third party to choose from. Even if they went to other cities, the price wouldn’t change.
The higher-ups of the Heavenly Human Clan were indeed dark, but they were also transparent and upright, not resorting to underhanded tricks.
“Alright, let’s exchange the remaining balance for some good storage bracelets, the larger the capacity, the better.”
Qi Yalan said. When traveling in the future, they couldn’t afford to have too many resources but no place to store them.
Lord Water agreed readily and excused himself.
When he returned, he held a beautiful jade tray in his hand, on which were four storage bracelets and a luxurious box inlaid with gold and jade.
Out of curiosity, Qing Muling couldn’t help but ask, “Is there a storage bracelet or ring that can be taken out of the secret realm? Like those special magical tools?”
Lord Water laughed, “Don’t think too much, young friend. That’s impossible.”
Having a spatial magical tool that could be taken out of the Misty Illusion Secret Realm would allow one to store all the resources harvested in the secret realm and bring them back safely. It sounded like a good idea, but it was impossible in reality.
“Hehe…”
Qing Muling didn’t say anything more. Whether it was the laws of heaven and earth here or the deliberate actions of the powerful figures behind the Heavenly Human Clan, there was no chance for foreign cultivators like him to take shortcuts.
Speaking of the many superpowers in the Great Void, there were countless old scholars and extraordinary figures. The various rules in the Misty Illusion Secret Realm had been thoroughly studied over the many millennia. There was no chance left for him to exploit any loopholes or bugs.
Qi Yalan gave two of the storage bracelets to Qing Muling and kept two for herself. Then she carefully opened the jade box.
On the golden purple jade base, twenty small and exquisite jade charms were neatly arranged. Each charm contained a lively and misty glow. When Qi Yalan sensed it with her divine consciousness, there were countless light symbols swirling inside.
The glow in these jade charms was the ticket to enter and exit the Misty Illusion Secret Realm, or rather, the key. As long as one refined it and integrated it into their Divine Soul, they could freely enter and exit.
The ticket could be used multiple times and was permanently valid, provided that one didn’t die in the secret realm.
If a cultivator died three times in the secret realm, their ticket would disappear. If they wanted to enter again, they would have to find a way to buy a new ticket.
Of course, if a cultivator really died more than three times in the Misty Illusion Secret Realm, the heavy damage to their physical body and Divine Soul would be extremely difficult to recover. Their talent, foundation, and destiny would be severely weakened, and they would be almost useless. Who would waste a precious ticket on them?
Therefore, according to the usual practice of the superpowers, unless they were high-level death warriors with special missions, those elite disciples and elders would not be allowed to enter the Misty Illusion Secret Realm again after dying twice.
“By the way, how did the first batch of tickets in the Great Void come about?” Qing Muling asked with his divine consciousness.
Qi Yalan gave him a playful glare, “How would I know? Even my master might not know. Maybe you can ask the elders when we get back.”
After chatting with Lord Water for a while, the two of them excused themselves and returned to the inn.
After activating the shielding formation in the cultivation room, Qi Yalan and Qing Muling sat down and returned to their bodies.
A moment later, when Qing Muling regained consciousness, he found himself still in the cave of the Supreme Sect Master. Beside him sat his four senior sisters, Luo Huan, and more than thirty unfamiliar women, all of whom were beautiful and mature.
They were all senior elders who had been cultivating in seclusion in the sect for many years, and now they were serving as Dao Protectors.
Apart from a few who were from the Ancient Witch Kingdom and were specifically arranged for his fourth senior sister Luo Wanqing, his eldest senior sister and the others also had Dao Protectors. However, most of the Dao Protectors were arranged by the sect’s higher-ups for Qing Muling, but they had not yet met him in the secret realm.
Sect Master Mu Yinghua was currently sitting on a cloud bed, reading through jade slips and jade books, dealing with sect affairs.
Hearing the movement in the formation, Mu Yinghua turned her gaze and met Qing Muling’s eyes.
“Hmm? Why are you back early? Did something unpleasant happen in there? Where are your senior sister and Dao Protectors? Have they met up with you?”
In the next instant, the Supreme Sect Master appeared in front of Qing Muling. She placed her hand on him to sense his condition, and after confirming that he was not injured, she let out a sigh of relief and then asked a series of questions.
Qing Muling replied, “Thank you for your concern, Master. I had a smooth journey inside. This time, I returned with my third senior sister. After we finish our business, we will return to the secret realm to continue seeking opportunities.”
As he spoke, Qi Yalan beside him stirred slightly and slowly opened her eyes.
Mu Yinghua was slightly surprised. If these two direct disciples returned at the same time, then Qing Muling woke up significantly earlier than Qi Yalan. What did this mean?