After returning to Tianyi City, Zhang Zuo handed the Soul-Locking Tower over to Ye Qiuyue. Since he still had to escort Qin Xiao to the Immortal Dao Merchant Association, it was naturally inconvenient for him to carry it.
Moreover, given Qin Xiao's financial resources, he had no need to worry that Ye Qiuyue would covet his treasure.
"Young Master Qin, long time no see."
As soon as Qin Xiao and his group stepped into the Immortal Dao Merchant Association, Supervisor Li Rende hurried over to welcome them.
In truth, the association had been keeping a close eye on Qin Xiao's movements. Now that he had arrived in Tianyi City, gathering intelligence on him naturally fell under Li Rende's purview.
"Supervisor Li, it really has been some time. I came today to seek a method to break a certain restriction. I wonder if you might have any information about it?"
Without beating around the bush, Qin Xiao stated his purpose directly.
"Young Master Qin is likely referring to the restriction placed by Clear Wind Ancestor of the Clear Wind Sect, am I right?"
Aware that Qin Xiao had just returned from the Clear Wind Sect, Li Rende immediately deduced what he was looking for.
"It seems the Immortal Dao Merchant Association truly knows everything. Indeed, that is precisely why I am here."
Qin Xiao felt no surprise that Li Rende had guessed his intent. After all, he had caused quite a commotion during this trip, and countless scouts had trailed him all the way back.
Furthermore, the association ran extensive intelligence networks; his whereabouts were impossible to keep hidden. A simple deduction was enough to figure out what he needed.
"Haha, Young Master Qin is a distinguished guest of our association. Naturally, we strive to provide the utmost service."
Li Rende chuckled in response.
"However, our association does not currently possess the exact method to break this restriction. It is an ancient technique that has long since been lost. Even so, our association has already dispatched people to invite an expert who might have a way. Since we've already sent for him, Young Master Qin only needs to wait a moment."
Having anticipated Qin Xiao's objective, Li Rende spoke without hesitation.
"In that case, I have to thank Supervisor Li."
Qin Xiao found himself genuinely surprised this time. Anticipating what he was looking for was one thing, but having the foresight to invite someone in advance was quite remarkable.
Did they really dare to send invitations based purely on speculation? What if he had come for something else entirely? Bringing someone out here on a wasted trip would incur no small expense.
"You are too polite. I see Young Master Qin looking rather puzzled-are you wondering how we could be so certain you needed a restriction-breaker, and how we managed to invite someone beforehand?"
Noticing the confusion on Qin Xiao's face, Li Rende inquired with a smile.
"Haha, I suppose I couldn't hide it from Supervisor Li. I am indeed a bit curious. Please, enlighten me."
Admitting defeat with a laugh, Qin Xiao dropped any pretense of concealment.
Given that the Immortal Dao Merchant Association was a friendly faction, he felt no need to stand on ceremony. Since the topic had been brought up, he saw no harm in asking.
"That was naturally because this young lady gave the order to invite him. I knew an unruly fellow like you wouldn't stay quiet for long, though I certainly didn't expect you to actually drag people back with you."
Before Li Rende could answer, Ling Ruoxue strolled in through the entrance.
"Young Lady Ling? What brings you all the way to Tianyi City?"
Qin Xiao blinked in surprise at the sight of her.
"Why shouldn't I come to Tianyi City? I go wherever I please. Besides, Tianyuan City has grown far too dull. Following you around is much more entertaining-you manage to stir up trouble no matter where you go, and this young lady simply wanted to watch the show."
Ling Ruoxue replied with a careless shrug.
"What is that supposed to mean? When have I ever stirred up trouble? I am a thoroughly upright person who never looks for trouble. Do stop slandering my reputation."
Qin Xiao was utterly speechless. Had his reputation truly deteriorated to this extent? Who on earth was spreading such wild rumors?
"Fine, fine, you're an upright gentleman. Move along now. Did you really think I came here for you? I'm here to see Sister Man'er."
Stepping forward, Ling Ruoxue unceremoniously shoved Qin Xiao toward the neighboring seat so she could sit right beside Yun Man.
Left with no choice, Qin Xiao could only step aside in resignation. He still needed their help today, so it was best to behave.
"Qin Xiao, where on earth did you manage to recruit these two? And both are at the Soul Formation stage?"
Once seated, Ling Ruoxue turned her gaze to the two strangers, her expression turning observant as she realized she couldn't pierce their cultivation levels. Judging by the spiritual pressure they unconsciously emitted, they were at the very least Soul Formation cultivators.
"Ah, I forgot to make introductions. These two are bodyguards I've hired-this is Zhang Zuo, and this is Li You. And this is Miss Ling of the Ling Family, Ling Ruoxue."
Realizing his lapse, Qin Xiao quickly introduced the parties to one another.
"The two of you are not from Qingzhou, are you? Soul Formation cultivators are quite rare and well-known in Qingzhou; very few rogue cultivators ever reach that realm."
Ling Ruoxue nodded in greeting as she spoke.
"Indeed. We hail from Central Province and serve as the Qingzhou Chief Envoys dispatched by the Rogue Cultivator Alliance. For now, we are acting as bodyguards for our employer here. Come to think of it, we did catch a glimpse of Miss Ling once before, though you were quite young at the time, and we were merely Hall Masters."
At her query, Zhang Zuo answered truthfully.
"So you are Senior Envoys from the Rogue Cultivator Alliance. Our association frequently engages in trade with your alliance, so it is entirely possible we have crossed paths before."
Though she had no personal recollection of them, Ling Ruoxue politely acknowledged the connection, keeping the peace given their mutual business ties.
"By the way, Qin Xiao, now that you've severed ties with the Tianyuan Sect, you won't be able to enter the Spirit Medicine Valley Secret Realm through normal channels. Have you considered joining the Immortal Dao Merchant Association? I can secure a quota for you if you do."
Ling Ruoxue hadn't traveled all this way just for amusement, of course; her primary goal was to rope Qin Xiao into the association.
"Uh, about that... how should I put it? I've only just left my previous sect, and jumping straight into another so soon wouldn't look right. People would undoubtedly gossip behind my back."
Qin Xiao hadn't expected her to extend a recruitment offer. Had this happened earlier, he might have been tempted, given how useful a massive factional backing could be.
However, ever since he had resolved to build a power base of his own, joining external factions no longer appealed to him. Even the Supreme Heavenly Dynasty held no allure.
Working like an ox or a horse for someone else could never compare to being the master of one's own domain.
"Are you truly not going to consider it? The Spirit Medicine Valley Secret Realm is packed with countless spiritual-"
Mid-sentence, Ling Ruoxue's voice trailed off as her own confidence evaporated. Such conventional perks clearly held zero appeal for Qin Xiao; with his vast wealth in Spirit Stones, what couldn't he simply buy?
"Not necessarily. Joining the association is out of the question, but I do have a counter-proposal. Your association deals in everything under the sun-how about selling me two quotas instead?"
While ordinary treasures and herbs didn't overly excite him, a Secret Realm was an entirely different matter. Who knew what Fated Chances might lie hidden within? Passing up such an opportunity would be foolish.
"Sell the quotas? That's certainly a novel idea. However, we've never put quotas up for direct sale before. I cannot make this decision alone; I will need to consult my father."
Intrigued by the suggestion, Ling Ruoxue weighed the prospect of trading potential Fated Chances for guaranteed liquid wealth.
"Roughly how many resources can be harvested from that Secret Realm? The Abyss Secret Realm suffered an incident last time, so I'm completely in the dark about whether these excursions are actually profitable. Give me a rough estimate so I can calculate a fair price in Spirit Stones. If it's too exorbitant, I won't bother."
After a brief pause, Qin Xiao posed his question.
"Your method of evaluating value is quite pragmatic. Though I don't know the exact figures offhand, I can give you a general estimate.
In the past, the Abyss Secret Realm yielded decent returns, but the harvests have dwindled recently, largely because the three-year cycle makes it a bit too frequent.
Based on the last ten openings, our association's hundred disciples brought back a combined total worth around several billion. That averages out to several hundred million per session, with each disciple yielding a few million in supplies. Split down the middle, a single Abyss Secret Realm quota is valued at roughly five million Spirit Stones."
Having taken over several commercial operations, Ling Ruoxue had reviewed numerous ledgers and possessed a solid grasp of past yields.
Naturally, Qin Xiao took her calculations with a grain of salt. True to her merchant background, she had undoubtedly quoted the absolute ceiling price. Slicing that figure in half twice would likely reveal the true market baseline-probably closer to one million five hundred thousand.
"As for the Spirit Medicine Valley, the returns are vastly superior, seeing as it opens only once every decade. It contains all manner of rare herbs, the Tianyuan Holy Fruit, and various other Fated Chances. To show I'm not taking advantage of you, I'll multiply the base value by ten: five million for a single quota, or an eighty-percent bundle discount for two, bringing it to eighty million Spirit Stones total. I'll take the liberty of making this decision myself and sell two to you."
Ling Ruoxue had indeed quoted the maximum rate, figuring that Qin Xiao was hardly short on Spirit Stones and that she was doing him a massive favor anyway. Secret Realm quotas were the sort of commodity money usually couldn't buy at any price.
Mentally cutting the price twice, Qin Xiao estimated the true market value hovered around ten million per spot, making two worth roughly twenty million. Yet Ling Ruoxue had boldly demanded one hundred million before offering a discount that left the total at eighty million.
"Deal."
Qin Xiao's reasoning remained unchanged. He wasn't entering the realm to engage in routine commerce; he was going in pursuit of Fated Chances. In countless tales from his past life, secret realms were synonymous with supreme opportunities-an ironclad rule he refused to miss out on.
As long as the price wasn't entirely detached from reality, he didn't mind paying a premium. After all, under the current circumstances, the Immortal Dao Merchant Association was the only entity willing to sell him access at all.