Chapter 377 - 365: Clue to the Space Crystal Stone

Chapter 377: Chapter 365: Clue to the Space Crystal Stone

The Primordial Yang Sect had transferred away another two administrators.

This was the third group of managers to be reassigned in the past month. After two exploration teams ventured deep into the Ghost Mist Forest, the logistical strain on the outpost had surged, forcing the Sect to pull staff from its various marketplaces to fill the vacancies.

Li Yuan began filling the vacancies with his own people.

Ji Huaiyuan’s grandson, Ji Wenchuan, took over the daily coordination of the southern district, primarily liaising with the shops and artisans. The Wang family also sent two of their own into the administration office to help manage mine dispatches and take stock of supplies.

It was at this critical juncture that Wang Ting’an sought out Li Yuan.

"Li Yuan, I was hoping we could discuss something."

The two sat down in a side hall of the administration office.

Wang Ting’an poured two cups of tea. He took a sip of his own before getting straight to the point.

"The Sect is pulling out more and more of its people. Sooner or later, managing the marketplace will fall entirely on our shoulders. I’d like to bring in more people from the Wang family to take over patrols, warehousing, and entry and exit registration."

Li Yuan didn’t respond immediately, simply holding his teacup and waiting for the man to finish.

Wang Ting’an set down his cup and leaned forward slightly.

"I’d also like to adjust the shares from the mine. Right now, it’s a sixty-forty split: sixty percent for you, forty for the Wang family. I propose we change it to seventy-thirty. We’ll drop to thirty percent, and you take seventy."

He was offering up ten percent of the mine’s profits in exchange for more control over management positions.

It wasn’t hard to see what Wang Ting’an was playing at. The mine’s income was fixed, but the implicit benefits of administrative power were fluid. Procurement channels, resource allocation, approval for personnel movements—every one of these could generate extra perks. For the Wang family, trading ten percent of the mine’s profits for these opportunities was a shrewd deal.

Li Yuan wasn’t losing out, either. He gained an extra ten percent from the mine, and the additional administrative staff saved him personal effort. Besides, actual control of the marketplace remained firmly in his hands.

"Agreed." Li Yuan set down his teacup. "Just submit the candidates for the management posts to me for review. And I retain command of the patrol teams."

Wang Ting’an nodded eagerly, a smile spreading across his face.

"Of course."

After seeing off Wang Ting’an, Li Yuan went to the Mingyuan Commerce Association’s branch in the eastern district.

Xu Zhang was in the back room organizing a new shipment of goods. When he saw Li Yuan arrive, he quickly put down his work and hurried over to greet him.

"Pavilion Master Li, your timing is perfect. There’s something I wanted to show you."

Xu Zhang invited Li Yuan into an inner room, pulled a massive beast-hide scroll from under a desk, and spread it across the entire tabletop.

It was a map of the trade routes across the Four States.

Dozens of trade routes were marked on the map with ink lines of varying thickness, originating from the mining districts in eastern Jingzhou, passing through several trade corridors in northern Yunzhou, and finally converging on the various marketplaces within Liangzhou.

"This is the master map of trade routes we use internally at the association," Xu Zhang said, pointing to a densely marked area on the eastern side. "Eastern Jingzhou is the richest source of ores and raw materials for magical artifacts in all the Four States. Profound Iron Essence, Flowing Silver Ore, Spirit Copper, talisman paper pulp—most of it comes from here."

His finger slid westward along a thick ink line.

"Goods depart from Jingzhou and enter Liangzhou through the Sunset Corridor in northern Yunzhou. The Sunset Corridor is the main trade route between Jingzhou and Liangzhou, about four thousand miles long, with seven or eight transit marketplaces along it. It takes our association’s caravans about two and a half months to make the trip."

Li Yuan’s gaze didn’t linger on the main trade routes, however. It shifted to the northeastern corner of the map.

A few thin ink lines marked trade routes heading toward Mozhou.

"You do business in Mozhou as well?"

Xu Zhang nodded.

"The Spiritual Qi in Mozhou is almost completely depleted, it’s true. But the decline of Spiritual Qi doesn’t affect the mineral deposits. The ore veins underground there are still quite rich; they’re just not being mined. Occasionally, a daring Loose Cultivator will venture into the abandoned mining districts, and if they’re lucky, they can dig up some pretty good stuff."

He lowered his voice.

"Some people have even unearthed entire chests of Spiritual Materials from the abandoned treasuries of ancient powers. Mozhou used to be home to many factions. After they were destroyed, the things they left behind were scattered everywhere, and no one has ever done a systematic sweep."

Li Yuan committed the Mozhou trade routes to memory but didn’t press for more details.

Xu Zhang rolled up the map and changed the subject.

"Oh, right. The White Mirror Marketplace over in Jingzhou is holding a rather large-scale auction next month. I’ve received an internal preview list of the lots."

Xu Zhang then handed the list over.

"I can’t guarantee the list won’t change, but it’s more than likely these items will be there."

Li Yuan took the list, and his gaze froze for a moment when he saw the words ’Space Crystal Stone’.

’A Space Crystal Stone.’ It was the last key material he needed to repair the hidden teleportation node. He had already gathered the spatial-attribute Array Stones, the spirit-conducting copper sheets, and the Spiritual Power putty; only the Space Crystal Stone had remained elusive.

"Where in Jingzhou is the White Mirror Marketplace?"

"Central Jingzhou," Xu Zhang said. "Jingzhou has three Golden Core Sects and our commerce association. Each has one or two Golden Core Cultivators, so none of them are particularly powerful. In terms of sheer size, they can’t compare to the Primordial Yang Sect. The Primordial Yang Sect has five Golden Core Cultivators."

"However, there’s a Nascent Soul Sect bordering Jingzhou that spans three states, and it keeps them all in check. None of the three local powers dare to stir up trouble, so things on the ground are quite peaceful. The White Mirror Marketplace is a neutral market jointly managed by all three, and they’re also co-hosting this auction."

"Can you bid on it for me?"

Xu Zhang looked troubled and shook his head.

"Something like a Space Crystal Stone can’t be sent through a Teleportation Array. Items with spatial attributes conflict with the arrays. Forcing it would lead to absurdly high energy consumption, and you’d risk damaging the crystal’s internal structure."

He sighed.

"But our association is short-staffed at the moment. A round trip to Jingzhou takes at least three to four months, and we just can’t spare anyone for a special trip for a single crystal."

Li Yuan was silent for a few moments.

"When’s the auction?"

"The middle of next month."

Li Yuan nodded, rose, and took his leave.

On the way back to his stone house, he mentally planned the trip.

He would start from the Mist Forest Marketplace, take the eastern section of the Sunset Corridor into Jingzhou, then travel south from northern Jingzhou to the White Mirror Marketplace. A one-way trip would take over ten days, making the round trip close to a month.

The marketplace’s administration now had a stable framework. The staff from the Wang and Ji families were enough to maintain daily operations. The mine’s output, the Spirit Fields, the talisman shop, the pill supply—each area had someone specifically in charge.

The marketplace would be fine if he left for a month.

’I can’t wait for the Space Crystal Stone any longer.’

Li Yuan returned to his stone house, pushed open the back door, and walked toward the Spirit Fields.

From a distance, he could see a patch of grayish-green vegetation growing luxuriantly within the Evil Qi isolation zone, an area cordoned off by Array Discs. The leaves of the Soul-devouring Grass had matured from narrow spikes into broad, full blades. The dark red veins along their edges were deep and rich, and the entire zone emanated a heavy, chilling medicinal fragrance.

A Spirit Farmer was squatting in the field, conducting the final harvest.

"Pavilion Master, the first batch has fully matured," the Spirit Farmer said, standing and dusting the dirt from his hands, unable to hide the excitement in his voice. "The total yield is forty percent higher than we estimated."

Li Yuan stepped into the isolation zone, casually picked up a harvested stalk of Soul-devouring Grass, and probed its stem and roots with his Spiritual Power.

’Potent medicinal properties, abundant Evil Qi, and consistent quality.’

A yield forty percent over estimate meant they were now completely self-sufficient in raw materials for the Condensing Evil Pill. At the current refinement rate, the monthly output of Condensing Evil Pills would not only cover his own needs and those of the Evil Element cultivators in the marketplace, but would also leave a significant surplus for external sale.

The Condensing Evil Pill had always been a hot commodity in the surrounding marketplaces, its demand far outstripping the supply. This surplus production would become a new, stable source of income for the Mist Forest Marketplace.

Li Yuan instructed the Spirit Farmer to dry and process the harvest according to the established procedure before storing it in the medicinal warehouse, then turned and left the Spirit Field.

The days passed in a cycle of cultivation.

Although his progress with the Teleportation Skill was slower than with his Space-Rending Slash, it was still improving steadily.

His teleportation distance increased from five meters to seven, and then eight, finally breaking the ten-meter threshold through constant practice. He was perfectly stable upon landing now, without the slightest stagger. His Spiritual Power consumption had dropped by about twenty percent from when he first started, and the cooldown period was also noticeably shorter.

A panel appeared before him.

[Teleportation Skill: Proficient (0/400)]

A ten-meter teleport was more than enough for an effective ambush or escape in a real fight. Combined with the triple-layered cloaking effect of his Concealment, he could turn invisible, close to within ten meters of a target, and then use the Teleportation Skill to appear instantly in front of them. An opponent would have almost no time to react.

With both of his spatial magic skills now at the Proficient stage, the path to making the Teleportation Stone permanent was steadily shortening.