Chapter 2016 - The Kabiya Guild

Representatives surged into the Yuan Clan's area in another eager wave, intent on placing orders.

"Patriarch, the Yuan Clan is charging thirty percent less than the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion. Why don't we cancel our order? We'd still save money, even after forfeiting the deposit!"

Before the tournament began, many forces had already placed advance orders with the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion. Withdrawing would mean losing their deposits, but the savings from the Yuan Clan's thirty-percent discount far outweighed that loss.

Yuan Xiangtian accepted every contract as the orders poured in. Even the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion's victory the previous year hadn't stirred this much excitement.

"The Yuan Clan has played this brilliantly. They chose that 30% discount carefully. Even buyers who've already paid the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion a deposit can't turn it down. Had the Yuan Clan charged its usual prices, those people would have thought twice about forfeiting a substantial deposit and paying for another order," a high-tier judge remarked, observing the eager buyers from a distance.

"Yuan Xiangtian has always been a blunt, straightforward man. Someone with his temperament could never have devised a scheme this intricate. Could the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion be right? Is this young man, Liu Wuxie, the one orchestrating everything from the shadows?" another judge mused.

Liu Wuxie's name had already traveled throughout the tournament grounds, sparking quiet speculation across the domain.

That was precisely why he had stayed away to keep his identity out of public view. Remaining in the shadows let him direct events without revealing himself. If he could avoid the Heavenly Alliance's attention, he would gain time to cultivate in secret. Becoming famous would only draw scrutiny.

Meanwhile, grave expressions settled over the patriarchs of the Qian, Fu, and Shen Clans as they huddled together.

"It was only a few days ago that we turned down the Yuan Clan's offer..." Patriarch Qian whispered, his words tinged with growing dread.

Yuan Xiangtian himself had visited their estates, offering twice the market price for their ores. They had refused his offer and sold their entire stock to the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion instead. Yet the Yuan Clan now possessed vast supplies secured from other mining clans, while financial ruin loomed over the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion. Where would they find buyers for their ores next year?

"While the two remained evenly matched, we profited from their rivalry. Life has only grown harder since the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion gained the upper hand. Who could have imagined the Yuan Clan staging such a comeback?" Patriarch Fu said with a helpless sigh.

"We can only blame ourselves. By chasing a little short-term profit, we've set ourselves up for a far greater loss. If we'd sold even a portion of our ore to the Yuan Clan, we wouldn't have alienated them," Patriarch Shen said, bitterness filling his voice.

They had all expected the Yuan Clan to collapse within a year or two. None had believed it could survive.

"Dwelling on it won't help. Let's go congratulate Yuan Xiangtian. All we can do is hope he'll look past our misjudgment and give us a chance," Patriarch Qian said as he got to his feet.

Before the crowd returned, word of the victory reached the Yuan Clan estate. An excited disciple came sprinting into Liu Wuxie's quiet courtyard to report it.

Liu Wuxie only smiled. Everything had unfolded exactly as planned, but the true performance was just beginning.

His hands flowed through one complex seal after another. A peculiar array materialized, then assumed the form of a heavy triangular token.

"Let's hope this token hasn't lost its influence," Liu Wuxie murmured. After slipping the token into his robes, he pulled on a dark hooded cloak and quietly departed the estate.

The Azure Cloud Pit held the city's attention, leaving the lone figure to walk its streets unnoticed.

......

An ancient stone building housed the Kabiya Guild. More than ten thousand years had passed since the guild's founding, and its considerable influence extended throughout the Celestial Weave Domain. In his previous life as an Immortal Emperor, Liu Wuxie had even met its mysterious Guild Master.

The Mystic Pavilion traded only in intelligence, but the Kabiya Guild's business reached much further. It ran high-end auction houses, hired out elite mercenaries, and lent enormous sums against collateral of equal value. Through such an arrangement, the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion had obtained two hundred million immortal stones, pledging its main workshops as collateral.

Some claimed the guild secretly controlled the upper echelons of several major forces in the Celestial Weave Domain, but few could confirm those rumors.

Crossing the ancient threshold, Liu Wuxie caught a faint, dry scent of incense mingled with aged stone. This building housed only a branch of the Kabiya Guild, while its headquarters stood elsewhere.

The Azure Cloud City branch itself had endured for more than five thousand years. Over a dozen vice-guild masters had overseen it across that span, all sent directly from headquarters.

Because the guild handled matters of great consequence, its main hall rarely held more than a handful of visitors.

When Liu Wuxie entered, a young attendant stepped forward and bowed respectfully. Courtesy and discretion governed how the guild received visitors.

"Welcome. How can the Kabiya Guild help you today?" the young man asked.

Liu Wuxie's face was completely concealed under the dark cloak. The attendant wasn't surprised, as most clients wished to keep their identities concealed.

"Your Vice-Guild Master. I've come to see him," Liu Wuxie replied in a hoarse, aged whisper.

"Have you taken an appointment?" the attendant asked, surprise flickering in his eyes.

"I haven't," Liu Wuxie replied.

"I'm sorry, but our Vice-Guild Master only receives guests by appointment. You're welcome to tell me what you need, and the guild will help in every way it can," the attendant said courteously. He kept an earnest smile as he gestured toward the seating area deeper inside.

"Take this to him. He'll agree to see me," Liu Wuxie said. He drew out the triangular token and set it in the attendant's palm.

The young man accepted it with care, puzzlement clouding his face as he examined it. Most tokens of authority were squares or rectangles, making this triangular token exceedingly rare. Its faint, ancient engravings stirred recognition, though he could not remember where he had seen them.

"Would you wait here, please?" the attendant said. He sensed that the token might hold a significance beyond his position and hurried inside to consult his superiors. His rank barred him from approaching the Vice-Guild Master himself.

Liu Wuxie took a seat in a secluded corner of the hall and quietly watched the other attendants receive the visiting cultivators.

About fifteen minutes later, the young attendant returned, accompanied by a stern silver-haired elder.

"This is the gentleman, Grand Guardian," the attendant said, bowing slightly.

"Please come with me, Senior," the Grand Guardian said respectfully after studying Liu Wuxie.

Without speaking, Liu Wuxie got to his feet and followed the Grand Guardian into the inner hall.

There, the architecture bore little resemblance to that of the outer hall. The Grand Guardian guided him up a winding staircase through the building's upper levels. The Azure Cloud City branch rose more than ten stories, with each floor reserved for clients by rank and standing.

On the highest floor, the grand hallway narrowed into an enclosed chamber beneath a dome. Three venerable elders sat inside, looking commanding and refined. The central elder's snow-white beard fell to the floor. With aged fingers, he gently stroked the triangular token Liu Wuxie had forged.

"I've escorted our guest here, Vice-Guild Master," the Grand Guardian reported, bowing deeply to the long-bearded elder.

Three streams of divine sense as oppressive as mountains falling from above bore down on Liu Wuxie. Before their pressure could seize him, the Heavenly Dao Book stirred in his soul sea and effortlessly scattered all three probes.

The sudden backlash jolted the elders, their expressions altering sharply. The one in the center was the branch's Vice-Guild Master, while the two at his sides held authority equal to the Grand Guardian's.

"Is this the welcome the Kabiya Guild offers its honored guests?" Liu Wuxie asked coldly.

With a slight shift in demeanor, he released a trace of the Immortal Emperor's will from his previous life. Its terrifying aura swept through the domed chamber, leaving all four elders pale.

"Senior, please forgive our impertinence! We had no intention of disrespecting you!" the Vice-Guild Master stammered. He hurried to his feet and bowed apologetically, not daring to show even a trace of arrogance.

Liu Wuxie snorted coldly, then withdrew the suffocating aura with unhurried composure.

"Senior... what should we call you? How did you come into possession of our guild's triangular token?" the Vice-Guild Master asked as he let out a long, relieved breath. For one terrifying moment, he had felt death closing in at his throat, and cold sweat now drenched his back.

"You have no need to know that," Liu Wuxie answered indifferently. He settled into a seat with complete composure, as though the chamber were his.

Vice-Guild Master Mu Er and the three guardians exchanged bewildered looks. Their inspection had confirmed the token's authenticity, yet countless ages had passed since the guild had last issued a triangular token. Could this senior have received his in some ancient era?

Across the Celestial Weave Domain, a token of this kind entitled its bearer to one unconditional favor from the Kabiya Guild. Only mighty Immortal Emperors or supreme Immortal Regnants had ever received such tokens. A deeper purpose lay behind those gifts. Without an Immortal Emperor of its own, the guild maintained its place among the realm's highest forces by earning the goodwill of its supreme rulers.

After accepting such deference, an Immortal Emperor would not stoop to making trouble for the guild. Besides, almost nothing in the mortal realm could give an Immortal Emperor trouble. The tokens therefore served mainly as rare ornaments and marks of supreme status.

"If I may introduce myself, I am Mu Er, Vice-Guild Master of the Azure Cloud City branch. These three serve as our Grand Guardians. What should we call you, Senior?" the white-bearded elder asked courteously.

"Black Robe will do," Liu Wuxie said dryly. He meant to keep his identity concealed.

An awkward smile crossed Mu Er's face. Given the attire concealing their guest, there was no need to ask.

"How may the Kabiya Guild be of service today, Senior?" Mu Er asked, getting straight to the point. The appearance of a triangular token surely meant its bearer had come to claim the single favor it granted.

The promise came with unspoken limits, and Liu Wuxie understood them. He could not simply order the guild to kill a powerful enemy on his behalf. Besides, even that fleeting release of aura was enough to frighten an Immortal Venerable. Combined with their inability to discern the depths of his cultivation, it convinced all four elders that his strength far surpassed their own.

Beneath that imposing facade stood only an eighth-level Profound Immortal. The truth would have left them dumbfounded. Only the Heavenly Dao Book and his mental energy allowed Liu Wuxie to sustain the deception so flawlessly.