014. First Entry to Inner City and Shops; Settling In, Contemplating the Martial Field
Qitian filled his stomach and left the restaurant.
"It's about time I enter the inner city."
As the trade center of Southern Border, Shang Clan City's area was deservedly number one.
The outer city where Qitian was previously had extremely high foot traffic and was rather chaotic where goods were loaded and unloaded.
And Shang Liang Mountain, after thousands of years of management by the Shang Clan, not only had Shang Clan City spread across the mountain's surface but also extended deep into the mountain's interior, forming the inner city.
The inner city was vast and divided into five zones. Without a token, entering each level of the inner city required paying a sum of primeval stones; this was also a way to limit foot traffic and maintain order.
The fifth inner city was the low-grade zone. Entry here required one hundred primeval stones. Consequently, the flow of people decreased sharply, less than half of the outer city. However, Gu Masters were visible everywhere; Rank 1s walked the ground, Rank 2s were interspersed among them, and occasionally one or two Rank 3s could be seen.
The fourth inner city was the mid-grade zone. Pedestrians here were even fewer. Rank 2 Gu Masters became the mainstream; after all, for a Rank 1 Gu Master, the two hundred primeval stone entrance fee alone was a significant expense.
The third inner city had an elegant environment and fresh air; it was the high-grade zone. Entry required six hundred primeval stones. Pedestrians on the streets were sparse, making it quiet and pleasant. Here, even Rank 2 Gu Masters were rarely seen. Occasionally, when one encountered a Gu Master, they were almost always Rank 3. This was Qitian's destination.
Further inward were the second and first inner cities, but entry required not just primeval stones but also tokens issued by the Shang Clan, and these tokens needed to be of a sufficiently high grade.
Qitian entered a shop that bought and sold Gu worms.
"Esteemed guest, please come this way to the private room." A Rank 1 female Gu Master responsible for reception immediately came over, speaking softly.
Qitian was led into an elegant private room.
It was a separate room with sandalwood tables and chairs, carved beams, and painted rafters. Calligraphy and paintings hung on the white walls, the characters written with bold, powerful strokes like flying dragons and dancing phoenixes.
Through the window lattice, one could see a courtyard with green trees and red flowers. Birds chirped merrily.
The young female Gu Master served two cups of fragrant tea and then withdrew.
Just as she left, an elderly man walked in.
"May I ask if the esteemed guest has come to our humble shop to buy or to sell?" The old man was a Rank 2 Gu Master, his face wreathed in smiles as he cupped his hands and asked.
"I wish to buy, and also to sell," Qitian replied, picking up his teacup.
The old man laughed heartily, and a Bookworm Gu flew out from his body, hovering before Qitian.
"Please browse carefully," the elderly Gu Master said.
Mobilizing a stream of Snow Silver primeval essence, he infused it into the Bookworm Gu. The Bookworm instantly transformed into a white light, merging into the center of Qitian's forehead.
Instantly, a wealth of information appeared in Qitian's mind.
The shop sold a vast variety of Gu worms, enough to dazzle the eyes. Among them were rare Gu like the Bookworm and Liquor Worm. They ranged from Rank 1 to Rank 5.
Of course, there were absolutely no Rank 6 Gu. Immortal Gu were unique; even in the largest trading market, Treasure Yellow Heaven, Immortal Gu transactions were rarely seen.
Each Gu worm had a detailed introduction explaining its function. Prices were clearly marked. For some higher-rank, precious, and rare Gu worms, specific token standards were also noted in detail. This meant a Gu Master needed a token issued by the Shang Clan to be qualified to purchase these Gu worms.
Qitian needed to buy a large quantity of Gu worms. After a rough browse, he withdrew his consciousness, summoned the Bookworm, and returned it to the old man. The key issue wasn't just money; some Gu he planned to acquire also had token requirements.
"Esteemed guest, have you taken a liking to anything? If you purchase a large quantity, our Tongyou Merchant Store offers corresponding discounts," the old man said with a smile.
After seeing Qitian's Snow Silver primeval essence, his tone became even more polite.
Qitian waved his hand, "No rush. I have Gu worms to sell here." With that, he summoned the Dragon Walk Tiger Step Gu.
The old man wasn't surprised. Many came to Tongyou Merchant Store to buy Gu worms, but quite a few came to sell as well.
The old man squinted, observed it for a moment, then pondered, "This Gu is Rank 4, but not considered particularly precious. It should be worth this much."
Sixty-eight thousand? Seeing the number the old man gestured, Qitian slightly raised his eyebrows.
The price of Rank 4 Gu generally ranged from ten thousand to one hundred thousand. Pricing the Dragon Walk Tiger Step Gu at sixty-eight thousand was already quite good.
This old man wasn't randomly lowballing the price.
But even so, Qitian intended to push the price up as much as possible. Haggling was a skill he had honed to perfection in his previous life.
After just a few exchanges, the old man relented and raised the price to seventy thousand.
"Good, let's seal the deal at this price then."
"I shall order someone to bring the primeval stones immediately." The old man took the Dragon Walk Tiger Step Gu.
"No rush, I have a few more Gu worms here." Qitian smiled slightly and successively took out several more Gu worms, haggling with the old man over them.
After several rounds of negotiation, Qitian sold nearly a third of the Gu worms he didn't need, earning two hundred and ten thousand primeval stones.
Afterwards, Qitian bought a large quantity of Gu worms, mostly Rank 1 and 2, with a small amount of Rank 3. Because some Gu worms required tokens he didn't have, or weren't available here originally, Qitian needed to refine them himself.
Leaving the shop, Qitian visited several other shops, selling the remaining Gu worms or purchasing more.
'I've just arrived in Shang Clan City, with no connections here. Selling too many Gu worms at once will easily attract others' envy. Although fighting isn't allowed here, if someone secretly causes trouble, it would be a hassle. Especially since Shang Zi Zhu [Shang Who Haggles Over Tiny Details], who manages the shops, is narrow-minded.'
'Selling in batches, while not hiding much, can delay the exposure of my wealth, giving me time to establish a foothold.'
'There are two ways to establish a foothold here. One is to obtain a high-level Shang Clan token. Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing, arriving a year and a half later, gained the highest level Purple Thorn Token through the merit of 'escorting' Shang Xin Ci, becoming honored guests overnight.'
'Shang Xin Ci is indeed a good springboard, but I don't plan to stay in Southern Border for too long. In a year and a half, barring accidents, I will have already inherited the blessed land. So, while this plan is good, it's not suitable for me.'
'The most suitable path for me is still to demonstrate sufficient strength. If I show Rank 4 combat power, even a Shang Clan young master wouldn't dare cause trouble easily. The best place to demonstrate strength is the Performance Martial Field, and I can also earn some primeval stones there.'
Because proactively opening the inheritance also required some arrangements, Qitian needed to prepare many things in advance. His current wealth and accumulation still had a considerable gap; otherwise, Qitian would have already departed for Central Continent.
Afterwards, Qitian took up lodging at Nanqiu Garden.
Nanqiu Garden was a garden estate, providing accommodation for esteemed guests.
In the third inner city, there were no inns, only such small garden estates.
Staying here for one day cost thirty primeval stones. Ten days was three hundred, and a month amounted to nearly a thousand primeval stones.
The price of Nanqiu Garden was considered relatively cheap in the third inner city. Some larger garden estates cost over a hundred primeval stones per day.
And some special-grade garden estates couldn't be stayed in even if you had primeval stones; they required a Shang Clan token.
The next day, Qitian arrived at the Performance Martial Zone in the fifth inner city.
It was very lively here. Crowds flowed endlessly, bustling sounds reached Qitian's ears, and a fervent atmosphere washed over him.
"Have you heard? Xiao Yan won again! This is already his fifteenth victory. Looks like he'll be able to move up to the fourth inner city soon."
"He has Rank 3 cultivation; entering the fourth inner city is practically guaranteed."
...
"The fight between Xiong Ba Tian and Wang Da Niu is about to start, hurry and watch!"
"Both of them follow the Strength Path; the scene won't be pretty at all."
...
The Shang Clan was large and prosperous, needing manpower in many areas. Relying solely on clan members often wasn't enough. Successive generations of Shang Clan young masters would recruit a certain number of demonic path Gu Masters.
If the young master this demonic Gu Master attached themselves to became the clan leader, they might be appointed as an external clan elder, enjoying the treatment of a clan elder.
Gu Master cultivation required vast resources. The vast majority of demonic path Gu Masters lacked stable resources provided by a clan and were destitute. Only by attaching themselves to a clan could they survive better.
In Shang Clan City's Performance Martial Zone, large numbers of demonic path Gu Masters fought continuously, desperately climbing upwards, aiming to attach themselves to the Shang Clan and 'whiten' themselves into the righteous path.
The Performance Martial Zone was one channel through which the Shang Clan selected external talents, which was the main reason for its bustling activity.
On the other hand, winning not only yielded primeval stones but also allowed the victor to choose one Gu from the loser's possession. At the same time, participating in the martial performances honed combat skills and tested the combined power of one's Gu worms in actual combat.