Chapter 977
Heavenly-Level Black Market
"Take it! Husband, is this place perhaps in the East Sea?"
Zhuang Yuechan, who had just returned from a patrol of the outer seas, overheard the latter part of their conversation and instantly understood Song Changsheng's thoughts.
“Indeed, ten thousand miles east of the Twin Islands, there is a giant island that has been confirmed to possess a large fourth-order spiritual vein, which can certainly meet Master Wujie’s requirements.”
In fact, the location of this giant island was determined when the family first started developing the East China Sea. At that time, the family was short-handed and the fleet had not yet reached a sufficient size to cope with the situation in the open ocean, so development had not been started.
Now, after decades of accumulation, the family boasts a well-trained army, ample supplies, and powerful ships and cannons; it's time to devour this piece of fat meat in our bowl.
When Song Changsheng won the bet from the Embroidered Banner, he obtained Yong'an Island as the stake, marking the first step for the Song family from the inland to the deep blue sea.
The reason he chose Yong'an Island as his gamble was because he valued the pioneering potential that its geographical location offered. His vision was farther-reaching than most people imagined. [Jinxiuqi] thought he chose Yong'an Island for the nearby Twin Islands, but in reality, that was only his first-stage goal.
Although the Twin Islands possess a fourth-order water spirit vein, the islands are too scattered, making communication inconvenient and vulnerable to being defeated one by one. Their ability to withstand risks is too poor, making them an unsustainable long-term solution.
To establish a lasting foundation in the East China Sea, one must possess a giant island like the Palace of Ten Thousand Elephants. And there happens to be one to the east of the Twin Islands. Although it is called an island, it is more like a small continent. According to intelligence, its area is equivalent to the combined area of all the islands in the Twin Islands.
Only by taking that place could the Song family be fearless in the face of any storms in the vast territory of the East China Sea. However, the two places were far apart, and with the Demon King in charge, Song Changsheng had been patient and had not made any moves.
After all, the Song family had limited manpower at that time, and it was already very difficult to develop the Twin Islands. They had no choice but to bring a group of allies on board.
In this situation, it's better to keep the demon king alive than to let the sea creatures take advantage of the situation.
In fact, it was Song Changsheng's decision that indirectly saved the ecology and future of that giant island.
During the great war between the cultivation world of the Great Qian Dynasty and the sea race, the sea race used the [Demon Flower], which could destroy spiritual veins. They not only used it to attack the spiritual islands occupied by various forces in the Great Qian Dynasty, but also planned to destroy all the spiritual veins of all the spiritual islands in the distant sea in order to hinder the human race from continuing to expand into the distant sea.
Giant islands like these have always been a key target for attack. Fortunately, the demon race and the sea race are on the same side, which prevented them from succeeding.
According to his original plan, the clan needed at least three to four Golden Core cultivators to continue expanding, which meant that at least two Golden Core cultivators from the Song clan were needed in the East Sea to meet the demand.
But now that there is a need, we can only speed up the process. Just now, True Lord Lei Xiang took action to deter the sea tribes, so they can keep quiet for a while.
First, take the island, then develop it further.
"With my husband's strength, dealing with that demon king would be a piece of cake. But the will of heaven is unpredictable. Is this [Minor Creation Pill] truly safe?"
Zhuang Yuechan frowned slightly. This was her biggest worry. Heavenly tribulation was not something that could be easily endured. If something went wrong, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Please rest assured, Madam, if there is a problem with the pill formula, it will not attract a heavenly tribulation, so this risk can be eliminated directly."
As for the Heavenly Tribulation, it is certainly dangerous, but Heaven is merciful. We only want a small fortune and will not go so far as to kill us all.
Moreover, as the culprit who stole the creation of heaven and earth, even if things really came to that, I would definitely be the first to die.
"I've been trapped in the mirror for countless years, and it wasn't until I finally rebuilt my body and gained a new life that I realized I haven't lived enough yet." Wu Jie understood Zhuang Yuechan's feelings as his wife, and so he patted his chest and made a promise.
Song Changsheng also took her soft hand and comforted her, "To seize the creation of heaven, there will definitely be some risks. Don't worry, nothing will happen."
“I naturally believe in Master Wujie, but this matter is of great importance, so I must go with you.”
"What about the Tenglong Islands..."
Before she could finish speaking, Zhuang Yuechan interrupted her, "I will send a message to my martial uncle and ask him to come to Tenglong Islands to take charge. With Master Chengming in charge of the Twin Islands, there shouldn't be any problems in the short term."
Seeing her resolute attitude, Song Changsheng stopped trying to influence her decision and said with a tender look, "Alright, let's go together. With my wife backing me up, we're sure to be safe."
Seeing that the two of them were practically glued together, Wu Jie couldn't help but roll his eyes: "Hey, hey, hey, why are you two just like that brat Qing Xing, always talking about life and death? I value my life much more than you guys, okay? I haven't even had a proper look at this beautiful land yet!"
"Ahem." Song Changsheng then remembered his presence, released his hand, cleared his throat and said, "There are still three months until New Year's Eve, so there is plenty of time. Before that, I plan to go to the black market."
Lei Xiang Zhenjun granted me a discounted spot, and I plan to purchase [Xiantian Huaying].
"Master Wujie, with your alchemy skills, refining the Six-Turn Heaven-Shattering Pill shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Upon hearing this, Wu Jie immediately felt insulted: "It's just a fourth-grade top-quality pill. At my peak, my pill-making success rate was 70%. Do you know what 70% means?"
"Once I recover my cultivation, I can refine it anytime. Just make sure you have the materials."
"In that case, I am relieved. Master, please continue your preparations in the Tenglong Islands during this time. If you need anything, just let us know. If it's not available here, have them retrieve it from their families or the [Jinxiu Banner]."
"My wife and I will set sail once we return from the black market."
After saying this, Song Changsheng took Zhuang Yuechan's hand and strode away...
As the most widespread and colossal merchant guild in the cultivation world, the Black Market naturally has a presence in the East Sea as well.
There is a small black market in the Tenglong Islands.
However, that was not Song Changsheng's goal. Firstly, the black market was too small, and reporting it to higher authorities would involve an extra step and waste time.
Secondly, the quota given to him by True Lord Lei Xiang came from a Heavenly-level steward in the black market, and the discount could only be redeemed in the market where this steward was located.
According to publicly available information, the stewards of the black market are divided into four ranks: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow. Each rank represents the scale of the black market they control.
The black market in the Great Qi cultivation world is a yellow-level black market. The stewards are usually at the Purple Mansion level. It is the smallest level and is often located in remote areas.
A Xuan-level steward is someone with the Golden Core cultivation level, and they are usually located in prosperous cultivation worlds. For example, there is a Xuan-level black market in the Suzhou cultivation world.
The conditions of a prefecture-level black market are not much different from those of a xuan-level black market, except that it is larger in scale.
A Heavenly-level Black Market is a completely different story; it's personally overseen by a Nascent Soul True Monarch, and there are only a handful of such markets in the entire world.
The borderlands are resource-poor and naturally lack resources, but thanks to the East Sea, they have a teleportation portal that leads to the Heavenly Black Market.
Lei Xiang Zhenjun and that Heavenly-level deacon were old acquaintances and the strongest figures in the borderlands, which is why he was able to receive a 30% discount. Compared to the Wanlong Chamber of Commerce's 40% or even 50% discount, the discount might not seem like much, but the two are simply not on the same level in terms of size.
Even if the Wanlong Chamber of Commerce offered it for free, it wouldn't be able to attract a Nascent Soul True Monarch. The black market is different; it's backed by the first-rate Dark Shadow Pavilion and has countless channels.
Almost anything you can think of can be found on the black market; even a Nascent Soul Supreme can do business.
According to Peng Siying, even the Wanlong Chamber of Commerce often relies on black market channels, such as Five Elements Heaven and Earth Spiritual Objects and high-level longevity treasures.
Song Changsheng had been to the black market quite a few times, but he had only been to the smallest Yellow-level one. Peng Zhengxiong had given him an admission ticket to the Profound-level black market, but he had never had the time to go.
If it weren't for Lei Xiang Zhenjun's connections, he probably wouldn't even be able to find the entrance to a black market of this scale.
The entrance to this black market is located in Linhai City. Not only is the location extremely remote, but it also requires strict identity verification and is a real-name system, which is very different from other black markets.
However, since they possessed the waist token of True Lord Lei Xiang, they could skip these cumbersome verifications and even had someone to guide them.
"This must be your first time here. The market is quite large, and it would be a waste of time if you didn't have a clear goal."
Of course, there are no time limits in the market, and you two are welcome to explore it yourselves. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.
Although the guide was only a Purple Mansion cultivator, he displayed extremely high manners in front of them, and his every move revealed the unique confidence of the Great Merchant Guild.
"I would like to pay my respects to Steward Bai. Please show me the way." Song Changsheng waved the waist token in his hand in front of the other party and got straight to the point.
Upon seeing the waist tag, the guide's smile deepened: "So you're a regular customer."
However, Your Excellency is very busy lately and may not have time. I need to ask for permission first. You two can wander around for a while.
"Thank you for your trouble."
True Monarch level experts are not people you can just meet whenever you want; Song Changsheng was already mentally prepared for that.
It's a rare opportunity to visit a top-tier black market, so it wouldn't hurt to wander around and see if I could find some treasures to take home.
"Spirit stones are useless here. Let's find a place to exchange them for some [Law Essence]."
As a treasure that can accelerate a cultivator's comprehension of the laws of the Great Dao, the essence of laws can only be collected and refined in the Nine Heavens, which is something only a Nascent Soul True Monarch can do.
Condensing the [Essence of Laws] is very time-consuming. Most Nascent Soul True Monarchs have powerful patrons who offer them alms, so they usually use the condensed essence themselves, and very little of it circulates in the market.
In addition, it can also be obtained by refining spiritual objects of heaven and earth. However, as an indispensable part of the Five Elements Golden Elixir Path, the demand for spiritual objects of heaven and earth is no less than that for the Essence of Laws.
The last method is the fifth-order spiritual vein, also known as the ancestral vein. It contains a marrow pool at its depths, which can also condense the essence of laws and is the main source of power for various forces.
Song Changsheng possessed many treasures, but few could be exchanged for [Law Essence]. In the end, he chose to use fifth-tier spiritual herbs harvested from the Chen Clan's small world in the Eastern Heaven to exchange for ten bottles, each containing one thousand drops, commonly known as one tael.
Ten bottles make up one jin (500 grams).
The majority of items are fifth-tier spiritual herbs. Scriptures and classics are not popular here, unless they are rare supernatural abilities or secret techniques, in which case the black market is more willing to buy them.
Of course, the black market is a marketplace where you can not only buy but also sell. Theoretically, even a blade of grass can be exchanged for [Law Essence] as long as someone wants it. However, doing so would take too much time, so he chose to sell and exchange directly from the black market.
"I've always used this for cultivation, but this is my first time trading it. I wonder how much purchasing power these 10,000 drops of [Law Essence] have on the black market."
"Why don't we try and see? Refining the [Hun Tian Dan] requires a lot of auxiliary materials, right? We can go and take a look. Even without [Xian Tian Hua Ying], our family can still use it to refine some [Four-Turn Hun Tian Dan].
The [Four-Turn Heavenly Pill] has an effect no less than the [Golden Pill]. The auxiliary materials are the same as those of the Six-Turn Pill, but the three main ingredients are completely different. Two of them were obtained in considerable quantities after the Haoran Alliance was looted. The last one is a powder made from a substance called [Starry Stone Crystal].
This is also a secret treasure of the Nine Heavens that can only be mined from the highest heavens.
However, compared to [Innate Essence], it has a higher yield, but there is no way to collect it with the Spirit Eye, so it can only be replaced with Heart's Blood.
It takes about one ounce of Starry Stone Crystal powder to refine one batch of [Four-Turn Heavenly Pill].
Song Changsheng ordered a pound, which is only slightly larger than an adult's fingernail, and it only cost him three hundred drops of [Law Essence].
This purchasing power truly surprised the couple; no wonder everyone says that cultivating with the [Essence of Laws] is an extremely luxurious thing.
But when Song Changsheng thought about the origin of these [Essence of Laws], he felt relieved. This time, he had almost emptied his pockets of fifth-grade spiritual herbs from the Eastern Heaven Cultivation World, and with the addition of a large number of precious books, he had only exchanged for ten bottles.
"Shopkeeper, do you have any Golden Core Pills?"
The black-robed shopkeeper, without looking up, said, "Of course we have them. One Golden Core Pill contains two thousand drops of Law Essence, and you can only purchase one at a time."
This price premium is undoubtedly significant, but is it expensive?
Song Changsheng's pills don't seem expensive. For pills like the Golden Core Pill, the issue isn't price, but rather the availability of a market for them.
Even if it means selling everything we own, it would be worth it to support a Golden Core cultivator.
But for most people in the world, even if you wanted to sell everything you own, you wouldn't have the means, and that's what's most frustrating.
In other words, the Song family doesn't lack Golden Core pills right now, otherwise he would be willing to give up not just two thousand drops, but five thousand drops.
Song Changsheng and Zhuang Yuechan spent several hours browsing the black market, not only broadening their horizons but also purchasing a large amount of resources. In the end, they only used up less than five thousand drops of [Law Essence], demonstrating their formidable purchasing power.
He even saw a Golden Core cultivator take out a low-grade Law Treasure to sell, asking for 9,000 drops of [Law Essence].
This price is very high, but once we leave here, no one will take out this treasure of the laws to sell.
This is why distribution channels are so important!
...(End of this chapter)