Chapter 34: Sudden Wealth, Ten Million Low-Grade Spirit Stones

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At the black market of Tianyun City, within the Ten-Thousand Treasures Chamber of Commerce, Lin Chuan stood before the counter, watching the shrewd shopkeeper, Old Liu, stare with eyes wide as saucers, his hand frozen mid-motion over his abacus.

"Ni... nine Bodhi seeds?" Old Liu’s voice trembled. "And eight stalks of Azure Nethergrass, three stalks of Millennium Blood Ginseng, five ingots of Azure Nether Dark Iron..."

Lin Chuan nodded calmly and retrieved a jade box from his storage pouch. "And this: a Ten-Thousand-Year Lingzhi."

Old Liu’s hand visibly shook, and he hurried to summon his assistant. "Quickly, go fetch the head manager!"

Half an hour later, when Lin Chuan stepped out of the Chamber of Commerce, his waist pouch had been replaced by a higher-grade Qiankun bag, containing a crystal card worth twenty-eight million low-grade spirit stones.

Zhang Lin and his two companions followed behind him, each wearing an expression as if they were trapped in a dream.

"Twenty... twenty-eight million..." Wang Tiezhu counted on his fingers for a long time, unable to keep track of the zeros.

Li Yun clutched the crystal card so tightly that her knuckles turned white. "One million seven hundred thousand... do we really have one million seven hundred thousand spirit stones?"

Zhang Lin remained relatively composed, but the fine beads of sweat on his forehead betrayed him. "Brother Lin, this... this is too much..."

Lin Chuan smiled. "This is what you deserve." He glanced at the sky. "Let’s go to the bank and exchange this crystal card for smaller denominations; it will be easier to use."

When the manager of the Tianyun Bank’s District Ding branch saw the crystal card presented by the four, he nearly fell off his chair. Flustered, he ordered his guards to tighten security and personally handled the exchange for them.

As the three companions each received their storage pouches filled with spirit stones, Li Yun’s eyes suddenly welled with tears.

"Ten years... we’ve been working ourselves to the bone in Tianyun City for ten years..." Her voice choked with emotion. "We couldn't even afford a restroom..."

Wang Tiezhu scratched his head. "My biggest wish used to be just buying a single room in District Ding..."

Lin Chuan patted their shoulders. "Things are different now. You can go to the Inner City and pick out a nice house."

This sentence seemed to flip a switch; the eyes of all three lit up simultaneously.

"The Inner City!" Li Yun exclaimed. "That’s where the major factions reside! They say if you own a home in the Inner City, your children can join the major martial arts academies and receive a systematic martial education the moment they are born!"

"Our children can go straight to the martial arts academy!" Zhang Lin gripped his wife’s hand, overcome with excitement.

Wang Tiezhu was already calculating: "I’m going to buy one with a training field!"

The three suddenly turned toward Lin Chuan and bowed in unison. "Brother Lin, words cannot express our gratitude!"

Lin Chuan quickly helped them up. "Don't be like that; we are friends." He looked at the eager trio. "Go on, go look at houses. I still have some things to buy."

Watching them leave in high spirits, Lin Chuan turned toward the cultivation supplies zone.

Inside the Blood Spirit Ring, the voice of Little Fatty rang out: "Kid, what you need most right now is to stabilize your foundation. Don't let these spirit stones cloud your judgment."

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"I know," Lin Chuan replied internally.

The following evening, outside the small courtyard in District Ding, Pan Yu sauntered over from the direction of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, her usual haughty expression on her face. She had received a generous amount of tips from a few wealthy merchants today and was in a good mood.

As she rounded the corner, she saw Zhang Lin, his wife, and Wang Tiezhu standing at the entrance of the courtyard, their faces filled with undisguised joy.

"Oh, if it isn't our laborer Zhang and the kitchen maid Li?" Pan Yu’s sharp voice rang out. "What is it, did you find some money today? Why so happy?"

In the past, Li Yun would have been pale with anger at such a remark. But today, Li Yun simply smiled, even pausing to smooth her hair.

"Miss Pan, you jest," Li Yun’s voice was surprisingly calm. "We were just chatting."

Pan Yu raised an eyebrow, sensing something was wrong. Usually, at the slightest provocation, Li Yun would retort, leading to a fierce war of words.

"Hmph, stop putting on airs," Pan Yu sneered. "People like you are destined to live in District Ding your whole lives."

Zhang Lin, who usually preferred to avoid trouble, frowned at this. "Miss Pan, you shouldn't speak so definitively."

"Oh?" Pan Yu put her hands on her hips. "Don't tell me you’re planning to move to the outer District Jia?"

Li Yun sighed lightly. "Alas, even though we bought a house in the Inner City, we still have a bit of a headache."

Pan Yu froze, then burst into laughter. "Hahaha, Li Yun, oh Li Yun, have you lost your mind? The Inner City? You?"

Zhang Lin took over, looking troubled. "It’s true. We bought a house at the intersection of the Sky Eagle Martial Hall and the Wang Family, the two major factions. We’re worried about whether to send our child to the Sky Eagle Academy or the Wang Family Academy. It’s truly vexing."

Pan Yu’s laughter ceased abruptly, her face gradually darkening. "Are you insane? Do you know how much a house in the Inner City costs? At least one million low-grade spirit stones!"

Wang Tiezhu chimed in honestly: "The house Brother Zhang and the others bought cost one million five hundred thousand."

Pan Yu’s face turned from green to white, then to red. "Bullshit! If you can afford a house in the Inner City, I’ll write my name backward!"

Li Yun, unperturbed, slowly retrieved a red jade plaque from her Qiankun bag and began to fan herself lightly. "It’s really hot today..."

In the sunset, the six characters "Tianyun City Inner City Title Deed" on the jade plaque shone brilliantly, with intricate array patterns along the edges shimmering with faint spiritual light.

Pan Yu’s pupils contracted sharply; she opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She certainly recognized what this was—among the regular patrons of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion were many Inner City residents, and she had seen such title deed plaques many times.

"No... impossible..." Pan Yu’s voice trembled. "How could you..."

Li Yun gracefully put the plaque away and took her husband’s arm. "Let’s go, pack your things. We’re moving tomorrow."

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Zhang Lin nodded, then looked at the stunned Pan Yu and kindly reminded her, "Miss Pan, remember to lock your doors and windows at night; I’ve heard there are burglars about."

The three walked into the courtyard, leaving Pan Yu standing at the corner of the street, her expression looking as if she had been slapped hard across the face.

Inside the courtyard, the three couldn't help but burst into laughter the moment they closed the door.

"Did you see her expression?" Li Yun clutched her stomach. "She looked like she’d seen a ghost!"

Wang Tiezhu scratched his head, grinning. "I thought she was going to faint."

Zhang Lin shook his head. "Alright, don't get too carried away. Brother Lin is right—wealth should not be flaunted. We were a bit too much today."

Li Yun stuck out her tongue. "I just couldn't stand her usual attitude."

As they spoke, Lin Chuan emerged from the inner room, playing with a cyan jade slip. "Are you finished?"

"We are!" Li Yun said excitedly. "We bought a row of small courtyards, right behind the Sky Eagle Martial Hall!"

Zhang Lin added, "Although they aren't large, the spiritual energy concentration is more than five times that of District Ding."

Wang Tiezhu patted his chest. "Mine even has a small training field!"

Lin Chuan nodded with a smile. He waved the jade slip in his hand. "I bought some cultivation supplies. I’ll be going into seclusion starting tomorrow."

"Seclusion?" Li Yun asked in surprise. "Aren't you moving with us?"

Lin Chuan shook his head. "I’ll stay here for now. You all get settled in; if you need anything, just contact me."

Zhang Lin seemed to want to say something, but ultimately just nodded. "Alright, take care of yourself."

That night, the three packed their luggage in high spirits, discussing the layout of their new home. Lin Chuan, meanwhile, sat on the roof, gazing in the direction of the Inner City, lost in thought.

Inside the Blood Spirit Ring, Little Fatty’s voice sounded: "What, are you envious?"

Lin Chuan chuckled. "I have over twenty million low-grade spirit stones on me right now. If I wanted to, I could buy the best mansion in the Inner City at any moment."

"Then why not buy it?"

"Too flashy." Lin Chuan rubbed the Blood Spirit Ring. "Besides... if you spend money just because you’ve earned it, you’ll never make real wealth. Back on Earth in my previous life, which great capitalist didn't reinvest their earnings into the means of production? Only by letting money beget money can you earn a constant stream of wealth."

Little Fatty fell silent for a moment. "I must say, kid, you’re sharper than your old man. When I first transmigrated to the Cangxuan Continent a hundred thousand years ago, I used all my spirit stones to buy cultivation resources, always thinking that using them all for cultivation was the best way. It never occurred to me to use them to generate wealth like those capitalists."

Under the moonlight, a sharp glint flashed in Lin Chuan’s eyes. Twenty-eight million spirit stones were just the beginning for him; his true path of cultivation had only just begun.

Not far away, at the corner of the street, Pan Yu stood in the shadows, staring fixedly at the courtyard, her eyes filled with resentment and unwillingness...