Chapter 22: The Impact on the Future

As the most stable, profitable, and enduring asset of the Biyun Sect, Golden Radiance Immortal City should not be abandoned unless the sect faces an existential threat or receives an offer of double the returns.

After all, the Immortal City is not merely a source of revenue; it is a powerful tool for controlling the trade flow of the entire Cangyun Province and managing the economic pulse of all major powers within it.

The fact that they are now conducting an open tender for only a century of control suggests they are not in danger of annihilation. Most likely, they have encountered an opportunity worth far more than a hundred years of the city’s current income.

Combining this with the previous rumors regarding Spirit Replenishment Pills and Old Mother You—especially after analyzing the fragmented information about the Biyun Sect from the gazettes he subscribed to—Li Ji’an is now almost certain that they have discovered a massive ancient ruin or a highly valuable secret realm in the Great Swamp Mountain Range, which requires vast human and material resources to breach.

Calculating the timeline, they may have begun in secret ten years ago, and now, they must have reached a critical juncture.

With this realization, many things fell into place for Li Ji’an.

It explains why, even though they knew bandits had fled to the wilderness in recent years, no one was sent to pursue them. It explains why Xiao Changfeng mentioned that resources were becoming increasingly scarce. It explains why they initiated a technical census to recruit array masters.

Setting aside the urge to spectate, Li Ji’an composed his mind to deduce the potential negative impacts on his own safety. A person without long-term concerns will soon have immediate worries; anticipating crises and nipping them in the bud is far more prudent than relying on desperate counter-attacks, and it suits Li Ji’an’s temperament better.

If his predictions are correct, once the Biyun Sect sells control of the Immortal City, they will no longer be responsible for its security—the shortage of manpower had already been exposed. Furthermore, since the sale is public, even if the city’s reputation suffers over the next century, it will have nothing to do with the Biyun Sect. Once they reclaim it after a hundred years, it will quickly return to prosperity.

This first point alone caused Li Ji’an to frown slightly. A gentleman does not stand under a crumbling wall; if the Immortal City can no longer guarantee basic safety, he must prepare an escape route in advance.

However, any force capable of purchasing a century of control over an Immortal City cannot be minor; they would likely be on par with the Biyun Sect. To ensure their profits, they would naturally prioritize the city’s security and stability. But he fears that distance might make rescue impossible. Aside from the Biyun Sect, whose main base is nearby and can mobilize thousands of disciples at a moment’s notice, no other force could match the level of security provided under Biyun control.

Recalling that Tong Xiangyu hinted at this situation a month ago, perhaps the actual authority over the city for the next century will fall to an overseas chamber of commerce. After all, the more an official announcement emphasizes a specific point, the more likely it is to be a facade.

The announcement insists that the buyer must be a local power from the Tiancang Domain. This is likely a requirement forced upon the Biyun Sect by the Hall of Ten Thousand Laws, the true masters of the Tiancang Domain, rather than something the resource-starved Biyun Sect itself cares about.

Yet, compared to the neighboring Ten Thousand Merchant Domain—which is dominated by chambers of commerce that trade across all regions—local Tiancang powers either lack the massive resources the Biyun Sect requires or have no interest in the city. It is highly probable that a merchant group from the Ten Thousand Merchant Domain will use a local Tiancang entity as a shell to control Golden Radiance Immortal City.

Once that happens, the number of personnel the overseas group can bring in will be limited. Moreover, for a chamber of commerce, profit is the primary concern. To cut costs, they will inevitably fail to maintain the safety and stability that the Biyun Sect provided.

"The area outside the city will likely not be as safe as before... though safety inside should remain guaranteed. The Biyun Sect’s reputation will not vanish overnight. The chaos will likely come in increments; at least for the next ten years, I should be safe."

Having analyzed all factors, Li Ji’an felt confident about his primary safety concerns. The situation will undoubtedly deteriorate, but the impact on him will be minimal, and with his current strength, he can avoid potential issues in advance.

Next, he considered the economic impact. Here, the pros outweigh the cons, not just for him, but for the entire Cangyun Province. Most importantly, many resources previously strictly controlled by the Biyun Sect—those that could affect the provincial power balance—will become more accessible. Even Foundation Establishment Pills will not be as scarce as before. Materials for pills, talismans, arrays, and puppets will become more readily available. In short, the economy will likely shift from a planned system to a freer one. For a cultivator like Li Ji’an, who possesses refined skills and requires high-end resources, this is a distinct advantage.

The third potential impact is his future development. Li Ji’an came to the city to prepare for Foundation Establishment. The planned economy under the Biyun Sect was a significant hurdle, which will now improve. However, subsequent cultivation might become harder, as competition for limited spiritual veins and practice sites will intensify once a chamber of commerce takes charge. But as long as his skills continue to sharpen and his income grows, this can be ignored.

After half a day of repeating this deduction, Li Ji’an let out a long breath. On balance, it was beneficial.

That afternoon, Manager Wu sent word that Tong Xiangyu wished to see Yan Kongyi. Li Ji’an did not accompany him this time. The result was that Tong Xiangyu agreed to Yan Kongyi’s request, even nodding directly to his strategic-level commodities. "They will arrive in three months."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji’an became even more certain of his hypothesis: the public auction was merely a formality; the buyer had likely been determined before the news was ever released.

"Pity my commercial intuition wasn't sharp enough. If I had predicted this result earlier, I could have made a small profit." After spending the afternoon visiting shops in the outer city and seeing them post acquisition notices three months in advance, Li Ji’an gave a self-deprecating smile.

This year, his talisman income had increased by over a thousand spirit stones compared to last year, bringing his total savings to over five thousand. He had hoped to use the information gap to hoard raw materials unique to Cangyun Province and sell them after the change in leadership, expecting a fifty percent return. It turned out that what he considered an "information gap" was already common knowledge to the upper echelons.

Three days later, the Biyun Sect issued another announcement: the party that had secured control of Golden Radiance Immortal City for the next century was the Wan Family of the Qi clan from Daoyuan Province in the Tiancang Domain—a well-known family of artifact smiths.

Clearly, a Foundation Establishment clan could not provide the massive resources the Biyun Sect required, but they had offered a high enough price. For Li Ji’an, this was another piece of good news. As a family acting as a shell for a merchant group, there would likely be no shortage of magical artifacts in Golden Radiance Immortal City in the future; perhaps even second-tier pill furnaces would soon be available.

With the affairs of the Immortal City settled, Li Ji’an stopped wasting energy on it. While waiting for the first grand market to be held under the new management, he prepared to visit the Biyun Sect to congratulate Old Xiao.

For the ultimate goal of longevity and the assurance of his "rejuvenation," he needed to cultivate goodwill. However, he insisted on sincerity and letting things take their natural course without forcing them. He respected Xiao Changfeng’s character and, having tasted the benefits of their previous trip to Flame Mountain, was willing to interact with him sincerely. He also hoped to seek his advice on the experience of Foundation Establishment.

That day, Li Ji’an spent two hundred and eighty spirit stones at an artifact shop to purchase a high-quality artifact: the Azure Rock Shield.

Artifacts here depend heavily on the user; during the Qi Refining stage, mid-to-low-grade items are the norm, and those in the late stage of Qi Refining cannot always fully unleash the power of high-grade artifacts. Generally, those at the early stage of Foundation Establishment mainly use high-quality artifacts, only moving to second-tier magical treasures after reaching the mid-stage.

Li Ji’an’s choice was not an extravagant gift, but it was respectable and perfectly suited for Xiao Changfeng’s earth-attribute techniques.

An hour later, Li Ji’an arrived outside the gates of the Biyun Sect, a place he hadn't visited in twenty-one years. The majestic gates formed by the rolling mountains, the mist-shrouded forests, and the peaks reaching into the blue clouds... they still made Li Ji’an feel that this, truly, was what "immortal" meant.