Chapter 465: Purchasing Intelligence

After three rounds of wine.

Han Yuan and the other two bowed to Qin Ming and said, "Brother Lu, we must return to the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Paths Merchants' Society to report our mission; we cannot linger here any longer. Today's meeting ends here—we take our leave first."

"Making a living in this line means constant travel—truly beyond one's control!"

"Understood. Since the three of you have urgent duties, Brother Lu will not detain you further. Next time, feel free to visit the Mirror Snow Pavilion to meet me." Qin Ming rose and bowed in return.

"If Brother Lu has time, do visit the Ten Thousand Paths Merchants' Society in Zhongzhou—we would be honored to host you." Liu Ye smiled sweetly.

"Brother Lu, please stay. No need to see us off." Gao Feng also bid farewell to Qin Ming.

"We three often take missions in this southern region—we're sure we'll meet again soon, hehehe!"

"So there's no need for formalities."

"Then may all of you have a safe journey."

…

After parting with Han Yuan and the others, Qin Ming did not head directly to the Mirror Snow Pavilion's branch in the marketplace.

Instead, he wound through the labyrinthine streets of Lingxu Marketplace, turning corners and twisting paths until he arrived before the largest pavilion.

This pavilion was lavishly decorated, gilded and splendid, carved with dragons and phoenixes; above its central plaque, three grand characters were inscribed in bold, swirling script—"Qianji Pavilion."

This shop was one of the region's largest powers—the very branch of Qianji Trading House founded by Hua Tianxiong, the True Person Qin Ming had accidentally encountered upon first arriving at Qilin Island.

Only within such a deeply rooted, local major power could Qin Ming obtain complete and detailed intelligence.

Before coming, he had already consulted Gu Qingzhao; the Mirror Snow Pavilion's foothold here was still shallow, and many things remained incomplete.

Inside Qianji Pavilion, several graceful female attendants were receiving guests in the front hall.

One young attendant, dressed in a smoke-silk gown, spotted a new customer and her eyes brightened instantly; she put on a professional smile and stepped forward to greet him.

But the middle-aged shopkeeper behind the counter, who had been calmly sipping tea, quickly set down his cup and rose to say, "Mo He, step back—this guest will be served by me personally."

"Yes!"

The attendant's heart stirred; she cast several glances at Qin Ming—few guests merited the shopkeeper's personal attention.

He must be a high-level client.

She had no choice but to obey, biting her lip in resentment, her gaze reluctantly tearing away from Qin Ming.

Moreover, their shopkeeper was at the late Foundation Establishment realm; anyone addressed as "Brother" must be at least mid-Foundation Establishment or higher.

"You look unfamiliar—this is your first time in Lingxu Marketplace?"

"I am Wei Hong, the shopkeeper. Please follow me upstairs!"

Master Wei smiled as he spoke.

Qin Ming nodded, silently amazed—here, even a late Foundation Establishment cultivator was deemed worthy only of second-floor reception.

After ascending the stairs.

Master Wei casually ordered a pot of ordinary tea, poured Qin Ming a cup, and asked, "What does Brother seek? Or are you here to sell something?"

"I've heard your trading house is famed for its intelligence network. I wish to obtain the latest information on all major powers in Da Jin." Qin Ming took a small sip of tea.

"Information on all major powers in Da Jin?"

Master Wei's face showed a flicker of surprise, further confirming the man was an outsider.

Yet his professional ethics were impeccable; he asked no questions about the client's identity, instead instructing a subordinate to bring several jade slips and place them before Qin Ming.

"Brother, these are the latest intelligence reports on all major powers in the Da Jin Immortal Dynasty—updated just ten days ago."

"Since you came to our pavilion, you must know our chairman is Master Hua, backed by the Li Huo Palace—every piece of information is guaranteed authentic. False information? We pay tenfold."

"Here, intelligence is graded into four tiers. Class-A intelligence is worth one thousand mid-grade spirit stones."

"Class-B intelligence is eight hundred mid-grade spirit stones."

"Class-C intelligence is five hundred mid-grade spirit stones."

"Class-D intelligence is three hundred mid-grade spirit stones."

Qin Ming nodded, then picked up a Class-A jade slip from the tray and examined it: "The Da Jin immortal realm is vast. Currently, the Nascent Soul-level powers are no longer dominated by a single force but have increased to three. The longstanding Li Huo Palace holds Zhongzhou, with immense depth and heritage."

"Next is the Ten Thousand Paths Merchants' Society—its influence spans several nearby large immortal realms. Though its official leader is a Golden Core cultivator at peak, such a vast merchant empire, with hundreds of affiliated trading houses, must be under the control of a Nascent Soul True Person to maintain order. Yet the society's Nascent Soul patron remains mysterious, never having shown his face."

"Lastly, the newly risen Shen Dao Mountain."

"Shen Dao Mountain lies in the southern frontier, bordering another large immortal realm called 'Da Li Immortal Realm.'"

"Unlike Da Jin, Da Li is a true demonic immortal realm, chaotic and lawless."

"The jade slip specifically notes: Shen Dao Mountain is suspected of receiving covert support and funding from the Nascent Soul-level demonic sect, Yin Mo Sect."

At this point, all of Qin Ming's thoughts snapped together into a single, clear thread.

"It fits. It all fits!"

"The Yin Mo Sect mentioned here—I know them well. The three mid-Golden Core demonic emissaries I exterminated during my travels in Wu Country were from Yin Mo Sect. What a coincidence? So no wonder Shen Dao Mountain, though newly risen as a Nascent Soul power, can stand toe-to-toe with Li Huo Palace without losing ground—there's a major demonic sect pulling strings behind them."

"It seems the waters of Da Jin run far deeper than I imagined."

"I must be extra cautious from now on."

After reading the jade slip, Qin Ming felt the price was slightly high, but still worth it—he had obtained the information he sought.

Moreover, his wealth was substantial; these spirit stones meant little.

Seeing Qin Ming's solemn, deep-thinking expression, Master Wei smiled faintly and said, "How is it? Did the contents disappoint you, Brother?"

"Hmm." Qin Ming nodded, replying only briefly.

He then picked up another Class-A jade slip and began reading.

This slip contained a remarkably detailed and complete map of the Da Jin immortal realm, thoroughly describing its geography and cultural customs.

It was worlds apart from the one Gao Feng had given him.

"Surprisingly, this map even marks the locations of all major powers' branches."

Beyond the three Nascent Soul hegemonies, Da Jin's Golden Core powers numbered over two hundred—Qin Ming was truly stunned.

"So many Golden Core powers—compared to the four in the Southern Wastelands, it's dozens of times more." Qin Ming inwardly gasped.

Yet despite Da Jin's abundant spiritual resources and rich spiritual energy, it was far from having Nascent Souls as common as dogs and Golden Cores everywhere.

Most Golden Core cultivators in Da Jin were still at the early stage.

After all, each minor breakthrough beyond Golden Core was immensely difficult.

The bottleneck of mid-Golden Core blocked eight out of ten Golden Core cultivators.

And that's not even mentioning the leap to late-Golden Core.

Here, late-Golden Core masters were exceedingly rare; Nascent Soul True Persons could be counted on one hand.

"So this is Wu Xing Mountain."

Qin Ming's gaze was drawn to a colossal mountain range.

"It lies on the southern border of Da Jin, where a massive fourth-rank low-grade spirit vein was discovered, sparking conflict between Li Huo Palace and Shen Dao Mountain."

At this point, Qin Ming understood the spark that ignited their war.

A fourth-rank spirit vein—such a rare strategic resource could nurture Nascent Soul cultivators.

"Resource competition—interest is eternal."

"This is the raw truth of the immortal realm—the timeless melody."

This reminded Qin Ming of his days in Yunze Great Wilderness.

The chaos at Qingyang Marketplace had also been triggered by Qingyang Sect's discovery of a third-rank spirit vein—just as it was here, in the large immortal realms.

Qin Ming pushed aside these thoughts and continued reading.

"Li Huo Palace and Shen Dao Mountain have fought for decades, with countless casualties on both sides—both are now severely weakened."

"Continuing the war would only benefit other powers watching from the sidelines, eager to strike when the two are exhausted."

"Thus, the two powers initiated negotiations at Wu Xing Mountain, inviting a third party—the Ten Thousand Paths Merchants' Society—to mediate and jointly develop the spirit vein's resources under agreement."

"In return, the Ten Thousand Paths Merchants' Society, as mediator, gains exclusive rights to establish marketplaces along the entire Wu Xing Mountain range."

"Even the Lingxu Marketplace where you now stand is secretly backed by the Ten Thousand Paths Merchants' Society."

The Ten Thousand Paths Merchants' Society gained a massive advantage without lifting a finger—merely acting as a peacemaker. Why not? Qin Ming, having understood the full picture of the upper echelon's maneuvering in Da Jin, sighed deeply.

Moreover,

Qin Ming had just learned another shockingly unexpected piece of intelligence.

That was Su Yuqing's background.

"Brother Su has always hidden his origins from me—no matter how I probed, he never revealed a single detail."

"Yet I now learn the Su family of Longting Lake in Zhongzhou is one of the four Golden Core clans that split from Li Huo Palace long ago."

"Hehe!"

"The Su family—the greatest alchemical clan in Da Jin's history. How interesting."

…

(End of Chapter)