Chapter 660: Pioneering Trade Routes

He Yun looked at Yan Buji, took out a map: "Where do you think would be more suitable?"

"Hmm?"

Yan Buji stared at the map, puzzled: "This…"

"What?"

"Does this map mark the resource points of the Paolong Sacred Land?"

"No." He Yun shook his head. "But since we need to develop it, picking a spot and relocating those resources is fine."

"Even if we choose a site, it should be a place with a spiritual vein," Yan Buji said, looking at the map and shaking his head. "But if we connect a spiritual vein to the sect, it will cause gaps in the Paolong Sacred Land's forest layout, which is inevitably undesirable."

He Yun thought for a moment: "Don't worry about the spiritual vein."

"Huh?"

"Our sect still retains a few demon spiritual veins; we can send people to bring them over and set them down when the time comes."

Demon spiritual vein?!

Yan Buji's pupils contracted.

A spiritual vein is essentially the channel of Qi; where Qi channels converge, Spiritual Stones and various heavenly materials are produced. Thus most sects choose their locations by seeking spiritual veins or reshaping terrain to draw Qi and form a vein.

Spiritual veins differ from earth veins; earth veins are the planet's ley lines, carrying not only Qi but other things as well.

However, some special methods can capture an entire spiritual vein, set up a formation within the sect, and continuously absorb external Qi to enrich the sect's own Qi concentration.

A demon spiritual vein is a very special kind of spiritual vein; the Qi it yields is extremely heterogeneous, not because it's indistinguishable, but because it can absorb all sorts of Qi, requiring great effort to refine and divert. Of course, for a sect, the advantages of a demon spiritual vein outweigh its disadvantages.

"In that case, just check the feng shui."

Yan Buji examined the map carefully, pointed to a spot a hundred li from the Outer Gate, in a small mountain range: "Here dragons and snakes rise from the land, spewing dark yellow. Above are seven stars forming an arch, below are six rivers flowing, aligning with the six lines and nine palaces; dividing this place into nine great halls would be suitable for establishing a sect."

He Yun nodded: "Alright, I'll arrange it."

"Sect Master, I still want to ask, if we establish a sect, how will the resources be allocated?"

"Resources? Our sect has accumulated many resources over the years. We also have enterprises in the Heavenly Spirit Realm; building materials and initial capital are not a concern."

"The Heavenly Spirit Realm also has enterprises?"

"Then why haven't I heard about it?"

Yan Buji, a bit puzzled, asked: "In that case, what products does our sect usually sell?"

"You've probably seen it already: the cross‑realm sailing vessel."

"Ah?!"

Yan Buji paused: "Cross‑realm sailing vessel? Is that our sect's product? Didn't the big merchant guild make it first?!"

He Yun smiled: "The artificer who forged the cross‑realm sailing vessels was a devotee we recruited earlier, and he was close to the founding ancestor, so we've been handling that business."

"In that case, why not pursue the trade across the Five Realms?"

Yan Buji means buying and selling within the Five Realms; this exploits the fact that people in the Five Realms cannot travel freely, and the arbitrage hinges on time and regional differences.

He Yun shook his head: "The Heavenly Spirit Realm's merchant guild won't give us that portion of the profit."

Yan Buji thought carefully: "No cooperation?"

"What you've seen is already their biggest concession."

"Oh!"

The cross‑realm sailing vessel's fee is that high, probably because the Heavenly Spirit Realm's big merchant guild set the price together with the Great Sinful Sect.

"Then it seems there's no chance."

Yan Buji pinched his chin, thought carefully: "Then could the cross‑realm sailing vessel also shuttle directly between the Five Realms?"

"In theory, that's the case…"

"What if I could obtain Spiritual Material from the Youming Jie?"

He Yun looked at Yan Buji oddly: "Can you go to the Youming Jie in a mortal body?"

Yan Buji nodded.

"That is indeed a business opportunity." He Yun thought: "In that case, I'll assign a group for you, give you 300 million low‑grade Spiritual Stones; if you can bring back over 900 million Spiritual Stones from the Youming Jie, the rest will belong to you."

Yan Buji's pupils contracted, he calculated carefully: "Alright, I'll try."

"Good, I hope you will generate greater profit for the sect in the future. Our sect will not shortchange any talent, even former enemies." He Yun finished and left the Lian Dan Tang.

Yan Buji heard the profound words, thought: "It seems the Great Sinful Sect is still relatively open; granting me such authority is also a chance to prove myself."

"Probably still because the Blood Daoist values me."

"Since the opportunity and platform are laid out, I now have a prospect; at least without abusing power, I can still create greater profit for myself, provided the sect's interests are secured."

Soon, a group arrived in Yan Buji's Lian Dan Tang.

The leading Nascent Soul Cultivator, upon seeing Yan Buji, reluctantly bowed and said, "Greetings, Hall Master Yan."

"Hello, may I ask how you all wish to be addressed?"

"I am Huang Ji, and I hold no position in the sect."

Others also introduced their names and statuses in turn; Yan Buji nodded: "Sect Master sent you here because there is a major matter we wish to accomplish together."

"What guidance do you have, Hall Master Yan?" Huang Ji asked.

"I mentioned it to Sect Master; our Great Sinful Sect is newly established, requiring massive resources. Moreover, there are ongoing expenses for sect operations, disciple recruitment, offerings, and so on. We must have a long‑term stable source of capital, so Sect Master intends to open a market in the Youming Jie!"

"Youming Jie?!"

Huang Ji paused: "Things from the Youming Jie are hard to bring out, aren't they?"

"Our goods can't be taken down either."

"Moreover, the few sects doing this business might not let us intervene."

Yan Buji waved his hand: "Our task is merely to open the market; whether they agree will be handled by Sect Master. Of course, commerce values harmony, so please investigate which sects are doing Youming Jie business these days and report back to me."

"Yes, Hall Master Yan."

The others may not know that Yan Buji can physically shuttle through Youming Jie, but many of the precious Spiritual Materials in Youming Jie require special means to seal, and they cannot be placed in storage bags to be taken out.

That is the first difficulty; the second is how to trade one's own goods with cultivators of Youming Jie;

Then comes the third: how to enter Youming Jie?

Speaking of it, the third is not really difficult; Nascent Soul Cultivators can enter Youming Jie with their divine souls, and those great beings can naturally enter Youming Jie in physical form, though the risk is great.

Of course, it does not rule out that someone who has mastered the Heaven Gate Law could also shuttle the Youming Jie like Yan Buji, but Yan Buji knows that his entry into Youming Jie relies on the interaction of the Youming Scripture and the Rift Void Stone; he is less clear about what methods others use.

Therefore Yan Buji must figure out how they enter Youming Jie; this is a crucial point.