As the master of Dahe Market, the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect maintained a Sword Pavilion here, though it normally maintained a low profile.
Its only real presence came each month when rent was collected, drawing endless private grumbling from local rogue cultivators.
As for Zhongding House, opened by the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, it was merely a restaurant.
With so many people coming and going, the worldly air was far too thick, to the point that the cultivators frequenting the place could hardly connect Zhongding House to the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect.
Thus, even though the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion was the most prominent tall structure in Dahe Market, in the hearts of the local rogue cultivators, it had far less presence than places like the Spirit Herb Pavilion or the Wanbao Pavilion.
Yet after today, everyone would have to look straight up at that towering, spire-like Sword Pavilion.
Three days remained before the grand opening of the Dao Discussion Platform.
Inside the Sword Pavilion, a stern-faced man sat high upon the seat of honor, his golden-yellow robes billowing with the commanding majesty of a Golden Core cultivator.
Pang Renxiong, a Golden Core Master of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect.
Below him stood eight Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Seven were inner disciples who had just rushed over from the sect, while the last was an outer sect deacon permanently stationed here.
Seated high above, Pang Renxiong did not utter a word.
Below, Deacon Miao had already begun respectfully reporting on various matters.
"The Five-Market Trade Fair—held in conjunction with Snow Lotus Market, Taishan Market, Liuguang Market, and Lancang Market—will open tomorrow, and the city's grand formation will be fully activated. The entrance fee into the market is tentatively set at one low-grade spirit stone. The fair will run for seven days to strengthen cooperation and exchanges between our Dahe Market and the other four markets.
"After the opening of the Dao Discussion Platform concludes, the auction designated by the sect will also commence. The requirement for attendance is late-stage Qi Refining up to below the Nascent Soul realm. Luo Tianhong will serve as the host, and we ask Elder Pang to oversee and hold down the fort."
Above, Pang Renxiong nodded, his expression as grave as before.
Although it was said to be open to anyone below Nascent Soul, in reality not many Golden Core cultivators would attend this auction.
From the information he had gathered, there would be only four or five at most.
He alone was more than enough to keep the room in check.
An auction of this caliber was primarily aimed at Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators.
As his gaze swept across the room, one of the inner disciples at Foundation Establishment tactfully stepped forward.
"Tianhong will surely see this task through to complete success!"
Next, he went through the various important items slated for the auction once more.
Certain rare natural treasures had to be ordered strictly according to their value.
Otherwise, if an item failed to sell or didn't fetch a high enough price, it would be a loss for the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect.
"If it is held successfully, this will become an established precedent: a Dahe Auction once every ten years."
With Pang Renxiong setting the tone, Luo Tianhong, who was in charge of the auction, could not help but feel a twinge of tension.
An affair like this held tremendous profits.
He could not afford a single mistake.
Fortunately, the Luo family within the Jade Cauldron Sect was known for their broad learning and wide knowledge, making them well-suited to handle matters of this nature.
"The main focus, however, must remain on the opening of the Dao Discussion Platform," Pang Renxiong remarked.
Deacon Miao nodded hurriedly. "All preparations for the opening have been made. The schedule of events is as follows."
As he spoke, he recounted the entire origin of Dahe Market's Dao Discussion Platform from the very beginning.
From the initial capital investment to the construction process, they had bypassed Tianfan City's array masters this time, relying entirely on array masters within the Jade Cauldron Sect, among whom cultivators from Mount Ailao in the Jade Cauldron Domain had been heavily involved.
Then came the invitations sent out prior to the opening; most had received affirmative replies.
Dozens of nearby cultivation clans and representatives from seven market towns would attend the ceremony.
Finally, the spotlight fell onto the various performances for the grand opening.
"As for singing and dancing, we entrusted that to the Tianxiang Pavilion, a business affiliated with the Hehuan Sect. They will warm up the crowd and provide various interludes throughout.
"The human-versus-demon beast battles are set at the beginning. Three relatively weak Tier 2 demon beasts will be released into the arena. Several Foundation Establishment cultivators have already signed up to participate. The victor's prize, in addition to all materials from the slain demon beast, will include a peak-grade dharma artifact, a Qi-Harmonizing Pill, and a sword pellet forged by our sect.
"The eighteen-man death match between the local gangs is a program I specially added recently. Although it only involves Qi Refining cultivators, a life-and-death struggle between humans possesses a spectacle no less captivating than a Tier 2 human-versus-demon beast fight."
At this, the other Foundation Establishment cultivators perked up with interest.
Most of these Foundation Establishment cultivators had risen over the last two to three centuries.
All were sword cultivators who lived for combat.
Yet in reality, their battles over the years had mostly been against external demon beasts.
Fights between cultivators were largely friendly sparring.
Now, presented with the spectacle of a large-scale death match between cultivators, anyone would be keen to watch the drama unfold.
"I heard from Sun Shou that this isn't just a simple feud between two gangs?" Luo Tianhong asked curiously.
Deacon Miao nodded. "Indeed. Behind the Great River Gang lies the backing of the Lianyun Merchant Alliance."
At the mention of the Lianyun Merchant Alliance, Luo Tianhong and two other cultivators were quite surprised.
"Is that the rogue cultivator alliance that rose two hundred years ago? I hear they already boast as many as twenty-odd Foundation Establishment cultivators."
With over twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators, such a force was hardly small.
They merely lacked a formidable Golden Core leader; otherwise, they would rival the scale of a mid-sized sect.
"Yes. They were also the earliest merchant alliance to establish a presence in Dahe Market, and they know their place well, never competing with us for mainstream heavenly treasures."
Deacon Miao nodded. "So this time, we didn't interfere. We decided to just let them fight it out."
"In that case, isn't that Mountain Breaker Gang doomed to lose?"
"More or less. I looked over the rosters submitted by both sides, and the cultivators sent out by the Mountain Breaker Gang are truly nothing to write home about."
Deacon Miao casually distributed seven copies of the rosters. After skimming them, the others broke into chuckles.
What sort of ragged rabble had the Mountain Breaker Gang fielded? There was even someone only at the seventh level of Qi Refining.
After a brief thought, Deacon Miao added prudently, "Still, the outcome isn't absolute. After all, they are rogue cultivators who scrape out a living in the mountains day in and day out; they certainly don't lack the courage to fight desperately with their lives on the line."
"That's all the better! The more brutal the battle, the easier it will be to stir up the crowd," Luo Tianhong chuckled.
The others smiled as well. The mood was relaxed, and everyone looked forward to the upcoming clashes.
Perhaps displeased with this lighthearted atmosphere, Pang Renxiong gave a cold grunt from above.
"Miao Zhen, has the Prodigy Roll been installed?"
Deacon Miao's expression tightened, and he hurriedly nodded.
"That magic treasure has been nurtured within the foundations of the Fallen Phoenix Mountain's Dao Discussion Platform for a century. There will definitely be no mishap when the time comes."
Pang Renxiong said with a profound, weighty gaze, "It is good that there will be no mishap. If anything goes wrong, not a single one of you will be able to bear the responsibility."
The others lowered their heads instinctively.
The Dao Discussion Platform was not merely a major venture for the Jade Cauldron Sect; it was tied to the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect's strategic plan for recruiting outside talent.
The Jade Cauldron Sword Sect was fundamentally built upon master-disciple lineages; even if there were minor clans within the sect, they held little sway.
This was because the path of the sword cultivator placed extraordinarily high demands on aptitude.
Consequently, even though the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect had established its dominance over this domain, the number of cultivators within the sect had never grown substantially over the years.
As a result, the sect's control over the Jade Cauldron Domain had always remained somewhat loose.
To address this, the upper echelons of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect had devised a plan: to promote Dao Discussion Platforms across the entire domain.
In function, the Dao Discussion Platform was much like a mortal colosseum.
Its main purpose was to provide cultivators who relished combat with a fair arena to fight.
Victors would gain prestige and cultivation resources, while carving their names onto the Prodigy Roll.
Rankings on the Prodigy Roll would be tallied once a year. Those ranked at the top would not only receive lavish rewards, but might even earn the opportunity to join the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect—whether as outer sect deacons or inner sect disciples.
For those with fitting aptitude, Golden Core cultivators would even take them as direct disciples and help them advance to Foundation Establishment true disciples.
This was the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect's grand scheme: to use the Dao Discussion Platform not only to rake in spirit stones, but also to unearth exceptional talents and remedy their chronic shortage of cultivators.
As long as it developed smoothly, they would be able to tighten their grip on the Jade Cauldron Domain.
Of course, such an undertaking—and the culture of martial debate and arena combat—required long-term cultivation.
And how the opening ceremony played out would set the tone for all future development.
After discussing a few more matters, the meeting at the Sword Pavilion was nearly at an end.
Before dismissing the assembly, Pang Renxiong made one final, solemn point.
"Rein in those rogue cultivators in the outer city. Especially those predatory cultivators who make a habit of killing and looting—catch them and deal with them, every last one. Do not let these marauders tarnish the reputation of Dahe Market."
Chapter 50