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Zong Shou was also taken aback for a moment, studying the old man beside him closely.

After a moment of thought, he gave a slight smile: "Senior knows Estate Master Yan, so you must be an elder figure within the Sword Sect. This junior's eyes were poor, almost failing to recognize you; you are actually an expert beyond the Sun Roaming Realm. While you can say my martial Dao and spiritual techniques are extraordinary—that I can accept—Zong Shou is not one to feign modesty. It's just that concerning this business, I currently don't know if I’m making a profit or taking a loss. Look at those people over there, they are all cursing me as a fool and an idiot."

The two spoke without lowering their voices. Yet, among the others present, besides Hu Qianqiu and Tan Tao, hardly anyone else could overhear them.

Upon hearing this, the old man sneered coldly: "That is because these people themselves are the true imbeciles! I have no idea how you deduced that the price of Beast Cores was about to plummet. In any case, this transaction appears certain to profit, and by a considerable margin. Buying low-tier medicinal pills to increase value—this idea is truly imaginative, utterly novel. While my Five Absolutes Manor had long prepared to offload the Beast Cores, what we thought of was merely trying to acquire as many high-tier spirit pills and spirit herbs as possible..."

Zong Shou mused that this old man was not only from the Sword Sect but also from the Five Absolutes Manor. Yet, his expression remained unchanged: "Since Senior says so, I am reassured. You great sects feast on the meat, and I, a small shrimp, only get to sip the dregs."

As he spoke, his gaze was fixed on a particular person—the young man from the Fox Clan he had seen earlier.

Beneath the wide sleeve, the five fingers were subtly flexing and shifting positions toward Zong Yuan. It seemed entirely casual, yet there was a distinct pattern to it.

Zong Shou was somewhat speechless. Was this person trying to bully him for not understanding coded signals? The books on this subject from his previous life were not read in vain.

One hour later... Meeting Zong Yuan in Room B of the Earth Corridor in the East District? He would likely be disappointed.

The old man, completely unaware, let out a soft laugh. A transaction involving millions of fourth-tier Beast Cores—this wasn't just sipping soup. For an acquisition volume as large as Zong Shou's, the East Lin Continent alone would be insufficient; the other continents and the hidden sects of the Twelve Islands would all need to be involved.

He could already faintly see that for at least the next few years, the prices of these low-tier medicinal pills would be under the control of this young lord.

Such immense profit made even him secretly yearn. If not for his need to consider the reputation of the Three Continents Bank and the integrity of the Five Absolutes Manor, he would almost certainly throw caution to the wind and seize this business for himself.

However, even disregarding those concerns, he likely wouldn't have the opportunity. This young lord would probably achieve a status equal to his own within a few months. And even if not, the forces backing this young man were enough to make any informed person hesitate... After all, the Dao of the Common People was an entity that had battled the three great families of the Cloud Realm—the Buddhist, Confucian, and Daoist—for ten thousand years without ever being at a disadvantage. The Sword Sect might be powerful, but victory wasn't guaranteed.

Zong Shou didn't pay much attention to the words of the old steward of the bank. But Hu Zhongyuan and Tan Tao were overjoyed. Their minds were completely settled, knowing the profit was secured, leaving nothing to worry about. Joy radiated from their faces. Even Chu Xue’s eyes flickered, and she brought out all of her private savings at once. With only a few hundred second and third-tier Beast Cores, she naturally couldn't participate in a transaction of this magnitude, but she had managed to gather some miscellaneous goods in the trading hall.

When Chu Xue returned joyfully, the major transactions here were nearly complete. It wasn't just the acquisition of low-tier pills and armors; they were also engaging in other businesses with potentially massive profits. Since Zong Shou’s bank had an excess of Beast Cores that needed spending, several deals were struck.

The final person among those approached was rather unexpected: Qiao Han, the Outer Affairs Deacon from the Kongqi Sect.

Zong Shou had high expectations for this individual. The Kongqi Sect specialized in artifact refining, so their inventory of Talisman Artifacts and low-tier Spirit Artifacts must be abundant. Moreover, the sect also supported alchemists. Zong Shou estimated the Kongqi Sect possessed reserves worth at least fifty million.

As expected, this person did not disappoint when he finally spoke: "Our Kongqi Sect has a total of 1.7 million sets of standard Talisman Armor, and about 3.7 million Talisman Soldiers, fully equipped with bows, swords, and halberds. These are accumulated over the years, categorized into three tiers. The number of low-tier Spirit Artifacts and Spirit Weapons is slightly less, estimated to be just over three thousand sets in total. The combined price is equivalent to about ten seventh-tier Beast Cores, convertible to sixth-tier Spirit Stones. My two escorts are already rushing over; the Young Lord can inspect and negotiate in person."

Zong Shou felt a slight pleasant surprise. Talisman Soldiers, Talisman Armor, and Spirit Weapons are far more difficult to forge than those pills and elixirs. For instance, the Danquan Sect, with its forty Grand Primordial Furnaces, could forge nearly forty thousand low-tier medicinal pills every three days if operating at full capacity. But forging one Spirit Weapon or Spirit Soldier takes at least several days. Furthermore, they have broader market demand and consume far more resources.

In fact, the profit margin for weaponry in the future would surpass that of low-tier medicinal pills several times over; it was just unfortunate that the quantity was smaller. That the Kongqi Sect possessed such a large reserve was enough to bring pleasant surprise. Even though a million units might not sound like a large number, in Qiantian Mountain City, only the most elite forces, such as the Profound Fox Iron Cavalry or the Iron Tiger Great Halberdiers, could be equipped with such Talisman Armor. Additionally, military officers above the rank of squad leader in other armies could also be equipped.

Then, Qiao Han’s tone shifted: "However, Deacon Qiao has another business matter to discuss with the Young Lord today! Would the Young Lord permit me to take you somewhere?"

Zong Shou secretly wondered, glancing at the man. Since he said it was a special discussion, it likely wasn't about the low-tier Spirit Artifacts and Talisman Artifacts he was currently acquiring. He couldn't figure out what trick this Outer Affairs Deacon of the Kongqi Sect was up to.

But upon careful thought, he still had several hundred thousand fourth-tier Beast Cores that hadn't been allocated yet. Major sellers probably hadn't received the news. It wouldn't hurt to go along and take a look.

He nodded noncommittally, and under Qiao Han’s lead, they soon arrived at the treasury of a certain shop.

After all, this was one of the largest hidden sects on the East Lin Continent, occupying an extremely vast territory within Jie Fu City. This treasury alone spanned a space five hundred zhang long.

As Zong Shou followed Qiao Han inside, he immediately froze. In one corner of the treasury stood rows upon rows of neatly arranged armor—deep crimson in color, all full-body suits, complete with helmets and face masks. Supported by wooden racks, they stood silently, gleaming with metallic luster yet exuding an intensely cold aura.

Beside them was a row of weapon racks, holding great halberds nearly eighteen feet long, as well as longbows and sabers of the same deep crimson hue.

Following that were horse armors of the identical material, also full-body coverings, though their design was somewhat peculiar. The headpieces featured sharper, more pointed horns, incredibly keen.

A mere glance conveyed an overwhelming sensation of cold steel and martial momentum washing over him.

What concerned Zong Shou most was that the surface of these weapons and armors bore no talismanic markings. Yet, judging by their aura, they were clearly above the Spirit Artifact tier. It seemed all the weapons and armor were forged with inlaid, internal runes!

Counting roughly at a glance, there were exactly four thousand five hundred sets!

"Third-tier Spirit Artifacts? No, they seem to be armors and weapons forged from a simplified, stripped-down design. They sit somewhere between Spirit Artifacts and Talisman Artifacts."

Simply put, they could manifest the power of a Spirit Artifact for a short period but could not sustain it. Not only did they require potent True Qi or spiritual energy to activate, but they also lacked flexibility in usage.

Zong Shou frowned slightly, examining them closely: "And they look somewhat aged; some parts appear to have been re-forged. Deacon Qiao, are you intending to sell all of these to me?"

Despite this assessment, Hu Zhongyuan and the others behind him sucked in a cold breath. Four thousand five hundred sets of third-tier Spirit Artifacts! What did that imply? Even with all the flaws Zong Shou mentioned, they could be valued at least at five hundred thousand fourth-tier Spirit Stones, possibly even a million!

"Precisely!" Qiao Han smiled. "Does the Young Lord have an interest? In this world, complete sets of battle-ready armor are rare, and Spirit Artifact grade sets are even rarer!"

"These things, they must have been salvaged from some ruin by your Kongqi Sect, right? Over ten thousand years old, and you can’t sell them, can you?"

Seeing a flicker of awkwardness cross Qiao Han's face, Zong Shou pursed his lips and laughed coldly: "These weapons and armors are useless without the strength of the Martial Sovereign realm. They are hardly better than ordinary iron blocks. Furthermore, they are only usable for mounted combat, not for formation fighting. As for this horse armor, only Dragon Horned Winged Horses can wear it. But where in this world can one find so many Dragon Horned Winged Horses?"

The Dragon Horned Winged Horse was comparable to a congenital fourth-tier exotic beast, whereas the Wind Winged Dragon Beast was only third-tier. Although both carried the character 'Dragon,' the Dragon Horned Winged Horse possessed true dragon bloodline, while the ancestor of the Wind Winged Dragon Beast was merely a pseudo-dragon.

Qiao Han’s complexion had now turned pale. He had initially assumed Zong Shou was somewhat dull-witted; otherwise, why would he purchase so many low-tier spirit pills? Now, it seemed this young lord was exceptionally discerning.

Hu Zhongyuan and Tan Tao exchanged glances and lost most of their interest in this armor set.

The entire East Lin Continent possessed only about one thousand five or six hundred Dragon Horned Winged Horses, and their price was astronomical.

Even if Zong Shou was wealthy enough to procure the horses, Qiantian Mountain could not possibly muster that many Martial Sovereign experts. If one scoured the entire Five Provinces region, perhaps three to five thousand such warriors could be found. But such potent military assets would never be handed over to an outsider to control. And if a solitary Martial Sovereign expert had the spare funds, they would rather buy one genuine third-tier Spirit Artifact.

Qiao Han seemed to be struggling to suppress his agitation as he explained, "Perhaps the Young Lord is unaware, but this set of armor and weaponry was the standard issue for the Blood Cloud Cavalry of the Martial Valor Kingdom during the Cloud Wasteland Era. Legend has it that the thirty thousand Blood Cloud Cavalry of that kingdom were invincible across the Cloud Realm, and nearly six hundred Martial Venerables and Body Sculpting experts fell before their formation. Once a thousand were assembled, they could unleash the Blood Cloud Assault Formation, against which none in the East Lin Continent could stand!"

Zong Shou chuckled dismissively and withdrew his gaze, clearly uninterested: "Deacon Qiao, don't treat me like I don't read books. I know a thing or two about the Martial Valor Kingdom of the Cloud Wasteland Era. While the Blood Cloud Cavalry was indeed unmatched, annihilating over a dozen sects, I also know how those thirty thousand cavalry were ultimately destroyed. I recall reading in one book that this armor set possesses a fatal flaw once the number drops below three hundred, correct? That’s what one book stated..." (To be continued)