Jiang Chen wasn’t particularly surprised by Wei Lang and Luo Tianshu’s reaction. Even a first rank sect from the Upper Eight Regions would salivate at the items he was offering, let alone a second rank sect from the mid regions.

“Young lord Zhen, are these pills really ours after the trade?” Wei Lang was still in the throes of disbelief.

“Naturally. They’re all yours.” Jiang Chen smiled.

Wei Lang slapped his thigh. “Excellent! The young lord is just as generous as the rumors! I’m completely and utterly convinced by your greatness!”

When Jiang Chen said that he no longer had much demand for the True Heavensfall Iron, Wei Lang had been worried that the young lord would slash the price mercilessly. To think that he was still able to get such a great payout from of the deal!

“Young lord, can the Emperor Ascension Pill be taken directly or do we have to adhere to certain taboos and rules?” Luo Tianshu asked excitedly.

“No need. After entering closed cultivation, you need only adjust your body to its best state. It’s best taken when you’re at the advanced stage so you may transcend to the next level effortlessly. There are no taboos, nor do you have to worry about side effects.” Jiang Chen was very detailed with his explanations.

“Excellent!” Wei Leng was thrilled. “Young lord Zhen, I’ve not met many eminent figures in my life, but there have been a few. I must say, none of them are comparable to you!”  Wei Lang wasn’t exaggerating.

He’d dealt with many powerful factions and eminent figures in his life. Many of them had been extremely stingy and miserly. Firstly, they might not even recognize the True Heavensfall Iron. Even if they did, they would most likely trade no more than 300 million saint spirit stones for it. What was 300 million spirit stones when compared to the three pills from young lord Zhen?

One Pinecrane Pill alone was worth billions. Although the true value of the Emperor Ascension Pill was still unknown, an emperor realm expert wouldn’t hesitate to fork out 500 million to purchase it if they had the ability to.

In other words, they’d traded a useless hunk of metal for items worth over 2 billion in total! It was an insanely huge fortune for a second rank sect! Moreover, these were extremely rare pills that couldn’t even be bought!

Jiang Chen wore a faint smile and watched Wei Lang and Luo Tianshu celebrate without disturbing them. It took the pair a while before they realized the inappropriate levity of their actions. 

“Cough. Young lord, please forgive us for being rude. We commoners have never seen treasures of such magnitude and lost our composure for the moment.” Wei Lang was a very excellent speaker. He combined flattering Jiang Chen with clawing his way out of an unflattering situation. 

Jiang Chen nodded slightly and suddenly shifted his tone. “Dear guests, shall we speak about other matters since we’ve already reached a deal?”

Wei Lang immediately nodded. “We are more than willing to. It’s our honor to be able to speak with you, young lord.”

Luo Tianshu nodded as well. The sectmaster and sect elder was playing the roles of obedient grandchildren for Jiang Chen.

“Years ago, I once travelled to the region that you’re from, the Swordfield Mid Region.” Jiang Chen smiled blandly. 

Wei Lang and Luo Tianshu ‘displayed’ looks of surprise, but they were sweating buckets on the inside. The young lord had finally gotten to the point.

Jiang Chen had seemed a little hostile towards Swordfield Mid Region back when the young lord and Luo Tianshu first met. The latter had attempted to ask why, but he didn’t receive an answer. Wei Lang had heard about the incident from Luo Tianshu as well. Their hearts were pounded furiously.

“Why do you seem surprised?” Jiang Chen smiled. “I thought we already discussed this.”

Wei Lang and Luo Tianshu exchanged glances. They feigned innocence and shook their heads. “To think that young lord Zhen once visited our territory! We deserve death for being so ignorant and ill-informed!”

Jiang Chen smiled blandly. “The Nirvana Sect is one of the most eminent sects in Swordfield Mid Region, but I wonder which faction your allegiances lie with?”

Wei Lang and Luo Tianshu found the question extremely difficult to answer and were at a loss for words.

“Alright. Allow me to be a little more direct. Is the Eternal Celestial Capital the ruler of Swordfield Mid Region? Do they hold authority over your sect?” Jiang Chen cut straight to the point.

Wei Lang’s heart sank. Are the rumors true? Is the young lord really the young boy from Myriad Domain back then? T-this has taken a turn for the worst!

“Young lord, Swordfield is one of the more neutral factions in the human domain, a rare existence in the mid regions. While the Eternal Celestial Capital does hold some power in our region, they are definitely not our sole benefactor. Also, the Nirvana Sect has very little attachment to our region.” Wei Lang responded honestly.

“Very little attachment?” Jiang Chen grinned devilishly.

“Young lord, please don’t misunderstand. That was merely a conservative statement. To be honest, we’ve never once leaned towards the Eternal Celestial Capital. In fact, we’re closer to the Ninesuns Sky Sect than any other faction…” Wei Lang was drenched in cold sweat.

The presence of young lord Zhen felt like Mount Tai bearing down on the sectmaster, even though his cultivation level was beneath Wei Lang’s. The latter didn’t dare withhold any information and came clean with the truth. Luo Tianshu voiced his support for Wei Lang as well.

Jiang Chen knocked on his armrest gently. “The Ninesuns Sky Sect and Eternal Celestial Capital… These two factions are more active that I’d expected! No wonder the Ninesuns Sky Sect is allowed to do as they please in Swordfield Mid Region. How could they if someone hadn’t given them the means to do so?”

Wei Lang was on the verge of soiling his pants. He was almost certain that young lord Zhen was the same Regal Pill Palace disciple that the Ninesuns Sky Sect and Eternal Celestial Capital had pursued back in the day.

Worst of all, Wei Lang had indeed offered some assistance to the Ninesuns Sky Sect. He felt a chill down his spine and his scalp prickle with numbness. Young lord Zhen’s volcanic rage could befall him any moment now…

“You two needn’t worry. The Ninesuns Sky Sect and I have already resolved our differences.” Jiang Chen’s words were a refreshing pail of ice-cold water in the middle of summer. Their worries and anxiety were immediately sluiced away. 

“Young lord Zhen, we…” Wei Lang wanted to explain.

“Sectmaster Wei, how many factions are like yours in Swordfield Mid Region?”

Swordfield wasn’t the same as the Great Scarlet. They were stronger than the latter and wasn't ruled by a single imperial faction. Multiple great factions ruled over the entire region and split the profits accordingly.

“In response to the young lord, Swordfield Mid Region is mostly ruled by three second rank factions. We are one of those sects, along with Tai’ah City and Wildstar Mountain. There are no third rank factions in our region. Us second rank factions rule over dozens of fourth rank sects and all those below.”

“Then Swordfield Mid Region is split into three ruling parties?”

“Indeed. The three of us have formed an equilibrium to keep each other in check. None of us have the ability to unite the entire region. This has been the state of affairs ever since the ancient times.” Wei Lang sighed. 

Jiang Chen pondered deeply and inquired more. “What about the Wildstar Mountain? What can you tell me about them?”

“The Wildstar Mountain is very close with the Heavenly Dragon Sect. There are many who say that the Wildstar Mountain is a subsidiary of the Heavenly Dragon Sect.”

“The Heavenly Dragon Sect?” Jiang Chen frowned. That was a sect infamous for their overbearing style.

“Mm. The Wildstar Mountain is widely regarded as the most overbearing faction in our region. If we sum up the three factions’ strength as a ten, the Wildstar Mountain would occupy four parts, while we and Tai’ah City would be a three each.”

The Swordfield Mid Region was an incredibly vast territory comparable to the Great Scarlet Mid Region. It was sandwiched between Great Scarlet and Veluriyam Capital. One had to traverse the region to travel between the two.

It was also a region that linked Veluriyam Capital to Myriad Domain. Gaining control over the region meant gaining control over the passage from the upper regions all the way to the lower regions.

Jiang Chen pondered deeply and asked nothing else. “Thank you for the information. I have something else to attend to, so I’ll have to excuse myself for a moment. Do spend a few more days in our capital if you wish. If you need someone to accompany you during your stay, let me know and I’ll make the appropriate arrangements.”

“We wouldn’t dare.” Wei Lang smiled. “After obtaining such an incredible pill, I wish to return home to enter closed cultivation and refine this pill into true gains.”

Wei Lang could stay in his seat no longer. His hunger for the Emperor Ascension Pill’s heaven-defying properties was getting unbearable. Luo Tianshu was even more anxious than his sectmaster. Even though his abilities were more inferior, his desire for strength was much stronger.

Jiang Chen didn’t retain them after seeing their reactions, issuing only a warning. “Surely you both know to keep the contents of today’s discussion a secret?”

“Yes. Definitely.” Wei Lang and Luo Tianshu immediately nodded.

“If so, I bid you a smooth journey.” Jiang Chen didn’t stand on further ceremony. They would never tell anyone about this as long as they had brains. A good amount of people would covet their Pinecrane Pill and Emperor Ascension Pills. They’d be courting death if they did such a thing.

Jiang Chen picked up the True Heavensfall Iron and broke into hearty laughter after the two had left. His harvest this time was almost too great to be true. Wei Lang and Luo Tianshu seemed to think that they’d received a good deal, and perhaps they really had. But to Jiang Chen, it was the deal of a century!

This True Heavensfall Iron specimen was most definitely of superior grade. Two hundred kilograms was akin to five hundred kilograms of normal grade True Heavensfall Iron! This was absolutely enough to forge the flying swords he needed.

The flying swords would need to be infused with five kilograms of True Heavensfall Iron to reach perfection. Only three hundred fifty kilograms of iron was needed to forge eighty-one swords. The superior grade True Heavensfall Iron was worth at least double of a normal grade one.

“Mm. This is definitely more than enough.” Jiang Chen was elated. He’d struck luck in his time of need!

“The Heavenly Chalice Sword Formation is sect’s ultimate formation capable of slaughtering those above one’s level. I’m truly blessed.” Jiang Chen was elated. He was making various preparations for the game of chess ahead. His strength would play a pivotal role in his preparations. The True Heavensfall Iron had come at the most appropriate of timings!

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter