"Let's do it!"
With a thought, Yun Ze took a step towards the barrier.
It was only one step, though. While he was curious about how many people intended to harm him, he didn't want to risk his life.
As he took that step, he saw only lush, green trees before him!
No one?
That was impossible!
How many people had wanted to kill him back then? If they saw Brother Yu leave, wouldn't they be blocking the entrance?
It had only been one night. They were all cultivators; they couldn't be so impatient, could they?
Unless... they were hiding!
"Cough, cough!"
Yun Ze cleared his throat lightly. His voice, as expected, changed, becoming hoarse like that of an old man in his seventies or eighties. "What are you all lurking outside for? Trying to catch mice! If you don't want to come in, then don't come in at all!"
He was bluffing.
He wasn't Yun Ze anymore; he was an auxiliary member of the Immortal Mansion. His attitude naturally had to be a bit more assertive.
Rustle, rustle~
After a few breaths, a rustling sound came from the forest. Several groups of people emerged from the bushes, treetops, and even underground.
One person walked up to Yun Ze and apologized sheepishly, "Senior, pardon us. We were just bored and passing the time."
These people had clearly not reached the Core Formation stage, or they wouldn't have mistaken the gray-robed Yun Ze for a senior.
"Hmph, passing the time? Don't think I don't know what you're up to!"
A thought flashed through Yun Ze's mind, and a brilliant plan struck him!
He took another step forward, completely exiting the Immortal Gathering's coverage, and scanned the surroundings. "Still hiding? If you don't come out now, don't blame this old man for taking action!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several more groups emerged.
They all looked at Yun Ze, whispering to each other, clearly unsure of his strength and hesitant to act rashly.
"Now that's more like it!"
Yun Ze stood with his hands behind his back, surveying the crowd. "I know what you all want. But that person has already left, so you don't need to wait any longer. If you want to set up stalls, hurry and come in to complete the procedures, so this old man doesn't have to wait."
"Left!?"
The silver-haired old man from before was also in the crowd. Upon hearing that the person had left, he became agitated and stepped forward, questioning Yun Ze, "Fellow Daoist, could you tell me where that person went!"
"He left, anyway."
Yun Ze turned as he spoke and walked towards the barrier. "If you don't believe me, come in and see for yourselves!"
He then stepped into the barrier, holding a fan and waiting at the entrance.
Within five breaths, the first person entered.
He held spirit stones, intending to hand them to Yun Ze, but Yun Ze didn't take them.
Many others followed, clearly wanting to know the whereabouts of someone.
The first person to rush in anxiously said, "Senior, the lantern."
The Immortal Gathering required that anyone without a lantern in hand and without a stall in the market would be considered an intruder and could be killed on the spot!
Otherwise, he wouldn't be in such a hurry.
"Lantern what?"
Yun Ze retorted, "This Immortal Market hasn't opened yet. This is the time for merchants to set up their stalls. You're not a merchant, so why do you need a lantern?"
"I... I am a merchant!"
This first person was also anxious. He was close to breaking through to the eighth level of Qi Refining and was about to establish his Foundation. If he could find Earth Soul Liquid, he would see the signs of Foundation Establishment! Even if he couldn't achieve a natural Foundation Establishment, exchanging this spiritual item for a Foundation Establishment Pill would be more than enough!
"A merchant, is it? Then wait here."
Yun Ze glanced at those behind him. "And you? Are you all merchants? Anyone who isn't a merchant, get out and wait outside!"
"We are merchants!"
"Senior, me too!"
The crowd shouted back and forth. Even before the Immortal Market opened, it had the momentum of an auction. It seemed there were quite a few people about to establish their Foundation. It was understandable, as the Ascension Assembly was a place for rogue cultivators to have a chance at Foundation Establishment, so there would naturally be many preparing for it. Of course, most of them were young cultivators like Yun Ze, who had just entered the cultivation world and intended to join an immortal sect.
"Alright, stop the noise!"
Yun Ze roared, then turned and, fanning himself, led them towards the stalls. "All merchants, right? Five spirit stones per stall. If you sell anything, one out of every hundred spirit stones will be taken as a commission. Do you all understand the rules?"
"Understood!"
The crowd replied in unison, but then dared not say another word, lest Yun Ze become angry again.
Yun Ze led the crowd to claim their stalls and began collecting spirit stones. One per person. If the stalls in front weren't filled, they couldn't move further back!
Seeing this, some people who had intended to sell their stalls and rush to the high platform to get information realized this method was now impossible. If they wanted to see where Yun Ze had broken through, they had to occupy all the stalls in front first! There were at least three hundred stalls in total!
This scene was naturally observed by Ji Shan and Fu Yue in the distance. They exchanged a look and both gave a wry smile. This kid was truly bold! Not only did he lead in the people who wanted to kill him and seize his treasures, but he was also collecting stall fees from them. He was truly a rare talent!
"Alright, you don't just stand there gawking either."
Fu Yue patted Ji Shan and said, "Hurry up and make the stalls denser, otherwise there won't be enough people to occupy them!"
"Huh?"
Ji Shan turned to look at Fu Yue, his eyes filled with disbelief. "I never thought you, with your honest face, were so black-hearted! You came up with this idea too?"
"Heh!"
Fu Yue raised her hand and swatted him. "This is for all of us to make money. Are you going or not?"
"Going, going, going! Fellow Daoist Fu Yue, spare me! I'm going now!"
A blur of afterimages flashed around Ji Shan. He added an extra stall between every two existing ones. The area that could have been occupied by three hundred people now required four hundred and fifty!
Those who came later to set up stalls also noticed this and raised objections to Yun Ze. However, Yun Ze didn't say much, only asking, "Are you setting up or not? If not, get out!"
With these words, the crowd naturally had no more objections and could only obediently set up their stalls.
Only when all the stalls were occupied did Yun Ze nod with satisfaction and clear a path for everyone towards the high platform.
Seeing this, the crowd surged towards the high platform!
Yun Ze naturally didn't follow. He slowly walked towards the entrance of the Immortal Gathering. Since the stalls were set up, it was time to collect the entrance fees!
He roughly calculated that the stall fees from this batch alone amounted to two thousand two hundred and fifty spirit stones, all of which were now in his cloth bag. Just from this alone, he would get a commission of two hundred and twenty-five spirit stones! What terrifying revenue!
He sat there quietly, waiting for everyone to return. However, before the crowd came back, Ji Shan arrived first.
"Good kid! You're quick on the uptake!"
"Brother Shan."
Yun Ze smiled at Ji Shan. "Brother Shan is also amazing. Are there more stalls today than yesterday?"
"That's all Sister Fu Yue's idea. I'm just the one implementing it."
Ji Shan then looked Yun Ze up and down. "However... you, kid, are truly not simple!"
"Ah?"
Yun Ze didn't understand what Ji Shan meant.
"You've used the Fire Fan four hundred and fifty times consecutively, and you still have spiritual energy remaining in your body."
Ji Shan explained briefly, looking at Yun Ze with a smiling gaze. "Little Yun, your Sea of Qi, it must have been expanded, right? How's it going, how many stages are you planning to expand it to?"
"Are there stages to expanding the Sea of Qi?"
This was the first time Yun Ze had heard of such a thing. He had never heard Yu Xian mention it before. ... Never mind, with his personality, even if he knew, he probably wouldn't bother mentioning it.
"You don't know?"
Ji Shan looked shocked. "Little Yun, who exactly helped you enter the path of immortality?"
Yun Ze gave a bitter smile and remained silent, only cupping his fists and asking for guidance.
"Please, Brother Shan, enlighten me!"