The receptionist’s smile was sugar-sweet, practiced to perfection. “Immortal Elder, if you are undecided, perhaps you could tell me your specific needs? I can offer a more tailored recommendation.”

Jiang Chen didn’t beat around the bush. “Do they come with pill formulas?”

The receptionist nodded enthusiastically. “Of course! The [Profound Ice Spirit Furnace] comes with a ‘Novice’s Guide to Alchemy Techniques.’ The [Starfall Mystic Gold Cauldron] includes the formula for the ‘Foundation Spirit Pill.'”

That settled it.

If Jiang Chen had any lingering hesitation, it vanished instantly.

The [Profound Ice Spirit Furnace] was cheaper, true, but its stats—a ten percent success rate increase and twenty percent efficacy boost—were merely decent.

The [Starfall Mystic Gold Cauldron], on the other hand, offered a twenty percent success rate boost and a thirty percent efficacy increase. More importantly, it looked better, radiating a mysterious, high-end aura that appealed to his vanity. And the Foundation Spirit Pill formula was the cherry on top.

“I’m leaning toward the Starfall Cauldron,” Jiang Chen said. “But don’t ring it up yet. I need artifact forging equipment as well. We’ll settle the bill together.”

“This way, please.”

She led him to a separate section of the second floor. Unlike alchemy, which centered around a single furnace, forging required a suite of tools.

“I need a complete entry-level set,” Jiang Chen requested.

The receptionist gestured gracefully to a display on the wall.

“For the hammer, I recommend the [Red Iron Forging Hammer]. Forged from Red Iron ore, it is incredibly dense. Each strike generates innate heat, assisting in the melting of impurities. Price: 18 Low-grade Spirit Stones.”

She moved her hand to a delicate tool. “The [Green Jade Engraving Knife]. The blade is crafted from spirit jade, sharp enough to carve through steel. It contains trace spirit conduits to assist in inscribing runes. Price: 25 Low-grade Spirit Stones.”

“And finally, the [Brass Crucible]. Highly heat-resistant, perfect for smelting base metals and ores. Price: 9 Low-grade Spirit Stones.”

Jiang Chen nodded, mentally tallying the cost. “And the molds?”

“A set of [Basic Molds] is 1 Mid-grade Spirit Stone,” she recited. “A set of [Common Spirit Tool Molds] is 3 Mid-grade Spirit Stones. And the [Common Artifact Molds] set is 7 Mid-grade Spirit Stones.”

Jiang Chen asked the most important question. “What comes free?”

The receptionist flashed a playful grin, revealing a cute canine tooth. “We include the ‘Novice’s Guide to Artifact Forging’ (value: 15 Low-grade), ‘Detailed Basics of Spirit Patterns’ (value: 25 Low-grade), and the ‘Simple Spirit Tool Blueprints’ (value: 35 Low-grade).”

Jiang Chen did the math. “Alright. I’ll take the [Starfall Mystic Gold Cauldron], the entry-level forging kit, the [Basic Molds], and the [Common Spirit Tool Molds]. Give me your best price.”

The receptionist’s eyes lit up. “Sir, your total purchase exceeds 10 Mid-grade Spirit Stones. This automatically qualifies you as a Senior Member of Jade Cauldron Pavilion. You enjoy a ten percent discount and a three-year warranty! The final price is… 11 Mid-grade Spirit Stones.”

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow.

The Cauldron was 7 stones. The molds were 1 and 3 stones respectively. That was 11 stones right there. The forging tools cost 52 Low-grade stones.

“11 Mid-grade stones plus 52 Low-grade stones… a ten percent discount should bring this down to around 10 Mid-grade stones,” Jiang Chen pointed out dryly.

The receptionist didn’t flinch, her smile remaining fixed. “The difference is my service fee, Immortal Elder.”

Jiang Chen looked at her. He could argue, but he was rich, and arguing over small change was tiresome.

“Fine,” he waved his hand dismissively. “Wrap it up.”

Moments later, Jiang Chen walked out of Jade Cauldron Pavilion, his wallet lighter by 11 Mid-grade Spirit Stones but his inventory significantly upgraded.

He had the [Starfall Mystic Gold Cauldron], a full forging suite, a library of instructional manuals, and the molds required to start mass-producing items.

His shopping list was complete. Since he had already stocked the Shen family with enough rice and wine to last until the New Year, his schedule was wide open. For the next few weeks, he could focus entirely on his farm and his cultivation.

Jiang Chen strolled through the market streets. The winter chill had thinned the crowds, and many stalls were empty.

However, one place remained immune to the weather.

The Fragrance Pavilion.

Warm light spilled from its windows, and the scent of exotic perfumes wafted into the freezing street. It was bustling, noisy, and alive.

Entering the establishment, Jiang Chen noticed a shift immediately. There were many new faces—far more than usual.

And the quality was shockingly high.

Previously, the first floor was reserved for the “budget” options—courtesans with average looks or lesser talent. The stunning beauties were gated behind the second and third floors.

Now, even the girls greeting guests in the lobby were stunning.

Jiang Chen was ushered to the second floor by a flock of giggling beauties. He looked around, genuinely surprised. “This is the second-floor selection?”

The women lined up before him were exquisite. A few months ago, any one of them would have been a headliner on the third floor.

“It feels like the standard has gone up significantly,” he muttered.

He selected a young woman who looked slightly nervous. Her name was Yue’er.

She was a delicate beauty. Her brows were like willow leaves, her eyes like spring pools, and her lips naturally red without the need for rouge. She wore a sheer gauze robe with wide sleeves, and a small golden bell chimed softly on her slender wrist.

“Immortal Elder… please, have a drink,” Yue’er said, attempting to cast a seductive glance.

It was a disaster. She clearly wasn’t practiced in the art of seduction. Her “autumn waves” looked more like a nervous twitch, and she flushed crimson with embarrassment when she realized she was failing.

Jiang Chen took the cup, sipping the wine slowly. “I haven’t been here in a while. There are a lot of new faces.”

Yue’er’s gaze dimmed instantly. The playful facade crumbled, replaced by a deep, melancholic sorrow.

“The mortal dynasties have changed,” she whispered. “The throne shifted, and the old factions were purged. Many of us… come from the same place.”

She looked at him with a tragic, self-deprecating smile. “Would you believe, Immortal Elder, that this servant was once a County Princess?”

Jiang Chen looked away, his gaze sweeping across the floor.

So that was it. The high-quality “inventory” was the fallout of a mortal political purge. Princesses, noble daughters, wives of fallen officials—all reduced to commodities in a cultivator’s playground.

Here, titles meant nothing. Princess or peasant, they were all just servants to the Immortals. Their only hope was to please a customer enough to be bought out—a one-in-a-million shot at escaping this sea of bitterness.

Jiang Chen didn’t offer false pity. He simply spent the night, a quiet observer of the world’s cruelty.

The next morning, Jiang Chen boarded a massive transport flying sword and returned to the Cloud Sea Sect.

As soon as he landed near the outer sect, he spotted a familiar figure.

It was Chen Bo.

Despite the early hour, Chen Bo was already on the arena, locked in combat.

His opponent was a Fire Spirit Root cultivator.

It was a brutal matchup. Fire countered Wood completely. Every time Chen Bo summoned a vine or a branch, his opponent burned it to ash. It was a one-sided suppression.

Yet, Chen Bo didn’t surrender. His face was grim, his eyes scanning for a single opening.

And then, he found it.

The Fire cultivator unleashed a wave of flames, incinerating a wall of defensive vines. But when the fire cleared, Chen Bo was gone.

The opponent paused, confused. “Where did he go?”

Rustle.

A faint sound came from beneath the Fire cultivator’s feet.

He looked down, his pupils constricting.

Countless seeds, unnoticed during the chaos, suddenly erupted. In the blink of an eye, they transformed into thick, thorny vines.

They surged upward like coiling pythons, wrapping around the Fire cultivator’s legs, torso, and arms.

Snake Bind!

The Fire cultivator struggled, his flames flickering, but the vines were too tight, too numerous. Within seconds, he was immobilized, bound like a silkworm in a cocoon.

Thud.

He toppled over, defeated.

Chen Bo emerged from the other side of the arena. His robes were singed, his skin red from the heat, but he didn’t look in pain. He didn’t even look happy.

He just looked determined.

“He’s lost dozens of times this month,” a spectator whispered nearby. “But he keeps coming back.”

“To turn defeat into victory against a counter-element… impressive.”

In the corner, Jiang Chen watched the scene, a flicker of approval in his eyes.

“Vine Bind, second layer,” he murmured. “He’s actually mastering it.”