I Was Forced to Marry a “Trash” Cultivator, But She Turned Out to Be a Reborn Empress!

Chapter 262: Settling in the Chamber of Commerce, The Bustling Sacred Land

The main hall of the Heaven-Reaching Chamber of Commerce headquarters was a world apart from its Azure Nether City branch.

“Master Wang! We apologize for not welcoming you sooner!”

A purple-robed elder hurried toward them, trailed by eight maidservants clad in ethereal gauze. Shen Xian noted with a flicker of surprise that even these servants were Golden Core cultivators, moving with a grace that spoke of high-level training.

The elder took Shen Xian’s token, his eyes widening as he verified the aura. “The dual record-breaker of the Hundred Arts Sect… I am Zhao Wuchen, an executive of the Sacred City headquarters. Please, forgive my lack of manners.”

Normally, a Fourth-Rank Refiner wouldn’t warrant such deference from a headquarters executive. But Shen Xian wasn’t normal. He was a strategic asset.

In this era, offending a high-potential refiner was financial suicide. The Chamber had done the math: investing in Shen Xian now was buying stock in a future titan.

Qiu Ruoli watched the spectacle with cold, cynical eyes.

They certainly know how to spend money, she thought, noting the floor paved with Warm Sun Jade and the scent of Spirit-Nourishing Incense—a fragrance worth a thousand stones an ounce—wafting from the burners.

“Master, we have prepared accommodations for you.” Zhao Wuchen clapped his hands. An attendant presented a jade tray displaying a holographic model of a luxurious estate.

“This is the ‘Leisure Cloud Abode’ in the Heavenly Craftsmen District. The spiritual qi concentration there is five times that of the outside world.”

Shen Xian scanned the model with his Divine Sense. Ten acres, private refining labs, meditation chambers, and a defensive array. In the real estate market of the Sacred City, this was a king’s ransom.

“Additionally…” Zhao Wuchen placed a storage ring on the tray. “A small token for your daily expenses. We have also assigned two Early-Stage Soul Formation guards for your protection.”

Two men in silver armor stepped forward, bowing in unison. “Greetings, Master Wang!”

Su Mu’s eyes bulged. Soul Formation guards? In Azure Nether City, these men would be ancestors of major clans!

“The Chamber is too generous,” Shen Xian said, his tone polite but guarded. “I am undeserving.”

“Nonsense!” Zhao Wuchen lowered his voice. “Headquarters has flagged you as a Top-Tier VIP. Our analysts predict you will reach the Seventh Rank.”

Seventh Rank. That was a realm that commanded the respect of Body Integration True Venerables.

Shen Xian accepted the ring. He was broke again after the teleportation fee debacle, so he wasn’t in a position to refuse charity.

They left the hall and boarded a jade carriage pulled by four snow-white Qilin beasts.

As they flew through the Sacred City, the sheer scale of the place battered their senses. Streets as wide as rivers, shops that looked like palaces, and skies filled with cultivators riding flood dragons and phoenixes.

“Is this… really the same world?” Tie Shan stammered, his massive hands trembling.

Qiu Ruoli remained silent, but her nails dug into her palms. The spiritual qi here… it’s thick enough to drink.

They arrived at the Heavenly Craftsmen District. The architecture here was specialized—towers of red Fire Essence for smiths, spires of blue Profound Ice for alchemists. And dominating them all, the black pagoda of the Hundred Arts Sect pierced the clouds.

“We have arrived,” Zhao Wuchen announced.

The ‘Leisure Cloud Abode’ was elegant, built in a southern style with flowing water and bamboo groves. Shen Xian sensed a small spirit vein trapped beneath the foundation.

“Master, please rest. Tomorrow, we will host a welcoming banquet,” Zhao Wuchen said with a meaningful smile. “Many of your peers in the Sacred City are eager to meet you.”

Once the Chamber staff departed, Ai Xiao spoke up, his brow furrowed. “Master, this generosity… it feels like a trap. No one gives this much without expecting a return.”

“Of course they want a return,” Shen Xian smiled, looking at the distant black pagoda. “They are betting on my future value. And that… is exactly what I want.”

Night fell over the Sacred City, but the lights of a million talisman lamps turned the darkness into day.

In the refining room of the Leisure Cloud Abode, Ai Xiao and the others were already at work, eager to test the local materials.

Shen Xian stood at the window of the top-floor master bedroom, looking out at the city that never slept.

He had three years before the next round of the Hundred Arts Sect competition. Three years to rebuild his fortune, establish his name, and prepare for the long road to the Sky Dome Sacred Land.

A million Spirit Stones gone… He sighed, feeling a phantom ache in his wallet. I need to make money. Fast.

Click.

The door opened.

Qiu Ruoli entered. She wore a simple white robe, her expression calm, but her eyes betrayed a complex storm of emotions.

On the table, the flame of the Tortoise-Snake Lamp flickered, casting long, dancing shadows on the walls.

Since stabilizing her cultivation, their nightly dual cultivation had become a routine. A duty.

She walked to him.

“What is your plan?” she asked, her voice softer than she intended.

Shen Xian turned. He didn’t speak. He simply released a pulse of spiritual pressure.

Qiu Ruoli’s body reacted instantly. Her Gui Water spiritual roots began to cycle, resonating with his aura. Her body remembered him, even if her mind resisted.

Again… why do I yield so easily?

She bit her lip, but the spiritual power in her meridians boiled, eager for the connection.

Shen Xian waved his sleeve. An invisible force gently pulled her toward the bed.

“Cultivation is the priority,” he said, his voice devoid of lust but heavy with intent. “You need to get stronger. Fast.”

The flame of the lamp surged, illuminating the golden patterns that flared within the cinnabar mark on her forehead.

As Shen Xian’s finger touched her dantian, a soft sigh escaped her lips.

Forget it.

Outside, the bamboo swayed in the night wind, startling a few night sparrows.

Inside, two figures merged in the dim light, bound by a contract of power and survival. Only the reflection in the tea cup on the table bore witness to this silent submission.