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

Chapter 263: Long-Term Plans, Amidst the Banquet

The morning sun filtered through the lattice windows, waking Shen Xian from his slumber.

Beside him, Qiu Ruoli was curled into his embrace like a contented cat. Her skin, white as milk and smooth as jade, bore the faint, red marks of the previous night’s passion. In her sleep, a small, peaceful smile graced her exquisite features.

The night of dual cultivation had refined her essence once again, pushing her cultivation base higher.

Shen Xian watched her, his eyes unreadable.

Ever since he had captured the Saintess, she had fought him with every breath. But time was a powerful solvent. The ice was melting.

If this were the beginning, she would rather die than sleep in my arms, he thought. She has accepted her fate.

As if sensing his gaze, Qiu Ruoli’s eyelashes fluttered. She opened her eyes, meeting his.

For a moment, there was peace. Then, she realized her position—her head on his chest, her arm thrown over him. Her body stiffened. She scrambled backward, putting distance between them, her face flushing crimson.

Shen Xian’s expression cooled instantly.

Still resisting? Perhaps the training has not been thorough enough.

Qiu Ruoli saw the dangerous glint in his eyes. Panic and embarrassment warred in her chest.

“I… I didn’t mean to,” she stammered.

As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. Why am I apologizing? I’m the victim here!

She bit her lip, cursing her own weakness.

Shen Xian didn’t press the issue. A faint, mocking smile touched his lips as he rose from the bed and dressed, leaving her alone with her conflicted thoughts.

The Refining Room.

Shen Xian found his three disciples exactly where he expected them—hunched over their workstations, eyes red but burning with focus. They had worked through the night.

“Master!”

Seeing him enter, they stopped their work and bowed in unison.

Shen Xian nodded. “Continue.”

He walked among them, offering precise, minimal corrections. Under his guidance, their bottlenecks seemed to dissolve like mist.

As he watched them, his mind drifted to the future.

One hundred High-Grade Spirit Crystals.

To earn that kind of wealth, he needed more than just skill. He needed a platform.

“The Heaven-Reaching Chamber of Commerce is a good starting point,” he murmured.

The Sacred City was dominated by three commercial titans: The Hundred Arts Chamber, backed by the Hundred Arts Sect; the Dao Xuan Chamber, backed by the local Hegemon; and the Heaven-Reaching Chamber.

The Heaven-Reaching Chamber was unique. It had no local backer, yet it stood equal to the others. Rumors whispered of a mysterious support from an external Sacred Land.

Competition between Sacred Lands is fierce. If the Heaven-Reaching Chamber is an outpost for a foreign power, they will be desperate for talent to break the stalemate.

He didn’t know who backed them, and Su Wuya’s intelligence was too low-level to confirm it. But their eagerness to recruit him was a lever he could use.

I will use their auction house to build my brand, Shen Xian decided. I have a stockpile of Top-grade Spirit Treasures gathering dust.

Between his own creations and the items multiplied by Qiu Ruoli’s system ability, he had an arsenal of wealth. He planned to liquidate everything except his core set and a few strategic assets.

I also need an Earth Fire room.

Refining with his own spiritual fire was effective but draining. For mass production, he needed the infinite, stable heat of a ley line.

Finding a high-quality Earth Fire room in the Sacred City won’t be easy. The best spots are taken. I’ll have to lean on the Chamber for that, too.

He thought of the banquet tonight.

Perfect timing.

Nightfall.

The Star Brilliance Pavilion, the crown jewel of the Heaven-Reaching Chamber of Commerce headquarters, was a beacon of light against the darkening sky.

Zhao Wuchen, bowing low, led Shen Xian and Qiu Ruoli onto a floating jade platform.

Four Azure Luan birds, their feathers shimmering with wind essence, flapped their wings. The platform rose smoothly, piercing the cloud layer to reach a height of a thousand feet.

Below, the Sacred City was a sprawling galaxy of lights. Ahead, the pavilion floated like a celestial palace.

It was constructed entirely of colored glaze, glowing from within. From the eaves hung thousands of tassel-lights, each tipped with a piece of Heart-Clearing Jade to calm the mind and banish inner demons.

Thirty-six Golden Core maidens hovered in the air outside the entrance, holding lotus lamps and singing a melody that cleansed the soul.

“Master Wang has arrived!”

The massive glaze doors swung open silently.

Shen Xian stepped inside and paused. The interior wasn’t a room; it was a pocket dimension. A white jade bridge spanned a bubbling spirit spring. Groves of Star-Patterned Bamboo rustled in a phantom breeze. The main banquet table was set beneath a Moonlight Divine Tree so massive it would take ten men to encircle it.

Over twenty cultivators were already seated. As Shen Xian entered, the majority rose to their feet.

These were the Fourth-Rank Refiners of the Chamber—the elite workforce of the organization.

“Master Wang! Your name thunders in our ears!”

“To think you are so young… truly, heroes emerge from the youth!”

“Breaking two records of the Hundred Arts Sect… unprecedented!”

Shen Xian returned their greetings with perfect, aristocratic poise. Neither arrogant nor humble.

Beside him, Qiu Ruoli felt a wave of vertigo.

Not long ago, he was a rogue fighting for scraps in the Godfiend Battlefield. Now, he walks among the elite of the Sacred City as an equal.

She looked at him, realizing with a jolt that she couldn’t imagine achieving this status on her own, not even in a hundred years.

“Young Friend Wang,” a deep, resonant voice cut through the flattery. “Truly a dragon among men.”

The crowd parted instantly. The Fourth-Rank refiners bowed their heads, their expressions shifting to pure reverence.

Even Zhao Wuchen straightened his robes and rushed forward, bowing deeply.

“Elder Shen! You came personally!”

Zhao Wuchen turned to Shen Xian, his voice trembling with excitement. “Master Wang, allow me to introduce Elder Shen You. He is a Late-Stage Fifth-Rank Refiner and the pillar of our Chamber. He has successfully forged True Spirit Treasures!”

Shen Xian’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Fifth-Rank Late Stage. Capable of forging True Spirit Treasures.

In the Sacred City, this man was royalty.

Elder Shen You walked slowly from behind the Moonlight Divine Tree. He wore black robes embroidered with cloud patterns. With every step, a golden lotus phantom bloomed beneath his feet. The spiritual qi around him spontaneously formed into miniature cauldrons, emitting the faint sounds of dragon roars.

The realm of “Heart Moves, Vessel Follows,” Shen Xian noted. Impressive.

At Shen You’s waist hung an ancient bronze mirror—the Myriad Vessels Mirror, a legendary tool for appraising artifacts.

“Elder Shen,” Shen Xian cupped his hands, showing the respect due to a senior. “You praise me too highly.”

Shen You stopped a few paces away. His eyes were sharp, dissecting Shen Xian with a glance.

“Breaking two records is no small feat,” Shen You said calmly. “May I ask which Grandmaster taught you?”

The question was heavy. Everyone leaned in to listen.

“I am but a nameless nobody,” Shen Xian replied with a faint, enigmatic smile. “A rootless duckweed, drifting into the Sacred City looking for a place to land.”

The refiners exchanged glances. Rootless? Impossible. He’s hiding his lineage.

“Hahaha!” Zhao Wuchen laughed to break the tension. “With your talent, Master Wang, landing is easy! The Heaven-Reaching Chamber is your home!”

“Indeed,” another refiner added boldly. “Master Wang, you should simply join us. With our resources and your skill, the sky is the limit.”

Shen Xian didn’t answer immediately. He let the silence hang, neither accepting nor rejecting.

Shen You watched him, thoughtful.

Smart. He knows his value.

“There is no rush,” Shen You smiled, his expression relaxing. “Young Friend Wang can take his time. After the finals of the Hundred Arts Sect, we can discuss the future.”

The finals were three years away. Plenty of time to woo him.

Shen Xian nodded. “Elder Shen is wise.”

He paused, then smiled.

“Coincidentally, this junior has recently refined a batch of Spirit Treasures. I was hoping the Chamber could assist me in auctioning them?”