Profound Heaven Soul Sovereign

"What’s going on?" Ge Puzi frowned. "Steward Chen’s attitude changed far too drastically."

Dongfang Xuan said, "He was only enthusiastic at first to test our strength. If we could afford to rent one of the three storefronts, it would mean we were worth his attention. If we didn’t even have that much power, then there would be no reason for him to pay us any mind."

"But when he saw we weren’t satisfied with any of the three properties, he naturally assumed we thought the price was too high. That’s why his attitude changed."

"That’s the reason?" Ge Puzi asked, stunned. He spent most of his time at the academy and rarely encountered such situations, so his understanding wasn’t as deep as Dongfang Xuan’s.

"That’s likely the reason," Ye Xuan said with a smile.

Among those present, Su Xiuyi, Ge Puzi, and Jiuchen were basically clueless about business. Jiang Huarong and Luo Min likely had a deeper understanding. As for Dongfang Xuan, his grasp of the situation was probably the most thorough.

This was because he was the president of the Divine Walk Commerce Association; he was all too familiar with the ways of the world and the intricacies of dealing with major powers.

"However, Young Master Ye, the locations of these three storefronts don’t seem particularly good," Dongfang Xuan said, shaking his head.

"These locations aren’t good?" Su Xiuyi said incredulously. "I’ve spent many years in the West District. These three spots are probably some of the most popular places in the district right now."

Ye Xuan smiled. "A popular location isn’t necessarily the best. I’m not actually too concerned about that, as long as it’s not somewhere completely out of the way."

"Then what’s wrong with them?" Su Xiuyi still didn’t understand.

Dongfang Xuan explained, "I don’t think these three locations are good because they are all self-contained commercial hubs within the West District, with poor links to the other districts."

’Links to the other districts?’

Su Xiuyi and the others were completely bewildered.

Only Ye Xuan nodded. "Dongfang Xuan is right. The problem is the insufficient links to other districts."

The three storefronts were of a decent size, and their locations in the West District were good enough, but Ye Xuan’s ambitions weren’t limited to the West District alone. He was bound to expand in the future. From that perspective, all three locations were far too restrictive.

Su Xiuyi frowned. "I don’t know much about business, so I’ll defer to your judgment. But if these three properties aren’t suitable, what’s our plan?"

Ge Puzi suddenly spoke up. "By the way, didn’t Steward Chen mention a place called Suxin Tower at the end? What about that?"

Su Xiuyi said, "I know of Suxin Tower. It’s in the easternmost part of the West District. It’s a fairly prosperous area with high foot traffic. You could say Suxin Tower is the landmark of that commercial zone. It has seven floors. Its previous owner was also a Loose Cultivator, even stronger than me—he had reached the Tier Eight Second Layer. He went adventuring a few years ago and was rumored to have perished. I didn’t expect the building to be available now. The Steward’s Mansion must have reclaimed it."

In Celestial Capital Prefecture, Loose Cultivators have the lowest status. Once they perish, their assets within the prefecture are often reclaimed through various means.

As the main hub for Loose Cultivators in Celestial Capital Prefecture, the West District was also where shifts in power were most frequent.

Ye Xuan thought for a moment. "Where is this Suxin Tower located? Show me on the map. And how large is it?"

Su Xiuyi immediately turned to Jiang Huarong. "Huarong, explain it to Young Master Ye."

Jiang Huarong, who was standing nearby, immediately marked Suxin Tower’s location on the map. "As for its size," he said, "Suxin Tower should be around one hundred seventy to one hundred eighty thousand square meters."

’This location!’

Ye Xuan and Dongfang Xuan exchanged a glance, pleasant surprise flashing in both their eyes. This was, without a doubt, a location with immense potential for future development, a perfect fit for the Profound Light Pavilion’s goals.

"Good. Excellent. We’ll take Suxin Tower."

Ye Xuan declared without a moment’s hesitation.

Su Xiuyi was taken aback. "But the price for Suxin Tower... Steward Chen just said it’s nearly thirty thousand mid-grade Profound Stones a year."

’Thirty thousand mid-grade Profound Stones... That’s about the entire annual revenue of my Xiuyi Pavilion.’

Ye Xuan said resolutely, "Price is not an issue. The crucial thing is that we absolutely must secure Suxin Tower."

"What? You’ve decided to rent Suxin Tower?"

Upon hearing their response, Chen Tairan, who was in the middle of sipping his tea, almost sprayed it all over the table.

’He had seen their dissatisfaction with the first three properties and immediately assumed they lacked the financial means to lease any of them, merely making up excuses. He’d already written them off. Who would have thought that they would turn around and set their sights on the even more expensive Suxin Tower?’

’The annual rent for Suxin Tower is fifty thousand mid-grade Profound Stones. The price is exorbitant. Even some of the larger factions might not be able to afford it. Does a tiny little group like Xiuyi Pavilion really have that kind of wealth?’

Dongfang Xuan, however, remained perfectly calm. "Yes, Steward Chen. We are interested in Suxin Tower, but we don’t intend to lease it."

"Not lease it? Then what do you...?" Chen Tairan frowned. "If you’re thinking of a mortgage, or some sort of installment plan, I won’t agree. I need to see cash upfront."

"Of course not." Dongfang Xuan shook his head. Just as he was about to speak, a staff member suddenly entered the room.

"Steward Chen, Master Hongde and Vice Pavilion Master Xi Yichun from the Ancient Pill Tower are here to see you."

Steward Chen frowned. "Can’t whatever it is wait? Don’t you see I’m with guests?"

The staff member stepped forward and whispered a few words in Steward Chen’s ear.

A glint flashed in Steward Chen’s eyes. He glanced at Ye Xuan and his companions, then said, "In that case, show them in."

"Yes, sir." The staff member immediately withdrew.

"If you would all please wait a moment," Steward Chen said with a smile.

Ye Xuan and the others frowned, a sense of foreboding washing over them.

「A short while later...」

"Hahaha! Steward Chen, on behalf of the Ancient Pill Tower, I, Xi Yichun, must apologize for yesterday’s events. We’ve truly caused you trouble, Steward Chen."

A hearty laugh rang out as a white-haired elder and Master Hongde entered the room together.

"You..." Upon seeing Ye Xuan and the others in the room, Master Hongde and his companion’s expressions changed. They froze, clearly not expecting to find Su Xiuyi’s group here as well.

An indiscernible glint flashed through the eyes of both parties as they looked at each other.

Steward Chen waved a dismissive hand. "Let’s dispense with the pleasantries. Xi Yichun, I hear the Ancient Pill Tower is interested in leasing Suxin Tower?"

"Correct," Xi Yichun said with a smile. "Besides helping Master Hongde resolve yesterday’s issue, that is the second reason we are here. We at the Ancient Pill Tower just received news about it. Our Pavilion Master is very interested in Suxin Tower, so he dispatched me to handle the formalities."

Steward Chen chuckled. "Well, that’s rather unfortunate, because Pavilion Master Su and his companions from Xiuyi Pavilion were just about to lease Suxin Tower themselves."

Though he called it unfortunate, a smile was plastered on his face.

"What?" Xi Yichun was stunned. He looked over at Ye Xuan’s group, his voice full of disbelief. "Xiuyi Pavilion wants to lease Suxin Tower?"

"That’s right. Now both of you are interested in leasing Suxin Tower. What do you think we should do? It’s giving me such a headache," Steward Chen said, rubbing his forehead. Yet, a grin played on his lips, betraying no sign of a headache whatsoever.

Ye Xuan finally understood why Steward Chen had let Xi Yichun and the others in. ’He’s trying to start a bidding war.’

After a moment of shock, Xi Yichun quickly recovered and laughed. "Steward Chen, what’s there to have a headache about? We’ll just follow the rules of the market: highest bidder wins. Steward Chen, you must be discerning. There are always people in this world who try to bite off more than they can chew."

His tone was dripping with mockery, clearly showing his disdain for Xiuyi Pavilion. He didn’t believe for a second they could afford to rent Suxin Tower.

"Pavilion Master Su, what are your thoughts?" Steward Chen asked with a sly grin.

Su Xiuyi glanced at Ye Xuan. Though annoyed by Steward Chen’s ploy, Ye Xuan knew it was only natural. Any businessman would seize an opportunity to drive up the price.

"Then let the highest bidder win," Ye Xuan said nonchalantly after exchanging a look with Dongfang Xuan.

Xi Yichun immediately smiled. "Steward Chen, I hear the annual rent for Suxin Tower is twenty-eight thousand mid-grade Profound Stones. Let’s do this—we’ll round it up to an even thirty thousand. Furthermore, the Ancient Pill Tower is prepared to lease it for ten years and pay for the first five years upfront. That’s a total of one hundred fifty thousand mid-grade Profound Stones. What do you say, Steward Chen?"

He didn’t even glance at Ye Xuan’s group as he spoke, his expression one of complete confidence. It was clear he didn’t consider Xiuyi Pavilion a threat in the slightest.

"Paying for five years upfront... Not bad, not bad at all." Steward Chen nodded, satisfied. He then turned to Ye Xuan’s group. "Pavilion Master Su, and you? How long do you plan to rent for, and how much will you be prepaying?"

Dongfang Xuan stepped forward. "Steward Chen, we are indeed very interested in Suxin Tower. However, we have no intention of leasing it. Since we plan to be here for the long term, it makes more sense to buy it rather than rent. Of course, if you’re not willing to sell, we’ll just forget the whole thing."

"What? You want to... buy it?" When Steward Chen first heard they weren’t planning to lease, his expression had soured. But upon hearing the word "buy," he shot to his feet, his face a mask of shock.

Xi Yichun and Master Hongde, who had just been mocking them, were also dumbstruck, their faces etched with disbelief.

Master Hongde couldn’t stop himself from blurting out, "Buy it? Do you have any idea what Suxin Tower costs? The purchase price is typically at least thirty times the annual rent! That means Suxin Tower is worth nearly a million mid-grade Profound Stones! Do you have that kind of money?"

By the end of his outburst, his eyes were filled with pure scorn.

Nearly a million mid-grade Profound Stones. It was an astronomical figure. Even among the great clans of Celestial Capital Prefecture, there weren’t many who could produce that much cash at a moment’s notice.