Profound Heaven Soul Sovereign

They had clung to the hope that Su Xiuyi and his group were merely bluffing, that they didn’t truly have the means to purchase Suxin Tower. The reality, however, was a bitter disappointment.

"According to the information you two gathered, Steward Chen’s price for Suxin Tower was seven hundred thousand mid-grade Profound Stones. To raise that amount, even we would have to sell the Ancient Pill Tower. How could a tiny little place like Xiuyi Pavilion possibly have that kind of wealth?"

The Pavilion Master of the Ancient Pill Tower was a thin, dark-skinned, middle-aged man who didn’t look particularly remarkable. Yet, the aura he exuded was incredibly sharp, and his words carried an air of dominance and authority.

Xi Yichun frowned. "Pavilion Master, could Chen Tairan be interfering? Or perhaps he has some kind of deal with Xiuyi Pavilion? He said seven hundred thousand on the surface, but maybe it was actually only three or four hundred thousand, or even less?"

"Impossible." The Pavilion Master of the Ancient Pill Tower immediately shook his head. "Chen Tairan may be the grand steward of the West District, and his position isn’t low, but he’s required to turn over all income from property sales. Given Suxin Tower’s location and size, its selling price would have to be at least five or six hundred thousand mid-grade Profound Stones, and even that might not be enough to secure it. Chen Tairan wouldn’t make a deal at a loss."

"Then what could it be?"

Xi Yichun and the others frowned, unable to fathom where Xiuyi Pavilion could have possibly gotten so much money.

"Pavilion Master, I believe the issue lies with the people Su Xiuyi brought back with him," Hongde suddenly interjected.

A Seventh Grade Lord Level Alchemist is a renowned figure even in Celestial Capital Prefecture. The Ancient Pill Tower, including myself, only has two such alchemists. With Xiuyi Pavilion’s status and strength, they should have no business recruiting someone of that caliber.

Moreover, besides Elder Yao, the feeling Ye Xuan gave Hongde was even more terrifying.

"Very likely." The Pavilion Master of the Ancient Pill Tower nodded, his eyes narrowing. "I’ve already investigated. Su Xiuyi brought this group back from his recent trip. He was suddenly gone for several months, and I had intended to use that opportunity to crush his Xiuyi Pavilion. But who would have thought that he’d not only return at the crucial moment but also bring such formidable people with him, causing my plan to fail completely."

Hongde said, ashamed, "Pavilion Master, it was my failure."

The Pavilion Master of the Ancient Pill Tower shook his head. "It’s not your fault. These people have mysterious origins. Even I haven’t been able to discover where they’re from or which power they serve. A Tier Seven King Level Alchemist couldn’t possibly be so obscure."

Xi Yichun immediately proposed, "Pavilion Master, should I arrange for some people to deal with those fellows and probe their backgrounds?"

A vicious look flashed across his face.

"Don’t bother." The Pavilion Master of the Ancient Pill Tower waved his hand, his tone serious. "Set aside the matter of Xiuyi Pavilion for now. Since we failed to lease Suxin Tower, go and lease the nearby Treasure Hall Pavilion instead. Our Ancient Pill Tower’s business is in urgent need of expansion."

"As for those fellows from Xiuyi Pavilion, there’s no rush to deal with them. I’d like to see what tricks that pavilion is playing. If Su Xiuyi thinks he can make waves in the West District with just a single Seventh Grade Alchemist, he is far too naive."

Seeing their Pavilion Master’s detached expression, both Xi Yichun and Hongde began to smile. They knew that once the Pavilion Master wore that look, it meant he had taken the matter to heart. They had never seen anyone targeted by him come to a good end.

Xi Yichun then sneered, "Pavilion Master, we can hold off on dealing with Xiuyi Pavilion, but we can’t let them have an easy time either. I happen to have an idea that could cause them some trouble."

The Pavilion Master of the Ancient Pill Tower’s interest was piqued. "Oh? What is it?"

"Pavilion Master, the people Su Xiuyi brought back aren’t from Celestial Capital Prefecture. If they want to run a shop here, they must have a household registration. We can meddle with the process. If those fellows can’t get registered, they won’t be able to open their shop."

The Pavilion Master of the Ancient Pill Tower burst out laughing. "Haha, Xi Yichun, that’s not a bad idea at all. You’ve dealt with Steward Guan Wei from the West District’s Household Registration Section before, so I’ll leave this to you. Just remember, be discreet."

Xi Yichun smiled. "Pavilion Master, rest assured."

A cold, contemptuous smile touched his lips. ’Trying to compete with our Ancient Pill Tower? Xiuyi Pavilion is still far too green.’

Ye Xuan and the others, of course, knew nothing of the Ancient Pill Tower’s schemes. At that moment, they were busy stocking up.

Profound Light Pavilion was set to open in a month. If they wanted to make a grand debut, stocking up early was essential.

Meanwhile, Ye Xuan wasn’t idle. In his spare time between cultivation and alchemy, he began setting up an Array around the exterior of Profound Light Pavilion.

The West District was full of all sorts of people, so troublemakers were inevitable—like the Celestial Wolf Squad they’d encountered before. If he could place a large-scale Array within Profound Light Pavilion, then even if Su Xiuyi wasn’t present, those left to guard the shop would be more than capable of handling any situation.

"Pavilion Master."

One day, as Ye Xuan and the others were discussing matters concerning Profound Light Pavilion’s opening, Jiang Huarong approached them with a worried expression.

"Huarong, what’s wrong?" Su Xiuyi asked in confusion.

Jiang Huarong said, "Pavilion Master, you asked me to go to the West District’s Household Registration Section to arrange the household registration for Young Master Ye and the others, right? Everything was going smoothly, and their registration should have been approved any day now. But out of nowhere, Steward Guan from the Household Registration Section has put a hold on it, claiming an investigation is required."

"What?" Su Xiuyi shot to his feet, frowning. "Did you ask Steward Guan for the reason?"

"I did. Steward Guan said that since Young Master Ye and the others have unknown origins, he needs to conduct a thorough investigation. He said he would keep an eye on it and would only approve the registration after the investigation is complete and finds no issues."

"An investigation? What else is there to investigate?" Master Changyuan said, puzzled. "Generally, Celestial Capital Prefecture has a very lenient registration policy for powerful individuals. Even fugitives from other factions are usually fine as long as they haven’t committed crimes within the prefecture. Why would they withhold the registration for Young Master Ye’s group?" He was quite familiar with the Household Registration Section, and this made no sense at all.

Su Xiuyi frowned. "Were only some of the applications put on hold, or everyone’s?"

"Everyone’s."

"Did you ask Steward Guan how long the investigation will take?"

Jiang Huarong replied, "Steward Guan said he would only issue the registration after his investigation is complete. As for how long that will take, he wouldn’t say."

"What kind of answer is that? That Guan Wei is clearly just making things difficult for us," Changyuan said, displeased.

Su Xiuyi also felt the situation was becoming difficult. He had been in Celestial Capital Prefecture for a long time and had never heard of the Household Registration Section behaving this way. There had to be a reason he wasn’t aware of.

"I’ll go to the Household Registration Section myself this afternoon to ask about it," Su Xiuyi said grimly.

Ge Puzi then asked, "Is this Celestial Capital Prefecture registration really that important?"

"Extremely important," Su Xiuyi explained. "According to the regulations of Celestial Capital Prefecture, anyone who wishes to operate a shop must possess a household registration here. Otherwise, they cannot legally open for business. In other words, if your registrations aren’t approved, your goods cannot be sold at Profound Light Pavilion. If they are, you’ll be arrested by the prefecture’s authorities."

Ge Puzi was taken aback. "Does that mean outsiders can’t sell things in Celestial Capital Prefecture at all?"

Su Xiuyi shook his head. "Not exactly. The key distinction is ’opening a shop.’ Outsiders without a household registration can sell items on consignment in specially designated areas using their temporary entry permits. That isn’t illegal. But what we’re doing—opening a permanent storefront—is absolutely forbidden without it."

"I’ll go with you," Ye Xuan said suddenly.

"Xuan Ye? You?" Su Xiuyi looked at Ye Xuan, a little puzzled.

"The Household Registration Section is part of the Steward’s Mansion, isn’t it? If things don’t work out this afternoon, perhaps we can look up Steward Chen."

He had just purchased Suxin Tower from Steward Chen, facilitating a massive transaction that had surely earned the steward a tidy sum. Ye Xuan believed the man wouldn’t be so quick to forget them.

Su Xiuyi’s eyes lit up, but he quickly frowned again. "The Household Registration Section is indeed part of the Steward’s Mansion, but it’s a special case, operating on a separate chain of command. Steward Chen has supervisory authority, but not direct control. The power to issue registrations is concentrated in Steward Guan’s hands. If Steward Guan digs in his heels and refuses, even Steward Chen can’t overrule him. Besides, Steward Chen has always been a shrewd man who won’t act without a clear incentive. He’s unlikely to go out on a limb for us."

"Heh." Ye Xuan chuckled. "I’m not asking Steward Chen to intervene directly. I just think that if things don’t go well this afternoon, we can ask him to inquire about the reason. Of course, that’s a conversation for after we’ve visited the Household Registration Section."

"I’m also quite curious to see just why the Household Registration Section is refusing to issue our registrations." A sharp glint flashed in Ye Xuan’s eyes.

Su Xiuyi considered it for a moment, saw no issue with the plan, and nodded.

That afternoon, led by Jiang Huarong, Ye Xuan and Su Xiuyi went directly to the West District’s Household Registration Section.

The Household Registration Section was located next to the Steward’s Mansion, functioning as an independent administrative office.

The moment Jiang Huarong led Su Xiuyi and Ye Xuan inside, an unpleasant voice rang out.

"You again? How many times do I have to tell you? Our Steward Guan is very busy and has no time for you. As for those registrations, they’ll be issued once the Household Registration Section finishes its investigation. Just wait."

The staff member clearly recognized Jiang Huarong and spoke with immediate impatience upon seeing him.

Jiang Huarong’s face flushed. He was the general manager of Xiuyi Pavilion, a position that usually afforded him some respect. But here at the Household Registration Section, he was the one asking for a favor, so he could only swallow his pride. "Sir, if I could trouble you to please inform Steward Guan that Pavilion Master Su of Xiuyi Pavilion is here. He has also come regarding this matter."