My Children’s Gifts Give Me 1000x Returns!

**ARC 3: THE SOVEREIGN CLAN FOUNDATION & MARCH TO THE CORE**

The morning sun rose over the bustling commercial district of the Core City, casting a golden hue over towering marble storefronts, glowing spirit-lamp posts, and grand trading plazas.

For decades, the medicinal pill market in the Core City had been dominated by a single, untouchable titan: The Zephyrus Pill Alliance, controlled directly by Grand Elder Vane Zephyrus. Holding a near-monopoly on high-tier cultivation pills, House Zephyrus set exorbitant prices, forcing smaller clans and independent cultivators to spend fortunes just to acquire basic Grade-3 and Grade-4 pills.

However, on this morning, a sudden, massive crowd gathered at the intersection of the Imperial Central Avenue.

Overnight, a grand three-story building constructed from obsidian stone and silver spirit-wood had appeared out of nowhere. Above its carved archway hung a polished golden plaque bearing four majestic characters written in imperial calligraphy:

THE SOVEREIGN PILL PAVILION

Two rows of silent, handsome attendants clad in dark navy silk robes stood outside the polished mahogany doors, bowing politely to passing cultivators.

"A new pill shop?" "Who owns this place? Opening right across the street from the main Zephyrus Auction House?!" "Are they insane? House Zephyrus will drive them out of the city in three days!"

Curious cultivators and neutral guild representatives began trickling through the open doors. The moment they stepped inside, collective gasps of disbelief echoed through the grand showroom!

Resting inside crystal-clear display cases were thousands of perfectly rounded, shimmering pills radiating dense, heavenly medicinal aromas!

There were Grade-4 Spirit-Vein Cleansing Pills, Grade-5 Bone-Forging Elixirs, and even ultra-rare Grade-6 Meridian-Rebirth Pills—pills that could heal shattered Dantians and broke cultivation bottlenecks!

A middle-aged independent cultivator trembling with excitement pointed at a Grade-5 Bone-Forging Elixir. "B-Brother... check the price tag! Is my eyesight fading?!"

The price tag beneath the Grade-5 Elixir read: 5,000 High-Grade Spirit Stones.

At the Zephyrus Auction House across the street, the exact same Grade-5 Elixir sold for no less than 15,000 High-Grade Spirit Stones!

"Half... it's less than half price!" "Look at the purity! The pill lines on these pills... 100% pure medicinal value! No toxic impurity residue!" "Buy! Buy everything before House Zephyrus shuts them down!"

Within an hour, chaos erupted on Imperial Central Avenue! Thousands of rogue cultivators, academy scholars, and secondary noble representatives flooded the Sovereign Pill Pavilion like a tidal wave, waving spirit stone pouches and shouting desperately to purchase pills!

Meanwhile, on the top floor of the grand Zephyrus Auction House directly across the street...

Inside a luxurious office decorated with gold and rare beast pelts, Grand Elder Vane Zephyrus—a terrifying Peak Martial Grandmaster—sat behind his desk. Beside him stood his son, Young Master Kaelen Zephyrus, along with several senior branch managers.

BANG!

Vane Zephyrus slammed his teacup onto the desk, shattering the fine china into powder. His face was dark, cold, and twisted with surging rage as he stared out the window at the endless line of customers wrapping twice around the Sovereign Pill Pavilion.

"Where did this Sovereign Pill Pavilion come from?!" Vane roared, his Peak Martial Grandmaster Qi causing the glass windows to vibrate violently. "Who is behind them?!"

A senior manager dropped to his knees, sweat pouring down his face. "G-Grand Elder! We investigated, but the shop was registered overnight under a neutral guild permit! Their chief merchant is a man named Lord Harrison... his background is completely blank!"

"Grandfather!" Kaelen Zephyrus stepped forward, his sharp eyes burning with malice. "They are selling Grade-5 and Grade-6 pills at half price! In just three hours, our main hall across the street hasn't sold a single pill! Our revenue has crashed by 90% today!"

"Impudent dogs!" Vane Zephyrus growled, his hands clenching into tight fists inside his golden sleeves. "No one competes with House Zephyrus in the Core City! Send the City Enforcement Guards! Cite them for illegal market disruption and seal their doors!"

"I already tried, Grandfather!" Kaelen gritted his teeth bitterly. "When the Enforcement Guards approached their doors, Lord Harrison simply pulled out an official Sovereign Guild Exemption Token issued directly by the Imperial City Secretariat! The guards didn't even dare to step inside!"

Vane Zephyrus froze, his cold eyes narrowing into razor-sharp slits. An Exemption Token from the Imperial Secretariat?

In the Southern Realm, only entities with deep, ancient backgrounds or connections to the Central Empire could obtain such a token!

"Could it be..." Vane muttered under his breath, a sudden coldness creeping into his spine. "...House Sterling?"

"House Sterling?!" Kaelen gasped in disbelief. "Grandfather, they are just upstarts from the Outer Slums! How could they produce Grade-6 pills?!"

Vane turned his gaze back toward the Sovereign Pill Pavilion across the street, his eyes glinting with a lethal, bloodthirsty light.

"Whether it is House Sterling or a hidden dragon from the Central Realm..." Vane whispered coldly, "...they think they can destroy House Zephyrus's foundation with money? Tomorrow, the Regional Academy Exchange Tournament begins on the Grand Imperial Arena."

Vane placed a heavy hand on Kaelen's shoulder, his voice dropping into a sinister, pitiless tone.

"Kaelen. When you face the Sterling twins on the arena stage tomorrow... do not just win. Use the Zephyrus Blood-Needle Technique to destroy their spirit veins and turn them into brain-dead invalids in front of the entire empire! Let their mysterious backer know the price of challenging our house!"

Kaelen’s lips curved into a cruel, sadistic smirk. "Understood, Grandfather. I will make them suffer until they beg for death!"

Meanwhile, far above the clouds...

Inside the serene Floating Cloud Island, Gabriel sat in his white jade pavilion, watching the chaotic market scene outside the Sovereign Pill Pavilion through his spatial mirror.

Beside him, Lord Harrison—the System-forged chief merchant of the Celestial Commerce Hall—bowed respectfully, holding a glowing spatial ledger.

"Clan Master," Lord Harrison reported smoothly. "Our first day's revenue from the Sovereign Pill Pavilion has reached thirty-five million High-Grade Spirit Stones. House Zephyrus's market share has completely collapsed."

Gabriel took a slow, quiet sip of his spirit tea, a cold, satisfied grin playing on his lips.

"Good," Gabriel said softly. "They tried to use money and mercenaries to kill my children in the gorge. Now, their business is bleeding to death."

Gabriel closed the spatial mirror, his dark eyes turning toward the distant, colossal stone dome of the Grand Imperial Arena in the center of the Core City.

"Tomorrow, the tournament begins," Gabriel declared, his voice carrying an ancient, absolute authority that made the air in the room vibrate. "Malakor, Ignatius."

WHOOSH.

Both Malakor and General Ignatius materialized behind him, bowing on one knee.

"We are here, Sovereign Master!"

"Prepare the spatial anchors around the arena," Gabriel commanded, his golden dragon pupils flashing violently. "Tomorrow, my children will take the stage... and if House Zephyrus tries any dirty tricks on the arena floor, we will erase their main line from the face of this realm."