The Immortal Cultivation World of Male Inferiority and Female Supremacy-Chapter 218. Ladies and gentlemen, the times have changed

"You’re talking nonsense! Yu Qing’s essays are incisive satires of reality. How can that dog shit written by Xuan Ling compare?"

"Shut up! How dare you insult my favorite writer! Take back your words now!"

"I insist on saying it!" "You asked for it!"

The argument grew fiercer, and finally, the two actually started fighting, turning the whole tavern into chaos instantly.

Xiao Yan and Han Li sat calmly, finding the brawl between the two cultivators both amusing and annoying.

It was almost like a childish game, sparking a fight over something so trivial.

Thankfully, Xiao Yan and Han Li shared the same taste, both being loyal fans of Xuan Ling, thus having no disputes over this matter.

The other patrons in the tavern were also quite used to it, skillfully avoiding the mess.

Juanzhou City was located on a major thoroughfare, and the passing cultivators were a common sight, but recently their numbers had skyrocketed, and it seemed you couldn’t throw a stone without hitting two of them.

The main reason was likely that most of them were heading for the trade fair hosted by the Heavenly Sword Sect.

As the number of cultivators increased, so did the disputes, and surprisingly many of these disputes were sparked by differences of opinion about the novels of Xuan Ling and Yu Qing, creating quite an odd phenomenon.

After finishing their meal, Xiao Yan and Han Li left the tavern. People thronged the streets, with numerous cultivators visible, all heading towards the Cloud Sea Mountains in the Jing Chu Territory.

For the past few months, the Heavenly Sword Daily had been extensively advertising, bombarding readers’ eyes with it day after day. After several months, it had deeply imprinted the concept of the trade fair in every reader’s mind.

Especially with the newspaper flaunting a wide array of merchandise and a plethora of events, each drawing the attention of every cultivator.

Moreover, the Heavenly Sword Sect had also invited the high-ranking members of the Righteous Alliance and the Five Permanents Sects to gather at Iron Sword Mountain. Such a grand event had not been seen in the Cultivation World for decades. No cultivator wanted to miss out on such a spectacle, and they all flocked from far and wide to attend.

Xiao Yan and Han Li were heading to Iron Sword Mountain due to matters concerning Exotic Species True Fire, and it happened to coincide with the grand event hosted by the Heavenly Sword Sect, so naturally, they wanted to take a look.

They took their horses, mounted them, and proceeded along the street, preparing to leave Juanzhou City.

As Xiao Yan rode, looking at the scenery by the roadside, she suddenly whispered, "Sister Li, someone is following us."

Han Li, appearing unperturbed, also whispered, "I know, they’re likely from the Demon Sect. Let’s wait until we leave the city."

The two of them merged into the long street without a sound, disappearing into the crowd.

...

From a bird’s-eye view, you could see two cities standing side by side at the foot of Iron Sword Mountain.

One was Sword Casting City, and the other was a commercial city that had sprung up over the past few months, completed and handed over ten days ago.

On the day of the handover, True Master Yu Jian visited and personally inscribed the name for this city—Taobao Mall.

The name was suggested by Fang Zhou to True Master Yu Jian, symbolizing a marketplace where any cultivator could find treasures.

Though True Master Yu Jian found the name rather peculiar, he went along with it, adopting the name.

After all, the creation of this mall was entirely due to Fang Zhou’s efforts, so his opinion was paramount.

In these ten days, over ten sect trading teams from Jingnan State had already moved into Taobao Mall with their goods.

In the Cultivation World, almost every sect, big or small, had its own businesses to support the sect’s expenses, such as the Heavenly Sword Sect’s businesses in Mystic Iron Ore and Spirit Swords, along with various other items.

In past years, around half of the sects from Jingnan State would bring their products to participate in the Heavenly Sword Sect’s trade fair, operating mostly on a barter system, with low trade volumes.

This year was different; the Heavenly Sword Sect had created such immense momentum that many vendors had come with the expectation of making a significant profit, all converging spontaneously without any notifications needed.

However, this time they were blocked outside Taobao Mall, as Fang Zhou had sent notifications to these sect trading teams, informing them that to set up shop in Taobao City, they had to pay entry and shop fees, which varied depending on the location’s quality; the better the location, the higher the fees.

The trading teams were disgruntled upon hearing this. In previous years, the Heavenly Sword Sect had invited them without any fees, but now they were being charged for entry and shop fees!? This was daylight robbery!

The gatekeepers couldn’t handle the situation and had to call Fang Zhou.

"Everyone!"

Fang Zhou stood atop Taobao Mall’s city gate, his strong voice projecting far and wide.

Hundreds of people below looked up at him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, times have changed."

Fang Zhou patted the city gate beneath his feet and loudly declared, "Do you see this city? It cost billions, all funded and built by our Heavenly Sword Sect. Do you still expect to use it for free like before? Do you know how many cultivators will attend this trade fair?"

He raised his hands and announced an astonishing number, "Over one hundred thousand cultivators will attend this grand event."

The sect trading teams below were startled; one hundred thousand cultivators—how many people was that?

They doubted the number, unsure if the entire Cultivation World even had that many cultivators, yet the excitement surrounding the trade fair was undeniable. Even if just ten thousand showed up, it would be an unprecedented event.

Fang Zhou ignored their doubts and continued shouting, "Do you know how many sects want to bring their goods to Taobao Mall? We have received over a thousand applications, and many underqualified sects will be turned away. Since you are comrades from Jingnan State, we are giving you the chance to pay and settle in advance. There are over a thousand sects racing here now. If you think a small fee isn’t worth a good spot and would rather give your place to other sects, I have no objections."

The crowd below hesitated, realizing that Fang Zhou’s words made sense, and the entry and shop fees weren’t that high, starting at just a thousand taels. Would they really travel all this way only to give the good spots to others over a small fee?

Finally, one sect couldn’t hold back and paid the fees. With one leading the way, the others followed suit, fearing they’d fall behind.

These several dozen sect trading teams were just the beginning. Fang Zhou hadn’t lied; more sects were on their way with goods and would soon fill up Taobao Mall.

As the number of settled sects grew, a clustering effect would form, attracting even more sects to set up shop and sell their products.

With a large enough scale and variety of products, other sects and countless solo cultivators would also come to shop, creating massive visitor traffic, which in turn would attract even more sects to set up shop. ƒrēenovelkiss.com

Over time, Taobao Mall would become a lasting and true marketplace, the shopping paradise of the Cultivation World.

Compared to this, the Heavenly Sword Sect’s once-a-year trade fair seemed quite weak.

Besides a multitude of shops, the mall also featured a theater, a small square, and additional taverns and inns.

The ten thousand laborers from Yunshan City were not all dismissed; some stayed behind to serve.

Though Fang Zhou had boasted about one hundred thousand cultivators attending the fair, he wasn’t entirely sure about the number. But he was certain it wouldn’t be small.