Chapter 185
Meng Zhang walked out of the Four Seas Building disappointed once again, as his attempt to purchase the Second Rank Formation had failed.
Despite three years passing, the Flying Swan Sect's blockade of the western region of Singing Sand City and the Forest Spring Watch remained unchanged.
The internal debate within the Flying Swan Sect on how to handle the Forest Spring Watch has yet to reach a clear resolution.
While the Flying Swan Sect has not directly attacked the Forest Spring Watch, they have imposed a comprehensive blockade on them.
The Taiyi Sect and three other sects have also been viewed as allies of the Forest Spring Watch and have been subjected to strict blockades.
The Second Rank Formation is now considered a strategic weapon, and all Shang Family stores that sell it within the Flying Swan Sect's territory must keep detailed customer information for future reference. Customers with unknown identities are not even entertained.
While Meng Zhang can easily break through the Flying Swan Sect's blockade, shopping in Firewell Market is very troublesome. Even big merchant families like the Four Seas Building dare not violate the Flying Swan Sect's orders and sell Second Rank Formations to Meng Zhang, despite knowing his identity as the Taiyi Sect Master.
Meng Zhang turned to the Earthfire Sect, but they refused to purchase Taiyi Sect's scarlet copper mine or sell magic tools to them. The steward who had a relationship with Meng Zhang in the Earthfire Sect bluntly stated that the Flying Swan Sect's influence was vast and almost everywhere, unlike Twin Success Valley, which was easier to deceive. Now that Twin Success Valley is gone, Taiyi Sect can openly mine and sell scarlet copper, but they have no sellers.
As for the black market, Meng Zhang cannot rely on it either. All shops in Firewell Market have been warned by the Flying Swan Sect not to trade with the Forest Spring Watch or any related forces. Otherwise, the Flying Swan Sect will punish them severely.
All major transactions in the current Firewell Market require the identification of the trading parties. Meng Zhang can only conduct small transactions in secret, which is not very helpful to the Taiyi Sect. Moreover, some important items are simply unavailable.
Even a decent Second Rank magic tool is hard to come by, let alone the Second Rank Formation.
After entering the Foundation Building period, Meng Zhang no longer needs First Rank magic tools. He only has the Second Rank flying swords, the Red Flame Sword, and the Poison Fang Sword. He is not a Sword Cultivator who can break through all obstacles with just a sword.
The Deep Earth Spirit General, who obtained the Fifth Earth Essence three years ago, has also regained his initial strength in the Foundation Building period after refining it. Apart from the Stonebreaker Hammer that Meng Zhang gave him, he has no other Second Rank magic tools. The power of magic tools is crucial in combat.
Meng Zhang has been to Firewell Market several times but has not been able to buy a satisfactory Second Rank magic tool. He can only buy overpriced and impractical goods while hiding his identity. The high-quality magic tools are not sold to people with unknown identities, let alone the Taiyi Sect Master.
Meng Zhang left Firewell Market disappointed, secretly admiring the authority of the Flying Swan Sect.Regardless of whether they are in the underworld or the white world, all Shang Family members obediently follow the Flying Swan Sect's ban and dare not violate it in the slightest.
After leaving Firewell Market, Meng Zhang rode on an exceptionally fast Red Feather Eagle and headed towards Singing Sand City. While cultivators in the Foundation Building period have the ability to fly with the wind, having a means of transportation is still preferable for long-distance travel, as it can save a lot of energy. After more than an hour, Meng Zhang saw Singing Sand City in his line of sight.
Gu Tanghai is indeed a remarkable figure. However, in just three years, Singing Sand City has been rebuilt to some extent. After taking over Singing Sand City, Gu Tanghai began to demonstrate his abilities. In the Cultivation World, it is generally believed that Gu Tanghai is a loose cultivator.
Countless loose cultivators regard him as an idol and trust him deeply. In terms of the black market, they know the origin of the Shi Family and the close relationship between Gu Tanghai and the Shi Family. However, the black market is not obligated to proactively inform the Flying Swan Sect of this information. Therefore, for many years, the Shi Family and Gu Tanghai have not appeared in the Flying Swan Sect's line of sight. As for now, Gu Tanghai has established a relationship with the Forest Spring Watch. Even if the Flying Swan Sect knows his background, they will not easily take action against him until they have resolved the issue with the Forest Spring Watch. Gu Tanghai uses his identity as a loose cultivator to publicly declare that he wants to build Singing Sand City into a paradise for loose cultivators.
Loose cultivators in the Cultivation World can take refuge in Singing Sand City and settle down here. When Twin Success Valley was still around, there was an Alchemist guild in the surrounding area. The Alchemist guild was controlled by several sects led by Twin Success Valley. Small sects and small families could not cultivate Alchemists.
Even those with alchemy talent had to join sects like Twin Success Valley to receive training. Through the Alchemist guild, Twin Success Valley and other sects monopolized the supply of elixirs in the surrounding area, and the prices of elixirs were extremely high.
After Gu Tanghai took control of Singing Sand City, he used the Shi Family's alchemy abilities to provide a large number of cheap elixirs, attracting a large number of loose cultivators to settle here. For many cultivators, especially loose cultivators, having elixirs and spirit grains can satisfy most of their needs.
The Red Feather Eagle lowered its flying altitude and arrived over Singing Sand City. Meng Zhang has been here several times, and the guards are already familiar with his identity. The protective Formation opened a portal and allowed Meng Zhang to enter.
It must be said that Gu Tanghai is very capable of managing things. However, in just three years, Singing Sand City has already undergone a transformation. The damaged market has been mostly repaired, and many new buildings have sprung up.
There are some shops in the market, and occasionally, people can be seen on the once desolate streets. Unfortunately, despite Gu Tanghai's and the Shi Family's capable management, they have reached their limit in the face of the poor environment. When Singing Sand City was first established, it was managed by powerful forces like Twin Success Valley.
Not only did the Liu Family, Forest Spring Watch, and others invest heavily in it, even the Flying Swan Sect and Four Seas Building were also stationed there. The market was backed by many cultivation forces to the west, and it was connected to other territories under the Flying Swan Sect's rule. After many years of development, it became prosperous.
However, now, there are only four sects, including Taiyi Sect, to the west of Singing Sand City, and the east is completely blocked by the Flying Swan Sect, with the commercial route completely cut off. Even with the Forest Spring Watch and a group of poor loose cultivators, they cannot support a slightly larger business district.
Meng Zhang put the Red Feather Eagle into his spirit beast bag and walked for a while on the street before arriving outside a shop. According to the agreement, including Taiyi Sect, the four sects can have multiple shops in Singing Sand City.
Unfortunately, this is of no use. Taiyi Sect has only opened a grocery store in the market, which looks like it is about to close down. It is empty all day long, and business is scarce. There is nothing that can be done. The environment is such that even those who manage things well cannot do much.
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