Scorching Soul City.
Molten Ashlands.
The Outhouse Door Incident.
“I just walked in and boom, here I was.”
It was absurd.
And yet…
The answers matched.
That was what made everyone fall quiet.
If both of them – this overgrown uncle and the tragic young cultivator who almost blew up his dignity – were telling the truth…
Then Scorching Soul City actually existed.
The Molten Ashlands were real.
And somewhere in that burning wasteland of misery, a toilet portal had opened.
This wasn’t just curiosity anymore.
This was opportunity.
For the first time, the old fossils looked around the store not just with admiration – but calculation!
Another realm. A direct link.
A land almost none of them had ever heard of, yet two people had crossed into the store from it without using any known formation.
This changed everything!
Naturally, the yapping session resumed.
But now, the elders shifted focus. Less curiosity, more ambition. Less about how they got here, more about what they could get from there.
“What rare materials do you have there?”
“What common goods grows naturally in the Molten Ashlands?”
“What do your blacksmiths use?”
And that’s when the treasure trove began to spill.
Like the Charcoal Vine.
A fast-growing black vine that wrapped itself around hot stone. It absorbed heat, burned slow, and never left smoke.
Used to make fire-starting talismans, heat-insulating robes, and smokeless cooking set-ups.
But in the Shrouded Cloud Empire, it either rotted fast or wouldn’t grow at all. Almost mythical in rarity.
Over there?
Every other hill had a patch. It grew like weeds!
Then came Ashcloth Fiber.
Spun from the cocoons of the Fire Ash Moth, a spirit insect that only bred in extreme heat. The fiber resisted fire for a while, perfect for scrolls, formation mats, and protective robes.
But even then, it still wore down over time in Scorching Soul City. That was how bad the heat was.
In the Shrouded Cloud Empire, and only used by nobles or elite cultivators.
In the Shrouded Cloud Empire, it was a luxury good. Rare and expensive. Only found in the most elite sects and research halls.
Because in the empire, Fire Ash Moths could barely breed. Even the few simulated hot zones failed to sustain their cocoons. As a result, anything made from Ashcloth was priced sky-high.
The old bones talking among themselves mentally. But then came something that truly made their eyes shine.
Soulkindling Char.
Brittle, black flakes formed deep in lava beds. Created when fire-aligned spiritual residue compressed under heat over decades. A natural spiritual enhancer.
Burning it could temporarily sharpen one’s spiritual perception.
Array masters could see patterns clearer. Seers could read deeper.
Beast tamers could sense with much better timing.
The Shrouded Cloud Empire didn’t have this at all. Its lands leaned toward yin, colder and damp.
“You’re saying it’s common there?”
Old Tiger Zhao lazily nodded. “We just dig it up when we need it. Don’t even guard the site.”
The silence that followed was one of pure, burning envy.
And then came the big one for the blacksmiths.
Dragonglass Pebbles.
Crimson-black shards. Smooth. Cold at first touch, but pulsing once qi entered.
They embedded into weapon cores or armor, letting them respond directly to fire-type qi.
Weapons could flare. Armor could ignite. Spiritual tools reacted faster, stronger.
In the Molten Ashlands, they were mined from dormant lava channels. Some streets even had them under the dirt.
But in the Shrouded Cloud Empire?
Nothing. No dormant veins. No fire-rich earth. Just empty rock.
The empire’s blacksmiths were still stuck trying to force heat into materials that barely responded.
With Dragonglass Pebbles, that entire process could be revolutionized. A whole new class of weapons could emerge.
Hearing this, they could barely contain their excitement. Sect Master Jiang Xianwei and Emperor Yunlan Haorang were already whispering plans to each other.
The empire’s arsenal. Diversified.
Its formation studies. Enhanced.
Its alchemists. Given more tools.
Its soldiers. Armored in fire.
The Dimensional Convenience Store had been a wonder already. But now?
It was a gate!
To power. To knowledge. To trade.
And it all started with a crazy old man and a cultivator who dashed to open a door thinking it was a toilet.
Sect Master Jiang Xianwei exchanged a glance with Sect Master Bing Xuan. Across from them, Emperor Yunlan Haorang gave a single, thoughtful nod.
They all had the same idea.
For now, they would hold off on any large-scale action. Opening a trade route was no small matter, especially across regions.
They had to present it properly to Old Tiger Zhao first.
As much as the man resembled a homeless uncle whose muscles appeared as if they bench-pressed all his brain cells into early retirement, he was their only bridge to the Molten Ashlands.
Old Tiger Zhao had the chill of someone who’d accidentally destroyed a sect once and just went. “Oops.”
But hey – he was the VIP now.
And you do not fumble the VIP.
It wasn’t about sucking up. It was about process. If they wanted this to succeed, they needed to follow a proper framework, something solid that wouldn’t collapse the moment someone sneezed.
That meant planning, resources, and money.
After all, even if they had access to rare materials, they couldn’t just appear empty-handed. They needed to prepare suitable goods to trade in return.
Refined spirit iron, high-tier elixirs, dual-attributed talismans – whatever they could spare that might be rare in the Molten Ashlands.
But none of that mattered without the old man.
Old Tiger Zhao was, for now, the only person who could act as a communicator. A go-between. A guide to that world.
Which meant they had to move him.
And to move a person like that?
Simple. Brib – no, reward him!
Give him some benefits. Comfort, and good access to more of the store’s products.
Thankfully, Old Tiger Zhao was straightforward. He didn’t play mind games. If you wanted something, just say it.
And if he liked you, he’d probably say yes.
But even then, if he was going to be the one bringing their names to the merchants and gatherers of the Molten Ashlands, they couldn’t treat it like a side job.
There had to be something more than verbal agreement.
A binding relationship.
Something that showed goodwill, built mutual trust, and made the cooperation sustainable.
Then Emperor Yunlan Haorang added what everyone else was likely thinking but hadn’t dared to say.