After securely closing the shop door again, everyone gathered around Qian Duoduo and headed to the training grounds.
They cleared the area and activated the protective Formation.
Chu Tianqi strode into the arena, "As fellow Senior Brothers, we'll stop before anyone gets seriously hurt."
"Absolutely not, Senior Brother, please use your full strength." Qian Duoduo wanted to know the power of the Everlasting Wealth and Honor Technique, which he had cultivated to the Azure Snow level.
Chu Tianqi smiled slightly, thinking this was just Qian Duoduo's polite talk. As a Town Guardian, he had to maintain the upper hand even when farting.
Qian Duoduo revealed his Golden Rooster Sword and bowed to Chu Tianqi, according to the rules of the sect's martial arts arena.
Chu Tianqi returned the bow and also conjured his Golden Sword, praising, "The Town Guardian is truly extraordinary; he can use a Golden Sword even as an Outer Sect disciple."
"Use your full strength," Qian Duoduo reminded him again, then pointed his right hand, and the Golden Rooster Sword buzzed as it flew out, striking directly at Chu Tianqi.
Though he told him to use his full strength, Qian Duoduo himself only used fifty percent of his power.
Chu Tianqi didn't expect the Golden Rooster Sword to be so fast; his Golden Sword hastily blocked it. A loud "clang" startled him.
What he found even more unbearable was that his Golden Sword sank downwards, clearly at a disadvantage.
Zhu Junliang cheered from outside the arena, "Senior Brother Chu can't do it! Let me try!"
They might have thought that Chu Tianqi was intentionally holding back and showing weakness to give Qian Duoduo, the Town Guardian, some Face. Since that was the case, they should cooperate and praise Qian Duoduo well. If they made the leader happy, everything would be harmonious.
"The Town Guardian is truly formidable. Please be careful this time," Chu Tianqi said, indicating that he had been careless earlier.
As his fingers moved, the Golden Sword trembled, its golden light surging, like a bolt of lightning, striking towards Qian Duoduo.
Condensing Qi Stage Level Eight still possessed some Aura.
Qian Duoduo focused intently, and the Golden Rooster Sword met it, colliding with the Golden Sword.
Both swords retreated a foot, evenly matched.
"Good!" everyone inside and outside the arena shouted in unison.
Both Qian Duoduo and Chu Tianqi in the arena became serious; neither of them held back in this collision.
Outside, seeing the two Golden Swords clanging and striking with full force, creating a spectacular fight, they continued to cheer them on.
After dozens of exchanges, Chu Tianqi was clearly running low on Spiritual Qi. He was wise enough to concede defeat gracefully, using the opportunity of his Golden Sword being repelled.
This fellow was too cunning! Qian Duoduo had originally wanted to see some blood to properly establish his prestige. By conceding, he escaped a tribulation.
However, Qian Duoduo also ascertained the strength of Condensing Qi Stage Level Eight from him. Under circumstances where the Magic Treasures were equal, he would not lose.
The Everlasting Wealth and Honor Technique, reaching only the Azure Snow level, could already overcome three levels. What would happen if the first layer was fully cultivated?
Zhu Junliang and the others outside the arena, however, believed that Chu Tianqi had held back to an extreme degree. Even a fool would understand that Qi Condensation Level Five couldn't defeat Qi Condensation Level Six. But Chu Tianqi, at level eight, lost, which could only mean one thing: he lost on purpose.
"I'll go." Zhu Junliang swaggered into the arena. He had been holding back a belly full of anger from being questioned and suppressed by everyone in the treasury earlier. What could be better than regaining some Face on the training grounds?
After three or five moves, he also conceded, wide-eyed.
His Qi Condensation Level Six was mediocre, and his Flying Sword was still made of wood, with only a layer of spirit iron on its tip.
If Qian Duoduo hadn't been careful and only used thirty to forty percent of his Spiritual Qi, he could have split his wooden sword into firewood with a single move.
However, Qian Duoduo's thirty to forty percent Spiritual Qi had already sent shivers down his spine. The look in his eyes when he gazed at Qian Duoduo now held fear.
The other seven shop assistants hesitated when they saw the situation. If Chu Tianqi was acting, Zhu Junliang was a stubborn character who didn't have the patience to act.
Qian Duoduo, this Town Guardian, might truly possess strength. If Zhu Junliang couldn't do it, then they, too, were more than likely incapable. Since they couldn't do it, there was no need to enter the arena.
However, how could Qian Duoduo let them escape? Chu Tianqi and Zhu Junliang, having been beaten by Qian Duoduo, were not allowed to be absent either. Through persuasion and deceit, pushing and urging, he made the remaining seven people enter the arena one by one.
Since his fangs were bared, he would bite down hard a few times.
Qian Duoduo unleashed his full Spiritual Qi, one sword for each person, striking seven consecutive blows, creating seven piles of firewood.
With the protective Formation withdrawn, the nine individuals, including Chu Tianqi, were stunned and stood obediently, no longer joking around.
"From today onwards, anyone who wishes to leave the market gate only needs to defeat me here. Or, our sect's commercial war must defeat Ba Ling Sect and Shengling Sect." Qian Duoduo patted his palm with the Golden Rooster Sword, looking down at these Senior Brothers who were taller than him.
The nine defeated subordinates kept their mouths tightly shut. A Flying Sword was a Cultivator's Face; Qian Duoduo splitting their Flying Swords into firewood was no different from directly slapping their Face.
At this moment, talking about relationships or small talk about food and drink would be actively offering their Face for another round of humiliation.
"You can't defeat me now, and you won't be able to defeat me in the future. If you still want to roam freely, there's only one path left: achieve victory in the commercial war. And the first step to achieving victory in the commercial war is to immediately go to the storefront and clean all items thoroughly."
Amidst Qian Duoduo's roar, the nine Senior Brothers ran faster than Spirit Beasts. Within the shop, these few were temporarily subdued.
But to defeat Ba Ling Sect and Shengling Sect outside the shop, there was still a long way to go. And the path to increasing the sect shop's assets tenfold was even further.
...
The Refining Spirit Sect had replaced its Town Guardian with a young, inexperienced Condensing Qi Stage Level Five Cultivator. This huge joke quickly spread throughout the entire city.
Qian Duoduo, the protagonist of this joke, brazenly walked around Kongfang City, contemplating how to win the commercial war.
Tomorrow was the first day of the new commercial war.
From Wuyou Lake to the Refining Association, from the Refining Association to the Money House, and from the Money House back to the market, Qian Duoduo had an idea in mind.
The Three Sects' commercial war was essentially a competition in selling goods.
Selling goods in the market was protected by Kongfang City, so there was no need to worry about forced buying, selling, theft, or robbery. At the same time, shops had to pay one-tenth of their transaction volume as transaction tax to the City Lord. This trading model was much safer than in the barbaric era. With credit as a guarantee, the transaction volume surged, hundreds of times more than in the barbaric era.
Each month, the City Lord would announce the transaction tax amounts of each shop to ensure openness and transparency.
The ranking of these amounts determined the business ranking of each shop.
The shop ranked first would receive half of its transaction tax back as a reward from the City Lord.
From conversations with passersby in the city, Qian Duoduo heard a hundred and eighty reasons why the Refining Spirit Sect had been at the bottom all these years, but they boiled down to two: first, the shop had no popular items, and second, everyone from the Town Guardian to the shop assistants had terrible tempers.
Ba Ling Sect's sect shop often sold parts from large Spirit Beasts. Especially the rare and sought-after Spirit Beasts; their claws, teeth, and fur were all rare and excellent materials for Artifact Refining. Some Peerless Grade items were things a Cultivator might wait a lifetime for and never encounter again; once missed, they were gone forever.
And in Shengling Sect's shop, the variety of spiritual plants was not only extensive, but their quality was also the best. To attract people, Shengling Sect often sold some rare spiritual plants.
To try their luck, Cultivators in the city would occasionally visit Ba Ling Sect's and Shengling Sect's shops. They would buy whatever they needed on the spot, so their operating revenue couldn't help but increase.
Looking at the Refining Spirit Sect, it had neither reputation nor popularity.
Qian Duoduo, this Town Guardian, could only use unconventional methods to defeat Ba Ling Sect and Shengling Sect!
Returning to the shop, Qian Duoduo released a piece of news: Starting tomorrow, the Refining Spirit Sect's sect shop would hold a month-long anniversary celebration, featuring a Ming Iron purification competition. Anyone who could purify more than the Town Guardian would receive 100,000 gold coins!
With a massive prize of 100,000 gold coins, Qian Duoduo didn't believe no one would be tempted!