Yao Shen chose to defer his visit to the Divine Mountain Sect by a few days, more out of necessity than choice upon being inundated with requests seeking his audience. Some he had expected, predicted, even while others came as a surprise to him. After the initial shock and consequently, a brief period of inertia, the Elders reverted to what they knew best–- leveraging benefits.

For the tide of change had come, far faster than any of them had foreseen and it threatened to erode the common conceptions, the very elementry tenets of cultivator society. The future was uncertain and tumultuous but it was also exciting, even if the majority of the Elders would never admit it.

The Auction House, it seemed, had an even greater impact than he had intended for. The Legacy Families liked to project an impression of a united front before outsiders but as Patriarch, Yao Shen had learned to see through that facade, glimpsing at the internal rivalries and occasional disputes. After all, each family had their own needs, desires and most importantly, greed that needed fulfilling— they would subject them to the Zhu Family’s guidance for the greater good and overall stability of their power base, but remained fiercely protective of their family secrets, like the Yi Family’s alchemical recipes — the ultimate goal to vie for supremacy and become the one family that stood above all.

Up until now, the Legacy Families’ hadn’t particularly prioritized their various small businesses much, the problem stemming from the lack of a market. The Qi Formation and Foundation Establishment cultivators were largely supported by the Sect but more chronically, the three hegemonic sects couldn’t freely trade with each other. Certain non-essential specialities that were unique to one of the three sects could be traded for equally valuable resources from the other two sects, but ultimately, the core secrets, such as Zhiquang Yi’s False Core Pill that allowed a Core Formation Cultivator to survive even after failing their heavenly tribulation, couldn’t be traded at any cost. Even the items and resources that were sold, had to be traded via the sect’s treasury instead of the coffers of the Legacy Families— a rule that was strictly followed, lest one be branded a traitor.

Now though, with Yao Shen at the helm of the Modern Sect, there was no real reason left for the three divisions to fear themselves being surpassed by one another. The three divisions that had throttled each other’s growth and progress for so long could now enter a period where resources, cultivation manuals and even ideas flowed freely, no longer shackled by lines on a map, politics and generational hatred finally losing its grasp over the Azlak Plains.

There was, of course, a major flaw in this idea. One that the Auction House, unbeknownst to even Yao Shen until now, had inadvertently ended up solving. Merely being free to trade did not mean that revered Elders or even Guardians of a Division would be comfortable in conducting trade on formerly enemy territory.

The Auction House was situated in the Mortal Capital, All Haven— a neutral territory shared by all three Divisions. Not only would Elders and Guardians be able to freely visit the city as per their convenience but it also gave them plausible deniability if the tides ever shifted and their actions were brought into question. One could only imagine the value of a nexus that would facilitate trade between the three Divisions, especially since it was ratified by Yao Shen himself.

The Elders had seen this eventuality even before Yao Shen, making him wonder what other unexpected benefits, or perhaps, even unintended consequences his decisions might bring as the morality and jurisprudence of Earth interacted with Ionea. He supposed, when it came to political acumen, he was still a little behind the shrewd Elders; but when they had proposed to fund the initial setup of the Auction House in exchange for special benefits, like being allowed to view the auctioned items in an advanced screening along with a share in the revenue, it became quite obvious.

Elder Liuxian Xun of the Flame Division made a rather amiable first impression, his light-brown hair curtained in a tidy comb, intelligent grey eyes meeting Yao Shen’s own, a natural smile resting on his face that projected a disarming atmosphere as he reached for a cup of warm tea that had been placed before him. In the world of cultivators, that usually meant that Liuxian Xun was not to be trusted, not easily atleast—it was generally wise to be wary of the seemingly warm and affable cultivators, for that usually meant that they wanted something of importance from you; even if you yourself weren’t aware of its value yet.

Of course, those precepts only applied to regular cultivators, for he was Grand Patriarch and everyone wanted something of him.

Liuxian Xun was technically Yao Shen’s junior now, since he both outclassed him in cultivation rank and age, the tall man two, maybe three decades younger than him. As a mid-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator at that age, he was neither exceptionally talented nor mediocre, though perhaps he should be commended for coming that far whilst specializing in the Dao of the Shadow whilst hailing from a family of Fire Dao Cultivators. It happened, once in a while, that a scion of the legacy families’ would not inherit any talent in the element that was suppose to run in their bloodline, forcing them to eke out their own path.

While the Sky Division was somewhat unique, specializing in multiple paths, the other two divisions only had a select few families that specialized in Dao’s outside Earth and Fire, mostly focusing on Water Qi for its invaluable ability to heal.

Perhaps it had to do with the nature of the Wind, for it was one of the rare few elements which had the ability to amplify other Daos, such as using wind to carry forth a torrent of flame or propelling earthen spears and rocks on the back of concentrated bursts of wind. Either way, the ancestors of the Sky Division had been wise to diversify, as the records and general knowledge left by them allowed him a slightly easier time on his path.

“Elder Liuxian, I am, naturally, honored by your willingness to contribute to the Auction House,” Yao Shen replied, after having mulled over the man’s proposal.

“Grand Patriarch,” Liuxian Xun replied, dipping his head lower as a mark of respect.

He lacked the hubris and rigidity of the older Elders, a point that Yao Shen supposed went in his favour. Perhaps that was what gave him the confidence to approach him when he had not agreed to the offers the four Elders’ preceding him had extended, rather generous offers at that.

“And I am sure you are aware of the other Elders’ proposals,” Yao Shen continued.

“Indeed,” Liuxian Xun replied, his voice retaining composure, unfazed by the implication.

“After much deliberation, I have reached a solution that I believe will be acceptable to all the interested parties,” Yao Shen’s expression did not betray the momentary twinge of uncertainty he felt as he placed his hand-written notes upon the table.

The Auction House was part of a longer term strategy, one that wasn’t so readily apparent on the surface. However, the sudden interest of the Elders hadn’t been factored into this equation. Yao Shen had done the calculations, and ultimately decided that revealing this part of his strategy would bring him the maximum number of benefits later on.

The notes he’d given Liuxian Xun borrowed another concept from Earth, albeit one that was greatly simplified and modified to actually work in Ionea’s landscape.

He’d divided the Auction House’s ownership into hundred ‘shares’, namely talismans imbued with a negligible portion of his divine sense that would certify their authenticity. The concept was rudimentary enough that it only took Liuxian Xun a moment to grasp its essence, similar to the profit-sharing agreements they used, except ‘shares’ seemed to be intended for a larger investor base.

The key point to note here was that its authenticity was backed by the most powerful cultivator in the Azlak Plains, instead of being based upon notions of honor or a mutual fear. That difference had far greater implications than one might imagine— under the previous system, no one Patriarch had the strength to back such a boisterous proclamation.

What confused him though, was the distribution. Twenty shares were allocated to each of the Divisions, namely, to the new Patriarchs— Zhou Hui, Kang Long and Lei Weiyuan, who would conduct an internal auction within their respective divisions, selling each share to the highest bidder. The wealth raised would be utlized to buy resources from anyone who wished to sell instead of paying the auctioning fee, hire staff comprised of both mortals and cultivators and of course, conduct the auctions.

Dividends will be paid to the shareholders from the profit after setting out wealth for operational expenses, depending upon the number of shares in an individual’s possession. The real addendum though, was that Yao Shen had personally promised to honor the shareholder receiving their dues, even going as far as to clarify that even if a legacy family could not produce any more Nascent Soul Cultivators, their descendants would still recieve the aforementioned dividend on time.

Considering Yao Shen, as a Soul Emperor, would outlive them all…. It was an extremely tempting proposal.

But there was one factor that confused Liuxian Xun. Twenty shares would go to Yao Shen, and considering his assets didn’t even equal a few legacy families, he wouldn’t be paying anything. That was acceptable to Liuxian Xun, well, not like he was in a great position to argue, but even then… twenty percent was a fairly insignificant sum when Yao Shen could claim a monopoly.

“Grand Patriarch Yao Shen, you mave mentioned that there will be a hundred of these… ‘shares’ in circulation. But the summation, the total distributed shares only add up to eighty,” Liuxian Xun looked almost disturbed as he went through the notes for a second time, making sure his eyes hadn’t betrayed his cause. Surely Yao Shen wouldn’t make such a simple mistake.

“The Azlak Plains….” Yao Shen began, immediately causing Liuxian Xun to stop scouring through the notes and pay attention to his words, “... is an effectively cordoned off territory. The Grand Sealing Formation prohibits access to the sea, thereby giving us no opportunity to map sea-routes and conduct trade. The Nayun Forest on the other hand, is both a shield and a cage— the cultivators powerful enough to force their way through wouldn’t deign to trade with us, while Core-Formation and Nascent Soul Cultivators who might be interested aren’t powerful enough to make the journey. The first is an absolute, while the second cannot be changed in the short-term. That leaves only one trading partner that we can secure in the immediate future.”

Realization dawned upon Liuxian Xun, but his voice was tinged with confusion as he replied, “But the True Elves have been rebuffing our requests to engage in trade for centuries now.”

“Indeed. However, it matters not what the state of our internal politics is. To the True Elves, we went from mere tenants on their purported land to claimants. We went from a divided land to a united one— a force comprised of dozens of Nascent Soul Cultivators, led by an Esoteric Dao Soul Emperor. Moreover, a force with no direct ties to any other Righteous Path sect. Is that a force they can truly choose to ignore? The True Elves prefer stoicism, yes, but that does not mean that they are foolish.”

“You plan to give them the remaining shares?” Liuxian Xun questioned.

“Not give. I plan to extend an expression of goodwill. Giving them a stake in the Auction House…. it does not take much reading between the lines to decipher my intent. And you can only imagine the uproar if Elven goods flowed through our Auction House. After all, it is not that the Elves do not trade with other species, though it has been centuries since they broke of ties with the righteous path,” Yao Shen explicated his plan out loud.

“But Patriarch Shen, the Elves can even choose to ignore the demands of the Western Righteous Path Alliance. What are we in comparison?” Liuxian Xun protested, sidelining his doubts on why Yao Shen was divulging this information to him in the first place.

Yao Shen laughed.

“What are we you ask?” he answered, an easy-going smile now resting upon his face, as if the world danced upon the palm of his hand. “Why I thought that should have been obvious by this point. We are naturally better, of course.”

Liuxian remained seated, completely stumped by the response.

‘Better…?” He mused in his thoughts, trying to puzzle out Yao Shen’s meaning.

“Have you ever seen another cultivator sect even attempt to dedicate so much effort to the wellbeing of mortals? Has any Patriarch before me even acknowledged, let alone attempt to heal the unseen divide between cultivators from mortal and legacy origin? I say this not to pat myself on the back, but to point out that from the perspective of the Elves, we have turned a new leaf. Or more accurately, if they still cannot bring themselves to trust us, they will never trust another human again.”

“That is improbable….but, admittedly, possible,” A brief flicker of admiration flashed in Liuxian Xun’s eyes, as he calculated the likelihood of that possibility.

“If they refuse, then so be it. Though it will take some time, I, Yao Shen, still have other moves that I can consider to achieve similar results,” Yao Shen exaggerated, but only by a little. If he managed to unlock the other Origin Treasures, the possibilities were really as limitless as the stars. Secret weapon forging techniques, a forgotten pill recipe— he just needed one such unique item to draw the attention of the Righteous Path sects, albeit the Elves were still the most ideal option, considering their patronage would automatically grant them protection.

“I see. But… why tell me this, Patriarch Shen?” Liuxian Xun finally asked the question that had been burning at his insides for so long.

“Of the five Elders I met today, you were the only one that was truly receptive to my ideas pertaining to All Haven’s future. The other Elders are quite eloquent at feigning interest, but a Human Dao Cultivator’s perception is not so easily thwarted. Not that I fault them for chasing benefits…. but they ultimately lack the flexibility that I am seeking. The information I have shared with you shall be revealed to the other elders of the three sects in a day’s time by their respective Patriarchs. Until then, you may do with it as you will,”

Liuxian Xun seemed stunned by that response for a long minute, as he digested the implications of those words. Kindness, whilst not unheard of, might as well be a foriegn concept among cultivators at their level. Of course, Yao Shen was, most likely, motivated by other factors, but that did not change the base truth— this was an opportunity for the Xun Family and he supposed, also a test from Yao Shen.

He could, after all, do a great many things with the information he’d been given— chief among them being informing his closest allies. He could. However, not only would he fail the test Yao Shen had extended, but also— he would be placing the interest of other legacy families’ before his own.

Accepting this favour meant that Liuxian Xun could secretly act before the other Elders, getting a day’s headstart to liquidate his wealth for the action. Normally, if it was just a matter of the three hegemonic sects, his interest would definitely be strong but… not to this extent.

The mere possibility of Elven Trade completely changed the equation.

It would make the Auction House a monolith whose reach extended beyond their small region, to the point where he could imagine powerful cultivators making the journey from afar.

Even though it was possible that Yao Shen would, one day, ask recompense for this favour— it was still one he could not refuse.

“Many thanks, Grand Patriarch,” Liuxian Xun offered, his head bowing a little lower this time.

With that, their discussion came to an end, Yao Shen’s course of action finalized.

Later in that day, the two Patriarchs and Meili Zhu had quite vigorous reactions when he divulged the entirety of his plan. They were each handed twenty shares and naturally would be responsible for the auction, well, besides Meili Zhu who would have the shares sent back to the Sky Division and would be allowed to participate in the auction through a proxy.

The Patriarch’s themselves were not disallowed from participating in the auctions, whether through proxies or otherwise— It was their own political considerations that dictated that they hold the Auction in a manner that could be perceived as fair, so Yao Shen wasn’t worried there unless the Patriarchs’ were suddenly willing to alienate their own allies.