Chapter One: Heaven's First Floor

  As he stepped out, the hubbub of voices surged past Shen Shi's side like a tidal wave. On this street where Tianyi Building was located, which was also the most bustling and prosperous Horse Hoof Street in Xilu City, the endless stream of people flowed through the streets.

  The spacious streets on both sides, as far as the eye can see, are lined with open storefronts and shops. Countless people shuttle back and forth between these street-side stores, while Tianyi Building stands out as one of the largest and most majestic buildings on this long street, unmatched in terms of customer flow or the grandeur of its architecture. The only building that can rival Tianyi Building is an ancient, elegant structure located across the street, slightly closer to the front, which seems to be in no way inferior to Tianyi Building from any perspective.

  That is also the largest commercial building in Xilu City, along with Tianyi Building, and on its wide and heavy gate, there are three golden characters: Shénxiān Huì.

  Standing at the entrance of Tianyi Building, Shen Shi's eyes naturally fell on the bustling and extraordinary branch of Shenshen Hui across the street, with a complex expression in his eyes.

  The Immortal Society, a name that has shaken the world, unlike Tianyi Building which is only famous within Xiluo City. In fact, the Immortal Society can be said to be the largest and most powerful commercial organization in the history of the Hongmeng continent, its influence covering all territories known to humans. As the saying goes, "Hongmeng has one city and ninety states, with the Immortal Society everywhere." This is something that no merchant had ever achieved in the past, even during the era of the Tianyao King's Court.

  This merchant guild has a long history, and its origins date back to the era of war between humans and demons thousands of years ago. It was born in the midst of flames and provided strong support for the six saints of the human tribe who were once bullied and humiliated by the Hongmeng hundred tribes.

  Under the Wan years, this mysterious and powerful Chamber of Commerce not only did not rise and fall like many Xiu Zhen schools, but instead continued to develop silently and quietly. By today, in the Hongmeng mainland, there are 90 states with one city, all important cities and places, almost every one has a branch store of the Immortal Chamber of Commerce, gathering wealth day and night without distinction. The Wan years accumulated an incredible huge reputation, making the Immortal Chamber of Commerce the first choice for all cultivators in the Xiu Zhen world to buy and sell goods anywhere.

  Corresponding to such a terrifying financial force, the Immortal Society, although it has always been low-key in doing business, is almost universally recognized by everyone in the Hongmeng Multiverse, except for the current "Four Orthodox and Seven Mysterious" eleven major sects of the Cultivation Realm, as the twelfth powerful force on the Hongmeng Main Plane.

  There are even many people who think that with the financial resources of the Immortal Society, which is so terrifying, and its all-pervasive tentacles, as well as its ubiquitous eyes and ears, although it is just a commercial organization, the number of high-ranking cultivators it supports and nurtures is almost uncountable. The number of cultivation sects and aristocratic families that are on good terms with it is also as numerous as the stars in the sky. Calculated this way, the actual strength of the Immortal Society might even surpass that of the four orthodox and seven unorthodox schools.

  But this statement is naturally just a topic of conversation for some boring people after tea and dinner, at least on the surface. The Immortal Society has never shown any obvious intention to interfere with the power of the Cultivation Realm. All along, the Immortal Society has only been making money in a low-key manner. And it was under this background that Shen Shi's father, Shen Tai, almost single-handedly made Tianyi Building a large commercial building that could rival the Immortal Society in Xilu City, which is really a miracle.

  Of course, the scope of this "miracle" is limited to Xilu City alone. If you look at it in the vast Hongmeng continent, it's really nothing to be proud of. But looking around at the countless cities and towns in the Hongmeng world, how many people can achieve this? That's why Shen Tai, a short and stout man, has been increasingly valued by the Xuan Yin Gate over the years, despite his humble Dao line. Even Shen Shi benefited from it, and news came out of the Xuan Yin Gate that they would give him an extra quota, allowing him to smoothly enter the Xuan Yin Gate for cultivation.

  This treatment seems to be nothing special, but as long as you look at those scattered cultivators who are mixed up in the streets and alleys every day, running around for one or two spiritual crystals, you will know how important it is to have a powerful cultivation sect as a backing.

  Xuanyin Gate is considered the strongest cultivation sect within Yinzhou, although it still lags behind the top-notch sects of the four cardinal directions and seven mysterious regions. However, within the vast territory of Yinzhou, which spans over a million miles, Xuanyin Gate's strength is already sufficient. At the same time, Tiayin Mountain is also a sacred land of spiritual energy, with a spiritual vein deep within the mountain range that is highly valued by the cultivation world. This vein can absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, condense it, and produce spiritual crystals. Just this one point alone makes Xuanyin Gate far stronger than those scattered cultivators.

  "Is it a gathering of immortals......" He slowly withdrew his gaze from the signboard, and swept his eyes over the street outside the Tianyi Building. Apart from the flow of people coming and going, there were several men standing or sitting at the foot of the stairs, chatting idly with each other, their expressions lazy, glancing occasionally at the passersby on the street or casting a deliberate or unintentional glance at those entering or leaving the Tianyi Building.

  Shen Shi smiled and walked straight past him.

  Those four or five guys who seemed to be loose cultivators, the three people who were originally leaning against the wall didn't show any intention of standing up. Instead, it was the two men who were chatting idly while standing, one with a goatee and the other slightly younger, the man with the goatee smiled and said: "Scram, don't come looking for trouble, we're all idle men."

  Shen Shi burst out laughing and said, "Alright, alright, the whole city of Xi Lu knows that you few are just the guards of Tian Yi Building, and every day you pretend to be loose cultivators, aren't you tired?"

  The Tianyi Building's business has grown so big, earning countless spiritual crystals for the Xuan Yin Gate every day. Such a rich resource is not something that the Xuan Yin Gate can ignore, and naturally they would secretly dispatch some powerful cultivators to protect it, otherwise it would have been plundered clean by others long ago.

  That younger man laughed and said, "You little guy, you say it's easy, but we're not like you with a father who's like a money-making machine. Countless spirit crystals pass through his hands every day. It's not that we're poor and have no choice, but rather we come here to help your old man watch the door and guard the yard, at least earning some spirit crystals to return to the mountain for cultivation."

  Shen Shi curled his lip and snorted, "Pfft", laughing: "Don't spout nonsense, you don't even know what's going on in this building. Every single Spirit Crystal we earn has to be handed over to the sect, my dad is just a lackey doing chores for the sect."

  Those four or five men all burst out laughing, but no one refuted Shen Shi's words. The man with the whiskers laughed and said: "Alright, you're not without your advantages. Didn't I hear a few days ago that this little brat is going to enter the sect just like those hundreds of years of aristocratic families? So easily?" As he spoke, he shook his head and sighed, as if recalling some past events, with a hint of self-mockery, saying: "Thinking back to when I wanted to join the sect, the hardships I endured..."

  Shen Shi smiled and nodded to the men, saying with a smile: "So in the future if you come to Tianyin Mountain, please take care of me more."

  That whiskered fellow waved his hand, laughing and scolding: "Scram, scram! With your old man around, not to mention us unrefined Cong Yuan realm disciples, even those high-and-mighty 'Shen Yi' elder ones would have to treat you with courtesy. I'm still counting on you to take care of me in the future!"

  A burst of laughter came from behind him, and the three or four men were all laughing out loud, with warm and friendly expressions. It was clear that Shen Shi had a good relationship with these cultivators who had already entered the Condensation Realm in the Xuan Yin Gate, even though they were brave and made rapid progress.

  Shen Shi Zheng was chatting with the disciples of the Xuan Yin Gate who were secretly guarding the Tian Yi Building when he suddenly heard a voice behind him, saying: "Huh, isn't this Shen family's little stone?"

  Shen Shi turned around and looked back, furrowing his brow slightly. Behind him stood several people, among whom the first one was a young man about the same age as him, with a fair complexion and a height slightly taller than Shen Shi's. Several servants and attendants followed behind him.

  Shen Shi's mouth twitched slightly, his expression turned bland, and he said, "Young Master Wang, is there something?"

  The young man with the surname Wang looked like he came from a good family, and naturally had an air of arrogance about him. He was now smiling as he sized up Shen Shi, then laughed and said: "Little Stone, it's been a long time since we last met! But this year, our sect is holding an open mountain recruitment, I heard you also received the sect's favor and can enter without taking the test?"

  Shen Shi looked at him deeply and said: "This matter is not yet settled, how would I know? But rather, Wang Hou, will you be selected to cultivate in the Xuan Yin Gate?"

  "This name has been obtained with great difficulty, and our Wang family has served the sect for over 200 years, so we naturally have this qualification. Moreover, this year we got not only one quota, but five people." As he spoke, he stretched out his palm and swung his five fingers in front of Shen Shi.

  Shen Shi's eyes glanced at these fingers, and the muscles on his cheeks seemed to tremble slightly, then said: "Great, great; admire, admire."

  The king hummed and glanced at Shen Shi with a slanted eye, seemingly looking down on the guy in front of him. His gaze shifted and he suddenly smiled: "Right, do you still remember that black-haired mastiff at my house?"

  Shen Shi's face slightly sank, and he didn't speak. Wang Hou looked at his expression and suddenly became happy, laughing loudly: "I still remember when we were young, the two of us, along with Sun Jia, Li Jia, Ou Jia, and a few other little devils, would play together all day. That black-haired mastiff would always follow us around. One time, that big dog went mad and bit people, but it didn't chase anyone else, only you! Ah, we were chased so miserably back then!"

  Shen Shi glanced at him and said with a faint expression: "Yes, that time really scared me to death."

  The king and marquis burst out laughing, looking extremely pleased with themselves. Then Shen Shi asked another question: "What about that big dog now?"

  The king and the marquis exchanged a smile, shrugged their shoulders, and said: "Two years ago, there was once a black dog that slipped out of the door and never came back. I don't know if it ran off with some female dog or not."

  Shen Shi nodded and didn't say anything else. Wang Hou chuckled and said, "Little Stone, after you enter the sect, we'll have a few other kids from different families who will also be our fellow disciples. Although your family background is a bit weaker, it's not a big deal. The important thing is that you can enter the sect. Let's see who cultivates faster in the future."

  Shen Shi smiled slightly and said, "Alright."

  The king and the marquis looked at him with deep meaning, suddenly laughed loudly towards the sky, then turned around and left. Shen Shi looked at his back for a moment, then turned around, and there was no anger on his face. He smiled at those men and said: "Children's squabbles, let the big brothers see the joke."

  Those men all burst out laughing, and the one with the whiskers looked over that way and laughed, saying: "Oh, so that's the young master of the Wang family?"

  Shen Shi nodded and said, "Yes, the eldest son of the main house." After chatting with them for a few more sentences, he said he had some other things to attend to and walked towards the front street.

  Behind him, several men withdrew their gaze and continued to stand or sit lazily outside the Tianyi Building. Among them, a slightly younger man smiled and said, "It seems that the young master of the Wang family looks down on Xiaoshi."

  The whiskered man snorted with a hint of disdain, saying: "The Wang family is just relying on their seniority, looking down on the Shen family father and son. They don't think about what kind of status Tianyi Building has today, just because of them... uh?" Before he finished speaking, the whiskered man suddenly furrowed his brow, as if thinking of something.

  "That young man asked in surprise: 'Elder Brother Chen, what's wrong?'"

  The man with the surname Chen suddenly had a strange expression on his face, and did not immediately respond to his junior brother's question. Instead, he turned around and looked in the direction Shen Shi had left, gazing for a moment before turning back, his face still with an odd expression, saying: "I suddenly remembered something..."

  "What's wrong?" said the young man.

  Luo Yan's dry laughter sounded, "Two years ago, Xiao Shi Tou suddenly dragged me to the streets for a stroll. Later, in an alleyway, we came across a large black dog. This little guy said he wanted to eat dog meat and pestered me until I killed it. Then, we roasted the meat over a fire and had a dog meat feast together."

  As soon as this was said, the remaining few people suddenly had colorful faces, and for a while, no one spoke. After a long time, it was still that young man who twitched his mouth, sighed with a bitter smile, and said: "This year's little devils are fierce..."

  There is still one more chapter at 7 o'clock tonight.