Immortal Road.

If the mere Tianjian Division offers so many benefits upon entry, what about other official forces, such as the Golden Palace and the Ascension Platform?

Lin Shan suddenly realized why so many cultivators from the lower realms who ascended to immortality preferred to stay in the Golden Palace as armored soldiers, starting from the bottom, rather than go out and become independent cultivators.

Putting aside other benefits, the fact that cultivation pills were supplied on time every month was enough to make Lin Shan incredibly envious!

To this day, he has never seen even a single cultivation pill for the Void Transformation stage.

But within official institutions, it's just basic stuff!

“Fellow Daoist, you didn’t say that before.”

Lin Shan turned his head and remembered the time this guy had a heart-to-heart talk with him, only talking about how complicated the system was, without mentioning any benefits at all.

Lie Yunsheng listened silently to their discussion, but a hint of a smile was clearly in his eyes, as if he found the scene amusing.

"You didn't ask!"

The Heavenly Observation Bureau certainly has its advantages. Everyone has different pursuits. The benefits that ordinary people pursue may not mean much to the young masters of merchant families like this, because they have their families to back them up when they leave. So, whether they want to leave or stay depends on their mood.

But Lin Shan was truly tempted!
"Excuse me, how can I join the Observatory? I also want to work for the government."

"Get in line at the back!"

The three veteran appraisers looked displeased, trying to teach him a lesson about first-come, first-served. "We've worked hard for most of our lives and haven't even had a turn yet. What are you doing, a junior trying to cut in line?"

Lin Shan was thoroughly rebuked, and facing the three veterans, he could only shrug and shut up.

Lie Yunsheng patted him on the shoulder, speaking earnestly.

"Without long-term training, how can one enter the bureaucracy and become an official? So many people are queuing up, generation after generation of appraisers have died without ever getting in. Fellow Daoist Xiong Shan, you've achieved success at a young age; you're still too young."

It means that he hasn't experienced hardship and takes many things for granted.

Lin Shan did not refute, as it was not appropriate to reveal his identity as an ascended cultivator, and besides, he did not know much since he had just arrived in the Immortal Realm, so he could only smile wryly and take it as an admission.

"So, since it's so difficult to get into the Observatory, and the competition outside is so fierce, and there's no hope no matter how long you wait, is there no other way out?"

"A way out? What kind of way out do you want?"

Among the three elders, Grandmaster Cangjian was the oldest and spoke the most bluntly, responding without any politeness.

"Your birth determines your future. Look at Lie Yunsheng over there. You could work your whole life and still not have the same starting point as him. That's fate!"

Lie Yunsheng wasn't angry; he just smiled and nodded.

Another master, Xuanjian's sister-in-law, held a different view:
"What background? It's all because you're not strong enough! What I can't stand the most is a useless man like you. You have no ability and you blame the environment. If you really had extraordinary talent, would you be afraid that gold wouldn't shine? Are you gold?!"

"I"

Grandmaster Cangjian was rebuffed and wanted to retort but couldn't find the words.

He has indeed lived long enough to have seen too many powerful and influential people, and he knows his own limitations. Compared to those people, he is indeed mediocre.

"But I've been diligent and hardworking enough. They say hard work pays off, but I've worked hard my whole life and still ended up like this. What's wrong with venting a little?"

"Pah! Is that what you call diligence? Ask yourself honestly, compared to the King of Scrolls, are you really that diligent? If you were truly diligent, you wouldn't be sitting here!"

Xuanjian's sister-in-law spoke in the tone of a middle-aged woman in the Void Realm, leaving the old man speechless.

Indeed, I think I'm quite diligent, but it depends on who I'm compared to.

It's true that hard work pays off, but the King of Roll is much more hardworking than you, so he deserves to rise to the top, while you can only stay here in Nankaido and mess around.

"Alright, alright, you two stop arguing. You've been arguing about this for hundreds of years. No matter how much you say, you won't come up with anything worthwhile."

Another master, Jing Xuzi, played the peacemaker. It seems this wasn't the first time he'd tried to mediate. The three of them had become old friends over the years, and they spoke frankly without worrying about saving face.

"Young friend Xiongshan is still young, and his future is limitless. Apart from being a bit lazy in his daily life, who knows what kind of extraordinary encounters he might have in the future?"

what?
Lin Shan almost choked.

I'm lazy? I've been holed up in the appraisal institute for the past few months, working two days on and half a day off, working overtime day and night. I even thought I had the potential to be a top performer!
But in the eyes of the three old masters, you kid are "fishing for two days and drying nets for half a day". You can't even beat us old guys. How dare you compare with the King of Rolling?

But Jing Xuzi's words are not without reason. Sometimes, luck plays a part in life. You might suddenly rise to great heights. Opportunities are truly unpredictable.

"There is another way."

Lie Yunsheng, who had been silent, suddenly interrupted.

“If Brother Xiong Shan really wants to join the Observatory, he can not only go through the Chamber of Commerce, but also buy his way into office. As long as you are willing to spend money, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished.”

"You can pay to get into the Observatory?"

Lin Shan's eyes widened. Isn't this a technical job within the system? Can you really get away with it by using connections?
"Ahem, of course, you still need to have solid skills, but you can skip the qualification screening step."

Lie Yunsheng himself is an example. Although he is a rich second generation, he is a genuine seventh-rank appraiser, so it is not difficult for him to get into the Jiantian Division through connections. His actual level is no different from others.

The three masters unanimously condemned it upon hearing this!
"Pah!"

The reason why those people in line can't get a seat is because someone cuts in line. There's a fixed spot for everyone, and once someone takes a spot, there's no one left to sit in, so the people outside can only wait in vain.

"It's only because the world was in chaos during the reign of Emperor Bing that you aristocratic scions could act so recklessly! If it were during the reign of the former Emperor Bing, when the Heavenly Emperor was still alive, the court was upright and the world was at peace. Where would there be any corruption or evil influence? It's hateful that the upper echelons of the immortal path control the pathways, preventing us rogue cultivators from advancing further. It's truly an unjust world."

The three elders berated him mercilessly, and Lie Yunsheng could only force a smile throughout.

After all, he couldn't just fire these three veterans. They may be capable, but they are rare talents, and he still needs to appease them!
"You're all right. I was just lucky to be born into the right family. Otherwise, if I had a different background, I'd probably still be making a living by setting up a stall in the market."

As Lin Shan listened to their casual conversation, he gained a deeper understanding of the environment of the Immortal Realm.

If buying an official position could save time, he would definitely prefer to do so. Who would want to suffer through a thousand years of hardship?
However, buying an official position requires money, and a very large amount of it. Otherwise, these three veteran appraisers, who have worked for so many years, should have accumulated some wealth. Why are they still thinking of using the Chamber of Commerce channel?
He guessed that money was one aspect, but connections were also necessary; both sides had to work together for it to succeed, since the Immortal Realm was full of hidden talents and wealthy people with connections.

At this moment, the Star Sword Immortal called out again from the shadows:
"Kid, stop thinking about shortcuts all the time. What's with this Observatory? Go to the outer reaches of the sky and find a way to forge a celestial sword for me. Once you have the power of a true immortal, you'll find that what you once longed for is within your grasp! Strength is the foundation of everything."

That's true, and it actually reminded Lin Shan.

Just as officials in the Imperial Observatory can buy their way into office, officials in the Star Court can also do so!
If you have that kind of money, why not just go to outer space, spend money to become a star lord, and be the local emperor of a star? Wouldn't that be better?

Just as Lin Shan was indulging in his fantasies, Lie Yunsheng was discussing the auction arrangements for tomorrow with several people nearby.

"Tomorrow is the second auction of our Yibaolou, and I will be the host. If any items seem to be going unsold, I hope you will lend a hand to help save the day. I will return all the chips afterwards."

In the small restaurant near the exit of Market Street No. 1.

The avatar of Nirvana met with Xing Shuzi, both of them concealing their faces and glancing around furtively like thieves. "Where is Fellow Daoist Xiong Shan? Why didn't you come?"

“He has something to do at Yibaolou. Let’s ignore him when we meet.”

Upon hearing this, Xing Shuzi felt uneasy and pretended to probe:

"Is he dissatisfied with me and deliberately avoiding seeing me?"

The Annihilation Avatar sneered, "You knew too?"

Looking back at the disastrous handling of the first auction today, Xing Shuzi was such an incompetent teammate that he not only betrayed his ally but also exposed their identities, allowing Elder Huang to catch them and give them a good scolding!

They failed to snatch any of the treasures of the realm; they were all intercepted by others halfway through. Now, their whereabouts may have been discovered by the other party, and it's hard to say whether they can stay in the market any longer.

"Ahem, these are special times. I reckon the Enforcement Hall is afraid of making a big fuss. Even if they want to expel us, they'll probably wait until the large-scale trade fair ends and a large number of Void Realm cultivators from other places leave before they take action."

Xing Shuzi analyzed it carefully.

"So if we can restore the territory within this month, we have a chance to turn the tide."

"Restore?"

The Annihilation Avatar was so angry he gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the table in frustration.

"They've already noticed you. They've stolen your domain treasures twice today, which is blatant sabotage. How could they possibly let you recover?"

"Also, I'm taking this risk to meet with you because I'm afraid they might see me as an accomplice and take me down with them. That would be the end of us!"

"You're in the eye of the storm, do you know how dangerous it is for me to meet with you?"

The Silent Avatar knew that Elder Huang had seen through him long ago, but Xing Shuzi was unaware of their original grudges and thought that he had dragged the other party into the mess. Upon hearing this, he felt very apologetic.

"Ahem, it's my fault. I was just feeling uneasy today, so I wanted to meet with you two to deal with the threat from Elder Huang together."

"Fellow Daoist Xiong Shan already knows, and he told us to remain calm and observe the situation."

"Wait and see? You know they're trying to eradicate us completely. If we don't do something, things will get really bad!"

"So what can you do? Can you win the argument?"

Given their combined wealth, compared to Elder Huang and Elder Chuyun, they are at least twice as wealthy, so they are definitely no match for each other.

If the other party continues to target us in the upcoming auctions, we can say that there is no way to counter their blatant schemes; we can only sit and watch helplessly, with absolutely nothing we can do.

"Brother Xiongshan didn't come to see you this time mainly because he was afraid that the other party would find out in advance. Now that we have gotten into a lot of trouble at the auction, I have already aroused suspicion. We must not drag him into this."

"clear."

After discussing for a while, the two couldn't come up with any good solutions, and a joint venture was out of the question, so they had no choice but to part ways, agreeing not to sabotage each other next time.

After they left, at the herbal tea shop on the street corner downstairs, the two people under the shack put down their teacups and looked up to reveal their faces.

It was Elder Huang and Elder Chuyun!
Since the auction ended, the two had been secretly following Xing Shuzi and the clone of Ji Mie. They caught the two of them red-handed when they met.

"It seems that, for some reason, Xing Shuzi has joined forces with Zhong Shenxiu. If these two work together, it may be difficult to handle."

"It's alright. The only one with combat power here is Zhong Shenxiu's main body. His clone and Xing Shuzi domain haven't recovered yet, so he's practically crippled and doesn't pose a threat to us."

"Okay, then for the next month, we'll crush them with our financial resources. Once the trade fair ends and the crowds disperse, we'll seize the opportunity to strike!"

Before we knew it, the next day had arrived.

The auction was held as scheduled. Today was Yibaolou's main event, hosted by Lie Yunsheng himself. There was only a brief warm-up, without the tedious and verbose atmosphere of yesterday.

Let's get straight to the point!
"Now, I will bring you a treasure. As is the old rule of the auction, please ring the bell to place your bids."

Upon taking over the booth, the first item on display was a rare and precious treasure.

A lifelike fawn, curiously surveying its surroundings from the air, appeared entirely dark blue but showed no signs of life. It landed on Lie Yunsheng's palm and bounced around.

"The True Spirit Phantom was left behind by the True Spirit Ronglu at the Enlightenment Cliff in the Eastern Immortal Realm. It contains the power of laws and related insights, which can help everyone to comprehend the Dao. Starting price: 100 purple chips. Bidding begins!"

"I'll offer 110."

"One hundred and twenty."

One hundred and thirty

The second day was less lively than the first, but there were still many wealthy people vying for it. The True Spirit Phantom was a treasure comparable to the Law Scroll, which could help cultivators comprehend the laws and break through to become immortals!

After a fierce battle, the deal was finalized with 300 chips.

Judging from the price alone, there was no difference from the first day, and everyone remained in high spirits.

Lie Yunsheng then unveiled the second treasure.
The following items also started with the best ones, gradually decreasing in price, all to retain viewers. They were all top-notch products that ordinary people simply couldn't afford.

It wasn't until the eighth item that Lin Shan's consigned item was finally put up for auction.

"A seventh-tier flying spirit treasure, the Xuanwu Spirit Boat, an ancient artifact from over ten thousand years ago during the reign of Emperor Bing. It is in excellent condition with no obvious damage and is made of hard material, capable of withstanding conventional attacks of the same tier. Starting price: seventy chips. Bidding begins!"

The moment the Xuanwu Spirit Boat appeared, it immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Many people in the private room became interested and stared intently at the Xuanwu Spirit Boat. Who wouldn't want a cool ride?

This kind of prestige is especially favored by the wealthy.

I'll bet seventy!

"Seventy-one."

"Seventy-two."

"seventy."

Lin Shan watched the whole thing from his private box, without making any moves to negotiate the price, just wanting to know what price this thing would eventually sell for.

Surprisingly, the number of chips quickly exceeded eighty, and people kept bidding against the price!
It easily surpassed ninety and is now marching toward the hundred mark!
Lin Shan became nervous when he got to this number. He knew that signing the buyout agreement in advance would definitely allow Yi Bao Lou to make a profit, but he figured he could just let them make a profit; there was no better way to deal with it.

Finally, seeing a private room available, he decisively offered a price of one hundred coins!
"One hundred purple chips, is there anyone else who wants to join?" (End of Chapter)