"Man, I'm glad we are finally coming back to the sect, this week was so boring."

"Ah shut up brother, why are you raising death flags like that? Our journey has only been smooth sailing until now."

"You two, stop joking around. Even if our mission has ended, we still need to portray the dignity of the Iron Palm Sect when we are outside! Look, there are merchants passing by, this is a busy road!"

5 disciples in grey robes were walking on the side of a well-maintained path, surrounded by a dense forest. Carriages were coming and going without stop and from time to time, a cultivator would even speed pass in the air, following the road from above. Those 5 disciples were clearly strolling down the road leisurely, in sharp contrast with the pressing activity all around.

The shortest one shrugged. "Ugh, this escort mission was so long and tedious, thankfully they paid us heaps!"

The rat faced one snapped. "Don't speak like this of our clients. What if other merchants heard us? This would be a crime against the Iron Palm Sect. Be careful."

The others seemed to simply ignore the rat faced disciple as they continued their discussion.

"It was a bit boring, but the air of the ocean was quite refreshing. Frankly, I wouldn't mind escorting more merchant caravans on the western coastal road. Plus, we don't really lose any cultivation time by taking turns to keep an eye out."

"I'm still stunned by the increased traffic our county is witnessing. Have you seen how much the Xan market has expanded over the year? It's incredible! I can't recognize the city that I knew when I was young."

"Heh, that's all thanks to the pearls! They are driving all the cultivators in the Union crazy."

"Yes, it's quite a surprise. I heard even officials from the Sword Union had to step in to maintain order."

"Pff, it's only because they want a part in the pearl trade."

The rat faced one butted in again. "Don't ever say that again. There could be terrible consequences if you angered an esteemed elder!"

"I wish I could get my hands on some of these golden spirit oysters from the Anaconda River."

"Keep dreaming Xiao, all of these are tightly controlled by now. I'm not even sure that our sect has kept its rights on the exploitation with all the big players around."

"It's a shame that they are only found on this special environment. Imagine if you suddenly found some while taking a bath, haha. I'm sure brother Jing would find a way to make a fortune."

"Actually, it doesn't matter, even without oysters you can still make money from the market and that is exactly what I plan on doing."

The other disciples all came closer to listen to their friend's explanation. Disciple Jing was known to always find weird combines to generate a ton of crystals, which he would then spend lavishly.

"Here's how it goes. The price of Oyster Spirit Pearls just keeps going up. I think it more than tripled in one year. That's because there is too much demand for a limited amount of Spirit Pearls. I'll use most of the crystals I have left to stack up on Oyster Pearls. Then I'll sell them back in one month. I might be able to double my investment just like that!"

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"But could the price of the pearls drop?"

"It's impossible, it has been steadily climbing and climbing for months. With all the new cultivators arriving in the region every day to spread Qi Pearls to the 4 corners of the continent, the trend will continue, and I am about to hop on the train. I heard even those bastards from the Sun Empire are trying to get their hands on them, as a show of status.

Between us, I know one of the Elders from the Sect that made a fortune in weeks. After one year, I'll be set in qi crystals for years. Literally nothing could go wrong with m-…"

A huge earthquake suddenly interrupted the discussion. Two disciples fell on their buts as birds flew up from the trees and a carriage crashed right in front of the group. It seemed as though a terrible monster had been awakened from the depths of the earth as a low ringing resonated between the sound of rocks rolling around and trees being uprooted by the violence of the movements.

Right next to the path, the ground was fracturing while a new mound was emerging a little further. The tremors and shocks kept intensifying as the mound grew and grew until it reached a height of hundreds of meters and dominated the flat plane for kilometers.

After another minute, the tremors subsided and the earth stopped moving. When everything seemed to end, a bright light suddenly blinded the 5 disciples that were looking at the new little mountain.

Some of the earth and dirt on the mound liquified and a towering stonelike structure was revealed underneath.

The group of disciples slowly regained their wits as some merchants were still screaming in panic or pain. It seemed some have been injured by the accidents.

"W-What is this thing?"

"I-… I don't know."

Cultivators on their flying swords had already started to rush to the edifice to examine it more closely. A couple of the more knowledgeable ones began exchanging their speculations. If they were right, they wanted to be the first ones to enter this place.

This rush led to a comical situation where a couple cultivators came crashing head first into an invisible wall that made a circular perimeter around the large tower. Before more could try anything, a booming voice echoed throughout the land.

"The area 10 kilometer around the structure is now off limits. For safety reasons, only Sword Union personnel will be allowed to approach the structure until it's purpose iand potentiel risks for the union are known."

A handful of cultivators were clearly not listening to the imposing voice as they attempted various methods to break through the invisible barrier.

"THIS IS A LAST WARNING. STEP AWAY."

The 5 disciples on foot that happened to be on the path started to run away even if they were not at the barrier just in case. They understood that the events happening in front of their eyes were at a level far above their own.

After another 5 breaths, 3 cultivators still hadn't abandoned their efforts, desperately trying to enter. All three were already getting on their years and they dreamt of an extraordinary opportunity to continue advancing on the cultivation path. How could they abandon when it was right in front of their eyes? But a moment later, the three cultivators exploded and blood was projected in every direction.

The Elder from the Sword Union that had been at the nearby Pearl Market dozens of kilometers away had taken action. More reinforcements were already on its way from the Sword Union headquarters.

It didn't take long for the perimeter to be locked under the strictest security with even a couple Nascent Soul cultivators watching over it. The couple of merchants and disciples in the vicinity had been escorted away and miles of forest were being cleared in the region around the structure.

Soon, large array formations were installed. Particular attention was used to scan the ground for intruders. The top brass of the Sword Union knew very well the significance of the tower's appearance. This could become a strategic advantage against the neighboring powers.

The forbidden perimeter was even further extended, which individual could possibly oppose the full force of the Sword Union anyway? It just stopped before the pearl market that wasn't closed due to the wealth it represented.

Now came the time to figure out all the details of the mysterious giant structure and try to explore it. This could take weeks, months or even years. One thing was certain for the Elders that had started analyzing the architectural style and the array restrictions in place around it.

"It dates from before the creation of the Union 515 years ago." A white-haired old woman concluded.

"Any ideas on the era?"

"It could be from the great families one thousand years ago but I wouldn't exclude older origins. The great families reused the style and designs from the Ming period after all. A first guess would be the tomb of a powerful ancient cultivator."

"If that is true, it might be the key to dominate the continent once and for all."