In just half a month, dozens more shops had opened in Xiushui City's commercial district.
More and more cultivators from all corners of the mortal realm became interested in Xiushui City. Many sect disciples, who hadn't gone initially, heard the stories from those who returned in early February, and their hearts were filled with excitement. Elders in the sects had also announced that there would be more production tasks in the future, and disciples who took up these tasks would receive extra allowances. Motivated by the opportunity to earn more spirit stones, many disciples eagerly took on orders, hoping to save enough spirit stones to visit Xiushui City and explore the highly praised commercial district, as well as to attend the monthly auction.
Sects and royal families that lacked sufficient stock in their warehouses or weren't particularly competitive in crafting items began using their spirit ships to engage in the passenger transport business.
These spirit ships were typically piloted by Golden Core or even Nascent Soul cultivators, and since they didn't require spirit stones to operate, their costs were extremely low. As a result, the fare charged to each passenger was also very affordable.
The initial price for a small cabin was just one spirit stone, though it would rise to two spirit stones on the day before and the day of Xiushui City's auction.
These spirit ships made daily trips, arriving from all over the mortal realm.
People in Xiushui City and the surrounding areas quickly grew accustomed to seeing large ships pass overhead, shifting from initial astonishment to casual indifference as the sight became more familiar.
Due to the frequent and numerous comings and goings of these ships, Xiushui City's City Lord's Mansion decided to build a dedicated spirit ship docking area outside the city.
The construction, maintenance, and overall management of this docking area would be handled by Xiushui City, with each sect receiving its own docking section. Each sect was also required to manage its own docking area, bearing the costs associated with their designated section.
Seeing that they would have to station people to manage their spirit ship docking areas, the sects decided it would be more convenient to establish offices for their sects at the docking site, facilitating future interactions and tasks when their people visited.
Thus, alongside the establishment of the spirit ship docking area outside Xiushui City, many sects also set up their own offices nearby.
The royal families and sects that didn't participate in the spirit ship business but operated shops in the city quickly followed suit, deciding to set up their own offices as well. After all, if others had a base in Xiushui City, how could they not?
While some wondered why they didn't just use their shops as offices, the answer was simple—shops were places for business, bustling with traffic and chatter, which made them unsuitable for handling sensitive matters. Moreover, the shops were often too small to accommodate a permanent office staff.
So, in less than half a month, as the spirit ship docking area was completed, a row of offices for various sects and royal families sprang up around it.
The upcoming auction was even more popular than before. Although it was still a small auction for Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators, these two groups made up the majority of cultivators, so the demand was enormous. Anticipating this, the Trade Affairs Center had planned not just one, but three simultaneous auctions for this month!
Even with 300 spots available, it still wasn't enough to satisfy the large number of low-level cultivators. But, as with any auction, rarity adds value. Offering more spots would have diminished the event's prestige, making it no different from placing the items in stores for sale.
The low-level cultivators who didn't get auction spots weren't too upset. After all, there would be an auction every month. While missing out was disappointing, it wasn't devastating.
Besides, just visiting the commercial district made the trip worthwhile.
In just two short months, Xiushui City, once a vast and empty area aside from the base of Lingxian Sect's mountain, had become a bustling hub of activity, with visitors arriving from all directions. The city was thriving with life and prosperity.
Meanwhile, far away in Yuanling City in the cultivation world, the Yuan and Su families were busier than ever.
In recent months, the quantity of goods sent from Lingxian Sect and the volume of items purchased had doubled each month. Even the Yuan family, accustomed to handling large-scale transactions, was astonished by the sheer scale of the trade.
Fortunately, Lingxian Sect had given them advance notice, so they had already started contacting merchants in more distant cities. For now, they were still able to handle the volume of goods.
On the other hand, Su Ji General Store had faced some initial difficulties. Lin Xiao and Qin Jianghe were worried that it would be hard for the Su family to sell their rare and high-end items. However, Su Yaoguang found a way—he offloaded the first batch of goods through the black market in the Southern Spiritual Region. Thanks to the high quality of the items and Su Yaoguang's personal connections, he secured a permanent stall in the black market.
Of course, the black market ensured the privacy of both buyers and sellers, which was the key to its long-lasting presence in the cultivation world.
As this rapid development continued in the mortal realm, the cultivation world remained largely unaware of it, and everything proceeded in an orderly manner.
It was as if the entire mortal realm had been injected with a fresh stream of water. Spirit stones, cultivation resources, and even cultivators' power levels were all increasing at a visible pace.
At the same time, the ordinary people in Xiushui City were gaining a deeper understanding of cultivators.
It turned out that even immortals had to do business and earn money, except their currency was spirit stones instead of gold or silver.
Lingxian Academy's expanded enrollment provided every child in the city with an opportunity to learn to read and write. More and more scholars, who had been frustrated in their careers or were pursuing other ambitions, heard of Lingxian Academy's reputation for accepting all types of students and rushed to Xiushui City to apply for teaching positions.
Every holiday, the City Lord's Mansion hosted various events: Qingming Festival for ancestor worship and spring outings, Dragon Boat Festival for zongzi and dragon boat races, Qiqiao Festival with its magpie bridge in the night sky, Mid-Autumn Festival for moon-viewing and lantern parades, and the Double Ninth Festival for chrysanthemum-viewing and crab feasts, as well as Laba porridge during the coldest days of winter.
Cultivators, led by Xiushui City, celebrated these mundane holidays together with the ordinary people. For many of them, it was a strange feeling.
They couldn't remember the last time they had celebrated these festivals. The meanings and customs of these holidays had long since faded into distant memories, blurred and forgotten.
But as they celebrated alongside the people of Xiushui City, immersed in the festive atmosphere, something in their hearts seemed to awaken, slowly growing clearer and more vivid.