Chapter 122: Guest Reception (1)

“What’s all this commotion!”

Karlstein strode over, his presence imposing and confident. How could he not be? At Core Formation Stage, one was allowed to strut a bit. Or at least that’s what he was told.

Not to mention, his next Avatar was ready. Though not yet connected, it was prepared for intervention at any moment.

As Karlstein’s initial arrival had been by chance, this Immortal Realm was unreachable through the Galactic Empire’s power. But after relentless experimentation with the platinum-colored egg—the root of all trouble—he managed to force open an entry passage.

Uh huh. If one won’t cut it, try two. If two don’t work, go three.

With his ability to produce Avatars almost infinitely, death held no fear whatsoever. Replacement Avatars always stood at the ready, running Auto-Cultivation macros as well.

“Heheh.”

But the three cultivators before Karlstein, turning around with murder in their eyes, could not possibly know that.

“…”

“Were you just talking to us?”

“Who the hell are you!”

Two handsome young men and one middle-aged man faced him. One youth exuded calm, the other vigor, while the older man frowned silently. Karlstein felt something vaguely familiar about them… but his interest was short-lived.

“Yuyu, long time no see! You’ve grown up now, haven’t you? Haha.”

Karlstein warmly greeted Yuyu, ignoring the men. It felt like seeing a neighborhood kid, all grown up. Rumor had it Yuyu had been managing the business well.

However, the hot-tempered cultivator among them was not about to stay quiet.

“You ignoring us right now?”

“Haah… It looks like you’re from Flame Metal Sect, so just be on your way. We’re not doing this for enjoyment either.”

“…”

Huh? That one seems to be at Qi Refining Stage. Aren’t you supposed to address Core Formation seniors as Grandmaster?

“Old man. Are these lads mad? Has the world changed? Why is an insignificant Qi Refining nobody talking back?”

[Lunatic. You are hiding your Spiritual Power!]

Oh, right.

The automatic macro simply worked too well. Even at this moment, it was circulating all Spiritual Power within his body for cultivation, without wasting a single bit externally.

Realizing this, Karlstein offered a kind warning.

“Take my advice and just leave, while your hyung here is being nice.”

Yeah, Grandmaster sounds too old. Hyung should do.

Unfortunately, the three lacked perception.

“…!”

“Is he insane?”

“How arrogant. Where are you from?”

“…Ah! S-Senior Brothers, I think I know who that guy is—“

Yep. I actually knew they wouldn’t listen.

Karlstein briefly paused the cultivation macro, releasing a tiny bit of Spiritual Power from his body.

Is this about right?

Whoosh—

Immense spiritual pressure crashed over the surroundings.

“Guh!”

“Arrgh!”

“Gasp!“

Needless to say, Karlstein had to adjust his power to avoid harming Yuyu.

Meanwhile, the three cultivators went deathly pale, legs trembling.

“S-shit!”

“What… is this?”

“Urrk! S-Senior Brothers, we need to re-retreat—“

Oh, that bald middle-aged man. We entered the Flame Metal Sect together… What was his name again?

I can’t even remember.

“Get lost!”

Figuring words would not suffice, Karlstein manifested power with a slight gesture, levitating the three and tossing them onto the street.

Crash-

“Argh!”

“Gah!”

“Koff.”

That alone was enough to send them sprawling, groaning in pain.

Was that too much?

Karlstein had merely formed a hand of Spiritual Power to toss them. Surprisingly, their fragility(?) required very careful handling.

In any case, the three cultivators groaned, too frightened to even make proper eye contact.

“Haha. Well then, Yuyu. Let’s go inside and talk. I have some questions, and we need to discuss business.”

“Master Cultivator!”

Yuyu seemed to remember him, likely due to the few times she guided him during his earlier cultivation.

“Cultivators are amazing! Your face hasn’t changed at all! I worried when I didn’t see you around these past few years.”

“I was busy cultivating.”

“Well please, come in! I was just waiting for you!”

“Shall we?”

As Karlstein entered the Plum Shadow Pavilion under Yuyu’s warm welcome, he deliberately grinned at the three cultivators outside.

Go on, bring some friends.

It was not exactly a good method, but he figured causing an incident would be the fastest way to meet the Flame Metal Sect’s higher-ups.

“That bastard!”

“Calm down. He’s stronger than us! I couldn’t even gauge his realm.”

“S-Senior Brothers, that guy is from my generation of disciples.”

It seemed like they would handle the matter just as Karlstein intended.

***Karlstein got a quick rundown of the situation from Yuyu.

In the bloody incident ten years ago, the continent’s most powerful gathered to seal away the culprit. However, the damage was so extensive it was hard to even estimate, causing a complete overhaul of the cultivation world.

“Plum Shadow Pavilion went completely bankrupt…?”

“N-not bankrupt!”

Yuyu cried out, holding back tears.

“Haha.”

Many high-level cultivators from the Plum Shadow Pavilion had participated in the battle, with obvious consequences.

“Yeah, you’re bankrupt alright.”

Yuyu whimpered pitifully.

The Pavilion barely maintained distribution. Compared to the past, they had fallen to the level of a neighborhood corner shop.

Originally, the Flame Metal Branch of Plum Shadow Pavilion had a hundred-year lease on this place. But since it was no longer profitable, the Flame Metal Sect now viewed them as an eyesore occupying prime location.

Impressively, Yuyu had fought through all that hardship as a mere mortal.

“As long as business with Master Gahwi didn’t stop, I was determined to hang on somehow!”

“Well, well.”

Of course, Karlstein’s sales did help the Plum Shadow Pavilion barely survive, but Yuyu’s desire to repay his kindness played a large part.

“Is that so?”

“But even that had come to an end, so I wanted to see you…”

“Why? To ask for help?”

“N-no! That’s not it! However amazing you may be, Master Cultivator, you’re alone. Of course I wasn’t going to ask for such a favor.”

Yuyu had wished to explain their inability to continue doing business and apologize before ceasing operations.

“That’s a problem.”

“I-is it?”

In the cultivation world, cultivation resources reigned supreme. Cultivators needed to personally gather all kinds of heavenly and earthly spirit materials—from herbs to water, ores, fruits, and trees—to advance their practice.

But for Karlstein, the majestic Emperor of the Cosmos, running around with sweaty feet would cramp his style.

“Mhm. A problem.”

Why should he bother with such menial tasks? It was only natural to seek a substitute.

Unlike the Immortal Realm’s ideology of self-sufficiency, Karlstein believed in delegation—entrust, command, and distribute as needed. It was always best to leave work to the experts.

This was simply a matter of course for him.

Is it because they all aim for immortality? They don’t know how to save time.

“Mm. Taking over Plum Shadow Pavilion wouldn’t be a bad idea either.”

“Pardon?”

To Yuyu, this statement came out of nowhere. Suddenly discussing a takeover of not just the branch, but the entire Plum Shadow Pavilion?

“W-what do you mean?”

“I was thinking of doing business more definitively anyway.”

“…?”

A spirit tool factory, spirit pill factory, talisman factory. If we do a bit better, maybe even a cultivator factory…?

As a man of SF, nothing was impossible as long as one did not place value on the likes of handmade goods.

“Mmhm. That’s right.”

Karlstein would expand his influence, investigate and research this world, all while following Proxitan’s footsteps.

Naturally, he would milk every opportunity in the process! That was how he would conquer the entire Immortal Realm.

This was his current plan.

“Heheh.”

Karlstein had already confirmed the chance of succeeding, certain after seeing the three cultivators he had spared earlier fleeing on Sky Boards.

Technology is great.

The plan would definitely work. It had to succeed.

“Mmhm. Plum Shadow Pavilion’s distribution line should be enough.”

“Huh? L-line?”

“Good. And it seems we have guests. Just in time too.”

Karlstein grinned as he sensed cultivators starting to gather through his spirit sense.

“Let’s welcome our guests!”

[I did know you were psychotic but this…]

Yuyu was left bewildered, while Zhang Yihong shook her head.

***“…You failed?”

“W-we are sorry!”

“To explain… he appeared to be a cultivator more skilled than us…”

“…”

The three cultivators bowed their heads like sinners before a middle-aged woman.

“Chetou. Why are you so quiet?”

“I…”

The bald middle-aged man called Chetou scratched his head, looking troubled.

“The cultivator in question is a disciple of my generation… or so I believe.”

“Your generation…?”

The woman facing them rubbed her chin, contemplating a moment.

“Hmm… the one with the Heavenly Spiritual Root… was it?”

“Yes. Although I only heard the rumors…”

“I vaguely recall him having some friction with Cultivator Fang, who’s now at the Foundation Building Stage. But even so, this doesn’t make sense.”

“…”

“He entered the sect ten years ago, so no matter how talented, he should be at Qi Refining Stage at most. Yet you ridiculously return like defeated dogs. Is this how I taught you all?”

“…”

“Didn’t I say this task was absolutely necessary for Daohong Valley’s takeover?”

“W-well…”

Their master, a Foundation Building Stage elder of the Treasury Pavilion, belonged to Daohong Valley’s supporting faction.

Although Daohong Valley originally competed with the Flame Metal Sect in spirit tool-making, they had now gained incomparable power. The supporting faction argued that rather than pointlessly burn with competition, they should acknowledge and accept this fact.

“Didn’t I say there’s no future for the Flame Metal Sect if we go against Daohong Valley? Their condition was to be immediately handed the Flame Metal Branch of Plum Shadow Pavilion. Didn’t I tell you to resolve this by any means necessary?!”

The middle-aged woman’s shriek grated on their ears.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged man named Chetou felt regret inside.

This is why I didn’t want to say anything…

From what he could tell, that fellow disciple was at least at Foundation Building Stage. However, his two idiotic senior brothers could not even conceive that possibility, especially after learning he was from Chetou’s generation.

What do I do?

Yet what could he do apart from obeying?

But still, this…

This time, the Flame Metal Sect seemed determined to finish things once and for all. Watching his master head toward Plum Shadow Pavilion with many other elders and over a dozen disciples, Chetou felt conflicted.

“Hmph. While I’m sure there are Formation Core-level cultivators at Plum Shadow Headquarters, they would never come all the way out to these backwaters. Managing their base of operations should be enough of a headache.”

“Moreover, I hear the branch manager is just a mortal woman?”

“Let put a proper end to the matter this time, and quash those opposing Daohong Valley.”

“Hoho… Ghosts unable to keep up with the times, that’s what they are…”

Yet despite the mobilized power, Chetou could not shake off his unease.

I don’t think things will end so simply…

In particular, when he spotted Junior Master Fang Lunyi among the group, his anxiety grew all the more.