Qin Jianghe simply stated that they were young and, as juniors, it was only proper for them to give up the seat of honor to their elders. Seeing that they didn't insist on taking the prime seat, Yunyan Sect did not push the matter further.
After the four sect representatives were seated, several important ministers from the Pusi Kingdom's court took their places. This assembly hall was now filled with the highest-ranking representatives from all of Pusi Kingdom's major powers.
Once everyone was settled, Li Zhouxuan, after some brief and formal pleasantries, moved on to the main topic of discussion. He gestured to the chief eunuch, who had been waiting for his signal.
Soon after, a group of eunuchs entered, distributing copies of the supply list that Liu Yunan had given him the previous day to each attendee.
Li Zhouxuan then spoke, "The items listed here will be sold at the prices indicated. I wonder if everyone is satisfied with this?"
Since Li Zhouxuan had already informed the other three sects the night before about the general details of the cultivation resources trade, they were not too surprised by the list in front of them or by his words. However, the variety of items listed and the prices offered were shocking to the other three sects, especially when they noticed the note at the bottom that read, 'If you have any additional requests, feel free to raise them, and we will do our best to fulfill them.'
Elder Lü of the Qinghe Sect could no longer contain his surprise. Forgetting formalities, he looked at Li Zhouxuan in astonishment and asked, "Your Majesty, is this list of items for sale truly genuine?!"
Many of the items listed were things that their sects had long needed but could not produce due to the lack of proper methods passed down through their lineages, such as the Gathering Spirit Pills! The formula for this pill had always been dangled before them by their superior sect as a lure, but it had never been truly handed over.
The majority of items on the list were exactly what cultivators needed most, including essential things like Gathering Spirit Arrays and Essence Cultivation Pills, along with various offensive and utility talismans and magical artifacts. There were even many resources typically found only in the higher cultivation realms.
While they could occasionally purchase some of these items from their superior sects, the prices were exorbitant—vastly higher than what was listed here! Seeing such low prices on the list made Elder Lü and the others from the old sects of Pusi Kingdom feel as if their hearts were bleeding. They had been paying five to ten times the amount for only a fraction of these resources.
Li Zhouxuan, noticing Elder Lü's shock, smiled and nodded, "Indeed. Moreover, the supply is plentiful, so there's no need to worry about missing out."
Seeing this, Liu Yunan decided to play along, feigning surprise and asking, "Can we really buy these items at these prices from now on? And if we need something not on the list, can we request it? Is that true?"
Li Zhouxuan, slightly taken aback by how convincingly Liu Yunan acted as if he were unaware, quickly recovered, thanks to his years of experience as an emperor, and responded calmly, "Yes, that's correct. If there's something you need that isn't on the list, you can request it, and our channels will do their best to source it, though we cannot guarantee availability."
The other sects didn't deeply question whether the source of these goods might be the Lingxian Sect. While some doubts lingered, they were largely dispelled when they saw Liu Yunan's seemingly uninformed reaction. After all, if their sect had control over such a lucrative supply chain, they would likely seek to maximize their profits, rather than offer items at such low prices, well below the market rates in the higher cultivation realms.
The sect leaders speculated that perhaps the royal family, being less wealthy than the sects, was selling at a lower price due to their financial constraints. Knowing that the sects had ties to more powerful cultivation realms, the royal family might have set these lower prices to ensure cooperation rather than face potential rejection.
Ultimately, the sects reasoned that while the royal family might earn some profit from these transactions, they too would benefit significantly, given the affordable resources. This arrangement would enable them to reduce their dependence on higher realms for resources.
With these thoughts in mind, the sect representatives began to raise more specific questions, working out the details for fixed trading schedules and other logistical considerations.
Elder Lü of the Qinghe Sect even produced a list of his sect's immediate needs, including some items not on the current inventory list, hoping to secure them through the royal family's new trading channels.
This list had been prepared overnight after Elder Lü sent an urgent message to his sect using a rarely-used talisman, receiving a swift response from their leader. The sect master, Han Shangyi, hadn't anticipated the wide range of items available through the royal family's channels, so the list was relatively short. However, Elder Lü, given his close relationship with the sect master and his authority, added several other essential items to the list.
The list was handed to Li Zhouxuan, carefully sealed to ensure that only the royal family knew its contents. After all, it was one thing for the royal family to be aware of their needs, but quite another for rival sects to know.
For a while, the council chamber was filled with the sounds of careful discussion and note-taking, as each representative weighed their options and made plans.
Just when it seemed that the discussions had reached a conclusion, and everyone was preparing to leave, Li Zhouxuan glanced subtly at Liu Yunan and Qin Jianghe before speaking up again.
"Now that we've settled this matter, with some details needing further consultation with your respective sects, I believe it's time to move on to the second issue at hand."