Ascension of the immortal Asura

The name 'Mystic Trade Hall' instantly reminded John of another place, with the exact same name.

'There was a Mystic Trade Hall in the Dreadel Kingdom, which is where I obtained the Divine Reaping Scythe…I never expected such a remote trade hall to be part of a trade hall on the Divine Martial Continent.'

The Mystic Trade Hall in the Dreadel Kingdom had been such a minor thing that John had completely forgotten about them. Even the name "Mystic City" didn't make him think of that place. However, with the Mystic Trade Hall being the largest building in the city, as well as located in the very center, it was easy to see who controlled the city.

Even the name alluded to that fact, which made John realize the origins of the Mystic Trade Hall was far grander that he ever could have predicted. While looking at the entrance, John had just been standing there in the middle of the road, making him stick out like a sore thumb.

"Get out of the way!" a disgruntled shout boomed out from behind John as a young cultivator pushed his way past John, followed by a few other boys as well. They were all around his age, and seemed to be walking with the confidence of someone who owned the streets they were walking on. Their robes were yellow which became increasingly red at the bottom, forming a unique gradient of colors.

An image of a blazing flame was on the pack of the robes, signifying what sect they were from. However, with his inexperience with the region, John had no idea what sect the youths belonged to.

John calmly stepped to the side, allowing the group past him, as raising an issue about their attitude wasn't worth the hassle. The other youths in the group, who were seemingly following the first boy, all glanced side-eyed at John.

"Just a lowly bumpkin," one of the boys derided as he walked by, causing John to laugh lightly at the situation. The boys were all Half-Step Heaven Tribulation youths, who clearly belonged to a relatively powerful sect in the area. However, with their strength, John would be able to crush them in an instant, which made him find the situation quite amusing.

John was still wearing his War Hall clothing, which the main Heavenly Lightning Sect also had. However, such robes were quite rare, and only the more experienced cultivators in the area recognized such robes. As such, the youths figured he was a no-name cultivator belonging to a no-name sect.

John watched the youths enter the Mystic Trade Hall, and followed behind shortly after while shaking his head slightly.

'Seems like there's arrogant young masters wherever you go,' he mused as he walked up to the building. There were some guards outside the front entrance, and one stopped John as he tried to enter.

"There's an entry fee of one hundred thousand low grade spirit crystals to enter," the guard instructed.

John raised an eyebrow at the cost of entry, as it was incredibly steep. One hundred thousand spirit crystals was considered a small fortune back on the Yuan Continent, but here it was just an entry fee. He glanced to the side and watched hundreds of cultivators enter every minute, and couldn't help but be at awe at what he saw.

'The amount this trade hall makes in a day just from entry fees alone must be staggering. No wonder they have the power and authority to control an entire city this large.'

John handed over a spatial ring with the specified amount of spirit crystals, and quickly entered the building after the guard let him through. The main lobby of the massive building came into view, which was full of intricate statues on both the floor and walls, incredibly beautiful paintings all throughout, and other luxurious designs all over.

John couldn't help but take in the view for a moment before he entered deeper into the main lobby. There were no wares or items being sold on the first floor, which was used exclusively to figure out the needs of those who had entered.

Thousands of attendants were on the first floor, and their only job was to instruct those within on where to go based on what they wanted, and personally escort those who had more expensive needs.

John was quickly approached by an attendant, who courteously addressed him.

"Young sir, how may I help you today?" the male attendant asked warmly, which caused John to nod his head slightly in approval at how the Mystic Trade Hall did things. He didn't look particularly impressive or rich at the moment, and only those who recognized the War Hall robes would be able to associate him with the Heavenly Lightning Sect.

Even still, the attendant treated him with warm respect, which revealed a small bit of how the Mystic Trade Hall did business.

"I'm looking for battle arts, pills, and anything else that can quickly boost my combat prowess," John replied to the man.

The man quickly inspected John's cultivation, and his respectful gaze continued to linger on his face.

"The young sir is in the Middle Meridian Forging Realm…would you like battle arts suited for only this realm, or ones that can be used in the Heaven Tribulation Realm as well?" the man asked.

"The longer I can use the battle arts, the better," John replied quickly. "I want to see the most profound battle arts you have for Heaven Tribulation cultivators, specifically battle arts pertaining to lightning, scythes, and battle axes. If they can be used into the Dao Transformation Realm as well, that would be great as well," he elaborated further.

The attendant raised one eyebrow upon hearing John's request. "The cost of such battle arts is quite immense…is the young sir sure he is…" the man's voice trailed off, as he was clearly asking about John's financial status without trying to be rude.

"How much would such battle arts cost?" John asked.

"It depends on the quality of the battle art, but most high grade Heaven Tribulation battle arts cost several million low grade spirit crystals," the man elaborated.

"Then what I have will more than suffice," John replied quickly with a warm smile. The man once again raised an eyebrow, while his warm smile became even larger.

"Then follow me," the man instructed as he gestured to John to follow. "I shall escort you to a private chamber, where you can be personally assisted by one of our Trade Hall managers."

John nodded his head and quickly followed behind, eager to start looking at the battle arts the Mystic Trade Hall would have to offer.