Dual Realm Exchange System

The first person to appear at the top of the staircase was a woman.

Damian’s gaze naturally settled upon her for several moments, because there were certain things even a man with access to two separate universes could not casually overlook.

The woman appeared somewhere in her mature thirties by Valorian standards, though Damian had already learned that judging a cultivator’s age from appearance was an excellent way to embarrass oneself.

She possessed long dark-blue hair that fell nearly to her waist, a gentle oval face and tranquil blue eyes that carried the calmness of deep water. Her azure robes flowed loosely around a mature and exceptionally voluptuous figure, yet even the generous cut of the clothing failed spectacularly at concealing the enormous pair of breasts beneath them.

Damian’s eyes briefly widened.

Good lord!!

Ophelia was definitely a powerhouse while Lady Selene had enough ammunition to destabilize a small country.

Even among the various beastwomen, elves and supernatural beauties Damian had encountered between Valoria and Shengyuan, there had been some truly outrageous examples.

Yet this woman had somehow beaten all of them in one particular category.

Damian respectfully returned his gaze to her face before the inspection became weird.

He noticed that five younger cultivators followed behind her.

Four were women dressed in similarly blue Azure Water Sect robes, each possessing the refined beauty and gentle disposition that Damian had gradually come to associate with cultivators from water-aligned traditions.

Their movements were smooth, their expressions composed and even the Spiritual Energy surrounding them carried a soft flowing sensation rather than the more vital and vigorous essence he had felt from some Evergreen Sect disciples.

The fifth was a young man whose appearance was so delicate that Damian initially needed a second glance.

He was handsome in an almost feminine manner, with fine features, long black hair and a scholarly disposition that made him look more suited to composing poetry beside a lake than fighting demonic cultivators.

More importantly, Damian could feel the cultivation pressure coming from all six visitors.

The mature woman was considerably stronger than Mu Qingyao, so Late Qi Condensation, if his current judgment was accurate.

Her five disciples were weaker, but every single one had crossed into the early stages of Qi Condensation.

Damian’s eyes narrowed faintly.

So this was the Azure Water Sect, huh?

They certainly had not brought weaklings.

The mature woman stopped several paces from Damian before cupping her hands.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Damian. I am Lan Ruyue, an Elder of the Azure Water Sect. These five are disciples accompanying me on behalf of the Azure Water Sect. We apologize for arriving without a formal appointment, but we have been awaiting your return for some time," Lan Ruyue greeted gently.

Her five disciples followed together and offered their own greetings.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Damian."

Damian rose enough to return the courtesy.

"Elder Lan, welcome. Please sit. Lin Meiyu, Shen Lian, bring seats and refreshments for our guests," Damian instructed.

Both young women immediately moved and additional chairs were brought from the neighboring chamber while tea, spirit fruit and several small refreshments were arranged upon the table.

Once everyone had settled, Damian leaned comfortably into his seat.

"So, Elder Lan, what brings a delegation from the Azure Water Sect to my commercial tower?"

Lan Ruyue smiled.

"We have been waiting for Fellow Daoist Damian because the Azure Water Sect wishes to discuss cooperation."

That immediately interested Damian.

"Cooperation in what sense?"

Lan Ruyue’s smile became slightly more formal.

"The Azure Water Sect wishes to invite Fellow Daoist Damian to join us as an Elder."

Silence descended upon the room.

Lin Meiyu nearly dropped the teapot whereas Shen Lian’s eyes sharpened instantly.

Lan Ruyue continued smoothly as though she had not just walked into another sect’s commercial tower and begun poaching one of its Guest Elders.

"The Azure Water Sect is prepared to provide Fellow Daoist Damian with an independent Elder residence, servants, disciples and direct authority over personnel beneath your office. You would receive access to our treasury, cultivation resources, special zones and commercial channels. Your obligations would be significantly lighter than those of an ordinary Elder, and you would maintain considerable freedom over your personal affairs."

Damian listened quietly.

"In exchange, we would request exclusive access to the unusual goods Fellow Daoist Damian supplies."

Lin Meiyu’s expression became visibly offended, and Shen Lian looked even worse, but neither dared to speak.

They understood their positions too well to interrupt negotiations between Qi Condensation Elders and the man they addressed as Lord Damian, but the indignation practically radiated from them.

This was outrageous!

The Azure Water Sect had arrived inside the Evergreen Sect, sat inside Lord Damian’s own commercial tower and immediately offered him better treatment if he abandoned them!

Damian, however, nearly laughed.

So much for eternal friendship between righteous allies!

Not that he was actually surprised though, as after all, alliances were formed because interests aligned.

If those interests changed, the relationship changed with them.

The Azure Water Sect had even made a point of displaying its strength.

Lan Ruyue stood within the late stages of Qi Condensation while all five disciples accompanying her had already reached early Qi Condensation despite appearing around Mu Qingyao’s age.

That was no accident.

They wanted Damian to see what sort of foundation stood behind their offer.

Unfortunately for them, Damian had spent years working inside logistics, dealing with suppliers, managers, clients and negotiations where everyone smiled while trying to extract as much value as possible from the other side.

This opening offer was far too aggressive to be their true minimum position.

It was an anchor, so their actual target was lower.

In negotiation theory, there was a useful concept known as BATNA: the Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement.

In simple terms, it was what happened if negotiations failed.

If Damian rejected the Azure Water Sect entirely, their BATNA was continuing the war without direct access to his products, hoping the Evergreen Sect shared them or that they could purchase some indirectly.

Not ideal.

Damian’s BATNA?

He continued selling to the Evergreen Sect, returned to Valoria whenever he pleased, made obscene profits in both realms and lost absolutely nothing.

His BATNA was somewhere in the heavens, and that made his position practically untouchable.

Damian sighed deeply.

Then he deliberately brought his <Persuasion> into play.

"Elder Lan, your offer is extremely generous, and under ordinary circumstances I would certainly consider it seriously. Unfortunately, the Evergreen Sect has treated me with a degree of kindness that I cannot casually ignore," Damian lamented.

Lin Meiyu and Shen Lian looked toward him.

Damian’s expression became almost nostalgic.

"When I first arrived in Shengyuan, I possessed no connections and understood virtually nothing about this world. The Evergreen Sect provided me food, shelter and clothing, gave me a place to cultivate and supported me while I established myself. Even before that, Jian Rui, Bo Wen, Lin Meiyu and Shen Lian encountered me alone in the wilderness and brought me safely into civilization."

Lin Meiyu’s cheeks began turning pink while Shen Lian lowered her head.

Damian continued with increasing sincerity.

"They had no idea who I was or what benefits I might later possess. Four young cultivators simply encountered a wounded foreigner surrounded by dangers and chose to extend a helping hand. Afterward, the Evergreen Sect welcomed me openly, granted me a Guest Elder position and even entrusted these same four promising youngsters to assist me personally."

Shen Lian had begun twiddling her thumbs and Lin Meiyu shuffled faintly where she stood.

(Un)fortunately, Bo Wen and Jian Rui were not even present to defend themselves from being transformed into legendary heroes.

Damian was technically telling the truth... mostly.

The surrounding interpretation was simply doing heroic amounts of labor.

Listening to him, one might imagine that Jian Rui and the others had discovered Damian bleeding beneath a mountain of demon beasts, fought through an army to rescue him, carried him personally to the Evergreen Sect and then watched while the grateful Sect Master nearly offered Mu Qingyao’s hand in marriage to secure the heaven-sent stranger.

The four young Azure Water Sect women were visibly moved, one even glancing toward Lin Meiyu and Shen Lian with newfound respect.

The delicate male disciple looked inspired enough that Damian half expected him to pull out parchment and begin composing Ballad of the Four Evergreen Heroes before the tea cooled.

Only Lan Ruyue remained unaffected as the corners of her lips twitched.

She understood perfectly.

Damian was not saying that he could never leave the Evergreen Sect.

He was saying something far more expensive.

’The Evergreen Sect currently satisfies my needs. If you want to poach me, pay enough to make abandoning that arrangement worthwhile!’

Or put in simple terms... pay more!!

Lan Ruyue inhaled quietly.

"Such gratitude is admirable, Fellow Daoist Damian. It appears the Evergreen Sect indeed possesses considerable fortune to have encountered you first," Lan Ruyue replied with slightly stiff warmth.

"Exactly!" Damian smiled brightly.

Lin Meiyu’s face became even redder.

Lan Ruyue surrendered the opening position.

"Then perhaps becoming a formal Elder is unnecessary. The Azure Water Sect would instead be pleased to recognize Fellow Daoist Damian as an independent Guest Elder under conditions equivalent to your present arrangement with the Evergreen Sect."

There it was, their real objective.

"You would receive your own residence within Azure Water Sect territory, an independent commercial property and several disciples assigned to handle your affairs. Your independence would remain intact, and you would incur no automatic obligation to participate in our internal conflicts beyond agreements negotiated separately."

Lan Ruyue subtly braced herself as she had already seen how Damian negotiated.

Surely he would ask for more Contribution Points, better land, greater authority, perhaps a larger store, or maybe even ten disciples instead of five!

Damian nodded. "Alright, sure."

Lan Ruyue, her disciples and even Lin Meiyu all blinked at him.

"...Fellow Daoist Damian agrees?" Lan Ruyue questioned carefully.

"Indeed. Those terms are fine." Damian responded with a knowing smile.

Lan Ruyue had prepared for another round of negotiation, but the round died before being born.

Damian had pushed against the first offer because exclusivity would have weakened his position.

A duplicate Guest Elder arrangement did the opposite.

It gave him access to a second major cultivation market, another resource catalogue, another institutional network and another set of potential suppliers without meaningfully restricting his freedom.

Why negotiate simply for the pleasure of negotiating?

"I do have one condition though," Damian added.

Lan Ruyue immediately became attentive.

"I have no intention of constantly running back and forth between the Evergreen Sect and Azure Water Sect every time somebody wants to purchase something. If we’re doing business, your side needs to establish a practical method for transactions."

Relief crossed Lan Ruyue’s eyes.

"That presents no difficulty. The Azure Water Sect and Evergreen Sect maintain a linked teleportation formation for diplomatic, military and emergency travel. That is how our delegation reached the Evergreen Sect so quickly after receiving confirmation of your return," Lan Ruyue explained.

Damian nodded with satisfaction.

Excellent.

A teleportation formation meant the Azure Water Sect could come to him.

More importantly, Damian immediately began wondering whether he could eventually study the thing.

Before he could continue, rapid footsteps sounded from the staircase, meaning that someone was coming up quickly.

Damian turned to see Mu Qingyao appear mere moments later.

Her beautiful face carried obvious happiness when she first saw him.

"Lord Damian!"

Then... she noticed Lan Ruyue.

The happiness did not disappear entirely, but simply became several degrees colder.

Mu Qingyao’s gaze swept across the six Azure Water Sect cultivators before returning to their leader.

"Elder Lan. I was not informed that the Azure Water Sect had sent another delegation into the Evergreen Sect," Mu Qingyao greeted flatly.

Lan Ruyue covered her lips and chuckled.

"Elder Mu, please forgive our impatience. Fellow Daoist Damian’s return was important enough that we wished to speak with him quickly."

Mu Qingyao did not need an explanation.

One glance at where they sat, their expressions and Damian’s relaxed posture told her nearly everything she needed to know.

The Azure Water Sect had come for him.

Of course they had.

Mu Qingyao felt a heavy sensation settle inside her chest.

She could not even sincerely become angry.

What right did the Evergreen Sect possess to demand that the Azure Water Sect ignore Damian’s value?

There was a war occurring, and both sects were losing.

Damian possessed products capable of changing casualty rates, recovery times and perhaps the fundamental balance of the conflict.

The Evergreen Sect of today was no longer the Evergreen Sect of several years ago either.

Mu Jianhong’s condition remained concealed enough that outsiders did not know whether he might recover, die tomorrow or had already lost most of his strength.

If his actual state became public knowledge, the Evergreen Sect might not even qualify to stand at the same height as the Azure Water Sect and Nightmare Corpse Sect.

Bluntly speaking, the Evergreen Sect was worth offending for a chance to acquire Damian.

Mu Qingyao understood that objective truth and understanding it made it even worse.

If the Nightmare Corpse Sect vanished tomorrow, then perhaps after five peaceful years, perhaps ten, the next great conflict in the Azure Water Sector might simply be between today’s two allies.

That was the cultivation world.

Mu Qingyao did not hate Lan Ruyue for behaving according to reality.

She simply hated that the people forcing her to confront that reality were the Azure Water Sect.

Damian watched the cold exchange for several moments before deciding he had enjoyed enough and snapped his fingers.

The sound drew both women’s attention.

"Alright, Elder Mu, Elder Lan. Since everyone important has conveniently gathered in one room, we might as well talk business. Mu Qingyao, sit down."

Lin Meiyu quickly arranged another chair.

Mu Qingyao sat beside Damian’s side of the gathering, which did absolutely nothing to make the division between both sects less obvious.

Damian reached into his Exchange Storage.

"I’ll deal with the Evergreen Sect’s order first."

Containers began appearing.

Mu Qingyao’s eyes widened as the quantity continued increasing.

Five hundred Vials of Healing, three hundred Vials of Restoration and two hundred Vials of Vigor, making one thousand potions in total!

The room became completely silent.

The previous delivery had consisted of only fifteen Vials of each type, for a total of forty-five potions.

These forty-five had already helped stabilize Mu Jianhong enough that his body was showing signs of waking.

This... was more than twenty times that amount!

Her heart began pounding.

"Lord Damian... all of these are part of the new shipment?" Mu Qingyao asked.

"They are indeed." Damian affirmed with a nod.

Across the table, Lan Ruyue leaned forward for the first time since negotiations began.

"Fellow Daoist Damian, does this shipment contain any portion available for the Azure Water Sect?" Lan Ruyue asked immediately.

Damian shook his head.

"No. I didn’t expect the Azure Water Sect delegation to be here today, so I brought this batch specifically for the Evergreen Sect. There is nothing allocated to you in this shipment."

Mu Qingyao’s mood improved instantly, though she carefully kept that improvement away from her face... mostly.

Lan Ruyue looked disappointed, but Damian reached into his personal storage again.

"I do have a few samples from my own reserve. Take these back and test them yourselves."

Several Vials of Healing, Restoration and Vigor appeared upon the table.

Lan Ruyue’s eyes immediately brightened. "Free?"

"Free samples," Damian confirmed.

"Seeing is believing. I’m not particularly interested in spending half an hour explaining why something works when you can test it and decide whether you want more afterward." The young man stated with a pointed look.

Lan Ruyue carefully accepted them.

A smart merchant did not merely describe a product; he created demand.

Once the Azure Water Sect actually watched grievous injuries close, exhaustion vanish and depleted cultivators recover with their own eyes, Damian doubted he would need to convince them of anything.

Their own Elders would do the convincing for him.

Damian leaned back. "Anyway, those are the old products."

Both Mu Qingyao and Lan Ruyue immediately focused upon him, the five Azure Water Sect disciples straightened, and Lin Meiyu and Shen Lian stopped pretending not to listen.

Damian smiled.

"I brought several new things for testing this time. And compared to the previous batch, some of them are considerably more interesting."

The atmosphere changed instantly.

Mu Qingyao had arrived hoping for more miracle medicine, while Lan Ruyue had come hoping to secure access to the goods already known.

Now Damian was telling both women that the products responsible for all this commotion were merely the first round.

Every eye in the room settled upon him.

What exactly had this strange man brought back now?

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