I run a casino in the immortal realm.

After confirming that the soundproofing and protective array of Courtyard No. 3 of the Heavenly Class was intact, Zheng Yifei sat down on the armchair in the main room.

Tie Feng and his two other guards, Chen Shan and Lin Bao, stood solemnly before him, awaiting further instructions.

"Although the Yunshui Inn is nice, it's crowded and attracts a lot of attention. The cost of one hundred low-grade spirit stones a day is too extravagant for us right now, and it's also easy to draw attention to ourselves."

Zheng Yifei tapped his fingers lightly on the table, making a rhythmic tapping sound. His gaze swept over the three men, and he methodically instructed them: "Tie Feng, Chen Shan, Lin Bao, the three of you change into the most inconspicuous clothes and go out separately to handle four tasks."

The three men immediately straightened their backs and clasped their hands in unison: "Please give your orders, Chief!"

"First, find a courtyard where you can live permanently."

Zheng Yifei held up one finger: "The location should be secluded, preferably in an area where independent cultivators gather, a mixed group of people, but they don't usually interfere with each other."

The courtyard must have an independent array center so we can easily modify it ourselves. The rent doesn't matter; the key is that it must be secluded and secure.

"Secondly, go and find out about the gambling dens in Xuantianfang City."

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Zheng Yifei's eyes: "The key is to find out which large gambling dens are in this area. Where are they located? What are their main games? How much customer traffic do they have?"

Most importantly, we must find out as much as possible what forces are behind them.

"Third, let's understand the power structure of this market."

With a population of tens of millions, Xuantian Market cannot possibly be a monolithic entity. From large chambers of commerce and cultivation families to local bullies and gangs in the streets and alleys, we have gathered all the information you can hear and see.

At this point, Zheng Yifei paused, raised his fourth finger, and his tone became particularly solemn: "Fourth, go and find out what kind of thresholds and conditions are required for rogue cultivators to enter the Xuantian Sect nowadays."

Whether you're an outer disciple, a steward, or a servant, you must thoroughly understand the rules.

Tie Feng and his two companions carefully noted down the notes and were about to turn and leave when Zheng Yifei suddenly shouted at them, "Wait!"

The three were startled and quickly turned around.

"Remember what I'm about to say, it concerns the lives of the four of us."

Zheng Yifei stood up, his eyes sharp as knives, staring intently at them: "When you're gathering information outside, absolutely, absolutely do not inquire about anything related to 'Hu Xiaotian'! Don't even mention the name 'Hu' in front of others!"

Tie Feng's heart skipped a beat, and he asked in a deep voice, "Chief, now that we've come to the Xuan Tian Sect, isn't it to find an opportunity to deal with him?"

"Deal with him? With our few small fry like us?"

Zheng Yifei sneered: "Hu Xiaotian is now a half-step Golden Core cultivator, and behind him stands a powerful Nascent Soul Grand Elder. In this Xuantian Market, his spies are definitely everywhere."

If you rashly try to find out the background of a Grand Elder's personal disciple, you will be spotted by the Xuan Tian Sect's Enforcement Hall or the Hu family's spies within half an hour.

"At that time, we won't even know how we died!"

"Until we have absolute strength and a perfect plan, Hu Xiaotian is an untouchable taboo for us. Our only task now is to survive in this giant city, to take root like a nail, and to gain a firm foothold!"

Zheng Yifei's tone left no room for argument.

"Understood!"

The three of them broke out in a cold sweat and quickly agreed.

Zheng Yifei's expression softened slightly. He took out a letter sealed with sealing wax from his storage bag and placed it on the table. There was no signature on the envelope, but Tie Feng recognized it; it was a letter that the young sect leader, Xu Zhengkun, had personally handed to Zheng Yifei before his departure.

"The young sect leader has a younger brother in the Xuantian Sect named Xu Zhenghai, who is also a disciple of a Nascent Soul elder."

Zheng Yifei looked at the letter and said thoughtfully, "This is the young sect leader's trump card, so that if we encounter any insurmountable difficulties, we can take this letter to him for protection."

"Director, shall we pay a visit to this young Master Xu now?"

Chen Shan's eyes lit up. If they had the help of a disciple of a Nascent Soul Elder, they would undoubtedly have an easier time in this market.

"No."

Without hesitation, Zheng Yifei put the letter back into his storage bag. "It's easy to add flowers to brocade, but difficult to provide charcoal in the snow. The reverse is also true. If we run to ask for help like stray dogs, we will only be looked down upon, or even kicked away as a burden."

In the world of cultivation, those who have no value don't even qualify to be someone's dog.

"Once we've established ourselves here and have enough leverage, it won't be too late to visit him."

"Go ahead, and meet up before dark."

Zheng Yifei waved his hand.

The three accepted the order, quickly pushed open the door, and disappeared into the bustling crowd of the market.

The room fell silent again. Zheng Yifei sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and began to circulate the inner sect techniques of the Qingyun Sect.

The rich spiritual energy gathered by the surrounding second-tier spirit-gathering array flowed into his meridians through his pores, constantly eroding his mid-stage Qi Refining level nine barrier.

It was evening.

Tie Feng, Chen Shan, and Lin Bao pushed open the door and entered.

They had been running around all day, and although they looked a little tired, their eyes shone with excitement, clearly indicating that they had had a very fruitful day.

"Director, everything has been taken care of."

Tie Feng closed the door behind him, then carefully affixed a soundproofing talisman before walking to the table.

"Let's talk about where you'll be staying first."

Zheng Yifei poured a cup of spiritual tea for the three of them.

Chen Shan took a big gulp of tea, wiped his mouth and said, "Director, I searched all over the North and West districts of the market and finally rented a detached house in 'Willow Alley' on the very edge of the North District."

The area is near the edge of the market's formation, where the spiritual energy is relatively thin, so it is mostly inhabited by impoverished rogue cultivators.

However, that courtyard used to belong to a down-on-his-luck weapon refiner. There was a deep, secret underground chamber with its own broken third-tier concealment array. The surrounding neighbors were always in seclusion, rarely interacting with each other, making it very quiet.

"How much is the rent?"

Zheng Yifei nodded in satisfaction.

"I've already paid the full amount of two thousand low-grade spirit stones a year and received the land deed and the array jade token. We can move in first thing tomorrow morning."

Chen Shan replied.

"Well done."

Zheng Yifei turned his gaze to Lin Bao: "What's the situation at the gambling den?"

Lin Bao, a burly man, lowered his voice, a hint of shock in his eyes: "Director, the gambling dens in Xuantian Market are beyond our imagination! In our area alone, there are three extremely large dens of iniquity, their daily turnover is probably astronomical!"

Tell me in detail.

"The first one was called 'Changlefang,' located in a bustling area on the main street of the West District. It was a five-story building. The main games offered there were traditional games like Pai Gow, Sic Bo, and Spirit Beast Racing."

But their entourage was enormous; even the croupiers were all female cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage. It was said that their employer was the "Treasure Gathering Merchant Guild," one of the top three merchants in the market.

Lin Bao swallowed hard and continued, "The second one is called 'Hundred Beasts Hall,' which occupies a huge area and has a massive arena inside. It specializes in capturing ferocious monsters from the Hundred Thousand Mountains for life-or-death battles, allowing cultivators to place bets."

The scene was extremely bloody and insane. I went inside and took a look; even Foundation Establishment cultivators were blinded by rage and spending lavishly.

"The third one is the most sinister, called the 'Life and Death Arena.' It doesn't bet on demonic beasts, only on people! Every day, desperate rogue cultivators, wanted bandits, and even death squad members from major sects sign life-or-death contracts on the arena to fight. If you win, you take the money and leave; if you lose, you die on the spot. The stakes on the outside are extremely high."

These three gambling dens practically monopolized the surrounding customer base, making it impossible for ordinary forces to even try and get their hands on this lucrative business.

Zheng Yifei listened quietly, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table again.

The traditional games of Chang Le Fang, the monster battles of Bai Shou Zhai, the bloody fights of the Life and Death Arena... the gambling industry in Xuan Tian Fang City is more mature and cruel than he imagined.

"How's the situation regarding power dynamics going?" Zheng Yifei asked Tie Feng.

Tie Feng gave a wry smile and shook his head: "Director, the waters of this market are too murky; there's no way to sort things out."

In name, Xuantian Market is under the jurisdiction of the Xuantian Sect's Enforcement Hall, but in reality, the Enforcement Hall is only responsible for maintaining the surface rules so that they are not broken.

Behind the scenes, various merchant guilds and cultivation families are deeply intertwined. Today, one gang fights fiercely over the share of spiritual herbs on a street; tomorrow, another merchant guild is uprooted.

"And the last one? The threshold to enter the Xuan Tian Sect."

Zheng Yifei asked the question that was currently his biggest concern.

Tie Feng's expression became extremely solemn, even carrying a hint of despair: "Director, this path... can be said to be completely blocked."

"As a major sect of Nascent Soul cultivators, the Xuantian Sect does not accept rogue cultivators of unknown origin! Their recruitment process is extremely strict, with the lowest cultivation level requirement being the early Foundation Establishment stage! Moreover, this is merely having the qualification to apply."

Tie Feng sighed, "To truly enter the mountain gate, one must have a letter of recommendation personally issued by the heads of the hundreds of affiliated sects under the Xuan Tian Sect, proving that they have a clean background and excellent spiritual roots."

Even with a letter of recommendation, one still needs to pass the Xuantian Sect's examination.