I run a casino in the immortal realm.

Closed training begins.

"Snapped!"

The specially made spirit-testing ruler struck a male cultivator's hand hard, leaving a glaring red mark.

The male cultivator gasped in pain, about to lash out, but when he looked up and met Zheng Yifei's icy gaze, he swallowed his anger.

"As I said, when dealing the cards, the dantian must be sealed, and it is strictly forbidden to mobilize even the slightest bit of spiritual power."

Zheng Yifei stood in front of the long table, holding a ruler in his hand. His voice was not loud, but it carried throughout the entire hall: "Your divine sense fluctuated just now. If it happens again, get out of Yingxian Lake."

The three thousand cultivators were divided into three groups and worked in shifts day and night.

Deal the cards, shuffle the cards, cut the cards.

There are no magic spells, no supernatural powers, only the bare hands.

Zheng Yifei wanted an appearance of absolute fairness.

As long as the dealer doesn't use spiritual power, those Golden Core cultivators who lose money won't be able to find any fault with it.

In the center of the hall, hundreds of specially made gambling tables were lined up in a row.

"The movements are too stiff!"

Zheng Yifei walked up to a female cultivator and snatched the spirit tablet from her hand: "Look carefully."

With a wave of his hands, fifty-four spirit tablets flew from his fingertips like flowing water as he shuffled, cut, and dealt the cards. His movements were fluid and fast, leaving only a blur.

Throughout the entire process, not a single bit of spiritual power was used.

The surrounding cultivators were stunned.

"That's muscle memory."

Zheng Yifei slammed the cards on the table: "If you can't reach this speed within half a month, you'll all be eliminated."

Mirages don't support useless people. Remember, if your customers win money, that's just bait.

If the customer loses money, that's our profit.

Don't panic when you encounter a customer on a winning streak. Change the dealer, change the cards, or offer them complimentary premium tea to disrupt their rhythm; their luck will naturally dissipate.

The cultivators felt a chill run down their spines; such manipulative tactics were sharper than swords.

Move to another area, which is for service script training.

"A smile! Showing eight teeth!"

Zheng Yifei walked down the corridor, his gaze sweeping over the rows of female cultivators carrying trays: "When a customer loses all his spirit stones, you should smile and ask him in the gentlest voice if he needs a loan."

When a customer wins money, you should smile and look at him with the most adoring eyes, making him feel like he's the chosen one!

The brainwashing training in modern casinos shattered the worldviews of these monks who were used to fighting and killing.

One of the managers, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, couldn't help but speak up: "Manager, we are cultivators after all. Isn't it beneath us to greet those Qi Refining stage rogue cultivators with such smiles?"

Zheng Yifei stopped and turned to look at him.

"Losing face?"

Zheng Yifei sneered, "What are you here for? For face, or for spirit stones?"

The person in charge was speechless.

"The spirit stones in your guests' hands are your cultivation resources. Can saving face help you break through your cultivation level?"

Zheng Yifei walked up to him: "In the mirage, customers are like money-bringers. Anyone who dares to give a money-bringer a hard time will have their livelihood cut off. Do you understand?"

"I understand!"

Three thousand people shouted in unison.

At the other end of the square, security training was being conducted simultaneously.

Chen Shan, Lin Bao, and Zhang Biao stood in a row, facing five hundred strong security guards.

"The rules of mirages are: money talks, not people!"

Zhang Biao yelled at the top of his lungs, "What if someone cheats?"

"Chop off their hands! Search their souls! Throw them into Yingxian Lake to feed the demons!"

Five hundred people responded in unison.

Lin Bao stepped forward and corrected him, "Wrong! We're doing legitimate business. If we catch someone cheating, we'll take them to a secret room, empty their storage bag, break their limbs, and hang them outside the formation as a warning for three days. Understand?"

Chen Shan added: "If you encounter trouble caused by a Golden Core cultivator, do not fight them head-on. Retreat immediately, activate the Nine Palaces Formation to divide the battlefield, and then ask the head manager for a decision."

Your lives were bought with money; don't throw them away in vain.

The five hundred security guards looked at each other in bewilderment; this unconventional approach was something they had never seen before.

Inside Yingxian Lake, a bustling scene unfolded, while outside, towering waves surged.

Zhao Wenyuan sat in the backyard of Tianyuan Gambling House in Qingyun Market, holding a sample copy of the latest issue of the Qingyun Daily.

Front page headline, full-width large font, bold and black:

"The Southern Wilderness's Premier Money-Making Den—Mirage, Thousands of Shops for Rent!"

Subtitle: "Qingyun Sect Master Xu Zhengkun personally endorses it; a fourth-order grand formation provides protection; daily visitor flow is expected to exceed 100,000—grab it while you can!"

The article details the scale of the mirage, the concentration of spiritual energy, and the terrifying expected visitor numbers.

It also included a screenshot of the luxurious interior decoration.

Zhao Wenyuan put down the sample copy and waved to the manager beside him: "Print two hundred million copies and send them to all the markets in the Southern Wilderness within three days via Qingyun Express, even those remote and secluded gathering places of independent cultivators."

"yes!"

three days later.

Qingyun Market, the council hall on the second floor of Tianyuan Gambling House.

The threshold is almost broken by everyone walking on it.

Manager Qian of Wanbaolou in Xuantian Market wiped the sweat from his brow and squeezed his way to Zhao Wenyuan's table.

"Manager Zhao, Wanbaolou wants that shop with the 'A' designation on the first floor of the Mirage main building! You name the rent!"

Manager Sun from the nearby Lingdan Pavilion sneered and shoved Manager Qian aside: "Fatty Qian, get out of the way. Manager Zhao, our Lingdan Pavilion is offering double the rent. This place has such rich spiritual energy; it's perfect for selling pills."

"Old man Sun, are you looking for trouble?"

"What, want to practice?"

Zhao Wenyuan picked up his teacup and blew away the foam.

"Gentlemen, harmony brings wealth."

Zhao Wenyuan put down his teacup, took out a blueprint and spread it out: "The mirage has a total of 1,200 shops. There are only ten Grade A shops on the first floor of the main building. The price is fixed at 100,000 low-grade spirit stones per year. No bargaining."

100,000!

This price is 30% higher than that of the core shops in Xuantian Market.

The hall fell silent instantly.

Manager Qian gritted his teeth: "Ten thousand it is! This is the property of the Qingyun Sect Master, it's safe and secure, and it attracts ten thousand visitors a day. Only a fool wouldn't rent it. I want three!"

"Wanbaolou is wealthy and powerful, our Lingdan Pavilion can't lag behind. I want two!"

Manager Sun immediately made the decision.

Zhao Wenyuan raised his hand to silence the crowd: "Don't rush, there's another rule: all shops that set up shop in the Mirage will not accept spirit stones for transactions."

"You don't accept spirit stones?"

"Then what do you collect?"

"Acquire chips."

Zhao Wenyuan took out a specially made jade token engraved with a magic array: "Customers exchange tokens in the lobby, use the tokens to make purchases in your shop, and then you take the tokens to us for settlement. We take one percent of the turnover as a handling fee."

These words caused an uproar in the room.

"How can this be allowed? Won't you be cutting off our cash flow? Besides, we've already paid rent."

Manager Qian frowned deeply.

"You don't have to rent if you don't want to."

Zhao Wenyuan leaned back in his chair, his tone calm: "Mirage has no shortage of merchants, but I can guarantee that the chips can be redeemed at any time, and there will be no delays."

Moreover, customers spend money three times faster when using chips; you can do the math yourself.

Manager Qian and Manager Sun exchanged a glance, each quickly calculating in their minds.

Once independent cultivators convert spirit stones into chips, their sensitivity to numbers decreases significantly. They might impulsively buy pills and magical treasures that they were originally reluctant to purchase.

Seeing the hesitation on everyone's faces, Zhao Wenyuan dropped his final trump card: "Every shop that enters the Mirage will receive a free feature in the Qingyun Daily every month. Your products will be directly pushed to the hundreds of billions of independent cultivators in the Southern Wilderness."

This sentence became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Exposure to billions of people!

"Sign! Sign the contract now!"

Fearing that Zhao Wenyuan might change his mind, Manager Qian immediately pulled out his storage bag and slammed it onto the table.

When the news spread, merchants from all over the country went completely crazy.

The mirage is not only a gambling den, but also an absolutely safe trading center.

With the Qingyun Sect Master's endorsement and the protection of a fourth-order grand formation, who would dare to cheat us here?

Selling flying swords, selling talismans, running restaurants, and preparing spiritual meals.

Thousands of shops were sold out in less than seven days.

Zhao Wenyuan received so many deposits that his hands were sore from collecting them.

With 1,200 shops and an average rent of 50,000 low-grade spirit stones per year, that alone would generate a net income of 60 million low-grade spirit stones per year!

Before even opening, costs have already begun to be recouped at an alarming rate.