"But where is this profound and mysterious secret realm?"
There are so many secret realms in the world, each with its own peculiar rules, and Jiang Li couldn't possibly know about every single one of them.
But that's okay. If he didn't know, there would always be professionals who did.
...
The people at the Tianji Tower all practiced the skill "Mastery of the Tianji," which led straight to ascension. When mastered, one could vaguely sense their own fortune and misfortune, turn danger into safety, and evade risks. Unfortunately, this skill was not available for sale at the Tianji Tower, otherwise many cultivators would want to practice it.
In the Tianji Tower, the one who practices this skill the most is the tower master, followed by the supervisors of the Tianji Tower branches in various major empires, who are not as adept as the tower master but still possess a certain extent of foresight.
The supervisor of the Tianji Tower in the Great Zhou Empire, Zhou Youfu, lay on the top of the tower, bathing in a pool of condensed spiritual energy, enjoying a moment of tranquility.
As for which empire the Tianji Tower liked the most, it was the Great Zhou Empire. The people here strictly adhered to the rules of the Tianji Tower, acted in accordance with its regulations, and would not take the risk of kidnapping Tianji Tower people in exchange for skills. They also wouldn't be foolish enough to steal from the Tianji Tower, or because of their own greed for petty gains, turn around and claim that the information provided by the Tianji Tower was inaccurate.
Come on, we at the Tianji Tower charge accordingly. When we provide information, we clearly state that it's not comprehensive. If you think you have high cultivation and won't have a problem, it's not our concern, is it?
These kinds of customers are the most troublesome for the Tianji Tower.
Another kind is those who have no money and insist on bargaining, saying they know some information so the price shouldn't be so high.
The Tianji Tower never offers discounts on information, let alone give it away for free!
The biennial assessment has just concluded, and the Tianji Tower of the Great Zhou Empire ranked first in performance and customer satisfaction, making other branch supervisors jealous.
"Great Zhou, wonderful!"
Zhou Youfu felt that he was truly fated with the Great Zhou Empire because of his surname.
He joyfully sank his fat body into the spiritual water, causing bubbles to rise.
However, it's strange; I used to always feel very lucky, why is it now that my fate is so unpredictable and my future is so chaotic?
A servant not far away overhearing the people below, ran to the edge of the pool in a panic and said, "Master, it's not good, Jiang Renhuang is here!"
Zhou Youfu was so startled that he forgot to take a breath and ended up swallowing a mouthful of bathwater.
"We at the Tianji Tower don't break the law, don't practice demonic cultivation, and price our information fairly. Why is he coming here?!"
...
Most people who come to the Tianji Tower do so with their faces concealed, hiding their identities. Those who are poor casually use a black cloth to cover their faces, while those who are wealthy use a black cloth to mask their spiritual energy fluctuations. The Tianji Tower does not mind, they are just in the business of selling information, and they do not care to whom they sell it.
However, today they had to care, to the point where even the branch supervisor had to come out to greet the visitor.
Because Jiang Renhuang had arrived.
"Welcome, Jiang Renhuang, to come for an inspection."
Zhou Youfu led the senior management of the Tianji Tower to meet Jiang Li, and a group of masked people around them had their pupils slightly contracted, revealing a look of fanaticism. They no longer cared about hiding their identities as they all came to see Jiang Li.
This was the living Jiang Renhuang; a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see him!
Fortunately, the disciples of the Tianji Tower maintained order and did not let the people surround Jiang Li.
To Jiang Li, all he was doing was buying information about the profound and mysterious secret realm, so why was it made to look like an inspection by the top tower master?
Jiang Li didn't know that, to the people of the Tianji Tower, Jiang Li was indeed here on an inspection.
Two hundred years ago, when Jiang Li oversaw the drawing of the map of the Nine Provinces, the Tianji Tower, after analyzing the situation, believed that this was Jiang Li's dissatisfaction with their actions and a way to criticize them.
If the Tianji Tower held a grudge against Jiang Li two hundred years ago, after witnessing Jiang Li easily defeat countless powerful extradimensional demons to the point of despair over the last two hundred years, the Tianji Tower would not dare to harbor even the slightest resentment toward Jiang Li.
So if Jiang Li visited the Tianji Tower again, they would have to serve him well, so that he couldn't find any fault with the Tianji Tower.
"Oh, no, it's not..."
"For a customer, even if they are immortals, our principle is to treat them well. Jiang Renhuang, please take a look; this is the reception hall of our Tianji Tower. Each guest will be taken to a private room for individual reception to ensure confidentiality and customer satisfaction," Zhou Youfu explained the revised working mode of the Tianji Tower to Jiang Li with proficiency.
"There will be a crystal ball in the hands of a designated person, which can access all the information held by the Tianji Tower."
"Our pricing is based on a strict set of standards, and we will never inflate prices," Zhou Youfu took out a thick book, presumably the pricing standard he mentioned.
"If it involves information that the Tianji Tower doesn't possess, we will collect it from various places according to the customer's needs, ensuring availability. Of course, some information concerning privacy will not be sold!" Zhou Youfu stated resolutely, looking righteous, but whether what he said was true remained to be seen.
However, Jiang Li noticed that he said "will not be sold" instead of "will not be collected."
"Uh, won't be collected. Very good," Jiang Li pretended to nod approvingly, patting Zhou Youfu on the shoulder.
Zhou Youfu could understand the underlying meaning behind Jiang Li's words. Jiang Li was finding fault with them.
"Right, we definitely won't collect!" He quickly declared, leaving the final decision to the host.
"Do you think the Human Emperor is satisfied with our work?"
"There aren't any other issues. I came here this time to inquire about the information regarding the Profound Mysterious Realm."
Zhou Youfu thought Jiang Li was raising a random question to test the Tianji Tower's ability to handle information, and so quickly took out the crystal ball to operate it himself.
Soon, all the information about the Profound Mysterious Realm was compiled and stored in a jade token, respectfully handed over to Jiang Li for inspection.
After a brief glance, Jiang Li was surprised to see that even the birthdate of the person who created the Profound Mysterious Realm was written down, and yet they claim not to sell private information?
However, he couldn't interfere with the Tianji Tower. The power of the Human Emperor was not so great. His previous statement was merely a suggestion, and to bring it up again now would be overstepping his bounds.
"How many spirit stones?"
"The Human Emperor is joking, these things aren't worth many spirit stones, consider it a gift from the Tianji Tower to the Human Emperor's palace."
After some back and forth, Jiang Li finally managed to slip the spirit stones into Zhou Youfu's embrace at a reasonable price.
Zhou Youfu held the spirit stones as if he were holding a hot potato, not wanting to accept them but also not wanting to refuse.
After achieving his goal, Jiang Li transformed into a stream of light and departed.
Zhou Youfu called over a disciple of the Tianji Tower, "I remember you excel in painting, right?"
"Yes, Master."
"Then paint the scene of me and Jiang, the Human Emperor, standing together just now, frame it, and hang it on the wall. Remember, use the best materials! When the task is completed, I will promote you to a core disciple."
"Understood!" The Tianji Tower disciple clenched his fists, extremely excited.
A few days later, a painting titled "The Human Emperor and Jiang in the Tianji Tower" hung in the Tianji Tower's main hall, attracting numerous viewers.
In the painting, Jiang Li patted Zhou Youfu's shoulder with an appearance of entrusting him with an important task, while Zhou Youfu looked dignified, as if capable of bearing heavy responsibilities.