The Nexus Gate shimmered like a vertical ocean of molten coins.
Beyond it pulsed a new world—a realm unlike any Tianyu had stepped foot in.
A realm not ruled by emperors or sects, but vaults.
> Destination Selected: The Gilded Expanse (Plane Designation: 00498-Zeta)
Classification: Wealth-Based Civilization | Rule Type: Banking Pantheon
Local Power Structure: Divine Vaultlords, Auction Sovereigns, Coin Cults
Warning: Entry without financial backing is punishable by spiritual foreclosure.
"I love it already," Tianyu muttered, stepping through the gate.
---
Moments Later – Within the Gilded Expanse
The sky was not blue.
It was metallic—a smooth sheet of gold-veined clouds, crackling with electrum storms and divine taxation laws written in thunder.
Cities here floated on credit clouds, built atop ledgers the size of continents. Towering vault-citadels reached toward divine coin constellations—each one a banking deity's domain.
The streets were paved not with stone, but with soul contracts and stamped promissory notes. Cultivators here didn't cultivate Qi…
They invested it.
> System Scan Initiated…
Karmic Market Cap of Local Realm: 978 Trillion Credits
Top 3 Controlling Factions:
1. First Heaven Bank (97% liquidity control)
2. The 9-Law Auction Alliance
3. House of Debtors (Cult of the Eternal Receipt)
Tianyu arrived in the lowest tier of the central city—Coinreach—a merchant slum where bankrupt sects, failed merchant clans, and debtors exiled from Heaven itself crawled to survive.
And yet, even here, eyes turned toward him.
His robes shimmered with a golden lotus sigil.
He carried himself like a sovereign.
And above all—his System Interface flickered with divine authorization stamps.
---
An Encounter in Coinreach
As Tianyu passed through the bazaar, hawkers tried to sell him fake soul-papers, cursed debt talismans, and "genuine First Heaven Credit Amulets." Most flinched when he looked at them.
One didn't.
A boy—no older than 10—stood on a platform built of foreclosed land deeds. His eyes glimmered with natural intelligence, and a broken sign floated next to him:
> "I was born bankrupt. But I have a Grade-S Auctioneer Constitution. Adopt me and win every bid."
Tianyu stopped.
"System," he said. "Is this real?"
> Scan Result: TRUE.
Constitution: Grade-S – Infinite Reserve Breath
Status: Unawakened. Unclaimed.
Tianyu extended his hand.
"Work for me," he said. "I'll turn you into a God of Bids."
The boy didn't hesitate.
---
Auction Warfare Begins
Minutes later, the two entered an open-air divine auction hosted by the 9-Law Auction Alliance.
It was cutthroat.
Items weren't sold with gold, but with favors, secrets, or long-term sect equity.
One elder offered his granddaughter's karma purity to secure a cursed divine chess piece.
Another bidder transferred 40 years of lifespan to stake a position in a land deed lottery.
Tianyu raised a single Karma Coin.
> Auctioneer: "Sir, this is a Tier-3 soulship blueprint. You lack sufficient—"
> System Activation: [Skill – Tycoon Authority: Undervalued Asset Flip]
Effect: Instantly reappraise item, highlight hidden divine clause, and expose lien.
A glowing string of text floated above the item:
> "Contains locked First Heaven Banking exploit."
Gasps echoed.
The auction hall turned hostile.
A Vaultlord in gold armor rose. "Expose our holdings again, and we'll bankrupt you into the void."
Tianyu smiled.
"You'll need better lawyers."
He dropped ten karma coins—not currency, but divine system-authorized equity stakes.
The auction broke.
> [Congratulations! You've acquired Tier-3 Soulship: 'Silent Lotus']
[Hostile Attention Gained: Vaultlord Argentus – Threat Level: Divine Tier]
[Unlocking: Commerce Battle System – Tycoon Duel Format]
---
Later, in the Shadows
Yun'er joined Tianyu at the outskirts of Coinreach, staring at the soulship schematic projected into the air.
"This ship… you could use it to bypass the Vaultlords."
Tianyu nodded. "It's our way to punch a hole through this realm's economy."
"And after that?"
He turned to her, eyes burning with fierce clarity.
"After that, I'll bankrupt the gods."