Reverend Ecstasy

"It's him!" Drumming hearts and racing pulses, eyes shining with sizzling hope, as the Divine Tailor's voice resounded, the noble ladies of the Human and Spiritual Aristocracy lost their brain cells, staring like star-struck groupies at the Silkshifter God's Abode's seventh floor. There, the architect of the textile mania turning the Eastern Spirit Empire upside down held office.

From ancient times till now, the Eastern Continent had seen its fair share of shooting stars. But all paled when compared to the Divine Tailor.

Three months. Three months was all it took for him to establish a business empire that threatened to take over the Eastern Continent's entire economy. Now, even those elderly Supreme Clarity ancients tried to curry favors, sending daughters, granddaughters and all female descendants of outstanding looks and temperaments to sway the Divine Tailor favorably.

For a moment, all forgot about Zuixian and Qiu Meng. But not long afterward, the ladies remembered that these certified paupers had been invited to the seventh floor, a floor that even the wealthiest ladies of the Eastern Spirit Empire struggled to access.

"Why...why?! Why are these dogs in human clothes getting to meet our savior?!"

"This is blasphemy! I can't accept it!"

Although none had ever seen the Divine Tailor's face or knew where he originated from, for the noble spirit ladies, he had to be one of them: an eminent member of the Spiritual Aristocracy. Some even speculated that he originated from the Taiyang clan, perhaps an outstanding junior that temporarily left the Central Domain following the catastrophe that plagued them recently.

The boldest of the groupies went farther, picturing an elite scion of the almighty Evernight Palace that left to experience a leisurely tour of the Eastern Continent. Otherwise, how could he weave silk that put even the best of the Central Domain to shame?

So, that Xinzi dared call himself "Divine Tailor" didn't bother them. But the mere thought that the two juniors they so despised would receive the privilege to meet their idol was like an array of sharp pricking and twisting in their backs.

Alas, the Divine Tailor made a personal statement. So, the Spiritual Aristocracy's feelings on the matter became irrelevant.

Immediately, the five Cyrstal Puppets cast a formless wave of spiritual energy at Qiu Meng and Zi Zuixian, scanning them from head to toe.

'Puppets with Spiritual Sense? What were they crafted with?' Feeling those formless energies bypass his defenses to examine his body, wine gourd and storage ring, Zuixian's eyes narrowed at the puppets — confused by this unusual version of Spiritual Sense.

"No abnormal intent or weapon detected. Still, like our normal customers, you will have to leave all storage items in our care. The Divine Tailor might not fear you, but the Silkshifter God's Abode has no need for unnecessary commotions. If you dislike these rules, feel free to leave," the head puppet said.

Zuixian frowned at the words, but before he could form a rebuttal, Qiu Meng held his shoulder, shaking his head to dissuade his sworn brother. He then led by example, presenting all his items.

The Divine Tailor was the District Sheriff. Meanwhile, the Chrysanthemum City Lord and Xihai Military Governor were both his subordinates. There was nothing to gain from challenging him here.

Reminded of these realities, Zuixian presented his items as well.

'Zuixian can keep his gourd, I know how important that thing is to him, so let's make another exception. But keep it from the other customers. We don't want them thinking that I'm overly biased or unjust.' Unbeknown to everyone, Xinzi gave the Crystal Puppets a mental order.

"After you," The head puppet said, motioning for the pair to walk in.

As as soon as they walked through the tall onyx door, a pair of large jade fox statues greeted them, their pink sapphire eyes shining with captivating color schemes.

Hundreds of men and women — mostly women — crowded the first floor, browsing wares that ranged from elaborately embroidered robes, pants, shirts, skirts, dresses and sachets to raw bolts of silk.

At first, as some couldn't afford to buy the clothes, they bought the bolts of silk instead, hoping that another tailor could make clothes out of them.

They couldn't. Only the Divine Tailor could manipulate the silk he used to make his fortune. Now, some just bought the bolts of silk to later order custom-made items from the Divine Tailor.

"Woah!" Zuixian was never a fan of fancy clothes, but as soon as his eyes connected with the silk, the mesmerizing shine and enchanting smell pulled him in, luring him towards the wares.

Even Qiu Meng, who thanks to the River of Time had visited the Silkshifter God's Abode countless times, struggled to stay composed.

Xinzi believed that to stimulate the buyers' competitive spirit, they had to see their fellow customers walk up the stairs and reach floors that their current expenses in the abode barred them from. For that reason, the Silkshifter God's Abode didn't have teleportation formations. And as the sworn brothers walked up the stairs, moving from one floor to the next, envy, jealousy and stark waves of killing intent followed their every step.

Each floor had expense tiers that customers had to reach in order to move up to the next floor.

30 million for the second floor, 120 for the third, 600 for the fourth, 3 billion for the fifth and 10 billion for the sixth. The seventh floor worked a bit differently, as it just required the Divine Tailor's approval. And as the puppets led Zuixian and Qiu Meng to the red and gold door leading to the seventh floor, Qiu Meng's pulse quickened.

'Due to the invincible combination between the Heavenly Dao and the Dao Breath, Hengye Zhen's main body and avatars can now use all of his abilities regardless of where his various hearts reside. This means that should he want to, he can also channel his original body's Heavenly Dao Bones, Heart of the Stainless Sovereign and Eternal God Physique, on top of all demonic abilities. If forced to release all his tricks, he doesn't need to summon the Zhen-body to run amok under the Immortal realm...how terrifying.'

Background-wise, Qiu Meng had to admit that no one could compete with Xinzi. And if Heaven's ruling deities learned of the Celestial Grandmaster's belief that he could one day surpass the number one talent of all time, they'd likely burst into laughter.

But as the last representant of the original lineages, Qiu Meng didn't doubt that, given enough time and opportunities, he'd not only catch up to but also surpass the seemingly unparalleled Hengye Zhen.

But first, someway, somehow, he had to cheat his all-seeing eyes and get on his good side.

The red and gold door opened, revealing a spacious suite decorated with a variety of exotic canine statues, but none of the wares on the floors below.

A tall and slender man stood by an ice-glass window, his right hand stroking the surface while a pair of ravishing spirit ladies waved large feathered fans at him, causing his dark, mid-long hair to flutter somewhat.

"Greetings, Qiu Chen, eldest senior brother, welcome to my humble abode," Xinzi said, and before Zuixian could make sense of the words, the head puppet snapped his fingers, summoning Zuixian's wine gourd artifact. It fell right into his hands, adding to the Wine Eccentric's confusion.