Jade Ledger Ascendancy
In the crumbling Tianyu Empire, where floating islands and mystical trade routes echo the grandeur of ancient China, 17-year-old Li Wei, a sharp-witted youth from the impoverished Pingyao Slum, dreams of escaping poverty. When he discovers the Jade Ledger, a sentient, jade-inlaid scroll granting a supernatural business system, his destiny shifts. Armed with quests like “Earn 100 taels in a day” and skills like “Aura of Commerce,” Wei transforms a failing market stall into a trade empire, navigating the volatile Jade Essence economy—crystals that power airships, talismans, and alchemy. Outsmarting corrupt nobles, demonic beast smugglers, and rival empires in cities inspired by Chengdu and Xi’an, Wei builds wealth and influence. Along the way, he attracts a harem of powerful women—a Wudang cultivator, a Chengdu rogue trader, a Xi’an alchemist, and a Suzhou warrior merchant—whose alliances and affections complicate his rise. In a world of guanxi-inspired strategies and magical markets, Li Wei’s cunning and the Jade Ledger’s wisdom will either forge a legend or break an empire.