Elsewhere, Ye Laogui went to speak with Old Tao. "What does the Third Boss intend to do with this?"
Old Tao patted his friend on the shoulder. "Don’t worry about that. You’ve already succeeded in becoming one of the five official trade associations. There are times when following him is quite enjoyable."
Ye Laogui’s eyes flickered, "The Third Boss doesn’t actually intend to pay anything at all, does he?"
Old Tao laughed. "Of course he does. However, it all depends on whether or not Yi Shang has the courage to accept what is offered."
Ye Laogui gave a bitter smile. "As expected."
He finally understood the situation. In that case, it would not be surprising if Lu Yin offered not just 500 billion spirit seeds, but 5 trillion. He was the Grandverse Manor’s Third Boss, invincible throughout the megaverse. He possessed peerless power, so what could Yi Shang do about it?
Ye Yan'er was amazed. "The Third boss is so powerful and domineering!"
Old Tao laughed loudly. "Little girl, don’t fall in love with the Third Boss. You’ll only end up suffering for it."
Ye Yan'er pouted. "I’m just impressed by him. He’s so powerful! Ancestor, we haven’t been able to act so freely in a long time! No, we’ve never been able to act so freely."
Ye Laogui sighed. "In the end, it’s still decided by who has the strongest fists."
...
Days continued to pass as they waited for the selection to be held. There were times when other companies arrived and tried to test the Hundred Leaf Trade Association, but Ye Laogui rejected all advances. After the Ark Domain was dealt with, the other companies that tried to test the Hundred Leaf Trade Association did not attempt to use any underhanded tactics.
The presence of sequence powerhouses was enough of a threat to the other companies. It was clear to all that the Hundred Leaf Trade Association was not an ordinary contender.
After several days, a room was filled with chaos. Blood flowed through it in a stream, spreading the stench of blood throughout the area and attracting several people from the Chamber of Commerce.
Surprisingly, one of those who arrived was a familiar face. The young man’s body glowed, and he gave off an aura of extreme arrogance.
Lu Yin had met this young man before. This was the person who had tried to stop Lu Yin from kidnapping Qing Yun. If he hadn’t been pulled away by a sequence powerhouse, the young man would have died then and there. Was he a member of the Daquan Domain’s Chamber of Commerce?
"What’s going on?" Rong Hua had a grim expression on his face, and his aura kept rising. Many of the nearby people looked intimidated.
"Young Master Rong, this should be where the Wanyun Trade Association was staying, but all of their people are now dead," someone replied.
The glowing young man stared at the stream of blood beneath his feet, and then he glanced around. "People, this is going too far. While it is permitted to be a bit aggressive during the selection, acting this brazenly is openly disrespecting the Chamber of Commerce."
The competition to be selected as one of the five official trade associations was always fierce. Before the offers for the official selection were submitted, many companies always disappeared. Some were wiped out, while others were forcefully acquired by the more powerful. Such things were perfectly normal. In the most extreme selections, over half of the companies had been eliminated, one way or another. Despite that, no one had ever made this much of a commotion.
Even when a company was exterminated, it would not be conducted in such a violent manner. Things were expected to occur quietly and without anyone’s notice. This was done out of respect for the Chamber of Commerce.
Such a massacre humiliated Yi Shang’s Chamber of Commerce. Most of the companies that competed in the selection were not participating for the first time, and thus, they understood the rules. Clearly, someone had crossed the line.
Rong Hua led the investigation, but how could they hope to uncover anything at all? The Hundred Leaf Trade Association was already under investigation. They had Old Tao, who was a sequence powerhouse, and that naturally made them suspicious. However, without evidence, accusations meant nothing. Ultimately, Rong Hua could only release a warning and remind everyone that Yi Shang might arrive at any moment.
After Rong Hua left, Lu Yin’s attention shifted to a certain courtyard in the inn. It was where the attacker was staying.
He was from a tiny company, and their name was even Tiny Traders.
Just like the man who had taken action, the name appeared to be innocuous, and yet it was actually a blatant provocation.
Rong Hua was unable to determine the true strength of the man in that courtyard. The man gave off the impression that he was nothing more than a Spirit Warrior.
Strangely enough, after the man exterminated the Wanyun Trade Association, he had actually bowed to Lu Yin. Was it just a coincidence? Lu Yin could not believe it. How did the Tiny Traders know about his presence?
The next day, the man attacked again. Blood flowed in another river, and the man stood in the midst of all of the blood while facing Lu Yin and offering a respectful bow. Nothing in the man’s movements so much as hinted at anything less than true respect.
Lu Yin stared at the man. It was clear that he felt respect and awe for Lu Yin.
Lu Yin did not ask any questions and continued to observe what happened. He did nothing to stop the attacker. This was the world of cultivators, and some lived while others died. It was impossible to get involved in everything, especially in the Spirit Nidus. In fact, as far as Lu Yin was concerned, the more chaotic the Spirit Nidus became, the better.
Rong Hua led the Chamber of Commerce’s investigation again. This time, he was absolutely furious, and he even swore to find the culprit and make them pay for what they had done.
However, despite searching everywhere, the investigation team failed to find anything.
In the following days, two more companies were massacred. Each time, the attacker stood amidst the blood and bowed to Lu Yin before leaving the scene of the crime.
Finally, it was not just Rong Hua who led the investigators, but also an old man.
When the old man appeared, Ye Laogui’s expression grew serious. "Even Old Rong has come."
Lu Yin stared at the old man. He was an Ortuser, and he was the only such expert associated with the Chamber of Commerce.
When Yi Shang had led his forces to the Spirit Nidus’s boundary, Lu Yin had not seen Old Rong among the defenders.
Old Tao said, "That is Rong Xiang, and he’s the vice president of the Chamber of Commerce. Whenever Yi Shang is absent from the Daquan Domain, Rong Xiang is left in charge. He didn’t go to the boundary because he is always here."
So the Chamber of Commerce still has some strength to it. Lu Yin stared at the old man.
There was no shortage of sequence powerhouses within the seven major powers, all of which were led by experts as powerful as the Seven Seraphs. Beneath those leaders were Ortusers.
It was no surprise to learn that the Daquan Domain’s Chamber of Commerce had Ortusers beneath Yi Shang.
Rong Xiang stared at the river of blood. Behind him, Rong Hua started to speak, but he was stopped by the old man.
A breeze swept through the inn, brushing across everyone present.
Lu Yin sipped his tea. The old man was trying to test the strength of everyone in the inn, searching for any experts who had hidden their strength. He would certainly find Old Tao and Ye Laogui, but not Lu Yin. The attacker had already left his courtyard, and those who had remained all possessed an average level of strength.
Rong Xian had arrived too late.
He said nothing, but he also did not leave. He was going to stay put.
With Rong Xiang’s presence, no more companies were slaughtered.
Only two more days remained before the selection would be undertaken, which Yi Shang would be present for.
That night, members of the Tiny Traders arrived to visit. They were led by a young woman whose face was so well disguised that not even Rong Xiang could recognize her.