432: Drinker

“It was our oversight!”

Lan Yuangang and the others felt a chill in their hearts upon hearing this, and expressions of shame appeared on their faces.

The Heavens Secret Pavilion could achieve that feat because its intelligence was unparalleled across the Eternal Continent, coupled with its unmatched divination abilities, which allowed it to dare to create a Martial Ranking. However, the Xuanhuang Merchant Guild still had a long way to go if it wanted to establish its own Martial Ranking.

“No matter!”

Xu Song's tone shifted, carrying a hint of reassurance. “Getting back to the main topic! The Eight-Star Auction will be set for five years from now! The Auction Pavilion will handle the relevant preparations, and all other departments and pavilions must not be negligent; everything will revolve around the Eight-Star Auction!”

The Xuanhuang Merchant Guild needed the auction to be publicized across the various Dao Domains in the eastern region. Additionally, special invitation posts needed to be sent to the Supreme Powers, which would require time.

Five years might pass in the blink of an eye for powerful Cultivators, but it was enough time for the Xuanhuang Merchant Guild to prepare.

“Yes!” the crowd responded in unison, their voices filled with determination.

Xu Song's gaze swept over everyone. Seeing Qi Wude hesitate to speak, he couldn't help but ask, “Does Department Head Qi have something to say?”

Upon hearing this, Qi Wude looked at the others, his expression hesitant, as if he wanted to speak but couldn't.

Seeing this, Xu Song stood up, his gaze sweeping over every high-ranking member present, his voice deep and powerful: “Everyone, the future of the Xuanhuang Merchant Guild is in our hands. As long as we work together, we will surely carve out a place for ourselves in this world!”

“Yes!” the crowd responded in unison, their eyes filled with determination and fighting spirit.

“The meeting is adjourned!”

“Yes!”

Although confused, everyone nodded and left.

“Speak! There are no outsiders here!”

A playful smile tugged at the corner of Xu Song's mouth.

Upon hearing this, Qi Wude subconsciously touched his nose and softly asked, “Hall Master, does the Family still have Dao Lord Cultivators available now?”

Xu Song's expression suddenly changed upon hearing this. He stared at Qi Wude with a look of utter surprise, as if he had witnessed something unbelievable.

“You... you actually accumulated enough Karma points?”

“Five trillion Karma points, they're all here!”

Qi Wude proudly took out a storage ring glowing with mysterious light.

Xu Song's mouth hung slightly open, as if he had been struck by a Body-Fixing Spell. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond.

He secretly mused to himself that he still owed the Family tens of trillions of Karma points. Should he also try what Qi Wude did?

However, this thought, having just arisen, vanished like a shooting star.

After all, what Qi Wude did was not something honorable, so only a small number of high-ranking Family members knew what Qi Wude was up to, and each of them kept it a secret.

A Family always needed to deal with some dirty business, and that required someone to handle it in the shadows. Qi Wude was one of them.

As the Hall Master of the External Affairs Hall, doing such a thing would simply tarnish the Family's reputation.

“Alright! The Xuanhuang Merchant Guild urgently needs Dao Lord experts right now, so I will make an exception and open a back door for you this once. However, you owe the Family one Fifth-Grade Monarch Karma.”

After a long pause, Xu Song nodded in agreement, under Qi Wude's anxious and hopeful gaze.

In addition to five trillion Karma points, the Family also required Karma for exchanging for Early Stage Dao Lord cultivation.

The Xu Family's Karma referred to great Karma of Transcendent level and above, divided from lowest to highest into King-grade Karma, Venerable-grade Karma, Monarch-grade Karma, and Ancestor-grade Karma. Each grade was further divided into five ranks, with rank one being the highest and rank five the lowest.

Fifth-Grade Monarch Karma was Monarch-grade Karma of the fifth rank. One Fifth-Grade Monarch Karma, if converted into Karma points, would be one trillion. A Ground-Seat Elder of the Merchant Guild who wished to be promoted to a Heaven-Seat Elder needed to accumulate one hundred Fifth-Grade Monarch Karma.

Even if it was difficult, the position of Heaven-Seat Elder was a core high-ranking position within the Family, and no matter how much it cost, these Ground-Seat Elders would desperately strive for it.

However, Karma required for exchanging cultivation could not be exchanged with Karma points; it could only be obtained by taking on relevant missions.

For example, the Karma that Qi Wude owed would require him to take on a Monarch-level five mission.

It was just that there were currently few missions above the Monarch grade, so they were basically all taken by other Dao Lords in the Family.

“Go back to the Family and find Cousin Xu Jie. I will speak with him!” Xu Song said.

Heaven-Defying items like cultivation were all managed by the Hall of Merit, so Xu Song needed to give a heads-up in advance!

“Many thanks, Hall Master, for making this possible!”

Qi Wude was overjoyed. After respectfully bowing, he left the main hall.

Xu Song smiled and shook his head.

Xuanhuang Ancient City, Xuanhuang Main Street.

Across from the Xuanhuang Merchant Guild headquarters, inside a restaurant, several Cultivators dressed in luxurious robes were conversing in low voices.

“The Xuanhuang Merchant Guild has been making quite a few moves recently, even establishing branch guilds in six Dao Domains.”

A middle-aged man spoke in a low voice, a hint of apprehension flickering in his eyes.

“Hmph, so what?” another Elder sneered, his voice as cold as ice. “The Xuanhuang Merchant Guild only has some renown in the Mystic Yellow Dao Territory. What does it amount to in other Dao Domains?”

A look of disdain appeared on his face, as if he utterly dismissed the Xuanhuang Merchant Guild's strength.

“Those like the Blazing Sun Dao Sect were merely pushed out by us. Otherwise, how could they have any say in the Mystic Yellow Dao Territory?”

A Cultivator echoed, a hint of pride in his eyes.

“We cannot be careless.”

A young man in purple robes slowly spoke, his gaze deep and sharp, shining like stars.

“Our meeting this time is to investigate whether this Xuanhuang Merchant Guild is related to that individual from a hundred years ago. If the Xuanhuang Merchant Guild is truly connected to that individual, then the situation in the Mystic Yellow Dao Territory might not be something our Families can control.”

The purple-robed youth's voice was calm and steady, yet it carried an undeniable authority.

His words were like a clap of thunder, resounding in everyone's ears and startling them.

A hundred years ago, that individual emerged, challenging an Immortal Overlord with a Late Stage Dao Lord cultivation. Although it was only the weakest Immortal Overlord, he was still an Immortal Overlord.

Their Families did not possess such powerful experts. If the Xuanhuang Merchant Guild truly had a connection with that individual, then they had no choice but to treat it with utmost caution.

“A hundred years ago, each Family sent people to investigate the Mystic Yellow Dao Territory. Not a single corner was overlooked, yet that individual was still not found. Therefore, this old man does not believe these people are connected to that individual.”

The Elder's expression was disbelieving, his brows tightly furrowed as if deep in thought.

“Who knows? If you are interested, a test in the arena will reveal the truth!”

The purple-robed youth laughed, a hint of playfulness in his smile, as if challenging the others.

The few people chuckled upon hearing this, ignoring him.

They were all old foxes; before knowing the full details, who would rashly test them? Their eyes flickered with cunning light, seemingly plotting something in secret.

The Xuanhuang Merchant Guild's actions were extremely swift. In just one night, the entire Xuanhuang Ancient City was abuzz.

The morning sun shone on the ancient city's streets, and the air was filled with a tense yet excited atmosphere. On the streets, Cultivators gathered in small groups, discussing the newly spread news in hushed tones.