"Hey you, is what's hanging at your shop entrance real? Are those herbs actually available?" A Qi Refining cultivator couldn't help but ask Zhou Lin inside, his voice skeptical.
Zhou Lin was still cleaning the counter, preparing for the day.
Hearing this, he turned around calmly. Without a word, he took out a jade box and opened it with deliberate slowness.
Instantly, a superior-grade Ancient Earth Vine appeared before everyone's eyes, its spiritual energy radiating out.
"Holy crap, it really is a superior-grade Ancient Earth Vine! I've never seen one before!"
"Is this real? Am I dreaming? How can such a thing exist here?"
"Heavens, in my lifetime, I can't believe I've seen such a divine object! This is incredible!"
In an instant, the group of cultivators outside were utterly astonished, their jaws dropping.
Immediately afterward, many cultivators turned and flew away in all directions. Some of them, if able, immediately released their flying magical artifacts and soared off to spread the news.
The news spread quickly through the cultivation world. Several surrounding sects received the message and dispatched their most capable cultivators to investigate.
Soon, a crowd gathered outside the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, jostling for a view.
After some observation, a man suddenly entered the pavilion, his face arrogant. "Shopkeeper, I am Xiao Kai, an inner disciple of the Fallen Flame Sect. How about we make a deal? Sell me the spiritual herbs you're selling tomorrow, and I'll offer a thousand spirit stones. That's more than fair."
Zhou Lin glanced at the man and gently shook his head. "No, that's against the rules of the auction. Everything will be sold openly tomorrow."
Xiao Kai's anger surged. "Rules? Strength is the rule! You, a mere Qi Refining Stage Two cultivator, what right do you have to talk to me about rules? Do you know who I am?"
Meanwhile, hearing the argument inside the shop and seeing a spectacle to watch, a group of people immediately surrounded the shop, eager to see what would happen.
On one hand, they wanted to test the shop's strength, since Zhou Lin seemed like nothing more than a weak Qi Refining Stage Two cultivator who could be easily intimidated.
Since Xiao Kai was looking for trouble, they naturally wanted to see what would happen. It was entertainment.
Zhou Lin narrowed his eyes, looking at Xiao Kai with cold disdain. "What? You want to rob me? Here, in broad daylight?"
"I do want to rob you, so what? Who do you think you are? You're not even qualified to speak to me normally!" With that, Xiao Kai's Qi Refining eleventh level cultivation suddenly erupted, and he raised his hand to grab Zhou Lin's throat.
If Zhou Lin were caught by the other party, he would surely die! Those watching seemed to have already foreseen the scene of Zhou Lin being grabbed and killed. Some looked away.
However, surprisingly, Zhou Lin not only didn't panic, but was unusually calm, a slight smile on his face.
Just as Xiao Kai's hand was about to touch Zhou Lin, a terrifying fluctuation suddenly came from inside the shop, filling the air.
Immediately afterward, a beam of light suddenly fell from above the shop, directly striking Xiao Kai below with incredible speed.
Xiao Kai immediately realized something was wrong and hurriedly withdrew his hand that was grabbing Zhou Lin, defending with all his might.
Boom—
Xiao Kai was directly pushed away by the huge force and crashed heavily to the ground, sliding across the stones.
Boom—
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Instantly, the entire area outside the shop erupted in an uproar, filled with astonishment. Voices rose in shock.
"I didn't see wrong, did I! That's a top-grade Spirit-level attack formation!" one of the knowledgeable cultivators exclaimed, his eyes wide.
"Such a small shop, yet they use a top-grade attack formation as a defensive formation! Just what is the background of this Heavenly Mystery Pavilion? Who are they?"
"A top-grade attack formation could be used as a protective formation for a small sect! And they're using it here to guard a shop. That's unheard of."
"Should I say this Heavenly Mystery Pavilion is wasting resources, or that they have a powerful background beyond imagination?"
"My god, what is the background of this Heavenly Mystery Pavilion? Not only can they sell top-grade precious spiritual herbs, but they also have a top-grade formation protecting them!"
After all, these things were usually impossible to buy. Even one of them would cause a sensation. To have both was incredible.
Hearing the surrounding discussions, Xiao Kai felt his head spinning. He quickly got up and looked at the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion in astonishment, his arrogance completely gone.
As for making another move, that was definitely out of the question. Even if he was arrogant and stupid, he knew that even if he used all his trump cards, he couldn't break a top-grade attack formation. He was outmatched.
At this moment, Zhou Lin walked to the door with his hands behind his back and said softly, his voice carrying, "The Fallen Flame Sect has been blacklisted by the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. From now on, we will no longer sell anything to this sect. You are banned."
Zhou Lin felt incredibly satisfied, a thrill running through him.
These sect disciples were once unattainable figures to him, just as Xiao Kai had said before. He didn't even have the right to speak to them as a rogue cultivator.
But now, he could look down on them, judge them, ban them. The tables had turned.
Having this experience, even dying would be worthwhile. It was a taste of power.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Kai's eyes widened immediately, and he hurriedly said, "Shopkeeper, I was blind before, please forgive me this time! I'll pay double!"
He had no choice but to do this. Before coming, his master had sternly instructed him to secure this set of spiritual herbs, because the sect possessed a top-grade Qi-Nourishing Flower that would complete the set.
If he obtained this set of herbs, the Fallen Flame Sect would soar to new heights, and he would become the sect's greatest contributor. His future would be secure.
But now, not only had he failed to obtain the herbs, but he had also caused the entire sect to be blacklisted. How was he going to explain this to his master? He would be punished severely.
Zhou Lin shook his head firmly. "There's no chance. The decision is final."
Then, Zhou Lin swept his cold eyes around at the gathered cultivators. "Also, I want to remind everyone, the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion is a firm and decisive organization. If you help a blacklisted sect make purchases, you will also be blacklisted if it's discovered."
"Don't worry, the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion has plenty of ways to find out! Don't take any chances. We have eyes everywhere."
Xiao Kai's eyes widened again upon hearing Zhou Lin's last words, and any lingering hope vanished, replaced by utter despair. He slumped.
Zhou Lin announced to the crowd, "Tomorrow, an auction will be held in front of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion store. The highest bidder wins. Please prepare your spirit stones and be ready to bid. There will be no exceptions."
After hearing this, the crowd dispersed amidst their excited discussions, eager to spread the news.
Soon, as the matter spread, sects around the Heavenly Treasure Sect received the news and sent their representatives to the scene, some traveling through the night.
The Heavenly Treasure Sect market seemed to have regained its vitality that day, even more bustling than before the war. It was a spectacle.
The next morning, Xu Ning had just gotten up when Wang Ergou and Li Yun rushed over to his hut, their faces alight with excitement.
"Brother Xu Ning, let's go see the excitement!" Wang Ergou exclaimed excitedly, practically bouncing.
Xu Ning was surprised. "See the excitement? Where? What's happening?"
Li Yun said, "I heard a new shop opened in the market yesterday, and they're selling a set of top-grade Foundation Establishment herbs today! The market is sure to be bustling today. Everyone is going."
Afraid Xu Ning wouldn't go, Wang Ergou quickly urged, "Come on, Brother Xu Ning, there's definitely no danger today. The Moon Demon Sect will definitely participate in the auction; they can't possibly launch an attack today with so many sects watching. It's safe."
Xu Ning thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, let's go see. It might be interesting."
Seeing Xu Ning agree, Wang Ergou and Li Yun were overjoyed, and the three of them headed towards the market, joining the stream of cultivators.
Sure enough, the market was just as Wang Ergou and Li Yun had described—extraordinarily bustling and crowded with people from all over.
The three of them squeezed through the crowd for a long time before finally managing to get a barely visible view of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion's shop from the outskirts. It was packed.
Along the way, Xu Ning also saw Luo Xiu, who had also come to see the excitement, standing in the crowd with a hood.
However, he didn't recognize Xu Ning at all. His attention was on the shop.
Of course, Zhou Lin in the Tianji Pavilion shop also didn't recognize Luo Xiu. They were separate parts of the network.
The auction hadn't started yet, and everyone was waiting in advance, the anticipation building.
"I heard that the Tianji Pavilion is a mysterious force that suddenly appeared, and its strength is terrifying," Wang Ergou couldn't help but say, his voice hushed.
Li Yun nodded. "Yes, I heard from my senior brother who came to the market yesterday that they not only have top-grade spiritual herbs, but their shop also has a top-grade attack formation protecting it. No one can break in."
Xu Ning was extremely surprised after hearing this, playing along. "That sounds amazing! I wonder who is behind such a powerful force."