“What?”

“The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion has found a new partner?”

“They have so many talismans they can’t sell them all?”

“You must be joking!”

When the news reached Ink Scroll Peak, the disciples couldn’t help but exclaim in shock. It was a development that no one had anticipated.

Even Qin Meran furrowed her brows sharply. “Is the information confirmed?”

“Confirmed, very confirmed!” the disciple replied hurriedly. “The report just came from Cloud Firmament City. The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion has been selling talismans for three days now. The shop has been packed with customers from dawn to dusk, yet they still haven’t sold out!”

“I’ve already contacted people in the city, and the rumor is that the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion can guarantee a supply of at least fifty thousand First-Grade Talismans per day!”

Wh… what?

They guarantee fifty thousand talismans per day?

What a joke!

At that moment, everyone had only one thought in their minds: Absurd.

The Azure Mystic Sacred Land was a prestigious sect, renowned for its strength in the Dao of Talismans. Yet, even if every single disciple of Ink Scroll Peak worked until their fingers bled, they wouldn’t dare claim they could produce fifty thousand talismans in a single day.

Did these merchants think talismans were cabbages? Did they think they could just stuff them into a bag and be done with it?

“Is this news true or false? Can they really supply that many?” Qin Meran asked, her frown deepening.

The disciple shook his head. “The news was released by the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion themselves. Whether it’s exaggeration or truth remains uncertain. However, for the past three days, they have indeed provided at least fifty thousand talismans each day. Beyond that, I don’t know.”

“Do we know where their stock is coming from?” Qin Meran pressed.

“That is unknown.”

“Has any other Sacred Land announced a partnership with them?”

“This…” The disciple realized what Qin Meran feared. After a moment of hesitation, he shook his head. “We don’t know for now…”

He didn’t dare speak carelessly.

The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion had business dealings with many sects and forces, but the Azure Mystic Sacred Land was the only Sacred Land they had officially partnered with.

Now, suddenly, without the help of the Azure Mystic Sacred Land, the pavilion was producing an ocean of talismans. It was impossible not to be suspicious.

Standing beside them, Lu Qingyao’s face twisted in anger.

“I’ve always heard that merchants chase profit and are ungrateful. Those words are indeed true. Those damned petty profiteers at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion!”

“We only gave them the cold shoulder for a few days, and they dared to betray us and seek cooperation with another Sacred Land!”

Sacred Lands cared about face.

For a merchant force to secretly partner with another Sacred Land while still under contract with one…

This was tantamount to slapping the Azure Mystic Sacred Land across the face.

It had to be taken seriously.

“First, contact the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion to clarify the situation. Ask them where that batch of talismans came from,” Qin Meran ordered immediately.

She wasn’t only concerned about the sect’s reputation.

She needed to know what kind of force could possibly supply fifty thousand talismans daily. A Sacred Land with such production capacity had never been heard of before. The matter was strange from every angle.

The disciple accepted the order and left.

The news came back quickly. Not long after, the disciple returned, looking relieved.

“The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion stated they gathered all the talismans from their entire main pavilion network to launch a counterattack against a rival called the ‘Lingbao Pavilion.’ They have not established cooperation with any other Sacred Land and asked us to rest assured.”

Qin Meran breathed a sigh of relief.

Lu Qingyao snorted with laughter. “I knew it. They wouldn’t have the guts to do such a thing.”

“Send over the three thousand talismans we prepared earlier,” Qin Meran decided after some thought. “Have the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion receive them.”

Previously, they had pretended not to know about the merchant’s troubles. But now that everything was in the open, they couldn’t just stand by and watch. It would look petty.

Only…

“This…” The disciple hesitated, looking uncomfortable.

“What is it?”

“Well… This disciple previously took it upon himself to convey this offer to the pavilion. However… the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion said they don’t need them.”

“Don’t need them?”

“Yes… They said their current talisman reserves are sufficient. Since our Sacred Land is currently short on stock, they insist we keep them for our own use…”

What?

“Are they holding a grudge against us?” Lu Qingyao instantly flew into a rage. “Does the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion not recognize its own identity and status anymore? They dare give us attitude?”

The response was polite on the surface.

But those present weren’t fools. It was obvious retaliation for the multiple times their representatives had been turned away at the mountain gate.

It was a soft knife, cutting at their pride.

Qin Meran’s face turned cold. “Since they don’t want our help, we’ll keep the talismans. Our Azure Mystic Sacred Land doesn’t need to beg anyone!”

“Just that isn’t enough!” Lu Qingyao interjected sharply. “If we do nothing, where will our Sacred Land’s dignity be placed?”

“Junior Sister, what do you think we should do?” Qin Meran asked, frowning.

“We must discipline the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion!” Lu Qingyao declared, her eyes flashing. “We need to make them understand that throwing tantrums and acting willfully with us will only end up harming themselves!”

“You mean…”

Lu Qingyao sneered. “Isn’t the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion competing with that Lingbao Pavilion? They claim to guarantee fifty thousand talismans a day, but with such a large quantity, the quality certainly can’t be anything great.”

“The talismans we produce are superior. Even if we can’t match their quantity, our quality definitely crushes the trash produced by ordinary small forces or rogue cultivators.”

“Tell me… if our batch of talismans appeared at the Lingbao Pavilion and used their superior quality to crush the market, making those fifty thousand Ten Thousand Treasures talismans unsellable…”

“What would happen then?”

The disciples around them murmured in agreement.

Although First-Grade Talismans were all technically the same grade, there were differences in power and stability. The talismans of the Azure Mystic Sacred Land might not be Perfect Dao Talismans, but they were high-quality products refined by elites. They would easily outshine the mass-produced goods of a merchant guild.

“Wouldn’t that be somewhat inappropriate?” Qin Meran hesitated.

Lu Qingyao curled her lip. “What’s inappropriate about it? We are a Sacred Land; we must show our stance. If we retreat and endure this insult, won’t people mock the Azure Mystic Sacred Land for being soft? Won’t everyone feel they can disrespect us?”

“Besides, we can hide our identities first. When we present our high-quality talismans at the Lingbao Pavilion, the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion will naturally realize who is disciplining them.”

The logic was sound enough for the angry disciples to agree.

Without hesitation, the Azure Mystic Sacred Land sent an envoy down the mountain.

Concealing his identity, the disciple made contact with the Lingbao Pavilion—the direct competitor of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

Initially, the manager of the Lingbao Pavilion was ecstatic to hear that someone had brought a batch of high-quality talismans. He personally received the disguised disciple immediately.

However…

After seeing the talismans brought out by the disciple, the manager’s attitude did a complete one-eighty.

He looked at the goods, then at the disciple, his face devoid of expression.

“Sorry.”

“Our Lingbao Pavilion does not accept trash.”

Trash.

The reply left the disguised disciple completely dumbfounded. He stood frozen on the spot, his brain unable to process the words.

He didn’t even know how he should report back to the sect.

The Sacred Land’s talismans… were treated as trash?

While the Azure Mystic Sacred Land disciple was agonizing over how to deliver this humiliating news, Gu Xiu sat in secluded cultivation within the Listening to Rain Pavilion.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.

A gleam of light flashed through his pupils, and his aura surged, becoming profound and heavy.

He had broken through.

Qi Condensation, Ninth Layer!

This achievement had come at the cost of vast resources and a mountain of Spirit Stones consumed since entering the city. His Boundless Qi Sea was now ninety percent full.

However, this was merely a small realm advancement. Gu Xiu only briefly savored the sensation of power before pushing the thought aside.

He reached for the Green Bamboo Rod at his waist.

But just as his fingers brushed the cool wood, he paused and put it away.

He stood up and walked out of the room, his gaze locking onto the northwest corner of the courtyard.

Under the cold moonlight, three figures were scaling the wall.

Three Soul Tracking Puppets dropped silently into the courtyard.

And behind them… two figures faintly emerged from the shadows.