The moment the announcement ended—
the entire Merchant Organization Headquarters erupted into life.
Like a sleeping giant finally awakening.
Thousands upon thousands of cultivators surged toward the enormous golden entrances.
The sound of countless voices instantly filled the heavens.
Merchants began displaying treasures.
Servants hurried between halls.
Formation lights illuminated every corridor.
Auction chambers opened.
Trading districts opened.
Private negotiation rooms opened.
Every corner of the colossal headquarters became filled with movement.
For seven days and seven nights—
wealth itself would become the ruler of this place.
Lin Shuan silently observed everything.
His white mask concealed all expression.
Beside him stood Han Qing Li.
Behind them followed the nine surviving warriors of the Wanling Empire.
The group slowly entered through one of the main gates.
The moment they stepped inside—
everyone became slightly stunned.
The interior was even larger than the exterior.
Thousands of jade pillars stretched toward the ceiling.
Golden formation lines flowed through the floor.
Spirit lamps floated in midair.
Numerous corridors extended in every direction.
It felt less like a merchant organization—
and more like a small city.
At the center stood an enormous circular auction hall capable of accommodating tens of thousands of people.
Countless seats surrounded a massive golden stage.
At that moment—
many powerful factions were already entering.
Sword River Sect.
Golden Jade Pavilion.
Xuan Yun Sect.
Numerous aristocratic families.
Countless merchant groups.
Everyone headed toward the auction hall.
Just then—
a group of guards blocked Lin Shuan's path.
"Halt."
The leader of the guards was a middle-aged man wearing silver armor.
His cultivation had reached the Soul Spark Rank.
His sharp gaze swept across Lin Shuan and the others.
"Invitation cards."
Lin Shuan calmly nodded.
Then he produced the green merchant card from Starlight City.
The guard looked at it briefly.
His expression immediately relaxed.
But only slightly.
"This card is only valid within Starlight City's Merchant Branch."
"This is the Imperial Headquarters."
"You need an official entry card."
Lin Shuan frowned slightly.
"I see."
The guard glanced at Han Qing Li and the others.
Their identities were completely hidden.
White masks.
Unknown backgrounds.
Unknown affiliations.
To him—
they simply looked like wandering cultivators.
After a moment he waved his hand impatiently.
"If you only wish to observe the auction, you may sit in the outer seats."
"The rear section."
His tone clearly implied that they should be grateful for even that.
The moment those words fell—
the surrounding temperature suddenly rose.
Whoosh!
A wave of heat spread through the area.
Several nearby guards instinctively stepped backward.
Yan Feng Luo's eyes narrowed.
Flames danced within them.
"Rear section?"
His voice carried obvious displeasure.
"We came all this way and—"
Before he could finish—
a gaze landed upon him.
Lin Shuan's gaze.
Instantly—
Yan Feng Luo became silent.
The flames vanished.
The surrounding temperature returned to normal.
The guards blinked.
Completely confused.
Han Qing Li secretly smiled.
Everyone present knew Yan Feng Luo's temperament.
Yet somehow—
he listened to Lin Shuan.
Lin Shuan looked toward the guard.
His voice remained calm.
"Actually."
The guard raised an eyebrow.
"Yes?"
Lin Shuan smiled beneath the mask.
"I am a merchant."
Silence.
The guard blinked.
"You?"
Lin Shuan nodded.
"I came to auction several items."
The guard immediately straightened.
The Merchant Gathering valued merchants greatly.
Especially merchants capable of providing treasures.
His attitude instantly became more respectful.
"In that case..."
"Please proceed to the appraisal hall."
He pointed toward a nearby corridor.
"Your goods will be examined."
"If they meet the standards, appropriate arrangements will be made."
Lin Shuan nodded.
Then he turned toward Han Qing Li.
"You all wait here."
Han Qing Li nodded.
"Be careful."
Lin Shuan smiled.
Then followed the servant toward the appraisal area.
Soon—
he arrived before a large jade chamber.
The room was elegant.
Quiet.
Luxurious.
Numerous formation arrays glowed softly across the walls.
The moment he entered—
a beautiful young woman approached.
She wore a light-blue dress.
A professional smile rested upon her face.
"Honored guest."
"Please have some tea."
Lin Shuan sat down.
The tea itself radiated spiritual energy.
Clearly not ordinary.
Only a few moments later—
the door opened.
An elderly man entered.
The moment he appeared—
Lin Shuan's pupils contracted slightly.
Form Shaper Rank.
And not an ordinary one.
Nine-Star Form Shaper.
Only one step away from Immortal Seed.
The old man's eyes were sharp.
Yet calm.
The moment he entered—
he smiled.
"So."
"Our friend wishes to auction something?"
Lin Shuan immediately stood.
Then cupped his fists respectfully.
"Greetings, Senior."
The old man nodded with satisfaction.
Polite.
Calm.
Not arrogant.
Good.
"What treasures have you brought?"
Lin Shuan did not waste time.
With a wave of his sleeve—
light flashed.
Several treasures appeared upon the jade table.
Golden flowers.
Purple spirit leaves.
Silver-colored mushrooms.
Ancient medicinal herbs.
One after another—
they emerged.
Lin Shuan himself appeared completely relaxed.
To him—
these herbs were simply items obtained from the Primordial Garden.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
If they could be exchanged for money—
even better.
However—
the elder's smile slowly disappeared.
His eyes widened.
Then widened further.
Then widened even further.
His breathing stopped.
The room became silent.
Completely silent.
The young attendants nearby became confused.
Why had Elder Wu suddenly frozen?
The elder slowly walked forward.
Then picked up one golden flower.
His hands actually trembled.
"T-This..."
His voice shook.
"Golden Spirit Orchid..."
He quickly grabbed another herb.
"Purple Heaven Leaf..."
Then another.
"Silver Moon Mushroom..."
Another.
"Ancient Earth Root..."
His face became increasingly pale.
No.
Not pale.
Shocked.
Completely shocked.
Each of these herbs was extremely rare.
Even finding one would require immense luck.
Yet this masked youth casually placed them on the table like vegetables.
The elder felt his heart aching.
Where had this monster robbed from?
No.
Forget robbery.
Even robbing entire sects shouldn't produce this collection.
Meanwhile—
Lin Shuan remained completely calm.
He did not understand why the elder appeared so excited.
After all—
he still possessed many more.
Then—
he took out the final item.
Golden light instantly filled the room.
A rich spiritual aura spread outward.
Everyone turned.
And froze.
Two fruits rested quietly within Lin Shuan's hand.
Golden Spirit Fruit.
The elder nearly lost control of his breathing.
His eyes turned red.
The young attendants almost screamed.
Golden Spirit Fruit!
A legendary treasure capable of assisting Form Shaper cultivators in breaking through bottlenecks.
Even Immortal Seed experts desired such treasures.
Yet now—
there were two.
Two!
The elder almost wanted to cry.
He had worked for the Merchant Organization for centuries.
Yet even he had only seen such treasures once before.
For several moments—
nobody spoke.
Finally—
the elder took a deep breath.
Then another.
Then another.
Only then did he regain composure.
"Honored guest..."
His voice had become noticeably more respectful.
"We shall conduct a formal appraisal."
Several attendants immediately activated formation arrays.
Golden light swept across the treasures.
Numerous calculations appeared.
The process continued for nearly half an hour.
Finally—
the results emerged.
The elder stared at them.
Then looked at Lin Shuan.
Then looked again.
His lips twitched.
"All treasures are of the highest quality."
"The starting price of each item..."
He paused dramatically.
"...will be one million five hundred thousand gold coins."
Lin Shuan blinked.
Then became pleasantly surprised.
That was much higher than expected.
Much higher.
His mood instantly improved.
With this money—
he could purchase cultivation resources.
Techniques.
Weapons.
Perhaps even recruit experts in the future.
The elder continued.
"The Golden Spirit Fruits will be auctioned separately."
"They will likely become the highlight of tonight's auction."
Lin Shuan nodded.
Very satisfied.
After several moments—
the elder suddenly smiled.
"May I know your name?"
Lin Shuan hesitated briefly.
Then answered.
"Shuan Hao."
The elder froze.
Then his eyes widened.
Shuan Hao?
That Shuan Hao?
The mysterious champion of the Imperial Tournament?
The youth who had shaken the entire empire?
The elder immediately became excited.
Without hesitation—
he retrieved a purple card.
Ancient medicinal herb symbols were engraved upon its surface.
"This is for you."
Lin Shuan accepted it.
"What is it?"
The elder smiled warmly.
"A Purple Merchant Token."
"From today onward, you are recognized as an honored merchant of the Da Cang Merchant Organization."
Lin Shuan became slightly surprised.
He had merely wanted to sell some herbs.
Yet somehow—
he had become an officially recognized merchant.
The elder laughed.
"With your treasures, this qualification is more than deserved."
Then he personally stood.
"I shall escort you."
Such treatment instantly shocked the surrounding attendants.
A Nine-Star Form Shaper personally escorting someone?
Unheard of.
Yet none dared question it.
Soon—
Lin Shuan returned to the main auction hall.
Han Qing Li and the others immediately noticed him.
Then they noticed the elder beside him.
Everyone became surprised.
Yan Feng Luo whispered.
"What did you sell?"
Lin Shuan replied casually.
"Some herbs."
Everyone stared.
The elder's expression twitched.
Some herbs?
Those were treasures capable of making entire sects fight to the death.
Soon—
they arrived at the second seating section.
Unlike the outer seats—
this area was reserved for distinguished guests.
Numerous powerful merchants and influential figures were already seated there.
Lin Shuan's group took their seats.
Instantly—
many gazes landed upon them.
Curious.
Suspicious.
Interested.
After all—
they were mysterious.
Every member wore masks.
Their identities were hidden.
Even their origins were unknown.
Such people naturally attracted attention.
Ahead—
the major factions had already taken their places.
The Golden Jade Pavilion.
Sword River Sect.
Xuan Yun Sect.
Several great clans.
Many influential merchant families.
The atmosphere gradually became tense.
Everyone knew—
the real competition would begin once the auction started.
Meanwhile—
high above the hall—
there existed several elevated platforms.
Private viewing areas reserved for truly important figures.
One particular seat remained completely silent.
A mysterious individual sat there alone.
Dressed entirely in black.
Even their face was concealed.
No aura leaked from their body.
No cultivation fluctuations could be sensed.
Nothing.
Yet for some reason—
nobody dared look directly at them for long.
Even several Form Shaper experts unconsciously avoided that direction.
Lin Shuan eventually noticed the figure as well.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
A strange feeling appeared within his heart.
Danger.
Not immediate danger.
But danger nonetheless.
The mysterious figure slowly lowered their gaze.
For a brief moment—
their eyes met.
Silence.
Then—
the figure looked away.
As though nothing had happened.
Yet inside the Dragon Pendant—
Tian Wuchen's expression became unusually serious.
"Interesting..."
Lin Shuan frowned.
"What is it?"
Tian Wuchen remained silent for several moments.
Then he slowly answered.
"That person..."
"...is not simple."
Before Lin Shuan could ask further—
the lights throughout the auction hall suddenly dimmed.
The crowd instantly quieted.
A spotlight of golden spiritual light descended upon the central stage.
The auction—
was finally about to begin.