Chapter 24

The caravan of the Four Seas Merchant Guild, surrounded by elite guards, traveled north, crossing mountains and rivers.

With the guild's banner, the checkpoints along the way were unobstructed. Even some bandits who occupied mountains as kings avoided them from afar upon seeing the Four Seas Merchant Guild's flag, which showed the vastness of its influence.

Lin Xuan spent most of his time in his own spacious carriage, consolidating his Golden Core cultivation base and familiarizing himself with the newly acquired divine ability "Inch-by-Inch Land Shrinking" and his luck-disguising ability. Occasionally, he would converse with Qian Duoduo, probing to understand the distribution of power in the imperial capital and the internal situation of the Four Seas Merchant Guild.

This Qian Duoduo, while appearing to be a playboy, was actually clear-minded and spoke without a single leak. Apart from confirming that the imperial capital's forces were intertwined and filled with experts, and that the Four Seas Merchant Guild itself was not monolithic and had factional struggles, he remained tight-lipped about the specific details of the "special help."

Lin Xuan was not in a hurry; since he had come, he would settle in. Now that he had the guild as his backing, his primary goal was to obtain the Condensing Core Jade Liquid to further improve his strength. As for the rest, he would face whatever came his way.

Half a month later, the caravan finally arrived at the destination of this trip—the capital of the Tianyuan Imperial Dynasty, Tianyuan City!

Looking from afar, a majestic, incomparable giant city sprawled across the vast plains. The city walls towered into the clouds, their surfaces shimmering with the luster of metal and runes, exuding an ancient and majestic aura. The city gate was like the mouth of a giant beast, swallowing and spitting out the bustling crowd, with various gorgeous carriages, fierce mounts, and powerful cultivators passing through incessantly.

Compared to Qingyun City, Tianyuan City was like the bright moon compared to a firefly!

"Lin Zhanglao, we have arrived." Qian Duoduo rode his horse to Lin Xuan's carriage window, pointing at the giant city ahead with his folding fan, his tone carrying a trace of imperceptible awe, "This is the heart of the Tianyuan Imperial Dynasty, a place where tigers hide and dragons crouch."

The caravan passed through the dedicated VIP lane, without undergoing inspection, and drove directly into the city.

Upon entering the city, the deafening noise of the crowd, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth that was several times richer, and the gorgeous buildings of various styles lining the streets rushed toward him.

The main street, wide enough to accommodate ten carriages side-by-side, was paved with bluestone, bright enough to reflect a person's image. Shops lined both sides, selling various spirit herbs, magic treasures, cultivation arts, and exotic beasts, dazzling and filled with treasure light. The cultivators passing by generally had strong auras; Foundation Establishment cultivators were seen everywhere, and even the auras of Golden Core cultivators were occasionally sensed.

"As expected of the imperial capital." Lin Xuan praised inwardly, while also becoming more vigilant. Here, while a Golden Core stage cultivator was considered a figure of some standing, they were by no means at the top, so he needed to be more careful in his actions.

The caravan did not stop on the bustling main street but took several turns, entering an area that was relatively quiet but more elegant in environment. Finally, it stopped in front of a magnificent building that occupied a vast area, was bustling with activity, and hung with a gilded plaque reading "Four Seas Pavilion."

This was the headquarters of the Four Seas Merchant Guild in the imperial capital!

A steward had long since brought attendants out to welcome them, respectfully leading the caravan into the backyard.

Qian Duoduo jumped off his horse and said to Lin Xuan, "Lin Zhanglao, I will first take you to see an Elder to handle the guest guest procedures and arrange your accommodation. The auction is still more than two months away; during this time, you can move freely to familiarize yourself with the imperial capital's environment. The cultivation resources you need can be withdrawn within the guild according to your authority using your guest token."

"Thank you, Young Master Qian." Lin Xuan nodded.

The two passed through layers of corridors and arrived at a secluded courtyard. Inside the courtyard, ancient trees towered, spiritual energy condensed into mist, several times richer than the outside, clearly having been arranged with a brilliant spirit-gathering array.

An old man wearing a simple gray robe, with a refined face but eyes as deep as an abyss, was sitting alone at a stone table in the courtyard, sipping tea. His aura was restrained, but Lin Xuan's Golden Core spiritual sense could vaguely feel the unfathomable spiritual power fluctuations within him, like a vast ocean!

A Soul Formation old monster! At least at the Soul Formation stage!

Lin Xuan's heart tightened, and his attitude became even more respectful.

"Ninth Elder, this is Lin Xuan, Fellow Daoist Lin." Qian Duoduo stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

The gray-robed old man put down his teacup, his gaze falling calmly on Lin Xuan. That gaze seemed to be able to pierce through his skin and look directly at his soul's origin.

Lin Xuan immediately activated his luck-disguising ability, and at the same time, the system sent a prompt: 【Deep scan initiated, consuming 1% energy, analyzing target... Analysis failed! Target's cultivation is too high, and there are powerful sealing barriers!】

Even the deep scan failed!

"Junior Lin Xuan, greets the Ninth Elder." Lin Xuan bowed neither humbly nor arrogantly.

The Ninth Elder sized him up for a moment and spoke slowly, his voice peaceful but carrying an unquestionable majesty: "Your root bones are ordinary, and you are no longer young. To be able to form a core at this age, you indeed have your strengths. Deacon Qian and Duoduo have spoken very highly of you."

He changed the subject: "The guild can give you the position of guest Elder. Resources, protection, and even support for the auction are not problems. But you must understand the guild's rules. To enjoy rights, you must bear responsibilities. Within ten years, you and the guild will share honor and disgrace. The guild will not force you to do anything against morality, but if the guild has a need, you must do your best."

"Junior understands." Lin Xuan replied.

"Very good." The Ninth Elder nodded and took out a purple-gold token. The front was engraved with the two characters "Four Seas," and the back had the character "Guest," surrounded by intricate cloud patterns. "This is your guest token. With this token, you can access resources of Grade C and below, consult some confidential information, and have an independent courtyard in the Four Seas Pavilion in the imperial capital. Duoduo will assist you with the auction matters."

"Thank you, Ninth Elder." Lin Xuan took the token; it felt warm and moist to the touch, clearly not an ordinary item.

The procedure was simpler than he had imagined; this Ninth Elder seemed to value results more than the process.

"Go. The imperial capital's waters are deep, take care of yourself." The Ninth Elder waved his hand, said no more, and picked up his teacup again.

Qian Duoduo and Lin Xuan bowed and exited the courtyard.

"Phew—" After leaving the courtyard, Qian Duoduo breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest, "The Ninth Elder is one of the law-enforcement Elders of the main guild and has always been serious. I didn't expect him to be so easy to talk to today."

Lin Xuan rubbed the guest token in his hand, feeling the authority it contained and the significance it represented behind it. He knew that from this moment on, he had officially boarded the giant ship of the Four Seas Merchant Guild.

Qian Duoduo took him to an area behind the Four Seas Pavilion specifically for high-level stewards and guests to live in and arranged an independent small courtyard for him. Although the small courtyard was not large, it was fully equipped and also had a spirit-gathering array, with a quiet and elegant environment.

"Lin Zhanglao, you should rest first. This is some basic information about the imperial capital and an introduction to the forces; you can take a look." Qian Duoduo handed Lin Xuan a jade slip, "If you need anything, contact me with your token at any time. I will come to find you again before the auction starts."

After seeing Qian Duoduo off, Lin Xuan closed the courtyard gate and activated the simple defensive array he had brought.

He first patrolled the courtyard to familiarize himself with the environment, then returned to the quiet room and probed his spiritual sense into the jade slip given by Qian Duoduo.

A large amount of information flooded into his mind.

In the Tianyuan Imperial Dynasty, the imperial family was supreme, and there were countless experts under their command.

The four great guardian clans had deep foundations, all with Soul Formation ancestors sitting in command.

The ten great sects occupied various regions and had huge influence.

There were also transcendent forces such as the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, the Alchemist Guild, and the Artifact Refiner Alliance...

Within the imperial capital, the forces were intricate and complex, and the waters were indeed bottomless.

As for the information about the "Condensing Core Jade Liquid," the jade slip also mentioned that this item was indeed rare, and every time it appeared, it would cause competition from all sides. According to reliable news, this item would indeed be the finale at the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion auction.

"The competition will be very fierce." Lin Xuan rubbed his brow. Relying solely on the support of the Four Seas Merchant Guild, he was afraid he might not be able to secure it steadily. He also had to find a way to accumulate some capital himself.

He turned his gaze to the system mall. It was time to use the system and his newly acquired abilities to make his first pot of gold in this huge treasure house of the imperial capital!

"Luck disguise... deep scan..." A sharp light flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes, "Perhaps, I can go to the 'treasure hunting' area to take a look?"

The imperial capital had a dedicated free trading area, a mixed bag of people where truth and falsehood were hard to distinguish, containing both dust-covered treasures and carefully designed scams, known as the "treasure hunting area" or "picking up leaks area."

For Lin Xuan, who possessed the deep scan ability, that place was simply a cash machine tailored for him!

However, before that, he needed to thoroughly familiarize himself with the imperial capital's environment, especially those large and small trading markets.

He put away the jade slip, changed into an ordinary green robe, used "Thousand Faces Phantom" to slightly adjust his facial features to make himself look more like an ordinary rogue cultivator, and then left the Four Seas Pavilion, blending into the vast crowd of the imperial capital.

Walking on the bustling street, feeling the prosperity and pressure of this giant city, Lin Xuan took a deep breath.

A new stage had been set.

And he, this "connected person," was about to start using his own way to... "lay" out a world here!

(Chapter 24 End)