"Since almost everyone has arrived, as the host, I will take the lead," said Di Xin after a brief chat with Long Xuan.
Seeing that nearly everyone had entered the venue, Di Xin walked to a table at the front and placed all the treasures he had kept there. Addressing the audience, he said, "I won't dwell on the rules of the Yibao Club. Everyone is familiar with them. As the host, I'll start first."
With that, Di Xin picked up three formation flags from the table and introduced, "These are soundproof formation plates. As the name suggests, they isolate sound completely."
"Since this secret room is set up with this formation, no matter how loudly you speak here, no sound can be heard outside. You can rest assured. Who is interested in making a trade now?"
Upon hearing this, many in the audience felt relieved. No one wanted their conversations overheard by others. The presence of such a formation in the secret room eased their concerns.
There was a small discussion among the audience, but since it was only an auxiliary formation primarily for soundproofing and not very useful for combat, not many people showed interest.
Just as Long Xuan thought Emperor Xin's first treasure might sell for a low price, a female cultivator in the crowd stood up and asked, "Can your soundproofing array block the sound of fighting?"
Immediately, surprise flickered across many faces.
With that question, everyone understood her intention for the soundproofing array.
While others set up soundproofing to safeguard their conversations, her plan was more innovative—using it for stealthy killings and robbing. It was both creative and audacious.
Naturally, killing didn't require the hassle of sound isolation, unless she planned to execute someone within or near the market, eliminating targets silently to avoid alerting the market's order keepers.
Several faces subtly changed.
Long Xuan's lips curled into a mysterious smile. He wondered whom she planned to target next; trouble was brewing for one of the brothers.
Emperor Xin's expression shifted slightly. Prior to the Yibao Conference, she'd taken precautions against those inclined to kill and steal treasures, but absolute prevention was impossible. Some would always slip through the cracks, perhaps first-timers with no prior record.
However, without the other party revealing their intent with the soundproof formation, she couldn't expel them based on assumptions. Thus, she replied truthfully, "Certainly."
The female cultivator smiled, approached the table, and communicated privately with Emperor Xin via soul transmission.
In the end, the female cultivator smiled, took the three formation flags, and completed her trade. The specifics of her trade remained a mystery.
Emperor Xin then proceeded to introduce her second treasure—a unique top-grade Gu worm known as the double-tailed flying scorpion.
This scorpion not only possessed large, sharp pincers but also featured two tails with hooks, clearly indicating its proficiency in combat.
As a rare top-grade Gu worm in the market, an external Gu at that, its combat prowess was formidable, making it a highly sought-after commodity.
With the unveiling of this treasure, shock and greed swept through the audience, in stark contrast to the lukewarm reception of the first treasure.
It's worth noting that Long Xuan's Xiaoqiang Gu was merely a low-grade Gu worm, far less popular than its higher-grade counterparts. Few casual cultivators in the entire market owned high-grade Gu worms.
Nevertheless, Long Xuan glanced briefly and withdrew his interest, uninterested in trading.
He'd already resolved to create all Gu worms he'd use in the future. He aimed to dominate with his unique Gu worms, regardless of how powerful others' creations might be.
At this moment, another concern occupied his thoughts. The medicine garden belonged to Long Lao, not him. He faced restrictions on what spiritual herbs he could cultivate. He couldn't act independently and had to proceed cautiously.
Moreover, spirit bees required nectar, while spirit chickens fed on spiritual insects. To sustain them, he'd need his own medicine garden. If Long Lao departed or he lost employment, the spirit bees would starve.
Building a medicine garden necessitated safeguarding against herb theft. If he planted high-grade spiritual herbs, intrusions were inevitable.
This required establishing formations in the garden, ideally capable of intercepting higher-level Gu cultivators. However, he couldn't afford a powerful defensive formation plate and needed to avoid weaker alternatives.
Contemplating formations, Long Xuan conceived another function for the Eye of Heaven.
His Eye of Heaven could perceive the microscopic world. Could it create formation patterns too small for the naked eye to detect? While a formation plate's size and area limited the number of patterns, the Eye of Heaven could potentially engrave hundreds or even thousands more without altering its volume.
Could this increase in patterns strengthen the formation?
If feasible, he might establish a new school of formations, his own school, becoming its founder. Long Xuan's eyes gleamed with excitement.
Unfamiliar with formations and their intricacies, he remained uncertain about infinitely reducing formation patterns without diminishing their efficacy.
Nevertheless, he deemed it worth attempting. Success could enable him to fashion high-grade arrays using low-grade array materials, alleviating financial concerns about acquiring high-grade arrays.
Long Xuan thrilled with anticipation. Witnessing the high-grade double-tailed flying scorpion swiftly traded by the daring Gu cultivator, he approached.
Di Xin paused, surprised she hadn't yet introduced her third treasure.
Before she could inquire, Long Xuan preempted, communicating via soul transmission, "I'm not interested in the items you've presented. However, would you consider selling books on array formations? I'm keen on mastering the art and can offer a generous price."
The array master was a specialized profession on par with alchemy, its inheritance rare and exceedingly challenging to acquire.
At Qian Family's Yibao Pavilion, skills and spiritual arts were available, but never alchemy, forging, talisman crafting, or array formations.
These disciplines were strictly guarded, not to be shared casually. They couldn't be acquired merely by spending spirit stones.
Consequently, Long Xuan could only make tentative inquiries here. Failure was anticipated; the rules of such knowledge were strict in this world.
Yet Di Xin smiled faintly, responding, "Nothing is beyond trade here. Provide a suitable offer, and even the double-tailed flying scorpion's poison recipe can be exchanged."
She retrieved a thick stack of books from her storage bag, placing them on the table without hesitation.
Long Xuan hadn't anticipated her straightforwardness, momentarily surprised by the willingness to part with knowledge usually safeguarded.
"Excellent!"
Long Xuan rejoiced, swiftly examining the books on the table.
Reviewing each cover and flipping through pages to confirm their authenticity, Long Xuan promptly decided to trade.
These books covered basic array knowledge and advanced array diagrams, sufficient for him to master the art of array formations.
Becoming an array master required concurrent fire and earth attributes and a formidable soul—all qualities he possessed.
It's worth noting that while having multiple attributes impeded cultivation speed, it conferred distinct advantages.
For instance, weapon refinement necessitated fire and gold attributes, while talisman crafting required water and wood attributes, both demanding a robust soul or mental prowess. He fulfilled all prerequisites for these specialized professions.
Nonetheless, personal energy was finite, and excessive diversification posed risks.
Long Xuan intended to specialize in alchemy, with cursory knowledge of other specialized disciplines. Diverse skills minimized vulnerability to unfamiliar attacks from other specialists.