"When do we make our move?" Huo Hu asked suddenly. The implication was clear, he meant to act against the three Dahe Market families. What should have been a shocking proposition didn’t surprise Wang Haichao in the slightest, it was as though he had been expecting it. He replied in a calm tone, "It’s not wise to strike near Taishan Market. Too easy for others to make connections. I say wait until after they pass Glowing Stream Market—hit them in the Gaoling Plains." Gaoling Plains! Huo Hu paused, surprised. That far out? But then a slow smile crept onto his face. It made sense. If something happened out there, everyone would just blame it on the raiding cultivators of Glowing Stream Market. No one would ever trace it back to the Huo family on Chican Mountain. "Very well. I agree with your plan." "As for that defensive treasure, Zeguo Gui Diagram, I must have it!" A burning desire lit up Huo Hu’s eyes. Right now, the two major Nascent Soul sects were clashing fiercely. The winds of change were violent, and fate itself uncertain. The chaos had already spread beyond the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect and the Luoyun Sect. Even major Golden Core sects like the Flame Alliance and Green Pill Valley had been pulled into the storm. Taishan Market, a place untouched by open conflict, hadn’t been spared. The very act of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect handing control of the market to the Huo family, an affiliate of the Flame Alliance, was proof enough of how far the storm had reached, and just how close the real battlefield had drawn. In such turbulent times, Foundation Establishment cultivators like themselves could perish in the blink of an eye. Huo Hu had only recently reached Foundation Establishment, he wouldn’t be able to increase his power through realm breakthroughs any time soon, which left him only one option—external means. Regular enchanted artifacts, even supreme-grade ones, no longer satisfied him. Only enchanted treasures could significantly enhance his strength. At present, he already had an offensive enchanted treasure—one gifted by Huo Quan. What he lacked now was a defensive one. But everyone knew that defensive items, whether artifacts or treasures, were always rarer and more precious. Even the Flame Alliance, famed for its artifact crafting, had only a handful of defensive enchanted treasures. Most were reserved for Golden Core Adepts, with only a few ever making their way down to Foundation Establishment cultivators. As for someone like Huo Hu, a mere inner disciple? Such treasures were far beyond his reach. Only the sect’s Dao Scion disciples were qualified to wield such treasures. This return to Taishan Market had been spurred by something he learned from his grandfather, Huo Quan, the whereabouts of a powerful defensive enchanted treasure. That was why he had rushed back in such haste. Let others think I retreated in fear of the sect war—how could they imagine how far ahead I’m actually thinking? If I can secure the Zeguo Gui Diagram and refine it completely… I’ll not only shine in the coming sect war, but I may even earn the right to vie for Flame Alliance true disciple status or even the Dao Scion rank! Watching Huo Hu’s eager and ambitious expression, Wang Haichao sneered inwardly. Nangong Jin, oh Nangong Jin… A man may be innocent, but if he holds a treasure, he invites disaster. You betrayed Duan Qiankun, who once allied with you, all for the Zeguo Gui Diagram. So don’t blame me for turning others' eyes toward your hidden gem. "But there’s one thing you’ll need to be cautious about, Young Master Huo." "Hm?" Huo Hu glanced over, puzzled. Wang Haichao explained casually, "The three of them are traveling together. At the start of any conflict, they’re sure to act in unison. So..." "No need to worry about that," Huo Hu said with full confidence. "We’ll have more Foundation Establishment Initiates than they will, not fewer." A glimmer of cunning intelligence flashed in his eyes. "I’m not foolish. We’re not fighting righteously here. We’ll outnumber them. Always attack the few with the many." "There’s one more in the Luo Tian Society. His name is Wang Yuan. He’s a Physical-Refining cultivator. Not easy to handle—he can hold his own against Foundation Establishment cultivators, at least for a while." Wang Yuan? A Physical-Refining cultivator? Curious, he asked, "Second stage of Physical-Refining?" "Has he reached Foundation Establishment?" asked Huo Hu. "No, he hasn’t. He was at the auction—you may have seen him. From what I can tell, he’s only at Perfected Mastery Qi-Refining." "Tch… Qi-Refining," Huo Hu scoffed dismissively. With a derisive snort, he waved his hand. "Don’t worry about him. Leave that one to me!" Uh… Wang Haichao froze for a second. Wow... you really are a “brilliant and wise” man, aren’t you. He had no intention of targeting Nangong Jin, who wielded a defensive enchanted treasure, nor the deep-rooted Li family—and not even Luo Chen, who had only just entered Foundation Establishment. Instead, he named Wang Yuan directly. Clearly, he was going for the softest target. Yet he spoke with the air of a noble burden-bearer, as if assuming great responsibility. Wang Haichao couldn’t help but sigh. “But if we count it out, they have four Foundation Establishment-level fighters. Do we even have that many? Don’t tell me you plan to ask Elder Huo Quan to intervene?” "What are you thinking?" Huo Hu shot him a glance. "My grandfather is in seclusion, attempting a breakthrough to the late stage of Foundation Establishment. He didn’t even host the auction—he left it to me. There’s no way we can call on him. "Besides, this isn’t exactly a clean operation. He mustn’t find out about it." Oh, so you do know this is shady work. Wang Haichao took a deep breath. “Then tell me which of our people will participate. I need to arrange the battle assignments.” "You, me, and Fellow Daoist Tushan." As he spoke, he clapped his hands. A figure stepped into the hall. He was hunched, his complexion waxy yellow—nothing like the ethereal grace expected of a Foundation Establishment Initiate. If anything, he looked more like a walking corpse. "I want that Clear Origin Mystical Pill Method from Danchenzi’s hands!" he declared the moment he entered. Wang Haichao raised an eyebrow and glanced at Huo Hu, who nodded to show his approval. Secret arts like the Clear Origin Mystical Pill Method weren’t something that could be casually copied—they were tightly guarded to prevent mass circulation. Each jade slip had to be read directly through spiritual consciousness. Unless one had fully grasped the contents, attempting to transcribe it from memory would almost always result in inaccuracies. If it were any easier, high-tier techniques would have flooded the cultivation world long ago. That was precisely why auction hosts could easily exploit the system by selling the same technique to multiple buyers. And when that happened, the cultivators who had paid good spirit stones for it would be the ones left at a loss. For that reason, nearly all second-tier and above techniques were stored in jade slips. And producing a copy without expending significant time and effort was no simple task. Since Tushan couldn’t obtain a duplicate from the Huo family, he had no choice but to target Luo Chen himself, hoping to seize the original Clear Origin Mystical Pill Method from him. Huo Hu had used this very desperation as leverage—turning it into the bait that drew Tushan into the fold. Since Huo Hu had already agreed, Wang Haichao had no objection. Still, he said bluntly, “You can have the detoxification method—but everything else on Dan Chenzi belongs to me.” Tushan frowned, clearly reluctant. Dan Chenzi was a second-tier alchemist, and with that status came undeniable wealth. His lavish spending during the auction had already made that abundantly clear. While the detoxification technique might have been his primary goal, it was obvious Tushan harbored ambitions beyond just that—he was likely coveting several other treasures as well. Wang Haichao’s expression darkened. “I paid a steep price to stay in Taishan Market—I need those items to recover my losses.” Still dissatisfied, Tushan turned to Huo Hu. Huo Hu chuckled. “Aren’t the Li and Nangong families two big fat pieces of meat? Honestly, your sights are far too low.” Both Wang Haichao and Tushan blinked, momentarily stunned. Then it clicked—while Dan Chenzi was a second-tier alchemist, his cultivation history was still short. When it came to wealth, he couldn’t possibly compare to the deeply rooted cultivation families. “I’ve already arranged opponents for the two Foundation Establishment Initiates from those families. “When the time comes, we’ll take them all down.” Tushan nodded firmly. With that, they would have five Foundation Establishment cultivators ready. Against three Foundation Establishment cultivators and a mere Physical-Refining cultivator? There was no way this could go wrong. Wang Haichao was just as confident. He alone was already in a higher realm than all three of Luo Chen’s group. Huo Hu was a sect-trained Foundation Establishment cultivator, armed with a proper offensive treasure and backed by powerful techniques. With just the two of them and the support of the Dajiang Gang, their chances of victory were already high. With three more Foundation Establishment Initiates on their side, Wang Haichao truly couldn't imagine how they could lose. The only thing that left a faint trace of unease… was Huo Hu’s final, emphatic line: “We’ll bring them all down.” He couldn’t shake the feeling... that he’d said those exact same words himself—just a little while ago.