With the sale of the six Heaven Spirit Pills, the grand auction at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion officially came to a successful close. Just like last time, several factions privately approached the Pavilion, hoping for another round of off-the-record transactions. This time, however, Fang Ting couldn't be bothered to personally handle it—he simply had the Third Elder take over. These private deals existed because there were still many items that the Fang Clan had in abundance, but didn't want to flaunt openly at the auction. Too much exposure would be too flashy. Private deals allowed both parties to keep things discreet, while still earning the same amount of spirit stones—why not? Fang Ting gave the Third Elder a few instructions on what to say and left it at that. The Third Elder went to the VIP room of Prince Dongyue of the Great Xia Dynasty. After some polite greetings: "I was wondering if Clan Leader Fang might be available," Prince Dongyue asked. "The Clan Leader is currently in secluded cultivation," the Third Elder replied. "If you have anything to discuss, you may speak directly with me." "Ah… well…" Prince Dongyue hesitated, rubbing his hands awkwardly. He wasn't sure how much the Third Elder was actually authorized to handle. The Third Elder chuckled inwardly, then cut straight to the point: "The Clan Leader already briefed me. Is His Highness here for the Heaven Spirit Pill?" "Yes, yes!" Prince Dongyue nodded eagerly. "Given our friendly relations with the Great Xia Dynasty, everything is negotiable," the Third Elder said with a smile. "Besides the Heaven Spirit Pill, was there anything else from the auction that caught your eye?" This surprised Prince Dongyue. "Wait—other items can be purchased too?" Receiving this confirmation, the prince quickly listed several high-value items from the auction that he hoped to obtain. After concluding the trade, the Third Elder visited the other VIP rooms in turn, meeting with representatives from various factions. Of course, the items and prices offered were based on their relationship with the Fang Clan and how deep their cooperation ran. The closer the ties, the better the access—and the fairer the prices. Aside from those, many powerful cultivators from other continents came to visit the Fang Clan's domain, hoping to meet Fang Ting and discuss possible partnerships with the Pavilion. It was obvious to everyone: The Fang Clan not only had powerful backers, but also immense growth potential. Partnering with them was a guaranteed profit. But with Yin Xianhong just returned, Fang Ting was busy and didn't want to be disturbed. So he sent the Second Elder to receive the visitors in his place. Unless an Emperor Realm expert came knocking, Fang Ting had no intention of meeting anyone in person. Over the next few days, the visiting powerhouses gradually left Duanshan City and Cangzhou, and the crowds also dispersed. The city returned to its usual tranquility. As Yin Xianhong had mentioned earlier, some of those experts headed straight for Shanzhou, hoping to explore the newly surfaced minor world left behind by an Emperor Realm expert. Unfortunately, due to their high cultivation levels, Zui Xian Tower's intelligence network couldn't easily track their movements—so no information had returned from Shanzhou yet. Fang Luo, Fang Chen, and Fang Qiufeng set off again—leaving Cangzhou to travel the wider world in search of fortune and opportunities. Normally, cultivators only left their home continent after reaching the Grand Saint or Saint King Realm. Only those who were truly heaven-defying talents would begin roaming the continents as True Saints. Besides, Cangzhou now offered little in terms of suitable training or future opportunities for the trio. Staying behind would only slow their cultivation. They needed to experience the world. In particular, Fang Chen had long been waiting for this moment. His Qi-Watching Art would undoubtedly prove invaluable during this journey. As for Fang Hao, he also wasn't home often. Most of his time was spent cultivating in Zhen Tian City, within the Bright Moon Immortal Dynasty in the Immortal Realm. Occasionally, he would return to spar with clan members or test himself in the Trial Tower. At present, he hadn't yet reached the 99th floor to earn his qualification for the Ancient Battlefield, but that didn't matter— The battlefield wouldn't open for another decade or so. There was still time to improve and earn his spot. With the return of Shen Hongyi, another Domain Master of Divine Palace Mansion, Fang Ting, Yin Xianhong, and Shen Hongyi disguised their auras and departed Cangzhou together, heading for Shanzhou, which wasn't too far away. Previously, while Fang Ting and Yin Xianhong were visiting Fang Ying and Fang Mu Ge, they were ambushed by five Saint Kings, all clad in black and extremely powerful. Despite using every trump card they had, they barely escaped, both suffering serious injuries. It was the closest Fang Ting had ever come to death, and he needed a long time to fully recover. Back in Cangzhou, Fang Ting mobilized Zui Xian Tower's entire intelligence network, eventually confirming that all five attackers came from Shanzhou. They had noticed Fang Ting after the Pavilion's auction, and since Fang had lowered his guard while visiting Fang Ying, they seized the opportunity. This time, as they set out for Shanzhou again, Fang Ting took every precaution to hide their tracks. His secondary goal was clear: if he could find those five men again—he would avenge the ambush. If revenge wasn't immediately possible, he would at least identify their faction, so that once he had the strength, he could wipe them out entirely. Their journey passed uneventfully—until they arrived in Shanzhou. At that moment, Shen Hongyi was still reeling. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. There were two reasons for his stunned state: It had only been a few decades since he left… So how the hell did his beautiful Junior Sister Yin Xianhong get taken by Fang Ting already? Shen Hongyi had known Yin Xianhong for hundreds of years. He had once tried pursuing her, but after she clearly rejected him, he let go. Over the years, many powerful men expressed admiration for her—every one of them was rejected without exception. At first, Shen Hongyi thought she simply had high standards. But when she kept rejecting even the most brilliant, noble suitors, he concluded she was single-minded in her pursuit of the Dao, uninterested in romance. Now Shen Hongyi realized— She wasn't disinterested. She just didn't like them. Fang Ting's cultivation speed was beyond comprehension. It shattered everything Shen Hongyi thought he knew from over a thousand years of training. The last time they met, Fang Ting had just broken into the True Saint Realm. Now, just a few decades later, he was already almost catching up to Shen Hongyi. In fact, Fang had reached his current level faster than Shen Hongyi did when he broke through a single level of the Grand Saint Realm. It was so absurd, Shen Hongyi seriously suspected Fang Ting had been possessed by a demonic cultivator… Or was a demonic cultivator himself. But then again—even a demonic cultivator wouldn't be this monstrous. Not in the entire history of the Tianyuan World could he recall anyone . The blow to his confidence was real. Yin Xianhong glanced at him and immediately saw what he was thinking. She gently reassured him: "Senior Brother Shen, there's no need to overthink it. The world is vast—miracles abound. All we need to do… is walk our own path well." Shen Hongyi was no slouch himself. He was a genius cultivator, or he wouldn't have risen to his current realm or become a Domain Master of Divine Palace Mansion. After hearing Yin Xianhong's words, he realized he had been overthinking. He almost let it become a heart demon. He quickly adjusted his mindset and let out a breath of relief. "I'm fine now. Let's go." Both Yin Xianhong and Shen Hongyi were Saint King Realm, level seven. Fang Ting was two levels lower, and while he couldn't match Fang Mu Ge or Fang Ying, he could still fight on equal footing with these two. Their three-person team was solid. In theory, Yin Xianhong's talent was roughly equal to Shen Hongyi's, so her cultivation shouldn't have caught up to his. However, after a moment of insight inspired by Fang Ting during a previous visit to Fang Ying... ...she had broken through once on the flying ship. Then after some dual cultivation with Fang Ting, she had broken through again. That's how she caught up. Shen Hongyi assumed she had her own fortuitous encounters. But in truth—both breakthroughs were directly linked to Fang Ting. If he ever learned this, he'd no doubt sigh: "Everyone connected to Fang Ting… levels up like they've got cheats!"