Under Shan Shubao's mediation, the dispute between the two cultivators gradually wound down. The Adept surnamed Chu had made his case convincingly: The Lonebank Stone was vital to his cultivation, and he was not willing to give it up. Meanwhile, the Sea-Calming Disc had no strict requirement for it. Adept Chu agreed to find a substitute for it, and the other party agreed not to compete against him at the auction. Of course, if cultivators from other forces chose to bid aggressively, Adept Chu would have no one to rely on but himself.

With that, the matter of the Lonebank Stone was settled. Afterward, more cultivators spoke up to state the resources they wanted, hoping to avoid competing with others present.

"I need the Meridian Unblocking Herb. One of my descendants was born with blocked meridians and needs it to refine the necessary pills. It may be third-tier, but it's of little use to Adepts like us. I trust no one will compete with me for it, right?"

"That piece of Nine Yang Geng Metal is mine. I trust no one will interfere when the time comes."

"Fellow Daoist, I'm afraid I can't agree. Nine Yang Geng Metal is supreme-grade among Geng Metal. If you add even a little to a metal-fire dual-attribute flying sword, it'll make it incredibly sharp. I must have it as well!"

"Hehe, do you really want to compete with me?"

"Then we'll let our abilities decide."

"I wonder if anyone here is interested in the Coral Glaze Umbrella?"

"Fellow Daoist Yue Luo, are you interested in it?"

"It's not for myself. That Coral Glaze Umbrella belonged to a close friend of mine. He was ambushed and killed, and his treasures were stolen. Now that it's turned up at the auction, I want to buy it back and return it to his family."

"If that's the case, Fellow Daoist Yue Luo, I won't compete with you. It's just a low-grade enchanted treasure anyway."

"Much appreciated!"

***

Luo Chen watched in silence. If the point of this part was building relations, then it was doing a good job. From this, it seemed that the alliance between Devil's Snare and the Penglai Immortal Sect was already set in stone, as even the smallest details were being arranged to prevent conflict.

He was also curious about another matter. "Some of these resources come from our three forces to begin with. Why not distribute them internally? Why put them up for auction?"

Wu Qi replied through voice transmission, "This whole event was put together by Sage Jadecold. If everything stayed internally, no one would be able to cough up her share of the profits."

The auction was organized by Sage Jadecold? Luo Chen's brow arched. But as he thought of Jadecold City's long-standing neutrality, he quickly understood, and he found it quite amusing. They sought to satisfy Sage Jadecold, yet privately coordinated to suppress bidding prices, which in turn reduced her share. The contradiction was hard to ignore.

He only started to understand what was going on when the third part of the meeting began.

This third part was the usual cultivator exchange. Some raised questions and sought advice about their cultivation, while others shared what they had seen and heard. The rise and fall of forces across the Northern Sea islands, the emergence of powerful figures, the destruction of ancient forces, the movements of the demon races in the Demon Sea—all were discussed in this room.

During this process, Luo Chen also found out some information about Sage Jadecold from Yu Gao's remarks. It turned out that she was originally from the Penglai Immortal Sect. For some unknown reason, she had defected and became entangled with a Sage of the Primordial Devil Sect, in some way or another. With that elder's backing, she secured Jadecold City as her cultivation ground. This auction had likewise been made possible through her guarantee, along with the Heaven Origin Trade Alliance working behind the scenes.

The Penglai Immortal Sect, the Primordial Devil Sect, Devil's Snare....

Luo Chen understood the source of the contradiction. In this alliance, the intermediary was not just the Heaven Origin Trade Alliance. Sage Jadecold was also involved, so she had to get a share. Yet compared to a great power like that, even as a Sage, she was completely insignificant. A token share was enough. There was no need to give her too much.

With that realization, Luo Chen could not help but sigh to himself. Matters of the world were full of twists and turns. Even a Sage could not act entirely of her own will. As for any deeper details, he could not uncover them as the gathering was already drawing to a close.

When it ended, Luo Chen did not linger like the others. He knew few people here, and speaking too freely with shallow acquaintances was not his way. Hence, he left early.

From a window on the sixth floor of the Heaven Origin Tower, Wu Qi watched his departing figure as the faint sense of unease gradually faded.

Beside him, the eagle-nosed old man asked, "You've been watching him quite closely. Do you know him?"

"At first I thought he was an old acquaintance, but his movement technique is completely different. Seems I was mistaken." Wu Qi shook his head, then smiled. "Though, I suppose... even if I didn't know him before, I do now."

Eagle Devil curled his lip. "You don't focus on your cultivation, yet you're so keen on socializing. What good is that for the Great Dao?"

Wu Qi remained calm. "The more friends I have, the more options I get. You know how it is. The Blood Nightmare lineage has plenty of experts, but most of them came from the Primordial Devil Sect. We're not exactly of the same mind. And after joining Devil's Snare, they all go into seclusion. When something comes up, I either deal with it myself or ask you for help. If this goes on, something will happen sooner or later."

At this, even Eagle Devil showed a puzzled expression. "I don't get it either. Aren't orthodox devil sect disciples usually pretty bold? Why is it that under Blood Nightmare they focus on cultivation and never show up outside? Speaking of which, wasn't there a survivor from the Primordial Devil Lineage who came to seek refuge not long ago? What was his name again?"

Wu Qi said in a low voice, "He Yuan, fourth stage of Golden Core. He's quite strong."

"Right, that guy." Eagle Devil nodded heavily. "He was pretty arrogant when he first showed himself, but he's been nowhere to be seen lately. Could it be that Blood Nightmare..."

"Eagle Devil, you are overthinking it."

Wu Qi smiled, though it looked forced. He glanced once more in the direction Luo Chen had left, then took a deep breath. "Let's go. Yu Gao's still waiting for us. I wonder how many Adepts the Penglai Immortal Sect sent this time... and who is leading them."

***

After returning to the valley, Luo Chen immediately took out the scroll and studied it carefully. Han Zhan appeared, swept it with his divine consciousness, and asked, "Planning to craft a defensive enchanted treasure?"

"Mhm." Luo Chen responded as he continued reading.

Han Zhan did not understand. "Why go through it in such detail? When the time comes, just pay up and have a master artisan handle it."

Luo Chen raised his head. A bitter smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Senior, after what happened with the Primordial Unity Cauldron, do you think I'd still trust someone else to craft something that concerns my life?"

Han Zhan froze for a moment, then laughed. Ah, so it's just once bitten, twice shy.

He said teasingly, "The difficulty of crafting enchanted-treasure armor is second only to that of soul-defense enchanted treasures. It's much harder than making offensive enchanted treasures, formation discs, or puppets. Even renowned artisans wouldn't dare promise success. If you insist on doing it yourself, I'm afraid you'll fail."

"Failure?" Luo Chen let out a soft laugh and lowered his head to continue studying the scroll. "I am used to it."

Han Zhan paused. He thought of how Luo Chen had always remained calm in the face of failed alchemy attempts, and for a moment, he found no words to refute him. Indeed, being used to failure did not mean accepting it. It only meant that a new attempt would have to be made. As long as the conditions allowed, success would come sooner or later. Still, he could not help but feel puzzled. Luo Chen was already exceptionally talented in alchemy, spells, and even formations. Could it be that he also had the makings of an artisan?