Everyone else was also busy, and just as they were enthusiastically searching, a violent wind struck. In an instant, a cultivator was sent flying, his chest caved in, spewing blood from his mouth, unable to even let out a scream before meeting his end in the northwest.

"Damn it, there’s someone here!" The rest exclaimed in shock upon seeing this, and immediately drew their weapons to attack the suddenly appearing puppet.

However, the puppet had no concept of fear. Their attacks had no effect on the puppet at all, and after the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, there were already several corpses lying strewn about on the ground.

"What level of puppet is this? It’s terrifying..." The surviving cultivators from Cyan Smoke Workshop were starting to regret coming to Li’s Treasure Tower; this was not a mission, it was seeking death!

"Drop your weapons, and we’ll spare your lives." At this moment, the puppet spoke, and the crowd gritted their teeth when they saw it, ready to flash away. It was a joke, surrendering their weapons at this point would mean an even faster death!

Yet, perhaps they overestimated their speed or underestimated the puppet’s power, for before they could even escape through the door, they were struck down by the puppet in thin air.

"Leave one alive." At this moment, Li Mu’s voice rang out. The puppet hurriedly stopped its actions and planned to capture someone alive. However, to everyone’s surprise, the controlled cultivator detonated his own inner spiritual qi and committed suicide!

"Hmm?" Li Mu frowned at the sight, not expecting them to be death warriors. Such a significant move, these merchants wouldn’t resort to such ruthless methods, right?

With this thought, Li Mu quickly ordered the puppet to restrain the remaining cultivators and bring them back for interrogation one by one.

Meanwhile, the Four Seasons Commerce Association had been awaiting news from Cyan Smoke Workshop, but as night passed, there was no communication, leaving Tian Yuqing somewhat uneasy.

"Could there have been a mistake? Li’s Treasure Tower’s background can’t even be traced by Cyan Smoke Workshop?" Tian Yuqing murmured to himself, his eyes filled with confusion.

Subsequently, he gathered shopkeepers from various business societies and the person in charge of the Treasure Pavilion. At this moment, they were assembled in the main hall of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, each with a grave expression. The atmosphere in the hall was somber and oppressive, and no one wanted to easily break this heaviness.

Wang Jin, the shopkeeper of Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, held an Intelligence Jade Scroll in his hand, his face showing obvious dissatisfaction.

"Shopkeeper Tian, you acted on your own on this matter, without consulting us. Isn’t this a bit too hasty?" Wang Jin asked coldly, clearly unhappy with Tian Yuqing’s actions.

"Shopkeeper Wang, I merely sought someone to investigate the background of Li’s Treasure Tower. Such matters don’t require your consent, do they? Besides, if anything happens, you don’t need to bear the responsibility." Tian Yuqing shot Wang Jin a displeased look and then said with some resentment.

"I’ve called everyone today to discuss further. If the opposing background is strong and we cannot act, how should we handle it? We can’t let their family take all the business, can we?"

Then, Tian Yuqing shared his thoughts. Upon hearing them, everyone side-eyed him, struggling to come up with a good strategy for the moment.

In less than half a month, Li’s Treasure Tower’s business was flourishing, raking in gold daily, emerging as a new business star of the Ten Thousand Islands Tower, rising swiftly. Yet, the investigation into its background yielded very limited information.

At Li’s Treasure Tower, the Li Clan’s core figures were merely four people: an unfathomable spirit appraiser Nascent Soul cultivator, Li Mu, overseeing the entry and exit of high-tier spiritual objects, elusive and unpredictable.

Another was the Golden Core female cultivator, Li Xue’Er, who assisted in managing the store, along with two Divinity Transformation Realm warehouse guards: Li Jin and Li Yan, somewhat dispensable.

The other personnel were mostly the original team from Liu’s Spiritual Material Store.

Despite the simple structure, investigating them was extremely difficult, as if they had popped out of nowhere, leaving people puzzled.

After a long time, Wang Jin slowly spoke, "Actually, I think it’s a bit early to consider these things now. Even if the other party discovers us, it’s not to the point of breaking ties. We are all business people; harmony brings wealth. It might be best to have a discussion and turn hostility into friendship."

"That makes sense, but I’m not sure if the other party is willing," Tian Yuqing nodded involuntarily upon hearing Wang Jin’s words, followed by a slightly wistful murmur.

"My business dropped by forty percent this month. If we’re going to negotiate, we need to speed up." Wang Jin couldn’t help complaining as well, seeing the significant impact Li’s Treasure Tower had on them.

As the instigator, Li Mu, had already learned about this from the few captured cultivators. Knowing it was someone from the Four Seasons Commerce Association, he fell into contemplation.

"I just wanted to acquire some precious spirit plants, cultivating high-tier spirit plants to impact the Divinity Transformation Realm, but ended up causing such a commotion. Indeed, blocking someone’s financial path is akin to killing their parents," Li Mu murmured to himself, then ordered the puppet to release the captured cultivators, while he sat in his chair pondering how to handle this matter.

Unknowingly, half a day had passed. With Li Xue’Er and others taking care of Li’s Treasure Tower, Li Mu had little to do for the time being. Just as he was considering whether to initiate a conversation with the major commerce associations’ treasure pavilions, a figure walked into Li’s Treasure Tower.

"May I ask if Li Mu is here?" The newcomer, not much older, asked Li Xue’Er as soon as he entered.