I rely on learning to achieve immortality.

Receiving 20,000 spirit stones in one go replenished Xu Zhou's dwindling savings.

However, the Fei family's commission was ultimately just an isolated case.

After that, Xu Zhou never received an order this big again.

After that, those who came to visit were all under the guise of asking for the formation, but in reality they came to give Xu Zhou gifts.

Some people sent him rare spiritual plants, others sent him tamed spirit beasts. Some families even secretly inquired about his preferences for a Daoist partner.

Xu Zhou rejected all of them.

The gifts these people gave looked fancy, but very few were actually valuable. They were all just gambling on his preferences, hoping to make a big profit with a small investment and build a relationship with him.

Occasionally, someone would genuinely request an array, but these were usually just a junior employee who wanted to modify a spirit-gathering array for their cave dwelling or a water-storing array for their spirit fields. Even if the reward was higher than usual, Xu Zhou wouldn't bother to make a special trip for them.

Overwhelmed by the constant barrage of visitors, Xu Zhou sealed off Red Maple Valley and refused to see any more guests.

Unless a Foundation Establishment cultivator comes in person, or is accompanied by Shen Guanlan and others, no one can enter Red Maple Valley.

After this incident, Xu Zhou's life returned to normal.

"Red Maple Valley is still short of a servant."

Xu Zhou thought to himself, "A similar thing happened before when I was at Baicaotang."

However, after I started having Chen'er greet guests in my place, this situation decreased significantly. Chen'er was quite clever; when greeting guests for me, she wouldn't offend anyone and could distinguish between important and urgent matters, so as not to delay important things.

Unfortunately, Chen'er has grown up now and has been venturing out on his own for many years. I no longer have such a quick-witted person by my side.

Thinking of this, Xu Zhou missed his disciple, but there was nothing he could do.

"After some time, we can ask Manager Huang or Shen Guanlan to see if there are any reliable cultivators willing to come to Red Maple Valley."

"Although I don't have time to take on another apprentice, I can still offer some guidance, and I think there should be quite a few people willing to do so."

"However... it's not so easy to find someone who meets your expectations and is trustworthy."

Thinking of this, Xu Zhou also felt a headache coming on.

If a suitable person cannot be found, perhaps the only option is to return to the sect and ask if any junior members of the Li family are willing to work in Red Maple Valley.

After all, the Li family is well-known, so bringing them over would be reassuring.

The matter flashed through Xu Zhou's mind, but he put it aside for the time being.

...

Time flies, and only one month remains until the auction.

The Chamber of Commerce also seemed quite busy, with people setting up the auction venue in the market every day. Manager Huang was extremely busy and couldn't spare any time for anything else.

Meanwhile, batches of cultivators came from all directions and stayed temporarily inside and outside the market.

Among them were even some Foundation Establishment cultivators who flew over.

The market area was thrown into chaos as a result.

The number of patrolling cultivators at night has doubled compared to usual. The family cultivators keep a close watch every day, but they still can't prevent people from fighting and seeking revenge from time to time.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 202ᴋᴋs.ᴄᴏᴍ]

Many temporary stalls have appeared in the market. Every day, people spread rumors about who has managed to snag a treasure at a bargain price.

However, more often than not, it's a scam.

Most of this chaos did not have much impact on Xu Zhou.

However, with more cultivators in the market, the sales of pills have improved considerably.

He had just refined a lot of first-tier pills and took the opportunity to sell them in large quantities, making a profit at the last minute.

On this day, Manager Huang sent a letter.

The letter expressed apologies for not being able to visit in person, but stated that the promised list of items for the auction was now in progress, so it was a special way to inform them.

Xu Zhou pulled out the list and scanned it, his eyes immediately lighting up.

At the very beginning of the list, there was a prominent item that read "Second-Order Array Dao Inheritance"!

"There really is one!"

Xu Zhou paused for a moment, holding the list in his hand.

In that instant, he almost had the idea of ​​selling all his savings.

But then he noticed the words "Contains hidden dangers" written at the end of the line.

Xu Zhou frowned slightly.

The Chamber of Commerce's inclusion of this clause clearly indicates that there are other unusual aspects to this lineage. Any risks arising from this will likely be borne by the auctioneer.

Thinking of this, he immediately calmed down a lot.

Looking at the price tag following the inheritance, the starting price is tentatively set at 40,000 spirit stones, but the final transaction price will definitely far exceed this amount.

I don't have many spirit stones on me, so I'm afraid I won't be able to compete with the powerful families around the market.

"Fine."

"I do have flawed second-tier array techniques. After learning from the array masters in the market, I was able to continue learning, so there's no need to spend money to buy another flawed technique."

Suppressing his excitement, Xu Zhou slowly scanned the other items on the list.

There aren't many items suitable for Foundation Establishment cultivators; most are magical artifacts and talismans for combat, as well as various cultivation techniques with different effects.

Aside from the inheritance of array formations, the only things that could move him were some unorthodox skill manuals or exotic foreign herbs.

After a rough calculation, if it's just these things, the spirit stones I have are still enough.

He finally put down the list and decided to wait for the auction a month later.

...

Xu Zhou intended to wait quietly, but the actual situation changed.

A few days later, several other Foundation Establishment families in the market sent letters inviting Xu Zhou to welcome the arrival of the Thousand Veins Merchant Guild's flying boat.

It is said that an elder of the Chamber of Commerce was aboard the flying boat.

Although Xu Zhou disliked these scenes, he was, after all, an elder of the Golden Flame Sect, and it was not appropriate for him to remain completely out of the public eye.

That day.

Outside the market, several Foundation Establishment cultivators were already waiting.

Before the group could chat for long, a dark shadow gradually appeared on the distant horizon.

At first, it was just a blurry image.

As they drew closer, the dark shadow grew larger and larger, eventually resembling a small mountain, slowly pressing down from the horizon.

Xu Zhou looked up.

It was a huge, jet-black flying ship, with spiritual light flowing around it. The ship's hull was covered with complex array patterns, and one could vaguely see the figures of many cultivators standing on the deck.

Xu Zhou's gaze narrowed slightly.

This was the first time he had ever seen a flying boat of this size.

In comparison, the small flying boats that the sect used to transport supplies on a daily basis suddenly seemed much more shabby.

A moment later, the flying boat docked outside the market.

The array runes on it gradually dimmed, and a middle-aged cultivator wearing a dark blue robe stepped down.

This person had an ordinary face and an unassuming demeanor. He had a gentle smile on his face and did not look like a cultivator. Instead, he looked more like a wealthy merchant from the mortal world.

However, none of the Foundation Establishers present dared to show the slightest disrespect.

"Fellow Daoists, you have been waiting for a long time."

The middle-aged monk cupped his hands in greeting from a distance, his smile gentle.

"I am merely passing through this place to do some business, and I am truly ashamed to have troubled you all to personally welcome me."

At the front of the crowd, a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Luo family greeted them with a smile.

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Elder Lu and said with a smile, "Elder Lu, you are too kind. This auction will require the Chamber of Commerce's efforts, and we are here as a matter of course."

Elder Lu laughed heartily.

Then he began to exchange pleasantries with everyone.

To Xu Zhou's slight surprise, this person, though a newcomer, seemed to know everyone well.

When he met each person, he could not only accurately call out their names, but also knew a little about their current situation.

The Hu family had members who were injured in previous years, the Wu family recently had new members who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, and the Luo family's spiritual field had encountered problems...

Elder Lu seemed to be able to chat about all sorts of things, big and small.

He spoke with great tact, never offending anyone while always making them feel comfortable and at ease. In just a short while, the Foundation Establishment cultivators, who had initially been somewhat reserved, gradually began to smile.

Soon, Elder Lu also came to Xu Zhou's side.

"This must be Fellow Daoist Xu from the Golden Flame Sect?"

Elder Lu looked him up and down, then smiled and said, "I've been hearing people mention your name quite often lately."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhou simply returned the greeting politely.

Elder Lu didn't say much, but before leaving, as if he suddenly remembered something, he casually said with a smile: "There are also many exotic medicinal herbs in this auction, and there are also many good items in the array materials."

If Fellow Daoist Xu is interested, he may come and take a look.

After saying that, he continued walking toward the next person.

Xu Zhou secretly admired him.

It's no wonder that the Qianmai Chamber of Commerce has been able to expand its business to several countries.

After a short while, the crowd gradually dispersed.

Some stayed to talk with the Chamber of Commerce, while others returned to the market early to prepare for the auction.

As Xu Zhou left, his gaze suddenly paused slightly.

On the other side of the flying boat, several streaks of light flew out from the deck one after another, heading towards the market.

The cultivators had different auras and wore different clothes, so they didn't seem to come from the same place.

"Those people must be wandering cultivators who traveled with the merchant ship."

Seeing this, another Foundation Establishment cultivator from the same family who was with Xu Zhou offered an explanation to him.

"These fellow Daoists travel far and wide, seeking opportunities and secret realms. Sometimes, they follow merchant ships along the way. Among them, their origins are often unclear."

But there's no need to worry. After the auction, the merchant ship will set sail, and these people will leave with it.

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhou nodded thoughtfully.