Fangmu Mountain, Treasure Pavilion.
Compared to before, the number of people at the Treasure Pavilion had diminished considerably, obviously due to the Foundation Establishment conference, as many from the Lin Family had gone to Xing County to visit the market.
However, the decoration of the Treasure Pavilion seemed to have been adjusted, appearing even more grand and imposing than before.
Of course, the formations had also become more complicated.
It was clear that Second Uncle had once again improved and heightened the formations at the Treasure Pavilion.
The person in charge of guarding the pavilion had been replaced by another Lin of the younger generation, Lin Houyou, the 28th uncle, who was also an array master, albeit an intermediate grade of the second rank, still some way behind Second Uncle, Lin Houshou, in terms of skill.
Lin Shiming went as usual to collect his stipend, and at the same time, checked to see if there were any good treasures in the Treasure Pavilion.
Having established several merits before, Lin Shiming still had seven or eight thousand contribution points at this time.
However, after looking around, he noticed that the magical materials and treasures were considerably fewer, and the second rank superior grade Heavenly Heart Wood he was interested in was also not there.
As for exchanging for a supreme grade magic artifact, there was no necessity for that either.
In the end, Lin Shiming did not exchange for any treasures; instead, he exchanged for three thousand spirit stones.
"Shiming, you could go take a look at the family's auction in Xing County. There are still many treasures to be had. While the auction has yet to start, perhaps you could intercept some gains beforehand," Lin Houyou saw Lin Shiming's disappointment and couldn't help but suggest.
Lin Shiming nodded his head, took his leave from Lin Houyou, and flew towards Xing County on his flying sword.
The Xing County Square Market was located deep within a bamboo forest nestled between two small mountains, renowned for the toughness of its bamboo, also known as iron bamboo.
The iron bamboo leaves were extremely dense, the branches upright and tall, and from a distance, they added a sense of quiet and mysterious charm to the market.
The bamboo forest's formation, usually tightly closed, was now wide open, and many Qi Cultivators and loose cultivators were walking along the bamboo path towards the depth of the forest.
Lin Shiming also descended from his flying sword and headed towards the Xing County Square Market.
He quickly found forty to fifty houses deep within the bamboo forest, ten of which had been newly constructed for the Foundation Establishment conference.
It should be known that the original Xing County Square Market used to be merely a Qi Cultivator market without the presence of Foundation Establishment cultivators to oversee it, which made many artifact refiners and alchemy masters among the loose cultivators reluctant to come, fearing they might encounter evil cultivators who would forcefully claim the market.
The other elders were also surprised, particularly Lin Yutie, as he had recently crafted a Third Rank Flying Sword and was indeed the Third Rank Artifact Refiner of the Lin Family.
However, for a Qi Cultivator to produce a Third Rank Magic Artifact was nothing short of shocking and scandalous. If word got out, it would be like dropping the Lin Family into a pit of fire.
At this moment, Lin Houyuan also looked puzzledly at his son.
Lin Shiming did not speak hastily; instead, he looked towards the patriarch and then around him.
"Don't worry, a Third Rank Soundproofing Formation has been set up, and with the Seventh Great-Uncle present, even Foundation Establishment cultivators would not be able to eavesdrop!" The Eighth Elder Lin Houshou answered Lin Shiming.
Lin Xianzhi also nodded at Lin Shiming, encouraging him to continue.
"Reporting to Seventh Great-Uncle, auctioning the Third Rank Magic Artifact serves two purposes. First, Shiming believes that a big reason why Xing County Square Market is less popular than Qingyun Square Market is the absence of Foundation Establishment cultivators and Third Rank Magic Artifacts.
A place without Third Rank Magic Artifacts naturally won't attract Loose Cultivators seeking high cost-effectiveness Intermediate Grade Magic Artifacts. Additionally, if we want the market to grow and attract Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivators as buyers, the profit in Spirit Stones would naturally be far more significant."
"Second, the Third Rank Magic Artifact would naturally be sold in my father's name, and if people from the Qian Family show up, we can probe and see if they have found out the secret of the Huang Family!"
This point was the most crucial. After Lin Shiming finished speaking, all the elders fell into deep thought.
They soon all started to agree.
Indeed, the reason the Lin Family was treading on thin ice was the secret of the Purple Mansion Cave Mansion. If this matter were leaked, the Lin Family would have nothing left to rely on, and even the Qingxuan Sect would demand accountability from the Lin Family.
Using the Formation Artifact Manual to probe was indeed the best move at this moment.
Moreover, Lin Houyuan's breakthrough in Foundation Establishment and his previous status as an Intermediate Grade, Second Rank Artifact Refiner meant that it wouldn't be an issue for him to temporarily take on the role of a Third Rank Artifact Refiner.
"Good. We'll do as Shiming has suggested!" Lin Xianzhi finally made the decision with a firm strike of his hand.
After the meeting, the Fourth Elder Lin Yutie and the Fifth Elder Lin Yuzheng took charge of arranging the auction, the Sixth Elder Lin Houyong was responsible for receiving the various Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the Seventh Elder Lin Houyong took care of the family celebration and preaching arrangements.
The Eighth Elder Lin Houshou was in charge of security in the square market and checking the normal operation of the various formations.
Lin Shiming then approached the Fifth Elder Lin Yuzheng to see if there were any items suitable for him.
Particularly, he was interested in the precious heart of Heavenly Wood. Having experienced the benefits of the Heavenly Wood Spirit Cultivation Secret Technique, Lin Shiming now greatly desired a higher grade of Heavenly Wood's heart.