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"This Ancient Treasure Pavilion isn't a place just anyone can enter. Only those who possess invitation tokens from the three major sects are qualified to go in. And getting one of those invitations isn't an easy task," Yao Lao said with a faint smile.
Only those trusted by the three sects that host the Spatial Trade Fair — powerful individuals or influential forces — could ever hope to obtain such an invitation.
Back in the day, Yao Lao had been a frequent guest here. Now, as the renowned Saint Yao, getting an invitation was naturally no problem for him. As for newcomers like Wei Yang and Xiao Yan, they hadn't yet received such an invitation.
It wasn't because their strength was lacking. Rather, it was simply because they hadn't fully integrated into this inner circle yet, hadn't earned its recognition.
They might need to attend one or two more sessions of the Spatial Trade Fair, or gain greater fame, before the organizers would formally acknowledge and trust them enough to send them invitations.
For now, they could only follow Yao Lao's lead, entering under his guidance — juniors tagging along to broaden their horizons.
Yao Lao strode straight toward the grand doors. With a flick of his finger, a streak of red light shot out from his sleeve, landing in the hands of one of the two elderly gatekeepers. As the crimson glow faded, a red jade invitation card was revealed.
"Please, come in."
Upon seeing the jade invitation, the two gray-robed elders' expressions shifted slightly.
Their cloudy eyes glanced over Yao Lao and his two disciples before they both bowed lightly and stepped aside. With a sweep of their sleeves, three streaks of black light shot forward, hovering steadily before the trio.
They were three pitch-black cloaks.
"Most of the people entering conceal their identities. After all, wealth should not be flaunted, and this helps avoid unnecessary trouble. These cloaks were specially crafted by the three major sects — they can block others from probing your aura," Yao Lao explained with a smile.
Then, with practiced ease, he donned his cloak, fastening it neatly so that his entire body was hidden beneath its folds. Seeing this, Wei Yang and Xiao Yan also put theirs on.
"Let's go in," Yao Lao said with a smile before leading the way into the pavilion that exuded an ancient aura. Wei Yang and Xiao Yan quickly followed behind.
As their feet crossed the threshold of the ancient building, Wei Yang's gaze swept around curiously. The interior of the pavilion was rather dimly lit, the décor plain and unremarkable. There wasn't the slightest trace of extravagance or any sense of treasure energy.
"Please, follow me."
While Wei Yang was observing, a gray-robed old man quickly approached from one side, speaking softly to them before turning and leading the way deeper into the shadowy corridor.
Yao Lao nodded slightly and followed without hesitation, clearly familiar with the place. Wei Yang and Xiao Yan, naturally, kept up closely. The group walked through the dark corridor for several minutes before finally stopping in front of a massive bronze gate.
Their guide halted there, turned toward Yao Lao, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and without saying another word, quietly retreated.
"This is our destination," Yao Lao said softly.
Then he stepped forward and slowly pushed open the bronze gate. A faint light spilled out from within, and Yao Lao didn't hesitate — he walked straight in. Wei Yang and Xiao Yan followed closely behind.
They narrowed their eyes slightly as their vision adjusted to the sudden brightness. When the initial glare faded, an ancient hall roughly half the size of a sports arena appeared before them.
Inside the hall, many stone chairs were neatly arranged.
At that moment, quite a few figures were already seated sparsely among the chairs. Like Wei Yang's group, each was shrouded in a black cloak, completely concealing their appearance and aura — no one could tell who anyone else was.
The arrival of the three drew a few fleeting glances, but those looks quickly turned away. Still, Wei Yang could sense that some secretive gazes were sweeping over them from time to time, seemingly trying to deduce their identities from subtle movements or mannerisms.
Yao Lao paid no mind to those probing stares. He simply led his two disciples toward a more secluded corner of the hall.
Then, sitting down on one of the stone chairs, he waited for the two to take their seats as well. Once they did, he flicked his sleeve, and the surrounding space began to distort slightly.
"There are many powerful people here, so we need to be careful. Otherwise, our conversation could easily be eavesdropped on," Yao Lao said calmly.
Wei Yang and Xiao Yan both nodded slightly.
As their gazes swept around discreetly, they could already see traces of spatial distortion in several spots — clear signs of similar shielding barriers. Looks like this so-called Spatial Trade Fair isn't all that proper after all. Everyone here seems to be quite vigilant.
Still, that was to be expected. Inside the trading venue, people would follow the rules and avoid direct conflict, but once they left this spatial zone, all bets were off.
If someone had a valuable treasure on them and caught another's attention, ambushes on the way out weren't exactly unheard of.
"Let's just stay quiet for now. It shouldn't be long before the conference begins," Yao Lao said softly.
After that, silence fell again. Wei Yang and Xiao Yan could feel that Yao Lao was quietly scanning the entire hall, seemingly trying to identify the origins of the other cloaked figures. Seeing this, Wei Yang also quietly released his perception, observing in secret.
Only Xiao Yan restrained himself, sitting still with nothing to do. He chose not to join in on such probing.
With his current late-stage Spirit Realm soul and newly advanced Dou Zun strength, he was indeed powerful in the outside world — but here, among these elites, he was far from the strongest.
He probably ranked only in the third or fourth tier at best. So, Xiao Yan naturally couldn't be bothered to take that risk. If someone noticed his probing, it might only bring unnecessary trouble.
In this quiet waiting, nearly two hours passed silently.
During that time, more black-cloaked figures arrived one after another.
By now, a rough glance around showed that there were no fewer than a hundred people gathered within this ancient hall. Without a doubt, these hundred or so individuals were among the true top-tier powers of the Dou Qi Continent.
Each one represented a peak faction or major force, gathered here to take part in the Spatial Trade Fair. Of course, these weren't all of the continent's top experts — only a portion of them.
Dong—
In the midst of the silent hall, a deep, ancient bell tone suddenly echoed slowly.
Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to it. From the center of the grand hall, within a ripple of distorted space, an elderly man with completely white hair and beard slowly stepped forward, appearing before everyone's eyes.
He looked as though he were on the verge of death, his movements slow, yet his presence was steady and unfathomable.
Glancing at the old man, Wei Yang lowered his eyes, uninterested. This seemingly half-dead old fellow was actually quite strong. A faint, peculiar fluctuation shimmered faintly around his body.
"Peak Nine-Change Dou Zun," Xiao Yan murmured softly beside him.
This elder had already placed half a foot into the realm of Ban Sheng. If he compressed the Dou Qi within his body one more time, it would undergo a qualitative transformation, allowing him to step into the Ban Sheng realm.
However, that step was far from easy.
Between the peak Nine-Change and the Ban Sheng stage, there was more than just the final compression of Dou Qi — there was also a barrier of the soul: reaching the peak of the Spirit Realm, the so-called half-step Heaven Realm.
For most Dou Zuns, that was the hardest part. Compressing Dou Qi and acquiring resources wasn't too difficult. But advancing one's soul realm — that was another matter entirely. The further one went, the harder it became.
The weak rely on the talent of the body, while the strong depend on the strength of the soul.
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