“The Storm Lord has purchased the fourth set of armor!”
“My goodness, not only can armor be purchased, but transactions can also be made with materials. Poison Dragon Fruit, Poison Dragon Soul—such priceless treasures can also be exchanged for armor.”
“Someone exchanged the materials for a set of star artifacts to take an armor!”
“A group of people has found a flock of five thousand exploding hawks and is in the process of capturing them. I heard they want to exchange these exploding hawks for a suit of armor.”
In the southern part of Shicheng, people were talking everywhere about the sudden changes in Black Dragon Trading Company and dozens of other shops.
The important figure rumored to have a Level 9 clearance did not appear.
However, the attributes of the thirty sets of armor were enough to silence a large portion of people.
In the following days, the sales of Heilong Business Guild and shops operated by Zuo Lanfeng and others tripled, rapidly catching up with some third-tier major merchant guilds.
Lu Yu no longer hid his identity, so they now had a powerful backer. Without the City Lord coming in person, no one else in the city would dare to intimidate them.
However, on the seventh day of the ongoing news spread, a person arrived at the Black Dragon Merchant Guild.
A figure wearing a crimson armor with ten generals following behind.
When a group of eleven people appeared in front of the Black Dragon Mercantile Guild’s headquarters, the entire street was filled with an aura of killing intent.
Someone inhaled sharply and gasped, “The Blood Armor Lord!”
“This was the original backer of the Black Dragon Mercantile Guild. By pledging allegiance to the大人 with ninth-level authority, the Black Dragon Mercantile Guild has likely incurred the wrath of this lord.”
Someone scoffed coldly, “What do you mean by ‘might have’? It’s definitely provoked. The person the Black Dragon Merchant Guild has pledged allegiance to hasn’t shown up yet. All we’ve heard is a rumor that it’s a high-ranking official with level-nine authority—who knows if that’s even true?”
The sudden appearance of someone with a level-nine clearance caused some people to believe, but many others to doubt.
The Blood Armor Lord stood in the first courtyard of the merchant guild, where all the members had already fled.
The atmosphere here is very unsettling; a major battle might be about to erupt.
The three presidents of the Black Dragon Mercantile Association did not dare to be negligent and personally came out to welcome the Blood Armor Lord.
“You actually dared to betray me!” the Blood Armor Lord glanced at the three presidents of the Black Dragon Merchant Association, his voice cold. “Who was it that helped you rise from mere small shops all those years ago? I never expected that one day, you would betray me.”
A会长 bowed deeply to the Blood Armor Lord and said, “Blood Armor Lord, we have always maintained a cooperative relationship over the years. Your rise from a general to a lord was largely due to the significant efforts and support provided by my Black Dragon Trading Company. I believe there has never been any question of betrayal between us. We are merchants, and merchants are a group that pursues profit. If we can gain even greater benefits, why wouldn’t we choose to do so?”
“Level Nine authority, huh?” Xue Jia’s black and white speckled eyes gleamed with a cold light as he sneered, “I’d like to see who this Level Nine authority figure really is. If you Black Dragon Mercantile Guild can’t produce someone with Level Nine authority right now, the three of you won’t survive for more than a single breath.”
The three presidents were not afraid, but instead respectfully bowed deeply to the Blood Armor Lord once again and said, “Our leader has been waiting for you inside, knowing you would come. Please follow us.”
The three presidents stepped aside to clear the path leading to the third inner courtyard, allowing the Blood Armor Lord to proceed first.
The Blood Armor Lord glanced at the ten generals beside him and gestured for them to wait here.
Apart from the city lord, there were only three people in the city whom he feared and who could injure him.
He didn’t believe there would be any more here.
Due to the information spread by the Black Dragon Mercantile Guild, as well as those suits of armor, the three individuals with ninth-level authority also took notice.
Before coming here, Xue Jia had also personally visited the residences of these three individuals; the person behind the Black Dragon Mercantile was none of them.
Either it’s fake, or it’s someone who has just obtained level-nine clearance.
The Blood Armor didn’t believe that anyone could obtain Level 9 permissions within the city, something even they, as lords, were unaware of.
The first and second courtyards of the Black Dragon Mercantile Guild were guarded, with the iron gates wide open.
Only the door to the third courtyard was tightly closed.
No one was guarding here, yet no one approached.
The president personally pushed open the door and said, “That honorable guest is inside. Please go in!”
Xue Jia cast a glance at the three of them, let out a cold snort, and strode into the third courtyard.
Not long ago, when he entered this third courtyard, countless people were there to greet him, for this was his domain.
But coming here today, it has become someone else’s place.
How could Xue Jia not be furious?
If the people here were not at the ninth level, he would reduce the Black Dragon Mercantile Guild to rubble.
Xue Jia strode boldly into the courtyard, but suddenly felt an icy chill that pierced to the bone.
The instinct of a strong person made his pupils contract, signaling that something was amiss.
Directly opposite him was the shop located in the center of the third courtyard. At this moment, the door of the shop was open.
The chill that the Blood Armor felt was precisely emanating from this shop.
“This aura—” the Blood Armor retracted its killing intent and fury, its expression turning solemn and grave.
The iron door behind him closed, and the chill in the courtyard grew even more intense.
“Come in if you’re here!” a cold voice came from inside the shop.
Xue Jia took a deep breath, his voice cold as he snarled, “Let me see exactly who you are! If you’re not a high-ranking official with Level Nine authority, I’ll flay your skin off and reduce this shop to rubble.”
Xue Jia strode boldly into the shop. With every step he took, he felt the pressure on his body intensify.
This feeling made his face start to turn blue, and the blue deepened.
When he finally stood at the entrance of the shop, it felt as terrifying as taking one more step would plunge him into a sea of blood.
“Who exactly are you?” Xue Jia came to a stop. He could now clearly see a young man sitting inside, and despite the youth’s unimposing and average build, he emanated an intense, overbearing pressure that made Xue Jia feel utterly powerless to resist.
Even if the person in front of him was not someone with Level 9 clearance, they were certainly very close to that level.
Because the aura around him was incredibly similar to that of the three others, this killing intent was even stronger, and the bloodthirst more intense.
“Do I need to explain it to you any further?” Lu Yu stood up and walked towards Xue Jia.
Lu Yu did not deliberately conceal his aura. The murderous intent from slaying an infinite number of lives, the combative will from battling countless royal experts and even kings, and the overwhelming bloodthirsty battle spirit surged like a tsunami, violently impacting the Soul Body of the Blood Armored Lord.
Xue Jia wanted to argue back, wanted to utter a single word.
But at this moment, he only felt endless pressure and terror towards authority.
“Nine… ninth stage!” the Blood Armor’s voice trembled as he reluctantly acknowledged the person before him.
No need for a touchstone or witness testimony; he could rely solely on his own intuition.
That’s right, there’s no mistake at all.
A powerhouse with ninth-level authority is right here before us!
“Testing is no longer necessary?” Lu Yu looked at the blood armor and asked coldly.
“No, that won’t be necessary!” the Blood Armor’s voice trembled, cold sweat seeping from its back.
In this city, if someone of lower rank questions the existence of a higher-ranking individual, they will face extremely severe punishment, possibly even being stripped of their lord’s authority, and in the most serious cases, exiled from the city.
Outside the city, there are only beasts; it’s a punishment as severe as death.
Previously, there was a lord who questioned the general’s authority, and as a result, the city lord personally severed his limbs and threw him out of the city.
His rank dared to challenge an adult with ninth-level authority; the city lord would personally intervene in such a case.
“Now that the test is no longer needed, you should leave,” Lu Yu said coldly, looking at the blood-armored figure. “I don’t want anyone coming here to cause trouble again, understand?”
The Blood Armor hurriedly nodded and said, “Understood, I understand. B-but, according to the regulations, I still need you, my lord, to take a test before I can send out the news about your arrival here.”
The Blood Armor Lord was no fool, and he was afraid that the information he spread might be incorrect.
I also hope that my perception is wrong.
Lu Yu reached into his robe and pulled out a stone.
The stone emitted dazzling brilliance in Lu Yu’s hand, piercing through the blood armor and causing a slight pain in his eyes.
“Your Honor, I shall leave at once, and I will report everything I have seen here without omitting a single word.”
The Blood Armor Lord did not stay any longer but quickly left the third courtyard and returned to the first courtyard.
Here, the ten generals he brought with him did not leave.
Xue Jia left silently with ten generals without saying a word.
Outside the Heilong商会, many people were waiting for a major battle, or for the Heilong商会 to be razed to the ground.
They didn’t believe that someone with a level-nine authority would be present in a fourth-tier commercial association like this.
The Blood Armor emerged, and with ten generals whose faces were dark with gloom, they departed.
The street fell into a brief silence, then erupted into chaos.
The Blood Armor didn’t even lift a finger; they didn’t even punish the betrayal from the Black Dragon Mercantile.
The only explanation is that the Black Dragon商会 indeed has a more powerful backer supporting them from behind.
Even an eighth-level lord dares not to question or take action; it must require a ninth-level expert or the city lord to handle it.
Boom!
The sky above the street was almost torn apart.
The southern part of Shicheng is not at peace.
“Level nine, it’s really level nine.”
“Even a lord with eighth-level authority dares not to take action; this is truly something that only someone with ninth-level authority or a city lord could accomplish.”
At this moment, no one questioned anymore.
The Black Dragon Merchant Guild, Zuo Lanfeng’s shop, and the shops of Zhang Shan and Armond have seen even more customers flowing in.
Several companies have begun to expand.
Besides those three, a fourth adult with level-nine authority appeared.
This news was personally conveyed by the Blood Armor Lord, who witnessed the test with his own eyes; there is absolutely no mistake.
In no time, the population surged in the southern part of the city, with various lords and countless generals rushing toward this area.
The item levels sold by stores like the Black Dragon Merchant Guild are improving, and they are spending heavily to acquire large amounts of valuable materials, as if money were no object. They purchase everything offered by sellers without hesitation.
Not long after Xue Jia left, someone noticed that a group of mysterious individuals had arrived at the Black Dragon Mercantile Guild.
A woman dressed in a golden robe and wearing a golden mask was someone never seen before.
However, this woman possessed the aura of a lord.
A one-eyed dragon who seemingly possessed only the strength of a Star Lord, yet his aura was astonishingly similar to that of a Sovereign Lord.
An elderly man also exuded an aura no weaker than that of a lord.
Surprisingly, the remaining fifteen warriors all possessed the aura of generals.
This is merely the superficial aura.
“That doesn’t seem right. I feel like these people’s strength has surpassed that of a general; they’re not ordinary individuals.”
“These wouldn’t happen to be subordinates of the Black Dragon Mercantile Association’s esteemed leader, would they?”
While speculating, people began to inquire about Lu Yu’s information. Soon, they discovered that Lu Yu hadn’t just appeared recently; as early as over half a year ago, the wave of acquisitions in Shicheng had already been orchestrated by him.
“This person wants to establish a fourth force, apart from those three factions!”
With such a bold move, everyone could see Lu Yu’s ambition.
“Money alone wouldn’t have allowed him to build such power. After all, those three aren’t merely strong.”
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