Not to mention, Elder Liu's words hinted at providing them with a way to earn spirit stones.
Though it seemed too good to be true, what if it was?
After all, the auction had already proven Lingxian Sect's capability and resources. The attendees were more than willing to be hopeful.
Thus, after the auction ended, the cultivators quickly left their private rooms. Guided by the attendants on how to exit the special space and return to Shuishui City, they barely took a moment to orient themselves before rushing toward the Trading Affairs Center.
Those whose sect masters or elders had stayed behind in the city promptly sent a brief message, asking them to join the meeting as well.
By now, no one was worried that Lingxian Sect meant them any harm.
At the very least, they were no longer concerned for their lives. If Lingxian Sect had wanted to kill them, they'd had plenty of opportunities throughout the day and didn't need to go through all this trouble.
As for the fear of being scammed out of their spirit stones? That concern was even less likely.
It was absurd to think Lingxian Sect, a sect capable of producing such fine goods and throwing lavish banquets, would bother scheming for their meager resources.
Just the luxurious feast from earlier—though they had never tasted such delicacies before—made it clear how valuable it was.
They understood this well.
Even if the slightest chance remained that Lingxian Sect might be scheming to swindle them, with so many resources available, that risk was worth taking.
When the representatives of the various sects and royal families excitedly arrived at the courtyard of the Trading Affairs Center, they were surprised. Led to the large meeting room in the back, they found that those presiding over the meeting were not from Lingxian Sect.
Apart from the three major sects of Pusi Kingdom, the other sects and royal families looked at the figure seated at the head of the table—Li Zhanying, the patriarch of the Li family from Pusi Kingdom's royal family—with utter confusion.
"What's this…?" A sect leader, somewhat familiar with Li Zhanying, couldn't help but cast a questioning glance at him.
Li Zhanying returned a faint, knowing smile.
Beside him, Li Zeyuan still looked puzzled.
Before the auction began, their family patriarch had been sighing in the private room, lamenting that the partnership between the Li family and Lingxian Sect would soon come to an end. He believed that Lingxian Sect was likely to take back control of its external transactions.
But after the auction concluded, they had been summoned to meet Lin Xiao.
It was then that Lin Xiao explained Lingxian Sect's desire for the Li family to continue managing Shuishui City's external trade affairs.
Of course, Lin Xiao had asked politely, emphasizing that if the Li family was unwilling, Lingxian Sect would find another sect to take over.
Seeing that Lingxian Sect had no intention of reclaiming control but instead wanted to delegate the responsibility to them, Li Zhanying agreed without hesitation. He immediately and firmly assured Lin Xiao that the Li family would handle external trade meticulously and that there would be no issues to trouble Lingxian Sect.
Lin Xiao was pleased with their commitment and handed over the meeting room to them, even granting the Li family an office in the Trading Affairs Center for future operations.
And so, the current situation unfolded.
This task was second nature to the Li family, as they had already been managing such affairs for some time.
Although their main trade partners had only been the three major sects of Pusi Kingdom, they had also conducted smaller transactions with other sects and nations, albeit less frequently.
Now, their task was simply to expand the number of trading partners, but the process remained the same.
Moreover, the successful transactions with Pusi Kingdom's three major sects over the years had bolstered the other sects' and royal families' trust in the legitimacy of these trades.
Thus, their discussions with the various sects and royal families went smoothly.
As for Lingxian Sect...
Lin Xiao and Liu Yunan were both pleased that the Li family was willing to continue managing external trade.
At that moment, the two young men were seated in the back courtyard of the Trading Affairs Center, sipping on the new spirit tea produced from the sect's spiritual fields.
"So, how did I do, Brother Xiao? Not bad for my first time hosting an event like this, right?" Liu Yunan beamed, his excitement evident in his tone and expression.
Lin Xiao lazily reclined in his chair, holding his teacup as he nodded in approval.
"For your first time hosting something like this, you did very well. Impressive."
Grinning widely at the praise, Liu Yunan took a sip of his tea, clearly satisfied.
"None of our village folks made any mistakes today either. Grandpa the village chief said those cultivators probably noticed that we weren't fellow cultivators, but they were still respectful toward everyone."
Lin Xiao hummed in acknowledgment, his gaze lowered to his teacup. He remained silent, lost in thought.
Noticing his mood, Liu Yunan asked, "Brother Xiao, what's on your mind?"
Lin Xiao shook his head. "Those cultivators were respectful to the villagers only because this is our sect's territory. In their minds, the villagers are now part of Lingxian Sect, but their actual view of ordinary people... that's a different story."
He knew all too well that even though the cultivation environments of the mortal and cultivation realms were worlds apart, to cultivators, mortals and cultivators were simply different beings.
This mindset was deeply ingrained, both in the mortal realm and the cultivation world, and few shared the same views as Lingxian Sect.
If Lingxian Sect wished to lead the entire mortal realm's cultivators toward collective growth, it couldn't be achieved through material resources alone.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be long before ideological differences caused conflict, and the mortal realm would struggle to maintain peace.
To ensure the long-term prosperity of the mortal realm, they needed to align the majority of sects and royal families' beliefs with those of Lingxian Sect.
It was a daunting task.
Lin Xiao wasn't sure how far they could go, but since they had decided to walk this path, they would take it step by step.
For now, though, there was no need to burden Liu Yunan with these thoughts. Shifting the conversation, he asked, "Have you arranged everything for tonight's event?"
Liu Yunan patted his chest confidently, "Don't worry, Brother Xiao, everything's set! I'm not sure if the visiting cultivators will enjoy it, but I'm certain the people of Shuishui City will be pleased!"
Lin Xiao chuckled, "As long as the people of Shuishui City are happy, that's what matters most."
As for the out-of-town guests, their enjoyment was secondary.
"Oh, right, Brother Xiao, there's something I forgot to mention with you and Yi Gao being so busy these past few days." Liu Yunan slapped his forehead, suddenly remembering.