The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Tranquil Mind Pavilion lay in the rear mountains, secluded and serene, untouched by worldly clamor.
Retired, Ning Tianshan sat upright in a bamboo chair, his white hair draped over his shoulders and his expression calm. Hearing footsteps, he slowly raised his eyes. "Wuqiu, what has you in such a panic?"
Ning Wuqiu hurried forward and handed over every intelligence dossier in his hands, speaking in a grave voice:
"Father, this is bad. Take a look! The Eternal Commerce Alliance has suspended operations across its entire domain for three days. The continent's economy is already on the verge of collapse, while every major power blindly scrambles to seize the market, all walking straight into a dead end!"
Ning Tianshan accepted the dossiers and rapidly scanned them. His formerly tranquil expression swiftly turned grave, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes as his aura suddenly grew heavy.
After a moment, he slowly closed the dossiers and let out a long sigh:
"What an exquisite scheme, what ruthless methods! A mere commercial power has toyed with the economies of the entire continent's courts and sects in the palm of its hand. What terrifying business acumen, what audacity!!"
Ning Wuqiu quickly asked, "Father, the situation is critical. How should our sect proceed? Should we warn the major powers to stop?"
"Useless." Ning Tianshan gently shook his head, his tone weathered. "The heroes of the land have been blinded by greed and immediate profit. Warning them now will only make them think our sect is jealous and narrow-minded. No one will believe us."
His gaze deepened as he issued an order in a low voice. "Immediately send word throughout the sect: halt all market expansion, withdraw from every arrangement we followed into, and defend our own foundations. We will