On Northsky Island, several cultivators gathered in the inner hall of a secluded, tranquil courtyard.
Xiong Feiyu and Yun Li, the two Core Formation cultivators on the Branch Headquarters' Council of Elders, were there, along with several steward-ranked elders who held seats and could participate in decision-making, and several Foundation Establishment cultivators with considerable influence within the Rare Treasures Tower.
Once everyone had arrived, Yun Li said, "You've all heard, haven't you? The trade fair held by the Incense Accumulation Sect was a resounding success. In just one day, its transactions reached five billion!"
"Five billion in a single day?"
"That's simply unbelievable..."
Everyone from the Rare Treasures Tower was visibly shaken.
After the grand gathering, the news spread like wildfire, causing an enormous stir in commerce circles.
As a North Sea powerhouse and an important force on the money dao, the Rare Treasures Tower had naturally heard about it.
But only here did they learn the exact figure.
Many were shocked by the news, but when Yun Li produced the confidential report sent back by his trusted subordinates and had it verified on the spot, they had no choice but to believe it.
Everyone present could read those accounts and understood what they meant. For a moment, gloomy clouds hung over them all.
"We've lost... utterly lost!"
"They've developed this far in just a few years. What will happen after another few hundred or thousand years?"
"I said long ago that we had to secure the auction rights for the Three Treasures Floating Incense Pill. From the moment we lost that authority, we had very few means left to keep this sect in check. Every bit of resources and wealth it gains from those auctions can be turned against us. This was never merely a matter of a few