Upon entering the city, Xiao Yan made no hesitation and headed straight for the very center of Golden Radiance City.
Although there are still more than two months until the auction, understanding the situation inside the auction house beforehand would undoubtedly be of great benefit to Xiao Yan.
After all, there are many powerful individuals in Golden Radiance City, including at least ten Dou Di level experts. If Xiao Yan could learn about the auction house beforehand, it would certainly be of some benefit to him.
As Xiao Yan navigated through the crowded streets, he encountered numerous array masters clad in golden robes. Along the way, many shops selling Formation Plate lined both sides of the street. However, from Xiao Yan's current perspective, most of the items in these shops were merely defective products, unworthy of Xiao Yan attention. Only in the city center, in the shops located there, would one likely find truly valuable treasures.
Of course, Xiao Yan wasn't interested in the Formation Plate; his only purpose was to understand the situation in the city.
Following the flow of people, Xiao Yan traversed many streets and discovered that the array masters in Golden Radiance City seemed terrifyingly domineering. Everyone in Golden Radiance City was inferior to the array masters. Although Golden Radiance City was large, nearly a third of the people here were array masters. Moreover, the closer Xiao Yan got to the city center, the clearer it became that there were many beings with extremely powerful Spiritual Strength in the city center, and some of them were even beyond Xiao Yan's ability to compare with.
Without a doubt, that was a formation master whose Spiritual Strength had reached the fourth level. Since Xiao Yan arrived at the Origin Martial Continent, he had only seen one formation master of that level, and that was Chen Zhen, the sect master of the Spirit Refining Sect.
However, to Xiao Yan's surprise, there was actually a formation master in this Golden Radiance City whose Spiritual Strength was no weaker than Chen Zhen's. In that case, the so-called Formation Master Association was also an extremely powerful force!
Just as Xiao Yan had predicted, the Western Region were not as simple as they appeared on the surface. They were also a place where hidden talents and powerful figures resided!
The so-called Four Great Sects are merely the visible forces in the Western Region. The forces hidden in the shadows are the truly terrifying ones!
Thinking of this, Xiao Yan felt a sense of solemnity welling up in his heart. Then, he remembered Qin Yun, whom he had just encountered at the city gate.
"This Qin Yun is probably not from any ordinary background!"
With a silent sigh, Xiao Yan's gloomy mood quickly dissipated, replaced by a fiery glint in his eyes, and his hands beneath his sleeves clenched tighter and tighter.
Although the Western Region are teeming with hidden talents and extremely dangerous, isn't this exactly what Xiao Yan longed for? As the saying goes, "One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black." Only by walking alongside the strong can one become powerful. Ask yourself, on Xiao Yan's path to becoming a strongman, how many times has he not sparred with the strong, constantly tempering and growing through the pain of blood and tears, until finally, he was able to grow into a towering tree.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
After entering the city, Qin Yun and the black-robed old man following closely behind headed towards a less populated alley. During the journey, the black-robed old man, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.
"Young Master, that young man named Xiao Yan is extraordinary."
A hoarse voice came from the black-robed elder, causing Qin Yun to stop in his tracks, turn around, and look at the elder with surprise and a mocking smile:
"For Uncle He to say such a thing, Xiao Yan must be extraordinary."
"Young Master is too kind!"
The old man in black robes bowed respectfully, and then the two continued walking deeper into the alley. At the same time, the old man in black robes continued to speak.
"That kid's Spiritual Strength has reached the third level, but he's not a formation master, so he must be an alchemist."
"Alchemist."
Upon hearing this, Qin Yun frowned but didn't say anything more, continuing to listen.
"A pharmacist who can simultaneously elevate his alchemy skills to such a level and also enhance his Dou Qi is a rare find on the continent. It's conceivable that, barring unforeseen circumstances, this young man will undoubtedly become a powerful figure in the future."
"How does the strongman you speak of compare to Venerable Heavenly Severing?"
Qin Yun asked softly as he walked.
"Only stronger, never weaker."
The old man in black robes said in a solemn tone.
"Tread..."
Qin Yun paused, then turned around instantly, his eyes sharp as swords, staring directly at the black-robed old man. Upon seeing this, the old man's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly bowed deeply to Qin Yun, his heart trembling.
Qin Yun remained silent. The two stood quietly in this strange posture, neither of them making the first move.
Until a dozen or so breaths later...
"Hahaha, great!"
Suddenly, Qin Yun burst into laughter, and the person in front of him felt a sudden sense of relief.
"Haha, very good, very good. Since that's the case, then I, Qin Yun, am determined to be your friend! How could I, Qin Yun, miss the opportunity to become a future powerful figure? Yan He, now go and tell Qi Ming and Xiao Yan of the Formation Master Association that no one is allowed to move. Anyone who moves will die!"
Before Yan He could reply, Qin Yun walked forward with a smile, while Yan He frowned, looked up at Qin Yun was walking straight ahead, and a look of surprise appeared in his old eyes. In the end, he shook his head helplessly, stopped thinking about it, and turned to head towards the center of the city.
"Also, bring that Chief Steward Shan back."
Just as Yan He turned around, Qin Yun's voice came again. Instantly, Yan He's expression hardened, and he breathed a long sigh of relief. This was the Qin Yun he had truly met!
After Yan He left, Qin Yun, who was laughing in the alley, gradually lost his smile until it disappeared, eventually turning into a chilling aura.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yan, following the flow of people, had arrived at the city center of Golden Radiance City.
Contrary to Xiao Yan's expectations, there was no large complex of buildings here; instead, there was a huge square.
At a glance, in the center of the square, there stands a huge black stone pillar, nearly ten zhang tall and more than two meters in diameter. Countless runes are densely engraved on it, and beams of golden light are emanating from it, gradually spreading out and finally condensing into a golden barrier in the sky above Golden Radiance City.
Therefore, it seems that this formation is not just about the talismans on the city walls; the stone pillar in the center of the city is the key to the entire formation.