Old Tao whispered to Lu Yin, "The Sima Chamber of Commerce may not be easy to deal with, but our Grandverse Manor is even more formidable. We are bold enough to carve our names onto the walls of the Apex Palace—what could our Third Boss possibly fear? On top of that, your victories in the Umbral Deep and the Roaming South Realm have cemented your reputation. No matter how powerful the Sima Chamber of Commerce is, is the High Seraph going to personally protect them?

"I doubt that the Sima Chamber of Commerce dares to openly oppose you, Third Boss. We should act just like before: bold and brazen. Let the entire Spirit Nidus know that we’re coming after them. That way, they’ll have no choice but to respond. If they try to fight, they won’t stand a chance. Their only option will be to help us find the ones who killed Ba Liu and Yi Yao.

"This will save us a great deal of trouble."

Ru Mu grew puzzled. "What if the Sima Chamber of Commerce is actually behind the attack?"

Old Tao responded fiercely, "Then we say nothing at all and simply deal with them."

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. "Are you really that worried about going against the Sima Chamber of Commerce?"

Old Tao blinked. "Not at all. This is simply making things easier for us, isn't it?"

Ru Mu gave a small smile. "From what you’re saying, there are only two possible outcomes. The first is that the Sima Chamber of Commerce avoids all responsibility. Second, they find a scapegoat, which will be someone that everyone will be willing to accept without question.

"Regardless of which happens, we won’t need to fight them directly. Am I right, Old Tao?"

Old Tao solemnly replied, "You all are underestimating just what the Sima Chamber of Commerce is capable of. They are more than able to help us find the murderer. Even if they can’t, the Ascendant Hall and the Gate of Laws will find a way to do so for them. They both want to protect the Sima Chamber of Commerce."

Lu Yin stood up. "Then it’s decided."

Several people looked at him as Lu Yin stared off into the distance. "We won’t make trouble for anyone. Instead, we’ll approach the Sima Chamber of Commerce."

Yuan Qi let out a long breath. Approaching the Sima Chamber of Commerce was not only for Ba Liu and Yi Yao, but also for the High Seraph. Old Tao's caution allowed them to eliminate any option which might allow the Sima Chamber of Commerce to escape.

Old Tao's expression grew troubled. "Third Boss, it's hard to understand sometimes, but why are you so eager to make trouble for others?"

"Where is the Sima Chamber of Commerce?" Lu Yin asked.

Old Tao coughed awkwardly. "The Daquan Domain."

Yuan Qi was surprised. "Yi Shang’s domain? Didn’t you say that the Sima Chamber of Commerce hadn’t merged with Yi Shang’s Chamber of Commerce?"

Old Tao explained, "The Daquan Domain’s Chamber of Commerce is the largest company in the Spirit Nidus. All other trade associations in the megaverse have joined them. So, all of their headquarters are in the Daquan Domain. While the Sima Chamber of Commerce hasn't joined the Daquan Domain’s Chamber of Commerce, they are still headquartered in the Daquan Domain for convenience. They are still a trade association, and if they weren’t based in the Daquan Domain, they would lose out on a great number of contacts.

"Every year, many of the materials needed to create sequence bases that are not found by the Sima Chamber of Commerce still appear in the Daquan Domain. By being headquartered there, they can easily acquire quite a few special materials.

"Another important point is that the Sima Chamber of Commerce, while not a part of the Chamber of Commerce, cannot function without it."

Ru Mu grew curious. "What does that mean?"

Old Tao continued, "Yi Shang's Chamber of Commerce covers the entire Spirit Nidus and has indirectly extended its reach to all parallel universes connected to it. Managing resource allocations solely from the Daquan Domain would be unrealistic. This necessitated the establishment of a regional allocation system: parallel universes first send resources to the Spirit Nidus, which then distributes them across the thirty-six domains. Finally, the resources are funneled from the thirty-six domains into the Daquan Domain.

"The collective resources of the entire Spirit Nidus is concentrated in the Daquan Domain, creating an enormous and diverse supply. The Sima Chamber of Commerce can obtain materials for creating sequence bases from these resources. However, they do not directly search for them in the Daquan Domain. Instead, they acquire them through the trade associations that manage the resource distribution across the thirty-six domains. This privilege was granted to the Sima Chamber of Commerce by the Ascendant Hall.

"Within the thirty-six domains, there are five official trade associations that are responsible for resource allocation. All of the Spirit Nidus’s resources are transported to the Daquan Domain through these five associations. Before that happens, the Sima Chamber of Commerce has the opportunity to select and pick materials needed for sequence bases from these associations. This is one of the primary sources of sequence base materials.

"The Sima Chamber of Commerce has representatives embedded within all five trade associations.”

Lu Yin understood. There was a tremendous number of parallel universes in the Spirit Nidus. If all of those universes’ resources were directly concentrated in the Daquan Domain, then even when ignoring the possibility of the transports being intercepted, it would be nearly impossible for the Daquan Domain to handle such an influx. It would be too chaotic.

By sending resources through several stages, they were able to smoothly arrive in the Daquan Domain in an organized manner. On top of that, there was no need for too many people to guard the transports, and there was also no need for too wide of a variety of resources to be accounted for.

The Sima Chamber of Commerce had assigned people to each of the five trade associations operating out of the thirty-six domains. This made it very easy for them to find the materials that were needed for sequence bases.

The biggest difference between the Spirit Nidus and the Tianyuan Megaverse was in how unified the megaverses were. The Tianyuan Megaverse was too chaotic and disorganized. Lu Yin had wasted a great deal of time searching throughout the entire megaverse for the resources needed to manufacture energy converters and mechas. During that, many cultivators had intercepted and seized those resources. The fact that Lu Yin had not personally handled such matters did not mean that they did not occurr.

Such things were far less common in the Spirit Nidus, and for that reason, it was convenient for the Ascendant Hall to handle the entire megaverse’s resources.

Yuan Qi sighed. "When I was last here, the Spirit Nidus’s chambers of commerce had not been incorporated into a single entity, and there were companies everywhere. In order to find the resources you needed, you had to search through the entire Spirit Nidus."

Old Tao said, "Now, you only need to go to the Daquan Domain. Even the rarest of resources can be found there, and there’s no need to search the entire Spirit Nidus. It saves a great deal of time and effort.

"Yi Shang has greatly benefited the Spirit Nidus when it comes to gathering and distributing resources."

"In all of this, the Wisdom Domain’s influence can’t be ignored," Lu Yin interjected.

Old Tao knew nothing about this. There were many developments that occurred due to the Wisdom Domain’s influence, but only those at a certain height could see that truth.

Old Tao said, "Third Boss, if you want to go after the Sima Chamber of Commerce, this is the perfect opportunity. It won’t draw any attention, and we’ll definitely be able to track them down."

Lu Yin stared at the old man. "You're not still trying to avoid a direct confrontation with the Sima Chamber of Commerce, are you?"

Old Tao chuckled dryly. "I don’t dare, I don’t dare. Once you’ve made a decision, the Grandverse Manor follows your will. I’m just a humble servant, doing my best to lighten your burdens."

Ru Mu laughed, and Yuan Qi stared at Old Tao. "Now that’s talent."

"Speak."

Old Tao's expression grew serious. "As I just mentioned, all of the Spirit Nidus's resources are gathered in the Daquan Domain. Before reaching there, they pass through five trade associations spread across the thirty-six domains. It’s not easy to become one of these official trade associations, as they handle a massive flow of resources. Some goods are available for direct purchase, which effectively grants them first purchasing rights across Spirit Nidus. That’s a lucrative position—not just for the associations themselves, but also for those they cooperate with. That’s why so many organizations compete fiercely for these five spots.

"The positions of the five trade associations change every twenty years, and we can use this opportunity to compete for one. The Sima Chamber of Commerce will undoubtedly send key figures to the selection process, likely to ensure a favorable outcome. This will allow us to make our move without exposing ourselves."

Lu Yin understood. "You want us to compete and become one of the five official trade associations?"

"That’s not even necessary. The Hundred Grasses Domain already has its own associations. It was once prominent enough to hold a position among the five, but as it declined, it completely lost any chance of regaining that status. We can take advantage of that," Old Tao said.

The Hundred Grasses Domain had once been a flourishing place, but it had fallen into decline because of what Yu Shan had said. The place had transformed into a cultivation wasteland. No one visited the domain, especially since Yu Shan had continued to watch over it. The Hundred Grasses Domain had been treated as a forbidden zone for cultivators.

However, there were still many ordinary people who lived there.

To Lu Yin and his Grandverse Manor, the Hundred Grasses Domain was not a large place. With a single step, they could cross the domain, but for peak powerhouses, the domain was a vast region that was difficult to traverse. For those even weaker, such as Semi-Progenitors, Envoys, or even Enlighters, the Hundred Grasses Domain was even larger.

After all, it was one of the Spirit Nidus’s thirty-six domains.

A single mountain range could contain a universe, similar to the pond civilizations in the Perennial World. There were countless such hidden civilizations.

There was a mountain range in the Hundred Grasses Domain that had once been particularly famous. It was known as the Hundred Leaf Mountains, and its name came from the Hundred Leaf Trade Association, which had once represented the Hundred Grasses Domain and served as one of the five official trade associations. At that time, countless resources had flowed into the Hundred Grasses Domain, causing many to envy it and greatly elevating the status of the Hundred Leaf Trade Association.

Unfortunately, that period of prosperity had been short-lived. The Hundred Leaf Trade Association had fallen alongside the Hundred Grasses Domain.

There were only a handful of people still with the company.

Old Tao arrived in the Hundred Leaf Mountains and quickly found the ruins of the trade association.

Traces of their former glory could still be seen amongst the ruins. The company’s unique logo was carved in every corner. It was impressive, yet also humble. Remnants of spirit treasure formations lingered underground, and the entire mountain range was dotted with dedicated cultivation locations for that had once been used by the cultivators who had transported goods for the company. Deeper in the mountains, various rare and valuable natural treasures had once flourished.

The entire mountain range was a seamless whole, which had once been protected by a single spirit treasure formation that was strong enough to withstand attacks from sequence powerhouses.

Such glory had once belonged to the Hundred Leaf Trade Association.

Old Tao sighed, his hands clasped behind his back as he looked around. "What a pity, what a pity..."

In a corner, a stone fell. It struck the ground with a soft sound.

Old Tao looked over and saw a person lying in the shadows of the ruins, asleep. If not for the sound of the falling stone, he might not have noticed the sleeper.

The person seemed like an ordinary human, as they had no discernable aura and were covered with grass. There were upended wine jars scattered about. It looked like the person had abandoned any sense of temperance, resigning himself to his fate.

Old Tao approached the man and kicked him.

There was a bang, and jars of wine shattered as the sleeper was kicked across the ground. He let out a wail while grabbing his rump and leaping to his feet. "Who? Who disturbed your grandfather's sleep?"

Old Tao smiled at the man. "It’s been a long time, Ye Laogui."

The roused drunk had a weathered face and tattered clothes. Drink still dripped from his white and gray beard, and anger blazed in his bloodshot eyes.

When the man saw Old Tao, his eyes bulged, and he started cackling. "Old friend, it's you!"

Old Tao laughed as well. "It’s been too long."

"Yes, yes, it has." The man suddenly threw a gray substance at Old Tao, even as his smile stayed as brilliant as ever. The man then grabbed a jar of wine and threw it at Old Tao’s head, but the man was already prepared and easily dodged the attack. The jar shattered on the ground loudly. Old Tao felt a chill. "As sneaky as ever, old man."

The man gritted his teeth. "You old bastard! You kicked me as soon as you see me? Who’s the sneaky one?"

"If I hadn’t done that, how would I have woken you?"

"Get lost! Get as far away as possible!"