In the auxiliary courtyard of the Sacred Flame Chamber of Commerce, Ye Liuyun’s golden pupils could see through almost every residence—except for a small building in the southwest corner, which was protected by a formation specifically designed to block prying eyes.

“If that violet-eyed boy can see through walls too, then he’s just like me: except for that building, he can see everything! Anyone living here would have no secrets left. What is that place, and why is it guarded so tightly?” he mused inwardly.

He questioned several old servants outside. The elders proved their worth; they had already scouted the surroundings and noted that a chamber-of-commerce steward had entered the small building.

Ye Liuyun concluded it must house someone important within the Sacred Flame Chamber of Commerce—and the violet-eyed youth was most likely inside. That way, the boy could observe others while remaining unseen.

He ordered the four old servants to take turns keeping the building under constant watch, then slipped back into his second avatar’s pocket world so the violet-eyed boy couldn’t spot him.

He also gathered every powerhouse under his and his second avatar’s command, readying them for immediate combat in case of emergency.

Originally he had planned to stay in the royal city for a month and capture more spies. Now, with his identity possibly exposed, leaving sooner seemed wiser.

He wasted no time and resumed cultivation. His soul, bloodline, and physique had all improved recently; they needed thorough refinement before he could advance again. Thus, he and both avatars focused on condensing divine essence.

Spatial force, heaven-and-earth energy, and temporal power also required practice, but cultivation level was the foundation. His current realm was still insufficient, so every moment counted.

Fortunately, condensing divine essence was far faster than condensing profound essence; otherwise breaking through a single minor realm would drag on for ages.

Among those around him, only the demonic beasts and fiends could still keep up. The rest had fallen behind—except Ye Tiandao, who barely matched pace thanks to his ever-sharpening saber intent.

Ye Liuyun had never imagined cultivation techniques could matter so much, but after practicing the Supreme Divine Essence Art he realized that even at the Sovereign or Unity Realm there was still vast room for improvement.

The next day he had Qingyu escort him to the chamber of commerce to select techniques and top-tier resources.

Unfortunately, none of the available techniques accelerated cultivation like the Supreme Divine Essence Art. He suspected such arts were monopolized by the great powers.

He asked Heavenly Fire Ancestor, Wu Xiang, and the Void Pill Sect’s alchemists; all replied that neither their clans nor sects possessed such methods.

Only Heavenly Fire Ancestor mentioned that the royal family might have them, yet judging by their cultivation speed they didn’t seem much faster than others. He had assumed the princes advanced quickly due to superior resources.

But after Ye Liuyun’s inquiry, he too suspected the royals possessed such an art—though not every prince was granted access, since not all of them cultivated faster than ordinary cultivators.

Heavenly Fire Ancestor also warned that the Flamed Seal Galaxy had never produced a Taixu-realm expert.

That startled Ye Liuyun. Apart from the dragon Long Tao, he had indeed never seen a Taixu-realm cultivator—and Long Tao’s cultivation had been continuously declining.

“Do you suspect there’s suppression here?” Ye Liuyun asked.

“I believe so,” the ancestor replied, though he wasn’t certain; it was only a feeling.

Yet Ye Liuyun reasoned that if his soul could break through, perhaps his cultivation realm could as well. With no definitive answer, he shelved the matter for now and focused on the immediate crisis.

A steward was introducing top-grade resources imbued with lightning, flame, ice, and other attributes. Ye Liuyun needed them, yet he suddenly worried the Sacred Flame Chamber of Commerce was testing him—those powers were ones he and his people had wielded before.

Showing no interest, he asked instead for resources that could enhance soul, bloodline, and physique.

The steward said nothing and simply presented what he requested. Still, Ye Liuyun found them rather ordinary; he purchased some, figuring they suited the women who rarely fought and Yu Xiaofeng’s group.

“What about pills and treasures, Young Master Li? You’re not interested?” the steward probed.

With an unchanged expression Ye Liuyun replied, “I rarely use such things; a flying shuttle is enough. When I’m ready to break through a major realm, I’ll buy pills then.”

“What weapon does Young Master Li favor?” the steward continued casually, clearly hoping to sell more.

“I use a spear. But my current weapon suffices; anything of higher grade would be wasted on me.”

Having learned what he needed, Ye Liuyun lost interest in further pleasantries and rose to leave. The steward had no choice but to escort him out of the chamber of commerce.

After leaving the trade guild, Ye Liuyun didn’t linger; he went straight back to his lodgings, claiming he needed to cultivate.

Qingyu assumed he wanted to refine the resources he had just bought, so she accompanied him to cultivate as well.

Later that day, however, Ye Liuyun suddenly sent word for Qingyu to fetch the steward and ready the trade.

“My escorts have reached the capital and will arrive shortly. Have the steward prepare the resources I requested. Once the Devil Flood Dragon is inspected, we’ll close the deal.”

“Ah? They’re already here?” Qingyu hadn’t expected his guards to arrive so quickly.

“Mm. They hitched a ride on a faster sky-boat thanks to a friend of mine.” Ye Liuyun offered no further details and simply told her to summon the steward.

The steward received the message, immediately relayed it to Jiang Yunmo via a voice talisman, then hurried with Qingyu to the small building in the residential quarter.

Ye Liuyun’s spiritual sense caught them coming; he felt a twinge of tension. Qingyu posed no risk—her memories held nothing useful—and the steward had drawn no information from her either. The real question was how the royal house would treat him.

He kept scanning the array formations around the residence, worried the royals might seal him inside. Moments later, the steward and Qingyu left the small building and parted ways. Qingyu returned to tell Ye Liuyun the steward had gone to gather the resources.

Knowing Qingyu’s sea of consciousness was bound by a contract, Ye Liuyun couldn’t probe whom she had met or what had been said. He refrained from using his Soul-Scarlet Pupils on her and simply asked her to go outside the guild and escort the two guards in.