Ye Qin was merely an apprentice herb gatherer at the Herb Gathering Hall, a station that certainly did not qualify him to attend the Treasure Exchange Fair held on the third floor of the Yongfu Tower, where the elders of the major guilds convened.

He gave a wry, self-deprecating smile and was about to leave when a memory suddenly struck him. He possessed some kind of Treasure Token; Elder Huang of the Treasure Guild had personally given it to him two months prior, saying that with this token, Ye Qin could seek him out anytime, anywhere. This token should grant him access to the fair.

With an idea forming, he turned and departed.

A quarter of an hour later, Ye Qin returned to the Yongfu Tower.

This time, he was wearing entirely different attire: a suit of dark cloth, a bamboo hat pulled low, a three-foot-long, chillingly sharp great saber strapped to his back, and his body smeared with a light herbal scent meant to mask his natural odor. The mysterious man in black who sold the Clarity Pills to Elder Huang two months ago had reappeared.

Ye Qin stepped into the bustling Yongfu Tower, passed through the common guest areas on the first floor and the distinguished area on the second, and proceeded slowly up to the third floor. Guarding the staircase to the third floor stood four imposing, proud men in tight uniforms belonging to the Treasure Guild.

The stout guards, seeing a figure in black ascending wearing a bamboo hat, could not discern his origin and felt a flicker of suspicion.

The leader of the guards stepped forward, blocking Ye Qin’s path. He cupped his hands in a solemn salute and called out in a deep voice, “Brother, this third floor has been reserved entirely by our Treasure Guild for a trade fair. Unauthorized persons are forbidden upstairs. Only esteemed guests of the Treasure Guild may enter. Brother, please present an invitation or state your identity and background!”

Ye Qin offered no words in reply. He simply reached into his robes and drew out a small, finger-sized, gleaming golden token, flashing it briefly.

The leading guard’s eyes widened, and he let out a hushed gasp:

“A Treasure Token! So, you are an honored guest of our Elder Huang. Forgive my rudeness! Elder Huang specifically instructed that anyone arriving with his Treasure Token should be announced to him immediately. Please, come in. I shall inform Elder Huang at once that an honored guest has arrived.”

The guard, recognizing the immense significance of the small golden token, escorted Ye Qin into the trade hall. He then quickly left the hall and proceeded toward a lavish private compartment on the third floor to find Elder Huang.

Inside the luxurious private compartment.

Elder Huang sat on a rosewood chair, carefully polishing the rare treasures laid out on the table before him: treasured blades, exquisite swords, and armor woven with golden threads. He polished them until they were spotless and shining brightly.

These dozens of treasures were to be the main event of the evening’s exchange.

Before every transaction, Elder Huang habitually brought them to their optimal condition to enhance their appeal and drive up the selling price. During this time, he usually allowed no one to disturb him.

Hearing the sound of hurried footsteps approaching the door, he could not help but frown.

A stout guard stopped outside the door and reported hastily, “Elder Huang, a person in black carrying your Treasure Token has arrived to attend today’s Treasure Exchange Fair. As per your instructions, anyone arriving with your token, regardless of the time, must be reported to you immediately.”

Elder Huang paused slightly, then sprang abruptly from the rosewood chair, an unusual excitement flashing across his ruddy face.

The man in black has arrived?

Forgetting the treasure he was polishing, he strode out of the private compartment and headed toward the trading hall outside.

The stout guard quickly followed, thoroughly bewildered. The look of excitement on Elder Huang’s face did not at all resemble that of a composed Great Elder of the Treasure Guild; instead, he seemed somewhat reckless. Just who was this man in black to elicit such agitation from the Elder?

Elder Huang’s excitement was evident on his features.

He has come. After nearly two months, that mysterious man in black has finally reappeared.

Only he knew the true reason for his profound excitement.

That man in black claimed to be from a certain family and had traded a single Clarity Pill for a piece of azure jade pendant rumored to contain spiritual energy. All of this felt so familiar, stirring a long-dormant memory.

It happened twenty years ago, if one were to trace it back.

Back then, the martial world of Pingzhou was utterly different from what it was now.

Twenty years ago, there existed a mysterious and powerful family within Pingzhou that secretly controlled the Ten Great Guilds. Only the Guild Masters and their heirs knew of this family’s existence. Every command issued by this mysterious family had to be obeyed unconditionally by the masters of the Ten Great Guilds, who were also required to present a tribute of wealth to the family annually.

At that time, the order and ranking of power among the martial guilds of Pingzhou were entirely held in the hands of this mysterious family. Any guild daring to resist, regardless of its size or the martial prowess of its members, or the strictness of its defenses—even the number one guild in Pingzhou—if it offended the authority of this mysterious family, its core leadership and top masters would vanish overnight without a trace, leaving no remains. The guild's strength would plummet overnight, suffering a catastrophic decline.

This family had existed in Pingzhou for over a century. As time passed, none of the Ten Great Guilds dared to resist the iron-fisted rule of this mysterious lineage.

Twenty years ago, Elder Huang was only in his early forties, a core middle-aged disciple of the Treasure Guild, and one of the most promising candidates to inherit the position of Guild Master.

As a potential successor to the Treasure Guild Master, he had accompanied the previous, aging Guild Master to deliver an entire cartload of rare jade, precious herbs, exotic woods, and various rarities, totaling tens of thousands of gold leaves in value, to the family patriarch as the triennial tribute from the Treasure Guild.

Thus, he was privileged enough to glimpse a sliver of the inner workings of that family and met one of their members. The family seemed to consist of about six or seven people, comprising the old, the young, men, and women.

It was rumored that every single member possessed skill beyond that of a Peerless Master.

Of course, no one had ever seen them engage in combat; those who had likely were long dead.

After inspecting all the goods in the cart, the family patriarch selected merely ten or so pieces of jade, two pieces of rare wood, and a few minor items. The rest, he deemed worthless dross without any spiritual energy, and he berated the old Guild Master.

The old Guild Master dared not utter a single dissenting word.

After scolding the old Guild Master, the patriarch rewarded him afterward with a "miraculous elixir," rumored to extend life and cure all diseases, and encouraged the old Guild Master to deliver even more jade and herbs in three years, promising to exchange more such elixirs for them.

The old Guild Master treasured the elixir as if it were a supreme artifact, keeping it close and refusing to show it to anyone.

However, he only witnessed this triennial offering once firsthand.

Later, for unknown reasons, all members of the mysterious family vanished overnight and never reappeared. Where they went, no one knew. Naturally, the Ten Great Guilds ceased their triennial tribute.

Elder Huang never understood one thing: why did the jade in that great cart possess no spiritual energy, while only those ten small pieces of jade and the rare wood did? In his eyes, they were all the same jade; he couldn't tell the difference. How could the members of that mysterious family discern the distinction?

This remained an unsolvable mystery.

Twenty years flew by. The previous Master of the Treasure Guild retired early. Huang Jin Hu unexpectedly lost out to another rising candidate for the position of Guild Master, failing to ascend the throne of the Treasure Guild, and instead became the Chief Grand Elder of the Treasure Guild.

The Ten Great Guilds of Pingzhou, once held under the iron fist of that family, were subsequently unbound and freed from any constraint. The competition among the Ten Great Guilds for dominance over the Pingzhou martial world grew increasingly fierce.