The poorest member of the Imperial Guard, the Empress begged me to embezzle.

In the blink of an eye, a decade has passed.

The Tianji Trading Conference will be held tomorrow.

Chu Xiu spent a month completely stabilizing his cultivation level.

His aura, that of a late-stage Reincarnation Realm cultivator, was extremely refined. With deliberate concealment, no one below the Qiankun Realm could discern his true cultivation level.

At the same time, Chu Xiu also cultivated the demonic secret technique, Heaven-Slaying Arrow, to the entry level.

According to the description in the inherited memories, the Heaven-Slaying Arrow is an ancient-level attack technique. Even those at the beginner level can kill those below the Qiankun Realm with a single arrow.

During the ten-day seclusion, A'nu, Xue Li, and Bi Yu only returned once before disappearing from sight.

Chu Xiu wasn't worried, since with Xue Li, a late-stage Qiankun Realm expert, protecting them closely, A Nu and Bi Yu had no chance of encountering danger in the Heavenly-level Trading City.

"It's time to come out of seclusion."

As soon as Chu Xiu stepped out of his secluded cultivation cave, he used his Qi-gazing technique to locate the three women.

The result, however, made him frown.

"Not within the trading city?"

"Could it be that, like before, I am in a small grotto-heaven?"

Chu Xiu focused his mind and sent a telepathic message to Xue Li through the connection between the master and servant seals.

Within moments, a reply was received from Xue Li:

"The Demon Flame Sect Master couldn't refuse their hospitality and is currently within the Demon Flame Sect's headquarters territory."

Even so, there is no need to worry.

Chu Xiu went to the front desk of the restaurant, canceled his rental of the secluded retreat, casually ordered a table of food and drinks, and sat down in a street-facing spot in the lobby for a drink.

The "Jade Tears" drink from Jade Pavilion, the largest restaurant in the Heavenly-level Trading City, is also a unique specialty within the city.

Unfortunately, each customer is limited to purchasing only one pot.

Chu Xiu grabbed the wine pot, filled a cup, and drank it all in one gulp.

The wine has a rich and intense flavor that lingers on the palate.

"Good wine."

Chu Xiu looked out the window; the street was bustling with people.

Old monsters from all realms, from the Transcendent Realm to the Reincarnation Realm and even the Qiankun Realm, have gathered in this city, all for the purpose of attending the trade fair tomorrow.

The Demon Flame Sect's reception staff stationed at the Heavenly-level Trading City were mostly at the early or mid-stages of the Reincarnation Realm.

These disciples were the backbone of the Demon Flame Sect, and naturally, they couldn't be as lacking in discernment as the low-level watchdog disciples Chu Xiu had encountered before.

They treated guests of equal or even lower status with the same utmost respect.

After all, those who can enter the Heavenly-level Trading City are all individuals with outstanding personal strength or powerful backers. As a top-tier sect whose main business is operating the Trading City, the Demon Flame Sect would not want to antagonize these guests without good reason.

By the time Chu Xiu had finished the entire pot of wine, he had already seen the arrival of dozens of Great Perfection Reincarnation Realm experts and ten Qiankun Realm experts.

Chu Xiu pondered for a moment. The items advertised in the auction brochure he had seen earlier should not have been anything that could attract so many high-level experts.

"Has some remarkable new item been added to this auction?"

Thinking of this, Chu Xiu waved his hand and summoned a maid from the Jade Pavilion.

While ordering a regular drink, I inquired about the latest information regarding the trade fair.

"The Dao Fruit of Heaven and Earth?"

Chu Xiu was taken aback when the maid uttered the name.

The so-called Dao Fruit is a fruit formed by a cultivator in the Qiankun Realm before their death, condensing all their cultivation and all their insights since embarking on the path of cultivation.

Its essence is a Qiankun Golden Pill containing the Great Dao. If it is completely refined, it may even be possible to completely inherit all the cultivation and understanding of the Great Dao of the person who condensed the Dao Fruit in his lifetime!

If a powerful cultivator at the Reincarnation Realm obtains it, they may be able to enter the world of power overnight!

If a Qiankun Realm expert obtains it, they will surely be able to reach a higher level, or even glimpse beyond the Qiankun Realm!

Normally, the Dao Fruit of Heaven and Earth only appears within cultivation families that have been passed down for countless years.

After all, cultivation is not easy. Apart from those family cultivators with an extremely strong sense of belonging, not many Qiankun Realm cultivators are willing to leave their life's achievements to future generations after learning that their time is coming to an end.

Furthermore, condensing the Dao Fruit requires special secret methods, which are usually passed down only within cultivation families and cannot be leaked to the outside world.

"Sir, you may not know this, but this Qiankun Dao Fruit was condensed by a human cultivator at the Great Perfection of the Qiankun Realm before he passed away in the Demon Realm."

"This human cultivator seems to have come from a prominent human clan. Unwilling to let his skills vanish in a foreign land, he condensed a Dao Fruit before his passing, leaving it behind in the world."

It just so happened that it was acquired by a mere cultivator at the Transcendent Realm and sold to my Demon Flame Sect through special channels.

"So it's a Dao Fruit left behind by a human cultivator at the Qiankun Realm..." Chu Xiu nodded slightly.

The value of this Dao Fruit of the Qiankun Realm should be immeasurable.

However, Ye Wujiang did not choose to keep him, thus creating a Qiankun Realm expert for the Demon Flame Sect. Does this mean that a Qiankun Realm expert is not a strong necessity for the Demon Flame Sect?

Or perhaps, Ye Wujiang already has a target in mind, believing that the person who possesses what he desires will come to trade for this Qiankun Realm Dao Fruit.

As Chu Xiu drank and pondered, the maid from the Jade Pavilion looked at him and found him increasingly familiar.

"ah!"

The maid suddenly covered her mouth and exclaimed, pulling Chu Xiu back to reality.

"What?" Chu Xiu asked, raising his eyes.

"Sir...sir, is your surname Chu?"

The maidservant took several steps back, bewildered, and asked hesitantly.

Chu Xiu raised an eyebrow: "You know me?"

Unexpectedly, after receiving Chu Xiu's reply, the Jade Pavilion maid collapsed to the ground. Seeing that Chu Xiu was in a daze, she suddenly remembered something, quickly got up, gave Chu Xiu a graceful bow, and then hurriedly left with small, hurried steps.

Chu Xiu looked completely bewildered by this situation.

Before long, the female manager of the Jade Pavilion, who had previously arranged for Chu Xiu to rent the secluded cultivation cave, hurried over with small, quick steps, led by the maid.

"Young Sect Master, your presence is truly an honor. I, Cui Ming, failed to recognize your appearance and identity, and have been disrespectful to you. Please forgive my offense!"

The female shopkeeper named Cuiming bowed respectfully to Chu Xiu, her head bowed and her face filled with fear. She only dared to observe Chu Xiu's expression out of the corner of her eye, but she did not see the mockery or fury she had imagined.

Chu Xiu asked blankly, "What young sect master? I am not the young sect master of your Demon Flame Sect."

Cui Ming looked up in surprise: "May I ask your name?"

"Chu Xiu".

"Then that's it. You are indeed the first young sect master of my Demon Flame Sect since its founding."

Your portrait has been circulated throughout the entire Demon Flame Sect. Apart from the lower-ranking disciples who are not qualified to behold your divine countenance, all disciples above the True Transcending Realm recognize your face. I could not possibly mistake your features!

Chu Xiu said helplessly, "I'm really not your young sect leader, is that what Brother Ye said?"

"Brother Ye..."

Cold sweat broke out on Cui Ming's forehead. Good heavens, the person in front of her was undoubtedly the young sect leader appointed by the sect master.

Otherwise, why would anyone in the Demon Flame Sect's territory not respectfully address the sect leader as "Night Lord," but instead use such an affectionate term as "Brother Night"?

"Did the young sect leader receive a piece of white jade from the sect master before?"

Although Cui Ming was certain that the young man in front of her was her own young sect leader, she still guided him by asking questions out of respect for Chu Xiu, who looked completely bewildered.

“There is a piece of white jade, but isn’t that a pass for free travel between the Demon Flame Sect and the Heavenly-level Trading City?” Chu Xiu asked doubtfully.

Hearing this, Cui Ming breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "That's more than just a pass..."

"That white jade... is the symbol of the next successor of my Demon Flame Sect!"

"You are the young sect master of my Demon Flame Sect!"