The other factions paid little attention to this news. Only Dongfang Ye, who had been in Black Stone City at the time, was aware that the changes within the Mo family and the two other great families were very likely connected to Ye Xuan.

Considering that Ye Xuan had previously done a favor for their Divine Walk Commerce Association, and factoring in the current situation of their Sky Empire branch, Dongfang Ye had made his decision.

For some reason, Dongfang Ye had a faint feeling that this decision might truly affect the future of the Divine Walk Commerce Association.

After returning to the Luo family residence, Ye Xuan breathed a secret sigh of relief.

’The problem with the materials is solved, so everything is in place. All that’s left is to prepare for Pill production and cultivate Alchemy talent.’

These past few days, Ye Xuan had been training the Luo family’s Alchemists daily.

He was training them in a specific refining method.

This refining method wasn’t actually new. He had used it in collaboration with Hua Luoxuan and the others back in Blue Moon City.

This collaborative refining method could dramatically increase an Alchemist’s efficiency and success rate, preventing a single person’s mistake from ruining the entire Pill refinement.

It was a method where multiple Alchemists worked in tandem, with the number of furnaces used varying based on the number of Alchemists involved.

Only two people grasped the core secrets of the process: Luo Xiang and Qi San. And even they only held separate pieces of it.

Both men were Alchemists at the Peak of Fifth Grade, which was why only they could preside over such a large-scale refinement.

As for their loyalty, Ye Xuan was fairly confident. Luo Xiang was a member of the Luo family, so naturally, there would be no issue. Qi San’s life, on the other hand, was in Ye Xuan’s hands, so he wouldn’t dare have any ulterior motives.

Ye Xuan also trusted his judgment of character.

Most importantly, Luo Xiang and Qi San only knew the refining method. The actual Pill formula remained under Ye Xuan’s sole control; he was the only one who knew its most crucial secrets.

While Ye Xuan was busy, Patriarch Luo Min sought him out once again.

"Young Master Ye, according to your plan, our Luo family’s shops and your shop are now preparing for a unified renovation. I was wondering, have you decided on a name for the business, Young Master Ye?" Luo Min had come to ask for the shop’s name, as the signboard and other things would need to be made once renovations began.

"Let’s call it the Profound Pill Pavilion," Ye Xuan said without a moment’s hesitation.

’This *Xuan* represents the Celestial Profound Continent, but it also represents me, Ye Xuan, or even Xuan Ye. It’s a name I’ve long had ready.’

"Profound Pill Pavilion?" Luo Min’s eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands. "An excellent name."

With the name decided, Luo Min immediately hurried off to get busy again.

The Luo family’s shops in the market district began a complete overhaul.

They closed their original Pill shop, smashed all the display counters, tore down the facade and signboards, and cleared out their entire inventory of Pills by selling them off at low prices.

The Luo family’s actions immediately drew the attention of many families in the Imperial Capital.

"They even closed their shop in the market district. It looks like the Luo family can’t survive in the Imperial Capital anymore."

"They offended the Qin family and lost the Murong family’s protection. How could things possibly go well for them?"

"They’re just asking for death, it can’t be helped. They got arrogant thinking they could rely on the Artifact Refining Workshop, but they couldn’t escape their fate in the end."

"How pitiful. A once-great family, a notable power in the Imperial Capital, yet they’ve fallen just like that."

Witnessing this, many families sighed. Their reactions were varied—some felt regret, some indifference, some joy, and some reveled in their misfortune.

But more than anything, they were filled with a sense of somber reflection.

After all, the Luo family was a first-class noble house in the Imperial Capital. Though not one of the great magnates, they were a family that had operated here for hundreds of years—not some nouveau riche upstarts or insignificant nobodies.

Yet, simply because they had offended the great Qin family, they had been blacklisted so thoroughly that they couldn’t even keep their original shop afloat and were forced to shut its doors. This filled the other families with deep emotion.

’If it were us,’ they thought, ’we’d likely suffer the same fate.’

"I wonder what the Luo family plans to do. Their only way out now is to cling tightly to the Artifact Refining Workshop and work for them. Perhaps then they can maintain a foothold in the Imperial Capital."

"It’ll be difficult. The Artifact Refining Workshop has its own tower, its own ’Artifact Alley’ and sales channels; it has no need for a Second Level distributor. Besides, the Luo family is an Alchemy house and knows nothing about Artifact Refining. At most, they could only help with menial tasks."

"No one knows what will become of the Luo family’s shop in the market district now. Will they sell it, or just rent it out for income?"

Most people, however, were focused on the Luo family’s property. Shops in the market district were worth more than gold, and some of the Imperial Capital’s newly rising families were just waiting for an opportunity to acquire one. Naturally, they were watching the Luo family’s every move.

But to their surprise, on the second day after the Luo family’s shop was dismantled, a notice board appeared in front of the property.

"The Luo Family Pharmacy is being renamed the Profound Pill Pavilion. Now undergoing upgrades and renovations. Grand opening coming soon. We look forward to your visit."

When this news broke, the many families who had been watching closely were thrown into an uproar.

’What on earth is going on? Wasn’t the Luo family’s Pill shop about to go out of business? Why are they starting renovations?’

’The Profound Pill Pavilion... just from the name, it’s obviously another Pill shop. Haven’t the Luo family suffered enough from the Qin family’s sanctions? They still want to muscle their way into the Pill market?’

’Every idiot knows by now that the Qin family has gotten their hands on the Luo family’s two exclusive Pill formulas. That, on top of the Qin family’s sanctions... this is a completely hopeless endeavor.’

What shocked the crowd even more was that the shop right next to the Luo family’s original one had also been emptied. The wall between them was knocked down, and both spaces were being renovated together.

This was an absolutely insane move.

Shops in the market district were worth their weight in gold. When did the Luo family manage to get their hands on the property next door?

One could only imagine the enormous price the Luo family must have paid for that space.

Everyone shook their heads, speechless. They looked at the renovation notice as if they were looking at the work of a complete fool.

’The Luo family is beyond saving. To spend so much money under these circumstances, preparing to re-enter the Pill market...’

To put it nicely, you could call it an all-or-nothing gamble, burning their bridges behind them. To put it bluntly, you’d say their brains had been kicked by a donkey and they were just looking to die.

When this news reached the Qin family, they too were dumbfounded.

"Heh," the Third Elder sneered. "I originally heard the Luo family had dismantled their own shop, and I almost admired their guts. I never expected them to pull a stunt like this. It seems the Luo family won’t shed a tear until they see their own coffin, and won’t give up until they’ve drowned in the Profound River."

"Good. Very good. That matter I arranged—how is it progressing?"

The steward at his side immediately replied, "Reporting to the Third Elder, everything is ready. We await your command and can make our move at any time."

"Excellent. I was planning to make my move in the next two days, but since the Luo family is putting on this show, we’ll wait. Let’s wait for their new shop to open. Then, I will show them the true meaning of despair! Hahaha!"

The Third Elder roared with laughter, a savage, cold glint in his eyes.

Time passed, and everything proceeded in an orderly fashion, just as Ye Xuan had planned.

The various Pills went into production, and the Luo family’s alchemy workshop went into total lockdown. No Alchemist was permitted to leave; for the duration, they all had to remain inside the workshop.

As for the core of the workshop, no one was allowed to enter except for Ye Xuan and Luo Min.

The renovations on the Luo family’s shop in the market district were also nearing completion.

Although everything was proceeding according to plan, Ye Xuan felt that something was missing.

After careful consideration, he finally realized what it was: momentum.

The conflict between the Luo and Qin families had attracted the attention of many families in the Imperial Capital, but the Luo family’s reputation wasn’t big enough on its own. The turnout for the grand opening would be decent, but it wouldn’t be earth-shatteringly popular.

Among the Alchemy Dao powers in the Imperial Capital, the Luo family was only considered middle-tier; they couldn’t attract a massive number of Martial Artists on their own.

This was not the outcome Ye Xuan wanted. He needed to make a huge splash right from the start.

’But how can I make that kind of splash?’

Ye Xuan sank into thought.

Just then, Luo Min paid him a sudden visit. "Young Master Ye, the shop’s renovations will be finished this evening. Also, the Imperial Capital’s auction is tomorrow. I was wondering, when do you plan for the Profound Pill Pavilion to have its grand opening?"

"The Imperial Capital’s auction?" Ye Xuan paused. He had been so busy lately that he had almost completely forgotten about it. Luo Min’s words were the first reminder.

And at the mention of an auction, an idea immediately sparked in his mind.

’Hadn’t he just been worrying that the Profound Pill Pavilion’s opening would be too low-key? Well, what better place to build hype and attract a crowd than the Imperial Capital’s auction?’

Ye Xuan burst out laughing and slapped Luo Min on the shoulder. "Patriarch Luo, thank you for the reminder! Since the Imperial Capital’s annual grand auction is tomorrow, let’s schedule the grand opening for three days from now."

Luo Min didn’t know why Ye Xuan was so excited, but he went to make the arrangements regardless. After Luo Min left, Ye Xuan headed straight out of the Luo family residence.

With only one day left until the annual grand auction, the number of Martial Artists on the streets had noticeably increased. The crowds bustled, filled with people speaking in various accents, clearly having traveled from all over the empire.

This kind of massive auction was held only once a year, so it naturally attracted countless Martial Artists.

Ye Xuan had never been to the Imperial Capital’s auction house, so he stopped someone on the street to ask for directions.

"You must mean the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion," a Martial Artist pointed out for Ye Xuan. "Just walk straight ahead until you reach the center of the eastern district. The most luxurious building there is the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion." He then glanced at Ye Xuan and added a friendly reminder, "You’re here to buy a ticket for tomorrow’s auction, right? I’d hurry if I were you. I heard the official tickets are already sold out. All that’s left are some from scalpers, and the prices are outrageous. But even those will probably be gone soon."

Ye Xuan frowned. "Heaven-Reaching Pavilion? The auction house in the Imperial Capital is called the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion?"

The Heaven-Reaching Pavilion was one of the most powerful commercial organizations on the Celestial Profound Continent, specializing primarily in the field of auctions, with venues all across the continent. In his previous life, Ye Xuan had attended a Heaven-Reaching Pavilion auction in the Profound Domain; he just never expected that the auction house in the Sky Empire’s Imperial Capital would also be part of the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion.