Just as the two of them were talking, a sudden commotion erupted in the grand hall.

Ye Xuan looked up and saw a woman dressed in a purple gauze gown entering the hall.

She moved with a graceful gait. Her jet-black hair was coiled into an exquisite bun, giving her an elegant and dignified air. Her fair face was rosy and lustrous, with skin so delicate it seemed one could break it with a breath. Beneath slender, willow-leaf brows, her eyes were clear and bright.

She possessed a refined elegance, and her very presence seemed to make the entire hall radiate with light.

"It’s Miss Dongfang Zisi of the Divine Walk Commerce Association."

"Why is she here?"

"Miss Dongfang Zisi is one of the Ten Beauties of the Dream Realm Plain. Not only is she beautiful, but she’s also a top genius from Gale Light Academy. Seeing her today, she’s truly stunning."

The newcomer was none other than Dongfang Zisi of the Divine Walk Commerce Association. The moment she appeared, the hall burst into an uproar. Nearly every man’s eyes were fixed upon her.

In terms of looks, Dongfang Zisi might have been slightly more beautiful than Murong Yunxiao and Zhou Qingwei, but they were all more or less equals. The key difference was her aura.

That dignified elegance was something no ordinary woman could possess. Combined with her status as a top genius from Gale Light Academy, it was this that had earned her the title of one of the Ten Beauties of the Dream Realm Plain.

After all, the Dream Realm Plain had many beautiful women, but not all of them could hold the title of one of the Ten Beauties. To earn this title, in addition to looks, strength and talent were indispensable factors—perhaps even the most important ones.

"Dongfang Zisi, you’re here too? What a coincidence." Seeing Dongfang Zisi, Zhou Qingyu immediately stood up and walked forward with a broad smile, completely ignoring Murong Yunxiao at his side.

He was thrilled. At the academy, Dongfang Zisi was far too famous. Although he knew her, they rarely interacted. He never imagined he’d run into her while back home for the Imperial Capital’s auction. The thought made him ecstatic.

’An opportunity this good had never presented itself before.’

With this in mind, Zhou Qingyu put on what he considered his most charming smile and sauntered forward.

"It’s Young Master Zhou Qingyu from the Zhou family."

"Young Master Zhou Qingyu is also a student at Gale Light Academy, so he must know Miss Dongfang Zisi. He’s probably the only one here who can even talk to her."

"She’s such a beauty. I’d give up ten years of my life just to exchange a single word with her."

Everyone here was a young master from one of the empire’s great families. At this moment, their gazes were feverish as they howled inwardly.

Dongfang Zisi was incredibly famous in the Dream Realm Plain. Portrait albums of the Ten Beauties were constantly sold out, having been reprinted over a hundred times. There was hardly anyone among the younger generation of the entire Dream Realm Plain who didn’t recognize her.

Seeing the crowd that had surrounded her now completely focused on Dongfang Zisi, Zhou Qingwei’s lips curled into a subtle pout. ’Hmph, what’s so great about her?’ she thought jealously. ’So she’s one of the Ten Beauties. Once I get into Gale Light Academy, I’ll make it onto the list sooner or later. And honestly, my brother... why is he even bothering to hit on a woman like that?’

"So it’s Senior Brother Zhou Qingyu." In response to Zhou Qingyu’s advances, Dongfang Zisi merely gave a slight nod before her eyes began to scan the hall.

Zhou Qingyu smiled faintly, but just as he was about to say more, Dongfang Zisi’s eyes suddenly lit up. Without waiting for him to speak, she swiftly walked away, heading toward a corner.

Everyone turned to look and saw that in that corner were none other than Ye Xuan and Luo Cheng.

’Does Miss Dongfang Zisi know those two?’

Doubt sprouted in everyone’s mind.

"Young Master Ye, look! It’s Miss Dongfang Zisi! The genius from Gale Light Academy! I heard she reached the Tier Five Martial Sect level before she was even twenty! And not only that, Miss Dongfang Zisi is also a Fourth Grade Alchemist..."

As Dongfang Zisi appeared, Luo Cheng grew incredibly excited, chattering nonstop in Ye Xuan’s ear. Suddenly, his expression froze. "Huh? Why does it look like Miss Dongfang Zisi is looking at us? Wait, she’s walking over here! Young Master Ye, she’s really walking toward us! What’s going on? Why is she staring right at our table? Could she... be interested in me? Young Master Ye, quick, check my collar! Is it straight? Are any of my buttons mismatched...?"

Luo Cheng was beyond excited, his face flushed crimson.

"I didn’t expect to meet you here," Dongfang Zisi said with a calm smile, having arrived before Ye Xuan under the watchful eyes of the entire room. "When Uncle Ye told me you were here, I could hardly believe it."

Her smile could topple cities, like a hundred flowers blooming at once.

Cold. A coldness like a blizzard in the dead of winter.

Ye Xuan felt countless icy gazes converge on him, so cold it felt like his blood was about to freeze.

At the same time, he could practically hear the sound of Luo Cheng’s heart shattering beside him.

In that instant, the gaze of nearly every man in the room focused on Ye Xuan, brimming with a murderous intent one would reserve for a sworn enemy.

A venomous, gloomy look, in particular, flashed across Zhou Qingyu’s eyes.

Meanwhile, Murong Yunxiao and Zhou Qingwei’s eyes flashed with astonishment. They never could have imagined that Dongfang Zisi would take the initiative to greet Ye Xuan.

"Ahem, Young Master Ye, I... suddenly feel the urge. Gotta use the restroom. You two, uh, take your time."

Luo Cheng, ever so tactful, immediately stood up and scurried away.

Dongfang Zisi naturally took the seat Luo Cheng had just vacated.

"You’re a true femme fatale," Ye Xuan said, exasperated. "Do you have any idea how many enemies you just made for me by sitting down?"

"And you’re afraid of that?" Dongfang Zisi replied, smiling as she pursed her lips.

She knew Ye Xuan’s personality quite well. He had remained perfectly calm under the scrutiny of a massive crowd back at the Treasure Pavilion in Black Stone City. Why would he care about the stares of these people?

"It’s not about being afraid, but no one likes extra trouble, right?" Ye Xuan said with a smile. "How about this? In exchange for all the animosity you’ve brought upon me, you can just give me some kind of reward."

Dongfang Zisi gave a half-smile. "And what kind of reward did you have in mind?"

"You could offer yourself in marriage or something. I’m very easygoing."

THUD!

A nearby Martial Artist who had been shamelessly eavesdropping tumbled to the floor. He frantically wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his eavesdropping Profound Artifact clattering to the ground as he shot Ye Xuan a furious glare.

Ye Xuan frowned. "Why are there so many creeps these days? You can’t even have a conversation without people eavesdropping. Has the world really fallen this far?"

After speaking, Ye Xuan casually tossed out an Array Disc and cast a few Restrictions. All the people around who had been straining their Profound Sense to eavesdrop suddenly found themselves cut off. They could no longer perceive the slightest fluctuation from Ye Xuan’s direction.

Dongfang Zisi’s gaze sharpened slightly. "Young Master Ye, you’re as amusing as ever," she said with a smile.

Then, her expression turned serious. "Actually, I came to the Sky Empire entirely because of your cooperation with our Divine Walk Commerce Association. I happened to be nearby these last few days, so when I received Uncle Ye’s message, I rushed right over."

Ye Xuan said, "But didn’t we already agree on the terms of our cooperation? Is the Divine Walk Commerce Association thinking of backing out?"

"Not at all. The Divine Walk Commerce Association never reneges on its decisions. I came this time because I have a favor to ask of you, Young Master Ye."

Ye Xuan said coolly, "The Divine Walk Commerce Association is one of the biggest commerce associations in the Dream Realm Plain. What could I possibly help you with?"

"You’re the only one who can," Dongfang Zisi said, biting her lip and mustering her courage. "As you know, the Divine Walk Commerce Association is facing a huge crisis. Last time, it was thanks to your large supply of Spirit Medicines that we were able to mitigate it. However, while the crisis has eased, it hasn’t been completely resolved. So I wanted to ask... do you have any more of those Spirit Medicines? If you do, please sell them to the Divine Walk Commerce Association. The compensation will definitely be to your satisfaction!"

Dongfang Zisi spoke nervously, her eyes filled with a desperate hope.

Ye Xuan glanced at her and didn’t bother to hide the truth. "I do have some Spirit Medicines left. But why should I sell them to you? You know as well as I do that their effects far surpass anything else on the market. Any discerning pharmacy would want them. For that matter, if I wanted to, I could simply put them up for auction here at the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion. I guarantee plenty of people would be interested. Don’t you agree?"

Dongfang Zisi bit her lip. She knew Ye Xuan was speaking the truth.

"Then what do you want?" Dongfang Zisi stared at Ye Xuan.

Ye Xuan pondered for a moment, then smiled. "What I want is very simple. The same as last time: a Tier Seven treasure."

"That’s impossible..." Dongfang Zisi gave a bitter, haggard smile. "Tier Seven King Level treasures are priceless. Our Divine Walk Commerce Association has very few of them. We only brought out the Seven-Colored Chaos Soil last time out of desperation."

"Heh, ’very few’ doesn’t mean ’none at all,’ does it?" A thought sparked in Ye Xuan’s mind, and he chuckled. "Why don’t you go back and think it over? Contact me once you have. But it would be best to give me an answer soon."

Seeing Dongfang Zisi’s hesitation, Ye Xuan began to consider whether he should just suspend his cooperation with the Divine Walk Commerce Association.

’From her tone, the Divine Walk Commerce Association definitely had a few more Tier Seven treasures. After all, it would be hard to believe that such a massive commerce association possessed only a single one.’

’However, if the Luo family started cooperating with the Divine Walk Commerce Association, the association’s crisis could be completely resolved. And once their crisis is over, wouldn’t they become unwilling to make any more trades?’

Of course, it was just a passing thought. Ye Xuan wouldn’t actually do something so dishonest.

Watching Ye Xuan and Dongfang Zisi chat so pleasantly, everyone in the crowd was seething with suppressed rage.

A genius, one of the Ten Beauties of the Dream Realm Plain, was ignoring the young elites of their Imperial Capital to associate with some upstart of dubious origin. They were all tormented by jealousy and resentment.