I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

Three months have passed since the Qingmu Merchant Guild of Burning Bone City opened.

Over the past three months, the Chamber of Commerce has gradually gotten back on track.

Every morning, the shop assistants open the doors on time, wipe the shelves, check the inventory, place the newly arrived spirit beast eggs on the display stand one by one, and sort the spirit beast meat into the preservation array according to its grade.

The afternoon was the busiest time, with independent cultivators entering the shop in groups of three or five. Some came for the spirit beasts, while others came specifically to have Lu Yunzhou refine pills for them.

Just like the business strategy in Chuyang City, an auction is held once a month.

There was meat from a third-tier bloodline spirit beast from the Lin family at the meeting.

Golden Spike Spirit Chicken, Cloud Dream Spirit Duck, Bright Moon Jade Rabbit, Earth Mother Spirit Pig – each item is available in limited quantities and is fiercely contested once auctioned.

There are cubs of the third-tier low-grade Wind Chaser Spirit Steed.

That was the signature breed of the Lin family's spirit beasts, and every single one was closely watched by demon-hunting teams and merchant caravans;

There are also some works by three masters.

Lu Yunzhou's pills, Tie Wushuang's magical artifacts, and the array plates that Qin Yulin occasionally crafted when he felt like it.

In addition, there were high-quality second-tier spiritual items, spiritual materials, pills, and talismans acquired from independent cultivators, all of which made up a lavish auction.

The final item auctioned was a young Wind Chaser steed, which sold for double the starting price, demonstrating the Lin family's strength to everyone present.

The first auction was a success.

In the subsequent two sessions, the number of participating cultivators increased even more. Some came all the way from Burning Bone Pass, while others stayed at nearby inns a day in advance, just so they wouldn't miss the auction.

In this way, the Aoki Trading Company has gained a certain reputation.

On ordinary days, independent cultivators and demon-hunting teams have been choosing Qingmu Trading Company to sell spiritual items and demonic beasts, and to buy pills, talismans, and magical artifacts.

Those independent cultivators who originally only lingered among large merchant guilds like the Fengxing Merchant Guild began to migrate to the Qingmu Merchant Guild.

They discovered that the purchase price was higher here, but the selling price was lower, which saved them a lot of spirit stones.

Lu Yunzhou's alchemy skills have made him famous among independent cultivators.

More and more people are seeking his alchemy services, and appointments are already booked until next month.

A small wooden sign is always placed in front of his meditation room, which reads, "Today's appointments are full. Please register for the day after tomorrow."

Some people couldn't wait, so they sat in the rest area and browsed the Lin family's product catalog while waiting, and unknowingly bought some more pills and spiritual materials.

Tie Wushuang collaborated with the Chamber of Commerce to create a batch of magical artifacts, which were of much higher quality than those on the market, yet were 10% cheaper.

The first batch of Buddhist artifacts sold out in less than a day after they were put on the shelves.

Someone bought it, used it for a month, and then came back to Tie Wushuang, saying they wanted to order another one.

A rare hint of smugness appeared on Tie Wushuang's rugged face, but he only said, "Go find Manager Lin. I'm only in charge of blacksmithing."

Lin Xuandong's business strategy is beginning to show results.

The Chamber of Commerce's monthly turnover has been steadily increasing and is now able to cover the initial investment.

Although the customer traffic and daily income are not even a tenth of those of the larger chambers of commerce, it is enough for the Lin family.

Its turnover is basically on par with the Qingmu Chamber of Commerce in Chuyang City, while the branch in Fengu City has only been open for three months.

There's also good news.

The major chambers of commerce seemed to completely ignore the Aoki Chamber of Commerce and made no move whatsoever.

The Fengxing Chamber of Commerce remains bustling with activity.

The Jinshi Chamber of Commerce remained low-key and unassuming.

They completely ignored the existence of the Aoki Trading Company, as if it were just an ant, not worth even a glance.

If things continue like this, the Green Wood Merchant Guild will be able to establish a firm foothold in Burning Bone City.

It's only a matter of time before Qingmu Trading Company surpasses Chuyang City in revenue.

On the contrary, the Cheng, He, and Liu families were the first to become restless.

"Father."

Footsteps approached from behind, hurried yet steady, making soft rustling sounds on the cobblestone path.

Lin Xuanqi hurried over from the direction of the general area, holding a communication jade slip in his hand.

His pace quickened slightly, his face showed a hint of seriousness, and the composure between his brows was replaced by a trace of unease.

Lin Che, who was by the lake, turned around.

"What's wrong?"

"News just came from Zhihei."

Lin Xuanqi handed over the jade slip, his fingers applying slight pressure: "The heads of the Cheng, He, and Liu families are preparing to jointly establish the 'Burning Bone City Merchant Alliance'."

"Merchant Alliance?" Lin Che took the jade slip and probed it with his divine sense.

The message from the black player is always concise and never verbose.

This time, however, the jade slip contained significantly more information than usual.

Lin Che read on, word by word.

Several Golden Core families in Burning Bone City, led by the Cheng, He, and Liu families, jointly proposed the establishment of the "Burning Bone City Merchant Alliance".

The rules of the Merchant Alliance sound simple: any business operating in Burning Bone City that reaches a certain scale can apply to join.

Businesses that join the alliance can benefit from advantages in resource procurement, customer sharing, and price coordination.

For example, joint purchasing by multiple companies can lower the price of spiritual materials; and by sharing customer resources, small businesses can reach large customers that they would not otherwise be able to access.

For example, uniform pricing can prevent cutthroat competition.

However, joining the business alliance requires paying a substantial membership fee.

The black player added a personal assessment at the end of the message:

"The rules of the business alliance seem fair, but the dominant power is actually in the hands of three parties."

They are courting small and medium-sized businesses in an attempt to build a new order.

If you want to join the Aoki Trading Company, you will not only have to pay membership fees, but you will also likely have to accept other conditions they propose.

For example, restricting the sales scope of certain spirit beasts, maintaining consistent prices with them, and prohibiting the private acquisition of specific types of spirit beasts.

Refusing to join may result in isolation.

Lin Che put down the jade slip and remained silent for a moment.

"This business alliance seems to have set a trap for us." Lin Xuanqi frowned, his voice carrying a hint of suppressed anger.

"On the surface it's an alliance, but in reality it's an attempt to co-opt us. If we join, we have to listen to them; if we don't join, they will unite to exclude us."

"With the Cheng, He, and Liu families joining forces, plus the small and medium-sized merchants they've won over, we'll become an isolated island in Burning Bone City."

Lin Che didn't reply immediately, but fell into thought.

A moment later, Lin Che suddenly laughed.

"This visitor is not friendly." He stood up, put his hands behind his back, and stood by the lake, his clothes fluttering in the evening breeze.

"I didn't expect these families to be so united. They usually each guard their own territory and don't interfere with each other, but once outsiders come in to take their share, they stick together."

He paused, turned around, and his gaze fell on Lin Xuanqi's face.

"In that case, let's implement the plan we formulated earlier."

Lin Xuanqi was slightly taken aback, then his eyes lit up, and the solemnity on his face vanished, replaced by an anticipation of "Is it finally coming?"

He'd been looking forward to that for a long time!

"Yes, I'll take care of it right away!"