The interior of the Myriad Dao Pavilion was considerably more lively than Lin Sheng had expected.
The moment he entered, his attention was drawn toward the reception area directly ahead.
Countless young women stood there, all wearing similar robes, each robe bearing the distinctive insignia of the Myriad Dao Pavilion. Their clothing was neat and elegant, their movements disciplined, and each of them maintained a polite smile as they moved between the reception area and the cultivators entering the pavilion.
They were attendants.
Their primary responsibility was to guide customers through the pavilion, introduce the resources available on each floor, answer questions, and assist cultivators with their purchases.
There were quite a few of them, yet the number of cultivators entering the Myriad Dao Pavilion was even greater.
Several attendants were already busy.
One was accompanying a middle-aged Foundation Establishment cultivator while introducing several types of Rank 2 spirit herbs, another was standing beside a group of cultivators discussing the quality of a batch of refining materials, while another was carefully recording the requirements of a cultivator who appeared to be purchasing a large quantity of resources.
The atmosphere was orderly despite the number of people.
Lin Sheng merely glanced around before one of the attendants noticed that he had entered without anyone accompanying him.
She immediately walked over.
She had brownish hair that fell naturally over her shoulders, brown eyes, and a warm smile that didn't appear forced despite the fact that she had clearly been working for quite some time.
Her cultivation surprised Lin Sheng slightly.
Late-stage Foundation Establishment.
She looked quite young, and judging from the vitality contained within her body, she was probably considerably younger than many of the Foundation Establishment cultivators Lin Sheng had encountered outside Zhenyuan City.
Such cultivation at such an age would undoubtedly be considered impressive elsewhere.
In a smaller cultivation family, someone like her would probably be treated as a rising genius, given abundant resources, and carefully protected.
Here, however, she was merely an attendant.
Lin Sheng couldn't help but find the contrast somewhat interesting.
Zhenyuan City truly lived up to its reputation.
The woman stopped several steps away and bowed slightly.
"Senior, welcome to the Myriad Dao Pavilion."
Her smile remained warm.
"My name is Roushi. I will be assisting you today."
Lin Sheng nodded.
"Roushi?"
"Yes."
She smiled.
"Are you visiting the main branch for the first time?"
Lin Sheng didn't bother hiding it.
"Yes."
The moment he answered, Roushi's smile remained unchanged, but Lin Sheng's perception immediately noticed something happening around him.
Several nearby attendants glanced over.
When they heard that he was a first-time visitor, some of their expressions became slightly disappointed before they quickly returned to normal.
Lin Sheng noticed the reaction.
It wasn't difficult to understand.
Most first-time visitors to the Myriad Dao Pavilion weren't particularly wealthy customers.
Many were Foundation Establishment cultivators who had only recently heard about the pavilion and came to purchase a few cultivation materials.
They might buy several spirit herbs, a few pills, perhaps some refining materials or cultivation resources, but such customers rarely generated enough business to earn their attendants significant bonuses.
The attendants were naturally paid for their work, but the Myriad Dao Pavilion also had an incentive system.
The larger the transactions an attendant helped facilitate, the greater the reward they could receive.
For the attendants, therefore, a wealthy cultivator was essentially an opportunity.
A first-time visitor, however, was usually difficult to judge.
Most of them were simply ordinary cultivators who had come to look around.
Roushi herself remained professional.
She clearly had enough experience to avoid allowing such thoughts to appear on her face.
"Since this is your first visit, allow me to briefly introduce the main branch."
She gestured toward the enormous interior.
"The Myriad Dao Pavilion has three main floors available to customers. The first floor mainly deals with Rank 2 materials, techniques, information, and other resources suitable for Foundation Establishment cultivators. The second floor deals primarily with Rank 3 resources and matters related to Purple Palace cultivators."
She paused.
"The third floor is different."
Lin Sheng looked at her.
Roushi's smile became slightly more restrained.
"The third floor deals with Rank 4 resources and matters concerning Golden Core cultivators."
Lin Sheng nodded.
That matched what the Grand Elder had told him.
He glanced toward the stairs leading upward.
Then he calmly said, "Take me to the third floor."
Roushi froze.
For the first time since approaching him, the smile on her face disappeared completely.
She stared at Lin Sheng.
"Third... floor?"
"Yes."
Lin Sheng nodded.
Roushi's eyes widened slightly.
She had obviously heard him correctly.
But she still couldn't help asking, "Senior, are you certain?"
"I am."
Lin Sheng's tone remained casual.
Roushi hesitated.
Her reaction wasn't because she didn't believe that Lin Sheng could enter the third floor.
Rather, it was because of what such a request implied.
Anyone who asked to enter the third floor usually wasn't an ordinary customer.
The third floor dealt with Rank 4 resources.
A transaction there could easily involve thousands of high-grade Spirit Stones, and some treasures could be worth far more.
Such customers were genuine major clients.
Yet there was another problem.
The truly important cultivators who came to the third floor generally didn't need attendants to guide them.
Many of them were Golden Core cultivators with considerable status, and some had already established long-term relationships with the Myriad Dao Pavilion.
They would often be received personally by higher-ranking representatives.
Roushi had never expected that the first customer she approached today would suddenly ask to go directly to the third floor.
She couldn't help wondering whether she had misunderstood him.
"Senior, the third floor is reserved for..."
"I know."
Lin Sheng interrupted gently.
"I want to go there."
Roushi looked at him carefully.
She was still somewhat sceptical.
Lin Sheng noticed it immediately.
He didn't blame her.
If someone who had just entered the pavilion for the first time suddenly requested access to the Rank 4 floor, anyone would want to confirm that the person wasn't simply trying to cause trouble.
Lin Sheng released a tiny portion of his aura.
It wasn't much.
He didn't need to release his true cultivation.
A faint pressure spread through the surrounding space, carrying the subtle majesty of a Rank 4 cultivator.
Roushi's expression changed.
Her pupils contracted.
Although the aura disappeared almost immediately, there was no mistaking what she had sensed.
Rank 4.
Her breathing became slightly quicker.
She quickly lowered her head.
"Understood, Senior."
The earlier uncertainty in her voice had completely disappeared.
Instead, there was an unmistakable excitement hidden beneath her professionalism.
Lin Sheng noticed it.
Her eyes were brighter now.
He didn't need to ask why.
Roushi had just realised what kind of customer she had encountered.
Even if Lin Sheng didn't purchase anything, merely being the attendant responsible for guiding a Rank 4 cultivator could already be a major achievement within the pavilion.
If he actually made a substantial purchase, the rewards would be even greater.
Her current position was already enviable among ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, but the Myriad Dao Pavilion had countless employees competing for opportunities.
A major client could completely change an attendant's future.
For someone like Roushi, whose cultivation had already reached late-stage Foundation Establishment while still being relatively young, advancement to Purple Palace was the next major threshold.
If she received a sufficient reward from this transaction, that bottleneck might no longer be distant.
She took a breath and smiled more brightly.
"Senior, please follow me."
She turned toward the staircase leading upward.
Lin Sheng followed.
As they moved through the pavilion, several attendants couldn't help glancing in their direction.
Some were surprised.
Others were curious.
A few recognised that Roushi was taking a customer toward the third floor and immediately understood what had happened.
Their expressions contained a trace of envy.
Roushi noticed none of it.
Her attention was entirely focused on the person behind her.
She had been working in the Myriad Dao Pavilion for several years.
She knew very well how rare customers of this level were.
The third floor wasn't something Foundation Establishment attendants casually brought people to.
Even Purple Palace cultivators weren't necessarily qualified to make transactions there unless they possessed sufficient wealth.
Yet this mysterious senior had merely released a trace of his aura and immediately demonstrated that he belonged there.
Roushi's steps became slightly quicker.
Lin Sheng followed calmly.
As they reached the staircase, he glanced upward.
The formations protecting the higher floors were considerably more sophisticated than those on the first floor.
There were hidden restrictions within the walls, defensive formations beneath the floor, and several formations that could isolate divine sense.
Lin Sheng silently examined them.
The Myriad Dao Pavilion was clearly taking security seriously.
That made sense.
The higher the floor, the more valuable the resources.
If Rank 4 treasures could simply be stolen by anyone who entered the building, the pavilion wouldn't have survived for so long.
Roushi noticed Lin Sheng looking around.
"Senior, the third floor is normally only accessible to cultivators who meet the pavilion's requirements."
She explained respectfully.
"However, the pavilion doesn't determine access solely according to cultivation realm. Wealth, status, and the value of a customer's intended transaction are also considered."
Lin Sheng nodded.
"So even a Foundation Establishment cultivator could enter?"
"If they possess enough wealth."
Roushi smiled.
"The Myriad Dao Pavilion doesn't discriminate against cultivators based solely on cultivation. As long as someone can afford what they want to purchase, the pavilion is willing to conduct business."
Lin Sheng's eyes flickered.
That was exactly the kind of place he needed.
He wasn't interested in revealing his true identity.
He didn't want people knowing that he was Lin Sheng of the Martial Continent, nor did he want the Eastern Region's major powers connecting the mysterious Formation Grandmaster Lou with the young Golden Core cultivator who had disappeared for years.
The Myriad Dao Pavilion's rules suited him perfectly.
Money was enough.
As long as he could pay, nobody needed to know anything else.
Roushi stopped before another formation.
A guard stood beside it.
Unlike the attendants, this person didn't bother with a smile.
He simply looked toward Lin Sheng.
"Proof of wealth."
Lin Sheng wasn't surprised.
He calmly removed a storage ring from his finger and tossed it over.
The guard caught it.
His divine sense immediately entered the storage ring.
For a moment, his expression remained indifferent.
Then his eyes changed.
Only slightly.
But Roushi noticed.
The guard quickly withdrew his divine sense and looked at Lin Sheng again.
There was a trace of respect in his eyes now.
He didn't ask another question.
The formation behind him activated.
A passage opened.
"Please."
Lin Sheng nodded and stepped forward.
Roushi followed closely behind.
Her heart was beating faster.
She didn't know exactly how much wealth the senior possessed, but the guard's reaction was enough.
This was not an ordinary customer.
Not even close.
She had encountered a genuine major client.
Roushi's eyes brightened.
Perhaps today really would be the day her path to Purple Palace changed.
Behind them, the formation slowly closed again.