The Lingxu Market was immersed in the joy of prosperity and development; however, undercurrents were quietly surging beneath the surface. Those forces that were jealous of the Lingxu Market's rise were secretly plotting a conspiracy against it.

In a secluded valley in the cultivation world, the leaders of several forces gathered together, their faces grim, their eyes revealing jealousy and resentment. Leading them was the Blood Demon Palace Master, a tall man exuding a bloodthirsty aura.

"The Spirit Ruins Market is just lucky. It has thwarted the Shadow Society's plots time and time again, and now it is so popular in the cultivation world. We cannot sit idly by," the Blood Demon Palace Master said through gritted teeth.

The sect leader of the Poison Dragon Sect chimed in, "That's right, their existence has already threatened our interests. If we don't stop them, we will have no place to stand in the cultivation world in the future."

The leaders of the other factions nodded in agreement. After some discussion, they decided to unite and cause trouble for the Lingxu Market.

The Blood Demon Palace Master said, "We'll start by damaging the reputation of the Spirit Ruins Market. We'll send some disciples in disguise to spread rumors throughout the cultivation world that the Spirit Ruins Market is colluding with the 'Shadow Society' and intends to rule the cultivation world."

The Poison Dragon Sect Master smiled sinisterly: "At the same time, we can also ambush the trade routes of the Spirit Ruins Market, rob the passing caravans, and severely damage their economy."

The leader of another faction continued, "We can also sabotage the cooperation between the Spirit Ruins Market and other factions in secret. We can disrupt their cultivation exchange conferences and make other factions dissatisfied with the Spirit Ruins Market."

After agreeing on the plan, everyone returned to their respective places to prepare for the operation.

Soon after, rumors began to circulate throughout the cultivation world about the Spirit Ruins Market. Some cultivators, unaware of the truth, began to doubt the market after hearing these rumors. The reputation of the Spirit Ruins Market was severely damaged, and some forces that had originally planned to cooperate with it began to hesitate.

Meanwhile, robberies were rampant along the trade routes of Lingxu Market. Caravans were attacked by unknown forces, their goods stolen, and people injured. The Linghe Merchant Guild suffered heavy losses, and although they dispatched a large number of people to investigate, they found nothing.

During a cultivation exchange conference held at the Lingxu Market, just as everyone was engaged in lively discussions, a group of masked men suddenly stormed into the venue. They unleashed various disruptive spells, damaging the venue's facilities and injuring some of the participating cultivators. The head of the Lingxu Market quickly organized a force to stop them, but the masked men fled the scene after causing chaos.

This incident has raised concerns among other factions about the security of the Lingxu Market. Some have stated that if the Lingxu Market cannot guarantee the safety of the exchange conference, they will no longer participate in such events.

The people in the Lingxu Market sensed that something was wrong. Lin Yang summoned the leaders of various factions and said with a grave expression, "These recent events are no accident; someone is definitely behind them. We must find the mastermind as soon as possible, otherwise the development of the Lingxu Market will be severely hampered."

Zhao Wanbao, the head of Wanbaoge Pavilion, said angrily, "These people are too despicable. They actually used such underhanded methods to deal with us. We must make them pay the price."

After a moment of contemplation, the elder of the Spirit Sword Sect said, "We will start by investigating the source of the rumors, while strengthening the protection of trade routes and security measures for the exchange conference."

The president of the Linghe Chamber of Commerce also said, "I will send more people to investigate these robberies in depth and find out the mastermind behind them."

The various factions in the Lingxu Market quickly sprang into action. The Linghe Chamber of Commerce's intelligence agents gathered information everywhere, trying to find the source of the rumors. The sword cultivators of the Lingjian Sect increased patrols along trade routes to ensure the safety of caravans. The Wanbao Pavilion developed new defensive magical artifacts to enhance security for the exchange conference.

However, the mastermind behind the scenes is extremely cunning and well-hidden, making the investigation at Lingxu Market slow. As rumors continue to spread and robberies persist, Lingxu Market's situation becomes increasingly precarious. Whether they can successfully uncover the mastermind, resolve this crisis, and restore Lingxu Market's reputation and prosperity remains highly uncertain.