Chapter 343 - City of Artificers

Despite the forceful actions by the group of strong men, nobody moved to stop them. Everyone simply stood by without a word of complaint, allowing them to move all the way to the front.

Since Lu Tianzi had already obtained his bidding card, he willingly moved out of the way as well.

Judging from the other party's forceful momentum, getting in their way would likely only result in needless conflict.

"So it is Grandmaster Weiwo!" the middle-aged man at the reception counter immediately revealed a radiant smile. "We have been awaiting your arrival!"

As middle-aged man spoke, his gaze was fixed upon a white-haired man who stood in the midst of the group of strong men.

Tasked to be the receptionist, the middle-aged man had obviously been briefed on who were the important guests to look out for, and this white-haired man was one of them.

Grandmaster Weiwo – an esteemed artificer who had shot to fame upon creating the Heavenly Light Sword Set.

The Heavenly Light Sword Set was a set of twenty-one swords, each with its own unique attributes.

It was rumoured that as long as one was able to harness the power within, just a single one of these swords would give a martial artist the ability to jump ranks and defeat opponents of a higher boundary.

Even though he looked to be in his seventies, Grandmaster Weiwo's body was well-built just like the other strong men in his entourage.

Yet despite the fact that the middle-aged receptionist was obviously talking to him, Grandmaster Weiwo did not bother responding.

Instead, one of his subordinates walked up to speak to the middle-aged man.

"Where is the room prepared for Grandmaster Weiwo?" the subordinate asked.

"Please hold on a minute, my colleague is coming over right now to lead you to your private room," the middle-aged man replied.

For esteemed guests like Grandmaster Weiwo, the Sacred Lotus Treasury had specially arranged for private rooms, from which they could participate in the Sacred Lotus Auction without having to mix with the general masses.

"I hope your colleague doesn't take too long, Grandmaster Weiwo doesn't like to wait!" the subordinate shot a glare at the middle-aged receptionist before walking back to report the situation to Grandmaster Weiwo.

Yet despite his lack of courtesy, the middle-aged man did not lose his temper.

"My apologies, my colleague would be right here," he replied with a smile.

This was not his first time bring a receptionist, and he had seen plenty of arrogant guests. If he was someone who would lose his temper because of something as minor as this, there was no way he would be chosen for this job.

"Grandmaster Weiwo... he's quite a famous artificer in Sacred Cliff City. It is rumoured that after his recent breakthrough to the Nascent Core realm, he has been sourcing for precious materials to forge a set of weapons that could surpass his famed work – the Heavenly Light Sword Set," Young Master Xuan Hao recalled from the information that he had gathered over the past week. "It is likely that he is at the Sacred Lotus Auction to hunt for precious materials... Brother Tianzi, is it possible to stop staring at them? They might not take too kindly to that..."

"Right, I'm sorry about that," Lu Tianzi hurriedly retracted his gaze.

It was only after Young Master Xuan Hao mentioned it that Lu Tianzi realised he had been staring too obviously.

But the reason why Lu Tianzi had been unable to keep his eyes off of Grandmaster Weiwo was not because the latter looked especially charming.

Rather than that, it was because Lu Tianzi had suddenly realised something fascinating after taking a look at Grandmaster Weiwo.

He was now able to see through the cultivation levels of Overlord realm powerhouses!

Origin cores were supposed to be spiritual orbs with a perfectly smooth surface.

But with a discreet sweep of his perception, Lu Tianzi was able to see that the origin core in Grandmaster Weiwo's inner world had tiny inscriptions on it, as though carvings had been made on it.

Lu Tianzi was unable to determine what these carvings were without a closer inspection, but he could guess that it had to do with the Overlord realm cultivation level.

The fact that there were only a few tiny inscriptions on Grandmaster Weiwo's origin core was likely because he had only just broken through to the Nascent Core realm.

That was the first of three boundaries within the Overlord realm.

The Overlord realm began with the Nascent Core realm, followed by the True Core realm, and finally the Grand Core realm.

Of course, even if Grandmaster Weiwo was only at the Nascent Core realm, he was still an Overlord realm powerhouse, and that was not someone that the current Lu Tianzi could hope to challenge.

The only thing Lu Tianzi was interested in was the fact that he was now able to sense the cultivation levels of Overlord realm powerhouses.

This would prevent him from being caught off guard in the future, like how he had been surprised by Wuye Mingxuan back on Wondertrap Mountain.

"Grandmaster Weiwo, my apologies for making you wait!" a beautiful young lady hurried out from within the Sacred Lotus Treasury Headquarters.

"Don't worry, it is my pleasure to wait for a beauty like you," Grandmaster Weiwo finally smiled for the first time upon seeing the young lady.

Faced with the lascivious smile of the man who looked to be in his seventies, the young lady did not reveal a single look of discomfort.

Just like the middle-aged man, she had been in similar situations far too many times.

"This way, please," the young lady gestured to enter.

"Please lead the way," Grandmaster Weiwo took a step towards to her.

This time, Grandmaster Weiwo had come too close for comfort, so the young lady subconsciously took a step back.

Grandmaster Weiwo naturally noticed this as well, and immediately frowned in displeasure.

But before he could say anything, a loud voice boomed over from behind the queue lines.

"Hahaha! Grandmaster Weiwo, you have not changed one bit. After living for so many years, you still can't hide your thirst!"

"It's you again...!" Grandmaster Weiwo's expression turned dark in an instant.

Even without looking, he was able to recognise the owner of the voice.

Along with the rest of the crowds, Lu Tianzi turned his attention towards the origin of the voice, only to see a lean-looking man walking over with his head held high.

The lean-looking man appeared to be in thirties, and his black hair was tied into a high ponytail that reached down to his back. His flexible armour stuck to his body, showing off his well-built physique.

"Grandmaster Tiequan!" many people exclaimed upon seeing the lean-looking man.

The middle-aged receptionist stood up and greeted him with a smile as well, his attitude no different from when he was receiving Grandmaster Weiwo.

"You better make yourself clear, Tiequan. What do you mean by saying I can't hide my thirst?" Grandmaster Weiwo snapped angrily.

"I think everyone here can understand even without me elaborating further," Grandmaster Tiequan smiled meaningfully as he stepped in front of Grandmaster Weiwo. "Why don't you stop making things hard for the little girl? This is not even your first time here, so why are you acting like you need a guide to your private room?"

"Am I making things hard for you?" Grandmaster Weiwo narrowed his eyes at the young girl.

Faced with the sudden interrogation, the young girl almost jumped in fright.

"Not at all! Grandmaster Weiwo is simply receiving the welcome that he deserves. It is our Sacred Lotus Treasury that wanted to do this for Grandmaster Weiwo!" the young girl quickly answered.

Sacred Cliff City was known as the City of Artificers for a reason.

Due to its emphasis on weapons, accessories, and other equipment, artificers were largely considered as one the most influential people in the city.

As long as one was a capable artificer, one would be well received by most other influences in the city. As for the artificers who were able to obtain the status of Grandmaster, their connections and network was not to be underestimated.

It was not an overstatement to say that Grandmaster Artificers were the most prestigious of all occupations within Sacred Cliff City.

Even if they were facing a problem, all they had to do was say a word and at least thousands of people would come to their aid, all in order to get in their good books and perhaps obtain a treasured weapon or two in the future.

That being the case, how would the young lady dare to offend Grandmaster Weiwo?

If she really did, it was entirely possible that the Sacred Lotus Treasury would choose give face to the Grandmaster Artificer instead of protecting her!

"Thank you for your concern, Grandmaster Tiequan, but I am fine," the young lady bowed to Grandmaster Tiequan before turning back to Grandmaster Weiwo. "Please follow me."

Just like that, the young lady led Grandmaster Weiwo and his entourange into the Sacred Lotus Treasury Headquarters.

Before following the young lady in, Grandmaster Weiwo did not forget to shoot a smug look towards Grandmaster Tiequan, as though proclaiming his victory.

Grandmaster Tiequan was not surprised by the young lady's reactions, but he still shook his head in disappointment.

"Grandmaster Tiequan, your room number is the same as always," the middle-aged receptionist said with a smile.

While Grandmaster Tiequan was a guest with a status no lower than Grandmaster Weiwo, different guests preferred different ways of welcome.

The Sacred Lotus Treasury understood that Grandmaster Weiwo loved beauties. That was the reason why they had arranged for a beautiful young lady to lead him in.

As for Grandmaster Tiequan, he had always been a person who hated to be restricted, so they had decided to let him enter on his own.

"Understood," Grandmaster Tiequan nodded.

This was not his first time here, so he naturally understood the arrangements. In fact, he knew exactly where his private room was as well.

But just as he was about to enter the Sacred Lotus Treasury Headquarters, Grandmaster Tiequan's eyes suddenly lit up as he looked over to a group of four standing by the side.

"Hmm? Grandmaster Tiequan seems to be coming this way?" Ruan Ling said nervously.

Even if she did not know better before, she was able to surmise the status of Grandmaster Tiequan just by observing the attitude that others had towards him.

The crowds dared not block him from cutting the queue, and even members of the Sacred Lotus Treasury were respectful towards him.

Now that such a person was heading directly towards them, she could not help but feel anxious.

She was not the only one feeling this way. Lu Tianzi could not help but feel slightly nervous as well.

After all, he could tell that just like Grandmaster Weiwo, this Grandmaster Tiequan was also a Nascent Core realm Overlord.

In the face of an Overlord powerhouse, even Lu Tianzi would be completely helpless if a fight were to break out.

"Don't worry about it," Young Master Xuan Hao patted Ruan Ling's shoulder before stepping in front of the group. "It has been some time since we last met, Grandmaster Tiequan."

Young Master Xuan Hao clasped his fists respectfully towards Grandmaster Tiequan.

Behind him, all three of his companions were surprised to hear that Young Master Xuan Hao actually knew the other party.

Grandmaster Tiequan stopped in front of Young Master Xuan Hao with a benevolent smile.

"Hahaha! So it really is you, Young Master Xuan Hao!" Grandmaster Tiequan laughed before looking around. "Are you here for the Sacred Lotus Auction too? But where are your retainers?"

"Please keep it down, Grandmaster Tiequan," Young Master Xuan Hao sighed helplessly. "I am going by the name of Hao Xuan now."

"Oh?" Grandmaster Tiequan was momentarily stunned before realising what was going on. "In that case, do you want to come with me to my private room? We can speak further in private."

"We would love to," Young Master Xuan Hao immediately agreed.

As opposed to mixing with the crowds, having a private room to themselves was certainly more comfortable.

"Then that's settled. Follow me!" Grandmaster Tiequan turned and started making his way into the Sacred Lotus Treasury Headquarters.

Knowing that his companions were probably confused at the moment, Young Master Xuan Hao turned around and gave them a brief explanation.

Apparently, Young Master Xuan Hao had met Grandmaster Tiequan a few times when the latter visited the Timeless Flame Sect in the past.

The rest of them nodded.

They had surmised as much.

With Young Master Xuan Hao's identity, it was not surprising at all for him to have connections on the level of Overlords, even it was a famous Grandmaster Artificer.

Just like that, the group of four followed Grandmaster Tiequan into the depths of the Sacred Lotus Treasury Headquarters.

Grandmaster Tiequan was relatively familiar with the place.

Even without directions, he was able to head directly to the private room assigned to him.

Upon entering the private room, Lu Tianzi could not help but raise an eyebrow in surprise.

The private room was in the shape of a cube, with one side being a huge one-way mirror. This allowed people in the private room to observe the grand auction hall through the one-way mirror.

There were at least hundreds of thousands of seats in the auction hall, all of them facing the huge stage that stood at the very front.

At this point in time, people were still streaming in and quickly filling up these seats.

Protruding from the walls were numerous mirrors, each of them probably a private room as well.

There was some sort of concealing formation in place, and it was impossible to see into the other private rooms even with their perceptions.

Apart from that, each of these private rooms was also rather spacious and allowed for people to converse in absolute privacy.

Compared to the seats that were packed together outside, there was simply too big of a difference in terms of comfort level.

So this was the treatment that a Grandmaster Artificer would receive?

Lu Tianzi could not help but fall into deep thought.

Would it be possible for him to become an artificer as well?