Chapter 27 Private Auction

After Xuan and Zhi Ruo both sat down across from one another on the floor, they poured their Qi into their respective jade slips. In an instant, their Souls—their consciousnesses—were transported into the private auction's Soul dimension, and from their perspective, the darkness that had once surrounded their closed eyes were momentarily replaced by bright white light.

When the radiance faded away, the two found themselves staring at a large auction house, grand and exquisite. Since this was in a Soul dimension, none of the objects here were actually real except for the auctioned treasures themselves and the Spirit Crystals being used to purchase them. As such, the appearance of the auction house could be created as elegantly as the array masters who arranged this wanted.

All around them, other attendees of the auction were starting to enter the dimension as well. Upon arrival, they greeted one another politely, even though many of them were in fact enemies or business rivals. The first thing Xuan did was restrain his Soul avatar's aura, since if he let his true Soul strength of 16 billion show here, it would be a bit troublesome. Concealing one's physical aura was a lot more difficult, but all it took to conceal one's Soul strength was a single thought.

"Quite the sight, isn't it?" Zhi Ruo commented from beside Xuan. "I've been here many times already, but each time, they somehow manage to make it feel fresh."

"Hm? Oh… yes."

Xuan, who had been preoccupied with checking whether or not his Divine Asura Eye's appraisal abilities worked even in Soul dimensions, gave an absentminded nod. His conclusion? Yes, his appraisal skill still worked—at least, for people.

"You… don't seem rather impressed," Zhi Ruo noted, tilting her head. "Have you seen more impressive structures than this in the past, perhaps?"

"Not in person," Xuan lied. "But in books, yes."

"Huh… I see… well, let's head in. It's even more impressive on the interior, perhaps I'll be able to get a reaction out of you then…"

'Good luck with that,' Xuan thought in his mind, a perfectly calm expression on his stone face. He'd marveled at grand temples and monumental castles this realm wouldn't even be able to imagine in the past. What was this in comparison?

Just as the two were about to enter the auction house, however, a voice called out to them from behind.

"Senior sister Zhi Ruo, this Zhou greets you."

Zhi Ruo stopped in her tracks, trying to hide her sigh and facepalm. Naturally, Xuan was forced to stop as well, and the two slowly turned around to face the newcomer.

"… Young master Zhou Hai. I believe I've told you this many times in the past already, but… 'senior sister' is not a title you can address me by," Zhi Ruo said with a tired look.

"What's the matter? I've already become a certified alchemist in Open Sky Alchemist Guild," Zhou Hai replied with a warm smile, spreading his arms. "Is it not natural for me to address you as senior sister, as a fellow alchemist?"

"It is indeed not," Zhi Ruo replied. "The only one who can address me as senior sister is the other direct disciple my Master has taken in… namely, the person standing beside me."

Slowly, Zhou Hai turned his gaze towards Xuan, and narrowed his eyes.

"… It's you."

"Short time no see, junior brother Zhou Hai," Xuan replied with a smile. Then, in a curter tone, "… Are you surprised to see me still alive, perhaps?"

"Junior brother?" Zhou Hai laughed, dodging Xuan's latter question like a pro. "Who gave you the right to call me junior brother, scum? You should address me as brother-in-law, haha!"

"Hm… yes, I suppose you're right," Xuan said after some thought, before suddenly pulling Zhi Ruo close into a hug.

"Wha-?! Junior brother-?!"

"… I will be your brother-in-law very soon, after all."

Zhi Ruo's eyes widened at the sudden move, and her face flushed red with embarrassment. She didn't want to admit it, but… being embraced like this by Xuan… felt strangely nice. Looking up at his face closely, she also realized something—his freckles and blemishes were now all gone, revealing his perfect features underneath.

'Is this… junior brother's real appearance?'

Her eyes sparkled at the realization, and before she knew it, she was enchanted. Zhou Hai, on the other hand, wasn't very much so, and clenched his fists tightly.

"… You dare to touch my woman?"

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"Your woman?" Xuan lifted an eyebrow slightly. "Last time I checked, senior sister Zhi Ruo didn't belong to anyone. Do you have your marriage papers? Identification documents? Legal authorization stating that the two of you are married?"

"What…?"

Zhou Hai frowned at the terminology used by Xuan, completely unaware of what they meant—it was only natural. In this world, there weren't any 'marriage papers' or 'identification documents'.

"I thought as much," Xuan replied, pulling Zhi Ruo even closer. "In that case, I am not touching anyone's woman but my own."

With that, he turned around and began walking away, taking Zhi Ruo along with him. Zhou Hai, seeing this scene, gritted his teeth in anger and looked ready to kill, but a heavy hand patted his shoulder from behind.

"Calm down, Hai'er. Remember what I told you about letting your emotions get the better of you?"

"… Father. I know, but…"

"Relax. You will have your time to get revenge," the other Zhou—current patriarch—said. "Take it slow and steady… that boy is a mere Body Tempering stage cultivator. The right opportunity will present itself very soon, don't you think?"

At this, Zhou Hai's eyes widened slightly. "Father, you mean… the Hunting Party tonight?"

Zhou He, Zhou Hai's father, gave a nod. "As a Body Tempering stage cultivator, what is the number one item he needs to break through?"

"… Beast Cores," Zhou Hai answered. "Of course… why didn't I think of this earlier! Haha, out there, no one will be able to protect him!"

"You can handle it yourself, yes? I dislike having to get involved in matters between the younger generation," Zhou He said.

"Er… about that…" Zhou Hai looked away, ashamed. "… I'm not certain I can beat him in a fair fight."

"… Oh?"

At this, Zhou He's interest was piqued, and he prompted his son to elaborate.

"I hired a group of assassins to go after him, all of which were in the Qi Transformation stage just like myself. However… not only is he still alive and well today, I also haven't received any communication from the assassins since. I do not want to underestimate my opponent, so…"

"Good, good," Zhou He nodded in approval. "You are learning. In that case, I will send you two Origin Transformation elders as protectors for tonight. That should be enough, yes?"

"Origin Transformation… yes, of course!"

Zhou Hai's face lit up in triumph, thinking the battle was already won. The difference between cultivation phases was far greater than that between stages. A Qi Transformation cultivator was technically only one stage below Origin Transformation, but the difference between them was unfathomably large. No matter how heaven-defying Xuan's techniques were, there was no chance he could beat an Origin Transformation realm powerhouse—not to mention two.

With a sinister smile on his face, Zhou Hai began making his way into the auction house with his father.

'Xuan, Xuan… you'll regret making an enemy out of me.'

*****

Just as Zhi Ruo had described, the interior of the auction house was even more impressive than the outside.

That is, to normal people.

Even after entering and observing the interior design of the place, Xuan's expression showed no change. Zhi Ruo, on the other hand, was terribly flustered—so much so that she couldn't even bring herself to look at Xuan's face.

"… You're very bold, junior brother," she said quietly, holding her hands behind her back meekly. "Just see how I punish you when we get back… hmph."

"Is that so? But I just did you a favor, senior sister," Xuan replied nonchalantly, keeping his footsteps even and unfazed.

"Oh? How so?" Zhi Ruo asked dubiously, lifting an eyebrow.

"By doing this, Zhou Hai will have his hands full dealing with me. I noticed you were extremely annoyed by him earlier, so I could safely assume this isn't the first time he's pestered you like so. While he's focused on me, you'll have some time to relax, no? I think this warrants the favor I owe you fulfilled."

At this, Zhi Ruo giggled softly. "Hehe~ good try. Unfortunately, your senior sister isn't that easy to please. The life-saving favor you owe me is only considered partly returned… not to mention how you've sullied my name by declaring I'm your woman."

"… Well, it was a valiant effort."

"Sure, but not a very good one. This way," she said, suddenly taking a right and prompting Xuan to follow.

'My Dao of bullshitting is still as masterful as ever,' Xuan noted to himself after the two fell into silence. 'Good, good.'

In reality, he'd simply used Zhi Ruo a little to spite Zhou Hai and taunt him into coming after him at the Hunting Party tonight. After all, Xuan was a Body Tempering stage cultivator who needed Beast Cores to break through, and what better way to do that then to attend the Hunting Party happening later? He knew that Zhou Hai wasn't stupid—he most likely had already guessed that Xuan was going to be heading there tonight.

What Zhou Hai couldn't possibly have guessed, however, was that he was playing right into Xuan's hands.

The corridor they entered was in the shape of an arc, and held multiple rooms around it. It was the place where all the VIPs stayed, looming high above the stage down below for the best view. At a normal auction house, civilians with no special identity or background would be seated below these VIP chambers in the audience seats, but since the only bidders at this private auction were all VIPs, the audience seats below were empty and just for show.

Before long, Zhi Ruo found their assigned room and went inside—room number 3. The number had been engraved on the jade slips they used to get in here, and it was the same every year unless a major family or organization had been disbanded somehow.

"Okay… here we are," Zhi Ruo sighed, collapsing on the comfortable couch. "Now all that's left is to wait for the auction to begin."

"Before that, I'd like to just confirm something," Xuan said, sitting down next to her.

"Hm? What is it?"

"How many Spirit Crystals do we have in stock?"

Zhi Ruo smirked. "More than you can imagine."

'More than I can imagine? I doubt that,' Xuan thought, but he decided against saying that out loud.

"You see, while all the powers coming here today are more or less equal, our alchemist guild can be considered to be the highest-ranking out of all of them," Zhi Ruo continued, leaning back. "They all want to maintain good relationships with us, after all. We're the only pill refiners in the entire city."

"In other words, if we show that we're insistent on bidding for something, chances are, they'll let us have it?"

Zhi Ruo nodded. "That's right."

"Hm… I see… how convenient."

In Xuan's past, since he always remained anonymous, he was never able to receive this kind of treatment at auctions he attended. This was a nice feeling for a change.

Before long, all the VIPs had settled in, and it was time for the auction to begin. Down below, the beautiful auctioneer stepped up onto the stage, and behind her was a number of square pedestals, each carrying a glass box on top of them. A black veil was draped over each one, and without a doubt, these were the containers used to hold the artifacts being auctioned here today.

"Welcome, VIPs of Cloud Catcher City, to the annual private auction brought forward by City Lord Yun Liao," the auctioneer said. "This year, there are quite a few interesting items to be auctioned off, so keep your eyes peeled! Without any further ado… the first item of the auction will be this Residual Spirit Vest!"

She stepped to the leftmost pedestal of the stage and removed the black evil covering it, revealing… absolutely nothing.

"What? There's nothing there!"

"City Lord Yun Liao, do you take us for fools?"

"I demand an answer for this!"

"Please calm down, honored guests!" The auctioneer quickly interrupted with a smile. "You see, this Residual Spirit Vest is a special Ancient-Grade artifact that can only be seen when triggered. It is a protective artifact that can block any singular physical attack from anyone in the Origin Monarch Realm and below, both Martial and Soul techniques.

The downside, however, is that it takes thirty days to recharge. Right now, it appears invisible, but I assure you, this artifact is genuine! The starting bid will be 50,000 Spirit Crystals. Are there any bidders?"

"Hmph, how do we know you aren't tricking us? I'm not bidding on this item!"

"Indeed, this is not a good start to this year's auction…"

"The thirty-day-limit sounds like a made-up excuse so that you have a reason not to test the artifact here and show us. City Lord Yun Liao, you are looking down on us a bit too much, don't you think?"

"The grade is also Ancient-Grade, just low enough to not have an artifact aura. If everything you say is true, 50,000 Spirit Crystals would truly be a steal for this artifact, but this all seems far too fishy to be a coincidence for me. Apologies, but I will not be bidding on this one."

"… What do you think, senior sister?" Xuan asked, while the auctioneer below continued to try and convince the various VIPs.

"Hm? Well… I think the others have a point. With the given information, this item does seem a bit suspicious. However, personally, I do trust in City Lord Yun Liao's character, since he has never lied to us before. Even so, unless I have concrete evidence of some sort that this item truly matches the auctioneer's description, I won't bid on this item."

"I see. In that case…"

Casually, Xuan tapped on the button that triggered the broadcast system so everyone else could hear him talk, and spoke.

"51,000."

Zhi Ruo's eyes widened. "Junior brother…?"

"F-Fifty-one-thousand! Do I hear any more bids?" The announcer declared, to which no one responded.

Without even turning to Zhi Ruo, Xuan simply took his finger off the broadcast button and replied with confidence:

"I have concrete evidence."

Meanwhile, the other bidders of the auction were experiencing a variety of emotions. Some were confused, some were surprised, and others, like Zhou Hai, were simply laughing in amusement.

"Hahaha! Junior brother, I thought you were smarter than this, but I guess not!"

"Isn't it obvious that this is a scam…? Little brother, do you not believe in the judgment of the rest of us?"

"Leave him be, senior Bai Zhu," Zhou Hai said with a chuckle. "If he wants to waste his money, then so be it. Just wait and see the look on his face when the real treasures come later."

"… It is true," the senior named Bai Zhu said. "Regretful indeed. Little brother, I hope you still have money to spare, because usually in auctions like these, the later the auction goes, the better the artifacts become. Just a word of advice from someone who has attended many auctions throughout the years."

"I appreciate the guidance," Xuan replied with courtesy. "Seniors need not mind me. It is my first time at an auction, so I wanted to try my hand at bidding on an item and obtaining it. Since I saw that no one else was planning on bidding for this item, I decided to do so just for the experience. I've made myself a laughing stock, it seems."

"Ah… well, in that case, I suppose it is fine," Bai Zhu replied. "Good luck to you in your future endeavors, young friend. Say hello to Grandmaster Zong for me."

"Will do, senior."

"51,000 going once, 51,000 going twice—sold!" The auctioneer announced, slamming her gavel hammer down on a wooden sound block. "Congratulations to the bidder in Room 3, the Residual Spirit Vest is yours and will be delivered to your room at the end of this auction!"

"Hm…" Zhi Ruo tilted her head, a pondering expression on her face.

"What's the matter? You don't believe in my judgment?"

"No, that's not it. It's just… I'm wondering how you were able to obtain concrete evidence when none of the other powerhouses here could. Even the best blacksmith in the city, Yuan Huojing, refused to bid on it…"

Xuan smiled. "… Heh. That's a secret."

Obviously, he couldn't tell her about the Divine Asura Eye and its appraisal abilities. He didn't trust her quite enough for that yet. And so, for the rest of the auction, Zhi Ruo glared at Xuan hoping that would change his mind, but he would never let a woman's angry gaze waver him. One of his wives, Xinyue, had that same habit of glaring coldly at him whenever she wanted him to do something like change his mind.

Did it ever work? No.

*****

Very soon, there was only one item left to be auctioned. Xuan didn't even spare a glance at the other items before that, since he didn't want to owe Zhi Ruo too much. Eventually, he'd have to leave this city, and when that time came, he didn't want her to be able to use this as an excuse to tie him down.

Besides, all of those items were either pills, offensive artifacts/techniques, or weapons. They were all nice to have, but Xuan could refine better pills himself if he wanted to, and the rest were all secondary to him right now. Attack was not a problem for him—defense was, hence why he picked up the Residual Spirit Vest.

This final item, however… was a bit interesting indeed.

"For the last item of this auction, we present to you…"

The auctioneer pulled off the black veil just like she had with the previous items, and lying inside the glass container was what looked like a simple sheet of paper.

"… A treasure map that marks the location of the inheritance of the ancient Myriad Swords True God!"

At this, all the chambers burst into excitement, having never expected to find something like this here.

"What?! Myriad Swords True God's inheritance? The one that's been lost for thousands of years has finally been uncovered?!"

"Impossible… for anyone who cultivates the way of the sword, this map is a must-obtain item! Who knows what kinds of knowledge and treasures are in there?!"

"I have to get my hands on this! Auctioneer, what's the starting bid?"

The auctioneer smiled, pleased with the excitement from the various VIPs. "The starting bid will be 1,000,000 Spirit Crystals! Please make your bids now!"

"1,100,000!"

"1,200,000!"

"1,500,000!"

As the price continued to go up, Xuan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Interesting. They're not debating the legitimacy of this map piece, when they were so dubious about the Residual Spirit Vest earlier?"

"An Ancient-Grade artifact is one thing, but if the City Lord were to lie about something like this or auction off an item of this caliber without sufficient proof and information to back it up, his reputation would be ruined. Everyone here today are the major supporting pillars of Cloud Catcher City. If they really wanted to, they could easily overthrow the City Lord."

"I see…"

"2,000,000!"

"2,500,000!"

"3,000,000!"

"You're not going to bid on this item, junior brother?" Zhi Ruo asked, tilting her head. "These prices are still affordable for us, you know. Do you cultivate the sword?"

Xuan gave a nod. "Yes. But there's no need to bid on it."

"Hm? Why?"

"You'll see soon enough."

"Hrm… you and your mysterious attitude… hmph. Well, it would be a lie if I said I didn't somewhat like it…"

Xuan's ears perked up. "Was that a confession I just heard, senior sister?"

"In your dreams, junior brother."

"I see. I must be dreaming, then."

Zhi Ruo giggled softly while the bids continued to go up in price, until one person finally put an end to it all.

"10,000,000!"

At this, all the bidders fell into silence.

"… Patriarch Zhou really wants this map, it seems."

"In that case, I will stop bidding here."

"Yes, I agree."

"Thank you all for your generosity," Zhou He, the patriarch of the Zhou family, said. "The inheritances in that cave will no doubt help my son break through his bottleneck and ascend to the Origin Transformation realm, so no matter what, I must have that map."

"10,000,000! Do I hear any more bidders?"

The auctioneer looked around, but there were no more prices.

"In that case… 10,000,000 going once, 10,00,000 going twice… sol—"

"10,100,000."

Xuan calmly pressed on the speaker button and gave this bid, a completely neutral expression on his face. Everyone went silent, even Zhi Ruo, who stared at him with her eyes widened in surprise.

"Junior brother, you…"

"Relax. I'm merely spiting him a little for fun."

"Ah, I see… in that case, I'll play along, heheh."

"You… don't go too far, now. Do you even have that much money?" Zhou Hai's voice demanded over the broadcast system, while his father continued.

"10,200,000."

"10,300,000," Xuan bid once again.

"Bastard, know where the bottom line is!" Zhou Hai yelled in anger, seething with rage.

"Is it wrong for me to bid for something I want at an auction?" Xuan replied, still not showing any sign of emotion. "If we both want the same item, then we bid for it to see who can offer the higher price. Isn't that so, Patriarch Zhou?"

"… Yes, you are right. Hai'er, stand down. 10,400,000."

"10,500,000."

"11,000,000! Boy, do you still wish to continue bidding? If the price goes any higher than this… I'm afraid your Open Sky Alchemist Guild will not be able to pay up."

"You need not worry about that," Zhi Ruo said in Xuan's stead. "We have the financial capabilities to live up to our bids. 12,000,000!"

"… 15,000,000!" Zhou He said through grit teeth. "Brat… this is the final line. If you bid again, the map will be yours. Can you really pay that price?"

After a few seconds of silence, Xuan replied.

"You know, on second thought, I remembered that I actually cultivate the way of the spear. My apologies, patriarch Zhou, it seems my memory has become a bit hazy from my old age."

'PFFT- your old age?!' Zhou He screamed in his head, coughing blood and nearly falling over from the younger man's words. 'You look 20, brat! You bid just to make me pay more, didn't you?! I'll remember this, bastard…'

"15,000,000 going once… 15,000,000 going twice… sold! Congratulations to the bidder in Room 7, the map to Myriad Swords True God's inheritance is yours, and will be delivered shortly. With that, our auction for this year concludes, and…"

"… Hai'er," Zhou He said privately in his own chamber.

"Yes, father?"

"… Kill that boy, but don't be too quick about it. Make him taste the pain… the torture of dying. Is that clear?"

At this, Zhou Hai's smirk widened into a sneer.

"Yes, father."