Hong Tian didn't follow up with another bid and the book went to Xia Lihua. The auction ended and Lin Caihong personally brought the item to their room. She glanced around after entering and spotted Lin Roulan. She gave the little girl an unhappy look, inwardly promising to reprimand her later.

Next, she looked at Xia Lihua. Seeing this breathtaking young woman, the feeling of inferiority immediately hits her like a wave. Those silver eyes were so radiant and dazzling that she found it hard to maintain eye contact. She slightly lowered her head.

She’s not ordinary. Definitely not ordinary.

With a flip of her hand, a spatial ring appeared on her hand. She respectfully present it to Xia Lihua and said, “Your item, please verify.”

Xia Lihua took the ring and inspect it with her spiritual sense. She nodded her head and looked at Ji Xian. With his back bent and head lowered, Ji Xian brought out a spatial ring as well and casually threw it at Lin Caihong.

How he threw it almost gave her a heart attack.

She reached out and grabbed it. After spending a couple of seconds looking through it, she nodded happily. A billion Essence Spirit Stones! The Solitude Auction House made a profit this time. Even if all the sects in the Mortal Desolate World participated in today’s auction, there was no guarantee that they will make as much as a billion.

Ji Xian and Xia Lihua no longer had a reason to stay and decided to leave. Before they left, Lin Caihong gave Xia Lihua a platinum badge.

“This badge will give you a twenty percent discount for any item you purchase at the Solitude Auction House.”

Xia Lihua indifferently accepted the badge and bid everyone farewell. She left with Ji Xian walking behind her. Lin Roulan stared at their backs as they leave. The two of them gave her a very special feeling that she can’t describe, especially Ji Xian. That feeling when she looked into his eyes was an unforgettable experience.

Lin Caihong didn't leave and remained behind.

“Bing Yi, it has been a while.”

“Senior Lin.” Bing Yi bowed.

“What is that woman’s background?”

“We are not too sure Senior, but Master suspects that Xia Lihua comes from a reclusive clan. A clan that can rival any of the top ten sects.” Bing Yi replied.

“A reclusive clan..?” Lin Caihong silently pondered for a few minutes before shaking her head. She has never heard of such a clan with that much resource and power.

She didn't dwell on it and instead, turned her attention towards Lin Roulan who was quietly sneaking past everyone to get to the door.

The little girl immediately noticed the attention on her and froze. Her eyes quickly darted around before she put on the brightest smile she can muster and ran to Lin Caihong with her arms open.

“Aunt Lin! I miss you so much!” She cried out.

Lin Caihong helplessly sighed seeing her niece behave in such a manner. She hopelessly accepted the hug.

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“You brat, did you sneak out again? Let’s go, I’ll bring you back to your father.”

“Oh..”

“Do you think you can sneak out without your father knowing? One of his guards is probably watching over you.”

Lin Caihong left while carrying the little girl in her arms.

The auction concluded but people continued talking about it enthusiastically. Just an hour after the auction ended, the details of the auction spread around the entire city.

“An item belonging to the Great Empress appeared in the auction!? Damn! I knew I should’ve gone.”

“What did the book look like?”

“Someone paid one billion Essence Spirit Stones for a book that can’t be opened!?”

“So who bought it!?”

As the city become more lively talking about the auction, Ji Xian and Xia Lihua returned to East Solitude Inn. After they left the auction house, they discovered people following them, but of course, the two of them were able to easily disappear under their watchful eyes.

Returning to their room, Ji Xian's index finger glowed with a clear light. He raised his arm and moved his hand, drawing intricate runes into the empty space in front of him. Each time he finishes a rune, he would flick them away into the void.

Outside the Inn, one rune after another appeared, spiraling around the tall building. In total, there were nineteen runes. The one that stood at the top and the one that sat on the bottom glowed.

The lights moved, hitting each rune in the spiral before finally meeting in the middle. The moment they touched, the nineteen runes turned into smoke, enveloping the entire inn. The entire process happened so swiftly that no one in the city noticed.

“Formation?” Xia Lihua can sense something was different in the surroundings. If she hadn't personally witnessed Ji Xian setting it up. She may not even have noticed this change.

“Just a simple illusion formation to prevent spying." He replied.

"You're quite cautious, is there even anything that can threaten you?"

"Just a habit. Besides, I rather not deal with these small problems."

Xia Lihua nodded, she flipped her palm and a book appeared in her hand. She threw it at Ji Xian before sitting on one of the two beds in the room. She crossed her legs and began cultivating.

Ji Xian chuckled upon seeing this, “Why are you still cultivating? You're already at the limit of the Lower World. Just hurry up and ascend.”

With her eyebrows scrunched together, she glared at Ji Xian and asked, “Do you want me gone so badly? Besides, your strength has exceeded the limit, if you can do it, so can I.”

“That’s like comparing an ant to an elephant, we’re worlds apart.” Ji Xian sighed.

Plus, I also have a cheat.

Xia Lihua’s lips twitched hearing him brag but she didn't refute.

“If you want, I can help you. But think carefully. My help may cause you to completely rely on me in the future."

“Explain.” A serious expression appeared on Xia Lihua.

“Basically, you will branch off into a different path. Normally, once you ascend from the Holy realm, you'll break through to the Saint realm. For Qi Cultivators, this requires them to break their Core to create a sea. While for Body Cultivators, their requirement to breakthrough only consists of strengthening their Internal World to hold a larger amount of Astral Essence and boosting its power until it reaches a certain threshold. The so-called Internal World is similar to the Core of Qi Cultivators. It is the heart and soul of their cultivation. The Core can be replenished by absorbing the True Essence of Heaven and Earth or using external means like pills, herbs, etc. The Internal World, on the other hand, can create its own Essence and can only be replenished by pills containing Astral Essence.”

Ji Xian shook his head, “The biggest problem with Body Cultivators is that the rate at which they can produce their Essence is too slow, so they tend to rely more on pills to restore their Astral Essence. In this aspect, Qi Cultivators have an advantage because the True Essence of Heaven and Earth are abundant and simply everywhere. They can constantly absorb True Essence as they fight, and as long as they manage their usage, they can continue fighting for a long time. In drawn-out battles, Qi Cultivators almost always win.”

Xia Lihua nodded as she listened, when she fought against the Nether race, she immediately exploded with strength because she doesn't like to drag out a fight. When she makes a move, it needed to be a sure kill. Each one of her actions requires her to plan many steps ahead so she can avoid wasting her Essence. This is one of the reasons why Body Cultivators tend to focus more on improving their physique. If their body is strong, they can forego using Astral Essence and rely on their immense strength to attack, allowing them to only use their Essence when necessary.