The sun rose on another new day as Qin Yun lay in bed, deep in thought. Somehow, he had difficulty adjusting to life within the Sun Clan. For one, the room he had been granted was much too luxurious for his taste. He couldn't help but question their motives for doing so.

Trying to put it out of his mind, Qin Yun took out a small orb from his black box. Since the incident days prior, this was the first time he had the opportunity to thoroughly examine it.

The orb flashed regularly, pulsing with power like a heartbeat. Qin Yun could feel life bud within. The more he looked into it, the more he felt like this crystal orb resembled an egg. As for what kind of creatures would emerge from it, Qin Yun could only speculate.

At first, he thought it might be how those crystal insects came into being, yet he couldn't help but dismiss it. After all, the events of its creation were much too singular. How could an entire race be born the same way? Qin Yun’s curiosity was piqued. He couldn’t help but toy with it, wondering what it would become as it grew up.

From time to time, Qin Yun would take crystal limbs out of storage before feeding them to this crystal egg. Every time, the orb would extract that foreign energy from them until they were empty and crumbled to dust. While Qin Yun possessed countless such limbs, the orb's appetite seemed insatiable. It would absorb everything Qin Yun gifted, only growing brighter each time.

However, as expected, every time the light within would grow from this feeding, Qin Yun could feel the pressure mount around him as if the world sought to keep it in check. No matter how much he fed this egg, it would never be able to come out as long as the world refused to acknowledge its existence.

This only drove Qin Yun to hatch it even more. Still, the time wasn't right, and he simply stored the crystal egg back in his black box before retrieving a crystal bug head he had once infused with his own innate qi.

With the foreign energy removed, all that remained was pure innate qi that Qin Yun could absorb anytime he wanted. Still, he hesitated.

Even since he was struck with heaven's lightning, he could feel its might linger in his flesh, tempering it further. He knew that as long as he let it do its thing, he would eventually reach the peak of the Body Strengthening realm he sought. The only price would be excruciating pain, something he was more than willing to endure.

While he missed the appeal of what his innate qi could bring, he was reluctant to interfere with the process currently happening within his body. After all, injecting innate qi during this transformation could have unexpected ramifications.

With a sigh, Qin Yun relented and stored those back in his black box, as well, when he heard a knock on the door.

“Come in,” he said.

The door opened, revealing a beautiful but modest woman on the other side.

“Is it time?" Qin Yun asked without bothering to look at her as if he knew who it was.

“Yes," the woman replied calmly, yet her voice had a hint of scorn. "We've just received news from the Lian clan. The object is scheduled to be auctioned off tonight."

Hearing this, Qin Yun turned to face her. The woman’s golden hair was striking against her black dress as it fell to her shoulder. She stood straight, showing none of her usual servant’s demure mannerisms.

"Sun Ya, are you displeased serving me?" Qin Yun asked, a slight smile creeping on his face.

She, on the other hand, scoffed and evaded his gaze.

“I don’t know what you are talking about. I am only doing as is expected of me.”

"Don't take it out on me," Qin Yun shrugged. "Your cousin was the one that forced this on you. After all, she should have been the one to do this, yet she was too proud to get it done."

“Are you finished?"

Sun Ya’s gaze was colder than an iceberg as she turned to face him.

“I've been wanting to ask, are there any reasons for your names to be so similar? I find it all a bit confusing. Couldn’t they have picked something a little more original?”

“Does that matter?" Sun Ya asked, yet Qin Yun only nodded back. She sighed and added, "My mother and Sun Yu's mother were quite close, and as we were born the same year, they chose to give us a similar name so that we could be as close as our mothers were; an infantile reasoning."

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“Yet they made you her personal servant? They seem quite heartless.”

“Sun Yu is the heir to the clan leader; our different status is only to be expected. I don't expect someone like you, who couldn't care less about your own clan, to understand."

“I just feel it’s unfair to you.”

Sun Ya’s eyes narrowed, becoming even colder.

"Why would you care?" she asked. Qin Yun could feel a hint of murderous intent in her voice. "If you are trying to create a rift between us, you are wasting your time."

"Isn't it a shame that your talent isn't recognized by your clan, or are you hiding it for fear of overshadowing her?"

“Silence!” she barked, extending two fingers toward Qin Yun.

A ray of light emerged from their tips, scorching everything in its path. Qin Yun's eyes widened, seeing the strength she had poured into this seemingly innocuous attack. Through a quick motion, Qin Yun retrieved his black sword from his storage and used its flat as a shield, dispersing it all around.

The blinding rays scattered upon the black crystal's surface, leaving no trace on it before being reflected all around the room. All at once, runes appeared, resisting the heat of those rays, yet most of them couldn't help but dim as they couldn't contain the blaze held within.

Fearing breaking this formation, Sun Ya retracted her fingers, stopping the blaze. Then, she scoffed and spun on her heels, exiting the room. With a slight smile, Qin Yun rose and followed suit.

“There’s no need to take out your frustrations on me,” Qin Yun said as if the deadly altercation hadn’t happened. “After all, I just spoke the truth. If the current situation doesn’t sit well with you, why not try to change it?”

Sun Ya abruptly stopped and looked at him; her exasperation was evident.

“Could you stop? What you hope for won’t happen.”

"Oh? What do I hope for, exactly?" Qin Yun replied, slightly amused.

Sun Ya remained silent momentarily before she resumed walking away, not bothering to respond.

“So the Lian clan finally decided to honour their contract and put the object for auction? Took them long enough,” Qin Yun said, changing the subject.

“They have many things on their minds,” Sun Ya finally deigned to reply.

“I would assume so. I suspect they find themselves in a precarious situation against the Ma clan.”

“And who’s fault is that?”

Qin Yun shrugged, unconcerned.

“I didn’t force anyone to do anything. They were always in control of their own actions. How is that my fault?” he said.

“I wonder what they all see in someone like you," she said under her breath before adding out loud, "Prepare yourself. The patriarch won't allow failure. You only have one chance to make good on your promise."

Qin Yun only smiled back. He found any assurance he would utter would only sound empty. It was much better to speak with his actions.

******

The sun was beginning to set over Jin City as countless light runes illuminated the streets leading to the plaza before the city's lone auction house. Countless cultivators from all walks of life, from rogue to those of the major clans, were steadily entering the structure through wide-opened doors as if a giant maw swallowed them whole.

Numerous armed men guarded the premises on each side of the stairs leading to the doors. Yet, unlike the usual golden-armoured soldier, they were all clad in silver, with their heads hidden beneath full helmets while holding giant silver halberds. Their oppression permeated the atmosphere, making some of the guests ill at ease.

A luxurious carriage bearing the mark of the sun quickly approached the premises. At its head were two ferocious beasts pulling it. Their furs were white with black stripes. Their paws were wide, and their claws sharp. Long fang protruded from their mouths, resembling sabre-tooth tigers, yet they were much too large to be such simple animals. Fierceness glowed in their eyes as the chains binding their bodies rattled with each step they took.

The crowd parted ways, letting the beasts and carriage through until it reached the stairs. From inside, Qin Yun eyed the guards slightly, nodding with appreciation. It seemed the Ma clan had been dismissed from their contract with the auction house and replaced by the Lian clan's own troops.

"Did you have the item delivered?" Qin Yun asked his partner for this event.

Sun Ya was seated before him, wearing a gorgeous black gown that reached her feet while exposing her thin shoulders slightly where her long golden hair fell. On her neck was a crystal necklace that glittered under the dim light of the light runes inside the carriage. Her eyes were deep and calm, indifferent to the ocean of people outside crowding around the carriage.

“I have made sure your wife has received it. Care to tell me what needed to be delivered with such urgency?"

Qin Yun smiled. He also wore luxurious black robes that paired well with his partner for the night. These clothes had been expressively chosen for him by the Sun clan for this occasion, yet Qin Yun couldn’t help but be amused: were they hoping Sun Ya would be able to entice him to their side? Was this the proverbial carrot-and-stick approach?

“Just something for her to remember me by,” Qin Yun replied.

"You never give a straight answer, do you?" Sun Ya said, her eyes showing how jaded she was having to deal with Qin Yun. "Fine. Be that way. I wasn't interested anyway. Remember why we are here, and don't stir any more trouble than you already have."

“I can’t promise anything,” Qin Yun replied helplessly. “Trouble seems to find me regardless of what I want.”

Sun Ya's glare was cold as always, and she couldn't help but sigh.

"Besides, I doubt we'll be able to avoid trouble this time. As I remember, the Ma clan's young lady was also interested in this item. A confrontation seems inevitable, don't you think?”

"She's irrelevant," Sun Ya replied. The Ma clan has already had its hands full dealing with the Lian clan. They can't afford to pick a fight with our clan over this. Even if their younger generations act foolishly, the clan won't let it come to that."

"You place too much confidence in their rationality. Would their juniors act this way if they weren't encouraged by the support they received? No, they are overbearing because they have the confidence to be. Whether or not this confidence is warranted is irrelevant. Humans are emotional creatures, after all.”

Sun Ya remained silent, weighing his words, yet this wasn’t anything she could have any effect on considering her current status. She could only dismiss his words for now.

“Regardless, I don’t want you doing anything that could jeopardize this transaction. You should remember that your continued existence hangs on this.”

Qin Yun placed a hand over his chest. He could still feel the warmth of the city lord's imprint on him. Still, he smiled and seemed unconcerned.

Sun Ya wasn't sure if that man was indifferent or had means she wasn't aware of. Still, she put it out of her mind; it wasn't her place to worry about it. Only the task at hand mattered.

“We’ve arrived. Let’s go,” Qin Yun said as he held his hand for her to take, which she reluctantly did before they both disembarked.