Sean Wu left the auction room and wandered aimlessly on the second floor's main lobby, admiring sculpted marble statues and pillars of jade and obsidian lining the walkways. Even though the guests on the second floor did not amount to a small number, they felt far and few between when compared with the ground floor, where great numbers and large crowds passed shoulder to shoulder in what felt like a confined area. Sean Wu sat down in an indoor garden, with stone benches and overhanging bamboo groves. A river ran beneath his feet into an estuary half a Li down the path. This place was quite secluded, a fresh breath of air in calm scenery.

An old merchant sat on a mat nearby, with one knee raised. Seeing Sean Wu sit down, this old man took the initiative to speak. "See anything you like? You can have it if you are fated."

Sean Wu glanced over at the straw mat. It was just piles on piles of rocks. Sean glanced back over at the river by his feet, the clear waters held a multitude of river stones and pebbles scattered all downstream. Sean Wu furrowed his brow. This did not seem like a very good business model, much less a good location to be selling rocks. Did this old man just walk on the riverside, picking up rocks and decided to set up shop in the middle of nowhere? Ah whatever, buying a gambling rock or two to humor him would be no big deal.

"How much for this one?" Sean Wu crouched down and picked out an inconspicuous rock about the size of a fist.

"61,481 spirit stones." The old man replied.

"......" Sean Wu slowly put down the rock. He picked up another rock. "Okay, how about this one?"

"17,430 spirit stones."

"Grandpa, these rocks seem a tad bit overpriced, don't you think?"

"My prices are fair. If you cannot afford, then you are not fated." The old merchant nonchalantly shook his head.

Sean Wu frowned. With such a wide selection on display, there had to be at least one rock within his price range. But what was with these prices? By all accounts, these were no different than ordinary rocks. Sean sighed and prepared to get up and leave when suddenly, a thought came over him. Sean immediately opened the system panel and used inspect on the rock in his hand.

[ "Ordinary Rock" - Cannot be identified. You do not own this item. Buy: 17,430 Spirit Stones, Sell: 8715 Spirit Stones]

Sean Wu began wildly picking up rocks left and right, using this system to inspect each and every stone one by one. 139,180 Spirit Stones, 27,012 Spirit Stones, 530,990 Spirit Stones.... After a quarter of an incense time, Sean was left with a small flat stone in the palm of his hand. On the system prompt, an orange price indicator had this rock listed at a price tag of 102 Spirit Stones.

[ "Ordinary Rock" - Cannot be identified. You do not own this item. Buy: 102 Spirit Stones, Sell: 0 Spirit Stones]

What the hell?! Damn system, you think you can fool me with this "cannot be identified" bullsh*t?! That font color is definitely orange! This rock is a mythic or legendary item like the ones in games! Yours truly cannot be deceived by this halfhearted attempt!

"Grandpa*, I would like to purchase this rock." Sean held up the rock.

"The price is one-hundred and two spirit stones." The old man replied.

"Okay, one moment." Sean Wu fished around in his back pocket for 102 Spirit Stones. Earlier in the night, he had used the entirety of his contribution points to exchange for spirit stones. These spirit stones were the last of his net worth, but Sean did not care. With this supreme treasure, it was all worth it.

Sean could not hold in his excitement. What sort of invincible artifact would he unearth? What kind of immeasurable heavenly merit law would he unravel? As soon as the money exchanged hands, Sean Wu used the system to inspect his purchase.

'Ding.' A chime resounded.

["Ordinary Rock" [Common] - This is an ordinary rock. There is nothing special about it. Sell: 0 Spirit Stones]

Sean Wu blinked. Am I seeing this right?

下一章

An incense time later, Sean Wu arrived on the bottom floor of the main lobby. All he had to his name were a remaining six spirit stones, an ordinary rock that he had paid 102 spirit stones for, a screeching mandrake, a storage ring filled with 300,000 lbs of dirt and gravel, half an avocado, a hairpin imbued with corporeal fire essence, the broken shards of the hundred-epoch wooden block, an introductory manual to the basics of cultivation, a random purple slip Proctor Ming had given him the other day, and Baixiao Tiangu's family crest.

Two of these items needed to be returned to their respective owners, and the other four items had a combined value of about ten spirit stones.

Sean Wu felt that he was closer to that of a garbage collector than being an aspiring cultivator.

Sean rummaged in his pocket for the Triangulum Star of Fortune. At the very least, this half-eaten avocado was still worth quite a lot. Shenqi Laoren and Wo Bixulaishi had even tried to kill him for it. But ironically, even in these circumstances, it was unlikely for anyone to be willing to buy this grungy-looking half-eaten fruit off of him.

Sean looked at his token.

Well, there was still about two and three quarters of incense time left before the start of the main auction.

下一章

Within the banquet hall, a crowd of mortals and second-class merchants set up their wooden stalls and restaurants along a hallway spanning 80 Li. At the hall's entrance, a bakery sold sweet bread stuffed with jam and roe; A man could be heard loudly proclaiming the health benefits of mass-produced mortal grade medicinal pills dipped in diluted herbal broth. Two children ran around the corner, laughing and swinging makeshift wooden swords.

Koudai Fang Jin was dressed his tattered rags. The bottoms of his feet were bare, and his hair disheveled. Earlier, when he had parted ways with Sean Wu, Koudai Fang Jin made sure to leave in the opposite direction so that he would never come across this devilish guy again in his lifetime. He had walked for miles and miles, eventually coming across a city brimming with people. By chance, he ended up inside the auction house doors.

Despite his wretched appearance, Koudai Fang Jin was in a rather good mood. Having turned traitor to the Devil Blood Devil Sect, Koudai Fang Jin felt that he could start a new life here. With his talents and cultivation base, becoming an outer sect disciple to the closest sect was no trouble at all.

"Ah, Senior Fang Jin! There you are." A familiar voice called out.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Koudai Fang Jin furrowed his brow.

Someone here recognized him?

Koudai Fang jin turned his head around, only to be met with a large muscular figure wearing a black hood and holding onto a meat skewer. Beside the hooded figure, a youth wearing a similar black hood was biting onto a roast drumstick. Seeing that Koudai Fang Jin had directed his gaze towards him, the youth began to pay respects to his senior brother. But his mouth was full, so the words came out inaudible. "sfahienir! aklfja;ga whg af gulp adhf lahga agm."

Koudai Fang Jin. "....."

Weren't these two his juniors from the Devil Blood Devil sect? They were a part of the same group that had gone with Koudai Fang Jin into the ancestor's burial grounds. How did the hell did they make it all the way here?

"Senior brother, you are just in time! We were just about to head to the viewing platform beneath the main auction." Sun Wan, the muscular hooded cultivator with a snake's tattoo covering his left eye, bit onto the drumstick in his left hand.

"You two... are you both alive?" Koudai Fang Jin blinked in disbelief. "What about the others?"

"Oh yeah, they are definitely very dead." Sun Wan replied.

"Mmhm." Dan Liang Ping, the hooded youth beside him nodded in agreement.

"But that is not an issue! As long as our fiery passion burns bright, our Devil Sect will remain strong!" Sun Wan shouted loudly. "We will retrieve the stolen pieces of our ancestor's inheritance and raze this city to ashes! Glory to the Devil Blood Devil Sect!!"

"Glory to the Devil Blood Devil Sect!" Sun Wan and Dan Liang Ping began to chant in unison.

Koudai Fang Jin's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. You f*cking idiots, stop going around shouting about the fact that we are from a devil sect! Did you want us all to get beaten into a bloody pulp?! We are at the bottom of the barrel in the outer sect echelons of the devil blood devil sect! No one will care if we go missing. If someone from the Saint Devil sect comes, how can we explain this?! Did you think our sect can protect us all the way out here?

Koudai Fang Jin opened his mouth in protest, but quickly shut up.

Standing behind the two hooded demonic sect practitioners, a short distance across from Koudai Fang Jin was a young woman with red hair-tied into a ponytail. She looked to be in her late 20s, perhaps even a bit into her early 30s, with a lean physique and a free-flowing white cloak. Another woman in a shimmering blue dress moved beside her, wearing an indiscernible half-smile that concealed her true thoughts. The latter's silk veil contained an innumerable tiny orange lights that flew out and dissipated into a fine mist with each passing step. These two were none other than Proctor Ming and Peak Lord Jinhua!!

They only took up a small corner in his peripheral, however Koudai Fang Jin could definitely sense that these two were very powerful, if not the strongest present in the hallway. No one in the general vicinity had even noticed their qi blanketing over the surrounding area.

"Glory to the Devil Blood Devil Sect-!" Sun Wan and Dan Liang Ping continued to chant. Their words slowly became entrenched within the conjoined sounds of a bustling marketplace. Koudai Fang Jin blinked. As though time had slowed to a halt, Sun Wan and Dan Liang Ping's voices trailed in the distance.

Koudai Fang Jin had not even seen either of the women take a step out of order, however his two companions had been sent flying through the air with just a single move.

"Do you think Elder Peixui hates chickens? I saw him running from one the other day-" Ming Xiwei passed by Koudai Fang Jin, asking Luo Jinhua a question, as if nothing had happened. The women were having a trivial discusson on their way to the other side of the hall.

A second bead of sweat rolled down the side of Koudai Fang Jin's temple. Scary, too scary! Was everyone from this Saint Devil sect some kind of devilish monster? He could definitely tell one of them had acted at that very moment, however he was simply too far below in terms of cultivation to see the attack.

Just then, Luo Jinhua, who had been trailing Ming Xiwei, stopped short of passing Koudai Fang Jin and turned to face him directly. Koudai Fang Jin felt his blood run dry. Her piercing gaze was like that of a tiger eyeing its prey.

"Is something the matter?" Proctor Ming turned around.

"Nothing." Luo Jinhua smiled. She walked ahead and caught up with Ming Xiwei.

As if time had started moving again, the patter of footsteps and sounds of a bustling marketplace drowned out any room for a coherent thought. Koudai Fang Jin was left standing in the middle of a passing crowd, his companions nowhere to be seen.

下一章

Dan Lak's Prime Ribeye. Wulin Medicinal Powders. 50% off Alchemy Cauldrons. Crown Crown Palace Marketplace. Cast-Iron Wok.

Koudai Fang Jin wandered past rows upon rows of vegetable stalls, weapon-smiths, and trade shops, evening stopping at a small shop erected in the corner of the banquet hall. This was a pawn shop, dedicated to the purchase and sale of miscellaneous goods, no more special than any of the other dozens of shops he had passed on the way here. A middle-aged shop keep was leaned back in his seat at the far end, snoring soundly with a lichen cloth covering half his face.

Behind the window display were an assortment of various knick-knacks, ranging from cooking utensils to dry powders in yellow jars aged in vats of vinegar. Onion wreaths and dry grape vines coiled around wax candles high above wooden placards holding weathered tomes and crumbling scrolls. Wine-aged dining tables were left beside coffins enveloped in rocky protrusions and used as makeshift displays for handmade jewelry.

Koudai Fang Jin was not the store's only visitor. Inside, two men were busy arguing over who had the rights to buy a medicinal herb.

"Tienshi Wudan! Be a good dog and scamper away before I cripple your one-hundred twenty eight and a half meridians! This songwood medicinal herb belongs to my Hao clan. Trash like you should keep your head low if you know what is good for you!"

"Hao Yufandan, you are a f*cking idiot. There are one-hundred twenty nine meridians in the human body. How is it that you ended up with half of a whole number?! At least round up or down if you are going to shout nonsense!!"

Koudai Fang Jin decided he wanted none of that, he would quietly make an attempt to buy some new clothes before leaving to find his two companions. However, just as tensions between the two had risen to its height, a cold voice interrupted the both of them. "This medicinal herb belongs to me. You three do not have the qualifications to compete with me!"

"Who?!" Hao Yufandan shouted.

"Arrogant!" Tienshi Wudan roared.

'Why am I a part of this?' Koudai Fang Jin frowned.

A man dressed in coral robes and olive earrings stepped into the shop. He had bright, iridescent eyes like stars illuminating a vast desert plateau. In his right hand, a paint brush depicted a river's bend encircling his person like a mountain's stream traveling uphill. Seven crowns of branching olives appeared above his head, forming a crescent lathe. This person was Mu Yanbei, a cultivator of the Mu family's main branch, and successor to the thirteen steps rivaling peninsula art. "This medicinal herb will be a gift for my beloved little sister. It is far too good for the likes of you."

"What kind of dumb*ss reason is that?! I need this herb to heal my grandfather of his purple-marrow illness!" Hao Yufandan was enraged.

"I agree, our clan patriarch is currently lying in a coma from being afflicted by a black rhinoceros venom. This herb will aid in stabilizing his dantian while the esteemed leper's court ghost doctor is crossing the alps to visit us." Tienzhi Wudan indignantly shouted.

"Hmph, frogs in a well!" Mu Yanbei's voice caused a deafening tremor. "How dare you trash compare personal grievances to mine? My little sister, Mu Laohu, is the cutest little sister in the entire world. This medicinal herb, its hue is red and orange, her two favorite colors! Since you will not be reasonable, I will have to teach you three a lesson!"

Koudai Fang jin had stood in the back without saying a word. He couldn't have left if he had even wanted to. This guy comes in telling everyone to get out, and he’s standing there blocking the doorway.

"Since you are so confident, then let me have the first go." Hao Yufandan stepped forward, unsheathing his wooden sword, which was imbued with a hundred thousand floating characters. These characters formed a dome array encircling his person, spelling out the word, 磚, Brick. In front of Hao Yufandan an opalescent wall appeared. Tens of thousands of "磚" bricks stacked on top of one another laid the foundations for what could only be described as a towering pillar, reaching far above the heavens.

"Good, but not enough to reach the apex." Mu Yanbei snorted. His paint brush moved in fluid strokes, depicting a scene of fierce conflict between two opposing armies. Endless ranks of black-inked soldiers threw themselves unto Hao Yufandan's pillar, toppling the structure and causing him to cough up a mouthful of blood. The opposing armies continued throwing themselves unto one another, like crashing waves of black ink, tossing Hao Yufandan around like trapped animal struggling to stay afloat.