"Six hundred and fifty!" Ye Xiwen raised the price again. For an incomplete technique, that was already an extremely high price. Even a complete advanced technique was only worth around a thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
"Seven hundred!" The other party once again bid with the air of a grand lord who had money to burn.
By now, quite a few people had become excited. It was practically like watching a show.
"Eight hundred!" Ye Xiwen gritted his teeth. This was the limit of what he was willing to pay. Any higher, and he could only give up—it simply would not be worth it.
"Damn it, who is this person? How dare he compete with me, Young Master!" In the private room, a young man smashed his teacup in fury when he saw Ye Xiwen continually raising the price against him. Every bid he made had always caught people off guard, and he enjoyed hearing their cries of surprise. Now Qin Fang actually dared to fight him for an item—more importantly, to steal his limelight.
"Go investigate who that brat is. I'll have him torn to pieces!" the young man said.
He had not cared much about an incomplete technique to begin with; he had only bid on a whim. But the fact that someone dared to fight him for it immediately enraged him.
"Young City Lord, we cannot continue bidding. Before we came, the City Lord instructed us that our target was the Xiantian Pill auction in a few days. Compared to this incomplete Xiantian Technique, what truly matters to you is the Xiantian Pill. Once you become a Xiantian Expert, won't you have anything you want? If we spend too much here, I'm afraid we won't have the funds to bid for the Xiantian Pill later!" an elderly attendant advised.
"Forget it. I won't lower myself to his level. Send people to keep an eye on that private room. He dared to compete with me for something—I'll make sure he dies a miserable death. In the end, won't the item still fall into my hands? Ahahaha, I really am a genius!" The young man ordered several guards.
With the young man in the VIP room no longer bidding, Ye Xiwen finally bought the manual for eight hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
After winning the manual, Ye Xiwen quickly received it. Only then did he learn that the person in the VIP room was actually Zhao Qiyan, the Young City Lord of Da Qing City. The Da Qing City Lord had come in person this time specifically to obtain a Xiantian Pill for Zhao Qiyan.
But even after learning this, Ye Xiwen had no intention of backing down. If they wanted a fight, then they would fight. The other side was not easy to deal with, but neither was he some soft persimmon anyone could knead at will.
After the auction ended, Ye Xiwen left the auction house. Before long, he sensed that someone was following him.
Ye Xiwen's heart tightened. This was his first time in Tian Yuan City, so naturally he could not have offended anyone. The only possibility was Zhao Qiyan, the Young City Lord of Da Qing City, from earlier.
Without showing any reaction, Ye Xiwen turned into an alley.
Several figures emerged—it was Zhao Qiyan's guards.
"Where is he?" The Da Qing City experts who had been staring fixedly at Ye Xiwen watched as his figure vanished in the blink of an eye, and their faces immediately changed in alarm.
The four Da Qing City experts who had been concealing themselves immediately revealed their tracks and gathered together.
"Damn it, did that brat run away? Chase him!"
The Da Qing City experts burst forward at once, chasing in the direction Ye Xiwen had gone.
They believed they had followed from far enough away, but given their speed, it was not much distance at all. In no time, they arrived in the stretch of alleys where Ye Xiwen had disappeared.
"How did he vanish? Damn it, could he have noticed we were following him?" one guard said gloomily.
"Impossible. The four of us deliberately concealed our tracks and stayed a hundred meters behind him. There's no way he could have discovered us!" another guard retorted.
"Damn it! Could that brat have deliberately hidden his tracks just to wait for us to expose ourselves?" A tall, burly guard suddenly realized.
The other three Da Qing City guards also changed expression slightly. Every one of them was battle-hardened, not fools. They quickly understood. Though they did not know what method Ye Xiwen had used to hide his tracks, no matter how they thought about it, this was the only possibility.
"Realizing it now is too late!" Ye Xiwen's icy voice rang out. He stood atop the brick wall of the alley. "I never expected the Young City Lord of Da Qing City to do such a thing. Aren't you afraid of becoming a laughingstock if word gets out?"
Ye Xiwen frowned. He could sense that these four guards were all experts—every one of them was at the Houtian Ninth Stage.
"You think this news will get out? What are you, that you dare compete with our Young City Lord for something?" one guard sneered repeatedly.
"Stop wasting words on him. Kill this brat. Don't keep the Young City Lord waiting!" another guard said impatiently.
"You want to kill me? With just you?" Ye Xiwen stamped his foot, shooting down from the brick wall and charging toward the four guards.
Drawing his long saber, he slashed out a blade radiance. The incomparably terrifying saber qi instantly split into nine saber shadows in the air, enveloping one of the guards.
"How is this possible?!" Terror flashed wildly through that guard's eyes, while stormy waves rose within his heart. This strike was simply too terrifying. Was this the power of bringing martial arts to the level of great mastery?
Although they too were Houtian Ninth Stage experts, they had never even cultivated a basic technique to great mastery.
Even among Houtian Ninth Stage experts, the gap in strength could be as vast as heaven and earth. Though Ye Xiwen was only at the Houtian Eighth Stage, he could absolutely contend with the peak figures of the Houtian Ninth Stage. How could guards who had not even learned advanced techniques possibly be his match?
Splat! The guard had no time to react before Ye Xiwen cleaved him in two. To outsiders, it looked as though he had foolishly stood there and allowed Ye Xiwen to kill him. In truth, every escape route around him had been sealed by Ye Xiwen's blade. With nowhere to retreat, he could only watch helplessly as he was cut down.
"Third Brother!" the remaining three guards cried out in grief.
"Attack! All of us together—kill him!" In the blink of an eye, one guard had been slain. The guards were incomparably shocked, but their killing intent only grew stronger. He was already this terrifying now—who knew what he would become in the future?
The three guards, who had worked together for years, immediately formed a triangular encirclement, one in front and one on each side, as they pounced toward Ye Xiwen.
The distance of a dozen paces vanished in an instant. The three guards each drew their long sabers and slashed out blade radiance, bombarding Ye Xiwen.
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