"Eh?"
Ji Feng had not expected to run into Lin Shuguang again after arriving at Shenxiu Auction House. "This kid is interesting. He left right on time just to come here?"
He chuckled softly.
But he did not pay it much attention, instead thinking about how to cure Sima Tingwei's cold poison.
Just then, the person in charge of Shenxiu Auction House suddenly stepped out. "Everyone, please wait. Shenxiu Auction House has a temporary announcement. Just now, we obtained a treasure that I believe every one of you will be interested in."
"Manager Zhang, what is it exactly that could make you appear in person?"
"What is it?"
As the crowd discussed it noisily, Manager Zhang smiled and waved. "Bring it up."
Two teams of guards surrounded a maid, who carried a golden metal box made of a special material in both hands.
When the maid reached Manager Zhang's side, he swept his gaze around and said with a soft laugh, "As everyone knows, when we first begin cultivating, we temper our internal organs. However, because of our cultivation techniques or innate talents, we are often unable to truly temper our entire bodies, much less reach the legendary Perfect Golden Body Realm... And now, an opportunity has just been placed before all of you."
Under Manager Zhang's words, the crowd's suspicious gazes gradually grew feverish.
"Could it be..."
Manager Zhang lifted the lid of the box, and a strange light flashed from within.
The auction guests nearby were all shaken, while those behind them stood up and craned their necks to look over, their eyes gleaming with curiosity.
Standing among the crowd, Lin Shuguang secretly laughed. The Shenxiu Auction House truly had some tricks.
The Dragon Gallbladder he had provided was about the size of two fists. Although it was entirely condensed from essence, its surface was plain and unremarkable.
Shenxiu Auction House had specially found a metal box that reflected multicolored light. Its presentation immediately seemed much more impressive.
Manager Zhang slowly introduced it: "This is a Dragon Gallbladder. Flood dragons are difficult to encounter, and if one successfully survives its tribulation, it can transform into a true dragon. Our Shenxiu Auction House was fortunate enough to obtain this Dragon Gallbladder, so naturally, we wished to share it with everyone."
As soon as he finished speaking, someone exclaimed suspiciously, "The quality of this Dragon Gallbladder is extraordinary. It must at least be from the True Fate Realm, right? To slay a flood dragon of the True Fate Realm and obtain its gallbladder... Such strength is truly terrifying."
After that person finished speaking, Manager Zhang shook his head with a smile. "Everyone, you do not know the full details. Our experts have already examined this Dragon Gallbladder. It is brimming with vitality and is at least from the Nirvana Realm... If it can be refined and added to a pill furnace, any pill can be refined into a High-level Pill. Barring accidents, the person who consumes it will have a fifty percent chance of achieving the Perfect Golden Body Realm. If the consumer is injured, it can be refined into a Dragon Pill, which is especially effective against cold poison..."
Among the crowd, Ji Feng's carefree expression suddenly changed. His gaze sharpened as he stared at Manager Zhang.
"No one knew I was coming here except Sima Tingwei. Shenxiu Auction House bringing out this item... should simply be a coincidence. In that case, I must obtain this Dragon Gallbladder."
Manager Zhang put the Dragon Gallbladder away again. Ignoring the reluctant gazes of the auction guests, he said amiably, "The starting price for the Dragon Gallbladder is 1.6 million Gold Leaves. Each bid must increase the price by at least ten thousand."
Although the Dragon Gallbladder was rare, it was ultimately only a material for pill refinement.
Even if useless people obtained it, they could not refine pills and could only hold onto a hot potato.
Therefore, Shenxiu Auction House had set its starting price at 1.6 million Gold Leaves.
Amid the heated discussion, Shenxiu Auction House's steward invited Lin Shuguang outside.
Ji Feng noticed this as well, but did not think much of it. He mistakenly assumed that Lin Shuguang could not afford such a large sum, and stared intently at the metal box in the maid's hands.
"One million seven hundred thousand!"
"One million seven hundred and fifty thousand!"
Amid the lively bidding, Lin Shuguang had already been invited into a private room at Shenxiu Auction House. "Young Friend Lin, these are the Forging Technique manuals our auction house acquired. There are ten in total, and each has its own merits."
Before handing the Dragon Gallbladder over to Shenxiu Auction House, Lin Shuguang had also taken out the Dragon Tendon. Otherwise, Shenxiu Auction House would not have treated him with such courtesy.
The ability to obtain materials from a flood dragon of the Nirvana Realm inevitably made people suspicious of the power behind him.
"May I borrow them for a look first?" Lin Shuguang did not hurry to take them and asked calmly.
"Of course." Manager Zhang could never have imagined that this mysterious young man before him possessed such unfathomable methods.
Lin Shuguang flipped through one of the books on the Forging Technique.
In Manager Zhang's eyes, Lin Shuguang was merely turning the pages quickly, as if checking whether any chapters were missing. He smiled and said, "We specifically checked them when we purchased them earlier."
Lin Shuguang paused, seeming to guess what he meant. He said calmly, "It is a personal habit. Please do not take offense."
"Not at all, not at all. Take your time." Manager Zhang simply picked up his teacup.
He had no idea that Lin Shuguang beside him was currently spending money like wildfire.
Spending successful. Forging Technique upgraded to Level Three!
Spending successful. Forging Technique upgraded to Level Four!
Spending successful. Forging Technique upgraded to Level Twenty-One!
Spending successful. Forging Technique upgraded to Grand Perfection!
After fusing the ten Forging Technique manuals, Lin Shuguang finally upgraded his Forging Technique to Grand Perfection, and could not help feeling pleased.
"What do you think, Young Friend Lin?"
Having taken full advantage of the situation, Lin Shuguang still had no intention of patting his backside and leaving. He possessed a Heaven Sacrifice Talisman and would likely have to deal with Shenxiu Auction House often in the future, so he could not turn them into enemies for the sake of immediate profit.
He solemnly selected one of the manuals. "This one will do. Exchange the remaining Dragon Tendon for Gold Leaves."
Manager Zhang nodded, then subtly recommended something else. "Does Young Friend Lin need any pills?"
Lin Shuguang raised his brows. "Do you have any treasures that can increase one's lifespan?"
He had previously promised Old Man Chen of Baojian Sect that he would find him a treasure capable of extending his lifespan.
Manager Zhang shook his head. "Treasures that can increase one's lifespan are incredibly rare, even at my auction house. However, some appear every year. If I receive any news, I will definitely recommend it to Young Friend Lin at the first opportunity."
"Sorry for the trouble."
Just then, an auction-house guard hurried over. "Manager, the Dragon Gallbladder auction has ended. The price was driven up to 3.23 million."
"How did it get so high?" Manager Zhang was stunned.
According to his estimate, reaching two million would already have been the peak for the Dragon Gallbladder. If it had already been refined into a Dragon Pill, then the price could indeed have gone higher.
The guard lowered his voice. "The Qiao Family got into a bidding war with someone."
"The Qiao Family?" Manager Zhang furrowed his brows. "And what is the other party's identity?"
"That person looked unfamiliar. This subordinate could not identify him. He likely came from somewhere else. In the end, he was the one who took the item."
"Oh?" Manager Zhang raised his brows. "Interesting. Where is this honored guest?"
"He left after leaving the money voucher."
"I originally wanted to send people to protect him. After all, he offended the Qiao Family, a local tyrant, and that could lead to trouble. Anyone able to produce more than three million Gold Leaves is certainly no ordinary person. Forget it." Manager Zhang turned to Lin Shuguang, cupped his fists, and said, "Congratulations, Young Friend Lin."
Lin Shuguang did not want to stay any longer. He took the money and left. When he reached a corner, footsteps came from the private room behind him. "Manager Zhang, where did you get the Dragon Pill?"
"Young Master Qiao, Shenxiu has Shenxiu's rules. We cannot speak of things that should not be discussed." Manager Zhang's tone was indifferent.
Lin Shuguang turned to look. The person at the head seemed somewhat familiar.
He appeared somewhat similar to Qiao Shanheng. After connecting that with the mention of the Qiao Family, Lin Shuguang understood.
Had the old prison guard not told him that the master behind Shenxiu Auction House was His Majesty's younger brother, Duke Shenhong, Lin Shuguang might have worried that the Qiao Family would force Manager Zhang to open his mouth. But now, if the Qiao Family courted death, he naturally would not stop them.
Lin Shuguang deliberately circled around the auction house several times before leisurely returning to his lodgings. Unexpectedly, the place was unusually lively today. The residents had gathered in groups of two and three in the hall, discussing something with great interest.
After approaching, Lin Shuguang could hear more clearly, including words such as "Dragon Pill" and "millions."
More interestingly, he learned that while he had deliberately avoided the auction house, a battle had broken out on nearby Xianglan Avenue. More than twenty Core Realm cultivators and one Spirit Transformation Realm cultivator had died, and the attacker was an unfamiliar young man.
"No one even noticed how that person attacked. The cultivators who surrounded him at the scene exploded as if they had self-detonated. Not a single corpse was left. The scene was absolutely horrifying..."
"I just went to take a look. The scene has already been sealed off by the Black Prison..."
The Black Prison?
Lin Shuguang raised a brow.
Someone else spoke up: "I heard that young man was the one who bid for the Dragon Gallbladder, and all those who died were members of the Qiao Family. The Qiao Family had driven the price up to three million at the auction house..."
"That young man must be a True Fate Realm expert, right? Otherwise, how could he have so easily killed the Qiao Family's Spirit Transformation Realm disciple?"
"Who knows? The Qiao Family also has True Fate Realm experts. That young man killed members of the Qiao Family, and I heard the entire Qiao Family has now mobilized. They are just waiting to capture him and tear him limb from limb."
"Ha." Someone scoffed. "The Qiao Family probably will not get the chance."
"Why not?"
"What other news have you heard?"
Everyone turned to look. Even Lin Shuguang glanced over. The middle-aged man said calmly, "I personally saw that person enter the Black Prison. He barged in without a token, yet did not alarm the Black Prison Envoy. Do you really think such an existence is an ordinary person? Do you think he is someone the Qiao Family can afford to offend?"
The crowd's expressions changed.
A major figure of the Black Prison!
Lin Shuguang frowned. The people from Shenxiu Auction House had also said that the person who bought his Dragon Gallbladder was merely an unfamiliar face. If he were a higher-up of the Black Prison, how could the sharp-eyed people of Shenxiu Auction House have failed to recognize him?
"Interesting."
Lin Shuguang entered his room, completely unconcerned with the Qiao Family's fate.
Now that he had obtained a huge sum of money, he urgently began his improvement plan.
He directly smashed one million Gold Leaves into it.
Thunder Tribulation Annihilation was forcefully raised to Level Seventy-Eight in a single burst.
With a flick of his finger, thunder suddenly appeared from the void before him.
Each of his four attributes increased by twenty thousand points.
His strength grew once more.
The power he had obtained from the sacrifice in Beast Mountain was also digested by more than half.
Feeling the abundant power within his body, Lin Shuguang relaxed somewhat.
Now that he had obtained Forging Technique at full level, he did not want to delay.
The Demon God Armor would be upgraded into Flame Dragon Armor. Combined with his Demon God Body, just imagining it made his blood boil.
How could Lin Shuguang endure leaving the Forging Technique unused? He hurriedly packed his belongings and went to the Black Prison.
Everyone coming and going wore solemn expressions, as if something unpleasant had happened.
"Senior." Seeing the old prison guard, Lin Shuguang was just about to ask where the forging room was when the old prison guard shook his head and gestured for him to keep quiet. He said in a low voice, "Follow me."
The two of them hurried into Saber Prison, far from the trouble.
"Something happened in the Black Prison not long ago. One of the lords above us was intercepted and assassinated in the street. That lord is now gathering troops to flatten the other party. Do you know what kind of background that family has?"
"The Qiao Family." Lin Shuguang answered calmly.
The old prison guard paused, as if he had not expected Lin Shuguang to know. He nodded. "The Qiao Family has long been accustomed to running rampant and acting without restraint. This time, they kicked an iron plate. That person is an Imperial Envoy who came here under imperial orders. The Qiao Family could have done anything, yet they chose to intercept and assassinate him in the street."
"Will the entire family be executed?" Lin Shuguang asked out of pure curiosity.
After all, he had a "friend" named Qiao Shanheng.
"That will not happen. The Black Prison Envoy rewards and punishes fairly and will not let that Imperial Envoy massacre innocents. However, the Qiao Family is bound to be suppressed." The old prison guard spoke in a low voice, lamenting the fickleness of the world.
Lin Shuguang let out an "oh."
The old prison guard then asked, "Wasn't your night shift tomorrow? Why did you come today?"
"I came here to take care of something. Right, Senior, I heard earlier that our Black Prison has a forging room. Do you know how to apply for access?" Lin Shuguang asked.
The old prison guard was stunned.
If he remembered correctly, Lin Shuguang had still been asking him how to learn the Forging Technique that very morning. How had he already started asking about the forging room?
"You went to Shenxiu Auction House?"
Lin Shuguang casually smiled. "I got a manual and wanted to practice. Practice makes perfect."
The old prison guard could not help laughing. "Your execution is too strong. No one has used the forging room for a long time, either. You do not need to apply; just go directly there. It is on the fourth level. But bring your identification plaque—there are old monsters locked up in there."
Lin Shuguang thanked him and hurried toward the fourth level.
Watching him, the old prison guard could not help sighing. "Youth is wonderful..."
In less than five minutes.
Lin Shuguang arrived at the forging room in Saber Prison. Perhaps no one had used it for many years, because thick layers of dust had accumulated everywhere.
Starting the fire, casting the iron...
Lin Shuguang began forging in silence, as if he were tireless and willing to shoulder any burden.
He did not begin by forging the Demon God Armor. Instead, he casually pulled out a piece of dark iron from the side.
With the Forging Technique operating, several minutes later, after the heated iron was plunged into water with a burst of sizzling and explosive sounds, a long sword took shape in Lin Shuguang's hands.
Lin Shuguang examined the first item he had forged.
"Passable. What a pity the material is a little poor."
An upper-grade profound weapon had become little more than scrap iron in Lin Shuguang's mouth.
He casually tossed the long sword aside. After sensing the might of the Forging Technique, he began forging the Demon God Armor in earnest.
Sparks flew everywhere, as if a Flame Dragon were roaring...
The originally abandoned forging room suddenly began to shine brilliantly.
"Come out, Flame Dragon Armor. Let the world feel pain..."
In a trance, it seemed that some existence had awakened.
Before you continue