In the early morning, a thin white mist shrouded Lingyue City. White cranes and long-tailed vermilion birds used by certain sects to deliver messages occasionally swept across the skies above the city, lending all of Lingyue City a faintly ethereal air, like an immortal realm.
Inside Wei Suo's little stone house in the western part of the city, as his hands formed a spell seal, ten thumb-thick, snake-shaped bolts of lightning suddenly flashed into being before him. Crackling loudly, they twisted together and formed a sharp shuttle over two feet long.
With a sweep of his right hand, Wei Suo sent the Lightning Shuttle shooting into the ground near the corner of the wall. With a deafening bang, a burst of dazzling electric sparks exploded, leaving a square pit a foot wide in the hard stone floor.
"Hehe." Wei Suo took one look, and a deeply satisfied expression immediately appeared on his face. He then tucked two bulging black leather bags into his robes, left the house, and headed toward the Golden Jade Pavilion in the southern part of the city.
Today was the day of the auction. If that piece of Mid-grade Cold Jade sold well, Wei Suo would have another decent sum coming in. Over the past three days, he had also cultivated the Golden Snake Lightning Art and finally mastered its second-level Golden Snake Thunder Shuttle. Since Nangong Yuqing had kept the jade token that granted free entry to the auction, Wei Suo was following their agreement and meeting her outside the auction venue today.
The official auction hall was Lingxiao Workshop beside the Golden Jade Pavilion, a specialized auction building jointly used by more than a dozen major merchants around the pavilion. Its outer walls were entirely built from huge white stones, carved with all kinds of exquisite cloud patterns. Four upturned eaves slanted toward the sky, making the entire building look as though it were about to soar into heaven.
When Wei Suo arrived at Lingxiao Workshop, nearly half an hour remained before the auction officially began. Yet the broad street outside the workshop, as well as the surrounding shops, were already densely packed with people. With a single sweep of his Qi Gazing Technique, Wei Suo spotted at least seven or eight formidable figures at the Circulation Realm First Level or above, their bodies seeming to surge with rolling, water-like auras.
In truth, many cultivators gathered outside Lingxiao Workshop had not come to enter the auction and buy anything. Instead, they treated this crowded place as a free market and set up stalls outside the workshop to peddle their wares.
"Damn! Your painting of this Black Wind Sable is way too terrible, isn't it?"
Wei Suo had only waited near the entrance of the Golden Jade Pavilion for a short while when at least five or six people came over to sell him things. What left him half amused and half exasperated was that one of them was actually trying to sell him an ordinary white sable painted with black stripes.
Why hasn't this beauty come yet? Don't tell me she stood me up?
After waiting a while longer, Wei Suo could not help muttering to himself.
"Wei Suo." At that moment, Wei Suo heard a sweet, mellow voice calling him from behind.
"Nangong Yuqing? Damn!" Wei Suo turned around and saw Nangong Yuqing smiling at him from not far behind. With just one glance, he nearly stared himself stupid.
Today, Nangong Yuqing was not wearing her usual tight red soft armor, but a white spell robe instead. Beneath the elegant, pristine white robe, Nangong Xueqing's chest rose high like the snow mountains of the distant wilderness. The robe was the most popular style among female cultivators of the Tianxuan Continent, with its twin lapels cut slightly low at the chest, revealing a snowy-white, deep cleavage. The round pendant of a green gemstone necklace hung right in the middle of that ravine, making her skin seem even more crystal-clear and fair. The robe was fitted at the waist, then swept down in an exceptionally perfect curve. Its hem trailed along the ground as she walked, like a long fish tail. If Nangong Yuqing in her tight red soft armor had been a breathtakingly beautiful warrior, then Nangong Yuqing now was like a mermaid who had stepped out of a painting.
It was not just Wei Suo. The eyes of many cultivators around them had gone a little straight as well. Many of them wished they could turn into the green gemstone necklace hanging from Nangong Yuqing's chest.
Wei Suo's somewhat dazed gaze brought a faint blush to Nangong Yuqing's face, though a trace of surprise also appeared in her eyes. Wei Suo had shaved off all his scorched hair, apparently going completely bald, and now only a short inch of hair had grown back. Yet without that mess of hair like a pile of dry straw, Wei Suo did look rather clear-featured now—somewhat handsome, in fact.
"What? Don't recognize me?" Seeing Wei Suo standing there in a daze, Nangong Yuqing raised a hand and tucked her hair back. The gesture made her seem even more womanly, drawing another wave of scorching stares.
"Who is that beauty?" Many young cultivators nearby with considerable cultivation were restless with anticipation, and a few even prepared to step forward and strike up a conversation. "No way, right?" But what left them staring slack-jawed was the sight of this fiery beauty, who clearly seemed to have an extraordinary background, walking over to a low-level Rogue Cultivator who looked like he was doing terribly and speaking to him as if they were old acquaintances.
"Well... you changed a lot, so I couldn't recognize you at first." Wei Suo gave an embarrassed chuckle. The jealous looks around him made him feel immensely pleased. After all, no matter how high some cultivators' cultivation might be, they did not have such a beauty by their side.
"You've changed a lot too. Your hair isn't quite so distinctive anymore." Nangong Yuqing tugged lightly at the corner of her robe and smiled. "By the way, have you seen Ye Xiaozheng and Ye Guowei?"
"No." Wei Suo shook his head. "They said last time that they might not be able to make it. Since they still haven't come by now, they probably won't make it this time."
"If that's the case, shall we go in first? At least it'll be quieter inside." Nangong Yuqing smiled at Wei Suo. "There are some things I want to tell you alone."
"Tell me alone?" Wei Suo looked at Nangong Yuqing. Her smile seemed somewhat suggestive, and his imagination immediately ran wild. Could it be that this beauty fell in love with me at first sight and wants to offer herself to me or something?
"Let's go." Seeing that Wei Suo did not object, Nangong Yuqing gave him a slight smile. The morning sunlight shone upon her coiled hair, plating it with a faint layer of gold. The unique fragrance of a young girl drifted toward him, leaving Wei Suo with a tingling sensation.
"Nangong Yuqing!" Just then, a loud voice rang out.
Wei Suo turned toward the sound and saw a handsome young man walking toward Nangong Yuqing and himself with a smile on his face.
This handsome young man appeared to be about the same age as Wei Suo. His hair was bound behind his head with a golden ring, and he wore a flax-colored spell robe. Several pale cyan crystals were set into the robe with gold threads. This elegant yet distinctive garment made the handsome man, with sword-like brows and starry eyes, appear even more imposing and extraordinary.
Moreover, judging from the faint wind-element spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from the patterns formed by the pale cyan crystals and the talismans on his robe, the crystals adorning it were not merely for appearance. They likely had some special use.
"A cultivator at the Divine Ability Realm Fifth Level!"
Without showing it, Wei Suo used his Qi Gazing Technique and saw five faint glows of divine seas emanating from the handsome man's body. The radiance of all five divine seas was extremely surging. Clearly, the cultivation art he practiced was not something a low-grade art like Wei Suo's Purple Profound True Art could compare with. This fellow obviously had some background.
But what immediately made Wei Suo deeply unhappy was that, although this seemingly courteous fellow was walking toward Nangong Yuqing and him, he barely even glanced at Wei Suo. His gaze remained fixed on Nangong Yuqing the entire time.
(Some readers in the group previously said that if even one person supported me to the rank of Top Scholar, I had to add another ten thousand words on top of my normal daily updates. I agreed, and now I'm doomed... I had originally sworn that this book's update speed would surpass Luofu's, and my daily output was already quite strong, already pushing me to the limit. But several readers supported me past Top Scholar, and Tiantian and the people in the group calculated it for me—they said I already owe one hundred thousand words... There's no helping it. I can only owe it and slowly pay it back. This chapter repays part of the debt I owe to Vanishing Gaze, the first person to reach Top Scholar. Once I calculate that I've fully repaid one person, I'll start repaying the next. Also, I forgot to mention tonight's chapter: aside from readers whom the delivery service cannot reach, whose gifts I plan to send tomorrow by EMS, the gifts from the previous YY event and from some longtime readers I specially sought out have all been mailed. I was busy all day today. Since the New Year is approaching, I contacted several delivery companies and finally chose SF Express, the most reliable one in our area and the one that delivers to the most cities. Tiantian made countless calls before finally urging the courier over, and we wrote out every parcel and sent them all off. The things aren't valuable—just Luofu mouse pads, T-shirts, and the like. Some greeting cards may not even be worth as much as the shipping fee. But all twenty-some gifts are from my heart. I signed every one personally, and I carefully wrote something on every card, so they should have some commemorative value. Hoho, but if I become especially famous someday, maybe they'll even be worth a little money. The remaining gifts are still being counted with the help of friends like Tiantian, Uncle Ka, Yueyue, Jueshi Haodu, Kewen, Tangtang, and others. The courier companies may soon stop accepting parcels for the holidays, so I'll send out everything I can. If there are any I truly can't send, I'll mail them as soon as possible after the New Year. Thank you all for your support. I also hope readers who have been quietly supporting me will show yourselves more often. Though these are called events, I actually remember those who frequently appear and support me, and I'll try to contact them. When I have time, I'll do my best to send each of you a blessing too. And tomorrow, I'll keep going all out, so send more red votes and add more favorites!)
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