The guest rooms of the Miteer Auction House were the height of luxury.
Soft carpets made from the hides of unknown magical beasts covered the floor, muffling every footstep. In the air, a delicate incense for calming the mind burned in wisps, helping Dou Qi practitioners quiet their thoughts.
Su Chen pushed open the window, and the morning sunlight streamed in, driving away the last shadows in the room.
The past two days had been more peaceful than any he had ever known.
The Jialie Clan's threat seemed to have been completely shut out by an invisible barrier. That prickling feeling of being watched was gone, as was the fear that he might lose his life at any moment.
For the first time, he had the leisure to observe Wutan City as a simple "resident."
During the day, he would leave the auction house and wander through the city.
From the bustling central marketplace to the chaotic West District, then into the winding alleys of the slums, he moved like a sponge, greedily soaking up everything the city had to offer.
Which shop stocked the freshest medicinal herbs, which mercenary group was the strongest, which alley saw the most frequent black-market dealings.
Though these details seemed useless, they all became part of a constantly expanding three-dimensional map in his mind, one called "Wutan City."
His cooperation with Ya Fei had provided him with an umbrella of protection.
But it was someone else's umbrella, after all.
He knew very well that the true foundation on which he stood remained the ancient Stone Platform hidden deep in his consciousness, along with his "foreknowledge" of the future of this world.
Today was the fifteenth day since he had arrived in this world.
It was also the day of the small auction he had arranged with Ya Fei.
And, more importantly... the day the plot began.
Su Chen walked along Wutan City's broad main thoroughfare, a subtle anticipation stirring in his heart.
The streets teemed with people and carriages, presenting a picture of peace and prosperity.
Hawking peddlers, mercenaries hurrying on their way, and wealthy merchants riding in carriages made up the city's vibrant daily life.
No one knew that a storm powerful enough to change countless lives was about to erupt with a bang in this seemingly peaceful city.
Su Chen was headed for a teahouse in the east of the city.
Its location offered a clear view of the entrance to the entire Xiao Residence.
He walked at an unhurried pace, like an ordinary boy curious about everything around him.
But just as he was about to cross an intersection—
Rumble...
A muffled, rhythmic beat of hoofbeats rolled in from the direction of the city gate, growing closer.
The sound was perfectly synchronized, metallic in its quality, and instantly drowned out every other noise in the street.
The pedestrians all paused at once.
Everyone instinctively turned to look in the direction of the sound.
Su Chen stopped as well.
He narrowed his eyes. His heart skipped a beat despite himself.
They were here.
A mounted party was entering the city through the gate, advancing with an air that brooked no resistance.
At its head rode eight knights clad in matching moon-white outfits.
The horses beneath them were pure white, without a single stray hair, and exceptionally fine steeds, clearly worth a fortune.
The knights wore cold, haughty expressions. Their fierce presence made the people on either side of the street retreat involuntarily, opening a wide path for them.
At the center of the eight knights, an ornate carriage rolled along smoothly.
On its side, an emblem of a silver sword entwined with an auspicious cloud gleamed in the sunlight, radiating an invisible authority.
The Misty Cloud Sect!
Someone in the crowd drew a sharp breath.
A moment later, stifled cries of surprise and whispered chatter spread like dry grass catching fire.
"Good heavens! It's the Misty Cloud Sect's emblem!"
"What are people from the Misty Cloud Sect doing in a little place like ours? Does something big happen?"
"Look at that carriage. What a display! Someone important from the Misty Cloud Sect must be inside, right?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down! They're a behemoth of the Jia Ma Empire. They're not people we can afford to offend!"
The crowd's discussion was filled with awe and curiosity.
Su Chen blended into the retreating crowd, inconspicuous as ever.
But his gaze was locked on the carriage like a hawk's.
He knew that the person inside was at the heart of this storm.
Nalan Yanran, personal disciple of Yun Yun, the Misty Cloud Sect Master.
And Ge Ye, a powerful Dou Wang and one of the Misty Cloud Sect's elders.
They had come all the way to little Wutan City for one reason.
To break off an engagement.
To end the betrothal to Xiao Yan, the man who would one day make the entire Dou Qi Continent tremble.
Su Chen didn't linger where he was.
He turned and joined the stream of people following the carriage to see the spectacle, trailing leisurely at the very back.
Like a true onlooker, he watched coolly as this historic scene slowly unfolded.
The procession moved at an unhurried pace, yet carried an invisible pressure as it advanced.
Everywhere it went, all fell silent.
All the noise faded away of its own accord before the Silver Sword-Cloud Emblem.
At last.
The procession stopped outside a sprawling residence in the east of the city.
Its great black stone gates were ancient and imposing.
Above them, two bold, gilded characters proclaimed the former glory of the clan.
Xiao Clan.
"Good heavens... The Misty Cloud Sect came to see the Xiao Clan?"
"Well, this should be a spectacle! The Xiao Clan may have fallen on hard times these past few years, but they used to be the greatest of Wutan City's three great clans!"
"Could it be that some Xiao Clan youngster caught the Misty Cloud Sect's eye? That would be a meteoric rise!"
The onlookers chattered and speculated endlessly.
No one imagined the worst.
Su Chen had already slipped away from the crowd and strolled into the three-story teahouse across the street.
He tossed the waiter a silver coin and asked for a window seat on the second floor.
The view was excellent.
He could clearly see everything that happened outside the Xiao Residence.
A fair hand gently lifted the carriage curtain.
A graceful figure stepped down from the carriage.
She was a young girl dressed in a moon-white, cloud-patterned gown, about the same age as Su Chen.
She was tall and slender, her long black hair flowing like a waterfall.
Her exquisite oval face had skin as white as snow, brows like distant hills, and a delicate nose and cherry-red lips. She was so beautiful it was almost hard to look at her directly.
Yet that stunning face was covered with a chill and arrogance that kept everyone at a distance.
Her gaze passed over the onlookers, who stared at her with admiration and awe, without so much as pausing. It was as if they were mere specks of dust by the roadside, unworthy of a second glance.
She was Nalan Yanran.
Right behind her, an old man wearing an alchemist's robe and a third-grade Alchemist Badge on his chest also stepped down from the carriage.
His face was solemn, and whenever his eyes opened and closed, the authority of a powerful expert shone through.
He was none other than Ge Ye, the Misty Cloud Sect's Grand Elder.
The two stood side by side in front of the Xiao Clan's gates.
At that moment, the air across the entire street seemed to freeze.
The Xiao Clan's heavy black gates remained firmly shut.
There was no welcome, no greeting.
Only dead silence.
On one side stood the sect's favored young woman, whose power was at its peak in the Jia Ma Empire, arriving with an unquestionable air of authority.
On the other stood a once-glorious clan, now fallen on hard times, with its gates firmly shut and silence its only defense.
The silent standoff was more suffocating than any fierce clash.
The chatter around them gradually died down.
Everyone sensed that something was wrong.
This didn't feel like a visit to recruit a genius. It felt more like... they had come to call someone to account.
On the second floor of the teahouse.
Su Chen lifted the teacup in front of him and gently blew away the floating leaves.
His movements were calm and graceful, utterly at odds with the tense atmosphere outside.
He watched Nalan Yanran, all proud defiance, and Ge Ye at her side, whose aura was as deep and unshakable as a mountain.
He knew that inside the Xiao Residence, chaos had likely already broken out.
After a long while.
Ge Ye seemed to have grown impatient.
He took a step forward, and the immense aura of a Dou Wang faintly radiated from him.
"Ge Ye of the Misty Cloud Sect, accompanied by Nalan Yanran, personal disciple of the Sect Master, has come to pay a visit to the Xiao Clan Chief!"
His voice wasn't loud, yet it rang out like a great bell, carrying clearly into the Xiao Residence and reaching the ears of everyone present.
Creak—
The heavy black gates, which had been closed for so long, finally groaned open, slowly revealing a narrow gap.
A faint, almost imperceptible sneer tugged at the corner of Nalan Yanran's mouth.
She straightened her skirt and, accompanied by Ge Ye, stepped through the entrance that, to her, represented a "stain."
Bang!
The moment the two vanished inside, the Xiao Clan's gates slammed shut once more.
Shutting everything behind them away.
Outside the gates, the crowd erupted.
"They closed the gates! What's going on?"
"The Xiao Clan really has no regard for the Misty Cloud Sect!"
"Why do I get the feeling something's seriously off about this..."
People craned their necks, hoping to catch a glimpse of what was happening inside, but all they could see was the cold, unyielding gate.
Su Chen didn't leave.
He remained by the window, sipping his tea unhurriedly.
He knew the real climax had yet to come.
That earth-shaking cry of "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river! Never bully a young man just because he's poor!" needed a little time to build.
All he had to do was wait quietly.
Wait for the storm to erupt in full.
Wait for the boy who had been humiliated to the extreme to burst through the gates.
Wait for another opportunity meant for him.
Su Chen held the warm teacup. The emerald tea inside reflected his eyes, black as ink.
Deep in those eyes, there wasn't the slightest ripple.
"The storm has begun."
"And my chance is almost here."
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