Xie Xie: Pressure!

Eat, attend class, then face off against Class Two.

The composition of Class Two was nothing special—two agility-type and one power-type—and they were promptly pinned to the ground and rubbed into the dirt by Xie Xie.

The day before the finals, the academy was uncharacteristically generous and granted a full day off.

Early the next morning, just as Tang Wulin and Xie Xie reached the school gate, they were firmly intercepted by Gu Yue.

"Where do you two plan on going?" Gu Yue asked, hands on her hips, radiating an imposing aura.

Xie Xie answered honestly, "To the auction house."

Gu Yue's eyes brightened instantly, and she took a step forward, blocking their path even more effectively: "An auction? I'm going too!"

"...Fine." Xie Xie thought for a moment, then turned to slip away, "Then you can go with Tang Wulin; I'm heading back to the dorms to cultivate."

He needed to go back and continue pondering his Rasengan.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Tang Wulin and Gu Yue exchanged a tacit look, grabbed Xie Xie's arms from the left and right, and began half-dragging him toward the exit of Eastsea Academy.

Xie Xie: "...?"

"Hey, wait, no?"

"Can't you two just go by yourselves? Why do you have to drag me along...!"

Gu Yue said nothing, simply shoving a fireball into his face.

Xie Xie: "..."

"Right this way, my two distinguished guests~"

The Eastsea Museum was located in the south-central part of Eastsea City. The entire building was filled with a sense of futuristic technology, towering so high into the clouds that its peak was invisible to the naked eye.

However, Xie Xie did not lead them to the main building, but instead turned into the annex on the left side of the museum.

Unlike the grand and modern main building, the annex had a style that was more archaic and elegant.

This was the public exhibition area of the auction house, open for anyone to enter and visit.

As soon as they stepped inside, the three of them saw a massive directory sign.

The first floor of the exhibition area was divided into two major sections: the Soul Tool zone and the non-Soul Tool zone.

Xie Xie led the two of them directly toward the non-Soul Tool zone, following the signs until he brought them to a rectangular room.

"Didn't you want to see spirit fruits? Well, here they are."

"Spirit fruits? What kind of spirit fruits are you looking for?" Gu Yue asked curiously.

Tang Wulin's eyes flickered slightly, and he said softly, "I'm not looking for anything in particular, just curious. I came to take a look."

The room was about three hundred square meters, filled with displays of various spirit fruits and rare plants.

Before long, Xie Xie led them to the Ice Crystal Fruit and the Red Flame Fruit.

The Ice Crystal Fruit was a deep, icy blue throughout, its surface wrapped in a layer of ice ridges as thin as cicada wings. In the center, a lifelike snowflake pattern was condensed, its six icy crystal veins clearly defined.

Faint icy mist swirled slowly around the fruit, and even through the thick glass display case, one could feel the bone-chilling cold radiating from it.

The Red Flame Fruit beside it possessed an entirely opposite, scorching aura.

Its skin was a blend of warm gold and fiery red, shrouded in a hazy, flame-colored halo.

The surface of the fruit was marked with spiraling flame patterns, the center blooming like a blazing sun, creating a sharp yet harmonious contrast with the cold, clear nature of the Ice Crystal Fruit.

Tang Wulin lowered his head to look at the placard below, unable to stop himself from frowning: "But... these aren't century-grade ones."

"This is an auction house, an auction house!"

Xie Xie explained, "Anything over a century in age is no longer considered a common spirit fruit; you have to go to the second floor to see those."

"However, we can't get up to the second floor."

Tang Wulin asked hurriedly, "Why?"

"You have to pay a security deposit; they don't let you look for free," Xie Xie said, spreading his hands. "Going to the second floor requires a deposit of one hundred thousand, and it's non-refundable~"

Thinking about how he had spent three months saving up money, only to find he could barely afford the deposit, Tang Wulin fell into a state of total self-seclusion.

Xie Xie crossed his arms.

Although he could use his current status to go directly to the second or even third floor to visit, but—

How could Tang Wulin grow without pressure?

"Wulin, did you... run into some kind of trouble?" Gu Yue asked with some concern.

Just as Tang Wulin was thinking about how to brush it off, Xie Xie spoke up first: "Actually, there is one other way: professionals of the third rank or higher can also go up."

"Can any type of third-rank professional go up?" Tang Wulin's hope was reignited once more.

"Yes, any type," Xie Xie nodded. "For example, if your Blacksmith profession reaches the third rank, you can go up."

Old Tang, I've given you the method; you'd better work hard!

Tang Wulin's gaze instantly turned resolute, a secret decision already made in his heart.

It wasn't a wasted trip, though; the three of them continued to wander around the first floor of the auction house, seeing quite a few novel things along the way.

Especially after learning the price of Thousand Refined metal, Tang Wulin already had a secret path to making money in mind.

After leaving the auction house, the three of them returned to the academy for lunch.

Once they finished eating, Tang Wulin bid the other two farewell: "You guys go back first. I need to check on the forging room before heading back to the academy."

"Alright, be careful on the way." Gu Yue's eyes curved as she smiled and waved.

Xie Xie stretched his arms wide and chimed in lazily: "Sure, remember to bring me some dinner tonight."

"No problem!" Tang Wulin laughed.

Just then, a sharp, grating voice cut in from the side:

"Huh? Isn't this the three pieces of trash from Class Five?"

The three of them turned around simultaneously to see several Intermediate Division students around their age standing not far away.

The one who had just spoken was a boy with blue hair styled in a center part.

Judging by the positioning of the students, this blue-haired boy was clearly their leader.

Xie Xie looked at Tang Wulin, then back at the blue-haired boy.

How should he put it...

This boy looked like he was modeled after the Sea God Tang San himself; that blue hair and the distinct center part were just too iconic!

The center-parted boy had his hands in his pockets and his chin slightly raised, his eyes filled with condescending contempt as he looked at the three of them:

"I haven't had the time to deal with you lot until now, so I came over today to take a look—turns out, you're even more... cu, te, than I imagined~"

He enunciated the word "cute" slowly and heavily, the malice of his mockery practically overflowing.

"Pfft~" Xie Xie couldn't help but laugh.

The arrogance on the blue-haired boy's face froze instantly, and his brows knit together: "What are you laughing at?"

"Brother, before you try to mock someone, you'd best look into their background first."

Xie Xie slowly straightened up, crossing his arms over his chest. His tone was as calm as if he were discussing the weather, yet a layer of coldness welled up in his eyes:

"I really do have a father who is a two-word Battle Armor Master and a mecha pilot, not to mention the entire Xie Family mecha guard unit."

"And you—"

Xie Xie's gaze turned sharp in an instant.

"Every word you're saying while standing here, you'd better hope the weight of your family behind you can back it up."

As his words fell, the temperature in the air seemed to drop by several degrees.

The blue-haired boy's face turned from green to white in an instant. His hands, clenched inside his pockets, tightened involuntarily, and even his breathing faltered.

He came from a minor family himself, so he naturally knew what the Xie Family meant in Eastsea City. He truly hadn't expected Xie Xie to so blatantly use his family background to suppress him.

Watching the boy's instantly stiffened expression, a single thought drifted through Xie Xie's mind:

If you have a background and don't use it, are you saving it for the New Year?