The Situation Escalates / The Meeting

"Then auction them at this price. If they fetch a price that satisfies me, I'll come here again for future auctions."

"You mean—"

The appraiser's eyes widened at once.

Going by Bai Chen's words, it seemed he still had quite a few Soul Tools like these in his possession?

The situation escalated.

Bai Chen said indifferently:

"Don't ask about things you shouldn't know."

"Yes."

The appraiser immediately calmed down.

That was true. No matter what, it was not his place to pry into such matters.

He helped Bai Chen and the others complete the necessary procedures, then personally escorted them to a private room.

The Soul Tools Bai Chen had handed over sparked an extremely fierce bidding war and were ultimately sold for six million Gold Soul Coins.

After deducting the Heaven Dou Auction House's ten percent commission, Bai Chen received five million four hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins directly.

It had to be said that these Soul Tools had all been made using materials from the blacksmith shop, with costs amounting to only a few hundred Gold Soul Coins.

This was profit beyond profit. In just one short week, Bai Chen and the others had gone from penniless paupers to moderately successful wealthy people.

This was the power of knowledge. By blending the technologies of two different eras, Bai Chen had no shortage of ways to make money.

However, what Bai Chen cared about most was not the obvious profit these Soul Tools brought him.

What he truly cared about was the hidden influence his actions would create.

Three days later, Bai Chen's group came again and auctioned another batch of Soul Tools at the same auction house.

This time, because the number of Soul Tools delivered was lower than before, Bai Chen earned less than four million Gold Soul Coins.

He was in no hurry. Another three days later, he arrived again with another batch of Soul Tools.

And this time, he finally encountered the person he had been waiting for.

"Please wait, sir."

Just as Bai Chen received the money from the auction house staff and was preparing to leave, a young man called out to him with a smile.

"I am the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe. Would you honor me with a conversation?"

"..."

Bai Chen raised an eyebrow beneath his hood.

The first one to come looking for him was this person. He did not know whether that was fortunate or unfortunate.

The real Xue Qinghe had died long ago. The one speaking to him now was Qian Daoliu's granddaughter, Qian Renxue.

Still, it made sense. The Heaven Dou Auction House was, after all, on Heaven Dou Empire territory. It was only natural that she would be the first to notice something was wrong.

Bai Chen said calmly:

"No. We only came this time under our young master's orders to sell Soul Tools. If you truly wish to discuss business, we can relay your request to him and let him decide whether he wishes to speak with you."

"Very well. Then I'll trouble you to pass along my message."

Hearing Bai Chen say this, Xue Qinghe did not press the matter. She smiled, cupped her hands toward him, and turned to leave.

After watching her depart, Bai Chen and the others also left the auction house.

The moment he stepped outside, Bai Chen felt an indistinct gaze settle on him.

Many people were watching him now, but this gaze was clearly different. Its owner was definitely no ordinary person.

Pretending not to notice, Bai Chen led Bai Yueqiu and Scarlet King on a casual stroll around Heaven Dou City.

Yet throughout that time, the feeling of being watched never disappeared.

When they reached a small alley, Bai Chen abruptly stopped and said coldly:

"Scarlet King."

"Understood."

Scarlet King suddenly spun around. Crimson flames surged upward as he leaped into the air and directly dragged out a black-clad man.

The black-clad man instinctively tried to resist. Eight Soul Rings pulsed frantically around him, yet he was completely unable to break free from Scarlet King's restraint.

Bai Chen walked over to him and smiled.

"Who sent you?"

"...!"

The black-clad man stared at him for a moment. Then a ruthless glint flashed through his eyes, and his gaze immediately went unfocused.

He killed himself directly.

"Tch. What a boring outcome."

Bai Chen shrugged helplessly and stood up.

"Deal with the body. We're going back."

Although they had failed to get any answers, they had not gained nothing.

The black-clad man's death would serve as a warning and make those lurking in the shadows restrain themselves somewhat.

With Scarlet King around, Bai Chen was not afraid of them. Still, the fewer troubles, the better. He could not be bothered to scheme against those people.

After returning to the blacksmith shop, Bai Chen went straight to the shop owner's room and knocked on the door.

The shop owner opened it. When he saw Bai Chen, he hurriedly asked:

"What is it, sir? Do you have any orders?"

Bai Chen smiled and placed a bracelet in his hand.

"Here. There are fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins inside. Consider it payment for our lodging these past days."

"Ah, th-this..."

The blacksmith shop owner was stunned. He wanted to say something, but Bai Chen simply raised a hand and interrupted him.

"In any case, we'll be leaving soon. To be safe, I suggest you take these fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins and leave Heaven Dou City as well. With this money, you can live a decent life no matter where you go."

"...I understand."

After looking at Bai Chen for a moment, the blacksmith shop owner also realized the seriousness of the situation and nodded firmly.

And just as Bai Chen had told the shop owner, after only briefly packing his belongings, he left the blacksmith shop where they had stayed for nearly half a month.

He did not think he would be discovered, but continuing to stay there was still a potential danger. He did not want to drag innocent people into this.

The people he would be dealing with next all stood at the pinnacle of power. If a mere blacksmith shop owner became caught up in it, one small mistake could leave him utterly destroyed.

Nearly another week had passed since their first visit to the Heaven Dou Auction House. The atmosphere on the streets had clearly become more oppressive and volatile.

Soul Masters from all the major factions, having received the news, had already arrived in Heaven Dou City and were desperately searching for the cause of these changes.

Bai Chen paid them no mind. He had an experiment to conduct.

At dusk, Bai Chen and the others left Heaven Dou City.

Before long, the Soul Masters of Heaven Dou City discovered that the cultivation boost that had persisted for the past week had vanished!

An uproar immediately erupted throughout Heaven Dou City, and many Soul Masters anxiously began cursing aloud.

Over the past half month, they had grown accustomed to the cultivation boost brought by Bai Chen. Now that it had suddenly disappeared, they felt their previous cultivation speed had been as slow as a turtle crawling.

The chaos sweeping through Heaven Dou City naturally caught Xue Qinghe's attention. She hurriedly directed the relevant departments to calm the agitated Soul Masters.

"Damn it, what exactly is going on..."

Looking at the scene of chaos outside the window, Xue Qinghe muttered anxiously.

At that moment, a gust of wind swept past. She suddenly turned around and saw that, at some unknown point, a black-clad man had appeared inside her room.

Scarlet King said calmly:

"We have conveyed your invitation to our young master. He has agreed to meet with you. Leave the city now and go meet him."

"I can't. I still have—"

Xue Qinghe wanted to refuse, but the next moment, she heard Scarlet King say:

"Our young master knows why the Soul Masters of Heaven Dou City have been cultivating faster recently."

"...!"

In an instant, Xue Qinghe could not help holding her breath.

She had investigated for nearly half a month without finding any results, yet the answer had unexpectedly delivered itself to her doorstep.

However, she quickly calmed down. Narrowing her eyes, she looked the black-clad man up and down as if assessing him.

"Why should I believe you?"

Scarlet King did not waste words. He reached out and grabbed, pulling another black-clad man straight out of thin air.

"Because of this."

"You...!"

Xue Qinghe immediately rose to her feet in shock.

This was a Spirit Hall expert who had followed her here and was responsible for protecting her.

To capture such an expert so easily, this black-clad man's cultivation had to be at least Rank 95 or above. He might even be close to her grandfather's level.

Moreover, this expert's voice differed from that of the one who had spoken with her during the day. According to the intelligence, that other expert was a Title Douluo with a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.

This mysterious force had merely acted twice and already displayed such strength. It was truly terrifying.

Scarlet King said flatly:

"Don't make me repeat myself. My young master invites you to meet him outside the city. If you miss this opportunity, we will naturally seek other partners."

"Heh..." Xue Qinghe gave a somewhat bitter laugh and raised both hands. "Fine, I understand. I'll go, all right?"

"Then follow me."

After saying that, Scarlet King jumped straight out the window and raced toward the outskirts of the city.

He was not moving particularly fast, and Xue Qinghe could keep up. Under normal circumstances, a powerful Soul Master racing through the streets of Heaven Dou City like this would have attracted widespread attention. Yet on this turbulent night, their actions seemed entirely normal instead.

Xue Qinghe followed closely behind Scarlet King, watching his back while organizing the information she currently knew.

If everything Scarlet King had said was true, then all the strange changes that had taken place in Heaven Dou City recently might be connected to them.

First, this mysterious organization possessed at least one expert far beyond Rank 95, as well as a Title Douluo whose cultivation was unknown but who possessed a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring. Their strength was formidable.

Second, the recent strange phenomenon in Heaven Dou City, where all Soul Masters' cultivation speed had doubled, was caused by them. Even if it was not, they at least knew the reason.

Finally, they possessed a large number of powerful Soul Tools and were suspected of having the manufacturing techniques of ancient Soul Tools.

Any one of these three pieces of information would have been enough to shake all of Heaven Dou City. Yet they were now concentrated within a single force.

Furthermore, though they had yet to meet, Xue Qinghe had already begun paying attention to the "young master" Scarlet King had mentioned.

In this world where strength reigned supreme, simply having the status of a young master did not mean everything would go smoothly.

Take Qian Renxue, for example. In theory, as Qian Daoliu's granddaughter, she should have been able to command the Spirit Hall with a single word.

But in reality, before she had truly grown strong enough, even the Worship Hall controlled by Qian Daoliu would not obey her completely.

For this young master to make two such powerful experts serve him so wholeheartedly, he surely possessed extraordinary qualities of his own.

Could it be that the reason everyone's cultivation speed had doubled lay with him...

Xue Qinghe already had a faint answer in her heart.

No matter what, she had made up her mind. When she met the young master Scarlet King had mentioned, she would absolutely treat him with courtesy and do everything in her power to win him over.

The value this young master had displayed so far had even surpassed Ning Fengzhi, the master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. If she could bring him into her camp, then all her future actions would receive powerful support!

As she pondered, Xue Qinghe followed Scarlet King out through the city gates.