Version's Chosen Gather, but the Era Is Misaligned

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

"You mean—"

The appraiser's eyes widened at once.

From Bai Chen's words, it seemed he had quite a few more soul tools like these?

The situation fermented.

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, this was not something he should be asking about.

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 directly received five million four hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins.

One had to know that all these soul tools had been made using raw materials from the blacksmith shop, costing only a few hundred Gold Soul Coins in total.

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

This was the power of knowledge. After blending the technologies of two eras together, Bai Chen had plenty of ways to make money.

But what Bai Chen cared about most was not the obvious profits these soul tools brought him.

What truly concerned him were the hidden repercussions caused by his actions.

Three days later, Bai Chen and his group returned and auctioned another batch of soul tools at the same auction house.

This time, because there were fewer soul tools 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. I hope you will honor me with a chance to speak."

"..."

Bai Chen raised an eyebrow beneath his hood.

So she was the first one to come knocking. He did not know whether that was good fortune or bad.

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 located within the Heaven Dou Empire, so it was only natural that she would be the first to notice something was wrong.

Bai Chen said calmly:

"No. We merely came to sell soul tools on our young master's orders. If you truly wish to discuss business, we can relay your request to him and let him decide whether to speak with you."

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

After hearing 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 a faint but persistent gaze settle upon him.

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

Pretending not to notice, Bai Chen led Bai Yueqiu and Red King around Heaven Dou City for a couple of casual turns.

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

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

"Red King."

"Understood."

Red King suddenly turned around. Crimson flames surged upward as he leaped into the air and dragged out a man in black.

The man in black instinctively tried to resist. Eight soul rings pulsed madly around him, yet he could not break free from Red King's restraint at all.

Bai Chen walked over to him and smiled.

"Who sent you?"

"...!"

The man in black stared at him for a moment. Then a vicious glint flashed through his eyes, and his gaze quickly went blank.

He killed himself on the spot.

"Tch. What a boring outcome."

Bai Chen shrugged helplessly and stood up.

"Dispose of the body. We're heading back."

Although they had failed to learn anything, it was not as though they had gained nothing.

The death of this man in black would serve as a warning, making those lurking in the shadows restrain themselves considerably.

With Red King present, Bai Chen was not afraid of them. Still, fewer troubles were better than more, and 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 door and knocked.

The shop owner opened the door. Seeing him, he hurriedly asked:

"What is it, my lord? Do you have any orders?"

Bai Chen smiled and placed a bracelet into 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 dumbfounded. He wanted to say something, but Bai Chen simply raised a hand and cut him off.

"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 quite comfortably anywhere."

"...I understand."

After looking into Bai Chen's eyes for a moment, the blacksmith shop owner realized the seriousness of the situation and nodded firmly.

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

He did not think they would be discovered, but continuing to stay here was still a potential risk. He did not want to drag innocent people into this.

The people who would become involved with him next were all figures standing at the pinnacle of power. If a mere blacksmith shop owner was caught up in it, one careless mistake could leave him utterly destroyed.

Nearly another week had passed since their first visit to the Heaven Dou Auction House, and the atmosphere on the streets had clearly grown more oppressive and irritable.

Soul Masters from all the major factions who had received the news had already arrived in Heaven Dou City, desperately searching for the cause of this change.

Bai Chen ignored them. He had an experiment to conduct.

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

Very quickly, the Soul Masters in Heaven Dou City discovered that the cultivation boost that had persisted for the past week had disappeared!

At once, all sorts of unrest erupted across Heaven Dou City, and many Soul Masters cursed loudly in agitation.

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

The disturbance sweeping through Heaven Dou City naturally caught Xue Qinghe's attention. She hurriedly directed the relevant departments to pacify the restless Soul Masters.

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

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

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

Red King said calmly:

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

"That won't do. I still need to—"

Xue Qinghe wanted to refuse, but the next second, she heard Red King say:

"The 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 obtaining any results. She had never expected the answer to come to her on its own.

But she quickly calmed down, narrowed her eyes, and looked the man in black up and down as though assessing him.

"Why should I believe you?"

Red King did not waste words. He reached out and grabbed, pulling another man in black out of thin air.

"Because of this."

"You...!"

Xue Qinghe immediately rose to her feet in shock.

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

For this man in black to seize such an expert so easily, his cultivation had to be at least rank ninety-five, perhaps even close to her grandfather's level.

Moreover, this expert's voice was different 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 faction had only acted twice, yet it had already displayed such power. It was simply terrifying.

Red 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 find other partners."

"Heh..." Xue Qinghe laughed bitterly and raised both hands. "Fine, I understand. I'll go. Is that enough?"

"Then follow me."

After saying that, Red King jumped straight out the window and sprinted 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 running wildly through the streets of Heaven Dou City would have drawn widespread attention, but on this restless night, their behavior seemed entirely normal instead.

Xue Qinghe followed closely behind Red King. As she watched his back, she organized all the information she currently knew.

If everything Red King had said was true, then all the recent abnormalities in Heaven Dou City might be related to them.

First, this mysterious organization possessed at least one expert far beyond rank ninety-five, as well as a Title Douluo with an unknown cultivation level but a hundred-thousand-year soul ring. Their strength was formidable.

Second, the strange phenomenon of all Soul Masters in Heaven Dou City suddenly cultivating at double speed had been caused by them. Even if it had not, they at least knew the reason.

Finally, they possessed a large number of powerful soul tools and were suspected of having the manufacturing methods for ancient soul tools.

Any one of these three pieces of information would have been enough to shake all of Heaven Dou City. Yet they had now appeared together in a single faction.

And although she had not met him yet, Xue Qinghe had already begun paying attention to the "young master" Red King had mentioned.

In this world where strength was paramount, having the status of a young master did not mean everything would automatically fall into place.

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

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

For this young master to make two such experts serve him so wholeheartedly, he must have possessed something extraordinary himself.

Could the reason behind everyone's cultivation speed doubling lie 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" Red King had mentioned, she would treat him with utmost courtesy and do everything she could to win him over.

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

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