The Miter Auction House's Foundation

(Note: Since this has just been released, dear readers, please don't stockpile chapters! Once you stockpile, the data drops; once the data drops, the author has nothing to eat and can only stop updating or even abandon the story. So please, dear readers, don't stockpile chapters!)

(Wishing all readers good health, success in all your endeavors, abundant wealth, and immortality!!!)

Galie Bi refused to back down.

"Xiao Zhan, Ao'er is my only son and the young patriarch of the Galie Clan. Xiao Yan crippled him, so he must pay the price."

His voice grew louder and sharper, like a knife scraping across glass, piercing painfully into everyone's eardrums.

"Either hand over Xiao Yan and let me cripple his cultivation myself."

He paused and took a deep breath. The fury in his eyes burned even brighter.

"Or I will exhaust everything the Galie Clan has and fight your Xiao Clan to the death."

Xiao Zhan's gaze turned cold.

Looking at Galie Bi's crazed expression, he knew the man was not bluffing.

A father who had lost his only son was capable of anything.

If Galie Bi were driven into a corner, he might truly throw everything the Galie Clan had into a fight to the death with the Xiao Clan.

But Xiao Zhan could never hand Xiao Yan over.

That was his son. Even if the heavens themselves came for him, he would never hand over his own child.

"Yan'er will never be handed over to you."

Xiao Zhan's voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally firm, like an iron nail driven into wood—no matter how one tried to pull it out, it would not budge.

"If you want a fight to the death, then my Xiao Clan will oblige."

As his words fell, Dou Qi began to surge within Xiao Zhan. Green Dou Qi flowed across his body, condensing into a thin layer of protective aura armor.

His hands spread slightly, fingers curling inward as he prepared to strike at any moment.

The guards behind Galie Bi also drew their weapons. The sharp sound of blades leaving their sheaths echoed through the night sky.

The atmosphere was taut with tension, ready to erupt at any moment.

Outside the entrance, pedestrians who had been watching the show hurriedly stepped aside. They hid at distant street corners and alleyways, craning their heads to look over, their faces filled with excitement and apprehension.

Clashes between the three great Lineages were not something one saw every day in Wutan City.

Just then, a voice rang out from the entrance of the Miter Auction House.

"Galie Bi, the Galie Clan is not worthy of being enemies with my Xiao Clan."

The voice was not loud, neither hurried nor agitated, but utterly calm.

Yet that calmness made everyone present feel a chill in their hearts.

Everyone turned toward the voice.

Xiao Yan strode out through the gates of the Miter Auction House. He moved with ease, his steps steady, while Xiao Xun'er followed half a step behind him like a cloud following the moon.

The instant Galie Bi's gaze fell upon Xiao Yan, his entire body seemed to ignite.

"Xiao Yan!"

His voice was hoarse and shrill, like an enraged beast roaring. His eyes were bloodshot, Xiao Yan's figure reflected in his pupils, and his gaze brimmed with hatred.

Galie Bi's Dou Qi swelled explosively in an instant.

Green Dou Qi burst from his body, forming a dense protective shield around him.

His hands clenched into fists, his knuckles cracking loudly. With a stomp, the bluestone paving beneath his feet exploded into spiderweb-like cracks. He lunged at Xiao Yan like a tiger pouncing on its prey.

"Yan'er!"

Xiao Zhan roared. The Dou Qi within him surged as well, green Dou Qi condensing into a thick suit of armor over his body. His hands curled into claws, and he shot toward Galie Bi like lightning.

There was only one thought in his mind—if Galie Bi dared touch even a hair on Yan'er's head, then even at the cost of his life, he would kill Galie Bi here.

The two figures rapidly closed in on Xiao Yan's position.

"Enough."

A cool female voice rang out. It was not loud, yet it carried an unquestionable authority.

Ya Fei slowly stepped out from behind Xiao Yan and stood upon the steps of the Miter Auction House, looking down at everyone in the square.

The seductive smile from before had vanished from her face, replaced by a calm, sharp expression like the edge of a blade.

She raised her hand and gave a light wave.

Four figures appeared out of thin air at the entrance of the Miter Auction House.

Four middle-aged men clad in silver light armor silently appeared on the steps.

They were tall and stern-faced, radiating a suffocating pressure.

That pressure was not caused by released Dou Qi, but by the aura of true power that seeped from their bones.

All four possessed strength of at least Five-Star Great Dou Master.

Galie Bi abruptly stopped. His body remained poised in a forward charge, his right fist still raised in midair, but his feet seemed nailed to the ground, unable to take another step.

Xiao Zhan stopped as well. He stood several paces behind Galie Bi, the Dou Qi still flowing over his body, but his gaze had shifted from Galie Bi to the four guards in silver light armor on the steps.

A flicker of shock crossed his eyes.

The Miter Auction House had operated in Wutan City for so many years, yet he had never seen these four men.

They had always remained hidden in the shadows, never showing themselves unless truly necessary.

This was the foundation of the Miter Auction House.

On the surface, it had Gu Ni, a second-tier alchemist, overseeing it. In secret, it also had four guards at least at the Five-Star Great Dou Master level.

This force alone was enough to make anyone harboring ill intentions toward the Miter Auction House retreat in fear.

Standing on the steps, Ya Fei calmly swept her gaze across the crowd. Her eyes paused briefly on Galie Bi's face before moving on, passing over the tense Galie Clan guards gripping their swords, and finally settling on Xiao Zhan.

"From today onward, the Miter Auction House has entered into a cooperative relationship with the Xiao Clan."

Her voice was not loud, but every person present heard it with perfect clarity.

"From now on, the Miter Auction House will no longer provide the Galie Clan with any material assistance."

The square fell silent.

Galie Bi stood frozen in place.

His eyes widened sharply. The fury on his face turned to astonishment, then from astonishment to utter disbelief.

His mouth opened as if he wanted to say something, but it felt as though something had lodged in his throat. He could not force out a single word.

A cooperative relationship? The Miter Auction House had entered into a cooperative relationship with the Xiao Clan?

How was that possible?

The Miter Auction House had never involved itself in conflicts between Lineages. That was their rule, an iron law known to everyone in Wutan City.

Yet today, Ya Fei had not only publicly declared cooperation with the Xiao Clan, but had directly severed all dealings with the Galie Clan.

If that was not taking part, then what was?

Galie Bi's expression changed again and again. His fists clenched until they cracked, his nails digging deeply into his palms and drawing blood.

"Miss Ya Fei, are you determined to help the Xiao Clan?"

His voice was hoarse and low, as though he had forced it out from the depths of his throat.

"The Miter Auction House cannot participate in battles between Lineages. Those are the rules you established. Why are you helping the Xiao Clan?"

Ya Fei did not answer his question.

She merely looked at Galie Bi indifferently, her face expressionless, her gaze as calm as if she were looking at an object that had lost all value.

"That is none of your concern."

Her voice was light and faint, like wind brushing over a lake and raising only the slightest ripple.

"Furthermore, if you attack on Miter Auction House grounds, I will regard your actions as a deliberate provocation against the Miter Auction House."

As her words fell, the four guards in silver light armor on the steps took a step forward in unison.

Four Five-Star Great Dou Master auras erupted at once, like mountains bearing down from above and a tsunami crashing head-on.

The pressure was completely undisguised, crushing down upon them openly. Every Galie Clan guard present found it hard to breathe, their legs turning weak.

Galie Bi's face went completely pale.

His lips trembled faintly, the muscles at the corners of his eyes twitching violently. His chest heaved in rapid, uneven breaths like a trapped beast driven into a dead end, desperate to fight but realizing it did not even have the right to do so.

The Galie Clan could be considered a force in Wutan City, but before the Miter Clan, it was not even worth an ant.

Though the Miter Auction House was merely a branch of the Miter Clan, behind it stood the entire Miter Clan—the wealthiest Lineage in the Jia Ma Empire, a colossal force counted alongside the Nalan Clan and the Intel Clan among the three great powers of Jia Ma.

He dared threaten the Xiao Clan. He dared attack Xiao Yan. But he did not dare threaten Ya Fei.

Though Ya Fei was only a member of a branch of the Miter Clan, her surname was Miter.

That surname was her strongest talisman. Behind her stood a Battle King, one of the Jia Ma Empire's ten greatest experts—Miter Tengshan.

If he angered her and the Miter Clan sent people from the Imperial Capital, not even ashes would remain of the Galie Clan.

Galie Bi took a deep breath. The fury in his eyes seemed to have been doused with cold water, gradually fading and giving way to a desolate, lifeless expression of resignation.

He raised his head and glared viciously at Xiao Zhan.

"Xiao Clan, the Galie Clan will remember this grudge."

He turned and waved his hand.

"Leave!"

The Galie Clan guards acted as though they had been granted amnesty. They sheathed their weapons and followed Galie Bi away in disgrace.

Their steps were hurried and disorderly. Some even turned back to glance at the four silver-armored guards on the steps, their eyes filled with lingering fear.

Galie Bi's retreating figure gradually disappeared into the dusk. He walked quickly, as though fleeing from something.

His shoulders trembled slightly. Whether it was fury, fear, or both, no one could tell.