Conditions

Just then, two women abruptly appeared beside Xiao Yan. One of them said to the woman behind her, "It seems we have no choice but to stand here."

Because of her peerless beauty, a small open space quickly formed around her. Though countless people longed to stand with her, in their hearts she was like a goddess—noble and untouchable. In the end, she stood to Xiao Yan's right, while her maid glared at Xiao Yan with obvious displeasure.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Jian naturally noticed the woman as well. She was precisely the woman they had just encountered, along with her maid.

Xiao Yan awkwardly rubbed his nose, not knowing what to say for a moment. With this woman's charm, even if she had gone to the front row beforehand, someone would surely have offered her a seat. Yet now, she was standing here just like him.

Naturally, Xiao Yan became the target of much resentment as well. They had all deliberately kept their distance from the goddess, but this brat was utterly clueless.

"You haven't lost the courage you had earlier, have you? You're not going to stand as far away from me as they do, are you?" Seeing Xiao Yan's awkwardness, the woman spoke to him.

"Ah..." Xiao Yan was somewhat at a loss. He had never expected the woman to take the initiative to speak with him.

Fortunately, the auctioneer's words dissolved Xiao Yan's awkwardness.

"Now, let us welcome the first auction item." The auctioneer's deep voice rang out. A maid walked out from behind the stage, but as Xiao Yan looked at her, he felt that something seemed to be missing. On the World-Creation Continent, even the weakest possessed the strength of a Dou Emperor, yet this maid's aura was extremely faint, unlike that of a normal person.

"Don't you think that maid is rather strange?" Xiao Yan transmitted his voice to Xiao Jian.

"Watch the treasure. Why are you staring at the maid?" Xiao Jian rolled his eyes at Xiao Yan.

"The first item is Beast Fire from a Fifth-Tier Magic Beast, a favorite of alchemists. A good flame is often the key to successful pill refinement. All alchemists and great Lineages, cherish this opportunity. The starting price is ten thousand Spirit Coins," the auctioneer introduced.

"Number 132, eleven thousand!" someone called out.

"Number 2015, twelve thousand!"

"Number 5, thirteen thousand!"

Quite a few people joined the bidding. After all, a Fifth-Tier Magic Beast possessed strength comparable to a Supreme Emperor. In Spirit Prefecture, the number of Supreme Emperors could be counted on one hand. Furthermore, Beast Fire held tremendous appeal for alchemists. In the end, the Beast Fire sold for fifty thousand Spirit Coins.

"You should be an alchemist too, shouldn't you? And judging by your words and mannerisms, you have not been on the World-Creation Continent for very long, have you?" As Xiao Yan watched the auction stage, the beautiful woman spoke to him.

"How could you tell?" Xiao Yan asked in return. He found the woman before him exceedingly mysterious.

"From the voice transmission between you and your companion," the woman said with a smile.

Xiao Yan's expression changed drastically. This woman could even hear his voice transmission to Xiao Jian—then her strength... Xiao Yan did not dare think further.

"Don't worry. As compensation, I can tell you that the Black Alliance is behind that woman's condition. Their duty is to serve as maids. Don't tell me you have never even heard of the Black Alliance," the woman said.

Chapter 37: Conditions

"I know." Xiao Yan understood that this could not be separated from the Black Alliance, yet even after receiving confirmation, he still found it hard to believe.

"There are many things you do not know. I know that you are here to auction off a Battle Skill. How about we make a deal? If you agree, I can bid for that Battle Skill and give it to you," the woman said, paying no attention to the ongoing auction.

"What are the conditions?" Xiao Yan tried his best to suppress the longing for the Battle Skill in his heart as he transmitted his voice to the woman.

"No matter how one calculates it, the price of an Emperor-Tier Battle Skill will not exceed two million Spirit Coins. In the future, you must repay me ten times the price I pay at auction. Of course, money is only a minor matter. The most important thing is that you must unconditionally agree to one request from me. My request will be within your capabilities, reasonable and fair, and will not violate morality or anything of the sort. If you find it unreasonable, you may ask me to change the request. How about it?" the woman said.

"Miss." The moment the woman finished speaking, her maid tugged at her. Clearly, she had not expected her miss to break character and speak to a stranger, much less make such an agreement with him.

"What does Young Master Xiao think?" The woman offered no explanation and merely continued speaking to Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan fell into deep thought. The woman's proposal held great appeal for him.

"Who exactly are you? Why are you helping me?" Xiao Yan asked.

"Who I am is unimportant. As long as you agree, the contract is formed. I will come find you in the future. How about it? I am not helping you; we are both benefiting from this," the woman said to Xiao Yan, raising a loose strand of hair from her forehead with one hand. Such a simple gesture carried boundless charm.

Xiao Yan continued to ponder.

"If you think ten times is too much, I can..." Seeing Xiao Yan hesitate, the woman said each word slowly.

"No need. Ten times it is. But your request must be something I agree to of my own free will." Xiao Yan gritted his teeth and agreed. Ten times was nothing to him; the crucial matter was that request, and Xiao Yan was still somewhat worried.

"This is a promise between gentlemen. No proof is needed. A pleasant cooperation," the woman said to Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan stared at the mysterious woman in surprise. Was she not afraid that he would refuse to honor the debt?

"A gentleman's agreement. If you choose to break it, you will feel uneasy for the rest of your life. A shadow will remain in your heart, and you will never become a true powerhouse. All I lose is money, but what you lose can never be recovered," the woman explained, seeming to understand Xiao Yan's thoughts perfectly.

Xiao Yan immediately understood. Perhaps he truly would never forget this agreement for the rest of his life. He would wait for her to make her request.

After the two reached their gentleman's agreement, the auctioneer smiled. "Everyone, next is the final treasure of our auction house, and also the Battle Skill you have all been waiting for: the Emperor-Tier Intermediate Battle Skill, Five-Foot Profound Flame. This staff technique has five realms in total, all described in detail above. The starting price is five hundred thousand Spirit Coins."

The members of the Xiao Clan, Qin Clan, and Xue Clan all became serious. This was the true contest among them.

Xiao Yan gazed intently at the stage. Beside him, the woman revealed a sly smile.