An auction? A shopping spree!

As the light faded, an azure longsword suddenly appeared on the auction stage, with the Magic Core of a Third-tier Magical Beast set where its blade met its hilt.

Under the auction house's professional lighting, pale frost could be seen forming on the blade, traces left by the circulation of energy.

"This sword was forged from thousand-year cold iron, with a third-tier Ice-attribute Magic Core flawlessly embedded within it. A master craftsman personally engraved its energy patterns. It is, quite frankly, worth a king's ransom. Hehe, ladies and gentlemen, a divine weapon is essential when venturing out into the world. Do not let this opportunity slip by."

"Divine Sword Frost. Bidding starts at one hundred thousand, with a minimum increment of five thousand. Ladies and gentlemen, please begin."

As he listened to the auctioneer's enthusiastic explanation, Yun Congxin gave the weapon a simple, blunt assessment.

What an utter waste of that third-tier Magic Core!

Still, the price was fairly cheap. Even the third-tier Magic Core alone would have been worth at least a hundred and fifty thousand gold coins in the Jia Ma Empire, so Yun Congxin promptly raised his paddle and bid.

"He... really did come here to collect junk..." Seeing Yun Congxin bid on even a weapon like this, Elder Qing could not help laughing.

The major factions had no interest in these small fry offered at the beginning, while the independent bidders below could not compete with Yun Congxin. In the end, he won the weapon for a hundred and thirty thousand gold coins.

For the series of lots that followed, whether Treasure Armor, Dou Techniques, Cultivation Techniques, or Pill Recipes, Yun Congxin would raise his paddle and join the bidding whenever the price was low enough to look like a bargain.

"Did he come to an auction, or to stock up on goods...?" Fan Ling stared dumbfounded as Yun Congxin kept bidding, his voice full of bewilderment. "With everything he's bought, he's spent enough to compete for the good stuff later, hasn't he? What does he want all that junk for?"

The old man from the Blood Sect could not fathom what Yun Congxin was doing either. He smiled wryly. "He came here to build a collection..."

"Even a collection should have some rare treasures, shouldn't it? What's worth collecting about all this scrap metal?"

Amid the major factions' peculiar silence, Yun Congxin pocketed a full third of the lots in the auction's first stage.

Yun Congxin's expression remained unchanged. Despite buying so many things, he had spent less than the cost of two Fifth-grade Pills. It was merely small change spent laying the groundwork for the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame map fragment.

Of course, he could have waited until Fan Ling bought it, then snatched it along with Three Thousand Lightning Movement and the Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill, just as Xiao Yan had in the original story. But that would have looked far less conspicuous and costly than what he was doing now. In short, this money was not only being spent on the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame map fragment—it was also being spent for Xiao Yan to see.

"Hehe, so much time has passed before we knew it. I imagine everyone must be getting tired. Shall we invite our next lot onto the stage to give you a performance and help you unwind?"

After a faint white glow, an enormous birdcage appeared on the crystal platform. Inside it was not a Magical Beast, but a young girl.

"Seriously, man? This kind of sick taste?" Yun Congxin blinked as memories of bad fanfiction surfaced in his mind.

The girl in the birdcage was singing. Her voice was mournful and lilting, and as Yao Ye listened, her spirits gradually sank.

Once, she had been a princess high above everyone else. Now, she was the Misty Cloud Sect Master's maid. Was she not a caged bird herself? A daughter of the Jia Ma Imperial Family was an important bargaining chip from the moment she was born. Unless her own worth was enough to make the Imperial Family see her in a different light, she was nothing more than a tool for a marriage alliance.

She had thought that by cultivating diligently, joining the army, and fighting in wars, she could escape the fate of an arranged marriage. Yet she had never imagined that a single word from Jia Xingtian would send both her and her younger sister to the Misty Cloud Sect Master.

It was not even a marriage alliance. She was merely a maid, a bargaining chip, a... gift.

"Hehe, a Southwestern Beauty, the finest of the fine. Everyone here has seen her talent and beauty for themselves, so there is no need for this old man to waste his breath, is there? The starting price is ten thousand gold coins!"

The girl in the cage was like a pear blossom drenched in rain, her tearful, pitiful appearance setting the previously subdued auction hall boiling.

The good stuff was coming up next; it was time to perk everyone up.

The price shot upward, soon reaching the lofty sum of eighty thousand gold coins. The old man could barely contain his smile. He had never imagined that a beauty brought out merely to liven things up would fetch such a high price. It seemed even the fellows who licked blood off knife edges in the Black-Corner Region let their little heads rule their big ones.

Yun Congxin hesitated. He wanted to play the good man and buy her, but he also felt she was not worth eighty thousand gold coins.

Just then, Yun Congxin heard a faint, trembling sound. He turned and saw Yao Ye gazing down with a sorrowful expression, a glint of fierce resolve in her eyes.

"One hundred thousand gold coins!" Yun Congxin stopped wavering and raised his paddle.

"One hundred thousand gold coins. Just what you'd expect from a lecher who needs three maids with him whenever he goes out." Elder Qing sneered. "He's a Dou Wang expert, yet he's already bewitched?"

After hearing Yun Congxin's bid, Fan Ling instructed an elder under him, "Once the auction is over, send someone to find one for me too. She has to be loyal to our Blood Sect—and big!"

Yun Congxin had no idea his bid had already ruined his reputation. He was busy instructing his junior. "There's always plenty of filth in the Black-Corner Region. If you want to be a hero, you need to know whether you're strong enough. Not everything has to be solved with dou qi. Don't let hot blood rush to your head and end up hurting both yourself and others. Understand?"

Yao Ye knew Yun Congxin was speaking to her. She lowered her head, hiding her expression.

"One hundred thousand gold coins! Does anyone else wish to bid? One hundred thousand, going once, going twice!"

The auctioneer onstage brought down his hammer. "Going three times—sold!"

"Since you pity her, have her take you as her master." Yun Congxin wanted them to learn the ways of the Black-Corner Region, but he did not want them to become scum without a shred of decency. He continued reassuring her, "Whether it's taking revenge or washing away her shame, can you do it?"

"I can!" Yao Ye raised her head. She understood that Yun Congxin wanted her to grow into a Dou Huang expert like Yun Yun, then help the girl in the cage destroy the Eight Gates and avenge her humiliation.

"Good. Until you manage it, you'll stay in the Black-Corner Region." Yun Congxin was very pleased with Yao Ye's response. If a hundred thousand gold coins could ignite her fighting spirit and give her a clear goal, then the money had not been wasted.

"Once this auction is over, take her with you and set out." Yun Congxin took a Jade Pendant from his Storage Ring and tossed it to Yao Ye. "Break it when your life is on the line. I'll save you once."

"All right, friends, please turn your attention back here." The auctioneer clapped his hands and began introducing the next lot.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm afraid very few people can recognize this item these days. With its method of creation lost, it has become exceedingly rare."

"Flying Dou Technique: Thunder Bat Sky Wings!"