Azure Wood Sword Art, a Low Black-Tier Cultivation Technique

Ya Fei stepped out briefly midway through their conversation and returned not long afterward. She held a gleaming golden VIP card from the Mittel Auction House, along with three aged, yellowed scrolls.

"Little Brother Xia Kong, sorry for the wait."

As she spoke, Ya Fei raised her hand and unrolled the three scrolls on the table, one by one.

"I checked the stock in our branch's storeroom and found only these three items that happened to meet your requirements."

At the sight, delight immediately rose on Xia Kong's face. His original intention in visiting the Mittel Auction House in Wutan City had been to establish a good relationship with Ya Fei and use the auction house's channels to purchase suitable cultivation methods and combat skills. He had already prepared himself for a long wait, never imagining that the Wutan City branch alone could meet his needs directly. The Mittel Family truly deserved its reputation for unrivaled wealth in the Jia Ma Empire. Its deep reserves were no empty boast.

"'Azure Wood Sword Art,' a low Black Tier cultivation technique. Practitioners of wood attribute Dou Qi can use it to compensate for their lack of offensive options. Once mastered, it allows Dou Qi to condense into sharp swords; at its pinnacle, the practitioner can even achieve unity between man and sword. A steward of the Misty Cloud Sect at the Da Dou Shi level practices this very technique."

Azure Wood Sword Art...

Xia Kong reflected inwardly. Wasn't this the cultivation technique practiced by Ge Ye, who had accompanied Nalan Yanran to the Xiao Clan to break off her engagement and stood up to back her in the original story?

Speaking of that broken engagement, he had quietly looked into the Xiao Clan's current circumstances over the past month. Xiao Yan was now fifteen, and the former genius who had commanded everyone's attention had languished for three years. The storm over the broken engagement, destined to shake all of Wutan City and even the entire Jia Ma Empire, had yet to unfold, but he reckoned it would happen soon.

Suppressing his tangled thoughts, Xia Kong turned his gaze to the second scroll.

"'Wood Hardening,' a low Black Tier Dou Technique. Once you reach the Dou Shi realm and condense a Dou Qi gauze around your body, using this technique can greatly strengthen its defensive power."

Xia Kong nodded slightly, his mind already racing through several alternate ways to use the technique.

"'Scorching Wood Palm,' a high Yellow-Tier Dou Technique. It requires both fire and wood attributes to practice. It is a palm technique designed for explosive close-range attacks. Wood attribute Dou Qi gathers in the palm, making its force appear gentle and unremarkable. Once it strikes an enemy, however, the fire attribute Dou Qi concealed within erupts, tearing through the opponent's defenses and inflicting continued burn damage."

Xia Kong could not help marveling. "The Mittel Family truly lives up to its reputation. The collection of the Wutan City branch alone is enough to make countless cultivators green with envy. But what's even more precious is the care and trust you've shown me, Sister Ya Fei."

He was genuinely astonished by the Mittel Family's immense wealth. One cultivation technique paired with two Dou Techniques-the three treasures together were worth roughly five or six hundred thousand gold coins.

In principle, if the ten Spicy Jades and ten Potatoes all went through the auction process, the proceeds would be enough to purchase these three items. The problem was that Ya Fei had bought those ten Potatoes privately to test their medicinal effects herself. If she simply handed him cultivation methods and combat skills worth five or six hundred thousand, outsiders would see it as her selling valuable stock for only three hundred thousand. They would inevitably question her business acumen. Her position within the family was already delicate; this would only make her days harder.

Ya Fei had not mentioned the stakes, but Xia Kong could not pretend he was unaware of them.

"Sister Ya Fei, I'll take all three for six hundred thousand gold coins. But I can't let you end up in a difficult position over this. I have another ten Spicy Jades here. I'll leave them with you for now to give you some room to maneuver and help you account for things to the family."

Ya Fei smiled, warmth rippling through her eyes. "Hehe, how thoughtful of you, little brother. It makes me very glad to know you care."

With that, the deal was settled. Xia Kong also asked Ya Fei to keep an eye out for higher-grade cultivation methods and Dou Techniques for him. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they parted ways.

Xia Kong pulled his black hood back into place and carefully put away the three scrolls of cultivation methods and combat skills. He stored them in his Storage Ring together with the golden VIP card holding one hundred thousand gold coins, then turned and left the appraisal room.

Before long, an elderly man occupied the seat Xia Kong had just vacated. With crane-white hair and a youthful complexion, he wore a green Alchemist's robe and had a kindly face. He was Gu Ni, the Second-Rank Alchemy Master retained by the Mittel Auction House in Wutan City. It was his personal verification of the medicinal properties of Xia Kong's Spicy Jades that had allowed them to fetch the high price of thirty thousand gold coins apiece.

"Miss, should we investigate the origins of the Spicy Jades and that young gentleman's background more thoroughly?"

Ya Fei raised a hand and gently smoothed the loose orange-red strands across her forehead. She walked slowly to the window and gazed at the figure on the street below as he receded into the distance and disappeared. Xia Kong's youthful, handsome, yet unusually confident face flashed through her mind.

"No need. When the Mittel Family does business, we never go beyond the transaction itself."

"Yes, miss. I was too caught up in appearances. If Mittel could be entrusted to your hands, it would surely have a far brighter future."

Gu Ni bowed slightly and withdrew from the appraisal room, leaving Ya Fei alone.

Ya Fei stood there quietly, watching the figures passing back and forth along the corridor, her thoughts weighing heavily on her.

Meanwhile, Xia Kong slipped out through the auction house's rear entrance and took a winding route he had planned beforehand. He stopped several times along the way to observe his surroundings discreetly, but never detected any sign of someone following or spying on him.

After all that, I've been matching wits and courage with thin air... Ya Fei, oh, Ya Fei.

Xia Kong shook his head with a helpless chuckle, changed direction once more, and headed toward his residence in Wutan City.

Once inside, he could no longer contain his eagerness and immediately unrolled the Azure Wood Sword Art again. Although a low Black Tier cultivation technique was nowhere near as wondrous or powerful as an Earth-Tier or Heaven-Tier one, it was more than sufficient for him at present. In the original story, the Flame Mantra Xiao Yan practiced early on had initially been only a Yellow Tier Cultivation Technique, yet it had still allowed him to fight opponents above his realm. There was truly no need for him to reach for heights beyond his grasp.

Besides the complete cultivation formula and the routes for circulating Dou Qi, the scroll clearly recorded numerous precautions and prerequisites for practicing the technique. With Xia Kong's current foundation in cultivation, he could comprehend and practice it entirely on his own.

Putting all the cultivation methods and Dou Techniques away for the moment, Xia Kong willed it, and his figure vanished directly from the bed. The next instant, he stood within a strange space beneath a clear sky, surrounded by fresh air.

The space was not particularly vast, measuring roughly a hundred square meters. Beyond its boundaries lay nothing but gray, hazy mists of chaos.

An elegant, freestanding pavilion stood at the center of the space. Around it, twenty evenly sized plots of farmland were arranged in neat rows, each filled with lush, flourishing plants so green they seemed ready to drip.