Deep within the Star Palace auction house lay a quiet, elegant reception room. Sandalwood incense curled through the air. Ling Yuling sat in the seat of honor, holding a cup of Spiritual Tea, his expression calm and unreadable. Han Li stood below him with his hands lowered, his respectful expression tempered by just the right touch of unease.
"Fellow Daoist Li, did you gain anything from today's auction?" Ling Yuling set down his teacup and swept a seemingly casual glance over Han Li.
"Elder, my experience is limited. I merely broadened my horizons. That Water Essence Token in the finale was truly extraordinary." Han Li's voice carried a trace of wonder and envy. He made no mention whatsoever of having bid on the map fragment.
Ling Yuling nodded slightly, tapping his fingertips against the table with a crisp sound. As though asking in passing, he said, "Indeed, the Water Essence Token has far-reaching implications. The spirit stones needed to purchase it amounted to an astronomical sum. Earlier, in the marketplace, you seemed quite interested in several supplementary ingredients for refining Greenwater Pills, and you spent rather generously. It seems you possess considerable wealth, far beyond that of an ordinary independent cultivator from the outer seas."
Here it comes! Han Li inwardly stiffened, knowing that Ling Yuling was probing his background and the source of his wealth. He had prepared for this. A perfectly measured, rueful smile appeared on his face as he cupped his hands. "Elder, please judge fairly. How could I dare call myself wealthy? To tell you the truth, in my younger years, I happened upon an Ancient Cultivator's Seated-Death Cave Abode and obtained a few things left by my predecessor. Together with what I accumulated over years of hunting demonic beasts and gathering spirit herbs in the