Ten Thousand Treasures Tower

The food at Hundred Flavors House truly was excellent.

The spirit beast meat had been stewed until it melted in his mouth, and the spiritual energy in the broth slipped warmly into his belly. The stir-fried jade-green vegetables were just as crisp and delicious, with a faint, lingering sweetness.

Si Chen ate without a care, feeling that leaving home this time had truly been the right choice.

Even if he never found that so-called "Yang Thunder," traveling the world and sampling its delicacies while cultivating the Yi Wood Eternal Spring Art seemed like a wonderful life.

While he enjoyed his meal at ease, the furtive looks cast his way were far more complicated.

There was curiosity and scrutiny, but most of all, a veiled pity.

Anyone who was not a fool could have heard the chill in Elder Lü of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect's parting words: "We'll meet again."

Here in Ancient Gaze City, having a Golden Core expert set his sights on him did not bode well for this boy, who looked barely twelve or thirteen.

What a pity, with his age and cultivation... Everyone shook their heads inwardly.

Several days passed in a flash.

The Flowing Cloud Sword Sect had operated in this region for years and had its own intelligence network. Upon returning, Lü Yan immediately called on his connections to investigate the name "Si Chen."

He had to make one final confirmation before deciding his next move.

Yet the results both surprised him and matched his expectations.

No such person could be found in the cultivation world.

Meanwhile, there were at least eight thousand, if not ten thousand, boys named "Si Chen" in the mortal world. Verifying them one by one was impossible.

This was, in fact, all the Si Household's doing.

As one of the Ancient Clans with a long heritage, they had always followed a tradition of letting their young "roam free," grandly calling it "venturing into the world for tempering."

To ensure their descendants faced genuine trials, the lineage would often use its influence to bury their true information beneath layer upon layer of ordinary identities.

Never mind the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect-even the truly great sects would have to go through considerable trouble to uncover the truth, and might still fail.

When he received the jade slip containing the final report, the last trace of doubt in Lü Yan's heart vanished...

Just as I thought.

He became even more certain of his judgment: this brat must have stumbled into some outrageously good luck and acquired an inheritance through a fortuitous encounter. That was the only way he could possess such cultivation and such a formidable physique at his age.

Only that could explain why he acted with such reckless abandon despite having no master or sect to protect him.

He simply lacked discipline and had no idea how high the heavens were or how deep the earth ran!

The thought of that potentially astonishing inheritance set Lü Yan's heart ablaze.

Perhaps it held the secret to breaking through to middle Golden Core, or even glimpsing the Nascent Soul Great Path!

His eyes instantly filled with the greed of a man determined to claim his prize.

Now that he had confirmed the boy had no untouchable backing, he could act without restraint.

After a moment's deliberation, he instructed Zhao Qinghe, who stood respectfully below him, "Qinghe, have some sharp-witted disciples keep an eye on him... They needn't follow too closely. Just keep track of his general movements. This boy's abilities are uncanny. Don't stir the grass and startle the snake."

"Yes," Zhao Qinghe promptly replied, though his feelings were complicated.

He still brooded over the "humiliation" Si Chen had inflicted on him that day, yet he also feared the boy's ruthless methods.

Now that the elder clearly intended to make a move against him, Zhao Qinghe felt vindicated on the one hand, but faintly uneasy on the other. Still, the matter was no longer his to control.

Si Chen knew nothing of this, though even if he had, he probably would not have taken it to heart.

He continued eating and drinking as he pleased. In just a few days, he sampled nearly every restaurant and eatery of any renown in Ancient Gaze City.

He had no worries whatsoever about spirit stones. The supply inside the antique ring on his finger seemed inexhaustible, and he spent them without the slightest hesitation.

To Lü Yan and certain other interested observers, this behavior only cemented the impression of "an upstart who had acquired an inheritance."

Where would a boy with no backing get so many spirit stones?

He must have found some unknown treasure or inheritance. Fresh out into the world and ignorant of its ways, he was flaunting his wealth so openly.

After sampling all the delicacies, Si Chen began attending to his real business.

He visited teahouses and taverns, asking people about "Yang Thunder" with an air of casual curiosity.

A waiter smiled as he wiped a table. "Young sir, that's quite a mysterious thing you're asking about. Thunder and rain are common enough around here, but Yang Thunder or Yin Thunder? Never heard of them."

An old cultivator tending a stall stroked his beard and shook his head. "Yang Thunder? That's something of the utmost hardness and purest yang. They say only places of supreme yang or extreme celestial phenomena can nurture even a trace of it. Forget seeing it-in over a hundred years of life, I've barely even heard a few reliable accounts."

He asked around for several days without finding anything.

Eventually, someone who saw how young he was, and how wealthy he seemed, kindly offered a suggestion. "Young fellow, if you're looking into something that rare, why not ask at the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower in the city center?"

"They sell magic treasures, spirit materials, pills, and even all sorts of secret information. Their connections run far and wide."

The Ten Thousand Treasures Tower?

Si Chen thought the name sounded familiar.

After a moment's reflection, he remembered. Wasn't that the place in Cloud Brocade City where he had donated so many spirit stones as a child?

The old cultivator hosting the auction had kept calling him a "great philanthropist," too.

He had not expected to find one in Ancient Gaze City as well. Apparently, the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower's backing was far greater than he had imagined.

He thanked the old cultivator and followed his directions to the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower in the city center.

The Ancient Gaze City branch had a fairly imposing frontage, but compared with the main building he remembered in Cloud Brocade City, which resembled an immortal palace of jade towers, it looked much plainer.

As soon as he stepped inside, a neatly dressed attendant approached him. "Young master, welcome to the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower. What would you like to browse? Pills, magic artifacts, or perhaps..."

"I'm looking for information."

Si Chen went straight to the point. "About Yang Thunder."

"Yang Thunder?" The attendant froze for a moment.

He had worked at the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower for quite some time and had seen countless customers seeking pills and magic artifacts, but this was the first time anyone had come asking about thunder.

Still, he recovered quickly, his smile unchanged. "An unusual inquiry, young master. Such information falls under our intelligence trade, and the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower does indeed handle it. However, I cannot make a decision on this myself. Please take a seat while I invite our steward to discuss it with you."

The attendant led Si Chen to an elegant private alcove, served him spirit tea, and hurried away.

Before long, a capable-looking middle-aged steward in a brocade robe entered, smiling as he cupped his hands in greeting.

"My surname is Qian, and I am the steward of this branch. I hear you wish to inquire about Yang Thunder, young master?" Steward Qian sat opposite him, his tone courteous.

"Yes." Si Chen nodded.

Steward Qian stroked his neatly trimmed short beard and mused, "To be frank, young master, Yang Thunder is formed from the purest yang and most unyielding power between heaven and earth. It is elusive and difficult to find."

"The Ten Thousand Treasures Tower is certainly well informed, but as for specific leads concerning it... we currently have none."

Seeing no particular expression on Si Chen's face, as though this answer had not surprised him, he changed tack.

"However, if you are seeking a fortuitous opportunity, young master, perhaps you could take a different approach."

Steward Qian wore a perfectly measured smile. "As it happens, we will be holding a Monthly Auction in three days. Rare treasures from all quarters will gather here, including some uncommon heavenly materials and earthly treasures."

"In fact, unexpected items often appear. The lead you seek might be hidden in some unassuming auction lot. Trying your luck would be better than searching aimlessly."

Si Chen listened quietly.

An auction? He remembered attending one in Cloud Brocade City, though back then he had gone to "open his purse generously."

Looking back, he had understood little about spirit stones at the time. Only now, after truly venturing into the world, did he understand why Third Uncle had been so furious.

"An auction..." he repeated softly.

I might as well take a look.

As Steward Qian had said, it was better than searching aimlessly. Besides, he had grown somewhat curious about this Ten Thousand Treasures Tower, which could establish branches everywhere.

"All right."

Si Chen looked at Steward Qian. "I'll come in three days."

Steward Qian's smile deepened. He personally handed Si Chen a jade token granting admission. "We look forward to welcoming you, young master."

After seeing Si Chen off, Steward Qian returned to the inner room. His smile faded into a thoughtful expression.

Such a young Foundation Establishment cultivator, asking about something as rare as Yang Thunder. His bearing and speech were unlike those of an ordinary rogue cultivator, too.

And the staff just reported that he clashed with a Golden Core elder of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect a few days ago... yet afterward, he carried on as though nothing had happened... This boy is anything but simple.

Steward Qian tapped his fingers lightly on the desk.

The Flowing Cloud Sword Sect had been entrenched here for years, and Lü Yan was notorious for avenging even the slightest grievance.

If the boy survived being targeted by such a man, his future achievements might well be limitless.

If he perished along the way... that had nothing to do with Steward Qian, either.

To the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower, every potential "major client" deserved an appropriate measure of attention.

All he had done was show the boy due respect, offer a few polite words, and give him an inconsequential jade token.

That was a worthwhile deal.

Steward Qian soon put his thoughts aside, turned, and left to attend to his next task.

People came and went through Ancient Gaze City every day. Geniuses and their downfalls were no more than insignificant strokes beneath its walls.