Si Chen paid the group no further attention and walked straight into the auction hall.
As a child in Cloud Brocade City, he had always sat in the finest private box in the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower, surrounded by maids and Lineage guards.
This time, he was nobody special. He was simply Si Chen.
He casually found a seat with a decent view in the general seating area, entirely unaware that his age and cultivation made him stand out in the crowd.
The disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect looked even uglier at being ignored like this.
Lü Yan remained composed, however, as though nothing had happened. His gaze lingered briefly on Si Chen, and an almost imperceptible sneer flickered through his heart.
Even better. Sitting out in the open makes him an easier target for everyone.
He led the others upstairs. From that elevated position, he could see everything in the hall below, including Si Chen's every move.
Dong!
A clear bell rang out, silencing the clamor. A beaming host with a booming voice stepped onto the stage, and after an enthusiastic introduction, the auction officially began.
The first few lots were mostly somewhat uncommon materials or magic artifacts, but to Si Chen, they were nothing remarkable.
He leaned against the back of his chair, uninterested, and even began to feel a little bored. He would have been better off going out to find something delicious.
Then a maid carefully carried out a new item.
It was a lustrous jade box. Once opened, it revealed a spirit plant resembling a lingzhi mushroom, its entire surface shimmering with a gentle, moon-white radiance.
"The next lot: a soul-nourishing mushroom!"
The host raised his voice. "Its greatest benefit is nourishing the soul and nurturing spiritual awareness. For fellow cultivators whose spiritual sense has been depleted or whose souls have suffered injury, this is a rare treasure indeed. Bidding starts at one thousand mid-grade spirit stones!"
Nourishing the soul?
Si Chen's gaze settled on the soul-nourishing mushroom. He remembered how, before he left home, his mother, Ye Fu, would sometimes rub her temples and softly complain that she had not slept well.
He had not understood much back then. Thinking about it now, perhaps her soul needed nourishment?
What he did not know was that his mother's slight insomnia came purely from the worries she had accumulated over the past few years, fretting about his safety during body tempering...
Besides, with Ye Fu's cultivation, this soul-nourishing mushroom would be utterly useless.
Nor did he know that any random trinket his Lineage had given him, tucked away in the ring on his finger, was worth far more than the soul-nourishing mushroom before him.
He simply remembered his mother's faintly furrowed brow and thought this might make her feel a little better.
So when the bidding began, he joined in for the first time.
"One thousand five hundred."
Quite a few people looked over curiously, surprised that this unfamiliar, seemingly young face had such deep pockets.
In a private box on the second floor, Lü Yan suddenly chuckled under his breath.
Here's my chance.
This was the moment he had been waiting for. He did not need to act personally; he only needed to give things a gentle push.
"One thousand six hundred."
Lü Yan's calm voice drifted from the private box and echoed through the hall.
Si Chen looked up toward that box, his brows drawing together slightly. Them again.
"Three thousand," he said.
"Three thousand one hundred." Lü Yan's voice remained steady. Every time, he raised the bid by only a hundred spirit stones, seemingly on purpose.
Quiet murmurs began to spread through the hall.
Anyone with eyes could see that the elder of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect seemed to be deliberately targeting the youth in blue.
The soul-nourishing mushroom was certainly good, but at this price, the bidding was already somewhat inflated.
An inexplicable irritation quietly wound itself around Si Chen's heart.
These people had tried to kill him in the mountain forest and bar his way at the restaurant. Now, even when he wanted to buy something for his mother, they insisted on sticking their noses in.
"Five thousand." Si Chen's voice grew a little colder.
"Five thousand one hundred." Lü Yan followed almost without hesitation. He even lifted his teacup and blew gently across it, looking perfectly at ease.
Si Chen did not care about spirit stones. They were piled like mountains inside his Storage Ring, and he had yet to spend even one of those so-called high-grade spirit stones.
It was simply that the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect's behavior buzzed around him like flies, more irritating than an outright provocation.
The thought, If only I'd killed them all back then, surfaced uncontrollably once more, stronger than before.
He took a deep breath and spoke one last time.
"Ten thousand."
A low stir swept through the hall at that bid. This youth either had a frighteningly vast fortune or had been thoroughly enraged.
The bidding had already climbed far beyond the soul-nourishing mushroom's actual value. Everyone turned toward the private box on the second floor.
Lü Yan knew he had stoked the fire enough. If he pushed the price any higher, he would be the fool left footing the bill.
Besides... he had already succeeded in branding Si Chen a fat sheep ripe for fleecing before everyone present.
He paused for just the right length of time, then chuckled through the formation with a hint of regret in his voice. "Heh, young friend, your wealth is impressive. This old man won't deprive you of something you cherish."
The hammer fell, and the soul-nourishing mushroom went to Si Chen.
A maid soon delivered the jade box into his hands. Without even looking at it, Si Chen put it into his Storage Ring.
His face showed little emotion, but anyone who knew him would have understood that his mood was anything but good.
He could not even be bothered to look up at the next few lots.
Incomplete formation diagrams left by ancient cultivators, pills-none of them meant anything to him.
He only wanted this farce to end quickly so he could find somewhere quiet and try the Almond Pudding from the shop that had caught his eye that morning.
Just as his mind wandered far afield, the host's voice suddenly rose, carrying a deliberately cultivated air of mystery and excitement.
"Everyone! Next comes the grand finale of this auction!"
A maid stepped lightly onto the stage, holding an exquisite cold-jade box in both hands.
The instant the box opened, a cool, rich fragrance filled the entire auction hall, leaving everyone refreshed.
Bright yellow silk lined the box, and resting upon it was a crimson fruit, faint patterns of flame seemingly flowing across its surface.
"Fellow cultivators, today's final treasure-the crimson sun fruit!"
The host's voice climbed steadily with excitement. "This fruit grows beside lava fed by earthly fire. It takes a hundred years to flower and another hundred to bear fruit. For seniors in the early Golden Core stage, it is a rare aid in advancing your cultivation!"
"Although its effects do not defy the heavens, you all know how difficult even the smallest advancement is for a Golden Core expert. This fruit may spare you decades of bitter cultivation!"
"Bidding starts at ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones!"
The moment he finished, the entire hall erupted!
Heavenly materials and earthly treasures that could aid Golden Core cultivation were truly rare in the Ancient Gaze City region! Countless Golden Core cultivators trapped at bottlenecks dreamed of obtaining one!
Until now, most of the bidders had been Foundation Establishment cultivators. At this moment, exclamations came from several private rooms and from people with powerful auras seated at the back of the hall.
Lü Yan abruptly straightened in his seat, his eyes blazing with astonishing brilliance!
He had been stuck in the early Golden Core stage for decades, making slow progress. To him, this crimson sun vermilion fruit was like charcoal delivered in the snow!
Never had he imagined this auction would hold such a wonderful surprise!
"Fifteen thousand!"
"Twenty thousand!"
Bids rang out one after another, and the price soared. Lü Yan took a deep breath and joined the contest. "Thirty thousand!"
"Thirty-five thousand!" A hoarse voice came from a nearby private room.
"Forty thousand!" Lü Yan refused to back down.
Only a handful of bidders remained, all belonging to prominent local powers. They did not seem intimidated by the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect's name.
Lü Yan's expression grew increasingly grim as the bids rose, quickly breaking past the hundred-thousand mark!
The Flowing Cloud Sword Sect was wealthy, certainly, but he was bidding with his own personal fortune.
"Two hundred thousand!"
Lü Yan shouted in a deep voice. This price already far exceeded the crimson sun fruit's usual value, but he was determined to have it!
The hall fell silent for a moment. The few remaining competitors gave up. Exhausting their fortunes for this fruit and a little improvement in cultivation hardly seemed worthwhile.
The host excitedly swept his gaze around the hall. "Two hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones! Will any fellow cultivator bid higher?"
A triumphant smile finally appeared on Lü Yan's face. He only had to wait for the hammer to fall, and he could already almost see himself breaking through.
Just then, a calm voice carried clearly through the hall from the general seating area below.
"Two hundred thousand..."
"And one hundred."
Every gaze in the hall swung toward the source...
It was the very youth in blue who had spent ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones on the soul-nourishing mushroom!
Si Chen seemed entirely oblivious. After speaking, he leaned back in his chair again and even picked up the Spirit Tea a nearby maid had just refilled, blowing gently across it.
His manner was exactly the same as the leisurely air Lü Yan had deliberately put on earlier!
The smile froze on Lü Yan's face, and his complexion turned livid. He stared fixedly at Si Chen below, his chest heaving sharply.
That brat is clearly taking revenge!
"Two hundred ten thousand!" Lü Yan forced the bid through clenched teeth.
"Two hundred ten thousand... and one hundred." Without even raising his eyelids, Si Chen lazily followed with another bid.
"Two hundred twenty thousand!"
"Two hundred twenty thousand... and one hundred."
The price climbed back and forth between them. Each time, Si Chen added only the minimum hundred spirit stones, just as Elder Lü had done earlier.
The other Golden Core cultivators who had withdrawn from the contest now wore amused smiles, happy to watch the show.
Every increase felt as though Lü Yan were slicing off his own flesh, but he was determined to obtain this crimson sun fruit. His hope of breaking through his bottleneck depended on it!
After several more bids, the price reached a staggering three hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones. This was already far beyond the crimson sun fruit's normal value. Veins bulged on Lü Yan's forehead, and his breathing grew heavier.
He wanted nothing more than to rush downstairs and tear Si Chen into ten thousand pieces!
Just then, Si Chen set down his teacup. Mimicking the tone Lü Yan had used when cupping his hands and conceding earlier, he cupped his own hands toward the private room on the second floor.
"Heh, Elder Lü, your wealth is impressive. This junior won't deprive you of something you cherish."
The exact same words, returned untouched.
"Pfft-" In a private room opposite, a Golden Core cultivator watching the spectacle could not help laughing aloud.
Lü Yan's face instantly turned the color of pig liver. His blood surged so violently that he nearly spat blood on the spot. Three hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones! That was almost the savings of more than half his lifetime!
And before the eyes of everyone in the hall, a Foundation Establishment junior had used his own trick to play him for a fool! This was the greatest humiliation he had suffered in hundreds of years of cultivation!
The hammer fell, and the crimson sun fruit went to Lü Yan. Yet his face held not a trace of joy, only towering fury and murderous intent.
Si Chen, meanwhile, had already risen to his feet. Under a sea of complicated gazes, he leisurely walked toward the exit.
After this little exchange of "a tooth for a tooth," he felt much of the irritation in his heart dissipate.
Now he could finally go and enjoy the Almond Pudding he had been thinking about all day.
As for having thoroughly enraged a Golden Core cultivator in the process...
The moment that thought of killing them all had flashed through his mind, that had ceased to be something he needed to consider.
Before you continue