"Young master, please follow me to the seventh floor."
Elder Yuan's voice was grave as he led Lin Xuan and his two companions upstairs, leaving everyone behind with stunned expressions.
They had heard Elder Yuan's earlier words perfectly clearly.
The remains of a king-grade Demon Beast-and complete remains at that!
Quite a few people's expressions shifted, and they left the auction house to report the matter to their superiors.
The complete remains of a king-grade Demon Beast were a momentous matter for any faction here.
Standing in the stairwell, Liqin was now as pale as paper. Regret surged through her heart like a tide, and she had bitten through the skin of her lip.
She knew full well what she had missed.
But it was already too late for regrets.
Many of the staff around her looked enviously at Qinghe, marveling at her luck.
Although Qinghe had only briefly attended to that distinguished guest, this transaction would clearly be credited to her.
Elder Yuan led Lin Xuan to a VIP room on the seventh floor. After asking him to wait a moment, he left, but returned shortly afterward, this time accompanied by a coldly beautiful woman.
Although the beautiful woman did not deliberately release her pressure, there was no concealing the presence of someone in the King Realm.
"I am Mu Yue, the owner of this auction house. May I ask your surname, young master?" Her eyes, clear as autumn waters, studied Lin Xuan carefully as her red lips parted, her voice gentle.
"Lin Xuan."
"So it is Young Master Lin. Elder Yuan told me you wished to auction the remains of a king-grade Demon Beast. Might I take a look?"
Lin Xuan nodded and tossed her the storage ring containing the Purple Scorpion Demon King's remains.
Taking the storage ring, Mu Yue extended her Divine Sense into it, only to freeze. The smile vanished entirely from her face.
"The Purple Scorpion Demon King?"
What stunned her was not the presence of a king-grade Demon Beast's remains in the storage ring. After all, Elder Yuan had told her about that before she came.
What shocked her was that she recognized this king-grade Demon Beast!
More than merely recognizing it, she had yet to recover completely from the injuries this Purple Scorpion Demon King had inflicted on her years ago...
Back then, she and three friends, four King Realm cultivators in total, had attempted to hunt this Purple Scorpion Demon King. They had thought it would be easy, but the result was... the Purple Scorpion Demon King was far stronger than expected. Even fighting four against one, it had seriously injured two of them, and she had been one of those two...
The poison left by its venomous stinger had still not been completely purged.
She had never imagined that she would see the Purple Scorpion Demon King's remains inside a storage ring today.
Especially when she saw that horrifying sword wound across the Purple Scorpion Demon King's chest, the shock in her heart grew all the greater.
"If I may be so bold as to ask, where did you obtain these remains of the Purple Scorpion Demon King, Young Master Lin?"
"Of course, I am merely curious. If you would rather not say, please consider the question unasked." Although it was somewhat presumptuous, Mu Yue was simply too curious.
"I killed it." Lin Xuan spoke mildly, as though recounting some insignificant trifle.
At his words, the beautiful woman froze, as did Elder Yuan beside her. Then she smiled faintly without saying anything, merely taking his words as an excuse because he did not wish to tell her.
Even four or five King Realm cultivators working together would struggle to bring down the Purple Scorpion Demon King, while the presence Lin Xuan displayed was merely at the Tribulation Realm. It was little wonder the beautiful woman did not believe him; no one would believe it even if word spread.
Seeing this, Lin Xuan said nothing more.
He had told nothing but the truth. Whether they believed him was none of his concern.
After discussing the commission with the beautiful woman, Lin Xuan left the auction house.
A one-percent commission-the beautiful woman had shown ample sincerity. She also explained that the auction would begin in three days and asked Lin Xuan to wait in the city for a few days. During that time, the Dusk Moon Auction House would publicize these king-grade Demon Beast remains through its various channels, doing its utmost to secure the highest possible price.
Several enormous arenas stood in the central district of the city, where people could compete and spar.
With the Heaven-Burning Mystic Realm about to open, large numbers of outsiders had poured into Linyue City. This place was exceptionally lively as well, gathering many prodigies from the seven kingdoms, all rubbing their fists and itching to try their hand.
On one of the arenas, a girl dressed in white was particularly eye-catching.
It was not merely because of her lovely appearance, but also because she had just defeated a powerful cultivator fresh off five consecutive victories with a single sword strike.
The girl was none other than Su Lianxin.
After parting ways with Lin Xuan, she had begun wandering around the city and eventually arrived here. Watching the battles in the arenas, her hands had begun to itch as well.
Her days at Starfall Peak consisted of cultivation and more cultivation. Although her strength was rising at a furious pace, Su Lianxin had little actual combat experience.
Besides wanting to spar with a few people of comparable strength, she had stepped into the arena to accumulate more practical combat experience.
"This girl is quite good."
In a pavilion not far from the arenas sat a middle-aged man in sumptuous robes and an old man with a youthful complexion and crane-white hair. Facing each other, they raised their cups and drank, their gazes occasionally turning toward the arenas a short distance below.
Behind them stood several young men and women who appeared to be their disciples.
The one who had spoken was the middle-aged man in sumptuous robes.
He had witnessed the entire scene of Su Lianxin defeating her opponent with a single sword strike.
"Hahaha, this young lady is indeed quite good. What is it? Thinking of taking a disciple?" The white-haired old man sitting opposite the richly dressed middle-aged man stroked his beard and asked.
At this, the richly dressed middle-aged man merely smiled. "To become a disciple of mine, the Sword King Yuansu, her current performance is not enough."
Fortunately, no one else had overheard their conversation, or it would inevitably have caused quite a stir.
The Sword King Yuansu!
One of the few King Realm sword cultivators in this region. Although he had yet to comprehend sword intent, he had already perfected its embryonic form. Ordinary King Realm cultivators at the same level were simply no match for him.
Countless sword cultivators wished to become his disciples, but unfortunately, the Sword King Yuansu had extremely high standards. Ordinary geniuses could not catch his eye at all.
"It seems this young lady will have to put on a fine performance next." The white-haired old man chuckled. He knew full well how high his old friend's standards were and could only hope that the young lady would perform even better from here on.
Su Lianxin then fought several more opponents, but to her disappointment, everyone who stepped into the arena was all thunder and little rain. They claimed to be True Disciples of this kingdom's sect or that, each title more impressive than the last, yet not one of them could withstand a single sword strike from her-and that was with her letting an entire sea through.
"Lu Han, you go. If she can withstand one sword strike from you, I will take her as my disciple today." The richly dressed middle-aged man in the pavilion addressed one of the disciples behind him.
"Yes, Master."
The young man named Lu Han cupped his fists slightly toward the Sword King Yuansu, then leaped straight down and landed in the arena where Su Lianxin stood.
"Lu Han, the Sword King Yuansu's second disciple. Earth Profound Third Layer."
"My master is interested in taking you as his disciple. Of course, the prerequisite is that you withstand my next sword strike."
"As long as you can withstand one sword strike from me, you will qualify. You and I are at the same cultivation level, so this requirement should hardly be excessive."