The auction ended, and the crowd began to move, excitement, regret, and discussion mingling in the clamor. Lin Yan, Lei En, and the others followed the crowd toward the designated backstage area to complete the handover procedures.
The handover area was divided into several rooms, with dedicated guards and staff keeping everything orderly. Lin Yan handed over a crystal card holding a total of fifty-nine thousand Gold Soul Coins (nine thousand for the Spirit-Clearing Spring and fifty thousand for the thousand-year Blood Ginseng). After checking it carefully, the staff solemnly placed the crystal bottle containing the Spirit-Clearing Spring and a sealed jade box designed to preserve medicinal potency (containing the thousand-year Blood Ginseng) into his hands.
With the cool crystal bottle and smooth, warm jade box in his hands, Lin Yan felt considerably more at ease as he sensed the tremendous power contained within them. He carefully placed both items into the Storage Soul Tool he had prepared beforehand, its interior lined with soft velvet. This Storage Soul Tool had little space inside; he had bought it specifically before leaving Nuoding City to make carrying important items easier.
Lei En and his three companions also received the items they had won, satisfied smiles on all their faces. Each of them had gained something from this auction.
"Lin Shuo, what are your plans now? Are you heading straight back to the inn where you're staying, or..." Lei En asked.
Lin Yan was about to answer when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the curtain of a nearby handover room lift. A young man in luxurious brocade robes, his face touched with an unhealthy pallor, emerged accompanied by an old man. The young man had a sinister gaze and was toying with a jade pendant-the very Soul-Warming Jade he had won earlier. His eyes swept over the crowd and happened to meet Lin Yan's. The corner of his mouth curved almost imperceptibly, carrying scrutiny and contempt.
Something stirred in Lin Yan's mind as he recognized him as the owner of the soft, feminine voice who had bid against him twice from a private box. Not wanting to stir up more trouble, he immediately withdrew his gaze and said quietly to Lei En, "We shouldn't linger here. Let's leave as soon as possible."
Lei En had also noticed the young man's unfriendly gaze, as well as the faint, heart-chilling Soul Power fluctuations emanating from the old man beside him. He was at least a Soul King! Lei En's heart tightened, and he nodded. "All right. Let's go together."
The five said no more and quickly followed the people who had completed their handovers toward the exit.
Outside the auction house, the cool night breeze brushed Lin Yan's face, yet it could not disperse the faint worry in his heart. Fasinuo City prohibited private fighting, but what about outside its walls? The other party clearly had an extraordinary background. If he harbored ill intentions, trouble would be hard to avoid.
"Lin Shuo, where are you staying? Would you like us to see you back?" Su Yun, attentive to subtle details, had sensed something too and asked with concern.
Not wanting to drag them into this, Lin Yan shook his head and politely declined. "Thank you for the offer, but my inn isn't far. I can get back on my own. You should be careful too."
Lei En patted his shoulder. "All right, then. Take care of yourself. Don't forget what we said-give Spirit Hall Academy some thought! Perhaps we'll even get to fight side by side!"
"I'll consider it." Lin Yan nodded and bade the four farewell, then turned and swiftly merged into the still-bustling crowd on the street. A few turns later, he disappeared from sight.
He did not return directly to the Clear Spring Inn. Instead, he deliberately circled around several times. Only after confirming that no one was following him did he quietly return to his room at the inn from another direction.
After closing the door securely, Lin Yan did not immediately rest or inspect his purchases. He sat cross-legged on the bed and slowly circulated the Supreme Purity Breathing Technique. His spiritual power spread outward like mercury spilling across the ground, carefully sensing every movement around him. The keen perception granted by Withering and Flourishing Intent gave him an intuition for danger far beyond that of ordinary people.
A moment later, he opened his eyes, his brows slightly furrowed. Nothing seemed amiss around him, but that faint sense of danger in his heart had not entirely faded.
Am I overthinking this? Or are their methods so sophisticated that they've evaded my perception? Lin Yan pondered. He dared not be careless and decided to remain vigilant tonight and leave Fasinuo City first thing tomorrow morning.
He took out the crystal bottle containing the Spirit-Clearing Spring and removed the stopper. A cool, refreshing scent immediately spread, invigorating his mind. Rather than consuming it directly, he carefully poured a drop onto his fingertip. The milky-white drop of spiritual liquid rolled gently on his fingertip as though alive, giving off a soft luster.
Lin Yan brought his fingertip close to his nose and inhaled gently. The drop of Spirit-Clearing Spring transformed into a cool current that rushed through his nasal passages straight into his sea of consciousness. In an instant, his mind became incomparably clear. Some of the obscure points he had struggled to understand while cultivating Withering and Flourishing Intent now seemed like sunlight breaking through the clouds, bringing fresh insights. His spiritual power felt as though it had been washed by sweet spring water, becoming more condensed and active.
It truly lives up to its reputation! Lin Yan felt delighted surprise. A single drop had produced such an effect. These three drops of Spirit-Clearing Spring would be enough to raise both his spiritual power and his understanding of Intent to a new level.
He carefully put away the Spirit-Clearing Spring, then opened the jade box. A rich rush of blood Qi mingled with the fragrance of ginseng struck his face. The thousand-year Blood Ginseng inside looked as though it had been carved from blood jade, vivid and lifelike, and contained astonishing vitality. This Blood Ginseng would be the key to tempering his physique and breaking through to a higher Soul Power Level.
Putting both treasures safely away again, Lin Yan suppressed the urge to consume them and cultivate immediately. Ensuring his safety was the most urgent matter. He remained in a state of cultivation, devoting half his attention to keeping watch and the other half to revisiting the insights brought by the Spirit-Clearing Spring, consolidating his Withering and Flourishing Intent.
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, just as the sky began to brighten, Lin Yan settled his bill and left the Clear Spring Inn. Rather than hiring a carriage, he chose to leave the city on foot, making it easier to observe his surroundings and respond to unexpected situations.
The early-morning streets were relatively quiet, with only a few early-rising vendors busy at work. Lin Yan walked briskly, but his mind remained intensely focused, sensing every rustle of wind and stir of grass around him.
Just as he was about to reach the city gate, his steps paused slightly. At the edge of his perception, two faint presences had been following him at an elusive distance ever since shortly after he left the inn!