De Lee, the auctioneer's voice rang out again, shaking the room back into focus.

  “Now, the fourth item of tonight’s auction is a rare herbal treasure..."

  Quickly, the bidding wore on.

  One item after another passed through the hands of the auctioneer, each announced with a flurry of praise. But for Meng Lin, she only found a few that were actually interesting.

  A cracked storage neckce that once belonged to a powerful cultivator.

  A beast-hide scroll that contained a partial palm technique—though the aura around it was crazily strong.

  A bottle of cold mist dew from the edge of a frost vein in the Northern Wastes.

  Each item fetched a respectable price. The crowd below threw spirit stones around with a bit of desperate reverence, voices rising with each bid, but none of it caused Meng Lin to get involved in the bidding.

  She sat reclined, a soft plum slice in one hand, idly snacking between interest and disinterest, her eyes drifting from the stage to the crowd.

  Below, she noticed a stout man in crimson robes had gotten into a heated argument with a woman from one of the private booths to the point where the woman showed her face—a pale-faced young woman whose features were mostly hidden behind an embroidered fan.

  Both were clearly at the Soul Wondering Realm, and although their voices were low, the tension between them was enough to draw several gnces from those seated nearby.

  It was only after a Narscent Soul aura swept through the room that they stopped.

  Her gaze shifted again, toward the rear, where a hunched, elderly cultivator in gray was whispering furiously into the ear of a silent youth seated beside him.

  The youth had bid on an oddly shaped staff, one inscribed with both demonic and spiritual runes. The old man seemed to disapprove, the youth however, didn’t even gnce his way.

  She wouldn't have paid them any attention if not for the fact that the youth had gnced at all the private booths, seemingly able to see through the veiled formation.

  She tapped her nail against one of the pastries as her gaze swept past the room again, her eyes nding on three individuals who hadn't escaped her notice.

  'Who are they?' she thought.

  There was a faint trace of the Formless Cultivation Method on them, despite their attempts to blend in with the crowd. She still picked up on it.

  Her eyes narrowed as she observed them one by one. They seemed like ordinary cultivators—no different from any of the other faces here tonight. And yet, they were not.

  They were each seated at an angle where they could observe one person, a woman at the center of the crowd—a woman in bck robes.

  “Now it’s getting interesting,” she murmured, as she couldn't help but wonder about all these different individuals.

  And as if in response, De Lee’s voice took on a serious tone, drawing the gazes of the onlookers.

  “Well then,” he said, smiling broadly, “esteemed guests, we now arrive… at the final five special items of the night.”

  The crowd quieted, and even Meng Lin sat up slightly.

  He continued, his voice a bit excited. "A Rank 4 alchemist inheritance. I don't have to expin what the inheritance contains. Starting bid is 1,000 middle-grade spirit stones!”

  The price immediately soared, and Meng Lin was slightly taken aback. But her eyes quickly sharpened.

  She became excited. Still, she didn’t move to bid. She wanted it—of course she did. But she was curious, she wanted to see how it would py out.

  “1,100!” someone called out from the private booths.

  And quickly, the price increased as it went from 1,100 to 1,500 to 1,800 until it was between three people. An old man whose aura made the air heat up around him.

  A young cultivator with a branded alchemist’s badge, and a veiled man seated among rogue cultivators. Surprisingly, neither the Luo nor the Yue family made any bids.

  “1,950!”

  The old man smmed his palm on his chair, furious as he spoke up, his voice growing loud enough to cover the whole auction.

  “Perhaps you are unaware… I am Elder Feng Zhao of the Shadows Hand. I suggest you two stop."

  Though his tone was composed, the subtle hint of unrestrained aura coming from him confirmed that he was at the Narscent Soul Realm.

  Meng Lin turned to the maid, her eyes looking for answers.

  The maid bowed slightly, speaking in a hushed tone. “Elder Feng Zhao is a notorious member of a group called Shadows Hand. They are all powerful and target anyone who messes with any one of their members."

  Meng Lin gnced back toward the other two peoples bidding. The veiled rogue cultivator merely shifted in his seat, unimpressed.

  The branded alchemist, however, clenched his fists, clearly considering whether the inheritance was worth it.

  For a moment, silence hung in the air.

  Then. “2,000,” came the steady voice of the veiled man.

  A flicker passed through Feng Zhao’s expression. His jaw tensed, his palm struck the armrest of his chair with a thud, and a wave of oppressive heat rolled through the auction hall like a rising tide.

  “Very well, little rogue,” he growled. “You want to test your luck?”

  The auction master, De Lee, gave a practiced cough. “Elder Feng, please. The auction house maintains neutrality, and all disputes...”

  “Yes, yes,” Feng Zhao waved him off, gring at the veiled man. “Let’s see if you can keep your arrogance after the auction.”

  Meng Lin’s lips curled slightly. Typical.

  But her gaze shifted back to the veiled man. He was too calm.

  De Lee cleared his throat once more. “2,000 spirit stones. Do I hear 2,100?”

  Silence.

  Then…

  “2,200,” Meng Lin’s voice rang out. Clear, crisp, and almost zy.

  The crowd stirred, heads turning toward the booth with the formation veil.

  Feng Zhao turned to stare.

  The veiled man paused for a second, his head tilted slightly, as though amused. Then he spoke again, calm and unbothered.

  “2,500.”

  A few soft gasps echoed through the room. The bid had jumped, and now the atmosphere thickened like a storm before rainfall. Eyes darted between the hidden booth numbered nine and the rogue’s seat.

  As Meng Lin considered whether to bid, a deep, steady voice echoed from one of the other private booths draped in a family crest.

  “3,500.”

  Gasps once again surged through the crowd.

  The booth was unmistakable.

  The Luo family had joined the bidding.

  Then, the voice continued, its tone serious and unmistakably male. “The Luo family shall gift this inheritance to the dy in booth nine."

  "Huh?"

  The entire auction hall seemed to pause. Whispers broke out like a wave.

  “They’re gifting it?”

  “To that booth? Who is she?”

  Meng Lin leaned forward slightly, her brows arched as she contempted.

  She didn’t recognize the voice, but the implication was clear, the person from the Luo family either knew her or they had something in mind.

  In the crowd, the veiled rogue cultivator also appeared surprised, but he only shook his head.

  De Lee, ever the professional, quickly recovered. “A generous gesture indeed. Then… if there are no further bids…”

  “Sold, to the Lady in booth nine—gifted by the Luo Family.”

  The branded young alchemist slumped slightly in his seat. Feng Zhao’s gre lingered long before he finally closed his eyes, suppressing his fury.

  Back in her booth, Meng Lin turned to the maid, who she was about to ask when she felt movement coming from behind.

  A soft click echoed through the booth as the curtain behind her was pulled slightly aside.

  “Lady Meng,” a composed, respectful voice said. “Please forgive the intrusion.”

  Meng Lin turned, eyes narrowing slightly.

  There, a young man in pale silver robes with the Luo family crest entered. His eyes held a sharp crity as he bowed slightly.

  “I am Luo Yiran,” he said, holding out his hand. “On behalf of my elder, I was instructed to deliver a message… and ensure the inheritance made its way into your hands.”

  Meng Lin raised an eyebrow. “Your elder?”

  Yiran nodded. “Elder Luo Feng. He believes the inheritance may be of some use to you. And… he also wishes to speak with you if you would be willing to spare the time after the auction.”

  Meng Lin didn’t reply right away. Instead, she reached into his hand to retrieve the inheritance jade slip. Her spiritual sense briefly swept over it, and she confirmed that it was genuine.

  She tucked it away. “Very well,” she finally said. “I’ll hear him out. Where?”

  Yiran seemed pleased but bowed again without overstepping. “There’s a courtyard we’ve rented in the east wing of the market square; it's discreet. You’ll be welcomed.”

  Meng Lin nodded once. “I’ll consider it… after the auction ends.”

  As the young man excused himself from the booth, the room outside stirred again as De Lee raised his voice once more.

  “The second special item of tonight’s event...”

  The excitement from the first inheritance had barely settled when the second special item was presented—another Rank 4 Inheritance Jade Slip, this one detailing fire control.

  Meng Lin leaned back in her seat, expression unreadable. It was simir in rank to the one she’d just acquired, but with her Rootless Fme, she found little need for it, so she was calm.

  The bidding, however, remained fierce.

  “3,400,” came the calm voice of the veiled man once more. Previously silent, he began the next bid just below the highest previous bid.

  A few cultivators wanted to raise their voices in challenge, but none dared. They didn't have the money. When De Lee decred the item sold, all eyes turned between Feng Zhao and where the veiled man sat.

  The third special item followed soon after—a low-grade Rootless Fme sealed in a crystalline urn.

  A few gasps of awe echoed, but Meng Lin could only reminisce about the first time she got her Rootless Fme.

  Booth nine was quiet; however, all other booths were not.

  This time, even the Yue family’s booth entered the fray, the childlike voice speaking up once more.

  “3,000.”

  The bidding sted only moments before De Lee called it. The item was delivered under the watchful eyes of the Yue retainers.

  The fourth item arrived: a Rank 4 cultivation method tailored for Gold-attribute physique cultivators.

  Meng Lin raised a brow, mildly curious, but chose not to engage. She already had a more flexible and powerful foundation with her elemental qi convergence method.

  That too was taken away by the Yue family. It seemed the Luo branch family was not interested in the item, not betting on it even once.

  “And now,” De Lee said, his voice softer, almost reverent, “we present the st special item of tonight’s auction.”

  The side curtains behind shifted, and two attendants emerged carrying a tray swathed in blue silk.

  On it sat a box carved from crimson jade, sealed with faintly glowing golden runes. Even from afar, one could sense the density of spiritual power radiating from it.

  De Lee let the moment linger before speaking again.

  “This item was uncovered within a long-lost ruin in the Mist Veil Highnds. Protected by time-stilled formations and soul-sealing arrays, it remained untouched for centuries. Appraised by the Pavilion’s finest, this is believed to be a Perfect-Grade Soul Nourishment Pill, perfectly intact.”

  The room responded with a wave of hushed murmurs, even some of the more stoic cultivators leaned forward slightly.

  Meng Lin, however, remained still, her gaze unmoved.

  A Perfect-Grade Soul Nourishment Pill might’ve drawn awe from others, but in her mind, it was ultimately redundant. The newly acquired jade slip she had tucked away.

  The Rank 4 alchemist inheritance contained plenty of different soul nourishment pill recipes, she believed she could accomplish the same result once fully comprehended. And with her current progress, she didn’t expect that to take long.

  She didn’t bother to bid.

  From the Luo family’s booth came the first offer. “5,000.”

  The Yue family booth followed soon after. “5,300.”

  The veiled man, silent for the st two items, joined in this time. “5,800.”

  Suddenly, within the crowd, a veiled woman spoke, issuing silence throughout the stage.

  “7,000.”

  A deep silence fell.

  Even De Lee, the auctioneer, seemed caught off guard for a brief moment. His usual smile faltered.

  No one responded.

  Not the Luo nor Yue family, with their wealth and influence. It wasn't that they didn't have the money to bid; however, to them, a Soul Nourishment Pill was something they could acquire elsewhere with far less.

  Meng Lin, who had been barely paying attention to the proceedings moments before, suddenly straightened in her seat.

  “That's it?” she thought, her gaze narrowed. “No matter how you look at it, the pill is just a normal Soul Nurturing Pill. Why would she be interested in it? Is it not normal?"

  “Well then, with that...," De Lee gave his customary closing remarks, but the people had already begun to move, some trying to swiftly leave the auction hall with the items they bought.

  Meng Lin got up, turning to walk out as she wondered about the veiled woman, but, she shook her head, thinking instead about the Luo family.

  'It seems not everyone came here for what was on dispy,' she thought. From beginning to end, the Luo family hadn't actually bought any items of interest.