Zhi Xuan stepped forward, allowing his body to absorb the remnants of the impure spiritual essence evaporating from the two Consciousness Transformation realm cultivators who now lay lifeless.

  The Snow Phoenix Jade in his hair flickered once, as if cleansing the aura of madness radiating from the Devil. Zhi Xuan exhaled, clearing the alley with a simple wave of his hand. The blood dust and the remains of the contaminated spiritual essence were swept into the corners, vanishing into the darkness.

  He turned toward Lin Mu, who was still pressed against the wall, his eyes tightly shut, but his entire body trembling subtly. Lin Mu had not seen, but he had heard. He heard the silent screams, the explosions of energy, and most terrifyingly, the sibilant sounds that resembled a sinister suction, followed by a sense of a dominant surge of power in the air.

  Zhi Xuan stepped closer, stopping directly in front of Lin Mu. He channeled a bit of the calm Law of Spring through his finger and touched Lin Mu’s forehead.

  "Open your eyes," Zhi Xuan commanded, his voice now flat again, removing all traces of the burning arrogance. "This is the first lesson: in this Lower Realm, there are only predators and prey. And a worthy prey must be cautious, while an unworthy prey will only end up as wasteful fertilizer."

  Lin Mu started. The soothing cold swept through his sea of consciousness, washing away the fear and horror he had just felt. He slowly opened his tearful eyes.

  What he saw was a clean alley with no blood stains, only five figures lying in the corner—three of whom had become dust and two others who were merely horrific empty shells.

  He saw Zhi Xuan standing before him, his clean black robe now radiating an aura far denser and more dangerous. The Snow Phoenix Jade in Zhi Xuan’s hair shone calmly, a brutal contradiction.

  "T-they... who were they, Senior?" Lin Mu whispered, his voice choked. He knew they had come for Zhi Xuan, but he had to know what enemies he now faced alongside this Devil Senior.

  "Scraps of rats who caught the scent of the Great Emperor’s treasure," Zhi Xuan replied indifferently. He glanced at the corpses. "They were profit-seekers who wanted to harvest the Destiny of others. Now, forget them. They are merely dust unworthy of our memory. We must move quickly to the Shi Clan auction."

  Zhi Xuan turned, giving Lin Mu no time to reflect on the brutality he had witnessed. He walked out of the narrow alley, stepping back onto the bright and busy streets of the Zhao State, as if he had just completed a routine of many years.

  Lin Mu jolted, then immediately followed. He walked one step behind Zhi Xuan, but now his fear had been replaced by cold determination. He had witnessed a brutal power that surpassed any realm. He knew that with this senior, he would not only survive, but he would see the awakening of the Golden Dragon Bloodline he longed for.

  They walked along the brightly lit streets toward the dull jade tower that served as the Shi Clan auction house. Zhi Xuan allowed Lin Mu to walk beside him this time, their distance slightly closer, a sign of acceptance.

  The Shi Clan auction tower loomed high, its entire surface carved with ancient runes that radiated an aura of spiritual protection. Although this was only a Minor Auction, the place was enveloped in an aura of majesty held only by powerful clans. The main gate was made of gold-plated bronze, flanked by two Consciousness Transformation realm cultivators standing tall as guards.

  "Senior," Lin Mu called out timidly, unable to hide his curiosity about everything that had happened so suddenly. "Are you... are you from the Ancient Zhu Clan?"

  Zhi Xuan snorted softly, a cold, cynical smile appearing at the corner of his lips. He liked this uncertainty; letting the world guess was the best form of protection.

  "The Ancient Zhu Clan," he murmured, glancing briefly at the Snow Phoenix Jade in his hair, which now shimmered under the lantern light. "They are merely a Clan that longs for immortality. I only have a bond with their Holy Fairy. This hair tie is a symbol of an exchange of Destiny, not my origin."

  He stopped directly before the bronze gate. The Consciousness Transformation guards, who initially radiated an aura of arrogance, now tensed. They felt a strange spiritual pressure from Zhi Xuan—a weird and gripping spiritual aura suppressed beneath the Law of Pure Water from the phoenix jade.

  "I am a wanderer from the Southern Continent," Zhi Xuan continued, his tone flat yet every word carrying an oppressive weight. "I am not from any Ancient Clan. Now, focus. See what I will find here."

  Zhi Xuan stepped forward. One of the guards emboldened himself to stop him; they had seen many cultivators from the Five Element to the Soul Transformation realms come here. However, this Consciousness realm individual before them seemed strange.

  "Identity," one of the guards said, crossing his arms in front of Zhi Xuan. His sharp eyes scrutinized Zhi Xuan’s face and appearance, which looked like a man from a wealthy family. He saw Lin Mu standing behind Zhi Xuan. "And why are you with that cleaning boy?"

  "Zhang Shui," Zhi Xuan said, using the name he had used in the Ancient Wasteland. He clasped his hands briefly. "He is someone guiding me because I have just arrived in this Zhao State."

  Zhi Xuan waved his hand and brought out fifty high-grade Spiritual Stones as an indirect expression for them to remain silent. He immediately handed the fifty Spiritual Stones to the two auction guards, who were instantly enveloped in greed.

  The two guards, who had previously acted haughtily, were startled to see the pile of high-grade Spiritual Stones. Fifty stones was a high price for a Minor Auction. They exchanged glances. This bribe was enough to make them forget the questions about Lin Mu and the strange aura of this Zhang Shui.

  "Senior Zhang, please enter," one of the guards said, his voice now filled with sudden respect. He stepped aside, opening the way. His eyes were still fixed on the pile of Spiritual Stones he now held. "The Minor Auction is held in the side hall. You will find many interesting Spirit Artifacts and Spiritual Herbs there."

  Zhi Xuan snorted softly, his cynical smile vanishing as fast as lightning. He did not say a word, merely stepping through the bronze gate, followed by Lin Mu, who walked with his head bowed, trying to hide his face from the gaze of the greedy guards.

  Once they were inside the tower, the surrounding noise faded, replaced by a solemn silence punctuated by spiritual whispers. The hall inside the auction tower was vast and shrouded in a comfortable mist of spiritual essence. The ceiling was decorated with carvings of stars that emitted soft light, and the jade floor reflected the majesty.

  Lin Mu, familiar with the tower as a cleaner, immediately led Zhi Xuan toward the side corridor where the Minor Auction took place. The corridor was dimmer and not as luxurious as the main hall, but it still radiated an ancient aura.

  "Minor Auction," Lin Mu whispered, his tone returning to that of an efficient guide. "Here, they discard Artifacts that failed testing or have minor spiritual defects. Also, abundant spiritual Herbs that did not sell in the intermediate auction."

  Zhi Xuan nodded. His sapphire blue eyes swept over the hundreds of cultivators already filling the seats. Most were in the Consciousness Transformation realm, but there were a few Five Element and Soul Transformation practitioners sitting in the front rows, looking for overlooked treasures.

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  Zhi Xuan was not interested in ordinary seats. He led Lin Mu to the very back row, where the shadows fell. This was the best place to observe and avoid the detection of high-level cultivators' divine senses.

  They took their seats, and Lin Mu immediately brought out the spirit essence purifying tea Zhi Xuan had ordered at the Seven Clouds Pavilion, serving it in a small jade cup. This action was done with quick reflexes, a habit of service now transferred to his Senior.

  Zhi Xuan nodded slightly, accepting Lin Mu’s service without words, which had now become one of the forms of loyalty he demanded. He sipped the spirit essence purifying tea. The sharp mint flavor and warm spiritual essence immediately flowed, clearing his Sea of Consciousness of the traces of the previous alley battle.

  "Lin Mu," Zhi Xuan whispered, his voice low and restrained, inaudible to the busy cultivators around him. "The Black Dragon Key box possesses an aura that is more than just a mortal key. Where is the tomb located?"

  Lin Mu leaned forward, his eyes shrouded by the darkness and faint light around them, now radiating a cold focus. "The Black Dragon Clan Tomb is in a hidden region, Senior. Beneath the Heaven Mirror Lake in the North of the Zhao State. The lake is a calm spiritual spring, but beneath it lie ancient and layered defense seals."

  "Heaven Mirror Lake," Zhi Xuan murmured. He closed his eyes for a moment, processing the information, then opened them again, staring at the auction stage which was now illuminated by spiritual light. "The Shi Clan rats must not have been able to pierce those seals yet, or they would not have let the Black Dragon Key stay in your hands for this long."

  The auction began. An old woman in a silver robe, radiating a dense Consciousness Transformation aura, stepped onto the stage as the Auctioneer. Her melodious and authoritative voice immediately dominated the hall.

  "Welcome, honored Daoists, to tonight's Minor Auction presented by the Shi Clan," she greeted. "We will begin with Artifacts that may have small flaws but hold great potential."

  The first item displayed was the Seven Star Broken Spirit Sword. The sword had fine cracks on its blade but emitted a faint Star Law aura. The Consciousness Transformation realm cultivators immediately placed bids, seeing the potential for the sword to be reforged.

  Zhi Xuan ignored it. His eyes were fixed on the front row, where several cultivators sat whom he suspected were Shi Clan spies tasked with monitoring who was interested in ancient artifacts or unusual herbs.

  Item after item passed: failed artifacts, misaligned pills, and common spiritual herbs. Lin Mu, with his knowledge as a cleaner at the auction house, whispered explanations for the details of each item, offering quick and efficient analysis.

  "Fellow Daoists," the old woman Auctioneer said as a stone iron emitting a strong aura was brought out; the piece of iron was quite large. "This is Hell Black Iron, recently brought by our caravan from a journey to the Western Continent. This Hell Black Iron was commonly used by the Kings of the Ancient Era to forge and repair their artifacts."

  Zhi Xuan, who had been indifferent until then, now leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as he observed the piece of Hell Black Iron. The iron was pitch black, its surface felt rough and cold, radiating a strong but erratic aura. The smell of sulfur and ancient darkness clung to the iron.

  "Hell Black Iron," Zhi Xuan whispered to himself, sharpening his divine sense to get a closer look at the piece. "This is what I have been searching for all this time."

  Zhi Xuan felt his storage bag, where the Sea-Breaking Thunder Sword rustled slowly as it sensed the Hell Black Iron. Zhi Xuan knew that the blade of this sword could only be repaired with Hell Black Iron to allow it to release its full potential as a Heaven-grade Artifact.

  The old woman smiled thinly as she heard the interested whispers regarding the piece of Hell Black Iron. "The starting price is one hundred high-grade Spiritual Stones. Each bid increase is one hundred Divine Stones!"

  "One hundred high-grade Spiritual Stones!" exclaimed a Consciousness Transformation cultivator from the middle row, his tone firm, wanting to waste no time.

  "Two hundred!" chimed in another, his voice containing a hint of excitement.

  The bidding immediately escalated drastically. For cultivators skilled in forging, Hell Black Iron was a rare treasure, far more valuable than a flawed Spirit Artifact. Lin Mu, sitting beside Zhi Xuan, was surprised to see the bids rising so quickly.

  "Senior, this Hell Black Iron... is very rare," Lin Mu whispered. "It usually only appears in the grand auction. Its price can reach thousands of high-grade Spiritual Stones."

  Zhi Xuan ignored him, his eyes remaining fixed on the Hell Black Iron. It was truly a rare iron material; not only could it return the Sea-Breaking Thunder Sword to its original form, but he could also change its tempering according to his own wishes to transform the sword.

  Zhi Xuan raised his hand and spoke a high bid. "Eight hundred."

  That number, spoken in a low and indifferent voice from the dim back row, immediately halted the noisy bidding frenzy. Eight hundred high-grade Spiritual Stones was a massive leap, nearly double the last bid which had reached four hundred and fifty. A momentary silence enveloped the Minor Auction hall. All eyes, including the Auctioneer's, turned to the dark corner where Zhi Xuan sat.

  That was only a portion of the high-grade Spiritual Stones Zhi Xuan currently possessed, the result of Zhu Qinglan's gift and his supplies from the Thousand Skies Sect, which were not many. Meanwhile, Lin Mu, who did not know much about Zhi Xuan, could only gasp. He knew his Senior possessed countless Artifacts and Techniques, but ready-to-use spiritual stones were another matter.

  The Auctioneer, the old woman, smiled brightly. "Eight hundred high-grade Spiritual Stones! A fellow Daoist from the back row offers eight hundred! Are there any higher bids?"

  "Nine hundred!" shouted a middle-aged man in a brocade robe from the front row. The man radiated a Five Element aura and looked back, trying to see who dared to challenge him. He only saw a faint shadow shrouded by the softly glowing Snow Phoenix Jade.

  Zhi Xuan snorted softly, a cold cynical smile appearing on his face. He did not like the slow bargaining process. He simply wanted the item.

  "One thousand Spiritual Stones," Zhi Xuan said, his voice now slightly sharper, channeled with a bit of spiritual essence so that every ear in the hall heard him clearly.

  That number, spoken with cold and absolute weight, created an even more gripping silence within the Shi Clan Minor Auction hall. It was an outrageous price for a piece of Hell Black Iron, even for such rare quality. The other Consciousness Transformation cultivators, who were previously enthusiastic, could now only swallow hard. It was too high for them to bid.

  The middle-aged man in the front row, who was in the early Five Element realm, had a face flushed with rage. He had been challenged. The challenger had not just bid; he had been insulted by a cultivator from the back row who dared to raise the price by a leap of one hundred spiritual stones.

  "One thousand one hundred!" the Five Element man hissed, his voice containing a faint killing intent. He turned his head fully, trying to pierce the darkness in the corner where Zhi Xuan sat.

  Zhi Xuan snorted softly, a smile of arrogance appearing on his lips. He swirled the cup of spirit essence purifying tea in his hand, his eyes remaining fixed on the piece of Hell Black Iron on the stage, unbothered by the sharp gaze from a higher realm.

  "One thousand two hundred," Zhi Xuan replied. Only four words. His voice sounded lazy; he had no time to keep raising the price.

  The middle-aged man in the front row, the Five Element realm cultivator, clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. His face, which had been red, now turned a greenish-blue from unbearable rage. One thousand two hundred high-grade Spiritual Stones! That amount had surpassed the threshold for a Minor Auction. For Hell Black Iron, which though rare could still be found again in the future, spending his entire fortune would be a foolish act.

  He looked back, his gaze as sharp as a needle. He could not pierce the darkness in that corner, but he could feel a pressing aura—an aura that was strange, cold, yet contained a very dense spiritual essence. He knew his challenger was no ordinary cultivator.

  "Fine," the Five Element man hissed, his voice filled with a hidden threat. He did not continue his bidding. "I did not expect anyone to have that many Spiritual Stones for a mere raw material. I hope the Fellow Daoist from the dark corner knows how to guard his treasure after the auction ends."

  The old woman Auctioneer, sensing the tension, immediately smiled brightly, breaking the gripping silence. "One thousand two hundred high-grade Spiritual Stones! Are there any higher bids?"

  Silence was the answer. No one dared to challenge that number, especially after the faint threat from the Five Element cultivator.

  "Very well!" the Auctioneer exclaimed, tapping her bronze gavel with a loud sound. "Sold to the Fellow Daoist from the back row for the price of one thousand two hundred high-grade Spiritual Stones!"

  Zhi Xuan nodded slightly. He waved his hand, and a storage bag covered in runes immediately shot onto the stage. The Auctioneer took the bag, checked it briefly with her divine sense, and then nodded with satisfaction. Within breaths, the Hell Black Iron, which radiated an aura of darkness and sulfur, shot back, disappearing into Zhi Xuan’s robe, stored within his own storage bag.

  Lin Mu, who had watched the entire process with bated breath, now saw the majesty of his Senior’s wealth. That was an extraordinary amount of Spiritual Stones. He realized that his senior not only carried brutal strength but also resources that challenged the heavens.

  "He... he threatened you, Senior," Lin Mu whispered, his voice low and filled with cold concern.

  "A Five Element might be difficult to handle," Zhi Xuan replied indifferently, sipping his spirit essence purifying tea, which now felt colder. "On the path of the Dao, a threat is merely the best tempering. If he dares to seek me outside, he is merely a slightly larger and harder-to-control fertilizer."