Eternal Sacred King Chapter 151 to 160

 Chapter 151: Hundred Days of Foundation Establishment

As the five peak masters ordered Su Zimo, Leng Rou and little fatty to remain silent, no one in the sect knew the details of the battle at Linfeng City.

Everyone only vaguely heard that Leng Rou and company were met with an ambush when they went out. Two inner sect disciples died tragically and the three of them were only saved after Golden Cores of the sect arrived.

Right after, the sect sent out orders restricting disciples from heading out et cetera.

As such, the tension was high within the sect. Even though most people did not know the reason, they felt a sense of danger and chose to enter seclusion cultivation.

It was the same for Su Zimo as well.

The reason why he joined Leng Rou and little fatty in heading out after returning from Thunderclap Valley was because he was lacking in spirit stones.

Now, Su Zimo had sufficient spirit stones and he had already begun to cultivate fervently, bent on catching up on his lack of progress for the past six months!

In his cave abode, Su Zimo resumed his normal cultivation routine.

By absorbing spirit stones and refining elixirs in the day, he would then choose to consume perfect elixirs and continue raising his cultivation.

At night, he would channel the Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound and continue with cleansing his marrow liquid, regenerating fresh and powerful blood.

The effect of swapping blood through marrow cleansing was obvious. In the process, even the skin, flesh, tendons and bones would become stronger.

Every morning after waking up, Su Zimo’s body would be covered by a thin layer of black mud – those were the impurities in his body.

Both his immortality and demonic cultivation were steadily improving.

With sufficient spirit stones to replenish his energy coupled with non-stop cultivation, Su Zimo reached perfected Qi Condensation after a single month!

When he was at Level 9 Qi Condensation, Su Zimo’s dantian had already formed a sea of qi.

Now that he was at perfected Qi Condensation, a change happened to the sea of qi once more. As though it was dyed a shade of red, flames burned on top of it, sending forth a beautiful and powerful aura!

Even though he had no one to spar with, Su Zimo was certain that his current state of Qi Condensation was enough to crush all other Qi Refinement Warriors of the same level!

Just as Su Zimo heaved a sigh of relaxation, the sound of clothes fluttering came from outside his cave abode.

Before long, someone knocked on the door.

Su Zimo frowned.

The footsteps sounded unfamiliar.

There weren’t many people who came to his cave abode usually and it was mostly little fatty. However, it clearly wasn’t him because those footsteps were light.

Su Zimo waved his robes and the door to his cave abode opened.

A fragrant scent wafted in as a woman wearing a snow-white blouse stood at the entrance. She had a cold expression but a trace of uneasiness flickered through her eyes as she gazed inside somewhat nervously.

That woman was Leng Rou.

Surprised, Su Zimo stood up hurriedly and welcomed her with cupped fists. “I didn’t expect it to be Senior Sister Leng. Come in quickly.”

“Yes.”

She replied softly and entered with her head lowered.

Given Leng Rou’s character, she might not even be willing to meet anyone if they came to visit. If anyone knew that she had taken the initiative to visit a male disciple at his place, their jaws would surely drop.

“Is there anything, Senior Sister Leng?” Su Zimo asked with a smile.

Pondering for a moment, Leng Rou replied, “I haven’t thanked you for everything that happened outside Linfeng City. I’m here to thank you for that formally.”

“So, it’s about that...”

Su Zimo smiled and waved it off. “It’s nothing much. I was also saving myself as well. You don’t have to worry about it.”

Leng Rou nodded and said nothing more.

She was not good at conversing to begin with while Su Zimo was not good at asking questions. The atmosphere suddenly turned cold and awkward.

Hesitating for a moment, Leng Rou continued, “Junior Brother Su, I’ve made two Grade 2 talismans. Please take them as a token of appreciation for saving my life.”

With that, Leng Rou retrieved two pieces of talismans from her storage bag and handed them over. However, her head was lowered and she did not look at Su Zimo.

Su Zimo thought to himself, ‘If I reject her, things might get even more awkward.’

At that thought, he reached out and took the two talismans before smiling. “Thank you, Senior Sister Leng.”

When Su Zimo received the talismans, Leng Rou’s nervous expression finally relaxed. She lifted her head and glanced at Su Zimo before turning away speedily.

One of the two talismans was a protection talisman while the other was an offensive talisman.

Sensing the aura the talismans exuded, Su Zimo nodded silently.

The two talismans should be the strongest among Grade 2 talismans – it was clear that Leng Rou had spent a lot of effort on them.

Su Zimo thought to himself, ‘It’s a pity I can’t refine middle-grade spirit weapons. Otherwise, I would have made one and returned the favor.”

By now, Su Zimo was able to advance to Foundation Establishment realm at any time.

His six inferior-grade flying swords could no longer keep up with his cultivation.

If he wanted to set up a sword formation, he would have to refine his own flying swords. Right now, Su Zimo’s technique for tempering was way too crude. Even if he had superior-grade materials, he would not be able to remove the impurities and etch the second spirit pattern.

That was a huge problem he was eager to solve.

The both of them chatted casually a little more and Leng Rou left.

From his storage bag, Su Zimo retrieved an elixir that looked mysterious with five patterns on it.

It was a perfect Foundation Establishment Elixir!

He had created that Foundation Establishment Elixir during the face-off against Su Zimo on Elixir Peak.

At the thought of Feng Haoyu, Su Zimo could not help but recall how the former had stopped and threatened him after the Elixir Peak face-off.

At that moment, it seemed as though Feng Haoyu was just doing it out of spite.

But, after Su Zimo thought about it, things did not seem as simple.

After advancing to Foundation Establishment realm, Su Zimo would inevitably come across Feng Haoyu once more and he did not know what that guy would do next.

After all, Feng Haoyu had experienced that terrible defeat. If he made a comeback, he would not be easy to deal with.

With that thought in mind, Su Zimo swallowed the Foundation Establishment Elixir.

It melted instantly in his mouth, sending a warm stream down his throat into his dantian that emitted a powerful medicinal effect!

Under the influence of that medicinal effect, Su Zimo calmed himself down and gathered the sea of qi within his dantian. He was neither anxious nor hurried.

As the name suggested, Foundation Establishment was for one to lay down the foundation.

If one’s foundation was lacking, their future cultivation path could be problematic!

The scarlet sea of qi shrank endlessly and reduced in size. However, the aura that was being emitted was increasingly powerful and terrifying!

Time began to slip away just like that.

Su Zimo was in no rush.

For normal cultivators to establish their foundations, the fast ones would take less than two hours and the slowest ones would take up to five days.

However, there was no one as slow as Su Zimo.

A full hundred days had passed by before Su Zimo opened his eyes that shone with a sharp glint. The sea of qi within his dantian had finally disappeared and turned into a scarlet spirit liquid!

There was a qualitative change in his spirit qi, transforming it into spirit energy!

A hundred days of Foundation Establishment!

Even though they were hundred ordinary days, Su Zimo had set up a foundation sturdier than anything else.

On this day, Su Zimo walked out of his cave abode and summoned his flying sword. He headed for the main peak.

Upon reaching Foundation Establishment realm, one could take part in the inner sect assessment at the main peak. As long as they passed, they would become inner sect disciples.

Chapter 152: Shock

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The inner sect assessment was relatively simple. It merely tested the disciples on their control and insights towards sword kinesis as well as whether their foundations were stable.

When the testing elder saw that it was Su Zimo, he gave the latter an inner sect identity badge without conducting the assessment at all.

Under little fatty’s lead, the two of them circled the main peak before looking for a suitable cave abode to settle down.

All that trouble took up half a day’s time.

Before long, news of Su Zimo becoming an inner sect disciple spread out through the inner sect.

Right as Su Zimo was about to return to his cave abode and return to seclusion cultivation of Ethereal Foundation Establishment, a group of people walked over. They looked unfriendly and were sneering.

Leading the pack was a former disciple of Spirit Peak, Sun Tao, who was knocked unconscious by a single slap of Su Zimo.

After half a year, Sun Tao was already at early-stage Foundation Establishment as well.

The other people were unfamiliar and they had different cultivations; there were even late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

All of those people surrounded Su Zimo and little fatty before long.

With a smile, little fatty cupped his fists. “Senior brothers! What do you need?”

“Little fatty, make way! This is none of your business!”

Sun Tao snorted coldly and looked at Su Zimo. Raising his eyebrows, he said, “Su Zimo, you ambushed me while I was unprepared back in Spirit Peak! We haven’t settled that debt yet! I’m not someone to take advantage of you. Since you’re already at early-stage Foundation Establishment now, today is a good time! We’ll fight it out in the spirit arena!”

In truth, even though they were both at early-stage Foundation Establishment, one had just advanced and the other was at a peak state.

Furthermore, Su Zimo had just become an inner sect disciple and had yet to learn any spirit arts. As for Sun Tao, he had already been in the inner sect for a few months now with a few spirit arts under his belt.

Everyone could tell whether or not it was fair but no one said anything.

Little fatty had a strange expression as he looked at Sun Tao with a hint of pity in his gaze. However, he did not say anything as well.

Su Zimo could not be bothered with Sun Tao and merely shook his head. “I’m not interested.”

“Humph!”

Sun Tao’s expression darkened as he yelled, “Su Zimo, that’s not up to you!”

“Oh?”

Narrowing his gaze, Su Zimo looked at Sun Tao for a moment and suddenly laughed. “What do you mean?”

“Su Zimo, stop pretending!”

A disciple at the side shouted, “You must have been a burden to Senior Brothers Lu and Guan at the spirit mine of Linfeng City since you were just a Qi Refinement Warrior. How else would they have died?”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Hearing that, little fatty could not help but berate them.

He was well aware of what happened at the spirit mine, but no one else knew.

One of them sneered, “Even though the three of you refuse to say anything about that incident, all of us can roughly guess everything. Su Zimo must have been a burden to our two senior brothers!”

Su Zimo was expressionless as he listened to their accusations.

It was a baseless rumor that came from an illogical conclusion. Despite being so ridiculous, there were many in the inner sect that bought it.

Repeated rumors turn into facts. Su Zimo did not believe that it wasn’t intentionally spread by someone.

Sun Tao scoffed coldly, “Su Zimo, even if you reject my challenge today, there will be many other senior brothers coming to challenge you from this day forth in the name of our two dead senior brothers! Hmph, you can dream about cultivating in peace from now on!”

With an unchanged expression, Su Zimo nodded. “Alright, let’s head to the spirit arena.”

For some reason, Sun Tao felt uneasy when he heard Su Zimo’s carefree tone.

After all, Su Zimo had already defeated Feng Haoyu back when he was in Qi Condensation realm.

Now that he was at Foundation Establishment realm, Su Zimo must be even stronger!

However, Sun Tao thought again. How could Su Zimo be a match for him since the latter had just joined the inner sect and had yet to learn spirit arts.

By the time Sun Tao’s imagination was done running wild, everyone had arrived at the spirit arena of the main peak.

Su Zimo entered it slowly, looking calm and composed.

Whipping out his flying sword, Sun Tao leapt into the spirit arena. He conjured hand seals with his left hand and spirit energy reverberated on his fingertips – the spirit art was taking shape.

“Haha, today is where I will reclaim my dignity!” Sun Tao conjured his spirit art and composed himself. He could not help but burst out in laughter smugly.

Su Zimo’s expression was unchanged as he said nonchalantly, “Sun Tao, if I can knock you out the first time, I can knock you out a second time.”

Boom!

Right after he said that, Su Zimo disappeared from sight.

Between the both of them, a flurry of afterimages appeared and in the blink of an eye, Su Zimo arrived before Sun Tao.

He had not made use of spirit weapons nor energy – this was purely a burst of his physical strength.

An intense and ferocious aura gushed out.

For a moment, Sun Tao felt that he was not facing a human, but an ancient beast.

He did not have time to think as he struck with the spirit art in his left hand. Controlling his flying sword with his right hand, he willed it to stab forward!

He almost did not have to aim at all since they were so close together.

Bang! Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, Sun Tao heard a horrifying sound of a tsunami surging in his ears.

Su Zimo’s eyes lit up – his Power of Blood of bursting forth!

With a casual punch, Su Zimo destroyed Sun Tao’s spirit art.

Right after, he sidestepped and dodged the incoming sword and with a flip of his hand, he struck Sun Tao’s face ruthlessly.

This was the exact same move that he had done on Spirit Peak.

Sun Tao was alarmed as he felt his vision turn black. A torrential force descended upon him and he fell backwards uncontrollably.

Bang!

A flash of blood appeared as the back of his head landed on the ground. Sun Tao fainted on the spot.

It was too fast!

The inner sect disciples that were spectating below were not prepared for Sun Tao to collapse on the spirit arena after just a mere moment of contact!

Stunned on the spot, most of them had not registered the fact yet.

Suddenly, Su Zimo turned around and looked at the inner sect disciples. He said calmly, “Anyone else who is unconvinced can come up together. I’ll take all of you guys at the same time.”

Everyone was in an uproar!

The next moment, inner sect disciples below burned with instant rage and shouted, “Preposterous!”

“How arrogant!”

What did Su Zimo mean by that?

He was looking down at everyone as though they were nothing!

All the inner sect disciples present were at the peak of their youth. How could any of them tolerate such insolence from a disciple who had just entered the inner sect?

Little fatty secretly frowned, somewhat confused.

In reality, after what Sun Tao said, Su Zimo realized that this was actually a scheme of the enemy hiding in the depths.

No matter what, he had to accept this challenge.

As Sun Tao said, if he did not resolve it today, he would not be able to cultivate in peace in the future.

The simplest and most effective way of settling it was to shock!

It wasn’t just to shock Sun Tao’s group. More than that, it was to shock the enemy plotting against him in the dark.

Therefore, Su Zimo was not just going to take down Sun Tao’s group today. He was going to reveal his true strength and crush everything completely!Chapter 153: Sky Treasure Auction House

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Although many disciples were infuriated, they were still able to remain rational and did not rush up together.

A mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator was the first to enter the spirit arena as he remarked coldly, “Junior Brother Su, aren’t you being too arrogant? I...”

Before that person could finish, Su Zimo took two steps and arrived before him. Without a second word, he raised his hands and drew an arc in the air.

His punch was filled with power, as though a gigantic stamp was crushing down.

“Ah!”

That person yelped and crushed a protection talisman right away.

Su Zimo’s fist slammed heavily against the barrier of the protection talisman, causing it to shake violently. Right after, a series of terrifying sounds could be heard.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Cracks appeared and extended on the surface of the light barrier.

A Grade 2 protection talisman was destroyed by a single punch from Su Zimo!

That person was scared out of his wits. Without waiting for Su Zimo to continue punching, he jumped down from the spirit arena with fear in his eyes. Retreating frantically, he was like a stray dog.

Another inner sect disciple grit his teeth and leaped into the spirit arena, summoning his flying sword instantly.

Two spirit lights shone dazzlingly on the sword – it was a middle-grade flying sword.

On the other side, that person conjured hand seals and pointed it at Su Zimo’s feet.

Suddenly, thick vines grew out like snakes, climbing and wrapping themselves tightly around Su Zimo’s ankles.

The flying sword and spirit art struck at the same time, complementing each other perfectly.

If it was anyone else, they would definitely not be able to dodge the flying sword’s attack with their bodies restricted.

However, Su Zimo’s bloodline was way too strong!

Unless it was a late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, no one else could trap him!

Bang! Boom! Boom!

The blood within Su Zimo’s body rumbled as lightning flashed. Striking the vines conjured by the spirit art, the power of thunder electrocuted it into nothingness.

Swash!

At the same time, the flying sword pierced towards Su Zimo’s glabella.

Laughing gently, Su Zimo did not dodge at all. He extended his palm and caressed the incoming sword gently, soft as a tongue.

The flying sword fell into Su Zimo’s palm obediently.

As for Su Zimo’s palm, it was completely unharmed!

The inner sect disciple on the other end opened his mouth wide and his eyeballs nearly popped out.

Such methods were far beyond his knowledge!

Grabbing weapons barehanded was just a small trick among martial artists to deal with mortals.

But, no one had ever seen a cultivator who could deal with a Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s flying sword using just his bare hands!

“Everyone, let’s attack together!”

Someone suddenly shouted from the crowd.

The tens of disciples below leaped into the spirit arena hotheadedly.

“That’s the way!”

Su Zimo burst out in laughter. He took a few steps and slammed into the crowd, exploding the power of his bloodline. Using his unparalleled might and ferocious fist techniques, he crushed his way through everyone!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Accompanied by cries of pain, the sound of fists and flesh colliding rang out constantly as bodies fell one after another.

Many people had just entered the spirit arena. However, they were knocked down by Su Zimo before they could even stand firmly.

In the blink of an eye, bodies were strewn all over the spirit arena.

They were completely defeated!

Far away, three cultivators stood. From their identity badges, they were also inner sect disciples. However, their auras were extraordinary and they were clearly unlike everyone else.

“That’s Su Zimo. The number one of four peaks last year.”

“His melee combat strength is rather decent. However, it’s of little use.”

“Yes. Against us, he won’t even have a chance to get close,” Someone among them laughed.

“I heard that there were quite a number of disciples with decent endowment last year. Other than Su Zimo, there’s Feng Haoyu and a beauty called Leng Rou.”

“Yes. All three of them have a chance to become legacy disciples just like us.”

“That’s for the future. Let’s continue our seclusion and prepare for the sect competition.”

...

Feng Haoyu watched everything expressionlessly and turned around to head back to his cave abode.

As soon as he entered and closed the door, Feng Haoyu stopped in his tracks as if he sensed something.

“That lad’s methods are terrifying. At the spirit mine of Linfeng City, more than thirty Foundation Establishment Cultivators died in his hands. There was even a late-stage among them!”

A hoarse voice sounded suddenly – it came from a black figure standing in a corner of the cave abode.

Feng Haoyu was secretly shocked.

None of the sect disciples knew about what happened at Linfeng City. Only the five peak masters and some elders who went as reinforcements knew about it.

Feng Haoyu said, “According to what you said, senior, I’m unable to deal with him given my current abilities. Furthermore, I can’t kill Su Zimo inside the sect.”

“Have you learned all three major secret skills?” The hoarse voice sounded once more.

“Yes.”

Feng Haoyu nodded.

Obtaining the three major secret skills of Ethereal Peak was a large part of his mission!

“Record them for me.”

“No,” Feng Haoyu shook his head.

“Oh?”

The tone of the black figure changed. Instantly, the atmosphere within the cave abode turned tense and was filled with killing intent.

“Before I learned the secret skills, Ling Yun made me swear not to spread the secret skills externally,” Feng Haoyu explained. “I have no choice either.”

The cave abode fell silent.

After a moment, the black figure laughed sinisterly. “Hmph, hmph. Not to spread them? We shall see how long more Ethereal Peak can hang on for! When the time comes, I’ll come and snatch the three major secret skills personally!”

“What about Su Zimo and the three legacy disciples of Ethereal Peak?” Feng Haoyu asked again, “Su Zimo is manageable. However, those three legacy disciples are mostly in seclusion and rarely show their faces. There’s no chance to strike at all.”

The black figure ordered, “Don’t act rashly lest we alert the enemy. We’ll find a chance before the sect competition to take down the four of them in one fell swoop! Hmph, let’s see who else Ethereal Peak can send to the sect competition!”

A cold gust of wind blew past and the black figure disappeared from Feng Haoyu’s cave abode.

...

As Su Zimo had expected, no one in the inner sect sought trouble with him after that fight.

For the next two months, he locked himself in seclusion and absorbed spirit stones continuously, cultivating the Ethereal Foundation Establishment to raise his cultivation.

Two months later, it was almost the end of the year.

Su Zimo was now at the peak of early-stage Foundation Establishment. He thought about it deeply and decided to head out for a walk.

His main goal was to find a secret manual to hone one’s weapon refinement skill. Without a manual like that, Su Zimo would not be able to improve on his weapon refinement technique.

No matter how high his cultivation was, he would be almost half as weak if he was unable to make use of sword formations.

Without letting anyone know, Su Zimo left quietly.

His destination was to a place called Chiyu City. It was an important city within the Great Zhou Dynasty and contained a Sky Treasure Auction House.

Typically, as long as there was a city where cultivators gathered, there would be a Sky Treasure Pavilion.

However, there weren’t many Sky Treasure Auction Houses within the Great Zhou Dynasty. Chiyu City was the closest city to Ethereal Peak that had one.

Sky Treasure Auction House intended to try his luck at Sky Treasure Auction House.

Ever since that fight outside of Linfeng City, he had quite a bit of spirit stones in his storage bag – it was just convenient for him.

Chapter 154: Authentic Badge

Chiyu City.

From afar, it looked like a terrifying behemoth lying on the ground. Even the capital of Yan Country paled in comparison.

But, this was only just a single major town of the dynasty. One could imagine how majestic and dominating the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty was.

Along the way, the number of cultivators increased in number the closer it was to Chiyu City.

In the capital of Yan Country, there were only Qi Refinement Warriors mostly. It was difficult to even see a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

However, Foundation Establishment Cultivators were extremely common in Chiyu City. Flying on their swords, there were people coming and going constantly. Occasionally, even Golden Cores who could travel through the air without the use of any objects would pass by.

Comparatively, Chiyu City was truly more like a city for cultivators.

Even though Su Zimo was a disciple of Ethereal Peak, he did not dare to behave flamboyantly in Chiyu City. In fact, he even put away his sect badge and looked for a random inn within the city.

Similar to Sky Treasure Pavilion, Sky Treasure Auction House was also backed by a royal family of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Listening to the discussions of surrounding cultivators, Su Zimo’s confidence in this trip increased.

It was said that the Sky Treasure Auction House was the largest trading market in the Great Zhou Dynasty. It was famous and many rare and unique treasures had been auctioned here, be it spirit weapons, elixirs, talismans and manuals et cetera.

Of course, the price of the items auctioned was also extremely high.

By the time Su Zimo entered the city, it was already evening. After listening for a while in the lobby of the inn, he went back to rest.

The next day, Su Zimo woke up early and rushed to the Sky Treasure Auction House.

The Sky Treasure Auction House was divided into outer and inner houses. Most items in the outer house were ordinary items where cultivators only needed spirit stones to purchase them or exchange items of equivalent value.

The inner house was where the real auction was!

All rare items would be auctioned officially in the inner house. The competition was fair and the highest bidders would get it.

As long as one were to enter the region of the Sky Treasure Auction House, be it the inner or outer houses, they were not allowed to fly through the air. Even Golden Cores were not permitted – that was the rule of the auction house.

The place was packed as people pushed against one another.

There were cultivators of all major and minor sects of different branches. In fact, Su Zimo even caught sight of a few cultivators from Iridescent Clouds Palace and Azure Frost Sect.

After taking a spin around the outer house, Su Zimo had an eye-opener. He had truly come across quite a few treasures but it was a pity that he hadn’t seen a manual for the tempering technique of weapon refinement.

Without any hesitation, Su Zimo walked towards the entrance of the inner house.

On both sides of the entrance stood two late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Clad in armor, they surveyed the crowd constantly with sharp gazes.

Such guards could be seen everywhere in the Sky Treasure Auction House.

Even if a Golden Core were to cause trouble here, he would be ruthlessly suppressed!

Su Zimo had just walked up the stairs when he was stopped by the two guards.

“Show me your Sky Treasure Badge,” One of them said coldly.

Su Zimo was stunned and asked, “I need a Sky Treasure Badge?”

The other guard explained patiently, “Different color badges represent the different parts of the inner house you’ll be seated. Bronze is the worst and gold is the best.”

Su Zimo truly did not know that he would have to display a Sky Treasure Badge to enter the inner house.

In fact, the inner house was not a place anyone could just enter.

The Sky Treasure Badge was proof that someone was qualified to take part in the auction. Otherwise, who could tell if anyone was there to fish in troubled waters.

Furthermore, most cultivators who were able to obtain a Sky Treasure Badge were those who had sold a certain number of items in the Sky Treasure Pavilion – it was also verifiable proof of the person’s identity and strength.

At a moment like this, Ethereal Peak’s sect badge was not as useful as a Sky Treasure Badge!

Su Zimo did have a Sky Treasure Badge indeed... and it was a gold one!

However, he had never used that gold badge ever since he found out about Ji Yaoxue’s identity, afraid that it would attract unnecessary trouble.

But with the current situation, Su Zimo had no choice but to hand the Sky Treasure Gold Badge over.

When the guard saw that it was a gold badge, he could not help but frown.

Typically, someone of Su Zimo’s cultivation – early-stage Foundation Establishment – would be hard pressed to even possess a silver badge.

Sky Treasure Gold Badges were almost only exclusive to Golden Cores!

Only Golden Cores were worthy of a gold badge!

The guard’s first instinct was that the Sky Treasure Gold Badge was fake.

Without a change of expression, he pressed gently in the middle of the Sky Treasure Gold Badge. His expression softened and he nodded to the other guard.

The Sky Treasure Gold Badge was authentic.

Before this, there had been incidents of fake Sky Treasure Badges as well. However, no one had managed to bluff their way through.

The main reason was that in the center of every Sky Treasure Badge, there would be a unique mark that outsiders would not be able to replicate. A single touch by the guard was enough to tell of whether the gold badge was authentic.

“This green robed scholar’s background is not simple. The elders in his family must dote on him to be willing to give a Sky Treasure Gold Badge to an early-stage Foundation Establishment.”

One of the guards said secretly and nodded to Su Zimo. He then moved aside and handed the Sky Treasure Gold Badge back.

Su Zimo took the token and it slid through the guard’s hand. Right as it was about to leave the guard’s hand, a cold glint flashed in the guard’s eyes as though he had realized something as he held onto the Sky Treasure Gold Badge tightly!

Something was not right!

When the Sky Treasure Gold Badge slid through his hand, he had clearly touched a word character!

The guard snatched back the Sky Treasure Gold Badge and waved his hand. Instantly, a few more Foundation Establishment Cultivators appeared beside him, looking malicious and unfriendly as they surrounded Su Zimo in a circle.

“What’s wrong?” Su Zimo frowned and asked.

The guard looked at Su Zimo and grunted. Whisking the Sky Treasure Gold Badge up, he scrutinized it under his eyes.

At the right corner of the Sky Treasure Gold Badge, there was a character the size of a mosquito. As long as one focused on it, they would be able to recognize that it was the word ‘Xue’.

The guard handed the Sky Treasure Gold Badge to another person with a darkened expression.

If not for that ‘Xue’ character, the Sky Treasure Gold Badge would be authentic. However, it was way too fake with it!

This was clearly the badge of the Great Zhou Dynasty’s third princess! How could it be in the hands of an outsider?

“Hmph1 How dare you forge a fake Sky Treasure Gold Badge! You really don’t know the meaning of death! Take him down!” Another guard shouted after checking out the badge.

“Hold on!”

Su Zimo was extremely calm as he said in a deep voice, “Fellow daoist, what right do you have to say that my badge is fake? You have no proof at all. You have to give me some evidence.”

There was no way the Sky Treasure Gold Badge could be fake and Su Zimo wanted to see what the guard had to say.

The guard sneered. “Alright, I’ll make sure you die convinced.”

Right as that person was about to speak, a commotion broke out not far away and the crowd was restless.

Looking from the corner of his eye, the guard trembled and he looked respectful right away. There was even a look of intoxication in his eyes.

It was the same for everyone else as they actually forgot about Su Zimo for the moment.

Out of curiosity, Su Zimo turned over.

Chapter 155: Chief Steward Gu

A group of maidservants surrounded two women as they walked over.

At the very front, the woman’s skin was fair as snow. She had an exquisite appearance and her steps exuded a mature charm.

The woman had a smile on her face, and her every move exuded an air of gracefulness. Clearly, her status in the Sky Treasure Auction House was not low.

Beside her, there was a young girl in a long pink dress. Even though her face was covered with a veil, her beautiful eyes sparkled and made one’s heart flutter!

Both women had their own merits and were rare beauties. They walked side by side like sisters. As soon as they appeared, they attracted everyone’s attention, burning like fire.

Gulps could be heard in the surroundings in a spectacular manner.

“To think that Chief Steward Gu would actually grace our Chiyu City’s Sky Treasure Auction House!”

“I’m willing to give up ten years of my life just to have some sort of relationship with Chief Steward Gu!”

“Someone like you will never be entertained by the likes of Chief Steward Gu. I heard that there was a Golden Core who had nefarious thoughts and was killed that very night with his head hung on display in the city for an entire month!”

After cultivating The Mystic Classic of the Twelve Demon Kings of the Great Wilderness, Su Zimo’s hearing far exceeded others.

Even though the discussions were hushed, he could still hear them.

“So, it’s her!”

Su Zimo muttered to himself.

When he arrived in Chiyu City yesterday, Su Zimo heard quite a number of people talking about this woman.

Her name was Gu Xi and she was the chief steward of the Sky Treasure Auction House. It was said that even the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty was very respectful to her.

She was a large part of the reason why Sky Treasure Auction House was so famous.

No one knew the cultivation of that woman. However, none of those who harbored evil intentions towards her through the years had lived to tell the tale!

Mysterious, elegant and beautiful. The combination of those words turned Gu Xi into the most famous woman in the Great Zhou Dynasty; someone who could only be seen from afar and not touched.

Since the Sky Treasure Auction House in Chiyu City was not the main branch, Su Zimo had not expected that he would come across the great Chief Steward Gu here.

“Who is the pink dressed girl beside Chief Steward Gu? She’s very unfamiliar.”

“Cut the crap. How can you recognize her through the veil?”

“Even with the veil, I feel like I’m going out of my mind. If I could see her face even once, I would die without regrets.”

In the crowd, many people shifted their attention to the girl in pink.

Su Zimo had tried to use his Spirit Peering Art to check out the two women. Gu Xi aside, he couldn’t even detect the cultivation of the girl in pink.

It was as if the girl was shrouded by a layer of fog that made it impossible to see her clearly.

Right then, Gu Xi’s gaze landed on Su Zimo. Pausing for a moment, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Chief steward! This punk tried to forge a Sky Treasure Gold Badge but was discovered by us!” One of the guards hurried forward and bowed down respectfully, holding up Su Zimo’s Sky Treasure Gold Badge with both hands.

Gu Xi smiled and took over the Sky Treasure Gold Badge casually. She then looked at Su Zimo with a faint smile. “You look decent but you’ve got quite the guts. There’s nothing more to say about this. According to the rules, kill this person...”

“Oh?”

Before Gu Xi could complete her sentence, her expression changed slightly. She raised her brow and brought the Sky Treasure Gold Badge closer to have a better look.

After a moment, Gu Xi raised her head and surveyed Su Zimo with scrutiny. She had a strange expression.

“Auntie Gu, what’s wrong?”

The girl in pink noticed the weird atmosphere and asked softly.

Her voice was gentle to the bones and really alluring.

Gu Xi glanced sideways and remained silent. However, a voice rang out in the girl in pink’s mind, “This badge should be real, but I don’t know why it’s with this person. Take a look.”

Only Nascent Souls could make use of techniques such as voice transmission.

The girl in pink took over the badge and was slightly taken aback when she saw the ‘Xue’ character at the bottom right.

In the blink of an eye, she seemed to have thought of something. The corners of her lips curled under the veil and her eyes sparkled.

She whispered into Gu Xi’s ears, “This badge is authentic. I know who this person is. Auntie Gu, call him over. I have something to discuss with him.””Access Read.live if you like watching manga,comics.

Gu Xi acknowledged and handed the Sky Treasure Gold Badge back, saying, “The badge is authentic.”

“Ah?”

“It’s real?”

The two guards were stumped on the spot.

This was clearly the badge of the Great Zhou Dynasty’s third princess! If it was authentic, what was this person’s relationship with the third princess?”

“Stop making wild guesses and don’t spout nonsense!”

As though she could read their minds, Gu Xi remarked coldly.

The two guards were rattled and hurriedly nodded in agreement.

Su Zimo heaved a sigh of relief. Just as he put away the Sky Treasure Gold Badge, he felt a burning gaze on him.

Gu Xi and that girl in pink were both watching him.

Even though the girl in pink was wearing a veil, Su Zimo could almost see a smile on her face.

“Follow me.”

Suddenly, an unquestionable voice rang in Su Zimo’s mind – it was Gu Xi’s!

Together with the girl in pink, Gu Xi walked towards a side door of the inner house. Su Zimo hesitated for a moment before following them.

The side door to the inner house was only accessible to the employees. Outsiders could only enter through the main door after displaying their Sky Treasure Badge.

Now that Su Zimo was following Gu Xi and the girl in pink through the side door, it caused a commotion outside!

“Who is that green robed scholar?”

“What rights does he have?”

Many people were green with envy.

Someone coughed gently and tried striding towards the side door as though nothing was wrong. However, he was stopped by the guard.

He tried to talk his way out of it but to no avail and could only leave in a huff.

Inside the inner house, things were much quieter and there was evidently less people.

Gu Xi and the girl in pink walked at the front while Su Zimo followed them. Calm and composed, he did not say anything and merely surveyed the surroundings.

The layout of the inner house was like a large funnel and guests were separated into three general regions based on their colors.

The seats at the bottom were for the bronze badge owners. It was a cramped place without much room for activity.

Above the bronzes were the silver seats and they were slightly more spacious.

Another few levels up and it was at the gold area. Here, the rooms were divided and partitioned. Beautiful gems decorated the rooms and even though no one from the outside could look in, those within could see everything perfectly clear.

Above the gold area was another circle of individual rooms. From the outside, they looked even more spacious and magnificent. Su Zimo wondered who they were made for.

On both sides of the entrances of the rooms at the top, beautiful and gorgeous young women stood waiting.

Chapter 156: Fiend Sects

Su Zimo followed Gu Xi and the girl in pink up a jade green staircase to the area where the most spacious rooms were!

“Follow me in,” Gu Xi looked at Su Zimo and said before entering a room.

Maidservants stood on both sides and bowed slightly with a smile. They looked at Su Zimo with respect and envy.

In the room, there was a row of seats and a table displaying various alluring fruits that emanated spirit qi.

“Sit anywhere you want.”

The girl in pink told Su Zimo and pointed at the table of fruits. “Even Golden Cores downstairs are not able to eat these.”

Su Zimo did not reply and merely nodded his head, remaining somewhat cautious.

He had realized early on that the Sky Treasure Gold Badge was the reason why their attitudes towards him were so strange.

Previously, Su Zimo had always thought that Ji Yaoxue had given him a very common gold badge. Now, it seemed like things were not so simple.

“Hey, what’s your name?”

The moment Su Zimo sat down, the girl in pink approached him. She asked in a coquettish tone and her eyes appeared watery with ripples in them.

Her body was almost plastered entirely onto Su Zimo as the scent of a young girl wafted over.

Su Zimo’s heart skipped a beat. He leaned back slightly and said in a low voice, “I’m Su Zimo...”

The moment he said that, he realized that something was amiss.

He had blurted out his answer without thinking at all after the girl in pink questioned him!

Su Zimo felt a lingering fear in his heart.

It felt as though he was not in control of himself and he would tell her anything she wanted to know!

What was even more frightening was that the girl exuded an alluring aura. Every frown and smile of hers seemed extremely charming.

Even though it was just a casual chat, Su Zimo could already feel himself getting restless and his body was heating up.

It was very sinister!

Su Zimo gripped his fists tightly as sweat formed on his palms.

If the girl was already so powerful with her veil on, what would happen if she were to remove it?

He could stay here no longer. Rising, he cupped his fists. “Chief Steward, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now.”

Gu Xi did not say anything and merely looked at the both of them silently.

“What’s the hurry? Aren’t you here for the auction? Just sit here and bid then.”

The girl in pink said. Suddenly, she rolled her eyes and moved in front of Su Zimo. Raising her head, she smiled and asked, “What’s wrong? Are you scared?”

Su Zimo was indeed a little afraid but there was no way he could admit that.

“Miss, you must be joking.”

With an indifferent expression, Su Zimo looked straight and replied calmly, “As a disciple of Ethereal Peak, I am upright and honest. There is nothing to be scared of.”

Su Zimo mentioned the name of his sect in the hopes of frightening the other party.

At the end of the day, Ethereal Peak was one of the five major sects within the Great Zhou Dynasty.

“Wow!”

The girl in pink exclaimed and remarked with a look of awe, “Ethereal Peak! That’s one of the five major sects! How impressive!”

The corner of Gu Xi’s mouth twitched as if she wanted to laugh. But, she held it back.

Su Zimo could tell that the girl in pink was obviously being sarcastic. She sounded like she was joking, as if Ethereal Peak was nothing to her.

Even though he was embarrassed, it was not appropriate for him to get angry. As such, he could only ask, “How should I address you, miss? What sect are you from?”

“Me? I can’t tell you that now, hehe,” The girl in pink laughed and blinked intently. She looked extremely innocent and beautiful; no one could get angry at her expression.

“Do you know what’s odd about that Sky Treasure Gold Badge?” The girl in pink suddenly asked.

“I don’t,” Su Zimo shook his head.

“Take it out and have a closer look,” She continued.

Ever since he obtained the Sky Treasure Gold Badge, Su Zimo had truly not taken a good look at it. Now that he was scrutinizing it, he immediately found something unusual.

At the bottom right of the badge etched an exquisite ‘Xue’ character.

The girl in pink’s voice rang out once more, “This is the gold badge of the Great Zhou Dynasty’s third princess, also known as the Royal Family Gold Badge. There’s less than ten of this in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty!”

“No wonder.”

Su Zimo was shocked.

Back then, Ji Yaoxue mentioned that everything would be at least 50% cheaper if he were to shop at Sky Treasure Pavilion using this Sky Treasure Gold Badge.

At that time, Su Zimo was surprised and felt that things couldn’t possibly be that cheap.

So, this badge was meant for the descendants of the Great Zhou Dynasty’s royal family!

“Hey, what’s your relationship with the Great Zhou Dynasty’s third princess?” A cunning look flashed in the girl in pink’s eyes as she asked with a bright smile.

Su Zimo shook his head. “Nothing much. We’re just ordinary friends.”

“Who would believe that?”

The girl in pink pouted her lips and teased, “Someone the likes of the third princess would give that badge to an ordinary friend?”

Su Zimo did not reply.

“Hey, Su Zimo. How about doing me a favor?” The girl in pink suddenly said as she rolled her eyes.

Su Zimo asked, “What?”

“Help me beat up bad guys!” The girl in pink raised her fists and said solemnly, “Yes... they are all evil devils. As a disciple of Ethereal Peak, you should take up the responsibility of protecting the way of the Dao by getting rid of the demons.”

“Nopes,” Su Zimo shook his head.

He did not care what sort of bad guys those were – he merely wanted to keep his distance from this girl.

Beside her, Gu Xi suddenly frowned. Releasing her spirit consciousness, she set up a barrier between her and the girl in pink. “What nonsense is this? Don’t tell me you want this lad to accompany you to that?”

“Yes.”

The girl in pink replied nonchalantly.

“Don’t go.”

Gu Xi persuaded, “I can’t help you there. The fiend heirs of this generation’s fiend sects are not kind souls. If you piss them off, they might really kill you!”

“Tsk.”

The girl in pink replied disdainfully, “fiend heirs? So what! I’m a fiend heir too! Who’s afraid of whom? If they piss me off, I’ll kill them too! Besides, can’t you see I’m getting a helper along?”

With that, the girl in pink looked at Su Zimo.

“Him?” Gu Xi shook her head and did not continue to speak. However, her tone was clearly filled with disdain.

The girl in pink smiled brightly. “I heard from my sister that this Su Zimo is rather decent in melee combat.”

“That’s useless.”

Gu Xi shook her head. “This generation’s geniuses in the fiend sects are too strong. Putting aside the successor of Overlord Palace, this Su Zimo is nothing compared to the other fiend heirs as well. If he goes there, he’ll just be committing suicide. Your sister has a close relationship with him. If he were to die because of you, she’s definitely going to blame you.”

“Hmph, if he were to die, it’ll be just nice to let everything end completely.”

The girl in pink sneered, “At least, my sister won’t have to worry about this person from time to time. She even argued with our father a couple of times over this guy. In my opinion, this Su Zimo is nothing much. He looks extremely ordinary. I don’t even know what my sister sees in him.”

“Are you decided?” Gu Xi asked.

The girl in pink nodded. However, she rolled her eyes and frowned. “But, if he doesn’t want to go, I can’t hold a knife to his throat and force him to go.”

“There’s always a way,” Gu Xi said mysteriously.

Chapter 157: Faked Composure

“What are you intending to purchase this time?”

Removing the sound barrier, Gu Xi looked at Su Zimo and smiled.

“Nothing much. I’m just casually browsing.”

Even though he did not know what they were talking about, Su Zimo gathered that it must have something to do with him. Naturally, he would not reveal his plans foolishly as well.

Gu Xi smiled and did not ask further. She changed the topic and said, “The auction will start very soon. Why don’t you sit here? If you take a liking to anything, I might even be able to help.”

Despite the disparity in their statuses, Gu Xi was extending invitations to him repeatedly. Su Zimo made up his mind and thought, ‘Since I’m here, I’ll just go along with the flow. It’s not as though they will do anything to me either.’

With that, he sat down comfortably and started eating the fruits on the table as though there was no one else around.

Through the crystals in front of him, he could clearly see that the seats outside were already filled.

It was extremely lively and hyped.

Not long after, the auction officially began after the ring of a bell and the crowd gradually quietened down.

A middle-aged man dressed in luxurious clothes walked up to the round platform in the middle and surveyed the surroundings. Before saying anything, he smiled and cupped his fists. “I am the manager of Chiyu City’s Sky Treasure Auction House. Welcome, fellow daoists. I hope that all of you will be able to return with your hands full today.”

“Hurry and begin!”

Some of the cultivators were already growing impatient as they yelled.

The manager smiled and did not say another word. Waving behind him, a beautiful maidservant who was carrying a tray with both hands shook her hips and walked forward.

Unveiling the cloth covering the tray, the manager revealed a flying sword beneath. Its blade was sparkling like limpid autumn waters and there were three spirit patterns on it!

A superior-grade spirit weapon!

“This is the Autumn Water Sword and it was made by the most famous Advanced Weapon Refinement Master in our Great Zhou Dynasty, Mr. Lian. I’m sure everyone has heard of him so I shall not introduce further. The starting price of this sword will be at 2,000 spirit stones. Each bid must not be less than 100!”

Su Zimo was secretly speechless.

The auction started off right away with a superior-grade spirit weapon! He wondered what else would appear later on.

He also did not know who Mr. Lian was.

As if she could see the doubt in Su Zimo’s mind, Gu Xi said, “His name is Lian Feng and he’s from the True Fire Sect. He became famous after creating a supreme-grade spirit weapon. In the Great Zhou Dynasty, Advanced Weapon Refinement Masters are considered as rare talents. Out of respect, cultivators who are not familiar with him will refer to him as Mr. Lian.”

Su Zimo nodded.

Many cultivators outside were already starting to bid. In just a short while, the price of the Autumn Water Sword had already increased to 3,000 spirit stones!

Su Zimo had not much interest towards spirit weapons.

Before long, the Autumn Water sword was sold at a price of 3,700 spirit stones to a perfected Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

The manager was all smiles, seemingly pleased, as he beckoned with his hand for the second item to be brought forth.

Unveiling the cloth, there was a jade bottle beneath that should contain some elixirs.

“This is an inferior-grade Grade 2 elixir. I’m sure everyone is well familiar with it. I present to you... the Meridian Unlocking Elixir! It will start at 5,000 spirit stones and each bid will be nothing less than 500!”

Su Zimo’s eyes lit up.

After Foundation Establishment Cultivators reach the perfected stage, they would have to unlock the eight meridians. The amazing thing about the Meridian Unlocking Elixir was that a Foundation Establishment Cultivator would have a high chance of unlocking a meridian after consuming it!”

Of course, the better the quality of the Meridian Unlocking Elixir, the better the chances of unlocking the meridian. Furthermore, the elixir was only effective during the first consumption.

Even then, it was quite a fearsome effect.

Once a cultivator unlocked seven meridians and consumed this elixir, they would have a high chance of unlocking all eight!

Back in the ancient era, the Meridian Unlocking Elixir was extremely famous. Unfortunately, there were not many left behind and even the recipe had been lost.

Su Zimo was a little moved and leaned forward slightly.

Gu Xi glanced sideways and noticed Su Zimo’s subtle action. “If you’re interested, you can bid for it from here. The maidservants outside will help you relay the message.”

That was a privilege unique to rooms of this level.

All the rooms were marked. For example, Su Zimo was in Room 1 and there were ten of such rooms at the top.

The area below him where Golden Cores were at had 90 rooms – those were numbers 11 to 100.

In a short period of time, the Meridian Unlocking Elixir’s price was raised by many Golden Cores to 10,000 spirit stones. And... this was merely an inferior-grade Meridian Unlocking Elixir!

Naturally, those Golden Cores had no use for it themselves – most of them were getting it for their personal disciples.

Su Zimo took a deep breath and temporarily gave up the idea of bidding for it.

It wasn’t because he had insufficient spirit stones – the pill’s quality was too lousy for him.

In the spirit mine of Linfeng City, Su Zimo had managed to obtain quite a number of middle-grade spirit stones. By now, his storage bag had more than 100,000 spirit stones!

“Hey, are you feeling shy?” The girl in pink blinked and whispered, “If you like anything, I can help you! Hehe!”

“It’s fine, I have the ability to purchase it myself,” Su Zimo rejected her indifferently.

A look of shock flickered through the girl in pink’s eyes as she laughed and asked, “My, I couldn’t tell at all. To think that an early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator like yourself actually has the ability to purchase those items!”

Pausing for a moment, the girl in pink rolled her eyes and suddenly asked, “Do you know... what spirit stones they are using to bid?”

Su Zimo’s heart skipped a beat as he realized that he had miscalculated something.

There was no mention that the bidding in the inner house was done with inferior, middle or superior-grade spirit stones! However, he had subconsciously thought that the bids were done with middle-grade spirit stones!

The difference in price between spirit stones of different grades was immense.

Normally,a hundred inferior-grade spirit stones was equivalent to a single middle-grade spirit stone.

A hundred middle-grade spirit stones was equivalent to a superior-grade spirit stone.

Of course, there were supreme-grade spirit stones above superior-grades.

If the bids earlier were referring to superior-grade spirit stones, Su Zimo’s 100,000 odd middle-grade spirit stones would only be equivalent to around 1,000 or so superior-grade spirit stones! He couldn’t buy anything at all!

Gu Xi commented at the side, “Anyone who’s been to the Sky Treasure Auction House will know that bids in the inner house are made with superior-grade spirit stones. If supreme-grade spirit stones are to be used, they would be mentioned explicitly.”

Su Zimo nodded. He looked calm and composed, pretending that he had known about it all along. However, he complained secretly in his heart, ‘This is awkward now...’

To normal people, Su Zimo’s composure may have been able to fool them. However, he could not hide from Gu Xi and the girl in pink.

What sort of cultivation did Gu Xi have?

A single look was enough for her to read through Su Zimo’s lies as she smiled faintly.

The girl in pink looked at Su Zimo with narrowed eyes. However, she did not expose him as well and merely smiled foolishly.

Suddenly, the girl in pink felt that this green robed scholar was rather interesting.

Under the girl in pink’s watch, Su Zimo could barely hold it in anymore.

‘Even if I continue staying here, I can’t buy anything. I might as well leave earlier.’

At that thought, Su Zimo stood up. Right as he was about to bid farewell, an item was brought forth in the auction that attracted his attention.

Chapter 158: Ancient Tempering Book

“Next, this is a tempering technique for weapon refinement that was produced by an Advanced Weapon Refinement Master. A thousand years ago, this person was extremely famous in the cultivation world of the Great Zhou Dynasty. However, it was a pity that he had not managed to advance to Nascent Soul realm and died in the end. Although, it was quite a good ending for his life.”

The manager beat around the bust before saying slowly, “That person is none other than Mr. Xu Zhan.”

“It’s him!”

“That person is incredible!”

“I heard that at his peak, he created dozens of supreme-grade spirit weapons! It was said that he even created a perfect spirit weapon. He’s quite amazing and many Golden Cores wished that they could obtain a spirit weapon from him.”

Many of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators present have not heard of that person. However, there was a commotion from the Golden Core rooms.

Unveiling the cloth from the tray, the manager revealed a thin book that looked a little old with yellowed pages.

The manager said in a dark voice, “This is Mr. Xu’s handbook. The starting price is at 100,000 spirit stones and every single bid must be no less than 1,000!”

Su Zimo looked at that book. His gaze was burning hot but his heart was ice cold.

That ancient book was exactly what he needed and also the purpose of his trip.

However, he could not afford it at all.

That was not mentioning the fact that the starting price was at 100,000 superior-grade spirit stones. Even if it was at 100,000 middle-grade spirit stones, Su Zimo wouldn’t be able to afford it after a couple rounds of bidding.

Indeed, in just a short while, the price of that ancient book rose steadily and was close to 200,000!

There were only a couple of people bidding.

For ordinary cultivators, this ancient book could be worth nothing. However, it was a priceless treasure for Weapon Refinement Masters.

Even if the bidding was not a Weapon Refinement Master, they must definitely have tons of relationship with weapon refinement.

Right then, a voice sounded from Room 77, “250,000!”

Su Zimo’s eyes flickered and his heart skipped a beat.

That voice sounded a little familiar... it sounded like the disheveled old man!

Su Zimo was not absolutely certain since it was just a voice and he hadn’t seen the other party.

However, it was indeed true that he hardly saw the disheveled old man around the sect these days too.

Gasps could be heard from the inner house.

Previously, it was at 200,000 but now, it suddenly rose to 250,000. A jump of 50,000 superior-grade spirit stones was no small sum!

The few rooms that had been bidding earlier instantly fell silent.

“Fufu.”

The manager smiled. “The customer of Room 77 sure is generous. Of course, that’s also proof of this ancient book’s value. 250,000. Any higher bidders?”

As the manager of Sky Treasure Auction House, he naturally did not want the price to stay here. His statement was also casually reminding the other customers.

After a momentary silence, a voice rang out from one of the rooms that was bidding earlier, “251,000.”

“300,000!”

Immediately after that, Room 77 raised the price to 300,000 before the manager even spoke!

This time round, the entire place was stunned!

“Could that person from Room 77 be part of the auction house’s staff?”

“That’s hard to say given how he just keeps raising the price.”

There was a commotion in the seats.

After a long time, no one else raised the bid and the manager could only smile. “Are there no higher bidders?”

In reality, 300,000 superior-grade spirit stones was more than enough and was almost the limit of how much that ancient book was worth. It would be inappropriate to raise the price any higher.

The manager did not bear much hopes and merely declared loudly, “300,000 once.”

“300,000 twice.”

“300,000...”

“310,000!”

Suddenly, a dark voice sounded from Room 80.

When he heard that, the manager was delighted. “Room 80 has raised the bid to 310,000! Are there any further bids?”

Even though he said that, his gaze was fixated on Room 77.

A short silence later, Room 77 raised the price once more.

“320,000.”

This time round, the cultivator of Room 77 was clearly much more cautious, as though anything more than 300,000 was about his limit.

“330,000.”

The cultivator in Room 80 raised the price without hesitation.

Gradually, the cultivator of Room 77 became more hesitant. Each time, he would only raise the price after thinking for a long time.

In that period of time, the price of the ancient book was pushed up constantly by the two rooms and was now at 400,000!

In truth, the actual value of that ancient book was only around 300,000.

However, the value of that item was in how priceless it was. Tempering techniques were mostly kept secret and were difficult to purchase.

It was now time for the cultivator in Room 77 to speak.

After a long time, there was no sound.

“Hahahaha!”

Suddenly, an arrogant laughter burst forth from Room 80 as a Golden Core in red robes strode out. With a dark gaze, he looked at Room 77 and scoffed coldly, “Old man, stop holding on if you can’t. Even if this ancient book is given to Ethereal Peak, no one will be able to understand it!”

Upon hearing that, Su Zimo no longer had any doubts.

Indeed, the door of Room 77 was slammed open with a loud bang. An old man with long, white hair and unshaved sideburns came out in a huff. He glared at the red robed man and asked loudly, “Sima Zhi! Are you going against me on purpose? True Fire Sect has no lack of such tempering techniques, what are you fighting with me for?”

“Because I like it.”

Sima Zhi smiled smugly.

“You...!” The disheveled old man was at a loss for words.

Sima Zhi continued leisurely, “Old man, we’re talking about 400,000 spirit stones here. Can you afford it? Look at how poor you are. Fufu, you might have to sell everything you have, right?”

The disheveled old man’s face turned steely green.

It was as Sima Zhi had said. He only had slightly more than 300,000 superior-grade spirit stones in his storage bag and even that was pooled together with the other four peak masters.

It truly meant that he was placing all his net worth and valuables to call for that 400,000!

He was determined to get that ancient book. However, it was not for himself – it was for his disciple, Su Zimo!

Ever since the five peaks face-off, the disheveled old man had been adventuring outside. He wandered through various auction houses in hopes of purchasing a tempering technique.

Su Zimo had long been able to create inferior-grade spirit weapons. However, he was stuck at the step of tempering.

Even though the disheveled old man said nothing, he was anxious. He felt that he was letting down Su Zimo’s talent in weapon refinement.

Therefore, the disheveled old man would naturally not give up on a rare opportunity to get this ancient book on weapon tempering.

However, he did not expect True Fire Sect’s Sima Zhi to be here!

True Fire Sect was the strongest in the five major sects in terms of weapon and elixir refinement – they had no lack of weapon tempering techniques as such.

The reason why Sima Zhi was bidding relentlessly was because he did not want the disheveled old man to get his hands on that ancient book!

“Old man, am I right?”

Sima Zhi laughed. “Go on back and don’t come out to embarrass yourself!”

Many cultivators in the inner house were watching and making gossips.

Even though the disheveled old man looked terrible and was trembling from head to toe, he could not refute.

In Room 1, Su Zimo suddenly stood up and looked at Gu Xi. “Chief steward, can you lend me some spirit stones?”

“What’s there to lend? If you want that ancient book, just bid for it directly,” Gu Xi seemed to have expected this. She merely smiled faintly and crossed her arms, replying casually.

Chapter 159: Auction

“However... ”

Gu Xi changed the topic and pointed to the girl in pink. “You’ve got to accompany her to a place and ensure her safety.”

By now, the price of the ancient tempering book was at 400,000 superior-grade spirit stones.

What Gu Xi said was equivalent to giving away 400,000 or more superior-grade spirit stones! The immensity of the favor was unimaginable!

At the same time, the place that Gu Xi referred to was definitely not a good place!

“I’m only an early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Why me? This lady’s strength is probably even above mine, right?” Su Zimo asked after pondering for a moment.

Gu Xi did not reply and asked instead, “I heard you are good in melee combat?”

Su Zimo frowned.

There were not many people who knew that he was strong in melee combat – he wondered how Gu Xi got wind of that information.

Su Zimo turned his gaze to the girl in pink.

Wearing a veil, she smiled through her eyes and he could not read her expression.

Hesitating for a moment, Su Zimo nodded. “I’m alright at it.”

Gu Xi smiled. “That place is a little special. You’ll know when you get there.”

Su Zimo did not agree to it and Gu Xi did not continue, evidently not willing to reveal more.

Actually, even if Gu Xi said nothing, Su Zimo had already realized that it was an extremely dangerous trip.

400,000 superior-grade spirit stones was more than enough to buy off the lives of 40 Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

After silent consideration, Su Zimo nodded. “Alright, I agree to it!”

“Bravo!” Gu Xi clapped gently and praised.

Glancing sideways, she transmitted her voice. A maidservant at the side came before Su Zimo with a smile. “Fellow daoist Su, if you wish to raise the price, just let me know. I’ll convey the message for you.”

This was a privilege only accorded to the ten rooms at the top. That way, the customer’s voice would not be revealed and would not attract unnecessary trouble.

One of the greatest worries in an auction house for cultivators was for their identities to be exposed, attracting the attention of others.

A person’s talents would arouse the envy of others – that was the logic behind it.

...

Within the inner house, many people were privately discussing the confrontation between Sima Zhi and the disheveled old man.

“Ethereal Peak’s really lost their pride now. Despite being mocked so badly by others, they have no way to fight back at all.”

“Ha. But, it’s strange as well. Ethereal Peak has always been lacking in terms of weapon and elixir refinement. Why are they suddenly trying to purchase a secret manual on weapon refinement?”

The manager was naturally delighted at the two Golden Cores fighting. He smiled and declared loudly, “Fellow daoist Sima from True Fire Sect has raised the bid to 400,000 spirit stones. I wonder if our fellow daoist from Ethereal Peak wishes to raise it further?”

“Old man, go ahead and raise it.”

Sima Zhi burst out in laughter. “If you raise it to 410,000, I’ll go to 420,000! Let’s see who loses first!”

The disheveled old man’s expression turned uglier as he tried to repress the anger in his chest. A moment later, he said slowly, “Sima Zhi, don’t be smug! The road ahead is long!”

With that, the disheveled old man flicked his sleeves and left.

“410,000!”

Suddenly, a crisp sound rang out from the top of the inner house.

Everyone looked towards the voice only to see a maidservant standing in front of Room 1 right at the top. Smiling, she was the one who reported the figure.

All the seated cultivators were stunned.

They were not the only ones; even the manager froze on the spot in confusion.

Others may not know about it, but he knew who was in Room 1 today – that was the chief steward of their Sky Treasure Auction House!

“Why is that big shot involved as well?”

The manager was a little perplexed.

Stopping in his tracks, the disheveled old man turned back and looked at Sima Zhi with a mocking gaze.

Someone appeared to raise the price right after Sima Zhi made his grand announcement and bragged – it was clear that the other party was at odds with him.

Of course, neither Sima Zhi nor the disheveled old man knew who was inside Room 1.

After all, the maidservant was only a messenger.

The manager froze for a moment before coughing gently. “The customer of Room 1... has raised the bid to 410,000!”

Sima Zhi frowned and looked at Room 1 for a long time before saying slowly, “420,000!”

The maidservant in front of Room 1 turned slightly and listened for a moment. She turned around and shouted, “430,000!”

Sima Zhi looked hesitant.

Anyone who could enter the ten rooms above must either be extremely powerful or of high status. Otherwise, they would have to spend a lot of spirit stones.

Sima Zhi knew nothing about the other party’s identity, strength or sect. Because of that, he felt a little worried.

Crossing his arms, the disheveled old man asked at the side, “Sima Zhi, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you raising the bid anymore?”

Suddenly, Sima Zhi laughed and shook his head. “I don’t want it anymore. We have many of such ancient books in True Fire Sect anyways. I only raised the bid just so that you can’t get your hands on it!”

“You sure are shameless!” The disheveled old man cursed coldly.

Sima Zhi chuckled. “Shameless? I just don’t want to let a pearl be covered in dust. No one in Ethereal Peak can understand an ancient book as such anyways. Haha!”

After laughing, Sima Zhi cupped his fists in the direction of Room 1 and said loudly, “Since this fellow daoist has taken a liking to this ancient book, I can only give it up.”

The manager wiped away his cold sweat secretly and declared, “Congratulations to the customer in Room 1 for obtaining this ancient book at 430,000.”

Right then, the maidservant in front of Room 1 turned away once more.

Many cultivators realized that the person inside had more to say.

After a moment, the maidservant turned back and said, “Please give that ancient book as a gift for this fellow daoist of Room 77 from Ethereal Peak.”

Gift!

The entire crowd fell silent.

Everyone was stunned and dumbfounded.

Sima Zhi was a little confused.

The disheveled old man was equally perplexed. He turned back and looked at his room – it was indeed Room 77.

Who was this person who had given him such a huge gift?

The first reaction of many cultivators was that the customer in Room 1 was joking.

However, the manager knew what sort of a person the chief steward of the Sky Treasure Auction House was. Even though she was a woman, she was not someone who would go back on her words and make a joke as such!

He wrapped the ancient book immediately and came towards the entrance of Room 77 personally. Under everyone’s gaze, the manager passed the ancient book to the disheveled old man.

It was only then that everyone finally realized what was going on and their expressions changed.

Sima Zhi’s expression darkened immediately.

It did not matter who the other party was – they were clearly pitting themselves against him!

However, Sima Zhi could not understand what kind of status the other party had. It was too much for them to give away a gift of more than 400,000 superior-grade spirit stones just like that!

“Fellow daoist, what’s the meaning of this? Are you pitting yourself against the True Fire Sect intentionally?”

Instantly, Sima Zhi brought out the name of his sect.

“Because I like it.”

The maidservant shook her head and pretended to be smug.

It was a familiar sentence – Sima Zhi had said that to the disheveled old man. Now, it was sent right back to him!

Actually, that maidservant was only around 13 years old. She wasn’t tall and looked charmingly naive. With a pair of big, clear eyes, her voice was crisp.

The fact that she mimicked Sima Zhi’s tone in saying that sentence was extremely interesting.

Instantly, the crowd burst into laughter.

Chapter 160: Seven Fiend Sects

Catharsis!

The disheveled old man’s first reaction was catharsis!

When he saw how Sima Zhi looked as though he had just been fed shit, the disheveled old man felt an indescribable joy and could not help but laugh along with the crowd.

With a darkened gaze, Sima Zhi glared at Room 1 with an icy stare. He grit his teeth in hatred and could only feel his cheeks burning from the surrounding laughter.

This act by the other party was no different from slapping him on the face!

“Fufu.”

A moment later, Sima Zhi suddenly laughed and asked with raised brow, “Fellow daoist, what sect are you from? I’m keen to befriend you. Could you be kind enough to show yourself?”

Even though Sima Zhi sounded polite, everyone could hear the resentment in his voice.

Once the both of them met, the feud would be formed.

“No.”

The maidservant heard the transmission from within and rejected decisively.

When Sima Zhi saw that the other party refused to appear, he no longer had any qualms. He guessed that the other party must be fearful of him or his backing from True Fire Sect.

His question earlier was merely to test the other party out.

If the other party showed themselves and they were of a reputable status, Sima Zhi would merely mock himself and admit defeat without losing anything.

If the other party showed themselves and they were of a common status, Sima Zhi would be able to remember who was the one who caused him to lose today.

But, if they didn’t show themselves...

“Humph!”

He snorted coldly and said in a sinister manner, “Fellow daoist, you don’t know what’s good for you! Do you think that I won’t be able to discover your identity just because you’re hiding inside? If I find out who you are, I’ll...”

“Sima Zhi, this inner house is not a place for you to act wildly!”

Before Sima Zhi could finish, he was interrupted by a loud shout.

Everyone turned to the direction of the voice. Not far away, the manager of the Sky Treasure Auction House was no longer smiling. He had a fierce expression and was clearly glaring at Sima Zhi with a warning look!

Zhou Rui, the manager of Sky Treasure Auction House, was always known to be smiling. However, he was also a Golden Core and was not to be underestimated.

Moreover, as a businessman, no one had seen Zhou Rui lose his temper all these years. Everyone was shocked by this scene.

“Manager Zhou, you...!” Sima Zhi was a little stunned.

“Sima Zhi, if you dare to create trouble at my Sky Treasure Auction House, even True Fire Sect won’t be able to protect you!” Manager Zhou interrupted Sima Zhi and declared again.

Immediately, Sima Zhi shut up. However, he felt extremely terrible within.

In truth, Zhou Rui did not know that Su Zimo was in Room 1 nor did he know that it was the latter’s idea to give away the ancient book as a gift.

He thought that everything was the intention of Chief Steward Gu Xi.

Now that Sima Zhi was acting so brazenly to even dare threaten Gu Xi, Zhou Rui saw it as a perfect opportunity to curry favor with the chief steward and would naturally not let it go. His attitude had changed so quickly that everyone was caught off guard.

Sima Zhi was at a loss for words and his face turned red. No longer able to stay at this place, he left in a huff.

Zhou Rui watched him leave before smiling once again. He bowed in a circle. “Let the auction continue, ha!”

The disheveled old man held onto the ancient book and looked up at Room 1 in confusion.

He decided to return to his room first and clarify things with them after the auction was over.

430,000 superior-grade spirit stones!

If he did not clarify things for such a grand gift, the disheveled old man would feel uneasy.

...

Room 1.

Gu Xi watched everything unfold from the sides and was amused.

Even though this green robed man looked to be pretty mature, he had a childish side to him. Just like that, he gave away something worth more than 400,000 superior-grade spirit stones!

Even if they were both from Ethereal Peak, that was still an extremely huge gift!

In truth, to Su Zimo, it made no difference whether that ancient book was given to him or the disheveled old man.

He was absolutely certain that the disheveled old man wanted to purchase that book because of him!

Furthermore, the choice to give away the book helped the disheveled old man vent his anger – that was more important to Su Zimo.

For the past two years, the disheveled old man had treated him well like family.

Su Zimo could not bear to see him get bullied.

“Aren’t we meeting him later?” Gu Xi asked.

“No.”

Su Zimo hesitated for a moment before shaking his head eventually.

It wasn’t a big deal to meet the disheveled old man, but things weren’t easy to explain. If so, it was better not to meet him.

“Alright, you can leave first. I’ll look for you in three days.”

Under the lead of a maidservant, Su Zimo left through the back door of Room 1. Downstairs, he was arranged to a relatively quiet room for the time being.

“Yaoyan, no one knows what’s going on in that place exactly. Furthermore, I heard that fiend heirs of the six sects have brought people over. Are you sure you want to get involved in such a complicated situation?”

After Su Zimo left, Gu Xi looked at the girl in pink sternly and asked.

“Hehe.”

The girl in pink laughed. “Auntie Gu, don’t worry. I’ll definitely be fine. Furthermore, how can I miss such a grand gathering with fiend heirs of the six sects gathered.”

“You’re different from them.”

Gu Xi shook her head. “Of the seven fiend sects, only the Pure Maiden Sect has a singular heir. Furthermore, you don’t have a reliable helper. This trip is way too dangerous. Are you really counting on that Su Zimo?”

“It’s fine.”

The girl in pink waved it off. “Before this, I’ve already selected a couple of people carefully and they’re all stronger than Su Zimo. He’s just there to make up the numbers.”

“Besides, I’m the pure maiden of this generation’s fiend sects. If things go bad, I can stop in time and the fiend heirs of the other six sects won’t dare to lay a hand on me,” After pondering for a moment, the girl in pink added.

“Yes, that’s true as well,” Gu Xi nodded. She contemplated for a while. “But if that happens, the few people you take along with you might not survive.”

“If they die, so be it.”

The girl in pink scoffed coldly, “They are just hypocrites. Even though they seem righteous on the surface, their hearts are dirtier than anyone else.”

“Is Su Zimo like that too?” Gu Xi asked with a fake smile.

“Him?”

The girl in pink hesitated before shaking her head. “Indeed... he’s different from them. His gaze is clear and there’s no malice in the way he looks at me.”

The both of them continued chatting for a while and the auction ended.

There was a knock on the door outside. A maidservant pushed the door and entered. “Manager Zhou is here with Room 77’s Golden Core from Ethereal Peak. He wants to express his thanks personally.”

“Not meeting.”

Gu Xi waved it off.

This was a favor for Su Zimo so naturally, she would not meet the disheveled old man.

Gu Xi left with the girl in pink from the back.

The disheveled old man was even more surprised when he did not manage to meet anyone. He thought for a long time to no avail before finally leaving the Sky Treasure Auction House filled with doubts.

Instantly, he headed straight back to Ethereal Peak, intending to pass the ancient book to Su Zimo right away.