One auction item after another came up on the stage. Yan Zhen bid from time to time, and by the mid-auction break, he had already secured three items.
Aside from the Nue Feather Cloak for Aunt Mu, he had also bought the Conjoined Twin Swords for Jin Tong and Yu Nu.
The pair of swords could be wielded by one person or two. When separated, they were Tier 5 weapons, but when combined, they reached Tier 6—perfect for cultivators below the Mystic King Realm, and reasonably priced to boot.
The two little maids were thrilled. They clutched the swords to their chests like precious treasures and even rubbed their cheeks affectionately against Yan Zhen.
As for the third item, it was the Paper Man Talisman that had caught Sister Ji Ya’s interest. Once infused with mystic power, the paper talisman would fold itself into a paper servant that could deliver messages or handle menial labor—a silly toy to fool children with, really.
But since Sister Ji Ya liked it, Yan Zhen naturally bought it for her.
No sooner had the second half of the auction begun than the beautiful hostess announced a last-minute addition to the lots. Servants promptly carried in a tray bearing a small vial.
The woman picked up the vial, uncorked the seal, and a wave of divine aura swept through the hall. The guests perked up immediately, their spirits invigorated!
“This is pure Sea God Blood,” she declared. “A supreme treasure for fellow cultivators of water Mystic force or its variant forms. Refining it will imbue your mystic power with divinity, letting you crush opponents of the same realm. Your body will evolve too, gaining extraordinary regenerative abilities—just think of the battle prowess of the Sea God Clan and sea demons.”
Her words sent a thrill through every water-attribute mystic cultivator in the room. Their hearts raced, their eyes burned with desire—even those who regained their composure were few when the starting bid hit a whopping ten thousand Mystic Crystals. Bids flew thick and fast.
The main reason was that most water-attribute mystic cultivators were women, and they commanded impressive spending power.
The Yu Family was the first to act, jumping straight to fifteen thousand Mystic Crystals—half again the starting price—in a clear show of determination.
In the past, the Ten Great Superpowers had scorned the Yu Family and given them no face. But things were different now. Word had it that the new Holy Son had once been the Yu Family Son-in-Law, on the verge of marriage. Their ties ran deep.
Recalling the clash at the Merchant Alliance gates earlier, with the new Holy Son’s prestige at its peak, no one wanted to provoke him.
Many powers held back their bids right away. After all, this Sea God Blood was a surprise addition; their real targets were the headliners and finale items.
That said, plenty of others didn’t overthink it. If their dao companions or female escorts took a fancy to it, they had to compete—who among those who could attend this auction was short on coin?
Yan Zhen stayed out of the bidding. Everyone knew he was a fire-attribute mystic cultivator, so it made perfect sense for him not to chase Sea God Blood.
Out of deference to Yan Zhen’s face, combined with the Yu Family’s must-win resolve, the Sea God Blood ultimately fetched three hundred eighty thousand Mystic Crystals and went to the Yu Family.
The auction pressed on. Yan Zhen resumed bidding, picking up some defensive treasures for the four women.
After advancing to the Mystic General Realm, they had only upgraded their main weapons, from Tier 3 to Tier 5.
Yan Zhen felt that wasn’t enough.
Peak disciples often had to venture out on missions—it was a sect rule. While he could exempt them from it, that would invite gossip and bruise their pride.
No one wanted to be treated like a pampered pet bird locked in a gilded cage.
As for Mentor Yu Xuan… Yan Zhen racked his brains over what to get her.
With Yu Shizun around, Mentor Yu Xuan lacked for nothing in her cultivation. She had all the Mystic arts, Mystic techniques, Mystic pills, and Mystic artifacts she could want—more than enough.
He couldn’t very well gift her his manhood, could he?
The auction wrapped up without anything suitable for Mentor Yu Xuan—or anything that caught her eye. Yan Zhen felt a twinge of embarrassment.
Every other woman in the box had received a gift, leaving only Mentor Yu Xuan empty-handed.
But he refused to grab just anything to fob her off.
“Mentor, we’ll shop around later and find something you like,” he said.
Mentor Yu Xuan smiled softly. “No need to go to such trouble. If there’s nothing, that’s fine—I’m not lacking for anything.”
Yan Zhen wouldn’t let it drop. Whether a gift suited someone was one thing; giving it or not was another. He couldn’t play favorites too blatantly, or trouble would brew down the line.
The auction ended right at midnight. As the guests dispersed, Yan Zhen prepared to leave—only for the Commerce Alliance Leader to arrive with his daughter in tow.
Yan Zhen recalled that the man had three sons and one daughter. He doted most on his eldest, the Commerce Alliance Young Master, but he cradled his only daughter like a treasure. Bringing her here at this hour? Her purpose was obvious: matchmaking.
Perhaps seeing all the beauties at Yan Zhen’s side convinced him the young man was a skirt-chaser, so he was pandering accordingly.
The Commerce Alliance Little Princess wasn’t much older than Yan Zhen. She had a lovely face and refined air—a beauty in her own right. At that moment, she gazed at him with soft, soulful eyes and cooed in a honeyed voice, “This humble servant pays her respects to Your Highness the Holy Son~.”
Yan Zhen’s mouth twitched. He felt even more helpless sensing the sharp glares from the women behind him.
According to the plot outline, this woman was a scheming type. Whether she kept herself pure, he couldn’t say, but right now, she was still stringing along the Sword Sect Young Sect Master and the Invincible God Fist Sect Great Elder’s Son.
Yan Zhen figured he had enough women around him already—no energy for dealing with a classic gold digger like her. After a polite refusal, he led his companions from the box, headed to the exit, boarded a luxury speedboat, and returned to the Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce.
The two Yu Family beauties were waiting there for him.
Yan Zhen took the vial of Sea God Blood from them and handed over four hundred thousand Mystic Crystals in return. “The Sea God Blood has great use for me, so I can’t let it go. Please convey my apologies to Lady Mother-in-Law on my behalf, esteemed cousin aunts. Zhen’er and Mentor Yu Xuan will visit everyone together over the New Year.”
Though the two Yu Family women felt a pang of regret, they knew Yan Zhen wouldn’t shortchange the Yu Family. After a brief chat, they pulled Mentor Yu Xuan off to go shopping.
It was a rare outing, after all. With the family errand done, why not shop?
Sister Ji Ya, as the local host, insisted on tagging along.
And so the group of young women went off shopping, leaving Yan Zhen to return alone to the chamber’s rear courtyard. He shut his room door and slipped into the Fire Refining Starry Sky.
The altar stood empty—no sign of his beautiful female master. But her gentle voice drifted down from above. “Zhen’er, what brings you here?”
Yan Zhen guessed she was in the midst of secluded cultivation, so he backpedaled. “Nothing much. I just came to check on Master. Since you’re still cultivating, I won’t disturb you.”
With that, he withdrew.
Eyeing the Sea God Blood in the vial, Yan Zhen decided to refine it later. He stowed it away and resumed pondering a gift for Mentor Yu Xuan.
Suddenly, his messaging talisman beeped. He pulled it out and saw it was a Cloud Heaven Palace Transmission Talisman—and the sender was Jiu Youyue.
He opened the message. His blood ran cold.
“Evil Consort has her eyes on you. Whatever you do, don’t leave the Holy Land!”
What the hell?!
Yan Zhen’s eyes bulged.
