There came a moment when the noises outside the private room died down as Pei Bu Wan was heard saying, “It’s your turn.”
Yang Kai opened his eyes and slowly got to his feet.
The door was pushed open from the outside. A man was standing at the door as he cupped his fists, “Shopkeeper Pei, I’m here to bring your challenger to the arena.”
Pei Bu Wan nodded and waved his hand, “Bring him with you.”
The man scanned the private room and stared fixedly at Yang Kai; then, he stepped aside and extended his hand, “Please.”
“Sir Yang, you must be careful,” Luo Hai Yi said from behind him.
Without turning his head, Yang Kai waved his hand and followed the man out of the room.
After he was gone, Pei Bu Wan hinted at a shop hand beside him with his gaze. The shop hand gulped and asked, “Sir Shopkeeper, how much would you like to bet?”
“Everything!” Pei Bu Wan said firmly.
Upon hearing that, the shop hand turned pale in an instant, “Sir Shopkeeper, please don’t act on a whim! You’ve tried very hard to borrow the money to balance the accounts already. If you lose, you won’t be able to explain yourself to the headquarters.”
“If you dare to keep spouting nonsense, I’ll rip your mouth off!” Pei Bu Wan bellowed.
The shop hand immediately covered his mouth.
“Cut the crap and make the bet now!”
The shop hand looked through the gap between his fingers and asked apprehensively, “Do you want to bet it all on that Yang Kai?”
“Are you going to bet on Yu Luo Sha, then?” An infuriated Pei Bu Wan directly kicked the shop hand out of the room and turned around to look at the arena. With a hideous expression, he suddenly grinned and turned to gaze at Luo Hai Yi, “Whether this King makes a fortune or falls into the gutter depends on this brat now. He must win this.”
Although he was the shopkeeper of Hundred Refining’s Hall, he was inept at running a business. Furthermore, he was addicted to gambling. While he was in charge of the shop in this city, he lost a lot of money instead of making any profit.
Soon, those from the headquarters would come over to check the accounts, so if he couldn’t come up with a way to fill the discrepancy, he would be punished. Although he had borrowed money from everyone and even put up his own artifacts as collateral for some loans, there was still a huge discrepancy.
With not much time left, he decided to attempt making a fortune in the Asura Arena.
Although the winner of a fight in the arena could get a reward, it was nothing compared to the bets outside of the arena. Otherwise, Pei Bu Wan wouldn’t have looked for competent people to fight in the arena. Some time ago, he had found a suitable candidate, but that candidate was defeated by Yang Kai with ease, which made Pei Bu Wan realise there was a way he could make some quick money.
As long as Yang Kai could win the battle, not only could Pei Bu Wan fill the discrepancy in the account books, but he could also clear his debts. He wouldn’t become wealthy, but at the very least, he wouldn’t be sleeping on pins and needles anymore.
However, if Yang Kai lost, that would mean the end of the world for Pei Bu Wan. He had made a bet with his future and fate on the line. Earlier, he didn’t tell Yang Kai about it because it wasn’t necessary, and he was worried that Yang Kai might feel pressured.
Upon seeing his hideous smile, Luo Hai Yi turned pale as she didn’t know how to reply.
On the other hand, Yang Kai followed the man to pass through a passageway and reach the end where there was a closed door that blocked his way.
Yang Kai turned to look at the man, who flashed a smile at him, “Just wait here.”
At the same time, he could hear thunderous cheering coming from the other side of the door. It was apparent that the spectators in the arena were fervent.
The arena must be on the other end of the door. Presently, someone was introducing Yu Luo Sha in an enticing manner. Despite the noises, Yang Kai could still clearly hear the introduction. Yu Luo Sha had a record of one hundred and seventy-two wins, eight draws, and one loss. This kind of record could be said to be horrifying, and she could be considered a top cultivator in the same realm.
Furthermore, sixty percent of Yu Luo Sha’s opponents were killed in the arena and thirty percent of them became crippled, leaving just ten percent of them alive and healthy.
Following that announcer’s enthusiastic introduction, the cheers in the arena became increasingly louder.
The next instant, the announcer introduced the other participant in a loud voice, “The challenger today is a rookie, Yang Kai!”
Right after he finished speaking, the door in front of Yang Kai slowly lifted, which allowed the light to shine in. Following the thunderous cheering, the arena came into sight.
The announcer went on to rile up the crowd, “Is he fearless because he knows nothing? Or is he a powerful challenger? We shall see!”
“Let’s go,” The man, who was standing beside Yang Kai, smiled.
“Many thanks,” Yang Kai cupped his fists and shuffled forward.
The man behind him said, “Kid, you can admit defeat if you can’t win the battle. It won’t be fun anymore if you lose your life.”
Upon entering the arena, Yang Kai realised that he was standing on a platform. A thousand metres away there was another platform where another figure stood.
Apparently, this was Yang Kai’s opponent, Yu Luo Sha. Yang Kai raised his head and realised that, just like what he had expected, his opponent was a woman.
When he saw the name Yu Luo Sha earlier, he had a feeling that the person was a woman; after all, no man would use such a name. Now, he was proven right.
Yu Luo Sha was a tall woman with fair skin and a rich figure. Her clothes were simple as her tight-fitting outfit perfectly outlined her curves. Her arms, which were as fair as white jade, were exposed as they dazzled the beholder. Although she was just standing there in silence, Yang Kai could feel a murderous intent wafting from her.
Apparently, this woman had killed many people.
As their eyes met, Yang Kai nodded gently at her, while she sported a dispassionate expression. There didn’t seem to be any emotion behind her alluring gaze.
Just then, the view around them started changing. The stands around them disappeared as they were blocked by a barrier, and in the next instant, the terrain weltered as a scorching aura permeated the air.
In just a short moment, the entire arena had turned into a desert.
Yang Kai lifted his head and saw a bright sun hanging in the sky. The heat was so blistering that the air seemed to warp. At that instant, he was astonished. He had heard Pei Bu Wan mention that the terrain in the arena could be changed, but he hadn’t expected that they could even make a sun appear.
Apparently, the desert was the battlefield that had been selected randomly. Things were now easier for him as there was basically nothing in the desert, not even a place to hide. No one could use any dirty tricks in this kind of environment, making a head-on clash the only option.
Next, Yang Kai caught a glimpse of a figure flashing across his eyes, and the next instant, a gale was swept towards him, causing him to burst into laughter and mutter, “Why do all of you love to launch attacks without even saying hello?”
This was a repeat of what he had experienced in Hundred Refining’s Hall just yesterday; however, Yang Kai soon came to the realisation that extreme methods were permitted in this arena, so Yu Luo Sha’s actions couldn’t be considered a sneak attack. On the contrary, it was his fault for reacting too slowly.
Still, as Yang Kai said his first word, he immediately flew backwards, and when he was done saying the last word, he already pushed out a fist.
Yu Luo Sha could be seen parrying the attack with a palm, but just before their two attacks came into contact, her arm started twisting like it was a boneless viper as it wrapped around Yang Kai’s fist and struck for his chest.
Although Yang Kai was surprised by the move, he wasn’t really caught off guard by it. With a grin, he didn’t even try to dodge her attack as the energy around his fist surged.
The next moment, both of them were struck as they were sent flying backwards. Yang Kai grunted as he felt the vitality in his chest roiling. At the same time, a kind of malevolent Qi penetrated his meridians and physique through the point of impact.
With a frown, Yang Kai hurriedly circulated his strength to resolve this Qi as he gritted his teeth. It might have looked like a draw just now, but he knew he was the one who suffered a loss in reality. The fist he landed on his opponent’s shoulder didn’t harm her one bit. As soon as his fist came into contact with her body, she subtly withdrew her shoulder and used a mysterious power that made him feel like he had punched a pile of cotton.
Realising that he had come across a tough opponent, Yang Kai finally became serious. His biggest advantages were his intrepid physique and immense strength. No cultivator in the same realm could be sturdier than he was; however, when faced with an opponent like Yu Luo Sha, it was difficult to make use of his advantages.
On the other hand, Yu Luo Sha did a backflip in mid-air and lifted her hand, upon which a blood-coloured bow appeared. Then, she drew her other hand backwards, whereupon a blood-coloured arrow took shape. The next instant, the arrow left the bow and broke through the air.
Both the bow and the arrow were not artifacts. Instead, they had been materialised from her own power, so she hadn’t broken the rules of the arena.
The sound of something cutting through the air was heard as her blood-coloured arrows blocked all the ways Yang Kai could flee and closed in on him.
[Her arrows are quite quick!] Yang Kai turned solemn as he flicked his fingers, whereupon his dark Moon Blades greeted her blood-coloured arrows, collapsing them on impact. When the last arrow broke apart, Yu Luo Sha suddenly appeared in front of him as though she had ignored the barrier of space and used Instantaneous Movement.
Her slender hand lightly reached for Yang Kai’s eyes, like she was about to pick some flowers or peaches.
Yang Kai was taken aback when he saw her trying to dig out his eyes and instinctively, all his energy surged to protect himself while at the same time, he faced upwards.
Her slender hand was slightly hindered, but she soon turned her claw into a blade and slashed at his neck.
Although it was just a fair hand, it was just as sharp as any sword. Despite the fact that Yang Kai had a Dragon physique, his head would be severed from his body if he was struck by this blade hand.
With no other way to dodge the attack, Yang Kai clenched his teeth and quickly used Nihility, merging his figure with the Void.
Yu Luo Sha’s hand penetrated his figure, but she realised that she hadn’t struck a real body. A tinge of surprise flashed across her eyes, which were usually as calm as an ancient well. The next instant, she exerted more force with her hand and shattered the surrounding space.
Yang Kai grunted again as his figure materialised. Following that, he stomped his feet on the ground to widen his gap with this aggressive woman.
Instead of immediately launching another attack though, Yu Luo Sha just watched him in silence. When he managed to stabilize himself, she gently nodded and said, “Not bad.”
Her tone was calm and without a hint of mockery. She seemed to be sincerely complimenting him, but one could hardly tell whether that was true from her tone.
Yang Kai looked away and spat out a mouthful of blood. Although he had used Nihility to dodge the attack at the critical moment, he was still harmed as he felt all his organs shift slightly. Then, he said with a grin, “You’re not bad either.”
The woman indeed had a lot of combat experience. She did live up to her status as a disciple from Asura Cave Heaven. He didn’t even have the time to take a breather since the battle began, which had never happened in the past.
The series of attacks from Yu Luo Sha were successive and clean-cut, which dazzled her opponent. It was no wonder that she could make a name for herself in the Asura Arena and achieve such a high rank.
Given the moves she had showcased, rarely anyone below the Half-Step Open Heaven Realm could parry her attacks, and any slight negligence would cause her opponent to lose their life.
Yang Kai felt his blood boiling suddenly. Since he arrived in the Outer Universe, he had not had a proper fight. The people he had come across were mostly far more powerful than he was, so there was no chance he could defeat any of them. The only opponent that was in the same realm as him was Fang Tai, but at that time, Yang Kai was just tagging along with two Open Heaven Realm Masters, so there was no question about the outcome of that battle. It was the same case in Hundred Refining’s Hall on the previous day.
For someone like Yang Kai who had grown his power through constant battles, he felt quite constricted after a long time of not fighting.
Although he had suffered a setback in the first exchange, Yang Kai’s gaze had brightened instead of dimming. It was as though his fighting spirit had been ignited. After brushing away the blood from his mouth, he lifted his hand and beckoned to Yu Luo Sha. With his chin up, he appeared quite haughty.
Seeing that, Yu Luo Sha narrowed her eyes and there was a faint smile on her usually emotionless face.
No one had challenged her in such a brazen way before in the Asura Arena, not even the three people ranked above her. Although she was 4th on the Mortal Rankings, she was just as strong as the three people above her. Any one of them would have to use their full strength when dealing with her.
However, at this moment, there was this rookie, whose name wasn’t even on the Mortal Rankings, who dared to be so impudent in front of her. She stuck out her tongue and licked her lips as though she had come across a delicious dish which stimulated her appetite.
The next instant, the sand erupted and a crater was left on the ground. Yu Luo Sha had charged forward like an arrow leaving a bow. Her afterimages flickered in the air as she appeared behind Yang Kai. With Emperor Qi swirling around her leg, she raised her leg and swept it at his head.
The power of her kick was horrifying. Even a mountain would break apart if it was struck by her foot.
As though a pair of eyes had grown on the back of his head though, Yang Kai raised his hand and grabbed her ankle, then he chuckled in a small voice, “Where do you think you’re going?”
Right after he finished speaking, his expression changed because the ankle in his hand became slippery and slid out of his grip. Following that, he felt a warm body crawling on his back. Although the body was soft, it gave off a terrifying feeling. It was as though a python had climbed onto his back instead of a woman.
Her legs and arms contorted in an inconceivable way as she forced him into submission, making it impossible for him to use his power effectively.
Then, he felt a hot breath on his ear. Despite her soft voice, she sounded more like the reaper of death as she whispered, “How would you like to die?”
Before Yang Kai could reply to her, she widened her mouth and attempted to bite his neck.
It was the first time Yang Kai had come across such a move in this kind of life-or-death battle, filling his heart with awkwardness; however, that didn’t stop him from raising his hand to grasp at her hair and forcefully pull on it.
Yu Luo Sha grunted as she failed in her attempt to bite his neck, and then she became unable to lift her head again due to the pull. A cold glint flashed across her eyes as she infused her Emperor Qi into her hair and forcefully straightened it.
After a gasp, Yang Kai quickly retracted his hand, but it was too late as countless cuts had formed on his palm. Nevertheless, it was thanks to this moment of breather that he managed to surge his Qi.
An immense power gushed out from him and pushed Yu Luo Sha away; however, she was relentless as she wrapped herself around him. Her slender hands turned into countless shadows and her hair flapped in the air as she launched an attack on him from all possible angles.
Looking from afar, Yang Kai seemed to remain in the same spot as a figure swirled around him from every angle.
Loud bangs were continuously heard as his clothes were torn apart in an instant.
Although he appeared to be at a disadvantage as he had suffered multiple setbacks since the beginning of the fight, he remained calm and collected, which went to show that his temperament was truly sturdy. Despite the fact that Yu Luo Sha could hurt him, her force was limited. Unless she could damage his vitals, she wouldn’t be able to severely injure him.
On the other hand, if he managed to land a fist or a kick on her body, she would fall into a miserable state.
Inside the private room, Pei Bu Wan stood by the window with his hands behind his back as he watched attentively. The shop hands of Hundred Refining’s Hall beside him kept cheering as they seemed mesmerised by the match.
“Shut up! Why do you keep making noise!?” Pei Bu Wan suddenly bellowed.
The shop hands shuddered and immediately covered their mouths.
A worried Luo Hai Yi asked, “Shopkeeper Pei, do you think Sir Yang can win?” Given her vision, she could only see that Yang Kai was at a disadvantage, but she wasn’t sure about what was really going on in the battlefield.
Pei Bu Wan chuckled, “No one can be certain about it before the end of the battle. He’d better win; however, if he cannot shake off Yu Luo Sha, it’ll be difficult for him to defeat her.”
Right after he finished speaking, Pei Bu Wan suddenly arched his brow and grinned, “He’s really something.”
Following a loud boom in the arena, Yu Luo Sha was sent flying backwards as she sprayed out a mouthful of blood in mid-air before landing on the ground and staggering.
They were finally separated.
Yang Kai appeared dishevelled and battered, but Yu Luo Sha wasn’t any better off. There were times when she was negligent as she wrapped herself around him, and after getting punched hard, she found her five viscera and six organs shifted.
“A draw huh.” Yang Kai shot her a glance before grinning wildly, “Well, it’s my turn now.”
He didn’t seem to make a move, but he suddenly appeared in front of her like he was a ghost as he extended one finger towards her.
Yang Kai’s movement was so light that it was as though he hadn’t exerted any force with his finger, but Yu Luo Sha’s pupils contracted as she stomped her foot on the ground and flew backwards. A blood-coloured flower appeared on the spot she was standing earlier. The flower looked so vividly red that it was as if it had been fertilized with fresh blood. At the same time, a malevolent aura wafted from it.
For every step she took, a flower would appear on the ground. After ten steps, all ten flowers took shape on the golden desert. The flowers appeared so ferocious that it was as though they were ready to devour any prey they came across.
Yang Kai followed Yu Luo Sha closely, and when he moved past the flowers, all of them withered in an instant.
The expression on her face finally changed as she performed a hand seal with one hand, causing the withered flowers to fall apart and the scattered petals to rain down on Yang Kai. Every petal seemed able to cut through metal and jade.
Yang Kai stood his ground as Space Principles surged around him. He was surrounded by innumerable Void Cracks, but they were almost imperceptible to others. Before the flower petals could approach him, they were cut to pieces by the Void Cracks.
Next, he extended a finger, whereupon a Moon Blade shot towards Yu Luo Sha.
The distance between them was short, so it was impossible for her to dodge the attack; thus, she bit her tongue and sprayed out a blood mist, which immediately transformed into a blood-coloured barrier that blocked the Moon Blade.
Seizing the chance, she hurriedly stomped her foot on the ground to widen the gap between them.
Earlier, it was Yang Kai who had to be wary of her, but it was the other way around now. It could be said that the wheel of fortune had been reversed, and the situation was now in Yang Kai’s favour.
Presently, they were several dozen metres apart. As their eyes met, Yang Kai looked smilingly at Yu Luo Sha while her expression was solemn.
It wasn’t until this moment she realised that her opponent was more complicated than she thought. He wasn’t an arrogant pushover like what she had imagined. Since it was difficult to deal with him through close-quarters combat, she decided to use her Secret Techniques instead.
After letting out a breath, she used a hand seal as Blood Qi surged around her figure. A blood-coloured flower suddenly appeared beneath her feet. The flower looked similar to the ones she had condensed earlier, but it was much larger. She appeared as light as a feather while standing on it.
Across from her, Yang Kai quickly lifted his hand and sent out over ten dark Moon Blades at her.
Yu Luo Sha remained unfazed, and when the Moon Blades came near her, the flower beneath her feet suddenly brightened. Following that, a blood-coloured light barrier shot up from the ground and surrounded her.
Whooshing sounds were heard as the Moon Blades slashed at the light barrier and formed many ripples on it, but they were unable to break through.
Upon seeing that, Yang Kai was lost for words as he was fully aware of the power of his Moon Blades. He wondered what this blood-coloured flower was as it was able to fend off his Moon Blades. It seemed that that barrier was truly sturdy.
Yu Luo Sha used a different hand seal next as she chanted under her breath. When she spread her arms, countless gigantic blood-coloured flowers appeared and filled the entire arena.
At that instant, Yang Kai was engulfed in a sea of flowers. Other than a sky full of redness, there was nothing else he could see. Even Yu Luo Sha seemed to have disappeared.
He immediately activated his Divine Sense to scan the surroundings, but he was unable to locate her.
There came a moment when a strange noise was heard. As the flower petals swirled, a blood-coloured spear broke through the air at the speed of lightning. The spear was made from flower petals, and although it gave off an enchanting fragrance, it was filled with murderous intent.
Yang Kai surged his strength to parry the attack with his palm, whereupon the spear collapsed. Before he could heave a sigh of relief though, Yu Luo Sha abruptly appeared amidst the swirling storm of flower petals. There was only a distance of one metre between them.
She pushed out a palm that seemed to contain a power that could destroy the Heavens and shatter the Earth.
Yang Kai was well prepared, however, so he wasn’t surprised by her move. With a grin, he pushed out a fist and struck right at her figure. However, the next instant, he furrowed his brow because it felt like he hadn’t hit a real body. Following that, he could see that she broke into countless flower petals.
After that, he felt a gale coming from behind him. His pupils contracted as he manipulated Space Principles and disappeared from the spot.
When he reappeared, he was already several dozen metres away. He looked at his previous spot and saw that Yu Luo Sha had appeared with a flower petal in her hand. Using the petal, she shattered her own afterimage.
As their eyes met, they could see the fighting spirit and the desire to win behind each other’s gazes.
Nevertheless, just a moment later, she fell apart again and turned into an innumerable number of flower petals. That was also not her real body!
The people in the stands around the arena were unable to see what was going on in the battlefield as the entire arena had been engulfed in blood-coloured flowers. They could only faintly see two figures flying around and hear some noises.
Despite that, it didn’t stop them from becoming even more fervent as they kept cheering. Many people were chanting Yu Luo Sha’s name, so it was apparent that she was popular in this arena.
She was a powerful woman with an alluring face and an hourglass figure, which was why she had many male supporters.
Inside the private room, Pei Bu Wan stared fixedly at the battlefield with a grim expression. Given the fact that he was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he could clearly see what was going on in the battlefield. Considering Yang Kai’s current cultivation, if he were in his shoes, he would have no other choice but to admit defeat. Presently, Yang Kai couldn’t even find out the whereabouts of Yu Luo Sha’s real body, so how was he going to win the battle?
He would only stand a chance to win the match by finding her; however, did he have such sharp vision?
Meanwhile, in the arena, Yang Kai found himself in a dilemma. Unless it was necessary, he didn’t want to reveal his trump cards; after all, many people were watching the battle and some of his methods might invite trouble for him.
However, Yu Luo Sha wouldn’t even reveal her whereabouts now, which made him powerless to do anything.
Thus, he lowered his head as the fringe of his hair cast a shadow on his forehead. Despite the fact that the flower petals were coiling around him and a murderous intent permeated the air, he remained unperturbed.
A strange noise was heard again as the flower petals surged and formed into a Killing Array before striking at Yang Kai. Behind the array, Yu Luo Sha’s figure was faintly visible, her gaze void of any emotions.
It wasn’t until the sea of flowers came near him that Yang Kai abruptly lifted his head and surged his Qi. In an instant, Void Cracks swam around him like fish.
The sea of flowers collapsed while the Void Cracks dispersed. Following that, Yu Luo Sha raised her hand and landed a palm on Yang Kai’s chest.
Ignoring her attack, Yang Kai suddenly turned his head to look in a particular direction, a golden glow radiating from his left eye as he grinned, “Is it so fun to keep hiding?”
After he finished speaking, he charged in that direction as he raised his hands, rapidly forming a set of hand seals. At the same time, he muttered, “Time Flows on Infinitely, like a Mighty Stream, Like an Unending Dream!”
Then, he pushed out his palm. Presently, Yu Luo Sha was hiding among the sea of flowers. Her pupils contracted to the size of needles as though she had come across something horrifying. She couldn’t understand how her opponent managed to find out her whereabouts.
Lifting her head, she realised that his left pupil had become a golden slit. His pupil appeared so majestic that it was as though it could look deep into her Soul and dig out all her secrets, which caused her to feel incredibly unnerved.
It was then she realised that he must have cultivated a profound Eye Technique. It was no wonder he could achieve such a thing.
She wanted to dodge the attack, but her mind suddenly turned blank for a moment. When she came to her senses, his palm was already right in front of her. Following a deafening howl, the sea of flowers seemed to have received an order as they spiralled around her to form a protective layer.
When the Time Flies Seal struck, the sea of flowers collapsed and revealed Yu Lu Sha’s real figure. There was a tinge of fluster on her face.
If it was the Time Flies Seal he had initially cultivated, it might not be able to exhibit such a might; however, Yang Kai had witnessed the battle between Flowing Time Great Emperor and Mo Sheng countless times in the ancient battlefield, allowing him to observe and emulate many profundities and incorporate their essence and experience to form his own Martial Truth. Currently, Yang Kai dared to say that he had mastered the Time Flies Seal, making him a match for Flowing Time Great Emperor when using this particular Secret Technique.
“You’re dead,” Yang Kai grinned at her. Right after he spoke, a white lotus flashed across his Demon Eye of Annihilation.
Blossoming Lotus!
Yu Luo Sha fell into a dazed state as her Knowledge Sea defences became as weak as a piece of paper. A gigantic lotus could be seen expanding in her vision while at the same time, her Spiritual Energy was rapidly draining.
Although Yu Luo Sha had also condensed her own Dao Seal, she was still in the Emperor Realm; therefore, she was no match for Yang Kai when it came to Soul cultivation. With the nourishment from the Soul Warning Lotus over the years, Yang Kai’s Soul was much stronger than that of the cultivators in the same realm. Also, after plucking Yu Ru Meng’s Primordial Yin in the past, his Soul had been enriched, and his Spiritual Energy surged in both quantity and quality.
Although the power of his Soul might not be comparable to that of an Open Heaven Realm Master, it was definitely on par with that of a Half-Step Open Heaven Realm Master.
Feeling an excruciating pain in her head, Yu Luo Sha roared and instinctively pushed her Spiritual Energy to resist; however, as she tried to exert her Divine Sense, the white lotus only expanded even more rapidly. In the blink of an eye, the lotus had fully bloomed, appearing as clean as a jade and other-worldly beautiful.
There was more to come, however, as a golden glint flashed across Yang Kai’s Demon Eye of Annihilation as he used a different Secret Technique.
Sealed Lotus!
Blossoming Lotus absorbed the opponent’s Spiritual Energy like nutrients to allow itself to bloom. On the other hand, Sealed Lotus caused the white lotus to close and wrap up the opponent’s Soul, cutting off the connection between the enemy’s Soul and body.
It could be said that once a person was struck with Sealed Lotus, they would become a living dead until they could resolve the Secret Technique.
The white lotus rapidly folded and engulfed Yu Luo Sha’s Soul in it. If she was still at the peak of her strength, she might have been able to break free of this seal; however, she had been struck with Blossoming Lotus just now, which siphoned off a good portion of her Spiritual Energy. Therefore, she wasn’t able to free herself.
Yu Luo Sha’s vision dimmed, as though she had plunged into an endless darkness. She kept falling like there was no end.
The sea of flowers disintegrated, whereupon those around the arena could finally see what was going on. Presently, Yang Kai and Yu Luo Sha were slightly apart from one another in the desert. Both of them remained unmoving.
Seeing that, no one could tell who had won the battle.
Certainly, Luo Hai Yi was unable to make any judgement as well. Since the sea of flowers appeared, she had become unable to see anything. Unable to hold it in anymore, she asked, “Shopkeeper Pei, did Sir Yang… win?”
All of a sudden, Pei Bu Wan turned his head, which shocked Luo Hai Yi. That was because, in just a short moment, his eyes had turned bloodshot.
She couldn’t help but take a few steps back and tense up.
With a ferocious grin, Pei Bu Wan said, “He won.” Then, he guffawed, “Hahaha! He actually won!” He excitedly raised his hands as though he was the one who had defeated the opponent.
It couldn’t be helped, as he already had no money left. Although he had borrowed some money to balance the accounts, it was still not enough. Left with no choice, Pei Bu Wan resorted to gambling, but he hadn’t expected that he’d really turn the situation around.
Now, he wouldn’t have to worry about those from the headquarters coming over to check the accounts anymore.
While he was laughing ecstatically, Yang Kai, in the arena, raised his hand and gently tapped his finger on Yu Luo Sha’s forehead, causing her to collapse to the ground. Her eyes were wide open, but her gaze had lost all light.
Before she could resolve the Sealed Lotus, she couldn’t reconnect her Soul with her body and regain her senses.
Seeing this, the spectators immediately realised what had happened as they broke into a commotion. Yu Luo Sha, the number 4 on the Mortal Rankings, had been defeated by an unknown brat. The problem was that they couldn’t even see how she lost the match.
Those who had bet a lot of money on Yu Luo Sha started cursing and claiming that those from Asura Arena had used some dirty tricks behind the scenes. Naturally, those from Asura Arena ignored them.
Soon after, the announcer proclaimed Yang Kai the winner.
The terrain in the arena changed as the desert disappeared, upon which two platforms on both ends reappeared. A woman dashed into the arena and shot Yang Kai a glare. After that, she carried Yu Luo Sha up and left hurriedly. It seemed that she was eager to treat her.
A calm Yang Kai returned to the passageway he came out of earlier. Inside the passageway, the man, who had led him to this place, nodded slightly at him.
Yang Kai saluted him back before re-entering Pei Bu Wan’s private room.
“Senior Yang!” Those shop hands from Hundred Refining’s Hall immediately approached him as they appeared passionate and even slightly obsequious.
Yang Kai scanned his surroundings and frowned, “Where’s your shopkeeper?”
Presently, Pei Bu Wan was nowhere in sight in the private room. Could he have run away? That wasn’t possible though as Hundred Refining’s Hall was still in the city, so there was nowhere else he could go. Moreover, he had sworn on his Martial Dao, so he wouldn’t go back on his word.
Luo Hai Yi hurriedly explained, “Shopkeeper Pei left the room to collect his winnings.”
“What do you mean?” Yang Kai was shocked.
Luo Hai Yi took a look at those shop hands and explained, “Shopkeeper Pei placed a bet on Sir Yang’s victory. Since Sir Yang won the match, Shopkeeper Pei also made some money.”
Yang Kai burst into laughter, “Was he so confident in me? How much did he bet?”
Luo Hai Yi shook her head as she had no idea.
Seeing that, Yang Kai gazed at those shop hands. One of them said with a fawning smile, “It was quite a bit.”
A relentless Yang Kai questioned, “How much?”
In response, the shop hand stuck up one finger.
Yang Kai arched his brow, “1 million?”
The shop hand shook his head.
“10 million?” Yang Kai was astounded.
It was then that the shop hand nodded.
Yang Kai tutted as he couldn’t help but admire Pei Bu Wan’s boldness. He wasn’t familiar with Yang Kai, but he had the guts to bet 10 million Open Heaven Pills on him winning this match.
Following that, Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and asked with a frown, “What were the odds?”
In an instant, the shop hand became embarrassed and scratched his face. He wasn’t willing to talk about it, but it was impossible to hide this as Yang Kai could find out about it after leaving the room. So in a small voice, he muttered, “Four to one.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai gasped and clenched his teeth, “Seems he made a great fortune!”
With the odds four to one against Yang Kai winning, Pei Bu Wan made 40 million from his 1o million bet.
It was no wonder that Pei Bu Wan was so generous when he promised a million pills to Yang Kai if he could win a match in the Asura Arena. After winning so much, Pei Bu Wan could not only easily afford the 10 million pill repayment, but even throw in an extra 1 million.
1 million was nothing compared to 40 million. It seemed that Pei Bu Wan had already done some calculations in advance. At that instant, Yang Kai felt frustrated as he was the one who risked his life to fight against his opponent in the arena while someone else gained most of the benefits. However, there was nothing he could do as everything had been agreed upon beforehand. He couldn’t change a thing now.
“Senior Yang, Sir Shopkeeper said that he wouldn’t come back so soon, so he wants us to return to Hundred Refining’s Hall first. Don’t worry. He’ll definitely give you the 11 million.”
Yang Kai snorted, “He wouldn’t dare to go back on his word!”
After they waited in the main hall of Hundred Refining’s Hall for one hour, Pei Bu Wan was heard laughing riotously from outside, “Where’s Little Brother Yang? Where is he?” Previously, he called Yang Kai ‘brat’, but after making a great fortune, he started calling him ‘Little Brother’.
Before he even finished his words, he stepped into the hall and stared at Yang Kai with a pair of glowing eyes. Then, he walked up to him and heavily patted his shoulders, “Little Brother, you’re my lucky star!”
Yang Kai snorted, “I think I’m more like your saviour.” He couldn’t help admiring this thug’s courage. How did Pei Bu Wan have the gall to bet ten million on him? What if he lost the match?
“Same thing!” Pei Bu Wan waved his hand and took a look at Yang Kai’s tea cup before frowning, “Take this cup away and get him the best tea!”
“Enough nonsense, just give me the money now!” Yang Kai cut him off with no trace of politeness and extended his hand.
Yang Kai didn’t want to have anything to do with this thief again, so he was eager to take the money and leave quickly.
“Don’t worry. You won’t get one pill less. I’ve got the money,” Then, Pei Bu Wan took a seat and put down a Space Ring on the table before pushing it forward.
After picking up the ring, Yang Kai scanned it with his Divine Sense and started counting.
To the side, Pei Bu Wan looked smilingly at him, “Little Brother Yang, I never expected that you’re so good at fighting. Even Yu Luo Sha was easily defeated by you. Are you interested in taking part in more matches?”
Yang Kai multitasked by counting the pills and shooting him a cool glance.
Pei Bu Wan went on to say, “Yu Luo Sha was only ranked 4th on the Mortal Rankings. Although she’s not bad, she’s still no match for the three people above her. If you’re interested, I’ll make an arrangement for you to fight with those guys. If you can win those matches, you’ll earn a lot of money.”
In response, Yang Kai waved the ring in his hand and declared, “I have money now. So, no thanks.”
Pei Bu Wan replied with a smile, “Do you seriously think you have a lot of money? You have to hand in 10 million, so you’re only left with 1 million. If you listen to me and win more matches, I’ll give you 20% of the winnings.”
Ignoring his suggestion, Yang Kai rose from the chair and said, “The issue has been settled, so I’ll take my leave now. You don’t have to see me off.” Then, he led Luo Hai Yi to shuffle out of the hall.
“Wait a moment, there’s room for negotiation! I can give you thirty percent!” Pei Bu Wan hurriedly stood up and said.
Seeing that Yang Kai didn’t show any signs of stopping, he quickly offered a higher percentage, “Forty percent! That’s the maximum. I’ll have to bear the risk of losing my capital, so you can’t expect to get fifty percent of the money. That would be outrageous.”
Oblivious to him, Yang Kai disappeared from the place.
“This brat…” Pei Bu Wan pressed his lips together. If Yang Kai were someone else, he would’ve forced him to stay as he was practically a money tree. If he could make good use of Yang Kai, he could easily gain lots of money from Asura Arena. However, Yang Kai was from First Inn, so he couldn’t force the issue. Since Yang Kai wasn’t willing to take part in more matches, there was nothing Pei Bu Wan could do.
After Yang Kai was gone, he felt slightly dejected, but he soon became overjoyed because of the fact that he had won a massive amount of money today; then, he took a seat and started counting his winnings.
He had made a bet of 10 million, and he had won 40 million! After giving Yang Kai 11 million, he still had about 30 million left. Not only could he make up for the discrepancy in the shop’s accounts, but he also had a lot leftover to play with. The trouble that had been haunting him for days had finally vanished, so he was naturally joyful.
…..
After leaving Hundred Refining’s Hall, Yang Kai passed a Space Ring to Luo Hai Yi. Seeing as she was staring puzzledly at him, he explained, “I’m returning what I borrowed.”
It was then she took the ring, but upon scanning it, she exclaimed, “It’s too much, Sir!” When Yang Kai was buying a Universe Chart some time ago, she had lent him 20,000 pills, but after only one day, he gave her 30,000 in return, which was a lot of money for her.
Yang Kai replied with a smile, “Any excess is your compensation.”
“That’s still too much.” She shook her head, “I can’t take it, Sir. My service isn’t worth so much money. Please take it back.”
Then, she tried to return the ring to him.
Yang Kai examined her, and upon realising that she was serious, he burst into laughter before deciding to respect her wishes, “Good. Deduct the money you’ve lent me and then return the remaining to me.”
Luo Hai Yi nodded and started getting busy. A moment later, she returned the remaining pills to him.
After taking it, Yang Kai realised that it was still early in the day, so he said, “Why don’t we visit more shops?”
“En, this Mistress won’t have anything to do if I go home. We can visit as many shops as Sir wants today.”
After he stepped into Hundred Refining’s Hall on the previous day, Yang Kai was made to fight against Yu Luo Sha in Asura Arena, so he hadn’t managed to visit more shops. He reckoned that it would still take him three to four days to finish this errand.
For the following shops, Yang Kai didn’t come across any thugs like Pei Bu Wan again. After he presented a notice of debt, expressed his purpose of visit, and fished out the Proprietress’ Faith Token, most shopkeepers treated him politely.
As usual, they were given a time limit of one month and in the blink of an eye, night had descended upon them again.
The previous night, Yang Kai had no money and didn’t want to return to First Inn, which was why he stayed over at Luo Hai Yi’s residence. Now, he had earned 11 million pills, and he was eager to let the Proprietress know about the good news, so he told Luo Hai Yi to go home first.
Soon, he reached First Inn and realised that the place was still crammed with customers. Several shop boys were moving around while the accountant was loudly fiddling with the abacus behind the front counter.
Noticing that someone had entered the inn, the accountant said without raising his head, “We’re fully booked now. Please go somewhere else.”
Yang Kai tapped on the table, “Where’s Proprietress?”
It was only then that the accountant lifted his head, “It’s you. I thought it was a customer.” He pointed at the rear court with his lips pouting, “She’s in her room.”
Yang Kai nodded, “Alright. You can continue doing your things.”
Then, he shuffled towards the backyard.
The accountant watched him leave as he shivered slightly while muttering under his breath, “Why did he even decide to come back at this point? It’s like knocking on the gates of Hell. What’s wrong with him?”
Upon stepping into the rear court, he saw someone in the corner who repeatedly squatted and got up. There seemed to be something on his shoulders.
An amazed Yang Kai walked over and realised that the person was Bai Qi.
As their eyes met, Bai Qi flashed a smile at him and panted, “You’re back.”
“En,” Yang Kai nodded and looked curiously at him, “What are you doing here?”
“N-Nothing!” Bai Qi got up with difficulty as he almost didn’t have the energy to finish his words. It was apparent that the thing on his shoulders was very heavy, “I’m cultivating.”
“Here?” Yang Kai became puzzled as he wondered whether Bai Qi had lost his mind. Even if he wanted to cultivate, he should look for a suitable place instead of doing it in the rear court where the Proprietress lived.
“Is Yang Kai back?” The Proprietress’ voice was heard coming from a room where the candlelight flickered.
“Yes, I’ve returned!” Yang Kai yelled and took a glance at Bai Qi. After shaking his head, he stopped paying attention to him and knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
Yang Kai pushed the door open, but before he could let the Proprietress know about the good news, he saw a white shadow rapidly approaching him. Shocked, he tried to flee; however, the white shadow was unbelievably swift as it grabbed his collar and pulled him into the room. Following that, the door was slammed shut.
An anxious Yang Kai thought that someone had launched a sneak attack on him, but after a glance, he realised that it was the Proprietress who was standing in front of him. It wasn’t so surprising as this was her room, so who else could it be?
At this moment, she was staring coldly at him with a pair of glacial eyes.
Yang Kai shot her a glare, “What’s wrong?” He didn’t think he had offended this crazy woman in any way, but she looked like she was about to skin him alive.
“How do you still have the gall to ask?” After a sneer, the Proprietress extended her hand into the void and fished out something that looked like a feather duster. Then, she attempted to strike Yang Kai with it.
A shocked Yang Kai hurriedly lifted his hand to fend it off. Nevertheless, there was a huge gap between their strength, so his attempt was futile and the feather duster directly hit his head.
It hurt so much that his eyes turned bloodshot, and with his hands on his head, Yang Kai bellowed, “What are you doing?”
“Can’t you see I’m hitting you?” Then, she directly pushed out the feather duster and poked right on his stomach.
[That’s not what I meant. I was asking why you’re hitting me!] Yang Kai wanted to speak, but he was unable to do that as he felt his stomach churning as he bent his back.
The Proprietress landed another strike on his shoulder.
A horrified Yang Kai jumped up and leapt backwards in an attempt to dash out of the room; however, she just grabbed the air and directly pulled him back.
The huge gap in their powers dictated that Yang Kai was totally unable to resist. Presently, he felt humiliated and enraged. In all his life, he had never been hit by anyone in such an insulting way before. More importantly, he didn’t even have the foggiest idea about why he was beaten.
After getting struck several times again, he felt immensely incensed. Infuriated and emboldened, he barked, “Crazy woman, I dare you to lay your hand on me one more time!”
“Crazy woman?” The Proprietress was so enraged that she started laughing. The next instant, her feather duster turned into countless shadows and engulfed him.
At that moment, Yang Kai kept jumping up as he was hit. Gritting his teeth, he reckoned that a man had to yield when it was necessary. Regardless, he had to find out the crux of the problem first, so he hurriedly yelled, “Stop hitting me! Let’s talk it out!”
“I’m a crazy woman, so I’m unreasonable. I can do whatever I want,” Then, she landed more whips on him.
After getting refuted, Yang Kai was unable to even get mad at her anymore; thus, he squatted in one corner and covered his head with his hands.
Seeing that, the Proprietress finally stopped.
Slowly raising his head, Yang Kai looked through the gap between his fingers with a vigilant gaze.
A condescending Proprietress looked down at him with an indifferent expression, “Spill it. Where were you last night? Why didn’t you come back?”
An incensed Yang Kai bellowed, “Did you hit me just because of that?” He slowly stood up.
Seeing her smacking the feather duster into her palm, Yang Kai shrunk back again and secretly swore that if when he ascended to the Open Heaven Realm one day, he would retaliate and make her go through an ordeal that was a hundred times more gut-wrenching than what he had suffered.
“Cut the crap and answer my question!”
Yang Kai snorted, “I was staying over at a friend’s house.”
“A friend?” The Proprietress sneered, “It’s only been a few days since we arrived in this Star City. When did you make friends here? Was this friend a man or a woman?”
[What does that have to do with you?] Yang Kai wanted to refute her, but he was worried that he would infuriate her again, so he replied, “A woman.”
Right after he finished speaking, the Proprietress struck him with the feather duster again. There was a resentful look on her face as she barked, “You’re so young, but you’ve already learned to hook up with random women! You’ve been here for only a few days, but you’ve already stayed over at a woman’s house?!”
[I’m young?] Yang Kai was speechless at that comment, thinking that he was already about 200 years old, but he was still treated like he was a little kid. Nevertheless, he recalled that the Proprietress had lived for many times longer, so had the right to act this way.
However, even if she wanted to reprimand him, she shouldn’t have made a move against him.
An enraged Yang Kai bellowed, “Stop hitting me. Otherwise, I’ll resist.”
The Proprietress stopped what she was doing and gazed nonchalantly at him, a faint smile on her face as she asked, “How are you going to resist?”
Yang Kai parted his lips, but he was unable to say anything because he couldn’t defeat her; otherwise, he would’ve counterattacked and made her beg for mercy long ago.
“I’ll only give you one chance. If you dare to stay over at some random person’s house again, I won’t let you off!” The Proprietress snorted and kept the feather duster.
Seeing that, Yang Kai slowly got to his feet and moved his body a little. Still furious, he muttered, “You’re so ruthless.”
Her lashes just now were immensely painful; however, she had exquisite control over her strength, so she was able to make him suffer excruciating pain while leaving no marks on his body.
“If you do it one more time, I’ll show you the true meaning of ruthless.” The Proprietress sneered, “Come with me!”
Yang Kai wondered what she was up to. Although he was apprehensive, he had no choice but to follow her. Soon, they reached the yard and walked up to Bai Qi.
With a fawning smile, Bai Qi called out, “Proprietress…”
“Shut up!” The Proprietress shot him a glare, whereupon he hurriedly kept his mouth shut.
Then, she shifted her attention to Yang Kai and pointed at the spot beside Bai Qi, “Stand right there.”
The corner of Yang Kai’s mouth twitched as he finally realised what the Proprietress was trying to do and the reason Bai Qi was squatting in the yard in the middle of the night instead of sleeping.
“Proprietress, is this even necessary?” Yang Kai shot her a glance.
She giggled and lifted her hand, at which point the feather duster appeared.
After a gulp, Yang Kai hurriedly nodded, “Good. You’ll regret this!” Then, he stood beside Bai Qi.
“Why do you always have so much nonsense to spew?” The Proprietress snorted and extended her hand into the void. After fishing out a wooden rod, she placed it on his shoulders.
In an instant, Yang Kai’s figure shrank. The wooden rod looked ordinary and was only about a metre long, but it weighed at least a hundred thousand kilograms. It was no wonder that Bai Qi was panting while carrying it on his shoulders.
Apparently, the wooden rod was a kind of rare material that could be used for Artifact Refining.
“If you dare to not come back again, you won’t be standing here. I’ll definitely throw you out on the streets.” The Proprietress snorted and swung her sleeve before shuffling into her room.
A fawning Bai Qi said, “Have a good night’s sleep.”
Ignoring him, the Proprietress slammed the door shut.
The breeze whisked through the yard as the Brothers who were suffering together respectively carried a wooden rod on their backs and looked dazedly at one another.
“She’s crossed the line,” Bai Qi suddenly said. “I just didn’t come back for two nights. Why was she making a fuss over it?”
After shooting him a glance, Yang Kai scoffed and closed his eyes to focus his mind. Although he was indeed in an embarrassing situation, no one else could see them at the very least, so he simply regarded it as a cultivation session.
He had intended to inform the Proprietress about the fact that he had collected a debt of 10 million already, but he wasn’t in the mood to do that now. To the side, an infuriated Bai Qi kept muttering on and on. Eventually, an enraged Proprietress struck the air and landed a slap on Bai Qi, which caused Bai Qi to collapse to the ground. He became quieter after the incident.
In the latter half of the night, most of the customers were gone. The accountant, the chef, and the other shop boys had nothing else to do, so they came to the backyard and watched Yang Kai and Bai Qi, which made them feel exasperated.
At the break of dawn, Yang Kai said, “Proprietress, we have to go out to demand repayments.”
“Scram!” She was heard bellowing from the room.
After trading glances, Yang Kai and Bai Qi hurriedly put the wooden rods down on the ground and dashed out of the inn.
Since that horrible experience, the two of them became much better behaved. For the next few days, they would always return to First Inn in the evening to serve customers before going out to demand repayments in the morning.
After a few days, they visited all the shops on their respective lists and all that was left was to wait for the one-month deadline to pass. Yang Kai had fully paid Luo Hai Yi’s fees and treated her to a meal to thank her.
In fact, he had the intention to help her join First Inn. Presently, business was booming in the inn, and the shop hands were swamped with work, so a new helper would ease their burden. If Luo Hai Yi could enter First Inn, it would be good for her as well. Regardless of whether her salary would be better than what she would get as a local guide, she would have a shelter at the very least; after all, no ordinary people would dare to offend the shop hands from First Inn.
However, he realised that he didn’t have the right to make any decision in the inn. Moreover, the Proprietress seemed to have something against him recently, so it would only produce the opposite of the desired result if he brought it up at this point.
Yang Kai reckoned that he should collect all the debts first before mentioning it to the Proprietress. It would be wonderful if she would agree to it, but if not, he wouldn’t suffer any losses. Also, he didn’t inform Luo Hai Yi about his intention as it still wouldn’t be too late to tell her about it after it was confirmed. Certainly, she wouldn’t turn him down.
The following days were peaceful. In the morning, Yang Kai would serve the customers in the main hall. After the customers were gone at night, he would have some time to cultivate.
During this period of time, Pei Bu Wan from Hundred Refining’s Hall visited the inn several times. After greeting the Proprietress, he would directly look for Yang Kai. Naturally, he wanted Yang Kai to take part in more matches in Asura Arena to make more money.
Yang Kai wasn’t interested, as although he had defeated Yu Luo Sha, he had also exposed his Demon Eye of Annihilation at that time. If those from Myriad Demons Heaven found out about it, he wouldn’t even know what the consequences would be.
Moreover, he wasn’t lacking money at the moment as he hadn’t even touched the 1 million pills he had earned from the last match. In any case, the things he wanted couldn’t be bought with money. Seventh-Order and above materials couldn’t be gauged in monetary terms. Also, he wasn’t in the rush to return the 16 million to the Proprietress, so it wasn’t necessary for him to go to the Asura Arena anymore.
In the blink of an eye, one month had passed. Yang Kai calmly stepped out of the inn and followed the path he had walked down one month ago to demand repayments from the various shops.
His mission could be regarded as successful. Those from Second Class forces couldn’t afford to offend First Inn, so after they sent a message to their headquarters and confirmed that their top cultivators were indeed involved in First Inn’s destruction, most of them generously paid the debt of 10 million. After six days, 13 out of 19 shops had repaid the debts. The remaining 6 shops were also willing to pay up, but 10 million was a lot of pills, so they needed more time to prepare them.
Yang Kai wasn’t a ruthless man, so he agreed to their requests and extended the deadline. He would only visit them again when the time was due.
A few days later, he stepped out of a shop after getting the repayment from them. While he was walking on a street, he heard someone calling out to him. Lifting his head, he saw Bai Qi beckoning to him from the second floor of a restaurant.
It was such a coincidence. This Star City was apparently just a mid-sized city, but it was the first time he came across Bai Qi while collecting debts. Certainly, he was more than happy to grab a drink with him.
Seeing that Bai Qi was drinking on his own by the window, Yang Kai took a seat across from him and told the shop hand to get him a bowl and a pair of chopsticks. Then, they had a small celebration together.
After eating and drinking for a while, Bai Qi asked, “How are you doing with the debt collection?”
While picking up some vegetables, Yang Kai replied, “There are two shops left. We’ve agreed on a time to collect the debts. What about you?”
Bai Qi pressed his lips together, “Most of them are willing to pay up, but there’s one shop that is particularly difficult to deal with.”
“Which one?” Yang Kai was surprised. They would always leave a notice of debt before demanding repayment, but there were still some people who had no regard for First Inn, which was why he was curious.
Bai Qi replied, “Wind and Cloud Auction House.”
Yang Kai frowned, “Is that a business of Wind and Cloud Paradise?” Although he wasn’t aware of all the great forces in the Outer Universe, he was familiar with all Thirty-Six Cave Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises at the very least. Wind and Cloud Auction House was obviously an industry of Wind and Cloud Paradise.
“En,” Bai Qi nodded.
“What did they say?” Yang Kai asked.
Bai Qi snorted, “They said that they have no money. If I want any repayment, I should get the Proprietress to visit them.”
“Did they really say that?” Yang Kai was shocked. He had visited the shops owned by several Paradises before, and although the shopkeepers were not obsequious, they were still polite to him.
What was wrong with those from Wind and Cloud Auction House? Why would they humiliate a shop hand from First Inn?
Apparently, Bai Qi was frustrated over this issue. He couldn’t tell others about it, but since he had come across Yang Kai, he decided to vent his frustration to him, “What do you think I should do? It’s not like I can really get the Proprietress to go over. It will make me look useless. However, they are unwilling to give me the money, and I can’t explain myself to the Proprietress.”
“Have you explained what happened to them?” Yang Kai stared at him.
Bai Qi replied, “Of course I have. I even met their shopkeeper twice, but after that, they refused to let me in again.”
“They’re pretty brazen of them,” Yang Kai sneered. Whatever the case, he was also part of First Inn now, which was why he shared Bai Qi’s fury.
Bai Qi took a look at him and darted his gaze around; then, he said with a grin, “Yang Kai, why don’t you visit them on my behalf? They have never met you before, so they won’t shut you out.”
With a frown, Yang Kai replied, “It might not be useful even if I go.” Just like Bai Qi, he was also a shop hand from First Inn. Since Bai Qi couldn’t demand any repayment from them, it was pointless for him to go over as well.
“Regardless of whether it’s useful or not, please give it a try. If that doesn’t work, we’ll just inform the Proprietress about it.” Seeing as Yang Kai was hesitant, he decided to push a little harder, “She has said that you’ll get five percent of the money you collect to put towards your debt. The debt you collect from Wind and Cloud Auction House will be considered yours. There’s no harm in trying.”
Hearing that, Yang Kai decided not to turn him down as he nodded, “I’ll give it a try, then.”
An elated Bai Qi immediately filled the cup for him, “You’re a good friend! Let’s drink!”
After they were done with the meal, they walked out together.
Wind and Cloud Auction House was a huge building that was located in the centre of the city, which was a key location.
When they arrived at the auction house, they were shocked to realise that there were many people outside the building. The shop hands from the auction house hospitably welcomed everyone into the hall while a well-dressed elderly man greeted these important guests.
“What’s going on?” Yang Kai furrowed his brows.
After giving it a thought, Bai Qi suddenly realised something, “I think they have an auction going on today… En, they indeed have one scheduled for today. No wonder there are so many people.”
“An auction?” Yang Kai’s interest was piqued. In the past, he had entered many auction houses, but it was the first time he came across an auction in the Outer Universe. He wondered if there were any good treasures that were up for auction, which was why he was interested.
Anyway, an auction house was a place where rich people fought against one another with their wealth. Although he had 1 million with him, it was obviously not enough for him to get anything good. Furthermore, he had a task to carry out now.
“That’s the shopkeeper of Wind and Cloud Auction House, Yun Zhen Hua.” Bai Qi pointed at the elderly man who greeted his guests at the door. Since he was here to demand repayment, he certainly had met the shopkeeper before. That was why Bai Qi could recognise this man at first glance. The first two times Bai Qi came here, Yun Zhen Hua was still willing to meet him, but after that, he refused to show up again, which made Bai Qi feel exasperated.
“Let’s go talk to him,” Yang Kai said before he and Bai Qi shuffled towards Yun Zhen Hua.
Presently, Yun Zhen Hua was standing in front of the entrance with a smile on his face. He was from Wind and Cloud Paradise, and he was given the task to take charge of this auction house; however, their guests on this day were all important people in the city whose cultivation and status were on par with or even greater than his own. Therefore, he had to show up at the entrance to greet the guests to show that they were sincere.
While he was telling a shop hand to lead a certain guest into the venue, Yun Zhen Hua heard a firm voice coming from the side, “First Inn’s Yang Kai greets Manager Yun.”
Yun Zhen Hua frowned and turned his head. After he took a look at both Yang Kai and Bai Qi, a tinge of impatience flashed across his eyes, “Why are you here again?”
Bai Qi cupped his fists, “Manager Yun, please forgive me. I’m just here following orders. If you don’t pay up your debt, I won’t be able to complete my task.”
Yang Kai also cupped his fists, “Manager Yun, can we get in and have a talk?”
There was a grim expression on Yun Zhen Hua’s face. On any other day, he would have directly ignored these two brats; however, it was an important day for the auction house, so he couldn’t make a fuss at the entrance. In light of that, he nodded his head, “Go in and wait for me. This Old Master will meet with you soon.”
Then, he told a shop hand to lead Yang Kai and Bai Qi into the auction house.
After entering a side room, the shop hand left.
Bai Qi and Yang Kai were seated across from one another. Then, Bai Qi spoke to him via Divine Sense, “You see now? That shopkeeper doesn’t have the intention to pay up at all.”
With a frown, Yang Kai replied, “Have you clearly explained the incident to him?”
Bai Qi snorted, “What do you mean by that? I told him all the details on my first visit, but he paid no attention to me. What could I do?”
Yang Kai nodded his head as he could feel Bai Qi’s frustration. Judging from Yun Zhen Hua’s attitude, it was apparent that they would have a hard time getting the repayment from Wind and Cloud Auction House; however, since they were here, they had to give it a try.
Then, they went on to wait for an hour, but Yun Zhen Hua was still nowhere to be seen. More outrageously, they were not even given tea or water.
Yang Kai’s face fell as time passed. Although he and Bai Qi were weak and not famous in the city, they were here as representatives of First Inn after all. Obviously, Yun Zhen Hua had no regard for them or their background.
[Why is he so arrogant? Just what is his status and backing?] The first shop Yang Kai visited was Gathering Virtue Emporium, which was an industry of Nine Stars Paradise yet the shopkeeper, Gong Sun Hong, had repaid him in full a few days ago. On the other hand, Yun Zhen Hua was completely arrogant and aloof. If Yang Kang hadn’t already known it, he would have thought that the auction house was a business of a Cave-Heaven.
After another quarter hour, Yun Zhen Hua pushed the door open and entered. Seeing that, Yang Kai and Bai Qi hurriedly rose from the chairs.
Without giving them a chance to speak, Yun Zhen Hua said, “This Old Master has no idea what really happened regarding your inn’s destruction, nor do I know whether any top cultivators from my force have anything to do with it. You’ve found the wrong place if you’re here to demand compensation. There’s an important auction going on today, so this Old Master doesn’t have the time to hold a discussion with you. Leave!”
Then, he turned around and left without sparing them a glance.
Right after he finished speaking, two men in tight-fitting clothes pushed the door open and stared coldly at them.
These men exuded majestic auras as their World Force undulated. It was apparent that they were Open Heaven Realm Masters.
“Manager Yun! Manager Yun!” Bai Qi yelled and raced after him, but before he even reached the door, one of the men landed a palm on Bai Qi’s shoulder, which made it impossible for him to move again.
Under the man’s pressure, Bai Qi slowly lowered his figure, and it seemed that he was about to kneel.
Seeing that, Yang Kai narrowed his eyes and pushed out a fist. The other man charged forward and gently raised his hand to block Yang Kai’s fist. With a grin, he said, “How dare you make a move in Wind and Cloud Auction House? You’re courting death!”
Yang Kai said through clenched teeth, “I dare you to make a move on me then. We from First Inn are not so easily bullied!” He was just here to demand repayment, but he hadn’t expected that things would turn out this way, which was why he was furious.
At the mention of First Inn, both of the men finally became wary. The man, who was pressing his hand against Bai Qi, released him, which spared him the embarrassment of kneeling.
“Both of you, please,” One of the Open Heaven Realm Masters gestured with his hand.
Bai Qi rubbed his shoulder and glared at the man who almost made him kneel. With bloodshot eyes, he said through gritted teeth, “A Second-Order Open Heaven Realm Master? Very good! I’ll remember you. When I ascend to the Open Heaven Realm one day, I’ll make you kneel and beg for my mercy!”
“Shut your mouths and leave; otherwise, you shall stay here forever.” The man grinned, apparently unafraid. It wasn’t easy to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm. Even if one managed to fully condense the Power of Yin, Yang, and Five Elements, they would still have to take a huge risk to split Heaven and Earth apart within their body. If one wasn’t careful enough, they would explode into pieces. There were no second chances. Moreover, the higher the Order one attempted to initially reach, the greater the risk became; therefore, for a cultivator, it wasn’t like the higher the Order they were trying to achieve, the brighter their future would become. Instead, they had to assess their own capabilities and act accordingly. If one thought they could only become a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, they were best off only refining Fourth-Order materials. If they forcefully tried to refine Fifth or Sixth-Order materials, it wouldn’t be beneficial to them.
Although Yang Kai and Bai Qi were incensed, they had to make a concession. That was because these two men were much stronger than them, and they were in someone else’s territory.
Under the escort of the two Open Heaven Realm cultivators, they were thrown out of the auction house through the back door.
Standing on a street that was crammed with people, Bai Qi yelled, “Let’s go back and look for the Proprietress!”
Yun Zhen Hua had made his stance clear, so shop hands like them were unable to settle the issue. The Proprietress would have to come over to deal with it.
After Bai Qi finished speaking, he turned around and headed in the direction First Inn was located. Soon though, he realised that Yang Kai wasn’t following him, so he turned his head and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Can you endure this insult?” Yang Kai shot him a glance.
“I can’t. That’s why I’m going to look for Proprietress.” Previously, he didn’t want to ask the Proprietress for help because that would make him look useless; however, he had no other choice now.
“We don’t necessarily have to look for her.” Yang Kai darted his gaze around before he stared at the enormous auction house and fell into his thoughts.
“Do you have an idea?” Bai Qi returned to him. It would be wonderful if Yang Kai was able to collect the debt without letting the Proprietress know what had happened.
With a grin, Yang Kai beckoned to him. Bai Qi approached him, whereupon Yang Kai whispered into his ear.
A moment later, Bai Qi gaped at him in disbelief, “That’s so wicked! If we really do that, the reputation of their auction house will be ruined.”
Yang Kai scoffed, “When did you become such a kind man? We were polite to them at first, but they treated us with disrespect in return. We have no choice but to use a dirty trick on them now.”
Still, Bai Qi was hesitant, “But we don’t have the money…” Before he finished his words, he suddenly realised something.
Yang Kai looked around and said, “Let’s not think about that for now. At the very least, we have to come up with a way to sneak into the auction house.”
They had just been thrown out of the place through the back door, so it was impossible for them to enter now. If they couldn’t even enter the auction house, there was no point thinking about using any tricks.
Things would have been easier if Yang Kai was on his own as over the past month, he had been refining Seven Faces every night. He had almost fully refined it, so he could start using it now. After summoning Seven Faces and transforming into someone else, Yang Kai could easily sneak into the venue; however, since Bai Qi was around, he was unable to do that.
Just when he was pondering on whether he should act on his own, Yang Kai’s gaze suddenly brightened. Then, he beckoned to Bai Qi, “Come with me.”
There was a group of people coming over from across the street and the one at the front was a burly man with hideous facial features. He was none other than the shopkeeper of Hundred Refining’s Hall, Pei Bu Wan.
Recently, life had been wonderful for Pei Bu Wan. With the help of Yang Kai, he had earned close to 30 million Open Heaven Pills. Not only was he able to pay off his debts, but he could also balance the accounts in the shop. Those from the headquarters were unable to find any problem in the books and instead, they complimented him by saying that he was adept at running a business, so he should work harder to make greater contributions.
While he was ambling forward, he was greeted by a familiar figure. With a huge grin on his face, he called out, “Yang Boy!”
“Shopkeeper Pei!” Yang Kai cupped his fists, “It has been a few days since we last met, and you’re still so energetic.” Although this thug had gone to First Inn to look for him and asked him to take part in more matches in Asura Arena, Yang Kai had decisively turned him down. After getting rejected several times, Pei Bu Wan stopped showing up. Yang Kai hadn’t expected that he’d bump into him on this day.
“Hahaha! It’s all thanks to you!” Pei Bu Wan patted his own belly and guffawed.
“Shopkeeper Pei, there’s something I need you to help me with. Will you…”
Before he finished speaking, Pei Bu Wan waved his hand and said, “Just tell me what you want. I’ll lend you a hand if I can do it.”
Yang Kai looked around and replied in a small voice, “Please come with me.”
There was a doubtful look on Pei Bu Wan’s face as it seemed that Yang Kai was up to no good. With his interest piqued though, he led his group of people to follow him.
After entering a back alley, Pei Bu Wan told his subordinates to guard the entrance before turning to look at Yang Kai, “Why are you acting so mysteriously? What’s wrong?”
With a grin, Yang Kai replied, “I just want to know whether you’re here to take part in the auction.” If that wasn’t the case, nothing else needed to be said. If Pei Bu Wan was indeed going to enter the auction house though, Yang Kai could ask for his help to allow him to sneak in.
“En, this King is here today to take part in the auction.” Pei Bu Wan nodded.
[He really is!] An ecstatic Yang Kai cupped his fists, “In that case, I’d like to ask for Shopkeeper Pei’s help.”
Pei Bu Wan chuckled, “Just say it.”
“Please bring us into the auction house.”
Hearing that, Pei Bu Wan burst into a fit of laughter, “This auction house is not a Restricted Area, just go in if you want to. There are two entrances over there. One is for important people in the Star City who have VIP invitations and the other for those who are general participants. As long as you can show them that you’re wealthy enough, they will let you in. You’ve already made a fortune, so you totally have the right to enter.”
Yang Kai had realised earlier that there were two entrances for those who were invited and those who were not; however, that meant nothing for Yang Kai and Bai Qi because they wouldn’t be allowed to get into the venue if they directly stepped into it. By following Pei Bu Wan though, they stood a chance of sneaking into the place.
Realising what was going on, Pei Bu Wan knitted his brow and examined Yang Kai, “Have you caused some kind of trouble?”
With a harmless smile, Yang Kai replied, “What are you talking about? We’re honest and well-behaved people, so how is it possible that we’ve caused any trouble? Shopkeeper Pei is overly worried.” This thug indeed didn’t have any integrity to begin with. He had just promised to lend Yang Kai a hand, but he didn’t immediately agree to his request.
Pei Bu Wan’s expression suggested that he didn’t believe him.
Left with no choice, Yang Kai said, “Good. You’ve always wanted me to take part in another match, right? If Shopkeeper Pei lends us a hand today, I’ll follow you to Asura Arena one more time.”
At the mention of Asura Arena, Pei Bu Wan’s expression changed drastically as he quickly waved his hands, “No, we’re not going there again!”
[What’s going on?] A puzzled Yang Kai stared at him. Pei Bu Wan had visited the inn several times to persuade him to go to Asura Arena, so why did he look so terrified when this topic was brought up now?
Yang Kai thought that this thug had lost a lot of money in the arena and was now worried about going back, but he had no idea that it was the Proprietress who had warned him.
She had seen Pei Bu Wan looking for Yang Kai several times, so she found a chance and had a chat with him. Upon learning that Pei Bu Wan had brought Yang Kai to Asura Arena, she became infuriated and almost broke his arms. Then, she warned him against taking Yang Kai to the arena again; otherwise, she would trample his Hundred Refining’s Hall flat.
If that hadn’t happened, Pei Bu Wan wouldn’t have given up this means of making more money. That was the real reason he had stopped looking for Yang Kai.
With a frown, Pei Bu Wan pointed at two shop hands who had tagged along and ordered, “Take off your clothes.” Although he had no idea why Yang Kai wanted to follow him into the auction house, he knew that the latter must be up to no good. After that, he stared at Yang Kai, “It’s fine that you want to tag along, but we’ll part ways after we get into the venue.”
“Alright. Many thanks, Shopkeeper Pei.” Yang Kai and Bai Qi traded glances and grinned.
Soon, they changed into new clothes and hid among the group of people. After that, they followed Pei Bu Wan to shuffle towards the auction house.
In front of the entrance, Yun Zhen Hua was nowhere in sight. He must be busy handling other matters since the auction was about to start, which allowed Yang Kai and Bai Qi to heave a sigh of relief. If Yun Zhen Hua was still around, they wouldn’t stand a chance to get in, but now that the latter was nowhere to be found, they might be able to sneak in.
Reaching the entrance, Pei Bu Wan presented the invitation card to the shop hand, who extended his hand to welcome them in. Pei Bu Wan directly strode into the venue, while Yang Kai and Bai Qi hung their heads low as they followed the rest of the group.
After entering the auction hall, Yang Kai thanked Shopkeeper Pei in a small voice before he and Bai Qi scurried off in a different direction.
Soon, they reached the main hall and saw many people moving around. Rows of chairs had been placed in the venue hall that was so spacious that it could accommodate at least a few hundred people.
On the second floor, many private rooms were seen around the hall.
The chairs in the hall were for individual bidders, while those private rooms were for people like Pei Bu Wan who had high social status.
At this moment, half of the seats in the hall had been taken. Yang Kai and Bai Qi secretly observed for a while and realised that these individual bidders could take any seat they wanted, so they decided to take a seat in the last row.
There was still some time before the auction began as the guests were still streaming into the venue, so an apprehensive Bai Qi asked, “Yang Kai, why don’t we forget it and just watch the auction? We’d better not make a scene here.”
Yang Kai shot him a glance, “Do you really want to ask Proprietress for help?”
Bai Qi sighed, “We have no other choice. If we make a fuss here, we’ll end up miserable.”
Yang Kai grinned, “That’s only if they have the guts.”
A hesitant Bai Qi gave it a thought and said, “There’s a problem with your idea.”
“What do you mean?”
“What if they demand payment on the spot?”
Hearing that, Yang Kai furrowed his brow as that was indeed a problem. In that case, his plan wouldn’t work, but what Bai Qi had said might not be the case as well. After pondering on it for a bit, he said, “We’ll see how things go. If there’s a chance, we’ll make a scene. If there isn’t, we’ll just watch the auction in silence. Everything is up to Heavens now.”
Bai Qi clenched his teeth and said, “Good. It’s decided, then. However, I think we’d better sit in different places; otherwise, it’d be too conspicuous.” Then, he looked around and pointed in a direction, “You stay here, and I’ll go over there.”
After he finished speaking, he rose from his chair and walked away.
Yang Kai didn’t stop him. Looking around, he realised that there were many Emperor Realm cultivators as well as a few Open Heaven Realm Masters in the hall. However, those were all lone Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters who basically had no future; otherwise, they would have been invited into the private rooms instead of staying in this crammed hall.
While he was looking around and observing the crowd, Yang Kai suddenly heard someone calling out to him, “Sir Yang?”
Yang Kai turned his head and broke into laughter, “Luo Hai Yi?”
She seemed to be looking for a seat, and seeing as there was an empty one beside a person in the back, she decided to come over. It wasn’t until she got close that she realised it was Yang Kai.
Having bumped into a familiar face here, she was apparently elated. Then, she took a look at the seat beside him and asked, “Is that seat taken?”
“No. Have a seat,” Yang Kai flashed a smile at her.
It was then she took a seat beside him. There was a pleasant scent wafting from her body that could make anyone feel refreshed.
“Are you here to buy something?” Yang Kai asked, thinking she was probably here to take part in the auction.
Luo Hai Yi nodded her head, “I heard that some Grand Dao Pills have appeared, so I’m here to try my luck.”
She hadn’t condensed her Dao Seal yet, so she was in desperate need of Grand Dao Pills. Yang Kai had heard her mention this before.
Upon that realization, Yang Kai asked with a smile, “Do you have enough pills? I can lend you some if not.”
A bashful Luo Hai Yi put on a smile, “I should have enough to buy two pills.”
Yang Kai nodded his head, “Then, good luck.”
Through his contact with Luo Hai Yi, he realised that she was an independent woman who did not like owing others favours. Previously, she had rejected any money that was more than what had been agreed upon beforehand, so it was apparent that she stuck to her principles.
The pair were familiar with one another and had many common interests, so they had fun chatting together. One hour later, all the seats in the hall were finally filled.
This fact alone suggested that Wind and Cloud Auction House was truly influential in this city. There wasn’t even a single empty seat in the hall, which went to show that the auctions that were held here were attractive to the citizenry.
Right then, a bell rang out and all the lights turned dim. Following that, a spotlight was cast on the stage. Following the movement of the spotlight, a figure sashayed forward from the backstage. Standing in the spotlight, she became the centre of attention in the venue.
She was a young woman in her thirties with a curvy figure and an alluring face. After reaching the podium, she introduced herself in a soft voice, an amiable smile on her face.
After a typical opening speech, the auction officially began.
Naturally, the things that were up for auction first were not rare treasures and were things only Emperor Realm cultivators would need. While the honoured guests in the private rooms and the Open Heaven Realm Masters in the hall were unfazed, the Emperors fervently bid for the things and caused the prices to soar.
All the items were carefully selected, so none of them were left unpurchased.
Yang Kai watched coldly and realised that Bai Qi’s worry was needless. The successful bidder wouldn’t have to make payment on the spot. After the winning bid, the item would be taken away and payments would only be made after the auction was over.
Those from the auction house were not worried that someone would refuse to pay up. Given their auction house’s power and influence, who would have the guts to do that?
[Interesting…] Yang Kai grinned in silence and shot a glance at Bai Qi, who was on the other side of the hall. Bai Qi got his hint as a tinge of ferocity flashed across his eyes. It seemed that he was ready to make a scene.
After an hour, 8 items had been sold off and the auctioneer had become increasingly high-spirited, “The next items are the Spirit Pills that every Emperor Realm cultivator yearns for…”
Upon hearing that, Yang Kai could see Luo Hai Yi straightening up. If he wasn’t mistaken, the Spirit Pills the auctioneer had mentioned were supposed to be Grand Dao Pills.
As expected, ten maidservants with different styles of beauty emerged from backstage, each of them holding a tray on which a jade bottle sat.
The auctioneer went on to say with a smile, “Grand Dao Pills can help a cultivator comprehend his or her own Grand Dao and condense their Dao Seal. As all of you know, only by condensing a Dao Seal can a cultivator stand a chance to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm. I’m sure many Emperors have gathered in this place for these Grand Dao Pills, so I’ll not dally.” Then, she pointed at the bottles behind her, “We have ten batches of Grand Dao Pills here with two pills in every batch. We’ll start the bidding for the first batch now. The starting price for the next batch will be the second-highest offer of the previous batch. We’ll begin now. The starting price is 5,000, with minimum additional bids of 500!”
As soon as she finished speaking, Yang Kai heard Luo Hai Yi yelling, “5,000!”
Unfortunately, many people in the hall scrambled to bid for the same item, so her voice was immediately drowned out and no one could hear her.
Yang Kai turned to look at Luo Hai Yi, who appeared bashful under his gaze.
Luo Hai Yi had said that a Grand Dao Pill could be bought at a price that was between 10,000 to 20,000. This price was nothing to Yang Kai, but it was a hefty sum for an ordinary Emperor Realm Master. It was probably all the money a person at the bottom of the social hierarchy could earn after hundreds of years of work.
Despite that, the auction price still soared from the base price of 5,000. In just ten breaths’ time, the price had broken the 10,000 mark. Luo Hai Yi appeared anxious as she had failed in her attempt to make a bid twice. Many people were heard bidding for the Grand Dao Pills, which went to show that the pills were truly popular among the Emperors present.
Soon, the price hit the 20,000 mark and was about to reach 30,000.
A moment later, Luo Hai Yi clenched her teeth and made an offer of 30,000, but the next instant, someone else made a higher offer, which caused her to feel dejected. Then, she stopped making any offers as she had apparently given up on this one. After all, there were 10 batches of Grand Dao Pills, so she still had a chance.
After the price hit the 30,000 mark, fewer people were heard bidding for the pills. It seemed that Luo Hai Yi was right. A Grand Dao Pill was worth about 10,000 to 20,000. A price of 30,000 for two pills had exceeded the budgets of many Emperor Realm Masters present, which was why few people bid for it now.
When someone made an offer of 34,000, no one else was heard offering a higher price. The person who made the offer was a young man who was seated just in front of Yang Kai. Presently, he appeared nervous as he balled up his fists and yelled at the auctioneer, “No one else is making an offer now. Bang the gavel quickly!”
Hearing that, the auctioneer flashed a smile at him and lifted the gavel. Then, she looked around and asked smilingly, “The highest bid for the first batch of Grand Dao Pills is 34,000. Is there a higher offer?”
Right then, Yang Kai raised his hand, “40,000.”
In an instant, the cultivators around him turned their heads and gazed at him in disbelief. The young man who made an offer of 34,000 was especially fuming.
It couldn’t be helped. Although the price soared quickly as the Emperors bid for the same item, every additional offer was only about 500 to 1,000 more than the previous price; after all, it wasn’t easy for them to earn Open Heaven Pills, so they were reluctant to offer an exorbitant price.
However, Yang Kai directly raised the price by 6,000, which was unprecedented.
To the side, Luo Hai Yi also turned to look at him in shock. She was aware that he had condensed his Dao Seal, so Grand Dao Pills were practically useless to him; therefore, she hadn’t expected that he’d bid for the pills. At that instant, she looked away and started blushing. Apparently, she had misunderstood something.
“This friend has offered 40,000 for the first batch of Grand Dao Pills. Is there a higher offer?” The auctioneer asked with a smile, and upon confirming that no one else made a new offer, she gave a three count and banged the gavel.
“The starting price for the second set is 34,000. Please make your offer now.” The auctioneer extended her hand. She had mentioned before that the starting price for the next batch would be the second-highest offer of the previous batch. Since the second-highest offer for the first batch was 34,000, the starting price for the second batch would be the same. The auction house wouldn’t want to make a loss.
“34,000!” The young man in front of Yang Kai clenched his fists and shouted, making the same offer as earlier.
A nonchalant Yang Kai lifted his hand, “40,000.”
Just like the incident earlier, the same thing happened again. The young man turned his head and glared at Yang Kai, who didn’t even spare him a glance.
Gritting his teeth, the young man shouted, “41,000!” This was the highest price he could possibly offer. He wouldn’t be able to make an additional offer if someone else offered a higher price.
“50,000,” Yang Kai said dispassionately.
“You!” The young man turned his head with a hideous expression. It seemed that he had the urge to bite off a piece of flesh from Yang Kai.
The other Emperor Realm Masters around him appeared hostile as well. Many of them were here for the Grand Dao Pills, so Yang Kai directly raising the price to such an unprecedented level would make them suffer losses as well. Some of them even suspected that he was hired by the auction house to hike up the prices. Nevertheless, this was unlikely as Wind and Cloud Auction House had a good reputation, so they probably wouldn’t do such a despicable thing.
Other than the young man and Yang Kai, no one else had made an offer for the second batch, so it was soon sold.
Following that, it was the third batch’s turn, but before the auctioneer could finish her words, Yang Kai raised his hand again, “50,000.”
The young man in front of him was unable to hold it in anymore, so he bellowed, “What’s the point of buying so many Grand Dao Pills? If your aptitude is not good enough, it’s useless no matter how many pills you buy!”
Generally, if a cultivator was lucky enough, all it took was one Grand Dao Pill for him or her to successfully condense a Dao Seal. Most of the cultivators would need two pills. If the cultivator was diffident, they might need three to four pills. Any additional pills would be of no help.
Yang Kai had bought two batches, so it was more than enough for himself. Supposedly, he didn’t need to bid for the third batch.
“I have too much money to spend, and it’s none of your damn business what I do,” Yang Kai scoffed.
The young man felt his lungs almost exploding as he thought that Yang Kai was immensely detestable. If it weren’t because fighting was forbidden here, he would’ve taught him a lesson.
“51,000!” Just then, someone was heard making a bid. Apparently, that person couldn’t take it anymore either. Yang Kai had bought the first two batches, and he seemed determined to purchase even more. There were only ten batches in total, so if all of them were bought by Yang Kai, there would be none left for them.
Although the price was unreasonably high, that person still grit his teeth and made a bid for the sake of his future. Right after he finished speaking though, Yang Kai said impassively, “60,000.”
In an instant, gasps were heard around him. Many Emperor Realm cultivators thought that this guy must be out of his mind. They had never seen anyone offering 60,000 for two Grand Dao Pills before.
In Private Room A6 on the second floor, the corner of Pei Bu Wan’s mouth twitched as he looked down at the hall and tutted, “As expected, this brat is up to no good.”
Earlier, he had figured that Yang Kai must have caused some trouble, which was why the latter needed his help to get into the auction venue. Now, it seemed that this brat was trying to make a scene by bidding maliciously; however, what was the point of doing that? He would have to fork out a large amount of money in the end regardless.
On the other hand, Luo Hai Yi was dumbfounded as well. Initially, she thought that Yang Kai had taken part in the bidding to buy the Grand Dao Pills for her, but now, that didn’t seem to be the case. Why had he even bid for three batches of pills?
She speculated that Yang Kai might have some friends and family members who needed a large quantity of Grand Dao Pills, and realising that it was just her wishful thinking that he was buying the pills for her, she felt her face burning.
The third batch of Grand Dao Pills was sold for 60,000, and when it was time for the fourth batch, the auctioneer directly stared at Yang Kai and looked nowhere else. Unexpectedly, as soon as she finished speaking, the young man in front of Yang Kai directly said, “60,000!”
The young man turned to stare fixedly at Yang Kai when he made the offer through clenched teeth. He seemed determined to go up against him.
With a smile, Yang Kai took a glance at him and fell silent for a long time, which caused the young man’s forehead to be drenched in a cold sweat. 41,000 was the highest price he could offer. The reason he even made a bid just now was to irritate Yang Kai.
Just then, Yang Kai spoke to him via Divine Sense, “How will you end up if I don’t make an offer?”
Hearing that, the young man gulped and turned pale. He couldn’t possibly fork out 60,000 Open Heaven Pills. If he really had to pay up, he would become broke. By then, he could only offer up his only life-saving artifact as collateral.
As their eyes met, the young man pleaded with him with his expression.
“60,000 going once, going twice…” The auctioneer’s voice sounded like a curse from Hell, which caused the young man’s face to become increasingly ashen.
With a faint smile, Yang Kai raised his hand at the last moment and said, “70,000.”
Hearing that, the young man immediately let out a long breath and became paralysed on his chair. It was as though he had just escaped from death’s door.
When it was time to bid for the fifth batch, someone was heard offering a price of 70,000.
Upon hearing the voice, Yang Kai became amused because that person was Bai Qi. He must be thinking that it was outrageous for Yang Kai to purchase so many pills in one go, which would attract immense hatred and attention; therefore, he decided to help him share his burden.
Yang Kai was fine with that. Since Bai Qi had made a bid, he decided to fall silent. For the remaining batches, Yang Kai and Bai Qi basically dominated the scene. The other cultivators stopped offering any bids as these two directly obtained the pills after they made a bid.
Soon, all ten batches were sold. Yang Kai had purchased six while Bai Qi had bought four.
The auctioneer on the stage couldn’t even stop smiling; after all, a price of 70,000 for two Grand Dao Pills was inconceivable. Normally, two such pills would’ve been sold for 30,000 at most, but the price had more than doubled now. Although such an amount of money was nothing to the auction house, they were more than happy to see such fierce competition. After this incident, the bidders would become more fervent for the next items that would be put up for auction.
As expected, the price for the item after the Grand Dao Pills soared quickly as well. The item was a rare defensive artifact that could block a Low-Rank Open Heaven Master’s all-out attack, so it was definitely a life-saving treasure. Therefore, besides the Emperor Realm Masters, even the Low-Rank Open Heaven Masters started bidding for it as well. The competition was rather fiery.
On the other hand, Yang Kai appeared calm and collected. He only started joining in the fun when the price was high enough, and after a few rounds, he defeated all his competitors and obtained the treasure for an unusually high price.
At that instant, many people stared at Yang Kai with weird gazes. When they saw Yang Kai bidding for so many Grand Dao Pills earlier, they thought that he was just a fool with lots of money. Now, it wasn’t certain if he was really a fool or not, but he was definitely wealthy.
Moreover, he hadn’t even reached his limit.
One hour later, the atmosphere in the venue became extremely awkward. Even the auctioneer on the stage had stopped smiling as she furrowed her delicate brow. That was because over ten items had been obtained by Yang Kai and Bai Qi in the past hour; moreover, every item was sold for a price that no one else could bid against.
Could these two Emperor Realm Juniors really possess such immense wealth? After making some calculations, anyone would’ve realised that they had respectively bought over a million pills’ worth of goods. To put it in a different perspective, the average Low-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master wouldn’t be able to take out a million pills even if they sold all their belongings. How did these two Emperor Realm Juniors possess so much money?
Earlier, the young man who was almost framed by Yang Kai couldn’t help turning his head to look at Yang Kai with a doubtful look on his face.
Although Luo Hai Yi had no idea why Yang Kai was madly bidding for the items, she wasn’t worried at all. She was aware that he possessed a million Open Heaven Pills that were given to him by Pei Bu Wan some time ago.
The auction went on as the auctioneer said in a clear voice, “The next item is a Sun’s True Fire. I’m sure many of you have heard that a Sun Star died in a particular Great Territory some time ago. This Sun’s True Fire is from that dead Sun Star.”
After she finished speaking, a maidservant emerged from the backstage with a round bowl in her hands. A flame could faintly be seen flickering from the bow as a hot wave swept across the hall.
Upon hearing what the auctioneer had said, everyone in the hall broke out into a commotion. Yang Kai could also feel that many powerful Divine Senses shot out from the private rooms and scanned the Sun’s True Fire.
In fact, Yang Kai was surprised as well. He had never expected that a True Fire from that Sun Star would appear here; after all, this place was quite far away from that Great Territory. After giving it a thought though, he realised that it wasn’t so surprising; after all, many people had obtained Sun’s True Fires at that time. Wind and Cloud Auction House was backed by one of the Seventy-Two Paradises, so they naturally had the power to obtain a Sun’s True Fire to be put up for auction.
However, a Sun’s True Fire was at minimum a Fourth-Order material while there were also Fifth-Order ones. It wasn’t certain what Order the True Fire, which would be up for bidding, was in.
Shopkeepers like Pei Bu Wan and Gong Sun Hong were only in the Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm while there was a possibility that a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master could be raised using a material in the same Order, which was why they paid extra attention to it.
Yang Kai realised that the items that were up for auction earlier were just things that those Emperor Realm cultivators, who hadn’t condensed their Dao Seals, needed. The items that were up for auction now were the things that people like him craved.
“A Fourth-Order Sun’s True Fire. The starting price is 100,000 with the minimum increase being 5,000.” The auctioneer extended her hand with a smile.
Following that, seven to eight people were heard making offers. All of them sounded eager to obtain this item, which surprised Yang Kai. He thought that only those in the private rooms would be interested in the item that was up for auction now, but he hadn’t expected that those individual bidders in the hall had the money to bid for the item as well.
Soon, their voices were suppressed by someone from a private room, “150,000!”
Hearing that, everyone in the lower hall fell silent.
For a Fourth-Order Open Heaven material, 150,000 was the average price. When Yang Kai was in Seven Wonders Land, Dié You had told him that a First-Order material was worth about 150 pills, while the price of a Second-Order material was ten times more than that of a First-Order material, and the price of a Third-Order material was ten times more than that of a Second-Order material.
The Stainless Golden Dew he bought in Seven Wonders Land was a Third-Order material, which cost him 15,000 Open Heaven Pills.
However, in an auction, items were generally sold for above-average prices. If there were any wealthy people who weren’t lacking money, the prices could be pushed much higher, not to mention that 150,000 was just the average price.
As expected, someone else from another private room then made an offer of 160,000. The people who were seated in the private rooms were all big shots in the Star City, so it was expected that they had more than a million Open Heaven Pills with them for this auction. They were all Open Heaven Realm Masters, so they didn’t need the Sun’s True Fire, but their disciples and family members could use it. It was rare for a Fourth-Order material to appear in an auction house, so they wouldn’t want to miss it.
The Sun’s True Fire was so popular that the two guests in the private rooms soon pushed the price to the 200,000 mark. Presently, the first person in the private room had fallen silent. Apparently, the price had exceeded his limit.
It wasn’t that he didn’t have the money; however, in order to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, a cultivator had to condense all seven of the Yin, Yang, and Five Elements. If one material cost 200,000, all seven materials would be 1.4 million. Furthermore, the cultivator might not even succeed in the end, so it was too hefty a price to pay.
“Shopkeeper Sun, you have my respect.” The second person from the private room was heard guffawing.
Shopkeeper Sun snorted and fell silent.
“Bang the gavel now,” the person was heard saying again.
With a smile, the auctioneer looked around and raised the gavel, “200,000 going once, going twice…” For some reason, she subconsciously took a look at Yang Kai and wondered whether he’d make an offer at the last moment. Earlier, he and another guy had basically stolen the show. They had bought all the items that came after the Grand Dao Pills, and no one else could outbid them.
However, after she counted to two, she realised that Yang Kai didn’t seem to have the intention of making a bid. She smiled helplessly and wondered what was wrong with herself. Since he had bought Grand Dao Pills, it suggested that he hadn’t condensed his Dao Seal; therefore, it was pointless for him to buy a Fourth-Order material. Even though he was wealthy, he wouldn’t squander his money in such a way.
Right when she thought so though, Yang Kai raised his hand and called out, “300,000.”
The auctioneer’s gavel froze mid-air as she stared at Yang Kai in disbelief. The people in the hall also broke into a furor as well.
Earlier, Yang Kai and Bai Qi practically dominated the auction, allowing no one else to bid against them; however, those items were not valuable, so only the Emperor Realm cultivators were trying to snatch them. The amount of money was nothing in the eyes of the truly rich people here.
Nevertheless, this time was different. Yang Kai directly offered an increase of 100,000. Was he trying to make things difficult for himself or something?
“Brat, which great force are you from?” The Open Heaven Realm Master, who made an offer of 200,000, was infuriated. Looking down from the private room, he found Yang Kai to be loathsome. This brat gave him a surprise at the last moment, which greatly humiliated him.
Without even turning his head, Yang Kai refuted, “Make an offer if you can, if you don’t have the money, shut your mouth. Which great force I’m from has nothing to do with you.”
The person in the private room was rendered speechless, but as a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, it was inappropriate for him to bicker with a mere Emperor Realm Junior.
The young man in front of Yang Kai became increasingly doubtful as he turned his head to look at him.
The auctioneer became startled for a long time before she came to her senses and let out a hollow laugh, “300,000 going once, going twice, going three times!”
She banged the gavel and confirmed that the item was sold. Without stopping, she went on to say, “The next item will be a Fourth-Order material as well…”
Before she could finish her words, someone was heard making a bid from the hall, “300,000.”
The auctioneer became frustrated as she was at a loss for words. With a furious expression, she glared at Yang Kai and wondered what was wrong with him. He should’ve waited for her to finish speaking first at least, but this young man directly made an offer of 300,000 before even finding out what the material was. Could he be out of his mind?
Everyone in the hall and the private rooms fell silent as they stared fixedly at Yang Kai. To his side, Luo Hai Yi felt like she was on pins and needles. With a worried look, she said in a hushed voice, “Senior Yang, that’s an exorbitant price.”
“It’s fine,” Yang Kai put on a smile.
“Do you really have that much?” Just then, someone was heard speaking. It was the young man who was seated in front of Yang Kai. Presently, he was gaping at him with a sneer, “You’ve bid for so many items. Do you even have enough to pay up?”
The reason he took part in the auction was for the Grand Dao Pills. He thought he would be able to purchase one batch at least, but after Yang Kai messed everything up earlier, he had lost all hope. Although he was spared the trouble by Yang Kai later, he was still resentful. Upon seeing that Yang Kai unabashedly bid for so many items, he even suspected that this guy was here to stir up trouble. Unable to hold it in anymore, he decided to speak up.
As long as he could prove that Yang Kai was here to make trouble, the Grand Dao Pills would be put up for auction again, and he would still stand a chance.
With this thought in mind, he rose from the chair and cupped his fists at the podium, “Seniors present today, I suspect that this ill-intentioned person is bidding maliciously. I urge all of you to probe him to find out whether he is really capable of paying for the items he has bid on!”
“I second that,” Someone was heard speaking from a private room. He was the one who had lost the Sun’s True Fire to Yang Kai.
“That’s a good idea. It’s highly probable that this boy is here to make a scene,” someone else from a different private room was heard saying. It wasn’t that Yang Kai had offended them, but if they allowed him to keep raising a fuss, they would have no hope of getting the items they wanted. The reason they took part in the auction was to buy things they needed. Moreover, the items that would soon be put up for auction were materials that were in the Fourth Order and above.
Therefore, after the young man finished speaking, many people in the private rooms seconded his suggestion.
In Room A6, the corner of Pei Bu Wan’s mouth twitched, “This brat is so sinister. Why didn’t I realise it before?” Now, it was apparent to him that Yang Kai was indeed here to create trouble. He wondered what grudges Yang Kai had against this auction house that the latter had to do such a thing during an auction. Yang Kai had basically humiliated them, so there was no way they would let him off.
Yang Kai’s real fortune would be exposed if he was probed, and although Pei Bu Wan had given him a million pills as a reward, the things that he had bid for had exceeded that amount already.
However, Pei Bu Wan wasn’t worried about his safety; after all, Yang Kai was from First Inn. The worst that could happen was that he would be kicked out of the auction house, and his reputation would be ruined.
On the stage, the auctioneer appeared to be in a dilemma as she looked in a particular direction behind her. An elderly man was seated over there. Since the start of the auction, he had remained unmoving with his eyes closed. He wasn’t Yun Zhen Hua, but he was also a Mid-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master from the auction house. The reason he was seated there was to prevent anyone from making a scene.
Certainly, he could hear all the demands to probe Yang Kai; thus, he slowly rose from the chair and walked onto the stage.
Just then, someone was heard speaking from a private room, “Old Yu, please check this boy and find out whether he really has the capital to act so wildly.”
Hearing that, the elderly man furrowed his brow. They had never probed anyone during an auction in the past; after all, they were a powerful great force, so no one would have the guts to refuse making payment. All the bidders would only make offers that were within their means.
However, Yang Kai’s actions were indeed suspicious, so he intended to find out the truth as well. After a nod, he moved and directly appeared in front of Yang Kai. Then, he slightly nodded his head at him, “Little friend, please.”
Yang Kai remained seated on the chairs with his hands placed on the armrests. Lifting his head, he stared at the elderly man and grinned at him, “What’s wrong? Is this how you treat a guest in your auction house?”
The young man turned his head and bellowed, “Stop spouting nonsense and let Old Yu inspect you! You don’t look like a man of wealth at all.” If Yang Kai possessed such an immense fortune, he would have had a private room instead of sitting in the lower hall.
The voice from the private room earlier was heard saying again, “Boy, stop wasting our time. If you’re really here to stir up trouble, I suggest that you stop now and leave. At the very least, your reputation will be preserved. If you wait until Old Yu makes a move, you won’t be spared the punishment.”
“Little friend, please take no offence.” Old Yu extended his hand and stared fixedly at Yang Kai as though he was attempting to look deep into his Soul.
To the side, Luo Hai Yi turned pale and balled up her fists as she was anxious. She wasn’t certain if Yang Kai could pass this inspection, but he most likely couldn’t; however, she didn’t have much on her. Otherwise, she could lend him some first.
On the other hand, Yang Kai appeared calm and collected. Faced with a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, he still sported a nonchalant smile, “Is there such a rule in the Wind and Cloud Auction House? Why am I not aware of it?”
Hearing that, Old Yu knitted his brows. There wasn’t such a rule in the past because everyone behaved themselves; however, this brat was apparently up to no good, so how did he have the gall to talk about rules? Furthermore, how dare a mere Emperor Realm Junior act so impudently in front of him? That was the reason Old Yu was furious and spoke forcefully, “Little friend, please cooperate.”
“Brat, stop spouting nonsense. Scram if you don’t have the money and stop embarrassing yourself.”
“Heh heh, isn’t it too late for him to leave? How can he leave just like this after making a scene?”
“Old Yu, it’s pointless to be polite to him. Just make a move against him.”
…..
Many voices were heard coming from those private rooms. Obviously, they wanted the auction house to kick Yang Kai out as quickly as possible so that the auction could go on.
Yang Kai looked slightly away as his intention was indeed to make trouble in this auction house. That was because they refused to pay up and treated him disrespectfully; however, he hadn’t expected to attract public outrage in the process. If he were in their shoes though, he probably would have also thought that his actions were annoying; therefore, despite the fact that those from the private rooms were acting spitefully, he remained unperturbed. Staring fixedly at Old Yu, he said, “I don’t mind cooperating with the inspection, but what if I do have enough to pay for the items I’ve bid for?”
Hearing that, Old Yu frowned, “In that case, the auction will go on.” Despite what he had said, he didn’t believe Yang Kai possessed such an immense fortune. Everyone was required to showcase their wealth before entering the venue. If Yang Kai were so wealthy, he would’ve been given a private room.
Barely anyone sitting in the lower hall had more than a few hundred thousand Open Heaven Pills.
Yang Kai replied impassively, “What you’re trying to do will stain my reputation. Do you think you can get away with it by just resuming the auction after such disrespect?”
“What do you want, then?” Old Yu frowned, thinking that this brat was difficult to deal with.
Yang Kai sneered at him, “Don’t you think you need to apologise for making a mistake?”
Instantly, Old Yu became incensed. If they weren’t in the auction house, he would’ve let Yang Kai know the consequences of talking to him in such a manner. However, even though Yang Kai was suspected of causing trouble, he couldn’t possibly make a move on a guest in his house in public. That would make him look like he was oppressing a Junior and it would greatly damage the auction house’s reputation; therefore, regardless of how infuriated he was, Old Yu could only hold it in.
Yang Kai went on to say, “I can cooperate with the inspection. If you can prove that I don’t have enough capital, you are free to do as you please with me; however, if I pass the inspection, you will apologise and give me some compensation.”
A sharp glint flashed across Old Yu’s eyes, but after giving it a thought, he nodded, “Good.” [He’s just bluffing. Does he think he can make me back down just like that? He’s still too young and naive.]
While Old Yu was lost in his own thoughts, Yang Kai suddenly put on a faint smile, “Old man, I hope you won’t go back on your words.”
After he finished speaking, he fished out a Space Ring and passed it to Old Yu.
Old Yu hadn’t expected that Yang Kai would directly take out a ring for inspection, so he frowned and wondered whether this brat was really so wealthy.
Doubtfully, he took the ring and scanned it with his Divine Sense, only for him to stiffen in place with his hand trembling so hard he nearly dropped the ring. Quickly, he composed himself and narrowed his eyes, but upon scanning the ring again, he widened them in disbelief.
He almost couldn’t believe his eyes as mountains of Open Heaven Pills were sitting inside the ring, so many it was impossible to count them all immediately.
No one could possibly do that in an instant as there were too many pills. Old Yu was a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, and he had been in charge of the auction house for a long time now, so it wasn’t like he hadn’t seen transactions worth millions before; however, he really hadn’t ever come across such massive mountains of Open Heaven Pills before.
How many Open Heaven Pills were there in the ring? 100 million was the minimum, but it was likely closer to 200 million. It was no wonder that Yang Kai never even batted an eye when he bid.
With so many pills with him, he could have bought every item on auction today for just a small fraction of his fortune. Not to mention that the items were only worth several ten thousand to several hundred thousand so far.
[Who is he? Why does he possess so many Open Heaven Pills? He’s still quite weak, but he has the guts to walk around with such an immense fortune! Although those from Great Battle Heaven would ensure everyone’s safety in the city, isn’t he worried that an accident might happen?]
He was flabbergasted as he became rooted to the spot with the ring in his hand.
Just then, someone was heard saying from a private room, “Old Yu?”
They were all preparing to mock and ridicule Yang Kai, but Old Yu was unmoving after the inspection. Many of the Open Heaven Realm Masters were sharp-eyed, so they could see the shock behind Old Yu’s gaze, and they wondered what had happened. What was it in the ring that could make a Fourth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master lose his composure so completely?
In Room A6, Pei Bu Wan suddenly recalled something and muttered, “This brat is truly brazen.”
Some time ago, he had given Yang Kai 11 million Open Heaven Pills, 10 million of which was the compensation for First Inn. He thought that Yang Kai had already handed the Open Heaven Pills over to Madam Lan, but it now seemed that it was still in his hands. It was no wonder that this brat remained calm and collected when he was required to go through this inspection.
Since the beginning, the things Yang Kai had bid for were worth only 2 million in total. With 11 million in possession, he didn’t have to worry about anything.
After giving it a thought though, Pei Bu Wan realised that something was off. Even if the ring contained 11 million Open Heaven Pills, it couldn’t have made Old Yu lose his cool. Then, he recalled that he wasn’t the only one who had to pay compensation to First Inn. There were probably a few dozen shops that respectively owed the inn 10 million pills.
At the thought of this, Pei Bu Wan gasped and speculated that there were probably over 100 million pills in the ring. Although he couldn’t believe it, he reckoned that his speculation was right after examining Old Yu’s expression.
“So?” Yang Kai stared at Old Yu.
It was only then that Old Yu came to his senses and stared at Yang Kai with a conflicted gaze. After returning the ring to him, he nodded his head, “This little friend indeed has the right to take part in the auction. This Old Master has made a mistake, please forgive me.”
Yang Kai put on a grin, “Can the auction continue, then?”
After a nod, Old Yu moved and appeared at the back of the stage again.
It was then the auctioneer snapped back to reality and raised the gavel before shouting, “300,000 going once, going twice, going three times… Sold!”
The corners of the young man’s eyes twitched as he stared at Yang Kai in puzzlement. If Yang Kai was so wealthy, why was he seated with the rest of the commoners in the lower hall? Seeing as Yang Kai was looking smilingly at him, he hurriedly turned his head and looked down.
In the young man’s mind, regardless of what Yang Kai’s cultivation was, the latter must be backed by a powerful great force to have so many Open Heaven Pills in his possession. The young man couldn’t afford to offend him, so before the auction was over, he resolved to find a chance to flee.
From that point on, the auction became boring as Yang Kai became unhinged. For the following items, no one made a bid again as they were all purchased by Yang Kai. It was as though the auction was specifically set up for him, and the rest of them were just there to serve as props.
Since no one else would make an offer, the auctioneer was swift with banging the gavel. In just a quarter-hour, over ten Fourth-Order materials were bought by Yang Kai. Bai Qi had fallen silent as well. Since Yang Kai would do all the bidding, it wasn’t necessary for him to make an offer.
“The next few items are the most valuable of our auction today. If anyone is interested, please make an offer.” The auctioneer appeared slightly awkward on the stage. That was because only one person was heard making a bid in the entire venue for the past quarter hour, so it was meaningless for her to even act as a host.
Then, a maidservant went on stage and presented the item. The auctioneer said in the most enthusiastic voice she could muster, “A Fifth-Order Sun’s True Fire. The reserve price is 1 million. Please make your bids.”
After she finished speaking, the atmosphere in the venue finally became lively again as those from the private rooms released their Divine Senses to scan the item.
Generally, Open Heaven materials that were up for sale were Fifth-Order at best. Sixth-Order materials couldn’t ordinarily be bought with Open Heaven Pills, unless one was extremely fortunate.
Although these wealthy VIP’s were interested in the Fourth-Order materials, they could do without them; however, they were determined to get their hands on a Fifth-Order material.
Such an item was a hot cake wherever it was sold. Even the Cave Heavens and Paradises wouldn’t refuse owning more of such materials.
Therefore, as soon as the auctioneer finished her words, someone yelled, “1.2 million!”
“1.3 million!”
“1.4 million!”
…
In Room A6, just when Pei Bu Wan was about to make an offer, a familiar voice was heard again, “3 million.”
Rendered speechless, Pei Bu Wan scratched his head and cursed, “This brat must be out of his mind!”
The average price for a Fifth-Order material was about 1.5 million Open Heaven Pills. Even though the prices in an auction house were generally marked up, the maximum should be no more than 2 million. Yang Kai directly offered a price that was two times the average price, so how were others supposed to continue bidding? He didn’t seem to have the intention of allowing others to buy anything at all today.
“Brat, are you still not done with your nonsense? Don’t go too far!” An enraged voice was heard saying.
“That’s right. Boy, aren’t you worried you’ll attract trouble after purchasing so many items?”
“It’s obvious that he’s here to create trouble!”
If Yang Kai hadn’t ultimately won all the previous items, they would have thought that he was hired by the auction house to push up the prices; however, it was now apparent to everyone that he was here to raise a commotion. But, what was the point of doing that? Although the auction house’s reputation would be harmed if all their items were obtained by only one person today, he would also have to pay a hefty price. Not only was he causing damage to the other party, he was also harming himself.
“Old Yu, does this little brat really have so many Open Heaven Pills?” Someone questioned.
Even the auctioneer turned to look at Old Yu. The things that were up for auction earlier were worth several hundred thousand at most, but 3 million was ten times more than the price of any previous item, which was why everyone was doubtful.
However, Old Yu didn’t say anything after inspecting Yang Kai, so no one knew how many Open Heaven Pills he had in possession.
Faced with the stares, Old Yu hung his head low and remained unperturbed. Secretly, he smiled bitterly and thought that a few million was basically nothing as this brat had almost 200 million in his ring.