Lin Shuang and the other two wore the black masks of the Annihilation Guild, clad entirely in jet-black tight-fitting outfits. They sprinted swiftly through the night. Along the way, they double-checked each other’s gear. Lin Shuang, in particular, scrutinized Meng Zi meticulously. After noticing his belt was untidy, she made him adjust it properly. Additionally, the conspicuously marked Jixing Tablet was in her possession, while the Juling Tablet was carried by Huangpu Yuan. “Alright, everything’s ready,” she confirmed.
“We can’t bring out our usual swords or blades,” Lin Shuang said, pulling out a flute. “Tonight, I’m a sound cultivator practicing the widely-known ‘Hao Ran Jue’ technique.”
Meng Zi: “?”
Huangpu Yuan nodded. Back when he was escorting Prince Cheng, he had heard her practicing the “Yue” chapter of sound cultivation outside the top-grade room at the inn.
He thought, raising his five fingers, “I don’t use any weapon.”
Demons have natural weapons all over their bodies.
Meng Zi looked at her, then at him, “…Is this really necessary?”
In the past, when he went out on assassination missions, he only wore the uniform Lin Shuang specified.
Huangpu Yuan closed his eyes, pulling out a common fifth-tier treasure sword and tossing it to him. Instantly, Meng Zi happily caught it, with no complaints left.
Who cares about being a blade cultivator?
From today onward, he would be a sword cultivator. Who hasn’t learned basic sword techniques?
OK, the inspection was complete. Any revealing techniques, weapons, Fu tables, outer garments, or habits that could expose them were eliminated.
As for small habits like loving spirit stones, being in a hurry, or caring about one’s hair, many cultivators had those.
Nothing particularly strange about it.
Lin Shuang, Huangpu Yuan, and Meng Zi all nodded.
“Woof.”
They sprinted swiftly above the rooftops in the night.
Down on the street below, a few stray dogs lounging in the cool night raised their heads and barked a few times.
“I’ve detected the poison shadow.”
Huangpu Yuan informed Lin Shuang and Meng Zi.
Meng Zi: “…”
Lin Shuang: “…”
So soon? Like a search dog or something?
This was indeed very efficient.
Huangpu Yuan gently raised his finger toward the village dogs below.
Instantly, they vanished down the alleyway into the night.
“He entered the auction house before noon and hasn’t come out since.”
Huangpu Yuan said, his voice gradually turning cold.
“He kicked a dog, so his scent remains, and he left behind some canine clan fur.”
Lin Shuang frowned. This guy even abused small animals?
“It’s already been from noon until now, and he hasn’t come out. Should we just go directly to the auction house and check?”
By now, it was already approaching evening. Waiting any longer, they wouldn’t know when they might finally spot him.
It was a waste of time.
Huangpu Yuan nodded. The three of them immediately jumped down from the eaves to the ground.
Then—
On both sides of the road, the continuous stream of passing cultivators all turned their strange gazes toward the three of them.
Jet-black masks, entirely clad in black tight outfits.
From head to toe, the three of them practically screamed the arrogance of the Y灭 Guild assassins.
Lin Shuang shook her head directly.
This pitch-black uniform of the Annihilation Guild, worn out of guilt, was honestly not very effective.
Lin Shuang said to Huangpu Yuan and the other.
“You two, cover me.”
The auction house was very likely a stronghold of evil cultivators.
Before entering, she needed to make some preparations.
“What are you going to do?”
Meng Zi didn’t understand, baring his teeth and glaring at the scattered cultivators on the street who were staring at him.
“What are you staring at? Never seen an assassin from the Y灭 Guild taking a walk before?!”
The scattered cultivator: “…”
Lin Shuang walked toward a nearby calligraphy and painting stall.
This calligraphy and painting stall was also run by a cultivator.
The stall, which could accommodate about three people to view, had many scrolls of paintings inserted in porcelain vases, as well as ink-wash paintings laid flat on the table.
Some couldn’t fit, so the stall owner had hung them on the walls behind the street.
Most of them were various-sized floral and bird paintings.
These birds and flowers were vividly lifelike. The black grape-like eyes would move as pedestrians passed by.
In fact, some second-tier paintings of magpies perched on branches would even groom their feathers if a cultivator stared at them for too long.
They would even speak.
“Good fortune is coming! Hey, you should buy me, good fortune is coming!”
“Bringing good news, an early joy for the morning!”
“Hang me by your bed, and I’ll wake you up every day!”
“…”
Meng Zi covered his head and took a step back, clutching his chest.
Huangpu Yuan quickly averted his gaze with a look of disdain.
Because the calligraphy and painting stall displayed only these strange bird paintings, the passersby on the road didn’t want to linger or even look.
They were afraid that if they accidentally looked too long, they might trigger the annoying and awkward sound of the ‘magpie painting’ speaking.
Sigh, only a fool would buy them!
But right now, Lin Shuang was heading precisely toward the wall-side position of this calligraphy and painting stall.
She gently pushed aside a painting of a magpie on a branch, as if to examine it.
“Hey, female cultivator, you have great taste. Do you want me to take it down for you to have a closer look?” the calligraphy and painting stall owner stood up energetically.
Lin Shuang immediately turned around, winking and making faces at Huangpu Yuan and Meng Zi.
[Xiao Ai No.1 (Lin): What are you doing? Cover me!]
Are you sure this needs covering?
Seeing the magpie painting about to sing again, Huangpu Yuan’s eyebrow twitched. In an instant, his tall figure stood stiff and motionless.
Suddenly, a pitch-black, large, wolf-like creature, as big as a wolf, with smooth and glossy fur, strode forward from the far end of the road where the auction house was located.
It raised its majestic and handsome wolf head and let out a howl.
“Awooooo——”
Instantly, all the gazes on this street, including the calligraphy and painting stall owner’s, were firmly captured by it!
“Is this a fifth-tier spirit wolf?”
“It seems to have awakened intelligence. Is it unclaimed?!”
“Where did it come from? Could it be brought by one of the elders during a sect competition?”
Spirit wolves are one of the occupational branches of wolf demons.
Lin Shuang glanced at the glossy ‘wolf’ fur with the corner of her eye.
Wolf demons with poor cultivation talent, knowing they can’t make it in their clan, will come to work among humans for a living.
They can use their powerful demon bodies to perform certain tasks for human cultivators, such as boosting the prestige of elders in human sects.
Cultivating together, sometimes they have a relationship like apprentices and masters, sometimes they are both teachers and friends.
“Awooooo——”
The tall, pitch-black wolf instantly dashed from the far end of the spiritual market to the opposite side of where Lin Shuang was at the calligraphy and painting stall.
In an instant, everyone’s gaze followed its movement.
It ran swiftly, its fur smooth and fluffy, each strand black and shiny, like thick ink.
“This must be worth five hundred thousand spirit stones?”
Meng Zi couldn’t help drooling as he asked the ‘dazed’ Huangpu Yuan beside him.
Lin Shuang seized the opportunity. Under the cover of the others, while everyone was focused on the wolf… she leaned against the wall behind the calligraphy and painting stall and quietly drew a teleportation talisman on the wall with one hand.
After repeatedly utilizing the Zhanchuan and Yuanhe teleportation formations, she had long since studied their patterns. Coupled with the teleportation talisman provided by the elders of the Shanhai Sect, she had already grasped the fundamentals.
Although it could only teleport one street away, in an emergency, it would be enough to evacuate from the auction house to this crowded area.
Lin Shuang swiftly completed drawing the talisman with her fingertip dipped in cinnabar, then left a smudge of black ink at the base of the wall behind the calligraphy and painting stall.
Then, she quietly covered the magpie painting back to its original position.
Just as the wolf disappeared in an instant, she headed toward the auction house, saying, “Let’s go, Jizi bag, Dabao.”
Meng Zi shivered all over.
He never thought of using such codenames before.
Hearing them, he felt delighted all over.
Huangpu Yuan: “…”
The auction house was located in the most prominent position of the spiritual market.
It was bright day and night, with sounds of bidding, rolling spirit stones, and announcements of ‘fifth-tier treasures’ and ‘fourth-tier spirit herbs’ coming out from the three-courtyard compound now and then.
It seemed to constantly tempt passing cultivators to enter.
Earlier, the senior brothers from the Shanhai Sect had recommended them to come here.
Disciples from the eliminated sects had mostly come here to watch the commotion and look for hidden treasures.
But Lin Shuang glanced at her past tomato clock summary.
“Liuxian Auction House. This shop location has been a pawnshop, teahouse, and storybook shop over the past ten years… It went bankrupt multiple times and changed owners until it reopened three years ago.”
“You know that too?” Meng Zi was greatly surprised.
Lin. Street shopping expert. Shuang, looked up at the luxurious and lively auction courtyard in front of her.
“Yeah. I spent ten years at Qing Shui Sect, and this is the closest and largest spiritual market to the sect, so I naturally know it.”
Meng Zi, a Qing Shui Sect disciple for twenty years, “…Are you indirectly calling me stupid?”
The distance from Qing Shui Sect to Liuxian Town’s spiritual market was about as close as that from Shanhai Sect.
Lin Shuang would go out for entertainment and relaxation with her junior apprentice sister from time to time.
“Since three years ago, it started hosting auctions.”
“Since then, it has been holding big sales every few days, selling spirit treasures that are beautifully packaged, though the quality is questionable.”
Lin Shuang made a complicated expression.
As an efficient shopper, she had a thorough understanding of every stall’s goods, quality, and when the shop owners would get new stock in this spiritual market.
Huangpu Yuan: “…”
Meng Zi: “…”
So, he definitely wasn’t wrong about her in the past; she slacked off a lot.
Every time she went shopping in the past, Lin Shuang was immersed and serious!
She was also very skillful.
As Lin Shuang lowered her voice and walked toward the auction house’s main gate, she said, “There are only two times a year when there are really good things here. This time, they say they’ve discovered an ancient secret mansion, which should be true.”
Normally, this place was equivalent to a two-yuan market, with nothing valuable, mostly to deceive new disciples or newly arrived scattered cultivators.
But twice a year, they held serious auctions.
Participating seriously meant a high probability of obtaining treasures.
“You’ve been here before? How do we get in?”
Meng Zi saw two cultivators with no low cultivation level guarding the three-courtyard gate of the auction house.
They were carefully checking each entrant’s Jizi bag with a spirit stone detector.
Without sufficient resources or spirit stones, one couldn’t enter the auction house, to prevent guests from falsely bidding and swapping auction treasures.
Meng Zi felt nervous; his disciple badge was still in his Jizi bag.
How could he show it to them?
“Lin Shuang, think of a way quickly.”
“I’ve never been in. I just stood in the storybook shop across the street and listened to everyone talk about it before.”
Lin Shuang shrugged.
The auction process was too long; she never liked waiting.
The most important thing was, as an outer sect disciple of Qing Shui Sect three years ago, she didn’t have a stable and large source of spirit stones.
Even if she encountered good items, she couldn’t afford to bid.
Wouldn’t that be a waste of time?
Huangpu Yuan pressed his rough black mask against his face, frowning, as if it felt a bit irritating to his skin.
“I’ve been here.”
“I have a VIP jade token.”
Meng Zi: “…”
Lin Shuang: “…”
Why didn’t you say so earlier!
“Last year’s auction, I came to investigate. At that time, there was only a cultivator at the early stage of Void Foundation presiding, and all the goods were normal. I bought some spirit herbs.”
Saying so, Huangpu Yuan walked to the entrance of the auction house.
When blocked by the two checking cultivators, he threw a Jizi bag to them.
When they opened it, it was twenty bottles of sixth-tier recovery pills!
The cultivators queuing to enter the auction house all inhaled sharply and stepped back!
So generous!
“These two are with me.”
Huangpu Yuan said, not looking sideways, not even glancing at the gatekeepers, and walked into the courtyard.
The sword-carrying guards didn’t dare to stop him.
Their gazes were cautious and even flattering, and they even stepped back a step to give Lin Shuang and Meng Zi enough space to enter.
“Twenty thousand spirit stones worth of pills, three honored guests, please.”
The auction house couldn’t directly use physical items to offset the spirit stones for bidding.
But there was an additional trading area inside the auction building. When bidders lacked spirit stones, they could sell their carried sixth-tier pills to the organizers to exchange for spirit stones and then bid.
However, in the auction house, rushing to exchange for spirit stones like this usually had the price pressed down to seventy to eighty percent.
It was very unprofitable for the guests.
“They are happy to see guests bringing in spirit treasures.”
After entering the corridor of the auction house, Huangpu Yuan was soon greeted by two well-dressed, red-lipped and white-toothed obedient Daoist boys who came to guide them.
The leading Daoist boy respectfully said.
“Esteemed guest, it’s not entirely like that. If you bring rare treasures, you can also auction them here. With the Twelve Sects Competition coming up, if you release the treasure information a day in advance, you can sell it at a rare high price.”
As he spoke, the interior of the auction house was displayed before them.
Upon entering the first floor, one would find a spacious hall adorned with several glazed incense burners overhead, showcasing the introductions of auction items from the past three days.
These floating spirit treasures were only illusions, but they were proportionally restored to the original treasures.
Cultivators could also check whether there were any damages or if they were brand new.
As Lin Shuang raised her gaze, she saw that the first through third floors were private rooms with drapes hanging down, inscribed with soundproofing talismans and defensive charms, shielding them from the prying eyes of passersby.
Huangpu Yuan brought twenty bottles of sixth-tier pills, which was clearly generous among the guests.
But his cultivation level was merely at the Condensing Yuan stage, so he couldn’t be considered today’s top-tier guest.
The two Daoist boys quickly led the three of them into a second-floor private room.
It was visible that their carried spirit stones and cultivation levels, when comprehensively evaluated, were only of medium ranking among today’s guests.
They received a certain level of attention but weren’t too conspicuous.
Lin Shuang nodded in satisfaction.
“Three honored guests, please.”
The second floor, facing south, the most central and largest room, was marked by expensive embroidered curtains, which were silently lifted by the guiding Daoist boy.
In the center of the room was a four-person tea table.
Inside the room, there were also spirit gathering arrays and sound cultivation stones for the honored guests to enjoy.
Lin Shuang and the three entered.
Another Daoist boy quickly came in to place spirit tea and fruits.
The tea table they sat at faced two wide, carved window frames.
Outside the window, a pavilion resembling a boat protruded from the shore, half over the water and half like a stage, displaying the auction house’s special treasure display stand.
The next auction had not yet begun, but one could see the five-tier defensive formation on the treasure display stand with a red cloth covering it, which even a Void Foundation cultivator couldn’t forcibly take.
“Esteemed guests, this is the list of key spirit treasures for tonight’s three auctions.”
“If you wish to examine the items in person, you must first pay a deposit of 50,000 spirit stones. We will then escort you to the waterside pavilion,” said the Daoist attendant as he placed a jade slip introducing the auction items before them. With a respectful bow, he retreated backward and quietly drew the curtain closed behind him. Instantly, all external noises were muted.
Lin Shuang nodded in approval. The auction house’s service was indeed impressive. From the moment they entered, neither the Qi Condensation attendant nor the Foundation Establishment guards outside had shown any particular reaction to their Annihilation Pavilion attire. Either previous Annihilation Pavilion assassins had attended auctions here before, or many guests preferred to conceal their identities. Alternatively, the auction house might simply be unperturbed by three mere Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Annihilation Pavilion, confident that they couldn’t carry out any assassination missions within its premises.
[Xiao Ai No.2 (Huangpu): There are two Void Integration cultivators, three Spirit Transformation cultivators, and hundreds of Condensing Yuan cultivators present today. Do not act recklessly.]
Meng Zi: “…?”
Initiating any action here was impossible. They had to lure their targets outside.
Huangpu Yuan closed his eyes briefly, seemingly scanning with his spiritual sense. Then he reached out, drawing the entire auction pavilion’s layout on the table with water.
_____Treasure Storage (Void Integration)___
Left Spirit Transformation__Auction Pavilion___Right Void Integration_
______Three-tiered Seating (Spirit Transformation)____
_______ Entrance _______
Lin Shuang’s eyes flickered as she looked across to the window. The auction pavilion’s stage had a Spirit Transformation cultivator on the left and a Void Integration cultivator on the right. Behind the stage was the auction pavilion’s treasure storage area, guarded by another Void Integration cultivator.
“The last time I came,” Huangpu Yuan murmured, “the room on the left side of the stage was where guests sold their personal treasures for spirit stones. Today, it’s guarded by a Spirit Transformation cultivator.”
“The room on the right side of the stage is where guests view auction items or conduct transactions after purchasing them. Given the significant treasures involved, both this room and the treasure storage area behind the stage are guarded by Void Integration cultivators today.”
“These places are protected by defensive formations.”
They couldn’t force their way in. Doing so would require facing two Void Integration cultivators at the stage’s right and behind it.
Lin Shuang nodded.
At critical moments, Da Bao’s puppy squad was still quite useful.
[Xiao Ai No.1 (Lin): Which private room did Du Ying enter? Or…]
As she asked, Huangpu Yuan extended his hand, forming a short, grayish-white hair in his palm. He placed this fox hair at the end of the hand-drawn map on the table.
_______Hair____
___Treasure Storage (Void Integration)__
Left Spirit Transformation_Auction Pavilion_Right Void Integration
The hair represented Du Ying? He was in the deepest part of the pavilion guarded by Void Integration cultivators?
“Tch, they’re definitely all working together!” Meng Zi thumped the table, lowering his voice.
Lin Shuang rested her chin in one hand.
Just as she had envisioned in the Queen’s Palace, the majority of evil cultivators from the Ningyuan faction should have been eradicated by the sects recently. At the very least, experienced evil cultivators knew to lay low during this period.
Their presence here now meant they were here for a ‘meeting.’
But the next moment, Huangpu Yuan sent them two more gray hairs.
Lin Shuang and Meng Zi instantly heard a sneering, sinister laugh.
“Those useless disciples actually thought they could catch me!?”
“Alright, Du Ying, the Patriarch instructed you and Lao Huo to hide here for three days. Wait until their disciples finish their competition before heading out.”
“Ugh, even the tribute on March 16th was canceled, and they still want us to wait! I’m going to grow hair waiting here!”
What?
The tribute was canceled?
Lin Shuang’s expression changed.
She had planned to catch them red-handed on that day.
Had someone tipped them off?
Was it the Wang Jian faction or the Zhao family?
Or was it the Queen’s faction’s operation to eliminate evil cultivators?
“You dare say that? I told you not to go out yesterday, yet you still went for a stroll today! Is your head full of water, Du Ying? If it weren’t for your exposure, the tribute wouldn’t have been canceled!”
“Blame me then! Fine, fine, I’ll just sleep here for three days, okay!?”
Lin Shuang and Meng Zi bared their teeth.
So Du Ying wasn’t coming out?
And Lao Huo, could that be another evil cultivator captured by the Queen?
Someone had already given these evil cultivators information yesterday.
“So what do we do now? He won’t come out, we can’t beat the Void Integration cultivators, are we just going to give up?”
The tribute was also canceled.
Meng Zi frowned, “Should we report this place to the elders?”
Huangpu Yuan closed his eyes; he trusted none of the elders.
Lin Shuang pressed her temples.
Someone passing information meant another signal: that the elder in question couldn’t act personally and could only send a message. If something happened, he wouldn’t be able to help.
During the competition, the organizing and watching elders would all be at the Shanhai Sect, unable to leave.
In other words, the Transcendent they feared couldn’t move now.
There were only two Void Integration cultivators here.
She looked at the layout of the auction pavilion on the table.
“We need to lure the Void Integration guarding the treasure vault out from behind the pavilion.”
“Hmm?” Meng Zi looked down.
Lin Shuang immediately modified the drawing:
——Hair (Du Ying)———
_Treasure Storage (Void Integration, crossed out, changed to Spirit Transformation)_
“As long as we have about a hundred breaths of time to replace the Void Integration guarding the treasure vault with a Spirit Transformation cultivator, Da Bao, can you handle him then?”
Huangpu Yuan looked at it for a while, glancing at her, “Hmm.”
Wang Jian’s layer had portraits revealing that the fox clan’s innate skill was charm.
She believed the nine-tailed fox wouldn’t miss such an ability.
This big demon had so many hidden talents.
If he could control or slightly hypnotize a Spirit Transformation cultivator for a short time, he could infiltrate the auction pavilion’s treasure storage area where Du Ying was hiding.
Even for a hundred breaths, bringing Du Ying out.
They might accomplish this mission right under the eyes of the Void Integration cultivators.
Huangpu Yuan was silent for half a moment, adding, “If I give it my all, I can kill one of the Void Integration cultivators.”
Meng Zi: “…”
Lin Shuang nodded.
She knew that back then, before the Li Village nine-linked rings, he already had the strength of a Spirit Transformation cultivator with one sword strike.
Later, after learning the Nine Braid cultivation method (not really), four months have passed.
The Li Village was filled with rich spiritual energy, naturally a paradise for cultivation. If humans could progress so much, how much more so for ancient beast cultivators.
Combined with Xiao Lü’s spiritual energy gift back then… if he went all out and called upon a bunch of fox clan minions for a group attack, it wasn’t impossible.
“You can go ahead and take action if you want.”
Lin Shuang didn’t stop Huangpu Yuan from seeking revenge, after all, it wasn’t her with deep hatred.
“But only at the very last moment before we leave. The mission isn’t completed yet, and with two Void Integration cultivators present, once you act, the other will immediately come to reinforce.”
Meng Zi nodded earnestly, “Yes, Senior Huangpu, please endure. Our current priority is how to lure out the Void Integration guarding the treasure vault.”
He was also eager to get started, determined to succeed.
The auction pavilion was an evil cultivator base; the treasures stored there were all stolen goods from evil cultivators!
If they could take one or two unclaimed items… it would also be acting as righteous enforcers!
“As long as guests bring a few treasures of equal value to today’s auction items and wish to sell them to the auction pavilion, the Spirit Transformation cultivator originally at the front desk probably wouldn’t be able to make decisions.”
Lin Shuang pointed at the map showing the auction stage’s left and right sides.
Continuing to modify the map:
______Hair____
___Treasure Storage (Spirit Transformation)__
Left Void Integration_Auction Pavilion_Right Void Integration
Moving the two Void Integration cultivators from the back to the front, creating a vacuum at the rear.
1. Left room – for exchanging spirit stones: guarded by Spirit Transformation, crossed out, replaced with Void Integration No.1
2. Right room – for viewing auction items: maintained by Void Integration No.2
“Once we achieve this, it will be sufficient.”
Lin Shuang pointed at these two left and right rooms.
“As a precaution, we should each take a valuable treasure and sell it to the auction pavilion, keeping Void Integration No.1 occupied in the spirit stone exchange room.”
“The other person will go to the right room, where auction items are viewed, to delay Void Integration No.2.”
“Delaying for 100 breaths on both sides will create an opening for Da Bao to capture Du Ying in the treasure storage area.”
“After capturing him, we must leave this place within three breaths at most!”
Huangpu Yuan found this plan feasible.
Meng Zi hissed, “What valuable treasures do we have to sell to the auction pavilion to lure them out? Treasures from Rongbaozhai?”
Lin Shuang shook her head.
Huangpu Yuan had many treasures, but most of their sources overlapped with Rongbaozhai.
If someone investigated later, it would easily trace back to Rongbaozhai, leading to suspicions about him.
“Naturally, we’ll use this.”
Lin Shuang picked up the auction list for today that the Daoist apprentice had eagerly promoted to them earlier.
Today’s featured items:
– Fifth-grade Nine Thunder Confinement Array
– Fifth-grade Mustard Seed Illusion Array
– Sixth-grade Thousand Mountains and Myriad Waters Painted Screen
“I’ll try forging one.”
“??”
As she spoke, night had already fallen.
The first auction was about to begin.
*
[It’s really boring that the three from Qing Shui Sect are still lying around.]
[The other five sects are all tracking down the evil cultivators. I don’t know why, but although it’s very tense, I feel a bit sleepy watching.]
[Without Qing Shui Sect, it feels like something’s missing.]
[Every action of Lin Shuang’s trio is quite unique and interesting.]
[Isn’t that right? The inflatable trio formation of the Zhao family and the cocoon tactic against the Hundred Flowers Sect were both novel and quite exhilarating to watch.]
The disciples watching the competition all expressed boredom.
It seemed like they had caught Lin Shuang’s bug, becoming addicted in a way.
Besides their restlessness, the elder seats were also filled with dissatisfaction from the twelve sects.
“Master Yu, look at the mess you’ve made!”
“Master Tan, look at your well-taught disciples!”
Shui Qiantan: “…”
What did this have to do with him?
“This matter was all the Hundred Flowers Sect’s fault in corrupting my Lin Shuang. I didn’t even go to Master Yu to claim compensation for my disciples, which is already quite generous.”
Master Yu Lu, with a face full of despair, had piles of withered leaves at her feet.
But Shui Qiantan changed the subject, “But it’s not that bad.”
“In ancient times, leading troops into battle wasn’t just about brute force. Our cultivation path should be the same. Disciples shouldn’t rely solely on brute force, ending up dying alongside evil cultivators. We must use wisdom to overcome them.”
Saying this, he took a swig of wine, looking carefree.
But his aged, yellow eyes turned to the projection of the three lying Lin Shuangs and quickly fell silent, unable to continue speaking.
The two meditating ones changed positions again, already napping on the table.
The other one reading cultivation techniques had fallen to the ground, surrounded by scattered novels — “The Fairy Falls for Me.”
Shui Qiantan’s old eyes twitched.
He would remember Meng Zi.
What kind of nonsense was he reading!
The ‘Lin Shuang’ trio in the projection even had snoring, teeth grinding, and sleep-talking sounds clearly transmitted.
‘Lin Shuang’ mumbled, “Senior Huangpu, give me a blanket, I’m cold.”
‘Huangpu Yuan’: “Oh.”
‘Meng Zi’: “Lin Shuang, give me another picture book~”
‘Lin Shuang’: “Okay!”
Elder Shui closed his eyes, instantly turning his entire body into a puddle of water, unable to bear watching anymore.
But such a Qing Shui Sect still ranked first, what could be done?
Ah well, it infuriated the other sects.
The water ripples continued to tremble.
The elders of the other sects: “…”
What a ridiculous situation.
[…]
“Lin Shuang of Qing Shui Sect has shown us that even elders won’t be too harsh on them for completing tasks, given their overwhelming advantage.”
Li Hua, the commentator of the competition, sighed.
“Because they can literally lie their way into the top three.”
[…]
“Alright, it’s already night. Li Hua and Zhao Keran, here to explain the competition, will now take our leave.”
“Everyone, see you tomorrow morning.”
“The night projection will continue, priced at 200 spirit stones per incense stick.”
[???]
[This is outrageous!]
[Now that Lin Shuang is asleep, are you all going to sleep too?]
At night, evil cultivators often became more active, with various hidden forces becoming bolder under the moonlight.
But today, it was unusually quiet.
The five major sects’ disciples used various methods to track down evil cultivators, each relying on different cultivation techniques.
Some communicated with flowers, begged for alms, followed clues of missing treasures, or patiently waited at major markets.
Three sects had already identified hiding spots, just waiting for an opportunity to act without harming other cultivators or commoners.
The disciples watching the projection were also patiently waiting.
In contrast, the auction house in Liuxian Town remained lively tonight.
With the twelve sects’ competition, disciples from various sects gathered here. Those not interested in this round of trials came out to relax.
Many disciples came to the auction to collect treasures and even to flirt with wandering cultivators.
“Phew, with Senior Sister asleep, let’s hurry up. Senior Brother, Cousin, shall we go to the auction together?”
Zhao Keran, along with her cousin Zhao Ming and senior brother Zhou Xuanwu, both carrying shopping cloth bags…
They were just like Lin Shuang, learning from her how to enjoy the fruits of their shopping.
Zhou Xuanwu and Zhao Ming were both helpless.
Along the way, they really wanted to use their storage bags.
“Didn’t we agree that you should focus on cultivation to represent the Zhao family?”
“Ah, the fastest way to learn is to go with the flow. Work and rest must be balanced for blessings.”
“…”
As they spoke, Zhao Keran had already reached the auction house entrance.
She saw the posted rules.
“An entry fee of at least 500 spirit stones per person, unless you can prove you have 50,000 spirit stones. Wow.”
Zhao Keran was immediately stumped.
After leaving home, she wasn’t particularly wealthy.
Fortunately, her cousin Zhao Ming showed three swords to successfully enter.
But no sooner had they entered than Zhao Keran was drawn to a room on the second floor.
“Strange, I can smell… the scent of the fastest learning.”
“? ?”
On the second floor, Lin Shuang stood upright, her head being continuously massaged by invisible claws.
Her eyes were red as she fully activated the Fire Eye Golden Vision Technique, layer 1291, intensely staring across the window at the auction stage in the center of the pavilion.
At that moment, a Spirit Transformation cultivator was passionately selling tonight’s fifth-grade auction item—the Nine Thunder Imprisonment Formation!
A hundred and eight divine senses continuously fluttered behind her.
Huangpu Yuan stood behind her, his nine scorpion-like braids suddenly supporting her divine senses!
Then came Meng Zi, one hand resting on her shoulder.
He was drenched in sweat, his spiritual stones and divine senses nearly drained by her. “Have you learned it yet? Hurry up, I can’t take much more of this…” he gasped.
Lin Shuang held an icy cloth to her forehead with one hand while gesturing in the air with the other, as if tracing something.
“Disciple Meng, be quiet,” she said.
“Ugh, it took her three breaths to learn a five-step formation earlier. Now she’s been staring at this fifth-tier formation for over twenty breaths—this is already the third round of bidding…” Meng Zi couldn’t help but feel anxious.
His divine senses were exhausted.
Approaching his limit.
Meanwhile, the auctioneer on the stage, a Nascent Divinity Formation cultivator, none other than the man in the purple robe who had invited them that day, continued calling out.
“Ninefold Thunder Binding Formation! Twenty-two thousand once, twenty-two thousand twice—”
Before he could finish, Lin Shuang burst into tears. Huangpu Yuan, standing behind her, let his long hair drift forward, touching the bidding transmission talisman on the tea table.
“Twenty-two thousand and one,” Huangpu Yuan said hoarsely.
“What the hell!”
“That bastard again! Always increasing by a thousand each time!”
“Pfft, what a pauper!”
“Who the hell are you?! Add a thousand each time? Just shut your damn mouth!”
Huangpu Yuan’s eyebrow twitched.
“Twenty-three thousand!”
“Twenty-four thousand!”
Lin Shuang’s right hand, which had been tracing in the air, finally stopped.
Huangpu Yuan exhaled in relief and pressed the transmission talisman. “Thirty-five thousand spirit stones!”
Lin Shuang: “…”
Meng Zi: “…”
“Damn it!”
“First he kept raising by a thousand, messing with us, and now he jumps ten thousand at once!”
“How many times has this happened tonight? I hope this fellow breaks his sword the next time he tries to ride it!”
“May your magical artifact fail you in a battle of life and death!”
(Note: The term “法宝” is translated as “magical artifact” to convey the idea of a special, enchanted object often found in fantasy or martial arts contexts. The phrase maintains the original’s tone of a curse or ill wish.)
“Hey, someone with such a strange temper might be a senior. Keep it down, don’t provoke him!”
“Nonsense! All the seniors around here are at the Shanhai Sect watching the martial contests. Don’t you know the items for the Ascension Tribulation won’t appear until four days from now? This one at most is just a Nascent Soul cultivator!”
“He’s not even Nascent Soul. All the elders from the sects are focused on the contests. The Auction Pavilion is smart—they’ve saved all the good stuff for the last two days. This guy’s probably just at the Nascent Divinity stage!”
“Nascent Divinity? Next time you bid like that, I’ll cut you down!”
The grumbling voices, transmitted through the talismans, erupted in various private bidding rooms and VIP seats.
Huangpu Yuan lowered his phoenix eyes and glared accusingly at Lin Shuang.
Lin Shuang, eyes full of tears, shrugged innocently.
As she lowered her head, tears slid from the corners of her eyes. Instantly, five third-tier ink pens flew into her hand. She quickly drew new formation patterns on the flawed fifth-tier formation disk Huangpu Yuan had placed before her.
—This was originally a fifth-tier formation disk, radiating power matching its tier.
—From her earlier observation and rapid memorization, limited by her divine senses, she had reproduced about seventy percent of the original formation.
Combined, these formed a counterfeit of the fifth-tier Ninefold Thunder Binding Formation, faintly exuding the aura of thunder tribulation.
The aura was correct, fifth-tier.
Almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
“Ninefold Thunder Binding Formation.”
After finishing the drawing, Lin Shuang glanced at the product description given by the young Daoist attendant: “Recovered from an ancient secret vault, it can summon nine heavenly thunderbolts, trapping even Nascent Soul cultivators.”
She looked at the name of the vault’s original owner—Master Zhao.
Then she casually traced a single character on the formation disk: “Zou” (Go).
“Remember, don’t let them activate the formation. Mine is also from the same ancient vault, and has limited usage.”
Meng Zi: “…”
If tested, the forgery would be exposed immediately—this was the “try once and you’re done” category.
At this moment, on the table before Lin Shuang, besides this forged formation disk, there were also forgeries of a fifth-tier sword talisman said to be from the same secret vault.
A fifth-tier flawed illusion formation disc of the Jiezi type, and a damaged fourth-tier explosive talisman—both also counterfeit.
Corresponding to the third, fifth, and seventh auction items of the day…
Meng Zi took the forged items worth over a million spirit stones, his hands trembling.
“Double-Carving, be honest—will these actually work?”
“Approximately equivalent to a fourfold thunder binding formation, a third-tier sword talisman, and a fourth-tier mustard seed illusion formation.”
Lin Shuang pressed her fingers to her forehead.
“But I haven’t tested them myself, especially this mustard seed illusion formation. I don’t know what happens once you enter—I only copied the patterns.”
Meng Zi: “…”
Huangpu Yuan: “…”
The Fire Eye and Golden Vision technique, used for copying homework—or rather, learning from top students—was incredibly fast!
Lin Shuang patted her sleeve.
“Alright, let’s go now, before the auction ends and too many eyes are watching.”
“Take the mustard seed bag and sell it. I’ll go pick up the genuine items I bought earlier. Big Treasure, you head to the back. No problem, right?”
“Let’s go!”
Meng Zi loved earning spirit stones the most. He was a master at selling goods, never letting a single copper slip away, a true haggling expert.
He was determined to succeed in this mission.
He wouldn’t stop until he had squeezed every last spirit stone from the Nascent Soul cultivators!
He was full of passion and confidence.
Lin Shuang was also satisfied, but as soon as she took a step forward,
She nearly got tackled by a small, familiar figure.
The two groups simultaneously stopped in the corridor outside the private room.
Zhao Keran looked at the woman before her—dressed in the sleek black robe of the Annihilation Pavilion, wearing a black mask.
The woman’s face was hidden, but she carried a large saber, a sharp sword, and an ancient zither on her back.
In her left chest were inserted a jade flute, an ink brush, and a bundle of talismans; on her right elbow, a crossbow…
The sheer coolness of having all eighteen types of martial artifacts strapped to her body left Zhao Keran—fastest scholar of Grade Eight—stunned.
Lin Shuang looked down at Zhao Keran, also stunned and pausing.
The three from Lin Shuang’s group and the three from Zhao Keran’s group all froze in place.
“Shi—” Zhao Keran opened her mouth, but stopped after the first syllable.
Because Lin Shuang immediately raised her hand, the eighteen martial artifacts strapped to her body clinking together.
She coldly lifted her chin at a fifteen-degree angle, her voice transformed into a husky, icy tone as she rejected, “Beautiful lady, you’ve mistaken me.”
“That’s right,” Meng Zi nodded behind her, his voice also altered into a falsetto. “She doesn’t go by Shi. She goes by Diao.”
As in the Double-Carving.
Zhao Ming looked at the masked figure whose back was oddly familiar: “…”
Huangpu Yuan closed his eyes, his voice now resembling that of an old man.
“Big Treasure, hurry up and trade the mustard seed bag for spirit stones!”
Zhao Keran: “!”
Zhou Xuanwu, Zhao Ming: “!”
Jiezi bag?
They all turned their gaze to the third figure from the Annihilation Pavilion—the old man with the hunched posture—
“Understood,” Lin Shuang said in a smoky, seductive voice as she walked past Zhao Keran in her ten-centimeter high heels.
“!”
Big Treasure is carrying the mustard seed bag?!
Zhao Keran’s eyes widened.
Heavens, this group name fits perfectly with the fastest scholar.
—So eye-catching!
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