The afternoon sun hung low over Azure Mist City, casting long, golden shadows across the ruined marble floor of the Wu Clan Assembly Hall. The shattered wooden doors, crushed mahogany tables, and spiderweb cracks running along the stone walls stood as silent testaments to the brief yet terrifying clash that had just transpired.
Servants and outer clan guards, summoned by the First Elder's urgent orders, moved with fearful haste. They carried away the cold body of Steward Chen and dragged the crippled, unconscious form of former Second Elder Wu-Guang down to the underground dungeons. Wu-Tian, completely broken in spirit, had been dragged away alongside his father, his eyes vacant and devoid of their former arrogance.
The High Council of Elders stood lined up near the eastern pillars, their heads bowed low in deep respect—and palpable fear. None of them dared to make eye contact with the fifteen-year-old youth standing calmly in the center of the hall.
Li-Wen adjusted his black silk sleeves, his expression as tranquil as a deep mountain well. The newly carved Abyssal Bone Rune on his spine had settled back into a quiet, dormant state, its metallic earth-resonance humming softly beneath his flesh. One hundred and forty thousand jin of pure physical strength vibrated steadily through his skeletal structure, perfectly contained beneath his fragile mortal appearance.
"First Elder," Wu-Wen's authoritative voice rang across the hall, drawing the attention of the remaining elders.
Wu-Wen stepped down from the high dais, his posture commanding and his Sixth-Stage Ki-Refine aura pulsating with newly recovered vigor. "Seize all financial ledgers, hidden vaults, and private property belonging to Wu-Guang's branch. Every gold coin stolen from the family's iron mines over the past three years shall be audited and returned to the main clan treasury by tomorrow evening."
"As you command, Clan Head!" First Elder Wu-Cang bowed hastily, his white beard trembling slightly. "We will personally oversee the audit. Not a single copper coin shall be missed!"
"You may all take your leave," Wu-Wen added coldly.
The elders bowed once more and quickly retreated from the hall like sheep fleeing a lion's den, eager to distance themselves from the wrath of the Clan Head and his monstrous son.
Once the massive hall was cleared of everyone except the father and son, the heavy, suffocating atmosphere finally began to soften.
Wu-Wen walked over to Li-Wen, stopping a few paces away. He looked at his son—at the calm eyes that seemed to hold the profound wisdom and authority of an ancient deity—and let out a long, complex sigh filled with pride, joy, and a faint touch of melancholy.
"Li-Wen," Wu-Wen began softly, his voice trembling slightly. "Three days ago, I was prepared to sell my life to buy you a few more years of medicine. Today... you single-handedly crushed the traitorous faction of our clan, defeated a Sixth-Stage elder with your bare hands, and secured our family's future."
He paused, searching Li-Wen's eyes. "Tell your father the truth. The mysterious senior who bestowed the pill recipe upon you... did he also teach you this terrifying physical martial art?"
Li-Wen looked at his devoted father. He knew that revealing his true identity as a reincarnated God Emperor who had ruled five celestial realms would be far too overwhelming for a mortal warrior at the Sixth Stage of Ki-Refine. The truth would bring unnecessary confusion and danger to Wu-Wen's heart.
"Father," Li-Wen replied smoothly, his tone warm and respectful. "The master who cleansed my body left behind a set of ancient bone-tempering techniques and spiritual memory seals in my mind. As my physical vessel recovered, those memories unlocked automatically. What I used today is merely the foundational strength of that ancient inheritance."
Wu-Wen nodded slowly, awe written across his weathered face. "An ancient bone-tempering technique... to catch a Sixth-Stage broadsword with a bare palm without breaking skin! That master must be an ancient hermit from the grand central continent, a legendary sovereign of the realm!"
Wu-Wen patted Li-Wen's shoulder heavily, his eyes shining with profound relief. "Whatever the case, heaven has not abandoned my Wu line. But Li-Wen, you must be extremely cautious now. Wu-Guang's defeat has secured our internal position, but it will inevitably attract external eyes."
Li-Wen's eyes narrowed slightly. "External eyes?"
"Yes," Wu-Wen's expression grew grave as he walked toward the high carved window, looking out toward the distant, cloud-shrouded mountain peaks surrounding Azure Mist City. "Our Wu Clan is merely a second-tier family within Azure Mist City. Above us are the three Great Families—the Bai Clan, the Zhou Clan, and the mysterious City Governor's Estate. More importantly, the Family Assessment occurring in three weeks is not just an internal affair."
Wu-Wen turned back to Li-Wen. "Every three years, envoys from the regional grand sects—such as the Floating Cloud Sword Sect and the Blood Moon Sect—visit Azure Mist City during the Assessment to recruit young geniuses. Wu-Tian was secretly courting an outer elder of the Blood Moon Sect to gain entry. Now that you have displayed such shocking talent, those regional powers will certainly take notice. And in the eyes of those grand sects, a small family like ours is nothing more than ant hills to be stepped on if we possess treasures or techniques they covet."
"Regional sects..." Li-Wen murmured, a cold, indifferent glint flashing through his dark golden pupils.
In his past life as a God Emperor, divine sects that controlled entire star systems were merely minor vassals beneath his five celestial empires. These low-tier mortal sects operating in remote border provinces were less than dust to him. However, he knew his current vessel was still only at the Third Stage of Ki-Refine, relying primarily on physical bone runes and crude elemental herbs. To reclaim his divine cultivation and protect his father, he needed vast amounts of high-grade spiritual resources—resources that a small city like Azure Mist City could no longer provide.
"Let them come," Li-Wen said quietly. "If they come seeking talent, I will use their resources to climb higher. If they come seeking trouble, I will turn their grand sects into burial grounds."
Wu-Wen stared at his son, amazed by the absolute, unshakeable confidence in the boy's voice. A deep chuckle escaped Wu-Wen's throat. "Good! That is the spirit of a true warrior! But for now, you must focus on your cultivation. What do you need next?"
"I need spirit herbs with high elemental density," Li-Wen answered without hesitation. "Specifically, fire-element and ice-element spirit roots of at least five hundred years of age. The Earth-Vein Dragon Essence Root has opened my second rune, but to forge the third rune—the Ignis-Frost Astral Rune—I require dual elemental harmony."
Wu-Wen frowned slightly, rubbing his chin in thought. "Five-hundred-year-old elemental herbs are exceedingly rare in the city's market. Even Old Man Chen's Hundred Herbs Hall would rarely stock such items. However... there is one place where such ancient treasures exist."
"Where?" Li-Wen asked.
"The Primeval Ghost Forest," Wu-Wen replied gravely. "It lies eighty miles north of Azure Mist City, bordering the grand mountain range. It is a dangerous, chaotic wilderness filled with Third-Tier and Fourth-Tier spirit beasts, ancient ruins, and unforgiving poisonous mists. But precisely because of its danger, rare elemental herbs grow freely in its deep valleys."
Wu-Wen reached into his robe, pulling out a dark brass token carved with the image of a roaring dragon head, handing it to Li-Wen.
"This is the entry token for the Grand Pavilion's Underground Auction, held every half-month in the city's central district," Wu-Wen explained. "The Grand Pavilion is an empire-wide commercial organization that remains completely neutral. Tonight, they are holding a major pre-assessment auction. Many mercenary groups returning from the Primeval Ghost Forest bring their rare herbal finds there to sell. If any five-hundred-year herbs exist in Azure Mist City today, they will be on that auction stage tonight."
Li-Wen accepted the heavy brass token, feeling the subtle defensive array carved into its metallic surface.
"I will attend the auction tonight," Li-Wen said, a faint smile touching his lips. "And tomorrow, I will venture into the Primeval Ghost Forest."
Night fell over Azure Mist City like a dark silk canopy studded with faint stars.
While the common districts grew quiet with the setting sun, the central district of the city blazed with brightly lit lanterns, buzzing with noisy crowds, high-class horse-drawn carriages, and cultivators dressed in various colorful robes.
At the end of the main avenue stood a grand, six-story pagoda constructed entirely of black ironwood and reinforced with glowing spirit arrays—the Grand Pavilion.
Li-Wen walked down the stone street, wearing a simple, dark navy robe with silver embroidery along the cuffs. He had deliberately lowered his internal Qi vibration, making himself appear like an ordinary, low-profile cultivator of the Second Stage of Ki-Refine. In a crowded environment filled with unpredictable forces, concealing one's true depth was the basic rule of survival.
As he approached the grand arched entrance of the Pavilion, two heavy-armored guards at the Seventh Stage of Ki-Refine stepped forward, their spear shafts crossing to block the pathway.
"Halt," one of the guards commanded, his eyes scanning Li-Wen's plain attire with mild disdain. "Tonight is the high-tier VIP auction. Only invited guests or individuals possessing official auction tokens may enter."
Li-Wen did not speak. He casually raised his right hand and presented the dark brass dragon token.
The guard's contemptuous expression instantly vanished, replaced by a look of sharp surprise and immediate respect. A brass dragon token was reserved exclusively for second-tier clan heads and wealthy guild masters!
"My apologies, young master!" The guard bowed quickly, stepping back and making a polite gesturing motion into the hall. "Please enter! Third floor, Grand Auction Hall Number Two!"
Li-Wen nodded faintly and stepped through the grand doorway.
Inside, the Grand Pavilion was breathtakingly luxurious. The floor was laid with smooth jade tiles that radiated a gentle, soothing warmth, while the high ceilings were hung with massive chandeliers made of illuminated spirit crystals. Cultivators from various wealthy families, mercenary captains with scarred faces, and alchemists in long robes walked through the spacious corridors.
Li-Wen followed a silk-clad maid up the grand spiral staircase, arriving at the third-floor auction arena.
The auction hall was constructed like a vast amphitheater. In the center was a wide, elevated stone stage illuminated by bright spirit lamps. Surrounding the stage were hundreds of comfortable velvet seats for regular attendees, while along the upper balcony were private, curtained VIP booths reserved for the city's top factions.
Li-Wen found an inconspicuous seat near the back row of the general seating area, sitting down quietly. He pulled his hood slightly forward, closing his eyes to sense the surrounding atmospheric vibrations.
His enhanced Divine Sense swept across the vast hall like an invisible wave.
"Three Sixth-Stage warriors in the general seating... two Seventh-Stage experts guarding the stage..." Li-Wen analyzed silently. "And in the upper VIP booths... there are at least two Eighth-Stage Ki-Refine cultivators whose breath is cold and razor-sharp. Members of the city's top factions."
Suddenly, a loud, clear chime of a bronze bell resonated across the entire hall, signaling the start of the auction.
DING!
The noisy chatter throughout the amphitheater instantly died down.
A breathtaking woman in a tight, crimson silk dress stepped onto the central stage. She possessed porcelain skin, alluring almond eyes, and a graceful posture that exuded both elegance and sharp intelligence. This was Madam Su, the chief auctioneer of the Grand Pavilion's Azure Mist branch—a woman whose cultivation had reached the peak of the Sixth Stage.
"Welcome, esteemed guests, elders, and young geniuses of Azure Mist City!" Madam Su's sweet, melodic voice echoed clearly in everyone's ears, amplified by a subtle voice-transmission array beneath the stage. "Tonight, the Grand Pavilion has gathered twenty-eight extraordinary treasures from across the province, including rare spirit weapons, high-tier martial manuals, and ancient herbs recovered from the depths of the Primeval Ghost Forest!"
She smiled charmingly, raising her slender hand. "Without further delay, let us present our first item!"
A young maid stepped onto the stage carrying a silver tray covered with a red velvet cloth. Madam Su lifted the cloth, revealing a bright blue, oval-shaped crystal that radiated a sharp, biting coldness.
"Item Number One: A three-hundred-year-old Frost-Heart Crystal, recovered from the icy caverns of the Northern Ridge! An exceptional material for refining ice-attribute spirit weapons or stabilizing volatile fire cultivation! Starting bid: Fifty gold taels!"
"Fifty-five gold!" a mercenary captain in the front row shouted immediately.
"Sixty gold!" an elder from a minor family countered.
Li-Wen glanced at the crystal, then closed his eyes again. A three-hundred-year Frost-Heart Crystal was decent for ordinary cultivators, but its elemental purity was far too low to serve as a catalyst for his Ignis-Frost Astral Rune. He needed something significantly purer.
The auction proceeded rapidly. Sword manuals, high-tier armor suits, and rare pill ingredients were brought out one by one, sparking fierce bidding wars among the audience. The prices quickly escalated into hundreds of gold taels.
Nearly two hours passed.
"And now, for our twentieth item!" Madam Su's voice carried a heightened level of excitement as she gestured toward two maids who stepped onto the stage carrying a reinforced, heavy iron chest lined with glowing containment runes.
The crowd leaned forward, their curiosity piqued by the elaborate containment measures.
Madam Su carefully unlocked the chest and lifted the heavy lid.
BOOM!
The moment the chest opened, two contrasting, intense atmospheric waves burst forth into the hall!
To the left, a scorching, fiery red aura erupted, raising the surrounding temperature by several degrees. To the right, a freezing, frosty white mist expanded, creating thin ice crystals along the edges of the wooden stage!
Inside the chest lay a bizarre, twin-rooted spirit herb. One half was shaped like a burning crimson lotus, while the other half resembled a translucent, icy jade vine, their roots interwoven in a perfect, natural yin-yang spiral!
Li-Wen opened his eyes instantly. A sharp golden glint flashed across his pupils!
"That is..." Li-Wen's heart gave a subtle thump. "A six-hundred-year-old Twin-Lotus of Ice and Fire!"
This was even better than the separate five-hundred-year herbs he had originally planned to find! The natural duality of fire and ice within a single root was the absolute, perfect catalyst needed to forge the Ignis-Frost Astral Rune!
On stage, Madam Su's eyes sparkled as she introduced the treasure. "Item Number Twenty: A six-hundred-year-old Twin-Lotus of Ice and Fire, harvested from the deepest subterranean fault line within the Primeval Ghost Forest! It possesses pristine dual-elemental essence, capable of helping a Fifth-Stage cultivator break through straight to the Seventh Stage, or assisting an alchemist in refining a Tier-Four Spirit Pill!"
Madam Su scanned the crowd, her voice rising dramatically. "Starting bid: Two hundred gold taels! Each bid must increase by no less than twenty gold!"
"Two hundred and twenty gold!" a wealthy merchant immediately yelled.
"Two hundred and fifty gold!" an elder from the Bai Clan shouted from the middle row.
"Three hundred gold taels!" a voice boomed from the third VIP balcony.
The price shot up rapidly, shattering three hundred gold within seconds. Most general audience members sighed in disappointment, realizing that such an extraordinary treasure was far beyond their financial reach.
Li-Wen checked the spatial pouch at his waist. Before leaving the estate, his father had handed him five hundred gold taels—the entire remaining liquid reserve of the Wu Clan's main treasury.
"Four hundred gold taels!" Li-Wen spoke up, his calm, steady voice echoing clearly through the loud arena.
Many people turned their heads in surprise, looking at the plain, navy-robed youth sitting in the back row.
"Four hundred gold? Who is that boy?"
"Is he from one of the major families? Four hundred gold is a massive sum!"
Madam Su glanced toward Li-Wen, her eyes twinkling with professional interest. "Four hundred gold taels from the young gentleman in the back! Does anyone wish to raise?"
"Five hundred gold taels!"
A cold, arrogant female voice suddenly rang out from the highest VIP booth—the First VIP Suite.
The entire auction hall fell completely silent.
The First VIP Suite was reserved exclusively for the royal family of the imperial capital and the highest-ranking regional envoys!
Behind the semi-transparent crystal curtains of the First VIP Suite sat a young woman in an exquisite, ice-blue silk gown. She appeared around sixteen years old, possessing breathtaking, otherworldly beauty. Her dark, sleek hair was fastened with a white jade hairpin, and her eyes were a rare, striking shade of icy blue, radiating an innate, noble coldness that seemed to distance her from the mortal realm.
This was Ye-Xue—a high-status genius from the Royal Family, possessing a rare, high-tier Ice Element cultivation body, who had traveled secretly to the border regions to seek rare elemental herbs for her upcoming breakthrough.
Beside her stood a stern, white-haired old guardian in dark gray robes, his aura completely concealed yet radiating the terrifying pressure of a Spirit-Realms master!
"Princess," the old guardian murmured quietly. "Five hundred gold for a dual-element herb is slightly above market value. Is it necessary?"
"It is necessary, Uncle Yan," Ye-Xue replied, her voice crisp and pure like falling snow. "My Ice-Heart Technique has reached a bottleneck. The fire essence within this Twin-Lotus will serve as the extreme thermal catalyst to shatter my spiritual barrier. I must have it."
Down in the main hall, the price had reached five hundred gold—the exact limit of Li-Wen's current funds.
Li-Wen stared up at the First VIP Suite, his sharp Divine Sense easily penetrating the crystal curtain to catch a glimpse of the icy-blue-eyed girl sitting within.
He didn't possess more gold taels on him. But to a former God Emperor, physical currency was merely the lowest form of exchange.
Li-Wen raised his hand calmly.
"I offer no more gold," Li-Wen's quiet voice echoed through the silent hall. "Instead, I trade a pill recipe: the full, unrefined blueprint for the Tier-Three Soul-Nourishing Jade Pill."
BOOM!
The entire Grand Pavilion exploded into absolute, chaotic commotion!Shouts and gasps filled the vast arena as countless eyes shifted from the stage to the back row of the general seating.
Madam Su stood frozen on the central stage, her professional composure momentarily shattered. A Tier-Three pill recipe—especially an unrefined, pure blueprint for a Soul-Nourishing Jade Pill—was an invaluable treasure that even the most powerful sects in the region would fight over.
Up in the First VIP Suite, the ice-blue-eyed girl leaned forward against the crystal glass, her gaze locked onto Li-Wen.
"Accept the bid!" came a booming, resonant voice from the top VIP booth, belonging to one of the Eighth-Stage elders. "Madam Su, verify the blueprint immediately!"
Madam Su quickly collected herself and gestured to two senior alchemists of the Pavilion. "Young sir, if you would please step forward so our grandmasters can authenticate the ancient recipe..."
Li-Wen maintained a calm, steady rhythm in his step as he walked down the central aisle toward the stage. Every eye in the room tracked his movement, filled with awe, envy, and hidden hostility.
He drew a weathered scroll from his sleeve and placed it onto the satin tablet presented by Madam Su. As the senior alchemists unrolled the parchment, a rich, ancient aura of Qi radiated from the cinnabar markings on the paper.
After a tense silence that felt like an eternity to the crowd, the lead alchemist looked up with trembling hands and wide eyes.
"It is genuine... a complete, lost formula of the ancient era!"
A roar of excitement shook the Grand Pavilion once more.
"The Tier-Three Soul-Nourishing Jade Pill recipe takes the bid!" Madam Su announced, her voice trembling slightly with exhilaration. "Going once... going twice... Sold to the young sir in the navy robe!"
Li-Wen safely received the spirit crystal containing the catalyst into his storage ring. Though he remained calm on the outside, he could clearly feel several powerful Divine Senses locking onto his body, tracking his every move.
"As expected... a treasure like this draws out the wolves," Li-Wen thought, a cold, sharp smile playing at the corner of his lips under his hood. "Let them come.
See you in next chapter....