Outside Strange Medicine Pavilion, countless eyes were glued to the two massive announcement boards.
Suddenly—
Someone shouted.
"It updated! It updated!"
"The #1 listing on the sales board… is a Fifth-Rank feral beast egg!"
The crowd exploded.
"What?! Fifth-Rank?!"
"My heavens—who's that insane?! They're selling a Fifth-Rank beast egg?"
"Why not raise it yourself? Isn't that better?"
Someone snorted.
"You idiot. Raising a Fifth-Rank beast isn't something you can do just because you want to."
"If you don't have the experience, the resources, and the techniques, you'll end up losing both the beast and your fortune."
"Still… fifteen billion spirit stones?! That's robbery!"
Fifteen billion.
A number so massive most people couldn't even imagine it.
And yet…
in less than an hour, the news spread like wildfire across Thousand Spirit City:
A Fifth-Rank feral beast egg is up for sale at Strange Medicine Pavilion, starting price fifteen billion.
For the first time since the convention's buildup—
something truly worthy of attention had appeared.
And the entire city buzzed with excitement.
A Remote Inn
A white-haired elder sat cross-legged in silence, his eyes cold.
He was Elder Liu of Hundred Beast Sect.
He had chased Lin Ye across the river days ago—
and found nothing.
But now he had received word to wait in Thousand Spirit City.
His lips curled.
"That little thief… came here after all."
He couldn't waste a Fifth-Rank egg.
Its value exceeded ten billion spirit stones.
And once it hatched…
it would be equivalent to a Star River Realm cultivator.
In fact, many Fifth-Rank beasts were stronger than ordinary Star River Realm humans.
Then Elder Liu's expression darkened.
"Only fifteen billion?"
"Heavenly-Armor Rhino Egg… only fifteen billion?!"
"Stupid."
"So stupid."
He immediately sent a message back to the Sect Master.
Bring the entire force.
This egg belonged to Hundred Beast Sect.
It would never fall into someone else's hands.
A Luxurious Estate
In a heavily-guarded courtyard, a servant hurried to a study and bowed at the door.
"Reporting, Lord Prefect—Strange Medicine Pavilion has listed a Fifth-Rank beast egg for fifteen billion."
A calm, authoritative voice responded from behind the screen.
"Oh? Fifth-Rank…"
"That is truly a treasure."
"In all of Lowerstream, only Hundred Beast Sect has the skill to hatch a Fifth-Rank beast properly."
"So they will go mad bidding for it."
A pause.
"But…"
"Spiritwater River Domain is not without capable people."
"Monitor it. Closely."
"Watch the bids during the first two rounds."
"Yes, Lord Prefect!"
The servant retreated quickly.
In Spiritwater River Domain, there was only one man called "Lord Prefect"—
the master of Qing Marquis Manor, known as Wanqing Marquis.
His name echoed across the martial world for decades.
Yet his appearance never changed, always frozen in middle age.
It was said his cultivation art granted eternal youth—
hence the title Wanqing (Evergreen).
But Wanqing Marquis rarely showed himself.
Even his subordinates rarely saw his true face.
Still…
when something major happened, Qing Marquis Manor was always present.
Another Inn — Entire Building Reserved
This seven-story inn had been fully booked by a single sect.
Seven-Star Profound Sword Sect.
They were once a Midstream sect.
But after a brutal conflict, their foundation shattered.
To survive, they retreated to Lowerstream.
For them, it was humiliation carved into bone.
And every disciple of Seven-Star Profound Sword Sect remembered one name.
One enemy.
Tianming Sect.
It was Tianming Sect that had driven them into exile.
Their hatred ran so deep it couldn't be described in words.
They had sworn:
If they ever saw Tianming Sect's people…
they would slaughter them without hesitation.
At the inn entrance, a disciple in a three-star sword robe rushed to a six-star elder.
"Elder!"
"I heard news from the docks!"
"A pair of Tianming Sect dog man and woman arrived in Thousand Spirit City!"
"They even have a black panther with them—easy to identify!"
The disciple's eyes burned with hatred.
The elder narrowed his eyes.
"Are you sure they are Tianming Sect?"
Tianming Sect was infamous for brutality.
They usually acted in shadows.
If they arrived, they'd never appear openly.
So why this time so blatant?
The disciple clenched his fist.
"Absolutely sure."
"Hundreds of people saw them arrive on Tianming Sect's Blood Stele Ship."
The elder's expression turned fierce.
"Good."
"Watch them."
"Follow them."
"Tianming Sect dares come here?"
"Then Seven-Star Profound Sword Sect will make them regret it."
Wutong Inn
Xia Wei had posted Lin Ye's herb demands.
And shockingly—
the six ingredients were gathered in a single day.
This was Spiritwater River Domain.
In Wind-Thunder River Domain?
She could've posted it for ten years and still found nothing.
But here—
in less than half a day—
everything came together.
The cost was terrifying.
Lin Ye had said "any price."
So Xia Wei paid it.
A single Sixth-Grade herb was pushed to nearly twenty million spirit stones.
Supporting herbs—Fifth-Grade, Fourth-Grade—were purchased in bulk.
By the time she was done…
she had spent nearly three hundred million spirit stones.
When she returned to Wutong Inn, she handed all herbs to Lin Ye.
And also offered him the account ledger.
Lin Ye waved it away.
"No need."
It wasn't even about trust.
He simply refused to waste time on numbers.
He didn't care how much was spent.
But he did admire Xia Wei.
He expected it to take two or three days.
She solved it in one.
Xia Wei then reported something else.
"The beast egg has entered its first bidding round."
"Not many competitors yet, but the current highest bid has reached eighteen billion."
Lin Ye nodded calmly.
"Handle it."
"I'm going to refine pills."
Xia Wei froze.
Refine pills…?
Surely not a Sixth-Grade pill…
Right?
Not that ridiculous.