After realizing that he had completely forgotten to buy Su Lan a gift, Su Yang abandoned his plans to practice the movement technique for the moment.
The shops in his town were limited, and after what had happened at the inn, wandering around the market would undoubtedly attract unwanted attention.
After thinking for a while, another place came to mind.
Windfall Town.
It was the nearest large town and possessed a far more prosperous marketplace.
More importantly, Windfall Town had something his hometown lacked.
The Sacred Mansion Auction House.
Su Yang smiled.
He was no longer poor.
The inheritance left behind by his biological mother contained enormous quantities of inferior-grade spirit stones. Bao Xin's storage ring also contained resources whose value Su Yang had yet to fully determine.
For once, he could confidently call himself rich.
At least compared to the average cultivator.
"I should be able to find something suitable for Sister Su Lan there."
Before leaving, Su Yang informed Su Mei.
"Mother, I'm going to Windfall Town."
Su Mei immediately frowned.
"You just returned from the forest."
"I know."
"And you've been disappearing constantly these past few days."
Su Yang smiled awkwardly.
"I'll be careful."
Su Mei stared at him suspiciously.
"Why are you going there?"
"To buy something."
"For what?"
"It's a secret."
Su Mei narrowed her eyes.
Su Yang immediately retreated toward the courtyard entrance.
"I'll be back soon!"
"Yang'er!"
But he was already gone.
Su Yang hired a carriage heading toward Windfall Town.
Several hours later, the carriage finally slowed.
"We've arrived, Young Master."
Su Yang stepped down.
He handed the carriage driver a tael of silver.
"Thank you."
The man's face immediately brightened.
"Thank you, Young Master!"
Su Yang turned toward the enormous town gates.
Windfall Town was considerably larger and more prosperous than his hometown.
Cultivators entered and exited constantly.
Merchant caravans lined the roads.
The moment Su Yang passed through the gates, he was greeted by a bustling marketplace.
"Fresh spiritual herbs!"
"Rank One pills! Excellent quality!"
"Spirit Weapons! Come and see!"
"Beast cores! Rank One and Rank Two beast cores!"
Buyers and sellers crowded the streets.
Restaurants, inns, medicine halls, weapon shops, and cultivation stores stretched along both sides of the road.
Su Yang's eyes moved from one stall to another.
Normally, he would have stopped to explore.
Today, however, he had a specific destination.
He continued toward the center of Windfall Town.
Eventually, an enormous building appeared.
Su Yang stopped.
"So that's the Sacred Mansion Auction House…"
The building dominated the surrounding marketplace.
Several floors rose above the nearby structures, and cultivators wearing identical uniforms guarded its entrances.
A magnificent plaque hung above the enormous doors.
SACRED MANSION AUCTION HOUSE
The auction house belonged to the Sacred Mansion Sect, a powerful organization with auction branches spread throughout the province.
The Sacred Mansion Auction Houses were famous among cultivators.
Secret cultivation manuals.
Medicinal pills.
Spirit Weapons.
Rare herbs.
Formation materials.
Spirit beast cores.
Occasionally, even ancient treasures of unknown origin appeared within their auctions.
If someone possessed enough spirit stones, there was very little they could not find here.
Su Yang's excitement increased.
"Sister should like something from here."
However, he did not immediately enter.
He walked into a quiet alley.
After ensuring no one was watching, he retrieved two items from Bao Xin's storage ring.
A black cloak.
And a mask.
Su Yang examined the cloak.
According to the information Bao Xin had left with it, the cloak possessed the ability to obscure its wearer's cultivation and interfere with ordinary spiritual-sense detection.
Su Yang put it on.
The cloak completely covered his body.
Then he placed the mask over his face.
Within moments, the young Su Yang disappeared.
In his place stood a mysterious black-cloaked figure whose age, appearance, and cultivation were impossible to determine.
Su Yang looked at himself.
"Perfect."
He pulled the hood lower and returned to the main street.
The interior of the Sacred Mansion Auction House was even more impressive than its exterior.
Su Yang momentarily stopped after entering.
"It's enormous…"
Despite being indoors, the auction hall was capable of accommodating tens of thousands of people.
Rows upon rows of seats descended toward the central auction platform.
Unlike ordinary halls where everyone was packed together, considerable space separated each seat.
The chairs were wide and comfortable.
Small tables stood beside them.
Fresh tea had even been prepared for every guest.
Many cultivators were already seated.
However, Su Yang quickly noticed something interesting.
Most had concealed themselves.
Some wore masks.
Others wore cloaks.
A few used special techniques or treasures to distort their appearances and auras.
It made sense.
Auctions involved wealth.
And wherever enormous wealth gathered, greed followed.
Nobody wanted to purchase an expensive treasure only to be robbed after leaving.
Still, not everyone concealed themselves.
Several cultivators sat openly.
Some were probably unfamiliar with the dangers.
Others—
Su Yang sensed their powerful auras.
They simply did not care.
Their confidence came from strength.
Su Yang approached one of the attendants.
"I would like a private VIP seat."
The attendant examined his concealed figure.
"Certainly, Senior."
Su Yang almost reacted.
Senior?
He quickly maintained his composure.
"How much?"
The attendant informed him of the price.
Su Yang paid without hesitation.
That single action caused the attendant's attitude to become even more respectful.
"Please follow me, Senior."
Su Yang was led upstairs.
The VIP section consisted of enclosed private rooms overlooking the entire auction hall.
Each room possessed comfortable seating, refreshments, and a clear view of the auction platform.
More importantly, formations separated the rooms from one another, preventing ordinary cultivators from casually investigating the occupants.
Su Yang nodded approvingly.
"This will do."
The attendant bowed.
"If Senior requires anything, please call for us."
"Very well."
Once the attendant left, Su Yang sat down.
He poured himself some tea.
Then his gaze casually swept across the auction hall.
Suddenly—
His hand stopped.
"Hmm?"
An old man had caught his attention.
The elder sat calmly among a group of cultivators.
Beside him was a young female disciple.
Su Yang narrowed his eyes.
The clothing.
The insignia.
He recognized it.
Heavenly Law Palace.
Su Yang became curious.
The Heavenly Law Palace was not some insignificant organization.
So why would one of its elders personally appear in Windfall Town?
What is he doing here?
This was merely a relatively small town.
There should not normally be anything here worthy of attracting an elder from such an organization.
Su Yang quietly listened to the surrounding conversations.
His strengthened senses made it easier to distinguish individual voices among the enormous crowd.
Eventually, he obtained his answer.
"I heard the Heavenly Law Palace elder came specifically for one of today's treasures."
"For himself?"
"No. Apparently, it's for his female disciple."
"What treasure?"
"Who knows? Sacred Mansion keeps the important auction items secret until they're presented."
Su Yang glanced toward the girl beside the old man.
A treasure for his disciple?
His curiosity was briefly stirred.
But he quickly suppressed it.
He had not come here to involve himself with powerful sects.
His objective was simple.
Find a gift for Su Lan.
Buy it.
Return home.
Su Yang withdrew his gaze.
However, while he had stopped paying attention to the Heavenly Law Palace elder—
Other people had begun paying attention to him.
More precisely—
His cloak.
A middle-aged cultivator stared toward Su Yang's VIP room.
His eyes widened slightly.
"That cloak…"
His companion followed his gaze.
"What about it?"
"Look carefully."
The cultivator's expression became solemn.
"Isn't that a Midnight Star Cloak?"
His companion immediately looked again.
After several seconds, his expression changed.
"It really is!"
Their conversation attracted nearby cultivators.
"Midnight Star Cloak?"
"What is that?"
"You've never heard of it?"
The middle-aged cultivator lowered his voice.
"The Midnight Star Cloak is an extremely rare concealment treasure. Its origins are mysterious, and even the identity of its maker remains unknown."
Someone frowned.
"Then how did you recognize it?"
"The material."
The cultivator stared toward Su Yang.
"Under spiritual light, it resembles a starless night. More importantly, spiritual sense has difficulty penetrating it."
Several people became interested.
"Is it expensive?"
The man gave them a strange look.
"Expensive?"
He shook his head.
"The problem isn't simply money."
"Midnight Star Cloaks rarely appear on the market. Most known owners are powerful experts or people with extraordinary backgrounds."
Silence descended among them.
Their gazes slowly returned toward the mysterious figure sitting inside the VIP room.
Black cloak.
Mask.
Completely concealed cultivation.
And enough wealth to casually reserve a VIP room.
Their imaginations immediately began running wild.
"Could he be an elder from some hidden sect?"
"Perhaps."
"Maybe he's an old monster travelling anonymously."
"That would explain why we can't sense his cultivation."
Another person immediately warned them.
"Stop staring. If he's truly a powerful Senior, you'll offend him."
Several cultivators hurriedly withdrew their spiritual senses.
Within his private room, Su Yang heard everything.
He slowly raised his teacup.
His shoulders trembled slightly.
He was trying desperately not to laugh.
An old monster?
He was not even old enough to grow a proper beard.
Yet because of Bao Xin's cloak, these experienced cultivators had somehow convinced themselves that he was a mysterious senior expert.
Su Yang took a sip of tea to hide his amusement.
If they knew the mysterious Senior they were afraid of was a Fourth-Level Spirit Realm cultivator…
He could already imagine their expressions.
They might genuinely cough blood.
Su Yang leaned comfortably into his chair.
Perhaps hiding his identity had benefits he had never considered.
Suddenly—
DONG!
A deep bell rang throughout the enormous hall.
The conversations immediately quietened.
DONG!
The second bell sounded.
Cultivators began returning to their seats.
DONG!
At the third bell, the formations surrounding the auction platform lit up.
The enormous Sacred Mansion Auction House gradually became silent.
Su Yang straightened.
His playful expression disappeared.
His eyes focused on the stage.
A figure slowly walked onto the auction platform.
The auction—
Was finally beginning.