After confirming the women had left the area, Ye Chen finally stepped out from his hiding place. His brows furrowed slightly as he let out a helpless sigh. Ever since he started cultivating the King's Heart Technique, his aura and appearance had transformed subtly but powerfully. His once-handsome face had become dangerously alluring, especially to women sensitive to spiritual energy. It seemed being too attractive wasn't always a blessing.
"I didn't think just walking around could be this troublesome," Ye Chen muttered under his breath, glancing around warily. "I just wanted to buy some clothes..."
What frustrated him more wasn't the attention he drew but the misunderstandings it caused. Yes, his body had started exuding a faint, natural charm that attracted the opposite sex. But just because the King's Heart Technique required Yin energy from women to support his cultivation didn't mean he would recklessly sleep with every beautiful woman he met.
"I'm not some lust-crazed maniac," he whispered, shaking his head.
The King's Heart Technique wasn't an ordinary cultivation method it was a dual cultivation technique. Practicing it with a compatible female partner not only accelerated his growth, but also brought great benefits to the woman. According to the jade scroll containing the technique, dual cultivation would enhance the woman's beauty, improve her skin, increase her vitality, and even help her surpass bottlenecks in her cultivation. It was, in short, a mutual blessing.
If word ever got out, he knew it would cause a storm. Women from all over whether mortals or even goddesses from higher realms would line up just for a chance to cultivate with him. A benefit that alluring would shake the world.
"That's the last thing I need," Ye Chen grumbled. "I have enough trouble already."
He'd already made a firm decision: for now, he would hide his appearance. To walk unnoticed through the mortal world, he would need a disguise. A skin mask would be ideal something he'd crafted in his early days of cultivation to obscure his features. But before that, he needed clothes to blend in.
Looking around the small thrift store he'd ducked into earlier, Ye Chen's eyes fell upon a rack in the back corner. The clothes there were outdated, unfashionable by modern standards, but perfect for what he had in mind.
He grabbed a plain black button-up shirt, a crooked flat cap, and a pair of dark round sunglasses.
His long hair was also too striking so with a flick of his hand, he drew a sharp blade from his storage ring and, using a mirror, cut it short himself.
No need for a barber. His hands were steady and precise. In just a few minutes, his transformation was complete.
When Ye Chen walked out of the changing room, the clerk behind the counter blinked in surprise.
The young man who had entered the store was gone. In his place stood a strange, slightly disheveled figure with sunglasses, a messy hat, and an unassuming demeanor.
Ye Chen stepped to the counter and asked, "Uncle, how much for all of this?"
The middle-aged storekeeper eyed him and his outfit. "Uh... total comes to fifty dollars."
Ye Chen took out the money and handed it over with a nod. "Here."
Then, without another word, he walked out of the shop and into the bustling streets.
As he moved along the sidewalk, a few passersby glanced at him, but their eyes quickly moved on.
His disguise was working. For the first time today, he could walk freely without being ogled, harassed, or followed by curious women.
"Looks like this works," Ye Chen said to himself, a small smirk forming at the corner of his lips.
Just ahead, two young men were walking side by side, chatting loudly. Their conversation caught Ye Chen's attention.
"Hey, you going to the Antiques Festival today?"
"Why would I? That place is for old people," the other scoffed.
"You're wrong, man. Don't you know? A bunch of rich girls go there too. They tag along with their dads or grandpas. I heard some are crazy beautiful."
"What? Why didn't you say so earlier?! Let's go right now!"
"Heh, I also brought a few old items to try and sell."
Hearing this, Ye Chen's eyes lit up. "Antiques Festival, huh?"
It sounded like the perfect place for what he had in mind. He'd recently finished crafting a spiritual item
a bracelet he named the Zillao Bracelet. It wasn't a top-tier divine treasure, but it was a solid second-grade spiritual artifact. Its effects were impressive: it neutralized toxins in the body, improved blood circulation, and greatly accelerated healing, even helping regenerate damaged organs.
Ye Chen had made it during one of his breaks from cultivating partly to practice refining and partly out of boredom. While it couldn't be priced like a legendary treasure, it certainly wasn't cheap either. In the cultivator world, such an item would be priceless to any alchemist or martial artist.
With his decision made, Ye Chen quietly followed the two young men until they reached the festival grounds.
The Antiques Festival turned out to be much larger than he expected. Stalls lined the open space in rows, each shaded by colorful canopies. Crowds bustled between them some people haggling, others browsing. Many vendors were selling old artifacts, jade trinkets, or even so-called "spiritual items" with questionable origins.
Ye Chen saw one booth selling what looked like a cracked gourd for a thousand dollars, the seller claiming it was an ancient immortal wine flask.
"Hmph. Charlatans," Ye Chen muttered, shaking his head.
He found a small empty space near the edge of the marketplace and pulled out a simple cloth from his spatial ring. Spreading it on the ground, he placed the Zillao Bracelet at its center.
The bracelet had a soft green glow, its surface inscribed with runes that shimmered faintly in the sunlight.
Standing behind his makeshift stall, Ye Chen raised his voice slightly. "Come take a look! The Zillao Bracelet cleanses your body of toxins, boosts blood flow, and accelerates healing. A spiritual artifact that can save lives!"
It didn't take long for someone to approach a portly man in his forties, his clothes slightly rumpled.
"How much for this bracelet?" the man asked, lifting it up and examining it skeptically.
Ye Chen smiled calmly. "Only a hundred thousand dollars."
The man nearly dropped the bracelet. "What?! Did your head get slammed against a wall? Something like this, for that kind of price?"
Ye Chen didn't lose composure. "Uncle, this is already discounted.
The true value is easily a million. You're looking at a second-grade spiritual artifact that improves health and can even heal internal injuries. Isn't health priceless?"
The man snorted. "You trying to scam this old man? Dream on."
He tossed the bracelet back and stormed off, muttering insults under his breath.
Ye Chen let out a sigh. "Mortal world... convincing people here is harder than I thought."
In the cultivator realms, a single spiritual bracelet would draw thousands of bids. But here on Earth, few people believed in cultivation, let alone spiritual items.
Still, he didn't give up. One after another, people approached but once Ye Chen stated the price, they would scoff, curse him, or walk away. Two hours passed, and still no one showed serious interest. Disappointment began to build in Ye Chen's heart. Crafting that bracelet hadn't been easy he'd failed several times, wasting precious beast cores and rare materials.
Finally, as he was about to pack up and leave empty-handed, a soft voice stopped him.
"Excuse me, are you still selling this bracelet?"
Ye Chen raised his head.
Standing before him was a beautiful young woman.
She had long, straight hair cascading past her shoulders, a graceful figure, and a designer handbag resting on her arm. She wore a sleek, one-piece dress that hugged her curves elegantly. Her face had a noble air, refined yet youthful.
Ye Chen blinked. Her beauty reminded him of Su Mengxin but with a more delicate temperament.
Though her figure wasn't quite as exaggerated as Mengxin's, it still had all the right proportions to
Ye Chen shook the thought away.
He stood up. "Yes, I'm still selling it."
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