The martial square buzzed like a shaken hornet's nest.
The scent of the Immortal Pill still hung in the air, clinging to robes and skin, a fragrance so pure that even breathing it in made disciples feel lighter. They had seen it with their own eyes: a rotten herb, dead and worthless, transformed into treasure beyond price.
Yet instead of joy, the clan seethed with unease.
Disciples clustered in tight groups, whispering furiously.
"Did you see it? It really changed…"
"Heaven itself intervened…"
"No, no—it was him. That trash somehow did it!"
Some looked at me with awe, but most with suspicion. A few stared with naked greed, as though they could drag the secret from my bones if they reached fast enough.
The elders' muttering was heavier still, their voices low but sharp as knives.
"Not possible. No youth could do this."
"Then explain what we saw."
"It must be a hidden artifact…"
"Or an external power manipulating him…"
Their words buzzed in my skull, but I didn't let them in. The warmth of Auction Points still throbbed through my body, pulsing with every beat of my heart. My chest rose easily, my ribs no longer broken splinters. For the first time in my life, I breathed without pain.
But not everyone shared the silence.
Li Hao's fury cut through the noise like a blade.
---
He stepped forward from the crowd, his golden robes fluttering, Sword God aura screaming into the air. Invisible blades pressed down, slicing against skin and stone alike.
His handsome face was twisted into something ugly.
"You dare steal my light?" His voice shook with rage. "You think a trick of smoke and fragrance makes you more than trash?"
He pointed at me, finger trembling with fury.
"Without strength, you are nothing."
Whispers rippled again. Some disciples smirked, eager for more humiliation. Others bit their lips, uncertain.
An elder barked, "Li Hao—enough."
But another raised a hand lazily. "Let them fight. If this boy truly has power, we'll see it. If not—better to crush delusion now."
Approval. That one word sealed it.
Li Hao's grin sharpened like steel. "Then fight me, cousin. Let heaven and clan witness your final fall."
---
The golden screen pulsed before my eyes.
---
[Auction Points: 1,150]
Exchange Options Available:
– Minor Qi Circulation (Cost: 1,000 AP)
– Strength Reinforcement (Cost: 500 AP)
– Agility Reinforcement (Cost: 500 AP)
---
My breath caught. So that's it… I can use the points. Not just for healing, but for growth.
My fists tightened. I don't keep the treasures. The bidders do. But every stone they spend, every miracle they chase—it turns into my strength. This is how I climb.
The System was silent, waiting.
I chose.
---
[Strength Reinforcement Purchased. –500 AP]
[Agility Reinforcement Purchased. –500 AP]
Remaining: 150 AP
---
Heat exploded through me. My muscles coiled tighter, bones hardened like tempered steel, blood roaring like a forge fire. My legs felt light, springy, as though invisible chains had been broken.
I straightened. The air seemed clearer. The world sharper.
The jeering disciples fell silent, their smirks fading. They didn't know why, but they could sense it: something had changed.
---
Li Hao lunged.
Sword qi screamed around his palm, sharp enough to cut stone. Dust sprayed as the ground split beneath his step.
This was the same strike that had shattered my ribs yesterday. The same strike that had left me gasping in the dirt, coughing blood.
Yesterday, I would have collapsed.
But today—
I raised my arm.
The blow landed with a thunderclap.
Air burst outward in a shockwave. Dust exploded, cloaking us in haze.
When it cleared, I still stood. My arm ached, but no bone broke. No blood spilled.
Gasps tore through the crowd.
"He blocked it!"
"Impossible! Yesterday he couldn't even stand!"
"What… what happened to him?"
Li Hao's eyes widened, disbelief cutting through his arrogance. "You—"
I moved.
Strength surged through my legs, and in a single breath I closed the distance. My fist shot forward, faster than I'd ever moved in my life.
CRACK!
My punch slammed into his chest. Sword aura shattered like broken glass. Li Hao staggered, coughing blood, his face twisted with shock.
---
The square fell silent.
Every eye turned to me, the boy once called trash.
"Didn't you say I was worthless?" My voice carried across the square. "Then tell me—how does it feel to be beaten by trash?"
The words cut deeper than my fist.
Gasps. Murmurs. Stunned silence.
Disciples who had mocked me gaped like fools. Elders who had dismissed me frowned, their thoughts heavy. Some faces twisted with anger. Others with greed.
Li Hao's pride cracked like his aura.
"No… no! This is impossible!" he howled. His body shook with rage. "You're nothing! Nothing!"
He lunged again, sword aura flaring wildly. His strikes were fast, but sloppy—rage had broken his control.
I flowed around them. My body felt light, my movements sharp. Where yesterday I was a beaten dog, today I danced between blades.
"Too slow," I whispered.
My palm lashed out.
Another strike. Another spray of blood.
Li Hao staggered again, his knees buckling. His once-dazzling Sword God aura flickered like a candle in the wind.
Gasps rang out.
"He's… he's winning…"
"Li Hao is losing?!"
"No, it can't be…"
---
The duel ended with a final blow.
I stepped in, strength and speed fused into one, and my fist crashed into his chest.
He hit the ground hard, coughing blood, his aura shattered, his face pale.
The golden-robed genius, the pride of the Falling Cloud Clan, lay broken before me.
I stood tall, chest heaving, fists clenched. My body sang with power, Auction Points roaring in my veins.
---
Silence gripped the square.
Then the whispers began.
"He beat Li Hao…"
"Trash defeated the Sword God heir…"
"What… what is happening?"
The elders could no longer dismiss me. Some frowned, eyes sharp with suspicion. Others leaned forward, greed burning openly.
Li Hao tried to rise, trembling with humiliation. "You… you dare—"
I met his gaze, my eyes cold.
"This is only the beginning."
---
The golden screen flickered again.
---
[Warning: Next Auction Countdown – 00:59:59]
[Penalty Disaster Level: Increasing…]
---
My blood chilled. Even in victory, the System's voice was a blade pressed against my throat.
So this is my path. If I sell, I climb. If I fail… disaster falls.
I looked around the square. The clan that had once called me useless now stared in silence, fear, and hunger in their eyes.
I clenched my fists.
Then I'll sell. I'll sell everything. I'll sell until the heavens themselves kneel before my auction.
---