Chapter 145: Third Sis Logs In Again
The journey continued smoothly with no further incidents. After leaving the Black Domain Plains, the caravan traveled nearly two more hours along mountain roads before a massive city, built of pitch-black stone, slowly came into view—its silhouette looming in the distance. At the four main gates, swarms of black figures like ants could be seen flowing into the city's gaping dark maw.
"Hehe, gentlemen, that's Black Seal City. Because of the auction these couple of days, all kinds of forces and strong individuals have been flocking here. Every year's auction features some heavyweight treasures. Word is, last year's final item was a scroll of a low-rank Earth-tier Dou Technique. It almost triggered a fight right in the auction hall. If the organizers didn't have enough backing, it would've turned into a mess."
Standing on the carriage, Duoma grinned as he addressed the black- and white-cloaked duo beside him.
"Earth-tier Dou Technique…"
Hearing that, Xiao Yan couldn't help twitching the corners of his mouth beneath his black robe. The Black-Corner Region was truly the black market of the continent—treasures of this level were rarely seen in the Jia Ma Empire.
Xiao Yuan, on the other hand, remained unmoved. He still remembered most of the highlights from this auction.
For instance, the Three Thousand Lightning Movement was a solid movement technique, but he wasn't particularly eager for it. With his Wind Silhouette Mirage and flying skills, his speed was already top-notch.
However, he did recall that a flying Dou Technique would be up for auction, which he considered getting for Xiao Yan. Carrying him everywhere while flying was getting a bit tedious.
Besides that, he needed to ramp up his cultivation and break through to the Dou Spirit level to begin his alchemy path properly.
Otherwise, even with more than two million gold coins, he'd soon run dry.
He also had some spare Dou Techniques in his storage ring that he could trade for resources.
Upon reaching Black Seal City, Duoma handed Xiao Yuan a detailed map of the Black-Corner Region and gave each of them 5,000 gold coins as compensation.
Of course, that wasn't much for the two of them.
After checking into two adjacent high-class rooms, they each went their own way.
Xiao Yan's destination was the Thousand Medicine Hall, where he'd buy ingredients to refine pills and raise funds.
Xiao Yuan, meanwhile, headed straight for the Black Seal Auction House.
Standing at the end of the bustling street, clothed in a white dress, Xiao Yuan looked up at the colossal auction house with awe. Back in the Jia Ma Empire capital, the Miteer Auction House had impressed him with its grandeur. But compared to this, Miteer seemed like a village storefront.
Still, one day the Miteer Auction House would be the largest on the continent!
At the entrance of the auction house, dozens of black-clad, cold-faced guards with sharp weapons stood alert. From the pressure leaking from their bodies, five of them were at the Dou Shi level, while the others were peak Dou Zhe.
Using Dou Shi to guard the door casually... the strength of the "Eight Gates" faction was indeed formidable. The Miteer family certainly wouldn't waste such power this way.
Lowering the white veil of her cloak, Xiao Yuan kept his head slightly down, the surrounding white mesh completely obscuring his face. In the chaotic Black-Corner Region, a few alternate identities were a must.
He walked calmly into the auction house. Giant screens surrounded the hall, displaying a continuous list of auction items. Xiao Yuan skimmed through but didn't find anything especially rare—likely the valuable ones were hidden as endgame items to keep the mystery alive. Of course, powerful factions could dig up that intel through other channels.
His eyes landed on a doorway marked "Appraisal Room," and without hesitation, he stepped inside.
Just as he entered, a seductively dressed maid swayed over with flirtatious grace and a sweet, teasing voice: "Miss, are you here to have treasures appraised or for item valuation before auction?"
"The latter." Xiao Yuan's voice took on a cool, mature tone—the kind of voice a "royal sister" might use. Never mind the flat chest—appearances could deceive.
"Please follow me." The maid flashed a charming smile and turned, her serpentine waist drawing elegant curves—but that had no effect on Xiao Yuan, who had wrestled with Ya Fei far too many times to be swayed.
After walking about thirty meters, they arrived at a small chamber. The maid bowed politely. "Ma'am, please present your items to the master appraiser inside. Based on their value, you'll be given a corresponding seat rank for the auction."
Nodding slightly, Xiao Yuan entered and closed the door behind him.
The room was brightly lit. An elderly man with streaks of white hair sized him up, but Xiao Yuan's aura was hidden—there was nothing to see.
"Have a seat." The elder motioned lazily, sorting some appraisal tools. "Put your auction items on the table."
With a calm expression, Xiao Yuan flicked his sleeve, and several scrolls appeared.
"Dou Techniques and Cultivation Manuals?"
Seeing the pile, the old man was clearly surprised. So many? Most likely stolen loot.
He put on gloves and examined them one by one. After a few moments, he took a deep breath. "Five Xuan-rank Dou Techniques, three Xuan-rank Cultivation Methods. The rest are Huang-rank—likely appealing to smaller factions. Quite a haul."
Xiao Yuan nodded slightly. "Name your price."
"According to Black-Corner Region standards, complete Xuan sets start at 250,000 to 400,000 gold. Single Xuan Techniques go for 100,000 to 200,000. Complete Huang sets fetch 50,000 to 100,000, individual pieces 20,000 to 70,000. Altogether, your items would start at around 1.8 million gold."
The old man smiled warmly as he quoted the estimate.
"Check these too."
Xiao Yuan took out a batch of pills—spoils from the gray-robed alchemist from the Alchemist Grand Meeting. They ranged from tier two to tier five, but none were of great quality. Xiao Yuan only trusted pills refined by Yao Lao or Xiao Yan.
"Qi Recovery Pills, Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills…"
After a detailed appraisal, the elder added another 2 million to the tally.
"Dear guest, your auction submission qualifies for First-Class VIP status. Here is your seat number. The auction begins tomorrow afternoon. Please arrive on time."
He carefully stored the items, then handed Xiao Yuan a black jade token.
Xiao Yuan nodded, accepted it, and stood up gracefully—"lotus steps drifting"—and left.
As the door closed behind him and her footsteps faded, the old man tapped the table and muttered. Glancing at the ring full of auction goods, his cloudy eyes flickered.
"Never seen her before, yet she's selling so many items. Must've looted a sect. A woman in white? No such person has made waves here recently…"
He pressed a panel on the table, revealing a hidden black tunnel. Grabbing the ring, he entered it, murmuring:
"Even I, a Dou Spirit, can't gauge her strength. She must be a Dou King. And sounds young. This must be reported immediately."
After leaving the auction house, Xiao Yuan returned to his room and began cultivating. Xiao Yan came back as well, saw his brother training, and quietly entered his own room to refine pills.
The next afternoon, Xiao Yan knocked. Xiao Yuan slowly emerged from meditation.
"Bro, dressed like that, even Sister Xiao Yu wouldn't recognize you."
They walked together, keeping a distance, communicating via soul sense.
"Heh, in the Black-Corner Region, the safest person is the one who doesn't exist."
Xiao Yuan smiled faintly.
"Remember, if we can't afford something, we bluff. If that fails, we kill and rob. We live by their rules here."
"No problem," Xiao Yan replied without hesitation.
As they reached the auction house entrance, the crowds, noise, and bickering amazed them. But as VIPs, they skipped the rabble and entered the exclusive red-carpeted corridor lined with cold-faced, fierce guards.
Just then, they encountered a group in red robes. In the center was a handsome but deathly pale young man—around twenty-five—emitting subtle but potent Dou Qi fluctuations, clearly a Dou Spirit.
"Hey, look—it's people from the Blood Sect!"
"Middle guy is probably Fan Ling, their young sect master. I heard an Eight Gates elder recently vanished—some say it was his doing."
"Corpse was drained of blood. Sounds like Blood Sect."
"He's bold, showing up in the Eight Gates' base."
"Well, his dad's No. 5 on the Black Ranking. Even Yuan Yi fears him. They won't dare move on Fan Ling here."
"Those two in black and white just kicked a hornet's nest…"
Xiao Yuan ignored the whispers and calmly strode past them. Xiao Yan followed suit.
Fan Ling stared after them like a vampire. His face darkened, and he probed their strength.
But…
"I couldn't detect the woman's strength at all. And the man bounced my probe outright!"
"Likely a Dou King or a fifth-rank alchemist. They don't seem local—must be outsiders."
His old guard murmured, "Let's not start anything yet. Report to the sect master later."
"…Understood."
Fan Ling nodded, then entered the auction hall in silence.
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Albino1