The news of Senior Brother Chen's "sudden migraine" spread through the Outer Circle like a plague. To the other disciples, Li Feng was a walking curse—a "jinx" who stayed alive while everyone around him withered. But to Li Feng, the world was finally starting to make sense.
He sat in the back of the Lecturing Hall, a massive cavern where a mid-level Deacon was droning on about the stability of the Foundation Establishment pillar. Li Feng wasn't listening to the lecture. He was looking at Chen, who was sitting three rows ahead.
Through the Soul-Burning Eye, Chen's back wasn't just flesh and bone. It was a vibrating map of Qi conduits. Li Feng could see the 5th Level "Battery" leaking energy—a slow, invisible stream of vitality that the System was siphoning directly into Li Feng's own dantian.
[System: Connection Stable.]
[Current Progress to Foundation Establishment: 12%.]
[Warning: Target 'Chen' is becoming suspicious. His survival instinct is fighting the 'Slow-Drip'.]
Let him fight, Li Feng thought, leaning his chin on his hand with a bored expression. Resistance only creates more friction. And friction creates heat.
The Auction's Shadow
After the lecture, a notice was posted on the obsidian monolith in the center of the sect.
"The Crimson Moon Auction – Outer Circle Access Granted."
This was a rare event. The Inner Circle was clearing out their "trash"—which, to an Outer disciple, was treasure. Low-grade pills, damaged artifacts, and perhaps, a few more forbidden scrolls.
"Li Feng."
The voice was soft, like silk being dragged over a blade. Li Feng turned to see a girl standing in the shadow of a pillar. Lin Xuer. She was known as the "Frozen Rose," the top-ranked disciple of the Outer Circle, currently at the 6th Level of Qi Condensation. She was beautiful, but her eyes held the same predatory stillness as Li Feng's.
"I saw what you did to the Iron Bear," she said, stepping into the light. "And I saw Chen running from your cave like a frightened dog. You're hiding something, Li Feng."
Li Feng put on his best "scared rabbit" face. "Senior Sister, I don't know what you mean. I just have a very... intense stare."
Lin Xuer didn't smile. She walked closer, her aura of cold Qi making the ground frost over near his boots. "Don't play with me. I need a partner for the Auction. There is a 'Foundation Seed' pill being sold. The Inner Circle geniuses will try to bully us out of the bidding. With your... 'intense stare'... and my ice, we can take it."
[System Note: Target Lin Xuer possesses 'High-Tier Frost Qi'. If you link with her, the 'Soul-Burning Eye' can be upgraded to 'Soul-Freezing Eye'.]
[System Joke: A cold beauty and a cold-blooded killer. It's a match made in... well, not heaven.]
Li Feng looked at her, his mind calculating the risks. A Foundation Seed pill would skip months of draining Chen. But Lin Xuer was no battery; she was a wolf.
"What's in it for me?" Li Feng asked, dropping the act. His voice was suddenly deep, devoid of the stuttering fear.
Lin Xuer's eyes widened slightly at the sudden change in his aura. "Survival. And I won't tell the Elders that you're the one killing the guards."
The Setup
"Fine," Li Feng said, his violet eyes flashing briefly. "But we do it my way. I don't bid with stones. I bid with 'misfortune'."
That night, Li Feng entered the Void Sanctuary. He had six hours before the auction started—meaning he had nearly a week of internal time.
"System," he commanded, standing in the silver mist. "I want to master the 'Gaze of the Damned'. I want to be able to transfer the backlash of my own cultivation to anyone who looks me in the eye for more than three seconds."
[Ding! Initiating High-Level Neural Training.]
[Warning: This will cause temporary insanity in the Host if not displaced correctly.]
[Target for Insanity Backlash: Senior Brother Chen.]
For six days (inside the sanctuary), Li Feng stared into a dark mirror, forcing his mind to fracture and then knitting it back together using the System's displacement. In the sect barracks, Chen began to scream in his sleep, dreaming of a thousand violet eyes watching him from the dark.
When Li Feng stepped out, he looked exactly the same. But his presence felt like an open grave. He walked toward the Auction Hall, Lin Xuer waiting at the entrance.
"Ready?" she asked, her hand on the hilt of her jade sword.
Li Feng adjusted his collar and gave her a charming, handsome smile—the kind of smile a shark gives a drowning man.
"Let's go shopping," he said. "I'm feeling very... generous tonight