The fragrance of burning sandalwood slowly filled the entire private room of the Imperial Capital Auction House in the Yuan Sheng Empire.
In the center of the room, a woman dressed in white robes sat cross-legged on a cushion.
A veil covered her face, giving her an air of cold detachment and untouchable sanctity.
Several young men and women stood respectfully around her.
It was obvious that she held the highest status among them.
Creak.
The wooden door of the private room opened gently.
The person who entered was none other than the head manager of this auction, Zhang Li.
A young man standing beside the white-robed woman frowned the moment he saw Zhang Li enter without permission. He snapped,
“Did we not say that you were not to come unless we called for you? Are you treating our words as nothing but wind?”
Faced with the cultivator’s rebuke, Zhang Li hurriedly explained as soon as he stepped inside,
“Immortal, please calm your anger. This humble one only came to see if the immortals needed anything. After all, you all arrived only yesterday and must be weary from the journey. This humble one feared that any lapse in hospitality might offend the immortals.”
Hearing Zhang Li’s words, the young man wanted to scold him further.
No matter how fine mortal goods were, they held no interest for cultivators like them.
Zhang Li speaking as if he could actually serve them properly only made the immortals seem cheap by comparison.
Just as he was about to speak, a jade-like hand rose slowly.
The young man immediately fell silent.
The white-robed woman in the center stood up gracefully and addressed Zhang Li directly,
“Thank you for your concern, Manager. However, we only came here to rest for one night and take a casual look at this mortal auction. There is no need for such trouble.”
Since the highest-ranking woman had spoken, Zhang Li understood exactly what he should do now.
It was clear that the path to advancement through pleasing these immortals was no longer viable.
Continuing to linger in the private room might even provoke their displeasure and bring disaster upon him.
Understanding this, Zhang Li did not drag things out. He cupped his hands and bowed,
“This humble one was presumptuous. This humble one will leave at once.”
With that, he minimized his presence as much as possible and carefully backed out of the room.
Once Zhang Li had withdrawn, the young man turned to the white-robed woman who had already sat back down and said,
“Eldest Senior Sister, why be so polite to that person? He is nothing but a mere mortal, as different from us as heaven and earth.”
As he spoke, he disdainfully burned away the tea a maid had served him earlier using his spiritual power, expressing his contempt.
After listening to the young man’s complaint, the white-robed woman shook her head gently and replied,
“Although he is only a mortal, we are still guests here disturbing his establishment. We should still show him the proper respect.”
“But—”
“Do not dwell on it.”
“…Yes.”
Upon hearing his eldest senior sister’s warning, the young man chose to stay silent, though resentment still lingered in his heart.
He was the third prince of the Bai Sheng Imperial Dynasty, the largest empire in the Western Ya Continent.
In the mortal world, he had stood at the absolute pinnacle.
When he was eight years old, an itinerant immortal discovered his excellent aptitude while he was out playing.
The immortal had marveled at him, praising him as a rare genius worth cultivating.
After discussing with his imperial father, it was decided that he would step onto the immortal path and receive this great fortune.
Back then, still young, he had felt immense pride upon learning he would enter the immortal gate.
He believed himself chosen by heaven.
Filled with such expectations, he bid farewell to his imperial parents.
After several days of riding the clouds with the immortal, he finally arrived at the Proud Sword Sect.
He had thought that receiving the immortal’s recognition would mean smooth sailing, but upon entering the sect he was merely a minor inner disciple.
Although this already placed him worlds apart from ordinary mortals, he still felt dissatisfied.
What he truly longed for was the higher status of a true disciple or even the next sect leader or holy son.
Unfortunately, there were always people beyond people and heavens beyond heavens.
Blocking his path were not only the senior brothers and sisters who had entered the inner sect earlier, but also a true mountain that constantly pressed down on him, leaving him breathless.
That mountain was the white-robed woman currently seated on the cushion—Luo Shuiling, personal disciple of the Proud Sword Sect’s sect master.
At only twenty-two years old, she had already reached the terrifying Dao Integration realm.
Her strength completely crushed her fellow sect disciples of the same generation.
Even the personal disciples of elders from other sects who had cultivated several or even dozens of years longer than her were said to be unable to defeat her at the same realm.
After stopping Bai Shengxiao, Luo Shuiling sat back down in the lotus position.
She had originally planned to rest for one night and return to the sect first thing this morning.
After all, the sect’s mission to search for spiritual herbs had already been completed, leaving no reason to remain outside.
Besides, traveling with several unruly junior brothers and sisters was rather inconvenient.
Yet ever since she had checked into the auction house last night, an indescribable feeling had lingered in her heart.
It was strange—a kind of longing, an urgent impulse to obtain something.
This puzzled Luo Shuiling greatly.
She had reached the Dao Integration realm after only nineteen years of cultivation, stepping into a domain most cultivators spent their entire lives chasing.
It was not due to talent alone.
It was also because of her special physique—the Ice Jade Physique.
This constitution not only increased the speed at which spiritual energy entered her body, but also subtly transformed her spiritual power, making it colder and more profound.
When paired with her cultivation technique, it amplified her already formidable combat strength even further.
This was precisely why Luo Shuiling could claim to be unrivaled among peers at the same realm.
Right now, something nearby was actually causing her Ice Jade Physique to stir with excitement.
And it seemed only she could sense it.
This told Luo Shuiling that the item was a dust-covered treasure—and a personal opportunity for her to advance even further.
When she had checked in yesterday, the manager had mentioned that an auction would be held today.
That treasure was surely among the items up for bid.
In this mortal world, her identity as a cultivator alone was enough to make everyone bow their heads.
Not to mention that she was the personal disciple of the Proud Sword Sect’s sect master.
Therefore, no matter who recognized the treasure’s value or not, it would belong to her, Luo Shuiling, in the end!
No one would be allowed to compete with her for it!
With this mindset, Luo Shuiling appeared calm and composed as she sat on the cushion, yet her heart was already surging with excitement.
Even her normally well-controlled spiritual power leaked out unconsciously.
Hurry up and start. Let me see exactly what kind of treasure could end up in the mortal world.
Harboring such anticipation, time slowly passed until the Hour of Xu arrived.
***
Imperial Capital Auction House, storage warehouse…
“Hurry, hurry! Prepare the next auction item. The previous one, the Heavy Halberd Spear, has already begun bidding. Move this one to the backstage area first!”
Inside the storage warehouse, Zhang Li kept urging the servants to place the auction items onto the stage one by one.
He needed to ensure every piece appeared on time and without a hitch.
The servants were sweating profusely, moving with extreme caution.
They feared accidentally damaging any of the treasures; ten lives would not be enough to compensate for such a mistake.
Normally, this task would not have warranted Zhang Li’s personal supervision.
But this auction had several immortals in attendance.
His earlier dream of advancing and growing rich by currying favor with the immortals had already shattered that afternoon.
He seemed to have left them with a poor impression as well.
Now he could only hope that this auction would proceed without any errors, so he would not end up empty-handed and covered in trouble instead.
After directing the servants to prepare the next auction item, Zhang Li finally breathed a small sigh of relief.
He then walked to the backstage area, grabbed a maid, and asked,
“Has anything been purchased from Private Room Seven yet?”
“Reporting to Head Manager, the guests in Private Room Seven have not bid on anything yet,” the maid answered respectfully.
“Remember what I said. If the guests in Private Room Seven want anything, you must immediately set it aside and deliver it to them with utmost respect. Understood?”
“Understood, Head Manager.”
Zhang Li had played a small trick.
Although the immortals were not short on money, free items were something they likely would not refuse.
This way, they would owe him a small favor. If he ever encountered trouble later, he could invoke their names for support.
Thinking this, Zhang Li could not help feeling rather pleased with himself.
He truly was a genius.
Currying favor with immortals did not necessarily require serving them in person.
Securing the treasures they desired was another excellent method.
Soon, the list of items to be auctioned grew shorter and shorter, yet Private Room Seven remained silent.
Zhang Li grew tense at the sight.
A trace of regret stirred in his heart.
After the second-to-last auction item sold successfully, Zhang Li’s spirits sank to rock bottom.
It looks like the chance to serve the immortals this time is gone.
Zhang Li sighed inwardly.
The reason he was so certain even though the final headline “item” had not yet been auctioned was simple: that final “item” was none other than the son of a prince from a small kingdom.
There was nothing special about him. His body was not strong; he was thin and frail, short in stature, and weak in character.
Even his status as a prince’s son held little weight in his original country.
Although he was of the prince’s blood, his mother had been nothing but a lowly dowry maid.
The drunk prince had favored her once more than a decade ago, and this son was the result.
From the very beginning, he had been an unwanted wretch who should never have existed.
Otherwise, Zhang Li would never have been able to buy him out of the slave market.
He had originally been slated for confiscation and forced labor on the great dike.
In short, aside from his excessively beautiful face, he was worthless.
Even his title as a prince’s son was merely a gimmick Zhang Li had added.
How could such an “item” possibly catch the eye of immortals?
It was clearly impossible.
Watching the second-to-last item sell successfully, Zhang Li said regretfully to the servant beside him,
“Send him up. I hope he fetches a good price—at least enough that I don’t end up losing money on the deal.”
The servant nodded knowingly and wheeled the cage containing Yun Hao onto a cart, slowly pushing it toward the backstage area.
Inside the iron cage, Yun Hao’s eyes were covered with a cloth and the cage itself was draped with a curtain, yet none of that stopped him from sensing his own movement.
He recalled how, despite being a man that afternoon, he had been forced into women’s clothing by these people.
Memories of the bullying he had endured for sixteen years flooded back—his mother had even died of consumption four years ago.
His current situation was far worse than before; he had fallen into slavery. Grief surged within him, and tears slid down his cheeks.
Soft sobs gradually filled the iron cage.
Hearing the sound, the servant quickened his steps, afraid something might go wrong.
***
At the same time, inside the private room, Luo Shuiling, who had been sitting with her eyes closed in meditation, slowly opened her beautiful eyes.
The feeling in her heart had grown even stronger.
The treasure capable of stirring her Ice Jade Physique was the very next item!