Chapter 175: Chapter 174: Unpriced Martial Arts

Led by the inn’s attendant, Wu Chen entered the auction hall.

The auction hall was arranged in a circle. The auction area, for displaying the items, was in the center, surrounded by lavishly decorated private viewing booths on raised platforms.

"The Jiang Clan Commerce Association certainly lives up to its name."

Upon stepping into the hall, Wu Chen, without even trying to sense his surroundings, could feel two powerful auras. The gazes of at least two cultivators at the Mid Stage of the Blood Coagulation Realm swept over him.

’They must be the hall’s guards.’

"This way, sir!"

Following the attendant, Wu Chen arrived at a booth on the lowest level, marked ’D-73’.

The booths on the upper levels were designated A, B, and C. From the outside, however, they just looked higher up, with no other discernible difference.

Wu Chen didn’t think much of it. He had arrived late, just before the auction was about to begin, so it was only natural that he didn’t get a better booth.

"Please rest for a moment, sir. Refreshments will be brought to you shortly."

The attendant stopped outside the door, offered a smile, and then turned to handle other matters.

Wu Chen entered the antique-styled booth. After he had been seated for only a moment, a serving girl wearing a sheer, gauzy dress that hinted at the figure beneath pushed the door open and entered, carrying a tray of tea, fruits, and desserts.

Wu Chen glanced at her and clicked his tongue in silent amazement.

’The Jiang Clan Commerce Association is truly something else.’

’They’re real professionals when it comes to auctions.’

The serving girl had a delicate face, as lovely as a lotus emerging from the water. Her eyes were full of flirtatious charm, and her supple skin, which looked like it would yield water if pinched, was draped in a thin, gauzy fabric. Her impressive curves were faintly visible, a truly tantalizing sight.

’She probably wouldn’t even have to do anything. Just a whisper in a customer’s ear would be enough to get them worked up, and the prices of the auction items would likely skyrocket.’

’Of course, if she did... *more*... than that, who knows what would happen to the ten-thousand-silver-tael deposit banknote.’

’Or perhaps, to the Jiang Clan Commerce Association, these serving girls are themselves items for auction, just unlisted.’

"Young Master, if there is an item you desire, I, Mingxin, can bid on your behalf."

Seemingly surprised to find a handsome young man in the booth, a blush crept onto the cheeks of the serving girl, Mingxin, making her appear rather shy.

She placed the tray on the table beside Wu Chen, filled his cup with tea, and then presented him with a sheet of Xuan paper.

"Young Master, this is the list of items for this auction. Please, take a look."

"Thank you, miss."

Wu Chen replied coolly and took the paper, his gaze not lingering on the serving girl named Mingxin for even a moment.

In his eyes, her alluring figure and the blush on her face were all just part of the training she received from the Commerce Association.

No one could guess what she was really thinking.

He much preferred someone like Hong Ling, whose thoughts and feelings could be seen in her eyes at a glance.

’The kind of person he could guide along at his own pace.’

"Quite a few items."

Wu Chen saw some seventy or eighty items listed on the paper. There were Tier Three swords and sabers with a starting bid of fifty thousand silver taels.

There was also Tier Three armor, which must have been difficult to forge, as its starting bid was one hundred thousand.

There were also various other rare medicinal pills, starting at five thousand silver taels each—items that would be difficult to find on the open market if not for the Jiang Clan Commerce Association.

Wu Chen wasn’t interested in any of these. He scanned the list but didn’t find the item he wanted most: the Soul-Storage Pearl.

’Looks like that old senior from the Celestial Star Sect will have to wait a while longer.’

Still, Wu Chen was quite confident. He felt that getting one or even a few Soul Pearls within two months wouldn’t be a major problem.

However, Wu Chen also knew that the old senior in the Celestial Star Sect ruins had said the Soul-Storage Pearl was something only those in the Dragon Transformation Realm would possess. If one were to appear here, it would have undoubtedly caused a huge stir, drawing powerful experts from all directions.

In that case, even if he borrowed all the ready silver from the four Sects of Refining Valley, he might not be able to afford it.

And even if he could, he would never be able to protect it from the ensuing siege of powerful experts.

’This Soul-Storage Pearl has miraculous effects even for a mighty expert who can preserve their remnant soul after death. I’m afraid it holds a fatal attraction for these top-tier Dragon Transformation Realm experts as well!’

Wu Chen shook his head and continued reading down the list. After skipping a dozen or so useless trinkets, his eyes fell upon a Blood Coagulation Realm Cultivation Technique called the "Rising Sun Blood Coagulation Skill."

But when his gaze moved to the starting price next to it, he found that, for some reason, no price was listed, nor were there any other notes.

But Wu Chen knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. There had to be another reason.

He looked over at the serving girl who, after pouring the tea, had been standing quietly at the front of the viewing booth, waiting for the auction to begin. He called out to her,

"Miss Mingxin."

"Is there something you need, Young Master? Please, feel free to ask."

Mingxin took light, graceful steps, approaching him and speaking in a soft voice.

Wu Chen placed the Xuan paper on the table, pointed to the Cultivation Technique, and asked curiously, "This finale Blood Coagulation Realm Cultivation Technique... why doesn’t it have a starting price?"

Mingxin leaned over slightly to see where Wu Chen was pointing. A magnificent, snowy-white view and the sweet fragrance of her cosmetics filled his nostrils.

Her every move, seemingly casual, was actually designed to stir a man’s heart.

Once she saw the item in question, she straightened up and explained softly,

"Young Master, a situation like this usually means the seller isn’t looking for silver taels. They either want to trade for another item or have a task they need help with."

"Based on past experience, the latter is more likely. The seller will probably come on stage personally to explain the task in detail."

"But as for the specific task, we won’t know until it’s time to auction this Martial Arts Cultivation Technique."

"I see."

Wu Chen nodded. "Thank you, Miss Mingxin."

With that, Wu Chen had finished looking through all the items the Jiang Clan Commerce Association was auctioning today.

Aside from the finale Blood Coagulation Realm Cultivation Technique, he had no interest in anything else.

"Miss Mingxin, I’m going to take a nap."

Wu Chen had no intention of wasting his time listening to the bidding for items he didn’t care about. What final price they sold for was meaningless to him.

He had only one goal:

Martial Arts.

The serving girl, Mingxin, understood. She walked to the front of the booth and untied the black curtain there.

The light in the private booth immediately dimmed, and even the surrounding sounds became muffled.

After doing this, Mingxin glanced back with a shy expression, only to see that Wu Chen had already triggered a mechanism on his chair, reclining it flat. He was already lying down, a small blanket covering him, his breathing even.

’So he’s just sleeping by himself.’

’Not sleeping *with* me...’

Mingxin felt a little disappointed, a trace of melancholy in her eyes.

After an unknown amount of time, a soft, feminine voice whispered in Wu Chen’s ear,

"Young Master, that Blood Coagulation Realm Martial Arts is about to be auctioned."

"Wake up!"

Wu Chen awoke calmly from her calls. He focused his eyes and was met with a towering sight he could drown in.

Fortunately, seeing that he was awake, the girl quickly stood up straight. This allowed Wu Chen to breathe a sigh of relief as he swiftly circulated his energy, suppressing the nascent stirrings of arousal before they could fully rise.

SWISH!—

Mingxin walked to the front of the booth and pulled the curtain open, and the private booth was instantly flooded with light.

Wu Chen adjusted the recliner’s mechanism, sat up straight, and fixed his gaze on the center of the auction hall.

He saw a serving girl carrying a tray walk to the center of the hall with a graceful gait.

On the tray rested that very book of Blood Coagulation Realm Martial Arts.

And behind the serving girl followed a tall, straight figure with a heroic-looking face.

"That man isn’t the auctioneer from the Commerce Association. He’s the owner selling this Martial Art," Mingxin explained.

In truth, he didn’t need her explanation. Wu Chen could already hear sounds of surprise from the surrounding booths.

"Isn’t that the Young Master of Qingfeng Manor? What’s he doing here?"

"Qingfeng Manor is selling a Martial Art, and the Young Master came in person?"

"..."

Amidst the clamor, the two figures came to a stop in the center of the hall. The tall, straight figure took a step forward, scanned the booths arrayed at various heights before him, and announced in a clear voice,

"Everyone, I am Xu Le, the Young Master of Qingfeng Manor."

After this simple introduction, he got straight to the point.

"I have come today to ask for the help of a few skilled masters to save my manor from a crisis."

As soon as he said this, the hall fell noticeably silent.

"Young Master Xu, if I recall correctly, your old man’s cultivation is nearing the Leakless Realm, his aura’s foundation is smooth and unified. What kind of crisis could your manor possibly face that you can’t resolve?"

A somewhat perplexed voice echoed through the auction hall’s booths, seeming to come from the left and then the right, making it impossible to pinpoint its origin.

As this voice faded, a babble of other voices rose up across the hall, everyone wondering what kind of show the auction house was putting on today.

"This is getting interesting!"

Wu Chen was also a little surprised by this trick, but right now, he was more concerned with something else.

He stood up and walked to the front of the booth, his expression focused as he stared at the figure in the center of the hall, mulling over the words that had just been spoken.

’The Leakless Realm!’

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