Chapter 119: The Situation Became Awkward

Qingxi had no idea what Qiu Yingying was thinking.

At this moment, he noticed that the main hall was almost full. However, the first and second seats at the tenth long table remained vacant. The others seated at the first ten tables were a diverse group—men and women, each with distinct appearances. Some were cold and composed men with long hair, others were graceful and virtuous women, and some were bald masters with a radiant shine. Each exuded a powerful aura, giving Qingxi the impression that none were weaker than the formidable Golden Ape Da Huang of Guluo.

Glancing at the couple seated at the tenth long table, Qingxi suddenly felt a vague familiarity but couldn’t recall who they were. After a reminder from his system assistant, he realized they were from the Zixiao Sect. Previously, when he had swallowed the Jade Yuan Spirit Herb and burst into flames, running wildly, he might have accidentally scorched their clothing. Thinking back, Qingxi felt embarrassed and quickly looked away.

But as soon as he looked elsewhere, he froze. The people who caught his gaze also froze. Sitting at the seventieth long table, a man and woman’s smiles faded, replaced by fear and hatred. They were none other than the “Twin Pride of the Wind,” Ji Mingshan and Bai Ruyu.

Qingxi hastily pulled out a black robe and draped it over himself, pulling the hood down to cover most of his face. Qiu Yingying, noticing the matching robe, wore a strange expression. “Junior Brother, what are you doing?” she asked.

“Sibling cosplay. Don’t mind it,” Qingxi replied with a haphazard excuse.

“Oh…” Qiu Yingying found it odd but said no more.

Qingxi settled down and activated his scanning function to survey the surroundings, noticing that Mu Yue and Wang Shuiling had also arrived. To his surprise, Wang Shuiling had broken through to the late innate stage and now ranked forty-ninth on the Rising Star list. Mu Yue had also advanced, reaching the mid innate stage.

Qingxi couldn’t help but sigh at the strength of the descendants of the Holy Dynasty. In such a short time, they had already caught up to the old island lord Hong Jiu of Volcano Island. Thinking of this, he wondered about his own master, Ouyang Changfeng. “I wonder where Master and the siblings Qingfeng and Mingyue have gone. Why haven’t I seen them?” Qingxi pondered.

Suddenly, he sensed a chilling aura nearby, as if a beast had locked its eyes on him.

Scanning again, Qingxi spotted a young man at the next table glaring fiercely at Qiu Yingying. This man was none other than Mu Han, the Seventh Young Master of the Evil Moon Sect. After being defeated by Qiu Yingying, Mu Han had dropped to fifty-seventh place but quickly defeated the thirty-first-ranked prodigy the next day to take his spot. Now he sat at the long table next to Qiu Yingying and Qingxi, his face cold and sullen.

“How arrogant,” Qingxi muttered with a sneer, ignoring him.

Since swallowing the Jade Yuan Spirit Herb and breaking through his physical body to the half-step Earth stage, his strength had surged from eighty thousand jin to one hundred and fifty thousand jin. Even without using true energy, he could easily overwhelm most prodigies on the Rising Star list.

Using his newly gained passive skill, “Fortune and Misfortune Intertwined,” he predicted that challenging Mu Han would result in a good outcome, meaning victory would be easy. So he didn’t take him seriously.

Soon, everyone had arrived.

The grand event was about to begin.

A young woman wearing a veil, her bearing comparable to Wang Shuiling’s, slowly ascended the stage. Her soft voice spread gently: “Thank you all for attending. Young Master Shen proposes that before the event officially begins, we hold a small auction to entertain everyone. Of course, if anyone has treasures they wish to auction, they may present them now for verification and guarantee by designated personnel.”

Hearing this, most people showed signs of interest.

Qingxi’s eyes gleamed. Shen Qianzhong truly deserved his reputation as the eldest son of the Shen family, rulers of Wantong Workshop. He was a master at business.

Most attendees were young prodigies with wealthy backgrounds. An auction like this was sure to be lucrative.

“A cunning merchant, absolutely a cunning merchant!” Qingxi thought.

“If Shen Qianzhong came to Huaxia, he’d definitely be a money magnet,” he mused, casting a respectful glance at the Shen family heir.

When it came to making money, Qingxi admitted defeat.

At that moment, several maidservants approached, each carrying jade trays.

Qingxi took out a mysterious-grade breakthrough pill, wrote down its effects, and handed it to one passing maidservant. Qiu Yingying took out a mysterious-grade refining material and also gave it to a maidservant.

Shortly afterward, the auction officially began.

Most items were mysterious-grade materials, spirit herbs aged over a hundred years, or mysterious-grade pills—some for healing, others for cultivation enhancement—all valuable.

“Next is a mysterious-grade breakthrough pill that increases the success rate of breakthroughs. Its effects vary depending on cultivation level...” the veiled woman began her introduction.

This breakthrough pill was the one Qingxi had put up.

The veiled woman continued, “This pill has been personally verified by Elder Wan, a ground-level pill master of Wantong Workshop. The craftsmanship is extraordinary, with purity reaching perfection and excellent efficacy. The only drawback is that there is only one pill.”

“Elder Wan personally guarantees it, so it must be genuine.”

“Twenty pieces!”

“Twenty-five pieces!”

Bidding commenced, and the pill was eventually sold for thirty-five pieces of low-grade spirit stones.

“Delightful!” Qingxi grinned from ear to ear.

Five pieces would have covered his cost, but now the price had soared sevenfold. He felt he’d found another path to wealth.

The auction continued.

The veiled woman brought out two large wooden boxes, revealing two sets of magnificent attire, and began to describe them: “These are treasure garments from one of our branches—a full set of tailored gold and jade robes for men and women, including inner armor, outerwear, waistbands, jade pendants, and more. Sold as a package, the starting bid is not two hundred nor three hundred pieces, but both sets for just one hundred pieces!”

Qingxi looked at the two gold and jade robes with a strange expression.

“Aren’t these the items I sold off at the Wantong Workshop branch in Gusha City?” Qingxi’s eyelids twitched.

These items came from Ji Mingshan and Bai Ruyu’s storage bracelet. Since Qingxi disliked wearing others’ clothes, he had sold them all.

Unexpectedly, he now encountered them here.

At the seventieth long table, Ji Mingshan and Bai Ruyu’s faces were twisted with rage, their fists clenched tightly. They glared at Qingxi, flames almost burning from their eyes.

Qingxi cleared his throat and pulled his hood down a bit.

“Huh, these two sets of gold and jade robes look so familiar. I feel like I’ve seen them somewhere.”

“I remember! The Twin Pride of the Wind seemed to have worn something similar. Could these be the same?”

“That’s impossible. I heard these two sets were specially crafted by the founder of the Wind Sect just for the Twin Pride. How could there be duplicates?”

“Maybe the Twin Pride is broke and had to auction them off?”

The murmurs reached their ears, making Ji Mingshan and Bai Ruyu’s faces flush with embarrassment. They wished they could disappear into the ground.

Noticing their expressions, the veiled woman’s pretty face twisted oddly. Clearing her throat, she said, “Everyone, these two treasure garments come from a Wantong Workshop branch and are not items consigned by the Twin Pride of the Wind.”

Her intention was to help them out, but her words only made the atmosphere more awkward.