Bai Yan woke first the next morning. She sat up on the bed and rubbed her sleepy eyes.
She had been so tired the previous night that she fell asleep at once, forgetting to leave a place for her master.
While wondering where Wen Xian had slept, Bai Yan noticed an edgeless sword lying on the floor. She hurried over, lifted it in both arms, gently brushed away the dust, and placed it on the bed.
“Master, I’m sorry! You’re a divine sword. You shouldn’t be lying on the floor! It was my fault for taking your place on the bed. I’m sorry!”
Although Wen Xian had returned to sword form, she could still sense everything around her. She simply could not move or speak.
As Bai Yan apologized to the sword again and again in a panic, Wen Xian sighed silently.
She liked beautiful fools like this. Bai Yan believed anything she was told.
After Wen Xian rescued her, Bai Yan discovered that her new companion was a sword spirit. An idea had come to Wen Xian, and she had invented a harmless lie to hide the truth.
Wen Xian had not believed her own ridiculous story. Somehow, Bai Yan accepted every word. She truly thought that Wen Xian was a divine sword capable of taking human form, and her worship knew no limits.
If Wen Xian sold this foolish girl someday, would Bai Yan happily count the money for her?
Wen Xian could already picture it.
Bai Yan continued apologizing without pause. Her endless crying made Wen Xian’s head buzz and ache. Sadly, Wen Xian could not tell her to stop. She could only endure the noise.
*Damn it. When will I finally stop being trapped in a body I can’t control?*
…
Cloudsky City was one of the wealthier cities connected to the cultivation world. It stood near the borders of the Mortal Realm, Demon Realm, and Spirit Beast Realm. Its excellent position and constant trade with other prosperous cities had brought rapid growth in recent years. Rare goods flowed into the city like water.
The greatest profits went to Water-and-Sky, Cloudsky City’s largest auction house. Its owner bought countless treasures, then sold them at enormous prices.
Over time, Water-and-Sky grew steadily. Branches opened in every region, and the richest streams of profit flowed into the owner’s purse.
That auction house was Wen Xian’s destination. She would not leave until she earned a fortune.
Wen Xian took Bai Yan toward Water-and-Sky. To conceal her identity, she bought a veiled hat that hid her face and a black cloak loose enough to disguise her figure. The system was gone, so she could not change her voice through it. Instead, she bought a minor voice-changing spell.
It cost five middle-grade spirit stones.
Her heart bled at the expense. If she had not wished to avoid unnecessary trouble, she would never have spent such a fortune.
“Master, where are we going?”
The voice came from Wen Xian’s right wrist. She looked down at what appeared to be a bracelet made from flawless white jade.
It would have looked exactly like a bracelet if it had not raised its head and revealed a pair of enormous golden eyes.
Wen Xian used her left hand to push down the little snake’s head.
“Your voice is too loud. Once we arrive, you must not speak no matter what happens. Otherwise, I’ll sell you.”
When Bai Yan heard that her master might sell her, she nodded repeatedly.
“I promise I won’t speak. Master, please don’t sell me…”
Her pitiful tone almost made Wen Xian laugh. This foolish snake believed everything.
When they reached Water-and-Sky, Wen Xian tried to enter. Two guards blocked her path.
She examined them with her spiritual awareness and discovered that both had reached the eighth level of Energy Refining.
Wen Xian drew a quiet breath.
Even the guards were stronger than her. How embarrassing.
It also proved the auction house’s strength. Its owner could not be an ordinary person.
“Only honored guests carrying a Water-and-Sky token may enter today’s auction,” one guard said. “Please show your token. Otherwise, we cannot allow you inside.”
His expression was stern, but his voice held no contempt. He was simply performing his duty.
“I have no token. I came to sell something. Please inform the person in charge.”
Beneath the veil, Wen Xian’s lips curved into a small smile. The spell gave her a deep male voice.
“What I offer will certainly satisfy them.”
…
One incense stick later, Wen Xian had been invited to wait for the senior appraiser in the finest guest room.
Even she had not expected such a reaction. She had casually produced a complete set of cultivation manuals, and the first appraiser had stared in shock. He said that a junior appraiser like him could not judge the set’s true value. Only a senior appraiser could examine it.
That was how Wen Xian ended up in this room. To ensure she did not feel neglected while waiting, a maid delivered a pot of tea and respectfully insisted that she taste it.
The auction house was strange, but its hospitality seemed excellent. Free tea should never be wasted. She might never have another chance to taste it.
Wen Xian relaxed in a chair made from the bones of a third-level spirit beast and sighed with pleasure. She lifted the cup and took one drink, then shot to her feet.
This was not tea. It was wine!
The drink was fiercely strong. Burning heat traveled down her throat and spread through her organs, limbs, and bones.
Then something remarkable happened. The burning sensation slowly faded, replaced by a warm and gentle current. It nourished every part of her body.
After completing one full circulation cycle, the current entered her energy center on its own and merged with her spiritual energy.
Wen Xian breathed out a stream of stale air. Her body suddenly shook.
The barrier at the sixth level of Energy Refining broke. She stepped directly into the seventh level.
What kind of wine was this? How could it be so powerful?
Wen Xian moved her hands in amazement. Spiritual energy filled her body, and she seemed to possess endless strength.
“That spirit wine was refined from the blood of a second-level Blazing Flame Tiger. Its effect is remarkable the first time someone drinks it, but a second cup provides very little benefit. Because it is precious yet useful only once, our establishment reserves it for our most honored guests. Are you satisfied?”
A gentle, beautiful voice approached from outside. It sounded like a clear spring flowing through a mountain valley, each note entering Wen Xian’s ears with perfect clarity. The soothing voice made a person feel safe enough to sleep.
The voice arrived before its owner.
This was a Core Formation expert—one at the very peak of the late stage.
Another person Wen Xian could not afford to offend.
She almost felt numb. Why did this world contain so many Core Formation and Nascent Soul experts? More importantly, why did she meet all of them?
The door slowly opened.
The first thing Wen Xian saw was a pair of long, slender, snow-white legs. Their pale skin seemed to shine brightly enough to blind her.
A woman in a fitted water-blue dress entered the room. Her lovely eyes shone like autumn waters, and faint light rippled through her pale-blue irises. Full, light-red lips curved into a perfectly measured smile. Waist-length blue hair flowed behind her, swaying gently with each step.
She was the second most beautiful woman Wen Xian had ever seen.
As for the most beautiful…
That face was undeniably gorgeous, but its owner was terrifying and threatened to kill people at every opportunity. Who would have the courage to admire her?
This woman was much easier on the eyes. Her smile might hide the point of a knife, but at least she knew how to smile. Certain other people seemed incapable of even that.
Still, warning bells rang through Wen Xian’s mind the instant she saw the woman. Her instincts insisted that this person was dangerous.
She looked exactly like the sort who would smile warmly one moment and send someone to their grave the next.
Extremely dangerous.
Was the woman planning to steal Wen Xian’s treasure by force?
A wise person understood when to surrender. Perhaps Wen Xian should hand everything over, shower the woman with praise, and concentrate on saving her own miserable life.
Just as Wen Xian was about to admit defeat, the woman stopped in front of her and offered a shallow bow.
“Honored guest, welcome. My name is Shui Lanxin. I own this auction house and also serve as a senior appraiser. I will personally examine the objects you wish to auction.”
Shui Lanxin’s courtesy calmed Wen Xian’s heart. As the auction house’s owner, she probably would not murder someone and steal their goods.
At least, she would not do it inside her own establishment.
The instant the sale ended, Wen Xian would run without hesitation.
Shui Lanxin smiled again. “I hear that our honored guest wishes to auction a complete set of cultivation manuals.”
Pretending to be a mysterious expert, Wen Xian said nothing. She took the complete set from her ring and tossed it onto the table before Shui Lanxin.
*Oh no. I used too much strength. I threw them too hard!*
Wen Xian’s heart pounded. Fortunately, the veil allowed her to watch Shui Lanxin’s expression openly. When the woman continued smiling, Wen Xian breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
The beautiful, kindhearted owner had chosen not to make an issue of it. Otherwise, with Shui Lanxin’s strength, one slap could send Wen Xian to report before the King of Hell.
Shui Lanxin looked at the three scrolls on the table.
Her hair suddenly began moving without wind. Every object in the room trembled faintly.
Wen Xian was not a lifeless object. She was both alive and a cultivator, so she clearly sensed the movement of Shui Lanxin’s spiritual energy. It seemed as deep and unknowable as an ocean, yet carried the destructive force of a whirlpool capable of swallowing everything.
Powerful. Dark. Terrifying.
The moment Shui Lanxin released her energy, Wen Xian became deeply cautious. A person’s spiritual presence revealed something of their nature. Shui Lanxin’s made Wen Xian feel as though the ocean had closed around her, leaving her unable to breathe.
It felt even worse than the demoness’s energy.
Was Shui Lanxin truly human?
As the question rose in Wen Xian’s mind, Shui Lanxin closed both eyes. A narrow line appeared in the center of her forehead.
The line suddenly opened.
A water-blue eye appeared. Its iris turned up and down, then rotated toward the table. After examining the manuals for several breaths, the eye slowly narrowed, closed, and disappeared beneath smooth skin.
Wen Xian stared with her mouth hanging open.
Three… Three…
Shui Lanxin had three eyes?
