Chapter 364 - 335: I’m Going to Take Care of Something

Chapter 364: Chapter 335: I’m Going to Take Care of Something

"Three hundred thousand!"

"Four hundred thousand..."

"Four hundred and fifty thousand."

The moment Yu Zhiyuan’s voice fell, the Foundation Establishment Cultivators in attendance erupted into a frenzy, calling out bids one after another. Even a few of the Golden Core True Masters couldn’t resist joining in.

This was a pill indispensable for Core Formation.

Even if they didn’t need it themselves, they could buy one for their juniors.

In just an instant, the atmosphere in the auction house had been stoked to a fever pitch.

"Seven hundred thousand."

"Eight hundred and thirty thousand..."

Chen Che tapped his fingers, having no intention of participating.

He mused that Realm-breaking Elixirs were rare items anywhere. If he ran short on Spirit Stones in the future, he could refine one or two to sell here.

Once the price was pushed to eight hundred and ninety thousand, no one else placed a bid. Yu Zhiyuan nodded slightly and said to the highest-bidding cultivator, "Fellow Daoist, please proceed to the rear hall to complete the transaction..."

"Now, let us bring out the second item."

Yu Zhiyuan clapped his hands, and a second beautiful Female Cultivator, carrying a tray, stepped onto the lotus leaf.

"A Top Grade Spiritual Artifact, the Profound Nether Water Halberd. It is a Tier Three Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact. Although it resembles a fishing spear, its power is about twenty percent greater than other spiritual artifacts of the same tier. Fellow Daoists and Seniors who excel in water combat, do not miss this opportunity."

As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Shibao opened his mouth. "Seventy thousand..."

Chen Che, who had originally been completely uninterested in the fishing spear, rolled his eyes before immediately calling out a price, "One hundred and twenty thousand!"

...

The feverish bidding in the great hall continued unabated.

By now, a full day and a half had passed since the auction began.

In that time, a total of forty-two items were sold, with none failing to find a buyer. The bidding for two Tier Three High Grade Spiritual Artifacts was particularly fierce, with over a dozen Golden Core True Masters joining the fray. The contest for those items lasted for more than an hour.

Chen Che never once forgot his purpose for this trip: to make things difficult for Bai Shibao.

Whenever Bai Shibao made a bid, Chen Che would chime in with a few of his own. All told, Bai Shibao had successfully won four items, but he had been forced to spend an extra seventy or eighty thousand Spirit Stones more than he’d expected. While not a huge sum, it was enough to thoroughly disgust him.

Of course.

His opponent quickly realized something was amiss and deliberately laid a trap, hoping to ensnare Chen Che.

However, Chen Che knew when to quit while he was ahead, embodying the shameless spirit of someone who would curse you out, then immediately block you, leaving you to stare helplessly at the screen.

’This little bastard...’

Veins bulged on Bai Shibao’s neck as he seethed with anger. Bound by the rules, he didn’t dare to make a move, so he could only resort to sending a furious, powerless sound transmission to Chen Che:

"Don’t let me find out who you are, or I will slaughter every last one of your blood relatives!"

Chen Che rolled his eyes and actually stayed quiet for a while.

This was because his opponent hadn’t been bidding either.

A moment later, another item was brought to the stage.

It was a long-necked Jade Bottle with a narrow mouth.

Inside the bottle was a clear Spirit Liquid that swirled with a dazzling, brilliant light, like sunlight shimmering on the surface of water.

"Inside the bottle are five taels of Yanshen Spiritual Spring. I trust everyone is already aware of this spiritual spring’s uses, yes?"

Yu Zhiyuan smiled and continued his introduction anyway.

"It is a Tier Three High Grade Spirit Liquid, and its primary function is to strengthen one’s physique. In addition, this spirit liquid can also be used in alchemy or to temper spiritual artifacts. No matter your realm, it will be effective."

"The starting bid is two hundred thousand Spirit Stones!"

"Two hundred and ten thousand."

"Two hundred and twenty thousand!"

"I bid two hundred and thirty thousand..."

Right from the start, several Golden Core True Masters joined the bidding.

However, compared to previous items, the bidding for the Yanshen Spiritual Spring was much more subdued. After all, this item was related to Body Refining. Most cultivators, if they had the spare funds, would rather buy items to enhance their True Essence than spend it on something like this.

Chen Che tapped his fingers. His *Flame Emperor Body Refining Technique* had been stagnant for a long time, mainly because he lacked these kinds of Celestial and Earthly Treasures.

"Two hundred and forty thousand."

There weren’t many bidders. After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Chen Che had pushed the price up to two hundred and seventy thousand.

"Two hundred and seventy thousand and one Spirit Stone!"

Just as Yu Zhiyuan was about to bring down the hammer, a sinister voice suddenly echoed from the eastern private box—it was Bai Shibao.

Chen Che lifted his gaze. His opponent was starting to retaliate. And his methods were even more despicable—adding only a single Spirit Stone was a clear attempt to disgust him.

Many people raised their eyebrows, watching with great interest.

It wasn’t uncommon for rivals with a grudge to clash over bids at an auction. Chen Che had been quiet for a long time, yet now this person had jumped out, clearly trying to stir up trouble on purpose.

Thinking this, many of the cultivators who loved to watch chaos unfold hoped the two would continue to fight. A simple auction was just too boring, and some even started to fan the flames.

"Fellow Daoist, keep bidding..."

"So what if he’s a Golden Core? Here in Faqian City, I bet he wouldn’t dare do anything to you."

"If it were me, I’d just bid three hundred thousand directly, then pull out after he raises it again."

But to everyone’s surprise, Chen Che just gave a scornful laugh and cupped his hands in a salute.

"Since Fellow Daoist desires this item, I shall yield it to you."

"Hmph..."

Bai Shibao’s expression froze, and the corner of his eye twitched violently.

He had intended to provoke Chen Che, to give him a taste of his own medicine, but who would have thought this guy would actually hold back?

Moreover.

’This little bastard dares to call me ’Fellow Daoist’? Even his master would have to greet me as ’Senior’! What right does he have to call me ’Fellow Daoist’?’

The guests in several other private boxes also chose this moment to stir the pot, as quite a few Golden Core True Masters were on bad terms with Wanjia and Bai Shibao.

"A dignified Golden Core True Master being humiliated like this by a mere Foundation Establishment Cultivator... what a waste of several hundred years of life..."

"Indeed. I heard your master was the one this person put on the slaughter list. Bai Shibao, can you really just swallow this insult?"

"You little bastard..."

Just as Bai Shibao was about to speak, Yu Zhiyuan’s calm voice cut in.

"Senior Bai, please proceed to the rear hall to complete the transaction for the item..."

"Yes."

Bai Shibao gnashed his teeth in frustration. As brazen as he was, he didn’t dare to back out of a winning bid.

He shot Chen Che a deep, meaningful look before turning and heading to the rear hall.

Chen Che tapped his fingers and also rose to his feet, but he was leaving Qianyuan Hall. He had already used every trick he could to provoke his opponent, and now he had even managed to trick him out of more than two hundred thousand Spirit Stones. If even this wasn’t enough to make Bai Shibao take the bait, then there was truly nothing more he could do.

He headed back to the Celestial Garden Inn.

Outside the inn, Zhou Lian was huddled in a corner, clutching a bag and shivering uncontrollably. He was, after all, only a mortal. When hungry, he gnawed on dry rations; when thirsty, he scooped up a handful of snow. After more than a month of this, he had long since reached his limit.

Suddenly.

A flash of spiritual light appeared before him, revealing a figure.

"Senior?"

Zhou Lian rubbed his eyes, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

"I’m preparing to leave Faqian City. Are you willing to come with me?" Chen Che asked calmly.

During his wait, Zhou Lian had left once, for a full three days.

At the time, Chen Che had thought the boy had failed to resist temptation. He hadn’t expected him to return three days later, having clearly gone through a great internal struggle. Anyone could make a mistake, but correcting it in time was the righteous path.

"Huh?"

Zhou Lian was taken aback for a moment, but then he shook his head resolutely.

"I am not."

"PFFT!"

Jin Wu, who was sitting cross-legged on a lotus leaf, was also stunned by Chen Che’s sudden decision to leave. He had been monitoring the situation with his Divine Sense while sending out a Sound Transmission Paper Crane. Who would have thought he’d end up witnessing this scene? He couldn’t help but let out a snort.

"Fellow Daoist, you truly wasted your efforts."

"The child passed your test, yet he’s unwilling to leave with you..."

Chen Che glanced toward the inn but didn’t respond. He simply looked quietly at Zhou Lian and said, "If you leave with me, I can pass on a cultivation technique to you and teach you how to practice cultivation..."

As his words fell, a hint of struggle appeared on Zhou Lian’s face. But after long consideration, he dropped to his knees with a THUD.

"Thank you for your generosity, Senior. But I am bound by a blood feud. If I leave with you, I will only drag you down."

"A Golden Core?"

"He was at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, but after stealing the pills from my parents back then, he broke through to the Golden Core realm three years ago..."

’A mere Golden Core who only achieved Core Formation three years ago.’

’That shouldn’t be too difficult.’

"I understand."

Chen Che nodded slightly. "I still have some matters to attend to, so it’s not convenient to take you with me right now. I’ll come for you when I’m done. You can go wait for me at the city gate for now..."

"PFFT!"

Seeing this, Jin Wu couldn’t help but let out another derisive laugh.

’Some matters to attend to? Come for him when he’s done...? In his view, these were nothing but excuses from Chen Che. Clearly, he’d found out the boy had a grudge with a Golden Core True Master and was afraid of getting dragged into trouble!’

’After all, a cultivator’s words carry weight. If he took back what he’d just said, where would he put his face?’

’That’s why he was using these words to deceive the boy.’

However.

’If it were me, I’d make the same choice,’ he thought.

"...Yes."

Zhou Lian got to his feet, gave a bow, and quickly ran toward the city gate.

As Chen Che withdrew his gaze from Zhou Lian, he immediately sensed seven or eight familiar auras rapidly approaching. Clearly, this was the same group that had been colluding with Jin Wu earlier...

He glanced back at the inn, let out a soft laugh, and strode out of Faqian City.

...

「Meanwhile.」

After paying in the rear hall, Bai Shibao walked back, fuming. Having cultivated to the Golden Core realm, he had thought he could look upon all worldly honor and disgrace with indifference. But today, he had suffered a setback at the hands of a Foundation Establishment cultivator and had even been mocked by his peers.

If this had happened anywhere else, he would have already started a massacre.

"Fellow Daoist Bai, that junior left a moment ago... I wonder if he fled. Don’t you want to go take a look?"

A Golden Core True Master mocked him as soon as he returned to the auction floor.

"My business is none of your concern... Huh? He’s really leaving the city?"

This Golden Core True Master who spoke had once been injured by Wanjia. In fact, Bai Shibao had seized the resources for his own Core Formation from this very person. So naturally, the man was delighted to see him suffer a setback... Bai Shibao had originally intended to ignore him.

However, a sweep of his Divine Sense revealed that Chen Che was indeed no longer in Qianyuan Hall and was rapidly heading out of the city.

"You little bastard! I can’t believe you actually dared to leave the city. Let’s see how you die now!"

Bai Shibao’s gaze turned icy. He shot to his feet and strode toward the city gates.

...

"Leaving the city on business... I wonder what business Senior has?"

Zhou Lian arrived at the city gate just in time to see Chen Che stride out, leaving Faqian City without a single look back.

"Business? You believe him?"

Just then, a soft chuckle came from beside him. Zhou Lian turned his head and saw that the speaker was none other than Jin Wu. With his hands clasped behind his back, Jin Wu didn’t even raise his head, his face etched with scorn. "He’s just worried about getting caught up in your trouble, so he’s making an excuse..."

"I don’t believe you! You’re lying!"

Zhou Lian’s small face tightened, and he couldn’t help but cry out.

Although he was young, he had knocked around the city for several years and wasn’t clueless. He knew what a Golden Core True Master signified. Jin Wu’s words had struck upon his deepest fear...

"Whether it’s true or not, it’s a pity I can’t prove it anymore," Jin Wu said, his words heavy with implication.

Zhou Lian didn’t understand. In just a few blinks, Chen Che’s figure grew more and more distant... Just as he was about to lose sight of him, seven or eight figures shot out from the city gate behind him, rapidly giving chase.

In that instant.

The realization dawned on Zhou Lian—

Those people were going to surround and kill Senior.