Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Wang Heyang froze at Li Guanqi’s question, and the air turned heavy with awkwardness.

Yeah, why?

Wang Heyang glared at them, then swept his gaze over the crowd, showing not a trace of fear. His sect’s elders would arrive soon. Once he handed the goods over, his mission would be complete.

The onlookers hadn’t left the hall yet. They were waiting for him to leave.

As long as he stayed inside, he was safe. The Yunding Auction House was powerful, and few dared stir trouble inside it. The moment he stepped outside, he wouldn’t last fifteen minutes.

Wang Heyang quickly realized Li Guanqi was the leader of the trio. His lips curled into a smile. “I’ll be honest. I really liked that pill cauldron. Name your price, and I’ll buy it off you.”

Li Guanqi smiled beneath his hood. The goods are being delivered right to our doorstep...

The bystanders whispered their contempt. “Shameless! The auction’s already over, and he still wants the cauldron.”

Li Guanqi smiled and spoke in a hoarse voice, “You want the cauldron? Sure.”

Wang Heyang lit up and waved his fan. “Hahaha! I’ll consider you smart. Name your price.”Li Guanqi smirked. “Price? Do we look like people who lack spirit stones?”

Wang Heyang’s expression soured. He scowled. “Then what do you want? Pills? I can give you some.”

“Tsk, tsk. Pills? Are you dumb? If you want the cauldron, we will exchange it for that blade of Longevity Grass,” Li Guanqi said nonchalantly.

Wang Heyang growled, “Do you think I’m an idiot? The Longevity Grass is worth far more than the cauldron.”

Li Guanqi snickered. “In that case, shall we make a bet?”

Ye Feng’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t set foot in a gambling den since leaving the sect, and his hands itched at the thought.

“A bet?” Wang Heyang narrowed his eyes. “What kind of bet?”

Li Guanqi shrugged. “Pill refining. Winner takes both—the cauldron and the Longevity Grass.”

Wang Heyang’s eyes gleamed. He had confidence in his alchemy.

Even the bystanders frowned.

The man who had first greeted them at the entrance couldn’t help but interject. “Fellow Daoist, that man is skilled in alchemy. You probably shouldn’t.”

Many people agreed.

Wang Heyang’s pill-refining abilities had made him somewhat famous in the city over the past few months.

At first, he had been terrified that he wouldn’t be able to hand over the Longevity Grass once Sixth Elder arrived. Now, he was terrified Li Guanqi might retract the offer.

The three of them’s auras indicated that they were at the Golden Core Realm. At that level, the most they could be was tier-three alchemists.

Wang Heyang only hesitated for a moment. “Fine, I’ll take the bet! But what if you go back on your word?”

The trio grinned widely beneath their hoods. Li Guanqi and Ye Feng had seen Cao Yan’s skill in talisman crafting, so if pill refining was his forte, then success was guaranteed.

However, just to be safe, Li Guanqi sent Cao Yan a voice transmission. “Third Brother, are you confident?”

Cao Yan’s reply brimmed with confidence. “Boss, if he dares take the bet, I’ll win. But… how do we get out afterward?”

“We’ll worry about that later,” Li Guanqi answered after a pause. “First, we get the Longevity Grass.”

Then he spoke aloud. “Simple. We’ll hand the items to the auction house and let them judge.”

Many in the crowd looked at Li Guanqi pitifully. Wang Heyang was detestable, but his alchemy skill was formidable. He had personally refined the Vitality-Boosting Pills from earlier, which was precisely why Yunding valued him so highly.

The hooded cultivators who had only shown up once the extra item appeared were still lingering, waiting to see who would claim the Longevity Grass.

The trio’s continued rejection of advice led many to see them as idiots. Someone frowned and said, “Does he really think he’s better than someone from the Cloud Pill Pavilion?”

Amidst various cold snickers, someone said, “Fellow Daoist, you’re being too ambitious. The alchemists of the Cloud Pill Pavilion are all much stronger than the average alchemist in the outside world, and Wang Heyang is a direct disciple. If some nobody off the street like you could beat him, I, Li Daniu, will crawl out of here on my knees.”

Li Daniu’s heckling drew nods of agreement.

The old man who bid for the herb earlier murmured, “Would he make the bet if he wasn’t confident? Who are these people?!”

His eyes flashed coldly before he melted back into the crowd. Moments later, another black-cloaked figure appeared among them.

Ye Feng whispered, “Boss, another black cloak. I think it’s the white-bearded old man from before. Now there are fourteen Golden Core cultivators watching—six different groups. Hiss… if we take the Longevity Grass, getting out will be tough.”

As murmurs filled the place, a woman with a curvy figure approached, clad in a red qipao with a jade-green pipe in hand. She exhaled a plume of smoke, smiling as her sultry voice seemed to shake their very souls. “Yunding accepts. Now, it depends on Young Master Wang.”

The moment the woman appeared, the atmosphere grew solemn.

“That’s Qian Qiusui!” someone whispered. “I heard she’s the true master of the Yunding Auction House. Why would she show herself?”

Her sharp, foxlike eyes swept across the hall, issuing silent warnings with a glare.

A flicker of fear crossed Wang Heyang’s face. He bowed. “I have no objections. Shall we begin?”

Li Guanqi smiled and tossed the cauldron to the woman.

Since it was getting interesting, the crowd decided not to leave.

They had all assumed Li Guanqi would compete, but to their surprise, a different black-cloaked figure, silent until now, stepped forward.

Qian Qiusui smiled and turned around. “Very well. I’ll have the ingredients for Vitality-Boosting Pills prepared. The goods are with me, and they’ll go to the winner. I will be the judge.”

No one dared doubt the leader of the Yunding Auction House, nor did they think she would favor either side.

Wang Heyang smirked. “Hehe! You’re overestimating yourselves. Today, I’ll show you what a true alchemist is. Street riffraff like you could never compare to me!”