Time Skip: Ten Days Later.
The inn room was silent, but the air inside was heavy enough to crush a normal human flat against the floorboards.
Jiang Chen sat on the bed, eyes closed. Ye Kai and Su Ling sat on the floor, surrounded by the empty husks of Heaven Tier herbs.
They had consumed the treasures found in the Black Bear Gang's vault. To the cultivation world, eating a Dragon Marrow Liquid and a Seven-Color Soul Flower in one sitting was suicide. The energy should have exploded them into red mist.
But the Fallen Star Sect did not follow the laws of physics.
BOOM.
A golden aura erupted from Ye Kai. His skin turned the color of burnished bronze. His muscles didn't just grow; they became dense, compacting with the weight of a mountain.
[Ye Kai Upgrade Complete.] [Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Level 9 (Peak).] [Physical Trait: Vajra Indestructibility (Immune to Spirit Weapons).]
SWOOSH.
A blue vortex swirled around Su Ling. Her eyes snapped open, glowing with terrifying insight. She didn't just see the room; she saw the "Lines of Causality" floating in the air like spiderwebs, connecting every object to its potential destruction.
[Su Ling Upgrade Complete.] [Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Level 9 (Peak).] [Ability: Karma Manipulation.]
In ten days, two mortals had jumped an entire Realm to become top-tier experts.
Usually, a Foundation Establishment cultivator would kneel before a Golden Core expert. But these two were not normal. They were World-Ending Geniuses. To them, the gap between realms was merely a suggestion, not a rule.
But the real monster... was Jiang Chen.
Ding!
[System Notification] [10x Master-Disciple Return Triggered.] [Your disciples gained 2 Major Realms.] [You gain 4 Major Realms.]
Jiang Chen didn't explode with power. He imploded.
His aura vanished completely. He looked more like a mortal than ever before. But inside his Dantian, the ocean of Qi had condensed into a golden, radiant infant holding a tiny silver sword.
[Jiang Chen Upgrade Complete.] [Cultivation: Nascent Soul Level 9 (Peak).] [Class: Telekinetic Sword God.]
He was now a Grandmaster.
To put this in perspective: In the Mystic Cloud Sect, the "Sons of the Sect" (the chosen heirs) were merely Nascent Soul Levels 1–3. Jiang Chen was Level 9. He was stronger than their greatest geniuses, and strong enough to slap most Elders to death with a thought.
Jiang Chen opened his eyes. He lifted one finger.
Zing.
The rusty iron rod on his lap—now revealed as a gleaming silver blade—shot out of its sheath. It flew around the room faster than the eye could follow, shaving Ye Kai's beard, trimming Su Ling's fingernails, and slicing a fly in half mid-air, all in a microsecond.
"Too sharp," Jiang Chen yawned, the sword returning to its sheath instantly. "And too flashy."
He looked at his disciples. They were glowing like radioactive lightbulbs.
"You two look like fireworks," Jiang Chen scolded. "If we walk outside like this, the Mystic Cloud Sect will hunt us down out of jealousy. We need to be low key."
"But Master," Ye Kai flexed, accidentally crushing a porcelain teacup into dust. "I cannot control my power! The air feels too fragile!"
"Then I will control it for you."
Jiang Chen grabbed a brush. In ten seconds, utilizing his Supreme Comprehension, he wrote a new manual: The Art of the Hidden Turtle.
"Learn this," Jiang Chen tossed the paper to them. "It compresses your aura. It will make you look like Qi Condensation Level 3 trash. Remember: The tiger does not roar until it bites. Low key is the way of the King."
They practiced the technique. Slowly, their terrifying auras vanished. To the naked eye, they looked like weaklings again.
"Good," Jiang Chen nodded, adjusting his robes. "Now, let's go to the Auction. I heard they are selling artifacts, and we have five hundred thousand Spirit Stones burning a hole in my pocket."
Location: The City Square.
As they walked toward the Seven Star Auction House, pretending to be weak, a familiar arrogant voice called out.
"Well, well. If it isn't the beggar and his 'lucky' disciples."
Jiang Chen sighed, rubbing his temples. 'Him again. Does he not have a hobby?'
Gu Jian, the Mystic Cloud Core Disciple, stood in their path, blocking the entrance. He was accompanied by two older men in silk robes—Foundation Establishment retainers.
Gu Jian sneered. He had checked with his Master, Elder Wei. His Master did have knee pain, which had confused Gu Jian for a few days. But after thinking about it, he realized the truth: This beggar probably just heard a rumor!
"I checked your background," Gu Jian stepped forward, his eyes cold. "You are nobody. You tricked me in the restaurant."
BOOM.
Gu Jian unleashed his aura. [Gu Jian: Golden Core Level 1.]
As a Core Disciple, Gu Jian was a Golden Core expert. In this city, that made him a god. The pressure was immense. The surrounding civilians collapsed, foaming at the mouth, unable to breathe under the weight of his spiritual force.
Gu Jian smiled, waiting for the satisfying sound of Jiang Chen's knees hitting the pavement.
But... nothing happened.
Ye Kai stood there, picking his nose. To Ye Kai, whose body was now harder than diamond, this "pressure" felt like a gentle summer breeze. It wasn't even enough to mess up his hair.
Su Ling stood there, adjusting her sleeve. To Su Ling, the Daughter of Luck, the pressure naturally curved around her. It slid off her luck like water off a duck's back.
And Jiang Chen? Jiang Chen (Nascent Soul 9) looked at Gu Jian like an elephant looking at an angry ant.
"Are you done?" Jiang Chen asked, bored. "Your breath smells like onions."
Gu Jian's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. The smile froze on his face.
'Impossible! I am a Golden Core expert! Even if they have defensive treasures, they should be struggling! Why are they looking at me like I'm a clown?'
"You..." Gu Jian gritted his teeth, retracting his aura to save face. His heart was pounding with confusion. "You... you must have a Heaven Tier defensive artifact! That is the only explanation!"
"Think what you want, Junior," Jiang Chen waved him away as if shooing a fly. "The Auction is starting. Step aside."
Gu Jian's face turned red. He had tried to bully them and failed miserably in public. "Fine! Enter! But in the auction house, money is the only cultivation that matters! I will show you the difference between a beggar and a dragon!"
Gu Jian stormed off, surrounded by his sycophants, trying to hide his shaking hands.
Jiang Chen watched him go.
"Master," Ye Kai whispered, looking confused. "Was he attacking us? I thought he was just stretching his neck."
"He was trying to intimidate us, Ye Kai," Jiang Chen smiled coldly. "But lions do not care when a dog barks. Let's go inside. Let him buy the treasures for us first... then we rob him."
Location: Seven Star Auction House.
The auction hall was a cathedral of greed. Gold-leafed pillars held up a ceiling painted with scenes of immortals throwing money at each other.
Jiang Chen, Ye Kai, and Su Ling sat in a private booth on the second floor. Below them, in the VIP seats, sat Gu Jian. He looked like a king holding court.
"Young Master Gu," a merchant groveled. "With your Grandfather being a Spirit Severing Grand Elder, surely no one dares bid against you today!"
Gu Jian smirked, fanning himself. "Naturally. My Grandfather gave me 50,000 Spirit Stones. Today, I am the law."
Jiang Chen, hearing this from the booth above, nearly choked on his grape. "50,000? That's cute."
"Item Number 9!" The Auctioneer announced. "The Black Gravity Bracers! Earth Tier Artifact! Increases wearer weight by 10,000 times! Starting bid: 5,000 Spirit Stones!"
Gu Jian stood up immediately. "10,000!" he shouted, looking around the room daring anyone to challenge him.
The room went silent. No one wanted to offend the Mystic Cloud Sect.
"10,000 going once..."
"10,001," a lazy voice drifted down from the private booth.
The crowd gasped. Gu Jian's head snapped up.
"You!" Gu Jian snarled. "You dare? 20,000!"
"20,001," Jiang Chen replied instantly.
"30,000!" Gu Jian's face turned red. "30,001."
"40,000!" Gu Jian screamed. "Do you know who my Grandfather is?! He is a Spirit Severing Grand Elder! He can erase your entire bloodline with a thought!"
The pressure in the room spiked. The threat of a Spirit Severing expert was terrifying.
Jiang Chen leaned over the railing of the booth. He looked down at Gu Jian with eyes that held the depth of a Nascent Soul Peak monster, though he kept his aura hidden.
"Junior," Jiang Chen said, his voice bored. "If your Grandfather is so strong, why are you so poor?"
"YOU—!"
"50,001," Jiang Chen said. "Are you bidding, or are you crying?"
Gu Jian slammed his fist onto the table. He only had 50,000. He had lost. "Fine! Take it! But be careful walking home. Treasures have a habit of changing owners in the dark."
"Sold to the gentleman in the booth!"
Ye Kai held the Heavy Bracers with stars in his eyes. "Master! These are heavy! I can feel my bones creaking! Thank you!"
"Wear them," Jiang Chen ordered. "Do not take them off. Even when you sleep."
The Finale.
"And now," the Auctioneer lowered his voice. "The Final Item. This was found wandering the Wastes. A rare specimen."
A cage was wheeled onto the stage. Inside was not a weapon, nor a beast. It was a Blind Boy.
He was frail, wrapped in rags. His eyes were covered by bloody bandages. But the shadows in the cage seemed to move on their own, recoiling from him as if he were death itself.
"A Cursed Oracle!" the Auctioneer announced. "Blind, but can see glimpses of the future! Perfect for a Sect looking to avoid calamity. Bidding starts at 100,000 Spirit Stones!"
Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed. He activated his Supreme Comprehension.
Ding!
[Target Detected: Wei Wu (The Third Disciple).] [Potential: Saint Level.] [Condition: Demon Possessed.]
Jiang Chen grilled a grin. 'Found you.'
But before Jiang Chen could bid, a booming voice echoed from the entrance.
"STOP."
A pressure descended on the hall. It was far heavier than Gu Jian. It was a true Nascent Soul pressure.
An old man in grey robes floated into the hall, hovering inches off the ground. [Enemy Detected: Elder Wei (Mystic Cloud Sect).] [Cultivation: Nascent Soul Level 3.]
"This boy," Elder Wei declared, his voice shaking the walls. "Is a fugitive of the Mystic Cloud Sect. He stole a Forbidden Scroll. We are confiscating him."
The Auctioneer turned pale. "Elder Wei... this is an auction..."
"The Mystic Cloud Sect is the law," Elder Wei sneered. He waved his hand. "Gu Jian, take the prisoner."
Gu Jian smirked, glancing up at Jiang Chen's booth. "See? This is true power. Your money is useless here."
Jiang Chen watched as they dragged the blind boy away. The boy didn't struggle. He just turned his bandaged head toward Jiang Chen's booth... and smiled.
Jiang Chen sat back, his eyes cold. He was Nascent Soul Level 9. He could kill Elder Wei (Level 3) with a single thought. But if he did that, the Spirit Severing Grand Elders and the Void Treading Sect Leader would descend upon them instantly. He wasn't ready for that war yet.
"Ye Kai. Su Ling," Jiang Chen stood up, his lazy demeanor vanishing. The rusty sword at his waist hummed with a thirst for blood.
"The Auction is over."
"Are we going home?" Su Ling asked.
"No," Jiang Chen said. "We are going to the Mystic Cloud Sect Recruitment Ceremony tomorrow."
"If they want to play by the rules of the Sect," Jiang Chen grilled a dangerous, sharp grin, "Then we will join their game. And we will beat them at it."