Chapter 277: Cao Youqian – I Never Used to Pay Spirit Stones When Shopping

As evening approached, the auction was nearing its end.

Cao Youqian patted Ye Beixuan on the shoulder. "Junior Brother Ye, in a bit, go retrieve those two auction items by yourself. Remember to deliberately slow your pace and glance around frequently when picking them up."

Everyone present was no stranger to the cultivation world; the moment they heard this, they immediately understood Cao Youqian's intentions.

Ye Beixuan subconsciously asked, "Senior Brother Cao, how big a fish are you trying to catch this time?"

Cao Youqian shrugged. "I've never paid spirit stones when shopping before. Since I've bled so much this time, I naturally need to recover some of it from those with ulterior motives.

If no one bears ill intent toward us, we'll treat it as if nothing happened. But if someone does, then they can't blame us for using our strength to bully them."

Xiao Chen rubbed his forehead. "Daqian, that's not what 'bullying the weak' means. And your bait this time might lure a Nirvana cultivator."

Cao Youqian shrugged again. "I'm Wendao Academy's number one scoundrel. As long as it's not a disciple from a Holy Land, it still counts as bullying the weak."

"…"

Everyone was speechless—except Han Paopao, who looked visibly excited. Normally, he was the one being chased. Now, at last, he had a chance to chase someone else.

Cao Youqian pulled over a dozen black cloaks from his storage ring.

"To prevent those guys from running as soon as they see us, we'd better put these cloaks on first."

"Fine. As your senior brother, I'll play along for a while. Hopefully, those guys are sensible enough not to give Junior Brother Ye any trouble."

Xiao Chen accepted the cloak from Cao Youqian and changed out of his original black robe.

Just as everyone finished changing, a familiar voice came from within the private room.

"Daqian, give this old man one too."

As the voice of Marquis Yishan rang out, his figure also appeared before them.

What the hell!

Cao Youqian suddenly jumped up from his seat, looking speechless. "Master-Uncle, could you at least give a heads-up next time you appear? You'll scare someone to death—especially when we're in the middle of plotting something."

"…"

Marquis Yishan looked equally speechless. "This is the first time I've seen anyone make fishing this mysterious. Leave the Nirvana cultivators to me. You all handle the rest yourselves."

Cao Youqian grinned. "Master-Uncle, can you take on ten of them at once?"

???

Marquis Yishan looked puzzled and replied gruffly, "I'm not a Half-Saint. How could I take on ten cultivators of the same realm? You think everyone's like you and your senior brother, unbeatable at your level?"

Cao Youqian passed the cloak to Marquis Yishan with a disappointed look and muttered, "What a pity."

Marquis Yishan felt offended and snapped, "Kid, are you getting cocky?"

Cao Youqian shook his head. "No. I just really feel like punching someone."

"Hmph!"

Marquis Yishan gave a cold snort and accepted the cloak, draping it over his shoulders.

Moments later, as the final sacred item was auctioned off, the event came to an end.

Gu Sanbian smiled and announced, "Esteemed guests, this concludes the auction. Those who have won items may proceed backstage to complete the transaction."

The expressions of the guests varied. After all, there were thousands of attendees, but only a few dozen had successfully bid on anything. Among them, there were cases like Cao Youqian, who alone secured two items.

After exchanging a glance, Cao Youqian and Xiao Chen each placed a storage ring on the table.

"Thank you, Senior Brothers," Ye Beixuan said.

Cao Youqian smiled. "Once you've got the items, leave the city immediately and head east as fast as you can. We'll meet you outside."

"Understood."

Ye Beixuan responded and changed into his cloak. He also deliberately wore a bronze mask that could block divine sense. With two storage rings in hand, he strode openly out the main entrance of the private room.

The moment he stepped out, his entire aura transformed. Normally unremarkable in the eyes of others, Ye Beixuan now appeared to be a peerless powerhouse newly emerged into the world.

His pace was unhurried, yet every step was firm and resolute. Beneath the bronze mask, his eyes exuded unmatched confidence, tinged with an air of deep world-weariness.

This kind of presence, coupled with Cao Youqian's earlier high bids, immediately drew all eyes toward Ye Beixuan.

Inside the private room of Dayan Holy Land—

Two elders studied the unfamiliar figure with puzzled expressions.

Elder Sikong murmured, "Who is this boy, and why have I never heard of him?"

"Judging by his figure and aura, he's definitely not Xiao Chen or Cao Youqian," said Elder Ouyang, clearly perplexed. "What are these people up to again?"

Elder Sikong said, "Could it be they're fishing?"

"Be more confident. Remove the first half of that sentence. It looks like this group from Wendao Academy came prepared. But which faction are they targeting this time?"

Elder Ouyang's expression turned thoughtful.

Ever since Chu Feng's faction had clashed with Dayan Holy Land, the latter had begun investigating Wendao Academy's lineage.

They had studied Chu Feng's three disciples thoroughly. Chu Feng himself needed no elaboration—unrivaled beneath the Saint Realm. His eldest disciple, Xiao Chen, followed the path of invincibility and disdained any form of schemes or trickery.

The second disciple, Cao Youqian, was the poster child for a redeemed wastrel. When his fame spread across the land, the patriarchs of all the Holy Lands gathered their own wastrel heirs, urging them to demonstrate their talents.

Unfortunately, the patriarchs were all left disappointed. Their own wastrel offspring remained hopelessly unpromising, with no potential to become future elites.

As for the third disciple, she was a prime target for Dayan Holy Land's suppression—unfortunately, that young girl had always remained secluded and never ventured out.

If Chu Feng were here, he would surely give the two elders of Dayan Holy Land a thumbs-up and praise them:

"The ancients were not wrong—the ones who understand you best are often your enemies."

Just as the two elders were deep in thought, Ye Beixuan sensed several hostile gazes.

Among them was one that felt both familiar and unfamiliar.

However, Ye Beixuan didn't pay it any special attention. With an air of complete disregard, he passed through the crowd and soon arrived at the backstage area of the auction.

Gu Sanbian looked at the strangely dressed cultivator in front of him and cheerfully completed the handover, handing Ye Beixuan a blue token.

"Esteemed guest, this is a VIP token from our Myriad Treasures Pavilion auction. As long as you carry this token—"

"No need for a lengthy explanation. I'm aware of its use. It ranks just below the purple and gold VIP tokens and grants a twenty percent discount."

Ye Beixuan turned and left as soon as he finished speaking, leaving Gu Sanbian with a slightly surprised look.

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