The Eastern Pearl Tower was now somewhat quiet. Those who had been interested in Tongwei's remains earlier mostly sighed after some consideration.
The Lingxi Sect held considerable renown in the martial world, and its sect master was a formidable figure on the Earth Ranking, with a notably high position.
As for why Qiao Ziyu had risen above the sect master's many descendants to become the heir, the reason lay in his unique physique.
Possessing the innate "Shengwei Physique," obtaining these remains might allow him to unravel the secrets of the Tongwei Physique and restore its former glory. Naturally, he was determined to secure it.
For others, the remains might be useless—why risk making an enemy of the Lingxi Sect?
Seeing no objections, Qiao Ziyu clasped his hands again. "Then I thank you all for your generosity."
"Young Sect Master, this seems a bit against the rules, doesn’t it?" Qian Bufan's expression darkened.
"This item is simply too important to me. I acted hastily—please forgive me, Elder." Qiao Ziyu grinned, his tone surprisingly polite.
"Rest assured, I always abide by reason. Everything will follow the Eastern Pearl Tower’s rules."
"Then proceed, Young Sect Master." Qian Bufan turned away with a cold expression, flicking his sleeves.
"No need to see me off. My thanks to the Qingyuan Sect for this treasure... hahaha!"
Qiao Ziyu laughed as he approached the counter.
Had this item been auctioned at the Eastern Pearl Tower, the price would have been astronomical.
Even now, it wasn’t cheap—two hundred spirit crystals, an amount that could be converted into an unimaginable sum of gold.
But he could haggle!
With three thousand people helping, he might even get Li Mo to pay him out of pocket.
"Let me try my luck first."
"Of course. Here’s your throwing knife."
Qiao Ziyu was the first to receive a knife from Lan Tian. He narrowed his eyes, but the shifting patterns of light offered no discernible pattern.
No surprise—the Eastern Pearl Tower had deep roots and surely took measures to prevent cheating.
In that case, it all came down to luck. But...
He had a way to temporarily improve his fortune!
Whoosh—
The knife shot out like a black thread, as if guided by fate itself. Qiao Ziyu had cast a hex on himself.
The backlash was severe—his luck would plummet for some time afterward.
Snap!
"Hit! It hit!"
"Hit what?"
"Hmm? Not a discount... looks like... a pearl? What does a pearl mean?"
Qiao Ziyu frowned at Lan Tian.
Lan Tian thought for a moment, recalling Li Mo’s instructions, and widened her eyes.
"Your luck is incredible!"
"Oh? What’s special about this pearl?"
Qiao Ziyu relaxed—this seemed even better than a discount.
Naturally, after resorting to self-hexing...
"This isn’t a pearl—it’s a Dragon Pearl! Collect seven, and you’ll get the item for free, plus half its value in cash!"
"Hahaha! Perfect, perfect!" Qiao Ziyu roared with laughter.
He’d gotten a Dragon Pearl on his first try—how hard could the grand prize be?
The process went smoothly after that. Lingxi Sect disciples lined up to take their turns.
"Young Sect Master, I got a Dragon Pearl too!"
"Young Sect Master, me too!"
...
Seven people stepped forward, but then—
"Young Sect Master, I... uh, this pearl looks different?"
The disciple held it up. Qiao Ziyu followed his gaze.
Instead of gold, this one was silver.
"What’s this supposed to mean?" Qiao Ziyu scowled.
Lan Tian blinked. "That’s a Flood Dragon Pearl! Collect nine, and you can exchange for one Dragon Pearl. Wow, you’re so lucky—I’ve never seen anyone with eight Dragon Pearls before!"
Of course not. The rules were made today, and her shift had just started.
"Fine. Keep going."
Qiao Ziyu remained composed. With so many helpers, he wasn’t worried.
...
"Lan Tian’s acting is flawless—who knew she was such a natural trickster?"
Li Mo removed his Veil of Formless Glass, watching from the second floor.
"The girl’s got sharp instincts. She’s a good fit for this job."
Elder Qian nodded, then shook his head.
"But you’re the real mastermind here. Selling a leftover pig knuckle bone for two hundred spirit crystals—even if it doesn’t break them, it’s still a hefty loss..."
"From your tone, the Lingxi Sect must be wealthy?"
"Not compared to you, but as a sect qualified to govern a province, they’ve got at least a thousand spirit crystals."
"I see."
Li Mo manipulated the Mirage Spirit Pearl while observing the scene below.
Elder Qian recognized the look—Li’s brilliant mind was at work again. Despite his usual carefree demeanor, the boy had deep affection for the sect...
As they spoke, Qiao Ziyu below had gone from Dragon Pearls to Clam Pearls, then Fish Pearls, Shrimp Pearls... His calm demeanor had vanished, replaced by the frenzy of a man consumed by the hunt.
Qiao Ziyu’s patience wore thin. He nearly lost his temper—
"Hmm?"
Several shareholders nearby stood up, their expressions unfriendly.
Qiao Ziyu abandoned thoughts of "physical negotiation."
"How many more? When does this end?"
"Your friends’ luck is just getting worse! Someone earlier collected nine Dragon Pearls right away—it’s not our fault."
"Then tell me—what kind of shrimp has pearls? There’s got to be some logic!"
"Sorry, but the final interpretation of this event belongs to our establishment~"
Lan Tian’s sweetly oblivious tone left Qiao Ziyu fuming.
But he couldn’t argue—others had genuinely collected nine Dragon Pearls.
Accusing them of cheating required proof.
Three thousand people sounded like a lot.
But as night fell, only one remained. Qiao Ziyu could afford two hundred spirit crystals, but by now, he was panting like a gambler on a losing streak.
"Young Sect Master... I got..."
"Mine! It’s all mine!"
"Oh... it’s a Pearl, Young Sect Master."
Qiao Ziyu: "?"
The crowd murmured, marveling at his abysmal luck. Had he committed some heinous act to deserve this?
Lan Tian yawned. "After all that, the price is still two hundred spirit crystals."
"......"
Qiao Ziyu clenched his fists under the crowd’s scrutiny. "After all this effort, can’t you lower it even a little?"
"Little brother... you’re not broke, are you?"
"Fine! Take it! Just take it!"
Gritting his teeth, Qiao Ziyu finally handed over two hundred spirit crystals.
With the jade box in hand, he stormed off, seething with resentment.
As everyone knows, when in a foul mood, one craves comfort food.
So his first act upon returning to the inn was to order a feast—roast meat, pig knuckles, and more.
"Unbelievable! This is beyond insulting!"
Qiao Ziyu viciously bit into a knuckle.
"Young Sect Master, calm down. We just hit a rough patch."
"Though it cost you a sum, obtaining that mystical Tongwei Relic Bone will make your future prospects boundless—how could a mere two hundred spirit crystals ever compare?"
The old man reassured him, tossing the gnawed pig's trotter to the dogs outside.
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
ver to a world of cultivation and returned invincible. Modern medicine is child's play compared to elixirs; technological might crumbles before true cultivation. My name is Qin Ning, Earth's sole cultivator!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
