If you wear that kind of thing and take a bath together...

The seafood from the East Sea was exceptionally delicious, but the elderly steward from the Lingxi Sect had a particular fondness for braised pork trotters. The roasted trotters at this inn were tender and springy, and the old man couldn't fathom who had come up with such a delicacy—the flavor was simply divine.

"Hmm, you make a fair point!"

Qiao Ziyu pondered and realized that even if he had spent two hundred Mystic Crystals, it was still worth every penny. The reason for his fury earlier was mainly due to how infuriating the whole ordeal had been.

Damn it, three thousand disciples couldn’t even secure a single Dragon Pearl—what a rip-off!

Had he just paid upfront, he wouldn’t have minded. Thinking this way, he felt much better.

"At least the Transcendent Remnant Bone is in my hands now."

A faint smile finally appeared on Qiao Ziyu’s cold, stern face.

"Young Sect Master, please open it quickly and let us witness its marvels as well."

The steward’s anticipation grew, his cheeks twitching as he gnawed on the pork trotter even faster.

"Very well. I’m not one to hoard treasures—let’s all study it together."

Qiao Ziyu nodded.

After all, so many people had helped him negotiate, even if they hadn’t succeeded. It would be heartless to keep it all to himself.

He opened the box, revealing a pristine white bone fragment, its surface shimmering with golden marrow and faint divine patterns.

"Truly profound..."

"Magnificent! What a treasure!"

"Hey, you rascal, everyone’s watching—mind your words!"

"I meant the Young Sect Master’s treasure..."

The crowd was utterly entranced.

"What insights have you gained?"

Qiao Ziyu maintained a composed expression, though inwardly, he was puzzled.

The bone looked extraordinary, yet he felt no enlightenment from it, nor did his Transcendent Body react in the slightest.

"Young Master, I... I don’t see anything."

The disciples merely marveled at its aura, shaking their heads in bewilderment.

The steward found it somewhat familiar. After a moment of contemplation, he said,

"Young Master, our roots and bones are mediocre—how could we compare to you? Surely, you must feel a deep, bloodline connection with it?"

"Ah... yes, indeed. It does feel like reuniting with kin."

Under the expectant gazes of the crowd, how could Qiao Ziyu admit he felt nothing?

The mood was set, the price already haggled over—wouldn’t it make him seem inferior if he confessed now?

"Young Sect Master, what enlightenment have you attained?"

"Patience. Let’s all contemplate it together..."

With a magnanimous wave, Qiao Ziyu moved to place the box on the table.

But he forgot—he had just cast a hex of misfortune upon himself, and the Lingxi Sect disciples weren’t exactly known for their manners, tossing leftovers carelessly on the floor.

"Hmm?"

Qiao Ziyu suddenly noticed something odd—the transcendent aura of the bone was fading rapidly.

But what puzzled him more was the sensation under his foot.

Looking down, he saw a thoroughly gnawed pork trotter.

Qiao Ziyu: "?"

Whoosh!

Before the entire assembly, he reenacted the legendary swordsman Bai Jinghong’s ultimate technique—the Invincible Firewheel.

"Young Sect Master! Are you alright?"

"See? I told you our Young Sect Master could do a backflip!"

"Who threw that trotter? Have you no decency?!"

The steward hurled his own half-eaten trotter to the ground, discreetly wiping his mouth before rushing to help Qiao Ziyu up.

"Young Sect Master, are you unharmed?"

A cultivator of his level wouldn’t be injured by a mere fall, though he did look rather disheveled.

The scene descended into chaos.

But Qiao Ziyu had no mind for trivialities—his head was spinning.

"Where’s my Transcendent Remnant Bone?!"

"It fell on the ground, I think."

"I don’t see it..."

"How could the bone get mixed up with pork trotters? Maybe a dog ran off with it?"

"Tsk... Young Master, didn’t you say you felt a bloodline connection? Try sensing it again?"

"What are you all standing around for? Find it now!"

Qiao Ziyu nearly spat blood from sheer frustration.

Under his command, three thousand Lingxi Sect disciples stormed out, ready to wrestle dogs for a bone overnight.

......

"Li Mo, how exactly did you turn a pork trotter into the Transcendent Remnant Bone?"

Qian Bufan was browsing the auction catalog when he suddenly voiced his doubt.

Li Mo shook his head.

"I don’t possess such miraculous means to transform the mundane into the divine. I merely made it look extraordinary. By now, it’s probably reverted to its original state."

"Elder Qian, take these funds and procure some necessities for the sect."

He handed over the two hundred Mystic Crystals sponsored by the Lingxi Sect—no small sum for the Qingyuan Sect at present.

"Then I won’t stand on ceremony."

Qian Bufan accepted, though he felt slightly awkward taking money from a junior. Still, he knew this was but a drop in the bucket for Li Mo.

Besides, it was clear who would lead the Qingyuan Sect in the future.

After pocketing the crystals, he asked,

"Li Mo, which items at tomorrow’s auction do you need most?"

"The selection is quite diverse..."

Li Mo skimmed the list—it was filled with rare treasures of all kinds, each worthy of an auction.

The East Sea’s natural treasures went without saying...

"Elder Qian, there’s even three-thousand-year-old Sea Silk?"

"I’ve heard of it, but never seen it. It rarely appears at auctions."

Sea Silk was precious, but typically used for clothing—like pearl-white lotus silk. Rare, yet not usually auction-worthy.

Of course, exceptions existed.

"This Sea Silk changes color with the weather... At three thousand years, it’s practically sentient! Ah, right—"

Qian Bufan seemed to recall something.

"Rumor has it that once it gains sentience, the silk shifts hues based on the wearer’s emotions."

"Oh?"

Li Mo straightened slightly. "And its texture?"

Though puzzled by his interest, Qian Bufan answered,

"Supposedly, it’s as smooth as pearl-white lotus silk, as light and breathable as dark cloud gauze..."

"!"

If this were used to make Southern-style attire for the "Ice Block," wouldn’t that be incredible?

Who’d ever seen ice with packaging that changed colors? That would be beyond spectacular.

Just imagining it made Young Li feel like his nose had been punched.

"This—we must acquire it."

"Very well... Wait, why is your nose bleeding?"

"I’m hungry—salivating, you could say."

"?"

Elder Qian had never seen someone "salivate" through their nose before.

In the end, Li Mo marked not just the Sea Silk but seventy percent of the catalog.

Any natural treasure might prove useful, and the Qingyuan Sect’s coffers were thin—stocking up on resources was wise.