85: Chapter 85 West Sea Auction

"I have consulted many ancient texts regarding this rune, yet I have never been able to decipher its meaning."

Xiao Yuan's gaze fell upon the rune, his brows slightly furrowed.

"But one thing is certain: the Restriction of this treasure land is even more complex than the first, and the Opportunity within is likely even more precious."

Bai Yue looked at him and asked softly, "What are you worried about?"

Xiao Yuan tucked the map into his robe and shook his head.

"It is not worry, but caution." His voice was steady and calm.

"The reason you and I were able to enter the first treasure land smoothly was because the Restriction had already loosened naturally. However, for this second one, whether the Restriction has loosened or if someone has already beaten us to it remains unknown."

He paused, his gaze turning toward the west side of the city, a glint of sharpness flashing in his eyes.

"However, regardless of anything, this trip must be made."

Bai Yue understood his meaning.

Although Xiao Yuan was from a branch family of the Xiao Family, he never accepted his fate deep down.

He had spent these years training throughout the Southern Wasteland, searching for Opportunity, all for the sake of one day returning to the Central Plains with sufficient strength, returning to the Xiao Family, and fighting for what should have been his.

"There are only five core seats in the Xiao Family."

Bai Yue spoke softly, her tone carrying a hint of complex emotion.

"Haven't you been traveling outside these years just for one of those five seats?"

Xiao Yuan did not deny it; he turned around, his gaze falling upon Bai Yue.

"Among the hundreds of people in the Xiao Family branch, only one or two in each generation can enter the core seats."

His voice was calm, yet it carried an unquestionable firmness.

"In this generation, I will be that one person."

Bai Yue looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded gently.

She had known Xiao Yuan for many years and knew that he never spoke of giving up lightly, and she also knew he had the strength.

"Once this treasure land exploration is finished and my cultivation advances a step further, I will return to the Central Plains." Xiao Yuan withdrew his gaze and looked toward the north, a hint of complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

"The selection for the Xiao Family's core seats is in three years. Before that, I must raise my cultivation to Nascent Soul Perfection."

"Only in this way will I be qualified to compete with those few Prodigies of the direct line."

Bai Yue did not speak. As a direct daughter of the Bai Family, although she did not need to fight for status like Xiao Yuan, she understood that in this cultivation world where the strong prey on the weak, strength was everything.

Without strength, even if one were of the direct line, one could not protect their own possessions.

On the arena, Zhao Zhibai won another match, and earth-shaking cheers erupted in the plaza.

Bai Yue withdrew her thoughts and looked at Xiao Yuan: "When shall we go to that treasure land?"

Xiao Yuan pondered for a moment and spoke slowly.

"No rush. I haven't fully refined the Medicinal Pill from before. If I can refine it completely, I will surely be able to advance to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage. When the time comes to explore, we will have a greater chance of success."

Bai Yue nodded, saying no more.

She also had much Medicinal Pill energy remaining in her body, so they would wait until both had broken through before exploring the treasure land.

The two turned their gaze back to the arena, as if the conversation just now had never happened.

The Trial Conference concluded at dusk.

Zhao Zhibai won the championship without suspense, and the entire Zhao Family celebrated. The several family heads in the viewing stands had varying expressions, yet all stood up to offer congratulations.

The crowd in the plaza gradually dispersed, and Xihai City returned to peace.

Lu Jinghan and the other two left the plaza with the flow of people.

Qin Muchuan walked in front, still feeling unsatisfied, as if he wanted to go up and fight a match himself. Su Fuguang followed by his side, occasionally responding with a few words.

Lu Jinghan walked at the back with steady footsteps, his gaze seemingly sweeping casually across the west side of the plaza.

Those two figures were already gone.

He was in no hurry to return to Yunlai Inn; instead, he walked back and forth along the main street unhurriedly.

When passing an alleyway, he suddenly stopped his steps and turned into the alley.

Qin Muchuan looked back and stopped his steps as well.

"Senior Brother?"

Lu Jinghan did not answer, merely raising his hand to signal them to be quiet.

He closed his eyes, and the Time-Space Derivation Sutra within him quietly circulated. A wisp of extremely subtle time-space power overflowed from his fingertips, transforming into an almost imperceptible silver thread in the Void Realm.

The silver thread wove through the crowd, silently tracking a certain aura.

The silver thread traveled through the Void Realm for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, finally locking onto two auras.

One was in the north of the city, and one was in the east; they were actually not in the same place?

Lu Jinghan opened his eyes, his brows furrowing imperceptibly.

The two of them splitting up was something he had not expected.

He pondered for a moment, and the silver thread silently split into two strands, falling respectively onto the robes of the two people.

This was a secret technique within his Time-Space Derivation Sutra — Time-Space Marking.

Using time-space power as a guide to leave a mark on the target that is extremely difficult to detect.

Once the mark is planted, he can perceive the general direction of the other party.

After finishing this, Lu Jinghan walked toward the Yunlai Inn.

Qin Muchuan and Su Fuguang exchanged a glance, asked no further questions, and followed.

For the next half month, Xihai City was calm and peaceful.

Lu Jinghan meditated in his room for an hour every morning; the rest of the time, he would either stroll around the city or have a small drink in the Heaven-rank Room Three.

He was not in a hurry; the sensing of that Time-Space Marking remained clear.

Xiao Yuan's aura remained in a restaurant called Wangyue Tower in the north of the city, while Bai Yue's aura was in a quiet courtyard in the east of the city.

Neither of them had left Xihai City.

Qin Muchuan had been cooped up in his room for a few days; finally, he couldn't help but run to Lu Jinghan's room, plopping down at the table with a bored expression.

"Senior Brother, are we just going to wait here like this?"

Lu Jinghan leaned back in his chair, holding a cup of clear tea, his gaze falling outside the window.

"No rush."

"But—"

"What is there to rush?" Lu Jinghan put down the teacup and glanced at him.

Qin Muchuan scratched his head, wanting to say more, but was held back by Su Fuguang, who came in afterward.

Su Fuguang sat down opposite Lu Jinghan and asked in a low voice: "Senior Brother, who exactly are those two people?"

Lu Jinghan remained silent for a moment and did not answer directly.

"Two old acquaintances."

Su Fuguang heard the weight in these three words and did not ask further.

Just at this moment, Xihai City suddenly became lively.

Lu Jinghan stood by the window, watching the increasingly large flow of people on the street.

"What happened?" Qin Muchuan pushed the door open from the next room, peering out the window with a curious face.

"The Xihai City Auction."

Su Fuguang walked in from behind, holding a Jade Slip for message transmission he had gotten from somewhere, and read it.

"Once every three years, the largest auction event in Xihai City. It is said that there are quite a few good things this time; even Cultivators from the surrounding cities have rushed over."

Qin Muchuan's eyes lit up: "An auction? Then let's go take a look too!"

Lu Jinghan nodded and said: "Then let us go and see what treasures this auction has."

The three left the inn and walked along the main street toward the center of the city.

The sides of the street were decorated with lanterns and festoons, even livelier than during the Trial Conference half a month ago.

The West Sea Auction House was located at the most bustling intersection in the center of the city.

It was a three-story pavilion with green bricks and gray tiles, upturned eaves, and the five gold-plated characters for "West Sea Auction House" hanging high on the lintel, written with powerful strokes.

In front of the door stood two stone-carved Spirit Beasts, baring fangs and brandishing claws, vivid and lifelike, with faint spiritual light flowing over them.