168: The rivalry between Phoenix Vine and Three Beauties United

As soon as the five words "phoenix blood vine root" were uttered, the entire Wanshang Pavilion auction hall erupted, as if a thunderbolt had been dropped into it!

Countless scorching, greedy, and incredulous gazes locked onto the Profound Ice jade box, and heavy, ragged breathing could be heard all around.

It was one of the two most crucial main ingredients for refining the nirvana phoenix blood pill, alongside the nirvana flower, a rare divine object legendary for containing the life force of a True Phoenix's Nirvana, capable of bringing the dead back to life and regrowing flesh on bones!

Its value could not be measured by Spirit Stones at all!

The female Cultivator auctioneer suppressed her excitement, her voice trembling slightly: "The origin of this item... cannot be detailed, but after being verified by three of Wanshang Pavilion's Great Masters, it has been confirmed as genuine! The starting price is... five thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones! Each increment must not be less than five hundred!"

This starting price instantly brought despair to ninety-nine percent of the Cultivators in the hall, but it could not dampen the enthusiasm of those truly important figures in the private rooms on the second floor.

"Six thousand!"

"Seven thousand!"

"Eight thousand five hundred!"

...

The price soared wildly like a wild horse breaking free from its reins, instantly breaking through the barrier of ten thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones! And there was absolutely no sign of it slowing down!

Inside Room Jia-3, where Lin Xuan was, the atmosphere was heavy.

"It really appeared!" Qu Feiyan's charming eyes were sharp, "But this is too coincidental; we were just asking about it, and it appeared at the auction?"

Su Wanqing's icy eyes were calm: "There is a high probability that it is a trap. Heavenly Frost City might want to use this to lure us into making a move, consume our financial resources, or even set a snare."

Gongsun Yu nervously gripped the corner of her clothes, looking at the scene of frantic bidding below, then at Lin Xuan's solemn profile, her little face full of worry.

Lin Xuan's gaze was locked tightly onto that piece of root, sealed in Profound Ice, about the length of a finger, dark red in color, with faint golden patterns flowing across it, as the System was rapidly analyzing it.

【Analyzing... Target item: phoenix blood vine root (damaged). Confirmed to contain pure Phoenix Bloodline aura and Nirvana life force, authenticity 99.8%. Warning: An extremely secretive tracking mark has been planted inside the item, using sophisticated techniques, suspected to be from a Cultivator at the Late Nascent Soul Stage or above.】

It was indeed a trap! Heavenly Frost City, or rather the forces behind them, had truly gone to great lengths to deal with him! To be willing to use such a rare Spirit Medicine as bait, and even plant a tracking mark!

"We must obtain this item," Lin Xuan said in a deep voice, his eyes firm. Even if it was a trap, the phoenix blood vine was too important to miss. As for the tracking mark... once he had it in his hands, he had plenty of ways to deal with it.

By this time, the price had already been raised to eighteen thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones! The bidders were Room Bing-7 (Heavenly Frost City), which had previously competed with Lin Xuan for that set of Spirit Medicine, and two other private rooms with unfathomable auras.

"Twenty thousand." Lin Xuan finally spoke again, his voice calm, yet carrying a determination to win.

The price jumped significantly again, drawing an uproar.

Inside Room Bing-7, Ling Tianyu's face was gloomy, and he whispered to a figure shrouded in a black robe beside him: "Elder Ying, he has taken the bait! Keep raising the price, force him to bleed more!"

The Black-Robed Figure known as Elder Ying nodded slightly, his hoarse voice transmitted through the Formation: "Twenty-three thousand."

"Twenty-five thousand." Lin Xuan did not hesitate.

"Twenty-eight thousand!" Another private room, seemingly representing a Grandmaster of alchemy, also joined the fray.

"Thirty thousand!" Lin Xuan raised the price again, pushing it directly to a suffocating height!

Thirty thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones! This was enough to severely damage a medium-sized Sect! Even the representative of that Grandmaster of alchemy fell silent, clearly feeling that paying such a price for a piece of root was not worth it.

Only Room Bing-7 remained in close pursuit.

"Thirty-two thousand!" Elder Ying's voice carried a hint of imperceptible coldness.

"Thirty-five thousand." Lin Xuan's tone remained unchanged.

"Thirty-eight thousand!"

"Forty thousand."

When Lin Xuan announced the number "forty thousand," the entire auction hall fell into dead silence. Everyone was shocked by this terrifying financial power. Room Bing-7 also fell into a long silence.

Ling Tianyu was so angry in the private room he almost vomited blood; he had not expected Lin Xuan's financial resources to be this abundant! Forty thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones, even for Heavenly Frost City, was a huge sum, let alone the fact that this was just bait to lure the other party in!

"Young Lord, we cannot follow any further, otherwise even if we win it, the cost will be too great," Elder Ying reminded in a deep voice.

Ling Tianyu clenched his fists so hard his nails almost sank into his flesh, and finally squeezed a few words through his teeth: "...Let him have it! Let's see if he has the life to enjoy it!"

In the end, no one bid again.

"Forty thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones! Sold! Congratulations to the honored guest in Room Jia-3 for winning this rare treasure, the 'phoenix blood vine root'!" The female Cultivator auctioneer's voice was filled with immense excitement and a hint of trembling.

Soon, the Profound Ice jade box sealing the phoenix blood vine root was carefully delivered to Lin Xuan's private room. After paying the astronomical number of Spirit Stones, Lin Xuan did not touch the jade box immediately, but instead used his Divine Sense to carefully probe it first, confirming the existence of that extremely obscure tracking mark.

He sneered in his heart and quietly put the jade box away.

The auction ended, and the crowd began to leave. But everyone knew that the real storm was only just beginning. The guest in Room Jia-3, carrying the precious treasure, had become the focus of countless greedy gazes.

Lin Xuan and the other four did not leave Wanshang Pavilion immediately, but stayed in the private room for a while longer.

"There must be many people staring at us outside." Qu Feiyan's charming eyes swept across the window, her tone carrying a hint of excitement and killing intent, "Do you want big sister to go and lure some away?"

Su Wanqing shook her head: "No. Splitting up at this time would be exactly what some people want." She looked at Lin Xuan, "What are your plans?"

Lin Xuan's gaze swept over the three women, each with peerless beauty, different styles, but all deeply in love with him, and a warm current surged in his heart. He said in a deep voice: "The item is in our hands, and I have already discovered the tracking mark. Next, they will think we are anxious to leave Tianshu City or find a place to hide. We will do the exact opposite."

He paused, then continued: "We will go back openly, back to Listening to Bamboo Pavilion."

Gongsun Yu was a bit puzzled: "Big Brother Lin, wouldn't that just tell everyone where we are?"

Qu Feiyan instantly understood Lin Xuan's intention, her charming eyes brightening: "The most dangerous place is the safest place? Besides, staying in the open is better than being plotted against in the dark?"

Su Wanqing also nodded slightly: "Correct. Within Tianshu City, there are city regulations, so they wouldn't dare to act openly. We just need to be careful of schemes in the dark."

Seeing that all three women understood his intention and chose to face it together without hesitation, a sense of pride welled up in Lin Xuan's heart. He reached out his hand, and Su Wanqing and Qu Feiyan were slightly taken aback, then immediately placed their hands on his, and Gongsun Yu hurriedly stacked her little hand on top as well.

Four hands were tightly clasped together.

Su Wanqing's coolness, Qu Feiyan's warmth and softness, and Gongsun Yu's slight tremor—three different sensations, yet all conveying the same firm support.

"Let's go." Lin Xuan smiled slightly, his gaze sweeping over the three peerless faces, "Let us see just how big the waves in this Tianshu City can really get."

The five did not hesitate any longer, adjusted their disguises, walked calmly out of the private room, merged into the departing crowd, and headed in the direction of Listening to Bamboo Pavilion, neither hurrying nor slowing down.

Sure enough, along the way, they could clearly feel countless gazes, some overt and some covert, landing on them—some greedy, some curious, some wary, and some with undisguised killing intent. But just as Lin Xuan had expected, on the bustling streets of Tianshu City, no one dared to act openly.

Returning to the Listening to Bamboo Pavilion courtyard, after activating all defensive Formations, Lin Xuan immediately began to deal with the phoenix blood vine root. He first used his Taichu Sword Intent to extremely carefully erase that tracking mark; the entire process was delicate and meticulous, not harming the root itself in the slightest. Subsequently, he took out several jade boxes, set up layers of Restrictions, and properly sealed and stored this key main ingredient that concerned Qu Feiyan's future.

After finishing all this, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The night was deep, and the small courtyard was brightly lit.

Su Wanqing was practicing sword techniques in the courtyard, moonlight and sword light intertwined, cold and focused.

Qu Feiyan was tuning the yaoguang immortal sound zither inside the room, occasionally plucking the strings, letting out a few soul-bewitching notes, but her charming eyes glanced towards Lin Xuan's room from time to time.

Gongsun Yu, after recuperating, had recovered quite a bit from her injuries and was busy in the kitchen preparing a late-night snack, like a diligent little wife.

Lin Xuan looked at this harmonious yet subtly hidden scene, feeling emotional. He knew deeply that balancing the relationships between three women who loved him deeply was not an easy task. Su Wanqing was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, requiring delicate perception; Qu Feiyan was charming and proactive, craving passionate responses; Gongsun Yu was innocent and dependent, hoping for gentle care.

He rubbed his brow, feeling that this was even more mentally taxing than facing a Nascent Soul Cultivator. But regardless, they were all people he must protect with his life.

Just as he was pondering, Qu Feiyan walked over gracefully, wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, her delicate body pressed close, and breathed like an orchid into his ear: "Junior Brother~ are you done? The night is long, would you like to... listen to big sister play a solo for you?" The implication in her words could not be more obvious.

Almost simultaneously, the sword light in the courtyard vanished, Su Wanqing stood with her sword sheathed, her cold gaze looking in through the window; although she did not speak, that look already said everything.

Even Gongsun Yu in the kitchen poked her little head out, looking over with eager eyes, her face carrying a hint of a blush and anticipation.

Lin Xuan: "..."

It seemed that tonight was destined to be another sleepless night. And he, too, needed to think carefully about how to "soothe" these three beauties, each deeply affectionate yet with such different styles.