"I want to et Ma Gang," Yan Xiaobao stood up and said. As he looked at Cai Jie, he expected the young man to follow him, but Cai Jie seed completely absorbed in the book he had found on the shelf. This caused Yan Xiaobao to shrug before turning and leaving the room, heading toward the Black Market Auction House located in the capital, an auction house under the Ma family’s control.
As one might expect, the city was bustling as usual, but even so, Yan Xiaobao could tell that so experts were trailing him. These experts were either Dukes or Kings, and Yan Xiaobao had to admit that it was initially difficult to notice them. When he finally did, they weren’t closely monitoring him. Instead, they andered around him, entering and leaving stores, stopping at stalls, purchasing items, chatting with friends—acting utterly casual. If not for Lan Feng keeping an eye on them, Yan Xiaobao might not have noticed them at all.
In addition to this, he started noticing the thieves, beggars, and servants around the town. All of them observed him with an incredible level of curiosity. However, when it ca to Yan Xiaobao himself, none of the thieves were foolish enough to try anything, as they seed to know who he was; instead, so even nodded in greeting toward him. Their interest in him was entirely different from the subtle pursuit of the senior experts tailing him.
"How utterly foolish," he chuckled when he finally arrived at the auction house. The guards, upon seeing him, imdiately appeared along with a servant to greet him courteously. The servant bowed deeply and led Yan Xiaobao to a room, where he brought out wine and grapes before excusing himself. After a brief wait, he heard hurried footsteps approaching. When he saw a flustered Ma Kong enter the doorway, he grinned. The mont Ma Kong saw Yan Xiaobao, he let out a breath and collapsed into a chair.
"You could have warned you’d be visiting today," Ma Kong exclaid with self-deprecation as he poured himself a glass of wine, laughing. "They told one of our custors needed to see ; you have no idea how nervous I was!" He chuckled as he drank, causing Yan Xiaobao to grin in response. Being regarded as a patron of this auction house was indeed a great honor.
"I have a favor to ask," Yan Xiaobao sighed as he picked up several stones, one after another, and placed them on the table. "I need to sell off these surplus materials. I don’t need to fetch the retail price for them; I just want to find soone who’ll buy in bulk. Who would you recomnd I do business with?" he asked. He knew this was an auction house where they primarily dealt in high-end treasures and rare materials, but these weren’t the kinds of items Yan Xiaobao was looking to sell now. After thinking for a mont, Yan Xiaobao retrieved another stone, pulling out a sizable one and placing it in front of Ma Kong. "I’d like to sell this item as well," he said, noting the confusion on Ma Kong’s face. "This is a stone that can amplify the essence of heaven and earth, allowing cultivators to absorb it during cultivation," he explained. He had purchased it in the sacred underground city and had rely used it briefly, but it had little value for him now since he had the blue cloud. Selling it, he knew most would regard it as a priceless treasure, but what he needed now wasn’t more essence stones but coins to assist in his political maneuvers.
"An item that increases the essence of heaven and earth that people can absorb during cultivation?" Ma Kong repeated with astonishnt. It was well-known that cultivation was the most difficult part of training because it couldn’t be rushed. One needed to slowly absorb the essence, circulate it through their ridians, and gradually refine it into Qi.
Grinning, Yan Xiaobao held up the stone, which appeared to be an ordinary rock, and walked over to Ma Gang. "Sit down and prepare for ditation," he instructed. Ma Kong, curious, obediently did as he was told without asking questions. As soon as he sat down, Yan Xiaobao handed the stone to him. The mont it touched his skin, Ma Kong’s eyes widened in shock. Though he hadn’t even begun cultivating, he could feel a suction force emanating from within his Dantian.
Everyone absorbs traces of the essence of heaven and earth simply through living and breathing, but this goes unnoticed by most. However, upon touching the stone, it created a powerful pulling force that made him acutely aware of the energy being drawn in. Ma Kong gripped the stone and placed it on his lap, slowly entering ditation. As the suction within him intensified to unimaginable levels, he found it difficult to control his racing heart. The energy absorption was so astonishing that even Ma Gong, a young man who had trained to the Duke level, could sense vast amounts of energy surging through his body and roaring within his ridians. Not long after, it was finally refined into Qi and then further purified into spiritual energy. With this stone, Ma Kong could see himself quickly ascending to the King level. When he finally stopped ditating, he gazed at the stone, his thoughts swirling. After deliberating for a mont, Ma Kong looked at Yan Xiaobao and narrowed his eyes.
After so thought, Ma Kong handed the stone back to Yan Xiaobao and stood up. "Please wait here," he said hurriedly. "I need to find the Clan Leader. I’m certain he’ll be interested in this stone. Don’t worry; I won’t let anyone in the family try to deceive you," he called over his shoulder as he rushed out, slamming the door shut behind him. Seeing the look of confusion on Ma Kong’s face, Yan Xiaobao chuckled softly. He knew this item would be invaluable to those who lacked a personal blue cloud for cultivation enhancents.
Yan Xiaobao didn’t wait long; just ten minutes after Ma Gang had left, he returned with a middle-aged man in tow. Looking at the man, Yan Xiaobao imdiately recognized him as Ma Kong’s father, the head of the household. He had t him during his ti in Liluo City, where he had assisted the family in establishing an insurance business. Upon seeing Yan Xiaobao again, the older man nodded politely in greeting.
"I hear you’ve once again managed to stun my son with the items you’ve brought," he began in a courteous tone, his gaze shifting to the stone in Yan Xiaobao’s hand. His brows knitted together as he pondered what exactly this stone could do.
Unlike Ma Kong, his father was a King-level expert. Although he had reached the King level years ago, he had not achieved the insights required to advance to the Emperor tier. Instead, he had dedicated himself wholly to the family rather than focusing on his cultivation. During the battle in Liluo City, this man had the sa level of power he possessed now; however, in contrast, Yan Xiaobao had risen from a poor cultivator with great potential to a formidable threat. While Ma Kong’s father had always been polite before, his deanor had grown even more respectful now. He was astonished to find that the young man he had t years ago had successfully ascended to the rank of King.
"My son tells you have an item that sounds too good to be true," Ma Kong’s father said with a suspicious look at Yan Xiaobao, who nodded in response. "Please sit and begin cultivating. While it may be of limited use to soone like you, who has already reached the King level and requires specific Yin Yang Energy, you should still be able to appreciate the usefulness of this item." With that, the older man knelt on the ground, crossing his legs and placing his hands on his knees.
Seeing the man accept his words without question, the young Yan Xiaobao imdiately stepped forward and placed the stone in his hands. He noticed that as the stone touched his skin, the older man stiffened. Although clearly shocked, the man did not stop cultivating, instead continuing for so ti. All the while, Yan Xiaobao and Ma Kong observed quietly, both curious about what the elder would have to say once he finished cultivating.
Half an hour later, when the elder opened his eyes again, they were filled with awe and astonishnt. Looking at the stone in his hand, his thoughts were evidently chaotic, while Yan Xiaobao and Ma Kong remained silent. They allowed the older man ti to collect his thoughts and determine how he wanted to proceed with this remarkable item.
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