A Smile Beneath the Blade
When he rushed out, the auction for the lion Gem statue had already ended.
The doors of the auction hall swung inward with a sharp force as Lucas stepped in, his presence cutting through the calm like a blade dragged across silk.
The atmosphere inside was completely different from the chaos boiling inside him.
Soft lighting bathed the hall.
Muted conversations drifted lazily through the air.
A faint scent of tea and polished wood lingered.
And right at the center of it—
As he entered inside auction hall seeing Julian D’Aurelius was playing with the real lion Gem statue in his hand, a smile on his face.
That smile.
Relaxed.
Almost amused.
Like soone idly toying with a trinket, not a treasure worth billion.
Lucas’s steps slowed.
His pupils contracted.
For a split second, the world seed to tilt.
Just after Lucas left, the auction for the real lion Gem statue began.
The mory clicked into place instantly.
Seeing two identical items appear consecutively, the attendees were puzzled.
Murmurs had spread across the hall earlier—
Confusion.
Curiosity.
A hint of suspicion.
But no one dared to question it openly.
After Julian made the first bid, no one dared to bid against him.
Not after what they had just witnessed.
Billions thrown around like loose change.
Confidence bordering on madness.
Young Master Julian had already rewritten the atmosphere of the entire auction.
Young Master Julian had just bid billions.
If you tried to raise the price now and ended up offending soone, wouldn’t that be asking for trouble?
No one wanted to be the fool who stood in his way.
No one wanted to beco a target.
And so—
The real treasure had quietly fallen into Julian’s hands.
Effortlessly.
Cleanly.
As if it had always belonged there.
Seeing Julian playing with the lion Gem statue, Lucas’s anger flared up he quickly understood all this set up by him.
His chest tightened.
A vein bulged faintly on his forehead.
His fingers curled slowly into fists at his sides.
So this...
This is what it was.
Every piece.
Every step.
Every move.
Carefully arranged.
This bastard dared to toy with him like this!
The thought burned.
Hot.
Humiliating.
It was bad enough to snatch his elixir, but to use a fake to scam his money?
Ten billion.
Ten.
Billion.
And worse—
And he even planned to poison it.
Lucas’s jaw clenched.
His teeth ground together faintly.
The lingering taste in his mouth surged back with cruel clarity.
How could there be such a malicious person in the world?
For a mont, his mind scread that question.
But the answer stood right in front of him.
Calm.
Smiling.
Untouched.
However, seeing Julian just playing with the lion Gem statue, he felt slightly relieved.
A flicker of rationality cut through the rage.
His breathing steadied—just a little.
It seed this guy probably couldn’t unlock it.
That was the key.
The only thing that mattered now.
In this world, there were fewer than five people who could open the Nine Palaces Lock!
It wasn’t just a chanism.
It was a test.
A barrier.
A threshold separating the ordinary from the truly capable.
And this kid was definitely not one of them!
Lucas’s lips curved faintly.
A dangerous, calculating smile.
So he plan after auction he snatch this status from him so he smile and He returned to his seat, his mind made up.
His steps were steady now.
asured.
Controlled.
He sat down as if nothing had happened.
As if the storm inside him had never existed.
But beneath that calm—
Sothing darker was taking shape.
No matter what, he had to snatch the lion Gem statue back from Julian today.
This man must die!
The thought wasn’t loud.
It didn’t need to be.
It settled deep.
Heavy.
Final.
Across the hall, Julian leaned back slightly in his seat, the lion Gem statue resting casually in his palm.
His fingers traced its surface lazily, as if he were bored.
But his eyes—
Sharp.
Alive.
Watching everything.
[Haha, that idiot must have already eaten the elixir inside the lion Gem statue, right?]
A flicker of amusent passed through his gaze.
[Fortune’s Chosen is indeed Fortune’s Chosen, even poison couldn’t kill you.]
He didn’t look at Lucas directly.
He didn’t need to.
Julian D’Aurelius silently gloated on the side.
Inside his mind, the scene played out perfectly—
The shock.
The realization.
The fury.
It was almost too satisfying.
As soon as he got the lion Gem statue, he imdiately unlocked the Nine Palaces Lock and took out the contents.
The mory was fresh.
Precise.
Clean.
His fingers had moved without hesitation.
The lock had opened like it was welcoming him.
Inside was a Nine way cleansing exilir and an ancient martial arts manual.
Two treasures.
One imdiate.
One patient.
After obtaining the Nine way cleansing exilir, Julian decisively consud it.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Power was ant to be taken.
This thing could increase one’s cultivation after consumption.
Recently, Julian had just been elevated to the Iron Realm by the Tyrant System.
The transition had been smooth.
Controlled.
But this—
This was different.
He easily broke through to the early Silver Realm.
The shift had been subtle, yet undeniable.
Like a quiet tide rising beneath still waters.
As for the ancient martial arts manual, he couldn’t practice it imdiately and would have to wait until he returned.
So things required ti.
Focus.
Isolation.
He wasn’t in a rush.
Power wasn’t just about speed—
It was about timing.
While Julian was gloating in his heart, Yana Tyson’s eyes narrowed.
She sat a short distance away, posture composed, expression calm.
But her gaze—
Sharp.
Observant.
Lucas was poisoned?
The thought ca suddenly.
But it didn’t feel like a guess.
It felt... right.
She turned her head to look and found that Lucas’s breath was indeed unstable.
Subtle.
But clear.
His chest rose unevenly.
His shoulders held tension that didn’t belong to soone at ease.
If this guy was really poisoned, wouldn’t this be the perfect opportunity to kill him?
Her fingers curled slightly on her lap.
A quiet thrill ran through her chest.
Yana was secretly delighted, not expecting a chance for revenge so soon.
Fate had a strange sense of timing.
Just days ago, she had been powerless.
Now—
Opportunity was sitting right beside her.
She deliberately looked at Lucas and asked, "Mr. Lucas, you don’t look well?"
Her voice was gentle.
Concerned.
Convincing.
But beneath it—
A blade waited.
Seeing Yana’s concern, Lucas felt a bit better.
For a brief mont—
Sothing softened.
Not trust.
But recognition.
He replied, "I ate sothing bad, just a minor issue."
His tone was controlled.
Casual.
Dismissive.
As if nothing serious had happened.
As if his insides weren’t still burning faintly.
"Yana..."
As soon as he spoke, Yana was hit by a foul stench and couldn’t help but gag.
It hit her like a wall.
Thick.
Rotten.
Unbearable.
Her expression broke instantly.
Her body recoiled before she could stop it.
The others around also slled it and pinched their noses in disgust.
Faces twisted.
Eyes narrowed.
So turned away outright.
"Damn, that’s foul."
The words slipped out without restraint.
And just like that—
The fragile illusion Lucas had built shattered completely.
The room didn’t fall silent.
It didn’t freeze.
It simply—
Rejected him.
Quietly.
Naturally.
Cruelly.
And sowhere across the room—
Julian smiled just a little wider.
User Comments
0 comments from readers