Soul Emperor Awakening

Following the Guard, they arrived at the backstage area of the auction platform. The moment they stepped backstage, a crowd of people turned to look at them, sizing them up and down, trying to discern something about them.

More than anything, they were surprised. They hadn’t expected the distinguished guest from the Celestial Level private room to be so young. It was quite unexpected.

Sister Ya walked over, her beautiful eyes examining Lin Xuan with a hint of surprise as she asked, "You are the guests from the Third Celestial Level private room?"

"Yes. I’m the one who bought both items," Lin Xuan said calmly, glancing around.

’This Sister Ya really is a stunner.’ She was breathtakingly beautiful, with a touch of cuteness to her glamour. Just getting close, he could smell a natural fragrance from her body. Women with such a natural scent were rare. The aroma was enough to make many a man’s heart skip a beat, and even Lin Xuan felt a slight flutter.

If a man had no interest in women whatsoever, he had either reached an extremely high level of Cultivation or was a eunuch.

Hearing his familiar voice, Sister Ya immediately knew that the young man before her was the one who had been calling out the bids. A smile blossomed on her face. "Such incredible boldness. I never expected you to be so young. Might I ask which great family you two disciples are from?"

"No sect, no school," Lin Xuan stated simply.

’No sect, no school?’ Sister Ya couldn’t help but size them up again. ’If that’s really true, then they’ve got some serious nerve.’

After a moment’s pause, Sister Ya concluded in her heart that he was intentionally hiding his background. Many buyers preferred not to disclose their information. However, they had noticed a few things. Tuo Yunhai was from the Demon Cloud Sea, but Lin Xuan was definitely not. A single glance at his physique was enough to tell he wasn’t a local from the Demon Cloud Sea.

"It seems the young master is not from the Demon Cloud Sea. I won’t press the matter. The Chi Dragon Heavens Rod and the Cloud Return Technique come to a total of seventeen million Primordial Stones." Sister Ya announced a number that made the hearts of everyone present pound. Under normal auction circumstances, the two items together would have gone for ten million at most, perhaps even less. But now the price was a full seven million higher, enough to make the auction house grin from ear to ear.

Lin Xuan’s expression didn’t change as he tossed out several Storage Rings. "They’re filled with Primordial Stones. You can count them yourselves."

Sister Ya took the Storage Rings and began to inspect the Primordial Stones inside. When she checked the first one, her expression changed slightly. There were indeed quite a lot of Primordial Stones inside—a huge amount, in fact! Thanks to her powerful Cultivation, her inspection was swift, and she finished checking all the Storage Rings in no time.

"The total is 13,456,543 Primordial Stones. You’re short by over three million Primordial Stones. What about the rest?" Sister Ya didn’t fly into a rage, nor did she give Lin Xuan a hostile look. Although the amount was insufficient, it wasn’t just a few dozen stones. He had at least managed to produce over ten million Primordial Stones.

’Short by over three million Primordial Stones...’ This didn’t surprise Lin Xuan. He knew he wouldn’t have enough, he just wasn’t sure by how much. To think it was over three million... He frowned and said, "Can I have some time? I don’t have that many Primordial Stones on me right now, but I’ll definitely bring them to you after a while!"

’Actually, I have many ways to make money,’ he thought. ’For example, I could go to the Sea of Weapons and retrieve all the Spiritual Artifacts. That wouldn’t be difficult for me. Spiritual Artifacts aren’t priced high here, but they certainly aren’t cheap. Even the rusty ones go for about a hundred thousand each, so picking up a few dozen would be enough to cover the debt.’

"That’s not a problem. It’s such a large sum; anyone would need time to gather it all. However, you’ll need to leave something as collateral in the meantime. Either that, or have someone deliver the rest," Sister Ya said, being quite accommodating. But what could Lin Xuan possibly use as collateral?

He had nothing on him right now, except for the two items he had just bought. Was he supposed to leave one of them here? He was a bit reluctant, but it seemed there was no other way.

"Big Sister, can I stay here? Brother Lin will go find enough Primordial Stones!" Tuo Yunhai stepped forward, offering himself as collateral.

Sister Ya looked Tuo Yunhai up and down, narrowing her eyes. "And you think you’re worth three million Primordial Stones?"

There was no sarcasm in her tone. It was a simple question. A boy with little Cultivation and no status being worth three million? His head was a bit too valuable, wasn’t it? Even if she agreed, it didn’t mean the auction house would.

"Of course he’s worth more than three million Primordial Stones, and I won’t let him stay here!" Lin Xuan frowned, rejecting Tuo Yunhai’s offer. He definitely wanted the items, but that didn’t mean he would leave Tuo Yunhai behind as a pawn.

The situation was especially precarious right now. If he left Tuo Yunhai here, who knew how the auction house would treat him? If they handed him over to the Lan Family, things would get troublesome.

To others, Tuo Yunhai might not be worth much, but to him, a person could not be compared to an object. The Cloud Return Technique was important, but not more important than a human life.

"Brother Lin..." Tuo Yunhai was stunned. He hadn’t expected Lin Xuan to say that, and he was deeply moved.

Sister Ya narrowed her eyes at Lin Xuan and asked, "Your surname is Lin? You bought those two items... could it be you’re from the Lin Family?"

"What if I am, and what if I’m not?" Lin Xuan didn’t confirm it. Who knew if these people were friend or foe?

"It has nothing to do with me, but it has everything to do with you right now. Because the seller gave instructions that if someone from the Lin Family were to buy them, he would only require the starting bid! So, would you say this is important or not?" Sister Ya said, her eyes narrowed.

"Take me to him!" Lin Xuan said in a low voice. He had already decided in his heart to meet this seller. How did this person come to possess these two items? They were either an enemy or had found them by chance. They were definitely not from the Lin Family.

Someone from the Lin Family would never sell these two items. It had to be an outsider.

"That’s not a problem, but are you yourself from the Lin Family?" Sister Ya inquired.

"My surname is Lin. Isn’t that enough?" Lin Xuan said gravely.

Sister Ya was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "Alright, come with me." ’Whether he’s from that Super Race, the Lin Family, or not doesn’t matter,’ she thought. ’The seller’s rule was that if the buyer is from the Lin Family, he only needs to collect the base cost.’

Led by Sister Ya, they came to a room deeper inside. As soon as Lin Xuan entered, he saw a person dressed in a black robe standing within. Hearing the door open, the figure slowly turned around. The black robe completely concealed their body, making it impossible to see their face or even tell if they were male or female. Even probing with his Spiritual Sense was useless; it was completely blocked by a powerful force.

"Are you from the Lin Family?" the person’s voice was hoarse, like that of an old man in his twilight years—both strong and weak.

"What if I am, and what if I’m not?" Lin Xuan asked with the same line as before.

"It’s simple. If you are from the Lin Family, you just need to give me the base cost. If you are not from the Lin Family, you will pay the auction price!" The person’s reply was crisp and decisive, without a hint of hesitation.

Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes, studying the figure. ’Is this person an ally, or an enemy?’