Soul Emperor Awakening

The atmosphere grew heavy. For a moment, Lin Xuan couldn’t tell if the person before him was an ally or an enemy. They certainly weren’t from the Lin Family; the Lin Family would never sell these items, no matter how far they had fallen.

To be precise, they would never sell the Cloud Return Technique. The Weapon could be sold, as it wasn’t a signature item of the Lin Family. The Cloud Return Technique, however, was. The fact that it was now on the auction block confirmed that the seller was not a member of the Lin Family.

As for them being an enemy, the possibility was neither great nor small. An enemy powerful enough to contend with the Lin Family likely wouldn’t be short on cash. According to Lin Hua’s memories, their enemies were indeed powerful—on the same level as the Lin Family. It was unlikely they would sell the items, but it was possible they were using them as bait to lure out members of the Lin Family to kill them!

But that seemed a bit reckless. There were plenty of people with the surname Lin—you’d find no shortage of them just walking around on Gathering Spirit Island. So the chance of it being a trap was small, though not impossible. After all, a wealthy member of the Lin Family was more likely to be connected to the main house.

However, the most likely scenario was that this was an outsider—an outsider who definitely had some connection to the Lin Family. Otherwise, why make such a demand? That any member of the Lin Family could buy the items back for the base cost... that price was more than fair.

In other words, he would only have to pay around ten million Primordial Stones to buy them back. The cost was the starting bid of six million, plus the auction house’s commission of over a million, totaling just over seven million.

’So, do I say yes, or no?’

After a moment’s hesitation, Lin Xuan smiled and said, "Of course I’m from the Lin Family. After all, people with the same surname are all one family. Are you satisfied with that answer?"

It was another clever, loophole-exploiting answer. If the other party didn’t accept it, he would be out of options. His only choice would be to give up on the Cloud Return Technique and come back to buy it once he’d saved up enough money. There was no other way.

After a moment, the mysterious seller let out a loud laugh. "A fine ’people with the same surname are all one family,’ indeed! In any case, the one who entrusted this to me said to just give it to a member of the Lin Family. I only need to get my investment back. That’s reward enough for me." His laugh was unpleasant, like a broken gong, a harsh, guttural sound.

Lin Xuan’s eyes narrowed. There were several implications in those words, but he didn’t press the matter. In any case, he would not admit to being from the main house.

"Since the seller has said so, we will only need to deduct seven million Primordial Stones. You may take the rest back," Sister Ya said crisply. For them, the reputation they earned was valuable, and the commission was sufficient.

After the deduction, Sister Ya had someone hand the Cloud Return Technique to Lin Xuan. As he took it, he felt an immense weight in his heart. It felt as if he were holding a great mountain in his hands, so heavy he could barely breathe.

On the thin book’s cover were three large characters spelling out "Cloud Return Technique." The moment he saw them, a surging Realm flooded his mind, striking his soul.

’This is Father’s handwriting!’ Lin Xuan’s heart began to race; he recognized it from Lin Hua’s memories.

As he slowly opened the book, the mnemonic verses of the Cloud Return Technique came into view. The text wasn’t ornate; in fact, it was quite plain. Yet, the moment he saw the words, they involuntarily imprinted themselves upon his mind, circulating through his thoughts and suffusing his entire being!

Following that, he felt the blood within him begin to boil, seeming to circulate on its own. It was just like circulating Elemental Power, something he could direct at will. The accelerated blood flow brought a small but noticeable increase to his overall strength. He felt he could control the circulation of blood to any part of his body!

Unbeknownst to the others, while he was in this state, he appeared no different on the outside. But Lin Xuan was reading with intense concentration, flipping through the pages at an incredible speed. In just a few moments, the entire Heart Method had been absorbed into his mind, committed perfectly to memory.

He had only read it through once, but Lin Xuan felt as if he had read it countless times. It felt so familiar, as if he had practiced its Cultivation long ago. He had grasped it completely!

"Young Master Lin?" Sister Ya called out softly, pulling Lin Xuan from his reverie. She handed the Storage Ring back to him. "The payment has been settled. The remaining Primordial Stones are all inside."

Lin Xuan grunted in acknowledgment, sliding the Storage Ring back on his finger. His gaze shifted to the mysterious seller. "Senior, may I ask how you obtained these two items?"

"A chance encounter." The reply was simple and blunt, and it failed to answer why a member of the Lin Family only had to pay the base cost.

Lin Xuan didn’t probe further; he didn’t dare to. If this person investigated him and discovered something, he’d be finished. Caution was paramount. Of course, his current situation wasn’t much better. If this seller was actually an enemy, he would be in danger the moment he left.

"My thanks," Lin Xuan said, cupping his hands. He then turned to Sister Ya. "I’d like to purchase some Recovery Elixirs. Do you happen to have any?"

"We do. Please, follow me."

Sister Ya led them out, leaving the mysterious seller standing silently in the room. From deep within the black hood, two peculiar glints of light shone out.

Once they were outside, Sister Ya ordered someone to fetch some high-Grade Recovery Elixirs. Lin Xuan requested a large batch, despite the considerable price. He didn’t care in the slightest; compared to his own life, the cost was nothing.

"By the way," Lin Xuan added, "does your auction house have anything like the Five-Colored Spirit Wood, or materials of an even higher grade?" He wanted to buy some to carve for self-defense.

"Five-Colored Spirit Wood?" Sister Ya pondered for a moment before shaking her head. "We don’t have anything like that right now, but we might in the future. You could always wait. The next auction will be held in a while."

Lin Xuan shook his head. He didn’t have that much time to waste. He needed to leave right away; he had a bad feeling that something was about to happen.

And just as he predicted, as they were about to leave, Lan Sheng approached with a group of men and quickly surrounded them. The only reason Lan Sheng had taken so long to appear was because he had been mobilizing his people, circling the entire building to make absolutely sure Lin Xuan couldn’t escape!

"So you’re the kid who was fighting me for the bid. You look pretty young." Lan Sheng sized up Lin Xuan, his eyes also repeatedly scanning Tuo Yunhai, as if trying to figure something out about him.

"Highest bidder wins. Isn’t that how an auction works?" Lin Xuan glanced at the men surrounding them. He knew they were here to cause trouble. ’It seems they’ve figured something out after all.’

"Well now, it seems you don’t know who I am. That figures. You don’t look like you’re from around the Demon Cloud Sea. I am the Young Master of the Lan Family. Do you have any idea who you just provoked? ’Highest bidder wins’ is true, but more often than not, it’s the strongest who wins!" Thinking back on what happened, Lan Sheng’s anger flared. His family’s, the Lan Family’s, name had been tarnished.

"Young Master Lan, are you not aware of the rules here?" Sister Ya said, her brow furrowed. "If you want to cause trouble, please take it off Gathering Spirit Island!"

"Sister Ya," Lan Sheng sneered, "what if I told you this kid is the most wanted man on the bounty list my Lan Family issued? Would you believe me then?"

At his side, a frightened Tuo Yunhai shuffled closer to Lin Xuan, his body trembling. He knew they were in real danger this time.