So Fake You Take It as Real

August 5th by the human calendar. On this day, the Multiple Divine Characters Academy officially began its new term. And on this same day, Su Yu set the final stage of his grand deception into motion. It was time to harvest! That same day, several Sun Moon Realm experts from the Five Elements race arrived. Naturally, locating Foutuling would take time, tracking, and extensive investigation into his current whereabouts. Su Yu sensed their presence, but paid them no mind. *Find him first, then we'll talk!* Sooner or later, the Five Elements race would seek him out anyway. The final battle in the ruins had been fought between Tianduo and Foutuling; with Foutuling missing and Tianduo now in the ancient city, suspicion naturally fell on Tianduo. Of course, the Five Elements race harbored another suspicion: Su Yu might be here as well! After all, Foutuling had used his very first divine talisman specifically against Su Yu. *** Inside the third ring. Two massive houses stood open on opposite sides of the street, their front doors wide to reveal spacious interiors. Su Yu waited inside the house on the left. Across the street, the house on the right served as the auction hall prepared for arriving guests. Su Yu was already in position. He radiated high spirits, his long hair fluttering in the breeze. Down the street, powerhouses marched forward in stride. Among them were several whose demonic qi boiled in sheer fury. "Tianduo!" A middle-aged man with long white hair and a distinct flame divine character marked upon his forehead barked, "Tianduo, the ancestor ordered you to return with us. You avoided us yesterday—just what do you think you're doing?" Su Yu did not recognize him. Not that it mattered; one sentence made the situation clear. Someone from the Rade family! Moreover, the middle-aged man had several experts with him. He was a Sun Moon Realm expert accompanied by one Shanhai and two Lingyun cultivators—a full four members of the Rade clan. Behind him, a young demon frowned and chimed in, "Tianduo, come back with us. The ancestor has already ended his secluded cultivation..." Su Yu shot them a sideways glance and replied indifferently, "Go back for what? I came to the All-Heavens Battlefield to make a name for myself. Do you expect me to return empty-handed like a dog with its tail between its legs?" Anger flashed across their faces. The youth growled, "Tianduo, do you dare disobey the ancestor's direct command?" Su Yu said coolly, "Then tell the ancestor to say it to my face. As for you lot... you are nowhere near qualified!" Fury erupted among them! Had Tianduo truly gone mad this time? He even dared disregard the ancestor's words! Nearby, Dawo looked on helplessly. It seemed Tianduo was dead set against selling the prize to the demon race, let alone offering it as tribute. He insisted on an open auction. To the side, someone chuckled. "Tianduo's fortuitous encounter belongs to him. How he handles it is entirely his own business, isn't it? Does the Primordial Demon race intend to force him to surrender his own treasures? If so, how can the Primordial Demon race expect to retain any geniuses? Modona has obtained countless opportunities—does he hand every single one over to the clan?" What a joke! If the demons took it, what would everyone else compete for? Wouldn't that just hand the demon race an enormous advantage? If it truly fell into demon hands, that would cause real trouble. On the demon side, Dawo was already a seventh-stage Sun Moon, and another eighth-stage Sun Moon expert had arrived. With two high-stage Sun Moons present, plus the first-stage Sun Moon from the Rade family who posed little threat, snatching it would be nearly impossible. If the demon race walked away with it, were the other factions supposed to lay siege to two high-stage Sun Moon demons? High-stage Sun Moons were notoriously hard to kill! Earlier, Ye Hongyan and the others—seven Sun Moons in total, including two seventh-stage Sun Moons—had only barely managed to surround and kill Mo He of the Primordial Demon race. Taking down this demon contingent would require mobilizing at least five late-stage Sun Moons. A clash of late-stage Sun Moons on such a massive scale would inevitably trigger the intervention of Invincibles. No one wanted to see that happen. Buying it with resources was by far the best outcome. This time, nearly every major race had sent two Sun Moon experts, typically from the late stage. Otherwise, even if they won the bid, they would struggle to keep it. The late-stage Sun Moons who had arrived were either top-tier eighth-stage powerhouses or supreme ninth-stage experts. Every major race took this matter with utmost seriousness. Of course, not many races were present—only the mighty ones. Weaker races knew their limits and understood they stood no chance. Those gathered today were either from the top ten great races, enigmatic ancient clans, or formidable coalitions like the Five Elements race. Hardly any ordinary top-hundred races showed up. On the other hand, the nine races of Nine Stars Island, representing the Thousand Domains Alliance, dispatched a full nine Sun Moon Realm experts. Since their headquarters sat right here, requiring no long journey and allowing immediate clan reinforcements at any moment, all nine families attended. The Dragon race, Immortal race, God race, Demon race, Human race, Five Elements race, Tianyuan race... Every renowned great race had experts present. Today's ancient city was far more perilous than Tianmie City had been last time. Back then, only a handful of late-stage Sun Moons had gathered; today, there were more than twenty late-stage Sun Moons! Under such circumstances, even if Su Yu triggered an upheaval in the ancient city, killing these people would be nearly impossible. Thus, Su Yu's goal was not slaughter. He couldn't kill them anyway! This time, even figures on the Dao Attainment Ranking had arrived. It was terrifying. Su Yu recognized one of them—Gu Shan, the powerhouse from the Taigu Giant race he had encountered on the road earlier, a supreme expert on the Dao Attainment Ranking. He was likely the very first Dao Attainment Ranking powerhouse to arrive. With someone of that caliber present, even the city lord, the Dark Fiend Dragon, exercised caution. Although the Fiend Dragon was also a ninth-stage Sun Moon and possessed home advantage inside the ancient city, he held no place on the Dao Attainment Ranking. Encountering Gu Shan outside would certainly end in defeat. Even inside the city, where he could suppress him, the Fiend Dragon had no desire to provoke him; the Taigu Giant race possessed countless powerhouses. Today, the Fiend Dragon was present in person. City guards lined the perimeter. On one hand, they maintained order; on the other, they ensured Tianduo would not flee once the auction concluded, which would cost the city lord his thirty-percent cut. Aside from those participating in the auction, no one else was permitted entry. Su Yu couldn't be bothered to engage the Rade family further. The more he said, the more mistakes he might make. Ignoring them was the wisest move! With a talent like Tianduo, Su Yu was certain that even within the Rade family, he would never hold ordinary clansmen in high regard. Geniuses were arrogant to a fault; that was beyond doubt. Standing in the doorway and ready to slam the door shut at any moment, Su Yu stated flatly, "Everyone, pay your entrance fee first. Anyone unwilling to pay or looking to cause trouble can leave now. With so many experts gathered today, if anyone disrupts the auction, do not blame me, Tianduo, for breaking my word!" The moment his words fell, a top powerhouse from the God race hurled an object across the street. Su Yu's gaze flickered. It was actually a captured human expert! Right then, a spear projection swept across the ancient city. The God race powerhouse's expression shifted slightly as he looked behind him. Qin Hao, clad in black armor, marched forward alongside Qin Fang. Qin Hao shot the God race expert a frigid glare, sneered, and casually tossed a severed head across the paving stones. The wound had been sealed, and the head bounced across the ground before coming to a halt! "Alive, seventh-stage Shanhai. That enough?" The God race had brought a human expert; the human race had brought a God race expert. Furthermore, both captives possessed substantial strength. The god expert, reduced to nothing more than a head, was still breathing. Catching sight of his fellow gods, he cried out in agitation, "Lord Wusheng, save me...!" The God race powerhouse turned toward Qin Hao and said coldly, "Qin Hao, what does your human race think it is doing?" Qin Hao glanced at him with a laugh. "What are you doing? If you can do it, why can't I? Wusheng, if you want a fight, I'll oblige you anytime!" Killing intent saturated the air! A long spear materialized in Qin Hao's grip as he said coldly, "Well? Do you want to fight or not?" Tension flared to a breaking point! Just then, a chuckle came from the demon side, and someone tossed another captive forward—also a human! Qin Hao's expression hardened! The next instant, Zhu Guangshen appeared with a chuckle. Shadow flicked a wrist, dumping a demon expert in return onto the growing pile before Su Yu's doorstep. "The Quest Realm intends to bid as well!" The human side was divided into two factions: the War God Hall and the Quest Realm. Qin Hao currently represented the War God Hall—though whether he truly represented the entire hall or merely the Great Qin Prefecture, Su Yu had no interest in discerning. In any case, he wouldn't sell to the humans, and the humans couldn't afford it anyway! Tension mounted between both sides, but neither came to blows. The powerhouses from the Dragon race couldn't be bothered to meddle. They simply tossed over a great demon—evidently plucked randomly from the road—that was now shivering in utter terror. Soon, the other factions followed suit. The Immortal race refrained from capturing experts from the other major factions; after all, the Immortals and humans maintained an alliance on paper, and high-level decorum had to be preserved. In the blink of an eye, more than twenty Shanhai captives lay piled before Su Yu. Some were crippled, some maimed, others heavily wounded... Naturally, none of them belonged to the races that had submitted them! With the entrance fee paid, an earthen figure—molded into humanoid form yet still bearing a dull yellowish hue—stepped forward, turned to Su Yu, and demanded heavily, "Tianduo, our clan's genius, Foutuling, vanished inside this ancient city the night before you entered. Where is he?" Su Yu frowned and replied indifferently, "No idea. Don't ask me." "Tianduo!" The earthen figure possessed formidable cultivation. His aura surged with wrath as he snapped, "Tell us where Foutuling is, and you will be richly rewarded. We will never trouble you over this!" Su Yu remarked dryly, "It seems the Rade family has lost all dignity when any random bystander feels entitled to threaten me. To think the Five Elements race dares threaten the demon king clan of the Primordial Demon race..." He glanced over at Dawo and the others. The middle-aged Sun Moon from the Rade family who had spoken to him earlier frowned slightly, turned to the earthen figure, and said coldly, "Is the Earth Spirit race issuing a threat? A high-stage Sun Moon threatening our clan's Earth Ranking genius—are you looking to start a war?" The earthen figure's expression changed! Even though Tianduo was at odds with his own clan, the Primordial Demon race maintained its pride. If a foreign Sun Moon threatened Tianduo and the Primordial Demons stood by and watched today, tomorrow they would end up just like the humans—forced to surrender their own geniuses whenever outsiders threatened to kill them! The Five Elements race wasn't even among the top ten races. The Primordial Demon race feared them not in the slightest! The Rade family's Sun Moon expert let out a disdainful snort. "Even if Tianduo refuses to surrender his prize to the demon race, he remains a genius of our Rade clan and the Primordial Demon race, second only to Modona. What does your Five Elements race think it can do over a mere Foutuling? Never mind that he doesn't know—even if Tianduo killed him, what of it? He died, so he died!" Beside Dawo, a demon with blood-red hair—the strongest demon present, an eighth-stage Sun Moon—unleashed his demonic qi and said coldly, "The Five Elements race has grown bold. Why not spar a few rounds with our Blood Fire Demon race?" "..." *Damn!* Even Su Yu was taken aback. He had forgotten to look closely earlier, but examining the newcomer now, the demon clearly belonged to the Blood Fire Demon race. *You people came again?* Just days ago, a seventh-stage Sun Moon from their clan, Dazhi, had died in Tianmie Ancient City. In the blink of an eye, another Blood Fire Demon expert had arrived, and this one was at the eighth stage of the Sun Moon Realm! The Primordial Demon race had only dispatched Dawo, a seventh-stage Sun Moon. What was the Blood Fire Demon race doing here? If they won the bid, would the spoils go to the Blood Fire Demon race? The other factions looked equally annoyed. *The Blood Fire Demon race again!* To tell the truth, the Blood Fire Demon race was far more bellicose than the Primordial Demon race. Much of the demon race's dreadful reputation stemmed from them. The Blood Fire Demons were a pack of lunatics: fighting humans today, immortals tomorrow, gods the day after, dragons the day after that... nothing surprised anyone with them. Of course, given their relentless aggression, their combat prowess was terrifyingly high. They constantly volunteered as the vanguard of the demon race! They demanded to lead the charge! If you left them out, they grew furious; if you summoned them, they wished they could bring dozens more clansmen to slaughter until the last man fell. The Primordial Demon race viewed them with a mixture of love and hatred: hated because they caused endless trouble abroad, loved because their battle strength was immense and they never backed down from a fight. The moment this eighth-stage Sun Moon from the Blood Fire Demon race spoke, the earthen figure swallowed his frustration and said nothing more! Such was the benefit of having a mighty race at one's back! Internal strife remained internal; the moment an outsider dared posture, someone immediately stepped forward to shut them down. In this regard, both the demons and gods performed quite well. The humans and immortals weren't bad either. However, the factions within those two races were divided too sharply. If someone from the Great Ming Prefecture saw someone from the Great Xia Prefecture in peril, they might not necessarily lend a hand. Likewise, among the immortals, subjects under different Immortal Kings often refused to assist one another. Su Yu smiled inward. This was the true advantage of Tianduo's identity! Everyone was forced to bid strictly by the rules. Maintaining order was crucial. The only ones who might break the rules... were the demons themselves, who might place an exorbitant bid and then refuse to pay. Therefore, Su Yu had almost zero intention of selling to the demon race! Otherwise, they might turn around and tell him, *Let's go home, we'll pay you once we're back,* which meant he would almost certainly receive nothing. Other races had no such excuse. Leaving the Sun Moon squabbles behind, Su Yu turned his attention to the younger generation of geniuses. Quite a few had arrived! He spotted Qin Fang from the human race, Dao Cheng from the Immortal race, and Long Wuyou and Long Zhan from the Dragon race. He also saw several spirited young men and women whose names he did not know, though he could guess their identities in broad strokes. Modona was present, standing beside the Blood Fire Demon Sun Moon. His flowing purple hair stood out brilliantly. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with several Sun Moon experts with his hands clasped behind his back, he wore a faint smile. He directed a few contemplative glances at Su Yu, appearing slightly puzzled, but didn't dwell on it. On the immortal side, Dao Cheng followed behind a young man who was almost certainly Xuan Wuji. Among the gods, the group was led not by a Sun Moon expert, but by a white-haired youth who looked remarkably young—likely Zhan Wushuang. In an instant, numerous figures from the Heaven Ranking came into view. What drew Su Yu's attention even more were two figures draped in voluminous black robes: one was a Sun Moon expert, and the other was Zhouhun, the number one genius on the Earth Ranking, currently at the third stage of the Shanhai Realm. Zhan Wushuang was at the eighth stage of Shanhai, as was Xuan Wuji. Ranked fourth on the Heaven Ranking was Ming Yue of the Nether race. Su Yu spotted her as well—a young maiden cloaked in a faint, dark aura. It was not death qi, though it shared similarities. When Su Yu sensed it briefly, he realized that unlike death qi, which repelled all living beings, nether qi did not reject everyone. A large portion of the Heaven Ranking had gathered in one place. Even Dao Cheng counted as a Heaven Ranking expert, though he kept an exceptionally low profile right now. With the very top of the Heaven Ranking assembled, Dao Cheng hardly drew any attention. Rank one was Su Yu, rank two was Modona, rank three was Zhan Wushuang, rank four was Ming Yue, and rank five was Xuan Wuji; Dao Cheng was barely clinging to rank six... While Su Yu observed them, they observed him in turn. Some wore cold indifference; others frowned slightly. Zhouhun of the Tianyuan race frowned deeply, his voice echoing from beneath his heavy black cowl. "Tianduo? I find you thoroughly repulsive!" He simply hated him! A feeling born without cause! The Sun Moon experts noticed nothing, but the geniuses shared a faint intuition: this person rubbed them the wrong way. Tianduo gave them the sensation of encountering a kindred peer. Normally, this mutual repulsion only existed among cultivators on the Heaven Ranking. Yet Tianduo was not on the Heaven Ranking. Even Zhouhun had previously held a spot on the Heaven Ranking before dropping down. Before Su Yu could reply, someone turned toward Zhouhun and said coolly, "I find you thoroughly repulsive, Zhouhun. Keep a low profile in my presence!" Zhouhun fell silent. At that moment, none of the other Heaven Ranking geniuses uttered a single word either. For no other reason than the speaker's identity: Modona. Modona of the ninth stage of the Lingyun Realm! Even Zhan Wushuang, who had slain Sun Moon Realm experts, remained silent. He was at the eighth stage of Shanhai while Modona was at the ninth stage of Lingyun, yet if Zhan Wushuang clashed with Modona, could he truly guarantee victory? Modona was monstrously talented. Back at the seventh stage of Lingyun, he had slain a seventh-stage Shanhai. Now that he had reached the ninth stage of Lingyun, undergoing two further origin qi mutations, his growth was by no means inferior to reaching Shanhai. He might well possess the strength to slay peak Shanhai experts! Against fellow geniuses, Modona could still cross multiple minor stages to kill them! Crossing realms to slaughter geniuses was what truly inspired dread. Su Yu smiled faintly and turned to look at Modona. Modona looked back, studying him in silence for a moment. A faint stir rippled through Modona's thoughts. In the past, whenever Tianduo encountered him, he kept his mouth shut, yet his eyes were always brimming with despair and agony, tinged with bitter resentment. Today, that feeling had thinned noticeably. A glint of divine light flickered across Modona's eyes as he scrutinized Su Yu once more without speaking. He merely felt slightly perplexed. Gaining an ancient ruin seemed to have altered Tianduo dramatically. After a moment of contemplation, Modona sent a voice transmission to the Sun Moon expert of the Rade family: "Lord Jiyue Rade, use your bloodline art to probe Tianduo!" The Sun Moon expert of the Rade family started slightly. *Probe him?* *The man is standing right before our eyes. Why probe him?* Suspicion rose in his mind, yet the speaker was Modona. Even Ancestor Rade held great admiration for Modona. Without refusing, Jiyue quickly condensed a drop of blood on his fingertip. A few dead spirits materialized nearby, but the patrolling city guards swiftly dispersed them. No one intervened; even those who noticed said nothing. The drop of blood trembled faintly. Soon after, Su Yu glanced in their direction, his eyes narrowing slightly. In his sea of will, the little fur ball rolled over, and the sea of will belonging to Tianduo within his body trembled slightly in turn. A sympathetic resonance seemed to ripple forth. The blood drop on Jiyue's finger instantly snapped back. He transmitted to Modona, "It's Tianduo... I cannot be entirely certain, but he is unquestionably of the Rade bloodline!" Whether it was specifically Tianduo was hard to say for sure, but he was definitely a member of the Rade family—that much was beyond doubt! Besides, an entire crowd of Sun Moons stood present, with high-stage experts in abundance. Jiyue felt Modona was simply being overly cautious. Modona nodded faintly and said nothing more. A probe was just a probe! He merely found Tianduo's behavioral shift curious; as for the rest, it hardly mattered to him, nor did he care much about Tianduo's supposed ancient breathing art. While they paid it no further mind, Su Yu had caught onto the exchange. He sneered, glared at the Rade family, and snapped, "Did Modona tell you to probe me? You would rather trust Modona than one of your own! Has the Rade clan reduced itself to Modona's vassal?" Jiyue replied flatly, "Tianduo, you overthink things. Modona is the foremost genius of our Primordial Demon race. He looks after all demon talents with the bearing of a sovereign. You..." Su Yu's eyes reddened instantly. "The bearing of a sovereign? I will surpass him sooner or later!" He glared straight at Modona. Channeling the agony and helplessness of being hunted and besieged, mixed with the secret thrill of an impending fortune, he ground his teeth. "Modona, I will surpass you. Without fail!" That gaze... Modona was well accustomed to it. *Yes, exactly like this.* Rage, humiliation, killing intent, tinged with a streak of exhilaration—likely convinced that this windfall gave him hope of closing the gap. Modona smiled faintly. "If you can surpass me, I welcome it with open arms. The demon race does not rely on any single individual to hold up the sky!" Su Yu was speechless. *To hell with your sanctimony!* *Forget it, I won't waste words on you.* *Later on, you'll see whether I truly surpass you. Though as for the real Tianduo, he probably has neither hope nor opportunity left.* Su Yu snorted and paid him no further attention. Sweeping his gaze across the crowd, he said chillingly, "I don't care which race, clan, or faction you hail from. At this auction, the highest value wins! Payment must be delivered on the spot! Don't try playing any underhanded tricks with me! Furthermore, City Lord Xinghong will serve as the intermediary. City Lord, I trust you will suppress anyone who causes trouble or makes bids without the means to pay. After all, thirty percent of the proceeds belong to you!" The Dark Fiend Dragon replied flatly, "Rest assured! This is inside the ancient city!" Outside the walls, he wouldn't dare make such bold claims. Inside? What a joke—let them try causing trouble! Inside the city, while he was no match for an Invincible, if anyone truly pushed him to the brink, even an Invincible entering the city would suffer. Gaining thirty percent of the revenue for doing nothing was an immensely profitable deal. Once Su Yu finished speaking, the white-masked figure from the Heaven Hunting Pavilion suddenly spoke in an eerie voice: "Lord Tianduo, we have all arrived, and the entrance fees have been paid. Might you allow us to inspect the corpse to verify its authenticity...?" The moment those words rang out, all eyes turned to Su Yu. Su Yu frowned. Reaching out, he dragged all the captives outside into his house, taking a moment to check their injuries and confirm their suppressions were secure... Once they were all inside, Su Yu said coldly, "Move to the house opposite mine. I will remain here. You may inspect with your willpower shortly, but physical contact is forbidden..." The white-masked figure said in a low voice, "Without physical contact, discrepancies may arise..." Su Yu snapped, "Then don't buy it! Bear your own risks! If I let you touch it, what if you snatch it away directly? What could I do against a bunch of Sun Moons? If you don't trust it, then don't bid. No one is forcing you!" The white-masked figure sighed helplessly. "It is not a lack of trust, but without direct contact, the final bid might skew somewhat lower." Su Yu sneered, "If it's truly too low, I simply won't sell! I am confident you will buy! I have that much faith in my goods!" The white-masked figure pressed no further. The group filed into the ancient house across the street. The courtyard was vast, lined with numerous chairs where the powerhouses took their seats. Some were accompanied by young geniuses; others had arrived alone. All told, nearly thirty distinct factions were present. At this moment, the Dark Fiend Dragon said flatly, "Tianduo, you may display it now!" Su Yu smiled. Standing in his doorway, he chuckled. "All in good time. Let us first examine his weapon!" With a flick of his sleeve, a greatbow materialized! The moment it appeared, an immense aura erupted. It was steeped in an ancient, primordial presence! The next instant, strands of willpower surged forward to inspect it. Su Yu barked, "Do not carry a trace of aggression! My senses are sharp; if I detect anything amiss, the sale is off! You may release at most Shanhai-level willpower. Don't take me for a fool!" "..." *Damn it, he has plenty of demands.* The powerhouses felt exasperated. As their willpower brushed against the bow, a slight recoil pushed back. Several frowned, and one expert said, "This is not the counterattack of a Heaven armament; it is an ancient formation... This does not prove it is a Heaven armament..." Meanwhile, the white-masked figure rapidly sketched and scribbled notes onto a sheet of paper, quickly drafting a rendering of the greatbow and transmitting it back to the Heaven Hunting Pavilion's headquarters. Su Yu said indifferently, "Who says it can't be proven?" With that, Su Yu slammed a fist onto the weapon! *Boom!* The bow shuddered violently. In an instant, brilliant inscriptions flared across the riser, rapidly absorbing ambient origin qi and unleashing an explosive wave of energy that rebounded toward Su Yu. One, two... In the blink of an eye, a full one hundred and sixteen inscriptions blazed into existence! Su Yu sneered, "Do you see? One hundred and sixteen inscriptions—the pinnacle of low-grade Heaven armaments! Of course, whether you believe it or not is entirely up to you!" "..." At that moment, the powerhouses engaged in rapid voice transmissions. Among the gods, an expert from the Tianyi God race had arrived. Zhan Wushuang transmitted, "Does the Tianyi God race have records of this bow?" "Well..." The Tianyi God expert, also a Sun Moon, replied uncertainly, "It is hard to say. Records from the ancient era are sparse. Even where accounts exist, they provide only broad descriptions without fine details. After all, ancient powerhouses rarely disclosed every detail of their armaments. "However, as a Heaven armament bow, perhaps... it truly belonged to an ancient expert of our Tianyi race!" At this point, many turned their gaze toward an elderly figure in the crowd, transmitting, "Grandmaster Shenzhu, what is your assessment?" The old man hailed from the Iron Casting race, a modest member of the top-hundred races. However, he was one of the few Earth armamentsmiths active on the All-Heavens Battlefield. Grandmaster Shenzhu swiftly probed outward, extending a strand of Shanhai-level willpower to scrutinize the weapon inch by inch. As he examined it, he murmured, "The material is superb, possessing the resilience of an Earth armament... but it may not fully meet the standards of a Heaven armament. Of course, that could stem from ages of neglect and lack of maintenance. To say it was a Heaven armament in the ancient era would not be entirely surprising..." He inspected the inscriptions and soon added, "Genuine ancient inscriptions..." Yet he quickly frowned, transmitting, "A few are difficult to verify. They appear fragile, as though on the verge of collapsing at any moment..." Those were the ones Su Yu had forged himself! They felt exceptionally brittle, as if the slightest pressure would shatter them. Grandmaster Shenzhu dared not probe too deeply; these ancient inscriptions were far too delicate. If an intrusive scan caused the inscriptions to collapse and drastically reduced the weapon's value, the demon race would certainly hold him accountable! Judging strictly from the exterior, there were no flaws. Grandmaster Shenzhu soon concluded, "From the surface, it is indeed an ancient armament. Deeper probing is blocked by a formation—an ancient counter-formation. Even back in the ancient era, such formations prevented external scrying... As for the inscriptions... a few are excessively fragile, so I cannot confirm their authenticity with certainty. However, the vast majority are indisputably genuine ancient inscriptions..." That was more than enough! To provide such a verdict without physical handling proved the Earth armamentsmith's exceptional discerning eye! The others examined it as well. Several powerhouses who had previously handled ancient armaments nodded faintly. It carried the right flavor; it was indeed an ancient armament. Su Yu said flatly, "Have you seen enough? If so, onto the next item!" With a wave of his hand, a formidable corpse materialized, seated cross-legged on the ground and radiating immense power! A faint trace of death qi clung to its form. Yet it continued to emanate a terrifying pressure. The face was partially rotted, and several healed wounds marked the flesh, though one could still discern that it had suffered catastrophic strikes prior to death. The moment the powerhouses probed it, shock rippled through the hall. "In life, he was at least an eighth-stage Sun Moon..." "Nonsense! Dead for countless years and eroded by death qi, yet it still exudes the faint pressure of an eighth-stage Sun Moon! How could he have been merely an eighth-stage Sun Moon? He was at least a quasi-Invincible, if not a true Invincible!" "Look closely at those wounds... Even now, a faint trace of an Invincible's aura lingers upon them. Was he... slain by an Invincible?" "And more than one Invincible!" "No, that is not the crucial part... quick, probe the sea of will...!" *Boom!* Just as someone probed the sea of will, an immense counter-force rebounded violently. Su Yu had expended a massive price to barely restore that "Fan" character to the Sun Moon level. At this moment, it struck back with full force, causing several probing powerhouses to grunt in pain! A divine character exuding an ancient, archaic aura flashed into view before instantly sinking back into the corpse's flesh. "An ancient divine character!" Someone in the crowd leaped to their feet, their face a mixture of shock and wild delight. An ancient divine character? To think it still possessed such power after all this time! Terrifying! Not only had the divine character survived intact, but the explosive force it displayed was at the Sun Moon level. As for its original grade, it had to have been at least seventh-stage Sun Moon—and that was assuming it wasn't the deceased's weakest character. An ancient divine character! Several figures trembled with excitement. The deceased had actually been a Civilization Master! Or perhaps a warrior who cultivated both physical body and willpower simultaneously. His physical shell was equally formidable, brimming with an ancient... or rather, putrid scent! After prolonged erosion by death qi, it would be strange if it hadn't begun to rot. It was nearly rank; reducing an eighth-stage Sun Moon corpse to the point of foul decay was truly a feat of craftsmanship! Su Yu, however, seemed utterly indifferent, stating flatly, "I care little for any of these. Be it the corpse or the weapon, neither can be used directly. As for the ancient divine character, I have only discovered this single one, and because it carries a counter-force, I dared not probe deeper into the sea of will for fear of causing its collapse if the sea of will still exists. As I said before, what I value most is an ancient cultivation technique!" With that, a slightly damaged jade talisman appeared in his palm. It was an ancient jade talisman Su Yu had purchased himself. Su Yu said calmly, "I will show everyone the opening passage. Judge its authenticity for yourselves. Naturally, I will demonstrate a cycle, but the complete technique will not be revealed!" Words resembling the script of the ancient city formed in midair. The powerhouses read them in haste, and upon absorbing just those few lines, every single one felt as though they contained the supreme principles of heaven and earth! Their eyes blazed with intense fervor! At that exact moment, Su Yu's body shuddered. As he drew breath, vast quantities of origin qi surged toward him. Demonic qi swirled around his frame, immensely potent! He threw a punch—*boom!*—a thunderous crash echoed as space rippled. "Hah!" With a low roar, he exhaled a breath of origin qi laced with dark impurities. Su Yu halted his movements instantly and grinned. "Do you see? This technique bears no name, so I have dubbed it the Body-Tempering Breathing Art!" "..." *To hell with that garbage name!* No one cared about the name. Their eyes burned with unbridled hunger. It was an authentic breathing art—an ancient breathing art designed for tempering the physical body! A breathing art, an ancient Heaven armament, an ancient corpse beyond the ninth stage of Sun Moon, and an ancient divine character of at least the seventh stage of Sun Moon... At this moment, not a single soul believed this could be fake! Don't be ridiculous! If it were fake, the cost would be astronomically high, and the mastermind behind it would have to be an utter lunatic to squander such treasures merely to scam a modest pile of resources! Absurd! It was utterly impossible. Any major race that obtained such treasures would hoard them secretly; they would never auction them off just for resources. The white-masked figure scribbled furiously. *** Meanwhile, within the boundless void, seven or eight faceless elders materialized simultaneously inside the Heaven Hunting Pavilion. They stared intently at the live report transmitted by the white-masked figure! One elder gasped, "Body-Tempering Breathing Art... tempering the physical vessel, expelling impurities... this... this is a genuine breathing art! Search the records immediately! Find which breathing arts possess these traits!" Another elder replied quickly, "It won't be easy to pin down. Just from the records I've personally read, several fit the description: the Thunder Breathing Art, the Body-Forging Breathing Art, the Heaven-Battling Breathing Art..." "Can we trace the origin of that ancient divine character with the innate counter-force?" "That is equally difficult to trace. After extensive searching, only one seventh-stage Sun Moon expert from the ancient God race was recorded to possess a counter-type divine character, but his weapon was a trident, not a greatbow, though his counter-force was indeed renowned..." "This corpse is definitely far beyond the seventh stage of Sun Moon. According to Bai Yi's report, it still exudes the presence of an eighth-stage Sun Moon despite heavy death qi corrosion. In life, he was at least a ninth-stage Sun Moon..." "..." The elders deliberated back and forth. Powerhouses matching all these criteria simultaneously were simply too rare! Even with their vast archives, countless records had been lost to time, and they could not identify the specific expert. For a time, the elders were left at a loss. "What should we do? Do we bid or not? An ancient sub-space suddenly surfaces, stumbled upon by Tianduo. Does Tianduo truly possess such monstrous fortune?" "Based on current intelligence, there are no flaws. Tianduo has even mastered the breathing art, so it cannot be fabricated. But... without identifying the corpse, it is difficult to determine who he was." "There is still risk involved!" "Risk or not, we cannot let this slip through our fingers! We might uncover something of immense value from this corpse!" "Setting everything else aside, the breathing art, ancient Heaven armament, and ancient divine character alone are worth an astronomical fortune!" "..." The powerhouses debated heatedly. Even the Heaven Hunting Pavilion, an organization whose business spanned the myriad realms, could not say with absolute certainty whether the whole affair was genuine or counterfeit, though the evidence overwhelmingly pointed toward genuine. The absence of a verifiable identity was their only hesitation! A heavy silence descended over the great hall of the Heaven Hunting Pavilion. If they were to bid, the price would certainly not be low. Any fool knew the immense value at stake, because the breathing art was undeniably real. The breathing art was real, the corpse was real, the divine character was real, the Heaven armament was real... The only lingering mystery was the figure's true identity and original realm in life, which remained impossible to determine. With so many components proven real, they had no choice but to believe the whole package was genuine! As for why Tianduo was the one to stumble upon it, one could only conclude that the demon possessed astonishing luck. Perhaps... he truly was the next Modona. Fortune was an elusive thing, yet supreme geniuses invariably possessed immense heavenly favor.