A collective sigh rippled through the audience below the stage. Although transformation techniques were difficult to master, they were exceedingly common and held virtually no auction value.
Only a handful of people did not join in the sighing—among them Lu Yang and Chi Xulong.
The auctioneer continued his introduction. "This manual is no ordinary transformation technique; one can unleash attacks even in the middle of transforming. If used during battle, I believe it will yield unexpected results."
Only then did the crowd show a flicker of interest, though still very little. After all, who would use a transformation technique in combat?
The auctioneer added another reminder: "Please note that this technique is exceptionally difficult to cultivate. Even Grandmaster Yang Xuanling remarked that while this book appears entirely unremarkable on the surface, it is far from being as simple as it looks!"
Lu Yang continued to mutter to himself, keeping his voice just loud enough for Chi Xulong to hear clearly, "Just as I thought... this book matches the description of that legendary manual far too closely."
Sitting beside him, Meng Jingzhou heard Lu Yang's mutterings and snapped in a low, urgent voice, "Shut your mouth! Is that the kind of thing you can just say out loud?! When will you ever kick this habit of talking to yourself!"
Startled, Lu Yang promptly fell silent, his eyes fixed unwaveringly on the transformation technique upon the stage.
Chi Xulong observed Lu Yang's behavior from the corner of his eye, growing several degrees more confident in his own suspicions.
"Starting bid: one hundred spirit stones!"
This price was far lower than that of normal transformation techniques. Evidently, the chamber of commerce was also uncertain of the Imitation Fist's true worth.
"One hundred and ten!" Someone quickly placed a bid. This tiny amount of spirit stones was nothing, worth spending just for a novelty.
"One hundred and twenty!" Chi Xulong called out lazily, sounding as if he were shouting a bid entirely on a whim.
"One hundred and forty!"
"One hundred and eighty!"
"Two hundred!"
The price of the Imitation Fist soared rapidly.
"Eight hundred!" Lu Yang shouted.
Meng Jingzhou hastily pinned down Lu Yang's hand. "Why are you bidding so high? Are you afraid people won't notice you?!"
"I-I was just afraid someone else would win it."
Eight hundred spirit stones was not an exorbitant sum, but that was only for Foundation Establishment cultivators. A cultivator in the Qi Refinement stage could hardly produce eight hundred spirit stones on a whim.
"One thousand!"
A voice rang out from right beside Lu Yang. Lu Yang looked at Chi Xulong in astonishment, seemingly baffled as to why the man was competing with him for this transformation technique.
It was clearly just a spell that looked somewhat unique!
Could he have spotted something special about it as well?
How could he have noticed?
*Damn it,* Lu Yang thought. *Could he have overheard what I muttered to myself just now?*
Lu Yang said to Chi Xulong in a hushed tone, "Fellow Daoist, this technique resembles a long-lost art from my clan. Could you perhaps concede it to me? Once the auction concludes, I will reward you handsomely!"
Chi Xulong sneered internally. *A long-lost art? Only a ghost would believe you. There must be an ancient secret hidden within this technique!*
Sitting beside him, Shen Jinyi wanted to persuade him against it, but seeing Chi Xulong's resolute posture, he kept his peace.
Seeing that polite pleas were useless, Lu Yang placed another bid: "One thousand two hundred low-grade spirit stones!"
"Two thousand." Chi Xulong did not even bat an eye. Seeing Lu Yang bid so timidly, he guessed that the youth had definitely not reached Foundation Establishment.
Lu Yang staked his entire net worth: "Two thousand three hundred low-grade spirit stones!"
"Three thousand." Chi Xulong maintained his nonchalant expression.
Lu Yang turned to Meng Jingzhou to borrow funds: "Lend me a thousand spirit stones! I'll definitely pay you back next year!"
"Fine," Meng Jingzhou agreed readily.
"Three thousand three hundred low-grade spirit stones!"
"Four thousand!"
Lu Yang continued to borrow money, yet he remained utterly outmatched by Chi Xulong's deep pockets.
In the end, Chi Xulong won the transformation technique for the staggering sum of eight thousand spirit stones. Lu Yang, moved nearly to "tears," netted a clean eight thousand spirit stones. It was a win-win situation; everyone was delighted.
After the auction ended, Lu Yang and his three companions prepared to leave. Just as they stepped past the boundaries of the cultivator market and reached the deserted foot of the mountain, Chi Xulong and Shen Jinyi barred their path.
"Wh-what are you doing?!"
A cruel smile curled on Chi Xulong's lips. "What are we doing? Boy, don't ask questions you already know the answer to. No one has ever fooled me!"
Chi Xulong produced the Lu Clan Transformation Technique and unleashed his Foundation Establishment aura. "Speak! What ancient secret is hidden inside this book?!
"Tell me, and I might spare your lives. If you dare lie to me, don't blame your grandpa for being ruthless!"
Chi Xulong had never intended to let the four go. The fewer people who knew of an ancient secret, the better. Besides, Lan Ting possessed breathtaking beauty; he would toy with her thoroughly before ending her life!
In his eyes, four people who could not even scrape together a few thousand spirit stones were definitely in the Qi Refinement stage.
Qi Refinement cultivators stood zero chance of resisting him!
Lu Yang sighed. He recalled how Branch Master Chu had previously hinted that he should stir up trouble during the Spring-Plucking Festival. Could Branch Master Chu have anticipated today's situation and subtly instructed him to kill Chi Xulong and Shen Jinyi?
Branch Master Chu was truly a master of foresight!
Lu Yang took off his mask, revealing his true features. "Chi Xulong, there's no need for us to make things so tense, is there?"
As he spoke, he stealthily drew out an image-recording orb.
"Lu Yang! You bastard!" Chi Xulong flew into a rage, instantly realizing that Lu Yang had been playing him for a fool.
The auction had been a performance staged entirely for him!
"There must be a misunderstanding between us, surely stirred up by some petty villain sowing discord. How about this: let's go to Branch Master Chu and clear things up. Even if you don't trust me, you must trust Branch Master Chu, right?"
Chi Xulong might have been fine if Branch Master Chu had not been mentioned, but hearing the title only inflamed his fury. "You dare mention Branch Master Chu? Where do you get the nerve?!
"Branch Master Chu was clearly deceived by you before he made you a deacon! And what petty villain? *You* are the petty villain!"
"How could I be a petty villain? Don't talk nonsense!" Lu Yang argued vehemently.
Chi Xulong sneered. "Don't think I don't know the 'good deeds' your mother's son has pulled!
"Acting like a goody two-shoes in front of Branch Master Chu, yet ever since you joined the cult, all you've done is screw us over! If you ask me, you're an undercover sent by the righteous path!"
Naturally, Chi Xulong was merely speaking in anger. Had he truly believed Lu Yang was an undercover from the righteous path, he would have monitored him in secret long ago to gather proof.
Lu Yang let out a long sigh. Stowing the image-recording orb away, he drew his three-foot Green Blade Sword and said with a touch of reluctance, "Since that's how it is, it seems there is only battle left between us."
Chi Xulong and Shen Jinyi curled their lips into disdainful sneers and produced their weapons to face them.
Meng Jingzhou, Man Gu, and Lan Ting did the same.
The battle erupted.
***
Lu Yang brought the news of Chi Xulong and Shen Jinyi's deaths to Branch Master Chu.
No matter how formidable Chi Xulong and Shen Jinyi were, they could never have survived against four immortal sect disciples. It had been a completely one-sided slaughter. The two died so gruesomely that Lan Ting had lost her appetite entirely.
Lu Yang produced the image-recording orb while explaining to Branch Master Chu, "You know Chi Xulong's temper, Branch Master—killing people at the slightest provocation. I was worried this exact thing would happen, so I recorded everything in advance, lest he come running to you afterward claiming he was wronged and that I had bullied him.
"From the looks of it now, he won't be coming to see you after all.
"I'm not sure what went wrong with the orb, but the recording turned out choppy. Fortunately, it still captures the general situation back then. Please take a look."
Sitting upon his jade chair, Branch Master Chu picked up the image-recording orb and watched the scene unfold.
"Chi Xulong, there's no need for us to make things so tense, is there?" Lu Yang tried hard to ease the tension with Chi Xulong.
"Lu Yang! You bastard!" Clearly, Chi Xulong did not appreciate the gesture.
"There must be a misunderstanding between us, surely stirred up by some petty villain... How about this: let's go to Branch Master Chu and clear things up... Even if you don't trust me, you must trust Branch Master Chu, right?"
"Branch Master Chu... Where does he get the nerve!"
"Branch Master Chu... making you a deacon... is the petty villain!"
"...How could he be a petty villain? Don't talk nonsense!" Lu Yang argued on grounds of reason.
"Don't think I don't know... the 'good deeds'... he's done!"
"...Branch Master Chu... acting like a goody two-shoes... ever since joining the cult, all he's done is screw us over... If you ask me... is an undercover sent by the righteous path!"
The recording cut off there. Branch Master Chu ground his teeth in fury as he watched.
Beside him, Lu Yang spoke with righteous indignation: "Branch Master, you have treated me with great kindness. Even on the demonic path, we have our pride, our furious bursts of anger, and our debts of gratitude to repay! When I saw Chi Xulong falsely accusing and framing you, with Shen Jinyi standing by without stopping him, rage flared from the bottom of my heart. In a fit of fury, I led Meng Jingzhou and the others to slaughter them!
"It wasn't suitable to record during the battle, so I put the orb away."
Naturally, Lu Yang could not let Branch Master Chu see their combat styles.
Branch Master Chu praised loudly, his voice tinged with lingering rage toward Chi Xulong. "Well killed! Those two beasts had it coming!"
Branch Master Chu had known Chi Xulong harbored grievances against him. Out of respect for Chi Xulong's talent, he had even called him over previously to offer some pointers. At the time, Chi Xulong had sworn loyalty to his face, claiming he would definitely perform better than Lu Yang.
Looking at it now, Chi Xulong had harbored resentment all along—even daring to spout nonsense claiming Chu was an undercover from the righteous path!
How could the Immortal Cult ever have an undercover agent from the righteous path?!
"Lu Yang, you have eliminated two major thorns in the side of this branch. Splendidly done! Once the Inspecting Emissary arrives, I will surely put in a good word for you!"
Chapter 95