Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

”Is this also the rule of the Shenxiao Sect?”

In his mind, Yun Xiao’s thoughts were quickly turning, but he asked with a slight smile on his face, which made the old man slightly stunned before revealing a trace of awkwardness.

”It seems I’ve overstepped!”

Clearly, asking about the origin of the mysterious object was not a rule of the Shenxiao Sect. In fact, their job was to discern these things, and people who came for appraisal were obviously unsure of their mysterious objects’ nature. It was indeed overstepping to ask such a question in return.

”It seems the old gentleman must know the origins of this piece of cloth, right?”

Yun Xiao did not mind the old man’s demeanor; instead, from the old man’s changing expression, he inferred some clues and immediately voiced his question.

”I know a bit, but... one million gold coins!”

The old man nodded, yet did not speak directly. Until now, the appraisal of this mysterious object seemed to finally get on the right track, and the ”appraisal fee” of one million gold coins gave Yun Xiao quite a shock.

Gold coins were still used as currency on the Tenglong Continent, but various high-end Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures were often bartered among powerful individuals. However, using one million gold coins just to appraise a possible piece of rag would likely be unbearable for many. Upon hearing this price, Yun Xiao wondered if the old man’s previous reactions were all acting.

First, arouse the customer’s curiosity until it was unbearable, then propose an exorbitant appraisal fee, making it difficult for them to stay or leave—truly a clever tactic.

”What? Too expensive? Young man, let me tell you, aside from our Shenxiao Sect, others might know about this item, but those who do will never disclose the secret. Therefore, to learn its origins, you can only come to the Shenxiao Sect!”

Seeing Yun Xiao’s slight hesitation, the old man thought Yun Xiao was short of money, but the Shenxiao Sect had its own set of rules. If the other party really couldn’t afford it, they couldn’t sell the information either.

”It doesn’t seem like he’s pretending!”

The old man’s words dispelled Yun Xiao’s suspicion of deliberate play. He then wiped his hand at his waist, producing a heavy money bag which he placed onto the table with a loud thud.

During this period, Yun Xiao had made quite a fortune from many ”clients,” and ordinary gold coins were not in short supply. A mere one million gold coins were hardly a significant number even to the Liu Family.

”Oh? Seems like one should not judge by appearances.”

Seeing the straightforwardness of the other party, the old man with graying hair could not help but show a glint of light in his eyes. He quickly dragged the money bag over, inspected it, and nodded.

”Can the old gentleman speak now?”

Watching the old man stash away the money bag into his Waist Storage, Yun Xiao softly inquired. To be honest, he was genuinely curious about this piece of cloth. What kind of secret did it hold?

”This thing, while it looks like an unremarkable piece of rag, is actually called ’Wuyan Cloth.’

The old man didn’t play any more games. Shenxiao Sect’s consistent style was to do the job once paid, and upon hearing those last three words, a thought flashed through Yun Xiao’s mind about a supreme force on the Tenglong Continent. Could there be a connection between them?

”The Wuyan Palace, one of the four top forces on the Tenglong Continent, you must have heard of it, right?”

In truth, the old man was asking a redundant question. What cultivator on the Tenglong Continent hadn’t heard of the Wuyan Palace? Such a power was unattainable and high above for many low-rank cultivators.

”So it is indeed related to the Wuyan Palace!”

When the old man mentioned the words ”Wuyan Cloth,” Yun Xiao was already speculating about its connection with the Wuyan Palace. Getting confirmation now piqued his interest even more.

”It is said that the Wuyan Cloth was woven by a senior expert of the Wuyan Palace, using countless Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. It holds a great secret concerning the supreme treasure of the Wuyan Palace. But during a certain upheaval, the Wuyan Cloth was divided into four pieces and has been missing ever since!”

The old man with graying hair spoke, reaching out and picking up the Wuyan Cloth. In his right hand, a blazing flame suddenly appeared.

”What are you doing?”

Upon seeing this, Yun Xiao was startled. He now knew that the piece of cloth could be related to some supreme treasure of the Wuyan Palace, but how could such a fabric withstand the burning flames?

”Young man, it seems you don’t quite understand the Wuyan Palace!”

Seeing Yun Xiao a bit anxious, the elder turned his head and actually revealed a smile. His words seemed to carry an explanation, making Yun Xiao feel a stir in his heart, and he immediately noticed something unusual.

Because the Wuyan Cloth, wrapped in the Ancestral Vein Fire by the elder, was not turned to ashes by the flames. Instead, it seemed to burn away the ancient aura on it, emitting a strong special scent.

”The No-Flame Palace, though called ’No-Flame’, actually has most of its cultivators practicing Fire Attribute Techniques. This Wuyan Cloth has been tempered so thoroughly that the mere Ancestral Vein Fire could not harm it at all?”

The elder spoke eloquently while controlling the flame in his hand. Just as he had said, even after burning for so long, there was not the slightest sign of the Wuyan Cloth being destroyed.

Whoosh!

After about ten breaths, the elder finally withdrew the Ancestral Vein Fire and placed the Wuyan Cloth back on the table, a hint of melancholy appearing on his face.

”What a pity, this is just one piece of the Wuyan Cloth fragment. If you could gather all four pieces, perhaps you could find the Supreme Treasure of the No-Flame Palace!”

The elder made this sentence his concluding remark. As he said, a complete Wuyan Cloth might be extremely valuable, but since this is a quarter or even a fifth of a fragment, it serves no great purpose.

After all, with the Tenglong Continent being so vast, finding other Wuyan Cloth fragments is as difficult as climbing to the heavens. Over innumerable years, you simply wouldn’t know where they have ended up, perhaps scattered as far as the north and the south.

”Hehe, let’s just leave it to fate!”

Yun Xiao was a generous person, and from the elder’s words, he could hear the difficulty in obtaining it. To be strict, whether it was worth spending a million gold coins to get such an answer was subjective.

Discussing how the Wuyan Cloth relates to the Supreme Treasure of the No-Flame Palace but is useless because it is a fragment indicates that Yun Xiao’s million-gold-coin appraisal only revealed a chicken rib-like item.

But the deed was done, and Yun Xiao thought it was not plausible to ask for a refund. He reached out, grabbed the Wuyan Cloth, and folded his hands in thanks before turning to leave.

”I wonder if there are any restrictions for participating in that auction?”

As he exited the Shenxiao Sect’s gate, Yun Xiao’s heart stirred, and he mumbled to himself. Such information, he would not purchase from Shenxiao Sect because it was something anyone on the street could tell him.

Moments later, when Yun Xiao inquired about the details of this Bianlei City’s auction, a strange glimmer appeared in his eyes.

”It turns out... it’s the Spirit Fighting Commerce again?!”

Suppressing the strangeness in his heart, Yun Xiao let out a bitter smile. This time, the auction in Bianlei City was hosted by a branch of the Spirit Fighting Commerce, which caught him off guard.

After all, Yun Xiao had previously killed Xu Huang, the chairman of the Yuyang City Spirit Fighting Commerce, and Xia Yong, the special envoy from the headquarters, which had inadvertently created a grudge with this mighty faction of the Tenglong Continent.

Although the distance to Yuyang City was tens of thousands of miles, there was no guarantee that the matter in Yuyang City wouldn’t reach Bianlei City, so Yun Xiao became extra cautious at this moment.

”Whatever, let’s just adapt to the situation. I must check out this auction after all!”

With this thought, Yun Xiao lifted his steps towards the center of Bianlei City, since the branch of the Spirit Fighting Commerce was located there, and acquiring a qualification is a must to attend the auction.

The scale of this auction held by the Bianlei City Spirit Fighting Branch was grand. If any Tom, Dick, or Harry could enter, it would be overcrowded, wouldn’t it?

Moreover, some people were just there for the excitement and might not even participate in the bidding. Such people wouldn’t be beneficial for the Spirit Fighting Commerce, as they wouldn’t generate any profit.

Just within an hour, Yun Xiao had arrived in front of a magnificent great hall, which by this time, was crowded and bustling at its entrance.

”They’re probably all here for the auction three days later!”

Seeing this, a wry smile appeared on Yun Xiao’s face. Among these people, he even saw some cultivators in the Meridian Rushing Realm and Meridian Union Realm jostling to get inside. Such people, without a strong background, probably wouldn’t be eligible to attend an auction of this caliber, right?

Although the door to the Spirit Fighting branch was extremely congested, Yun Xiao, having used his movement technique, easily squeezed into the grand hall. Inside, it was not as crowded as outside, since the Spirit Fighting Commerce’s branch hall was constructed extremely spacious, with staff specially designated to receive attendees.

”Kid, if you squeeze by me again, I’ll throw you out!”

However, as Yun Xiao used his movement technique to squeeze further inside, a rough voice suddenly rang out, followed by a vicious gaze fixating on him. It seemed that the person directing it was the same one who had spoken.