The captive wolf mother, her spirit weighed down by heavy chains, was hauled onto the platform by a skeletal figure in midnight silks. Huang Shengyi looked down at the restrained beast and smoothly began her introduction.
"This is a grey wolf," she said, her voice carrying effortlessly across the expanse. "This specific type of wolf is highly suitable for increasing the grade of one's source core, allowing those who are born unable to cultivate to do so without any further issues. This particular grey wolf is a middle-grade, first-level Fearless beast, making its energy perfect for children aged five years and under. Many of the younger generations in our Tinding Kingdom are unfortunately born without the ability to cultivate due to low-grade source cores. With this single demonic beast, your children and grandchildren can step firmly onto the path of cultivation, distinguishing themselves from ordinary humans forever."
Hearing her words, the white wolf felt a crushing wave of naiveté wash over him. He had foolishly believed they could somehow survive this ordeal, completely unaware that grey wolves possessed such a horrific utility for humans. His previous plans had been built entirely on a flawed understanding of human society. In this dark moment, he realized that without immortality or absolute power, his pack was destined for nothing but death. As he watched the bidding violently begin, with dozens of wealthy humans aggressively vying for his mother, he felt a true, absolute sense of powerlessness.
In the end, his mother was sold for eighty thousand gold notes, fetching a price even higher than the medium-grade Bone-Condensing Pill. The buyer, an older man in grand yellow robes, walked confidently onto the stage accompanied by a small, three-year-old boy. He spoke quietly to Huang Shengyi for a few minutes before stepping to the center of the platform.
"Elder Huo Yuanjia of the prominent Huo family would like to perform the core-raising procedure right here," Huang Shengyi announced to the room, "as he does not want his young son to spend a single day more as a mere mortal. The Blue Merchant Guild is happy to oblige, and we request that you, our esteemed audience, spare a few minutes to witness the birth of a young master of the Huo family." She bowed slightly, and the crowd, already deeply well-disposed toward her, readily agreed to the delay.
"There is no problem at all, Fairy Huang!" a man in the front rows shouted, and others quickly voiced their enthusiastic agreement.
Tears of pure agony streamed down the white wolf's face; he knew his mother was about to die. She was pulled roughly to the center of the stage and held down flat by five men from the crowd who had eagerly volunteered to assist. Elder Huo Yuanjia stood positioned between her and the young boy, placing his heavy left hand directly onto the wolf's head and his right hand onto the boy's chest. He closed his eyes and began to channel his potent origin qi in a strange, complex pattern through his meridians.
Soon, a mysterious, glowing red energy began to flow visibly from the wolf and into the child. As more of the vital energy left her body, the mother's robust form shriveled rapidly before their eyes, collapsing inward until only brittle bones covered in dried, wrinkled skin remained.
The white wolf cried out in his cage, his tears turning to blood. His sister had already fainted from the sheer horror of the spectacle. The white wolf, now filled with an even greater, suffocating dread, knew exactly what was coming next. The terrifying effectiveness of the procedure had just been confirmed to the entire room, and there was still another grey wolf, his remaining sister ,waiting for auction. The sheer number of affluent humans in attendance made him realize how many children required a grey wolf to sacrifice for their futures.
Predictably, his sister was sold next, and the exact same horrific process was repeated directly in front of him. Unable to handle any more trauma, the white wolf's consciousness finally shattered, and he passed out into the dark.