**** ANNOUNCEMENT ****
Hey everyone!
Next month, I'm officially launching my new translation project here on WN: Legend of the Dragon King: True Self. It's a DD3 fic from the same author as DD2: Glory of the Unrivaled Angel.
Over 20 chapters are already available to everyone on my Patreon right now. Feel free to check them out and get a head start on the story!
I've also reopened the "Founder Tier" on Patreon for a limited time. This is a special tier designed to reward those day-one supporters with the highest level of access at a discounted price, which is locked in as long as you stay subscribed.
Joining the Founder Tier instantly unlocks:
75+ Advanced Chapters of BTTH: From Genius to Invincible
40 Advanced Chapters of DD2: Glory of the Unrivaled Angel
50 Advanced Chapters of Legend of the Dragon King: True Self
Speaking of DD2: We're less than 50 chapters away from the grand finale on Patreon! It's the perfect time to catch up and binge the ending.
Patreon.com/Kisshot
****END OF ANNOUNCEMENT****
Word Count: 2,588 Words
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If Nalan Yanran had been here, she probably would have given him two good whacks with a hammer!
What was wrong with her, Nalan Yanran?! She had bled for the Yan Alliance and earned her merits through battle! She was one of its founding heroes! And she still didn't deserve a Tian Class Dou Technique?!
"You must be joking. Even a Low Tian Class Qi Method would only cost two tier 8 pills that attracted seven-colored Pill Lightning. You're demanding Venerate Ascension Spirit Pills? That's utterly outrageous!" Some of the surrounding experts couldn't help voicing their protests. The price was simply too absurd.
The previously smiling old man's face hardened. He said coldly, "This is no joke. Two Venerate Ascension Spirit Pills. Anything less, and I absolutely will not sell!"
Generally speaking, when prices were quoted as 'tier 8 pills that attract X-colored Pill Lightning,' that was understood to be the minimum standard, and usually referred to ordinary healing pills. Among pills of that tier, Venerate Ascension Spirit Pills, which could directly raise one's cultivation, were the most valuable of all.
For most Dou Venerate-level factions, being able to produce even a single Venerate Ascension Spirit Pill was already remarkable. Any they managed to obtain would long since have been used.
Xiao Yan could indeed refine Venerate Ascension Spirit Pills, and he did have several in his storage ring. Even so, his heart twinged at the thought of parting with them.
"Old sir, may I examine this Dou Technique more closely?" He slowly exhaled and asked.
"You may."
Xiao Yan picked up the rusty, grayish-white longsword and slowly extended his Spiritual Strength into it.
'Low Tian Class Dou Technique, Azure Mountain and River Sword Technique.'
Xiao Yan fell speechless. This broken sword only recorded the technique's name and rank. For more details, he would need to begin refining it, imprinting his soul to obtain the inheritance inside. Judging from everything else, it was most likely just a simple Low Tian Class Dou Technique. The price really was excessive!
He sighed and couldn't stop himself from mentally complaining to his grandfather Xiao Lin, whose soul had long since returned to the earth. Grandfather, oh grandfather, you really arranged a wonderful engagement for me.
The marriage never happened—fine. My fiancée coming in person to break the engagement—also fine. But now the engagement is long gone, and I'm still paying the bride price! I'm the ultimate sucker here!
Xiao Lin truly was the number-one 'good grandfather!'
Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly, retrieved two jade boxes from his storage ring, and handed them to the old man with a bitter smile. "Old sir, I'll take it."
Money only counted once it was spent. He had used Venerate Ascension Spirit Pills before, and it wasn't as if he couldn't refine more. He would treat this as an investment.
The stall owner hurriedly opened the jade boxes. Inside lay two Venerate Ascension Spirit Pills of considerable quality.
The surrounding onlookers stared in surprise. Though these were 'only' seven-colored Pill Lightning-grade pills, their quality was already very high.
Little did they know that among all the Venerate Ascension Spirit Pills Xiao Yan had refined, these two were the worst. He still had two that had attracted eight-colored Pill Lightning and one that had drawn nine colors.
"Hehehe, this gentleman truly knows quality when he sees it! Such generosity!" The old man couldn't close his mouth from smiling at Xiao Yan's lavish spending. He had brought out this iron sword to sell because he couldn't refine it himself. That rust was no ordinary problem.
Xiao Yan stored the iron sword away. This 'bride price' would have to be reclaimed from her Master in the future. A Master paying off a disciple's debts was perfectly reasonable.
"That Low Tian Class formation diagram can't be such a rip-off too, can it?" he muttered.
Ya Fei smiled. "I've already asked about the price. That Low Tian Class formation diagram scroll only requires two tier 8 pills that attracted five-colored Pill Lightning. It's a special formation meant to strengthen Dou Techniques; by itself, it can't unleash Tian Class power."
On the Dou Qi Continent, most formations were used in coordination with Dou Techniques, just like the Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique. The Five Ring Flame Expelling Formation, formed by the five Fire Spirits, was a special type of formation that enhanced the power of Heavenly Flames. Saint Zhao Hua's puppet formation was another example. Used alone, their power was weak, serving only as support.
To properly polish his Flame God Seal, Xiao Yan's Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique did indeed need modification. This Tian Class formation diagram might provide a new direction.
He possessed not just five Heavenly Flames. The Five Ring Flame Expelling Technique's upper limit was five flames, but Xiao Yan had eleven—twelve, counting Little Fairy Doctor's Ghostly Poison Flame! He absolutely needed knowledge about formations to broaden his abilities.
He had heard that the Ling Clan were masters of formations. What a pity they were gone.
"Indeed not bad, and the price is reasonable." After following Ya Fei to another stall and examining the Tian Class formation diagram, Xiao Yan nodded with satisfaction.
This formation diagram scroll was called the Nine Revolutions Spirit Formation Diagram. It had been left behind thousands of years ago by a Dou Saint expert known as the Nine Revolutions Formation Saint. Unlike others, this Dou Saint had focused exclusively on cultivating formations. His inheritance ruins contained this scroll recording the various formations he had specialized in during his lifetime, along with his insights and teachings.
Some of the formations within were so dangerous that even Nine-Change Dou Venerate experts wouldn't dare touch them lightly.
However, formations weren't very popular on the Dou Qi Continent. Most were used for sect-protecting arrays because they required an energy medium such as Heavenly Flames, puppets, the sect's mountain range, and so on. For individual cultivators, they weren't very practical and were far less cost-effective than a genuine Dou Technique. Not everyone possessed eleven Heavenly Flames like Xiao Yan. That was why the price was so low.
Just as Xiao Yan prepared to purchase it with two tier 8 pills that had attracted five-colored Pill Lightning, his special constitution activated!
"Merely two pills that attracted five-colored Pill Lightning? What a bargain. Boss, I'll take this item." An arrogant voice suddenly rang out as someone strode up to the stall, laughing heartily.
An iron fan came down, pressing over the Nine Revolutions Spirit Formation Diagram. The newcomer smiled at Xiao Yan. "Brother, I'll be taking this."
Xiao Yan looked in surprise at the man who had appeared out of nowhere. If he remembered correctly, the last fan-wielding fellow he had met had died, and his entire family had gone to hell with him!
"Idiot, get lost." Xiao Yan snorted coldly. A powerful sonic shockwave burst out, slamming into the man and blasting him back two steps. He then tossed two pills to the stall owner and swept the diagram scroll into his ring.
The stall owner clearly hadn't expected Xiao Yan to move so quickly, but with the price already agreed upon, he had no way to raise it now.
The man with the iron fan was also startled. Xiao Yan hadn't even given him a chance to bid before directly stowing the item away.
He closed his fan and cupped his hands toward Xiao Yan. Just as he was about to speak, Xiao Yan cut him off at once. "Don't know you, don't recognize you, won't give you face, and also, not interested."
Xiao Yan's rapid-fire fourfold denial left the iron-fan man completely stunned. He hadn't even said anything yet! And why did that response sound so practiced?!
Ya Fei couldn't help laughing at the sight. Clearly, Xiao Yan had run into this kind of trouble often enough to develop an entire standard procedure.
Poor Xiao Yan couldn't even shop in peace.
"I am Li Yong of the Li Clan. I hope you might give some face for my wife, Gu Hanyu."
Xiao Yan had been ready to ignore him completely, but hearing the surname made him look over in curiosity. "Your wife's surname is Gu?"
Li Yong noticed Xiao Yan's expression and opened his iron fan, fanning himself proudly. "Indeed. My wife is a member of the Gu Clan. I hope you might grant me this small bit of face."
Xiao Yan's expression immediately turned peculiar, while Ya Fei's beautiful eyes also took him in with a mix of surprise and odd amusement.
It was perfectly normal for women from Dou God Clans to marry out, or for men to leave the Gu Clan to establish themselves on the Dou Qi Continent. If not for Xun Er's Divine Grade bloodline, those with Grade 4 or 5 Dou God Bloodlines wouldn't be stopped so long as their partners were strong enough. Reaching the Dou Venerate level was sufficient.
During the Gu Clan's coming-of-age ceremony, some of the invited factions had been those where Gu Clan members had married out. These factions, connected to the Gu Clan through marriage, effectively functioned as vassals, much like the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe, the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe, or the Dragon Bear Tribe.
Many, like Venerable Yao, had left their clans to venture forth, but those who managed to establish their own legacies after leaving a Dou God Clan were still rare.
Most of the hidden factions in the Central Plains maintained some kind of connection to the Dou God Clans. In a sense, if Xiao Yan were not of the Xiao Clan, he would be just like those reclusive forces, simply a clan power tied to a Dou God Clan.
To put it bluntly, it was equivalent to being a live-in son-in-law. The difference was that Xiao Yan happened to be the strongest 'son-in-law' on the entire Dou Qi Continent!
A trace of killing intent had initially flashed through Xiao Yan's eyes, but after hearing Li Yong out, he sighed and patted the man's shoulder. "I won't blame you for this. Cultivate hard and strive to surpass your wife someday. Otherwise, outsiders will always look down on you."
For a moment, even he wasn't sure whether he was talking about Li Yong or himself. Perhaps… both.
Li Yong found Xiao Yan's meaningful words and strange expression puzzling and quickly asked, "May I ask who you are?"
Xiao Yan showed a lonely-seeming back, paused mid-step, then turned his head and transmitted his voice. "Xiao Yan."
"Hiss—!!!" Li Yong immediately sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.
The Gu Clan… Xiao Yan!
The strongest son-in-law on the Dou Qi Continent!!
Among the reclusive clans, there wasn't a soul who didn't know Xiao Yan's name!
Simply because he, an outsider, had successfully proposed to the daughter of the Gu Clan's Clan Head and received the entire Gu Clan's approval!
An outsider marrying the Gu Clan Head's daughter… this was nothing short of a miracle!!
Eyes filled with hot tears, Li Yong watched Xiao Yan's retreating figure. He sniffled, cupped his hands, and bowed deeply toward Xiao Yan's back from afar, his voice ringing with resolve. "This junior will definitely engrave Senior's words in his heart!!"
…
Of course, this was merely a small interlude. By the time they finished browsing the outer stalls, Xiao Yan had already bought up basically all of the spatial trade fair's most precious items. Cai Lin had also picked out a few things for Xiao Xiao and Xiao Cai.
Little Fairy Doctor and Qing Lin, on the other hand, hadn't found anything suitable and returned empty-handed.
"No rush. The real main event is inside this Ancient Treasure Pavilion. Let's see if there's anything worth bidding on."
The group arrived at the entrance to the Ancient Treasure Pavilion. Ya Fei presented a red jade token. After the two elderly guards examined it, one of them nodded. "This way, please."
The other flicked his sleeve, and five jet-black cloaks floated over to settle before Xiao Yan and the others. Although these special cloaks were far inferior to Xiao Yan's Soul Robe, they could still block Spiritual Strength probes.
"Let's go." After putting on his cloak, Xiao Yan was the first to step into the ancient grand hall. Everything before this had been nothing more than appetizers. The Purifying Lotus Demon Flame map fragment was the real main course.
His foot crossed the threshold, and he swept his gaze across the surroundings. The pavilion's lighting was quite dim, its structure utterly ordinary, with no remarkable features and none of the 'treasure aura' one might imagine.
"Esteemed guests, please follow me."
While Xiao Yan was looking around, a gray-robed elder approached from the side and spoke softly before heading toward the dim depths of the pavilion. Xiao Yan and the rest followed without comment.
They walked through the pavilion's corridors for several minutes before finally stopping in front of a bronze door. The old man halted there as well.
He cupped his hands, said nothing more, and quietly withdrew.
Everything was remarkably simple, unlike the grandeur of some auction houses.
'Finally about to complete the set.'
Xiao Yan slowly pushed open the ancient bronze door. A faint light shone from within as he stepped through.
When the initial glare faded, Little Fairy Doctor and the others saw an ancient hall about half the size of a public square. The hall contained numerous stone chairs, many already occupied by cloaked figures. Just like Xiao Yan's group, every person's face was hidden beneath black fabric; no one knew who the others were.
After Xiao Yan and his companions took their seats and waited for a moment, a melodious bell chimed. At the center of the hall, a white-haired, white-bearded elder who looked ready for the grave slowly materialized from distorted space.
"A peak Nine-Change Dou Venerate just to host…" With his Low Tian Class Spiritual Strength, Xiao Yan easily sensed the old man's power. No wonder no one dared cause trouble here. If the host alone possessed this level of strength, there was definitely an even more terrifying existence behind the Ancient Treasure Pavilion.
"Perhaps the force behind this spatial trade fair has ties to a Dou God Clan," Ya Fei murmured.
Xiao Yan nodded. Ancient Treasure Pavilion. That 'Ancient (Gu)' character couldn't be that straightforward and on the nose, could it?
Taken together, the waters of the Central Plains were clearly very deep. On the surface, the only major faction with a Dou God Clan behind it was the Hall of Souls, but in reality, the other Dou God Clans had almost certainly seeded their own factions throughout the region as well.
The elder first bowed, then coughed lightly and smiled. "Today's Ancient Treasure Pavilion auction will be held here. There are not many items up for bid—only ten in total. Everything will go to the highest bidder, so if you need something, don't hold back."
A murmur rippled through the hall at the announcement that there were only ten items.
'This scarcity marketing is played quite well.' Xiao Yan thought.
A strange light flickered in Ya Fei's beautiful eyes. So auctions could be run this way too!
Scarcity bred value. With only a handful of items, fierce bidding was guaranteed.
Just imagine: you miss the first lot, and a little voice forms in your mind whispering that if you don't buy soon, there'll be nothing left. Not everyone would fall for it, of course, but undeniably, some would.