Yue Clan Residence
As the conversation was teetering in a dangerous direction and things were about to escalate, Chen Linlin, the one responsible for starting the rumors, quickly shot up from her seat to intervene, clearing up all the misunderstandings regarding the concubine situation.
Seeing that Chen Linlin was someone of importance, Yue Feng restrained himself and listened to her explanation.
However, the more Chen Linlin explained things to Yue Feng, the more terrified he became.
He realized that all of his assumptions had been wrong and just how close he had come to lashing out at an innocent person.
Breaking out into a cold sweat, Yue Feng hurriedly dropped to his knees and prostrated himself before Xue Hui, apologizing for his offense.
Unknowingly, this action only put Xue Hui in an even more awkward situation. With a troubled expression written across his face, he reached out, helped Yue Feng to his feet, and casually dismissed the matter.
At the same time, to change the subject, Xue Hui turned to Yue Mai and asked her about Yue Ling's childhood.
Her eyes beaming with excitement, Yue Mai immediately began divulging all of her daughter's secrets, much to Yue Ling's horror.
Once everything was cleared up, the group spent their time in the Yue Clan relatively peacefully. To no one's surprise, however, after seeing everything the Yue Clan's territory had to offer, they quickly found themselves bored out of their minds.
So much so that they became restless and requested that Xue Hui bring them to the Garden to cultivate.
Because the spiritual energy inside the Garden was far denser than that of the outside world, the subsidiary realm had become the girls' preferred place for training.
Not long after, a sudden thought struck Xiao Ning'er, and she quickly took an item out of her interspatial ring and handed it to Xue Hui.
Receiving it, Xue Hui found himself holding a box made from a special alloy tough enough to withstand attacks from a Legend-rank expert. Its remarkable durability was likely the reason it had been used to contain the final trial reward.
Its metallic sheen flashed under the light, attracting everyone's attention. Intrigued, it didn't take long before Xiao Ning'er and Xue Hui were surrounded by their friends, all urging them to open the box and see what was inside.
As he did so, everyone's excitement immediately dampened the moment they laid eyes on the reward.
"A book? Lame. I thought it was going to be something like Linlin's gauntlet or Ning'er's NiHue. I was really looking forward to getting a cool weapon like them," Mei Lin said dejectedly.
Not only her, even Jing Ya was staring at the reward with an unimpressed look.
Taking the book out, Xue Hui examined it carefully. With the help of the Mother Tongue of the Eight Beasts, he was able to read the title written in a long-lost language.
The moment he did, his contemplative expression transformed into one of excitement.
Never had he imagined that the unrivaled treasure in his hands was actually the Dao Book of Forges and Manifestation.
A cheat-like treasure capable of creating replicas of any existing artifact, provided its detailed schematics were inscribed within its pages.
For example, if Xue Hui wanted to create a perfect replica of NiHue, all he needed to do was inscribe NiHue's schematics onto one of the Dao Book of Forges and Manifestation's blank pages, detailing its mechanisms and every minute aspect of its construction.
In short, it was a treasure useful only to a master forger possessing heaven-defying knowledge of weapons and artifact crafting.
And as someone who had spent countless years within the space of the Creation Origin Ancestral Manual, Xue Hui had studied innumerable schematics of weapons and treasures of every kind, all recorded by its master forger.
One could easily imagine how useful the Dao Book of Forges and Manifestation would be in his hands.
Excitement surged in Xue Hui's heart. Taking out a horn pen and opening the book to one of its blank pages, he began sketching the schematics of a weapon that had once struck fear into the hearts of countless experts during ancient times.
The girls watched with bated breath as Xue Hui's horn pen glided smoothly across the pages of the Dao Book of Forges and Manifestation.
Within the time it took for several incense sticks to burn, Xue Hui successfully replicated three legendary weapons of the past and handed them to the trio of girls.
With trembling hands, Jing Ya received the Dragon Fang Star Sword, an intricately crafted blade capable of slicing through nearly anything in its path.
Next was the Sunflare Axe, given to Mei Lin, a weapon capable of harnessing the power of the sun itself.
As for Yue Ling, she received the Void Butterfly Twin Knives. With them in her hands, she could even cut through space itself.
What made these weapons even more special was that each one perfectly complemented its wielder's cultivation technique.
Unfortunately, Xue Hui soon discovered another drawback of the Dao Book of Forges and Manifestation.
Creating treasures required an extravagant amount of soul force.
Producing the three weapons alone had nearly left him suffering from severe soul force exhaustion.
Fortunately, Xiao Ning'er and Chen Linlin both stated that since they already possessed weapons of their own, they had no need for new ones anytime soon.
Xue Hui agreed. After all, both NiHue and the Golden Scale Gauntlets were comparable in strength to the weapons he had just created.
While Xue Hui was in the middle of explaining the combat capabilities of the newly forged weapons, he was suddenly tackled from the side.
Caught off guard, both he and his assailant tumbled to the ground.
Though confused, Xue Hui instinctively wrapped his arms around Xiao Julin, protecting her from the impact.
Sprawled on his back, Xue Hui looked at her and asked what the tackle had been for.
Only for Xiao Julin to burst into tears and beg him not to abandon her.
Perplexed by where this sudden idea had come from, Xue Hui gently grabbed Xiao Julin and helped her sit up so they could talk properly.
"What do you mean by throwing you away? I never said anything like that, did I? What made you think I would do that to you?" Xue Hui asked in confusion.
"I don't know! Big Bro is making those things, and then I thought I would become an unneeded child if Big Bro created his own thing."
Unable to make sense of what she meant, Xue Hui followed the direction of Xiao Julin's finger.
It pointed directly toward the newly forged weapons.
Which only confused him even more.
Sighing, Xue Hui reached out and gently patted Xiao Julin's head.
"Um... I still don't get it. What do you mean you'll become an unneeded child if I create my own weapons? Even if I do, I'm not going to abandon you. So please calm down."
Instead of answering, Xiao Julin broke into another crying fit, repeatedly insisting that she didn't want to be thrown away.
Worried about the little girl's condition, Xiao Ning'er stepped forward to comfort her.
However, she suddenly stopped in her tracks when a blinding light flashed before everyone's eyes.
When the light finally faded and everyone's vision returned to normal, the crying Xiao Julin was nowhere to be found.
In her place stood an imposing halberd over eight feet tall, white as pearl and decorated with jade-colored patterns.
Its spear tip, axe blade, and rear hook all radiated a terrifying aura capable of striking fear into anyone who sensed it.
"Julin?" Xiao Ning'er called out worriedly as she looked around frantically, concern written all over her face.
Before Xiao Ning'er could use her spiritual energy to search for Xiao Julin, Xue Hui stopped her.
"Ning'er, calm down. She's right here with me."
While nobody else had seen what happened, Xue Hui had managed to catch a glimpse of Xiao Julin's body exploding into light before transforming into the halberd before him.
"Julin!"
Reacting to his call, the halberd floated into the air and shot toward him.
Catching it with one hand, Xue Hui smoothly redirected its momentum and swung it through the air, creating a powerful burst of wind around him.
Xiao Ning'er, Chen Linlin, and the trio of girls all stared in shock.
The sight of Xue Hui holding the halberd could only be described as domineering.
Man and weapon seemed perfectly harmonious, with no sense of discord between them, as though they existed solely for one another.
Looking at the weapon in his grasp, Xue Hui could clearly feel that his combat prowess had increased dramatically.
Yet her transformation only deepened the mystery surrounding Xiao Julin's origins.
Despite his vast knowledge, Xue Hui remained completely clueless as to what exactly Xiao Julin was.
All he knew was that her origins were extraordinarily mysterious.
"Julin, return to your normal form."
Following his command, the halberd glowed once more and exploded into countless motes of light before transforming back into a little girl.
Xue Hui quickly caught the sleeping Xiao Julin in his arms.
Concerned, he checked her condition and let out a sigh of relief after determining that she was perfectly fine.
"Xue Hui, what's going on? Why can Julin turn into a weapon?" Chen Linlin asked, her curious gaze lingering on the little girl.
Meanwhile, Xiao Ning'er took Xiao Julin from Xue Hui's arms and laid her down to rest within the Garden.
"I don't know. I'm just as puzzled as all of you."
His answer astonished the group.
Xue Hui was known as a wellspring of knowledge, so hearing him admit ignorance on a subject came as quite a surprise.
Leaving Xiao Julin to rest, the girls returned to the real world to relax after their training.
Shortly after they emerged, one of Yue Ling's cousins ran over and informed them that Yue Feng had been looking for them.
Wondering what it was about, they thanked him and headed toward the mansion where Yue Feng was waiting patiently.
Upon entering, they were immediately greeted by Yue Feng, whose face was filled with excitement.
"Oh, there you are! I've been looking for you all. I have great news! Listen, the largest family in the northern region of Glory City, the Hong Yue Family, has invited our Yue Clan to attend their upcoming auction event!"
The news wasn't particularly special to Chen Linlin, Xue Hui, or Xiao Ning'er, as they were already accustomed to receiving invitations to such events.
To Yue Feng, however, this invitation carried immense significance.
For the Hong Yue Family to personally send an invitation to the Yue Clan was nothing short of a tremendous honor.
After all, the Yue Clan was merely a commoner clan, nowhere near the status of a noble family.
Yet they had received this treatment from the Hong Yue Family of all people.
Of course, Yue Feng wasn't foolish.
He knew perfectly well that this was all thanks to the Divine Family's backing.
"An auction, huh? I wonder if there'll be any interesting finds there. It's worth checking out. Let's go," Xue Hui said.
Everyone readily agreed.
Heading out, Xue Hui summoned the large carriage from the Garden and called for Silver.
Only to be ignored.
Perplexed, he called out again, this time much louder, yet still received no response.
Just as Xue Hui was about to send a sound transmission, Yue Mai approached and informed them that Silver had passed out after drinking all the leftover liquor from the feast.
Aside from Chen Linlin, who looked visibly embarrassed, Xiao Ning'er and the trio of girls burst into amused laughter.
Sighing, Xue Hui activated the seal of the Myriad Soul Puppet Army and summoned a horse-type soul puppet.
The puppet resembled an ordinary horse and was quickly harnessed to the carriage.
"If Silver wakes up while we're still away, tell him we've already gone home," Xue Hui instructed.
The statement caused Chen Linlin to snort.
If Silver returned to the Divine Family Mansion without them, he would undoubtedly receive a thorough beating from her two mothers.
After all, they had explicitly ordered him to act as everyone's guard throughout the trip.
Hong Yue Auction House
Representatives from numerous families gathered at the Hong Yue Auction House with great anticipation.
Rumors claimed that experts from the Hong Yue Family had explored several ancient ruins and obtained an unrivaled treasure, which would serve as the highlight of today's auction.
Led by a female attendant, Yue Feng and the group were guided to the upper floor reserved for noble families.
Looking at the important figures around him, Yue Feng did his best to maintain his composure and hide the unease he felt.
As for Chen Linlin and the girls, they eagerly waited for the auction to begin.
While Chen Linlin herself didn't possess much money, she was with Xue Hui, so she had no worries about purchasing anything that caught her eye.
Very few people knew just how absurdly wealthy Xue Hui truly was.
Not only did he possess half of the fortune discovered within the Moon Peak Emperor's treasure chamber, but he had also earned an astronomical amount from the sale of elixirs.
Forget the items being sold at this auction.
Xue Hui could probably buy half of Glory City and still have money left over afterward.
While everyone waited for the auction to begin, Xue Hui suddenly felt a gaze fixed upon him.
Looking around, his eyes met those of Nie Li.
The two stared at each other for a moment before exchanging curt nods.
Settling back into his seat, Xue Hui listened to the conversations around him.
Chen Linlin and Xiao Ning'er were discussing demon spirits, reminding Xue Hui that he still needed to find suitable demon spirits for everyone.
Yue Ling was assuring her grandfather that she had enough money to pay for anything she wanted herself.
Mei Lin and Jing Ya were similarly excited to purchase something.
Xue Hui also overheard a small dispute between members of the Heavenly Marks Family and two other aristocratic families.
One of the families involved was the Tie Men Family, the Yue Clan's former patron.
Earlier, Xue Hui had noticed Jian Ming, the head of the Tie Men Family, directing a vicious glare toward their group.
The man had even looked ready to approach and provoke Yue Feng.
However, he quickly thought better of it after realizing that Yue Feng was accompanied by members of the Divine Family.
Everyone's attention shifted toward the stage when a woman in her early twenties stepped into view.
Possessing a voluptuous figure, a charming smile, a honeyed voice, and a gentle appearance, she immediately drew the attention of everyone present.
As she ascended the platform, she showed no signs of discomfort despite the countless eyes fixed upon her.
Instead, she simply smiled and spread her arms toward the audience.
"My name is Hong Luolan. I am honored to stand before all of you as the auctioneer for today's event."
Pulling away the cloth that concealed the item beneath it, Hong Luolan presented the first item to be auctioned.
End of Chapter 64
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