Fu Ye looked down at Yu Xiaogang and his group with complete indifference.
Currently, the two "Living Buddhas," Tang San and Tang Chuan, were locked in a delicate balance of mutual restraint. He didn't even need to lift a finger; their own conflicting interests would eventually lead them to tear each other apart.
From what Fu Ye could sense, the potential of Tang Chuan—the self-proclaimed reincarnation of the God King—was rapidly approaching its limit. A trash Martial Soul was just that: trash. Tang Chuan's Blue Silver King could, at most, support his cultivation up to the Spirit King rank. Beyond that, his only hope for advancement would be to somehow upgrade his own bloodline.
For ten thousand years, the people of the continent had proven one undeniable truth: Blue Silver Grass can never produce a true powerhouse. Its natural ceiling was a Level 9 Spirit Scholar because it was simply too fragile, too common.
Tang Chuan's path was hitting a wall. He likely already felt his cultivation speed slowing down, falling behind those around him. While Tang San could eventually switch his focus to the Clear Sky Hammer, what would our "God King" do?
I wonder... when he gets desperate enough, will our Great God King finally turn on his 'brother' to steal his foundation? Hehe...
Fu Ye's eyes curved with a dark amusement. He couldn't wait to see these two "saints" of different fathers start a bloody feud.
A cool, soft touch on his hand snapped him out of his thoughts. Shui Bing'er was looking at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Hehe, Brother Fu Ye, I was thinking... I'd like some 'extra-curricular tutoring' tonight as well," she whispered, her fingers tracing patterns on his palm.
Fu Ye smiled. After the girls had finished their matches for the day, he had sent them back to the academy to cultivate. Discipline was key, after all. But since they had been so diligent, he decided to reward himself with a trip to the Heaven Dou Auction House—the ultimate playground for the wealthy and the largest pit for burning gold in the capital, second only to the brothels.
He didn't go there specifically to buy a servant, of course. He just wanted some entertainment.
Donning a mask, Fu Ye stepped into the auction house. His first impression was one of overwhelming opulence. The soaring dome was covered in exquisite, colorful murals, screaming of the owner's massive wealth.
Massive crystal chandeliers hung like clusters of stars, casting a brilliant glow over the vast space. The floors were covered in plush, ornate carpets that swallowed the sound of his footsteps, giving an immediate sense of nobility and prestige.
The central stage was carved from rare, heavy stone. An auctioneer stood there, his voice booming as he introduced one rare treasure after another to an audience of officials and nobles dressed in their finest silks.
"Sir, here is your entry pass. Please keep it safe."
After a beautiful attendant processed his paperwork, Fu Ye walked into the main hall.
The seating was divided into five zones. The first three rows nearest the stage were red—the highest tier for top-level VIPs. From there, the colors faded out to black, purple, and finally white. Fu Ye wanted to keep a low profile, so he simply produced a card with a 50,000-gold balance, landing him a seat in a mid-tier section.
The female attendants here were all stunning, but they moved like dolls. They had been bought and trained by the auction house from a young age; they had no emotions, no souls, and their faces remained frozen in a polite, empty mask. To Fu Ye, a beautiful shell without a soul was useless.
He took his seat. The hall was only about a quarter full. On stage, a storage soul tool in the shape of a ring was being bid on, with the price already reaching 70,000 Gold Spirit Coins.
To his left was a panel with buttons for bidding: 100, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, 50,000, and 100,000. Each represented the increment you wished to add.
As he waited, a middle-aged man with a refined, scholarly aura sat down to his left. Fu Ye's brow twitched slightly as he sensed the man's hidden aura, but he kept his expression neutral, showing no sign of recognition.
Finally, the ring sold for 83,000 gold. The host stepped forward, a wide, practiced smile on his face.
"Next, we have a truly rare 'item' for your consideration. I advise our esteemed guests to pay close attention—especially the gentlemen."
On his signal, three muscular men pushed a large cart onto the stage. It was covered with a thick red cloth, hiding its contents, though the rectangular shape suggested a large crate.
Fu Ye knew exactly what was inside. This was the cat girl from the original story. Due to a mutation in her Martial Soul, her physical body had undergone irreversible changes. For a cultivator, such a mutation was actually a sign of immense talent, but for a girl from a fallen noble family, it was a curse. Her father had gambled away the family fortune and was now selling his own daughter to pay off his debts.
"Can anyone guess what this is?" the host teased. "I'll start with the opening bid: 100,000 Gold Spirit Coins. Minimum increments of 10,000. This is the absolute cream of the crop!"
With a flourish, he yanked the red cloth away.
Under the flashing red lights, it wasn't a box that was revealed, but a massive iron cage. Inside, a girl crouched in a corner. She wore only the bare minimum of clothing to cover herself. Because she was curled up, her face was hidden, but her figure was already near perfection.
Her skin was as white as polished jade, and her short, light-green hair gave her an exotic, otherworldly look.
"Our guests might wonder why a single girl commands such a high starting price," the host explained. "But if you look closely, you will see her uniqueness."
He took a long rod and reached into the cage, gently lifting the green hair away from the girl's head. Beneath the locks were not human ears, but the pointed, tufted ears of a feline. As the rod touched them, the tips of her ears flushed a faint, nervous red.