Leaving the small plaza, Shen Yuan and his group arrived in front of a giant building.
This building stood dozens of meters high, its shape resembling a circular castle, a huge Formation enveloping it.
They stepped into the hall where crowds moved to and fro, with some people taking out items to trade on the spot.
The attendants responsible for reception immediately came forward with an introduction:
“Dear guests, because of the large number of participants in this trade fair, the trade as a whole is divided into free trade and auction trade.
You can freely negotiate prices with other people in the hall for free trade. If there are disagreements over the value of any traded items, they can be appraised by the trade fair’s appraiser. This appraisal does not require any fees.
Auction trade involves giving the treasure to the appraiser for evaluation, and then it is auctioned with the publicly traded items. However, a ten percent commission is charged for auction trading.”
“Also, if the spirit stones you bid for in the auction are insufficient, and you offer treasures instead, a dedicated appraiser will evaluate the price of your treasures.”
Listening to the attendant’s introduction, Xue Mingzhi immediately stepped forward to inquire on behalf of Shen Yuan:
“So the Qi of heaven and earth and such are traded through auctions?”
“Of course.” The attendant answered softly with a smile in her eyes.
“When does the auction start?”
Just as Xue Mingzhi began to ask, the sound of hearty laughter interrupted him.
“Even Xue Mingzhi wants to participate in the auction?”
Xue Mingzhi’s face changed, and he looked towards the source of the voice.
A few youth dressed in lavish clothes and displaying extraordinary demeanor strolled leisurely towards Xue Mingzhi, led by a man and a woman.
The man wore a light purple robe and had handsome facial features revealing unhidden arrogance. The woman was statuesque and had a gentle demeanor, her eyes filled with faint laughter when she looked at Xue Mingzhi.
“Whether or not I participate in the auction, what has it got to do with you? Since when did the territories of the State Duke Jinghai’s Residence change to Yun Province and start managing the affairs of Yunfu Market?”
Li Han’s expression changed in an instant, his fan unfurling in his hands as he gently fanned himself, his words brimming with contempt.
“If not for Miss Wen, I wouldn’t bother with you.”
The tall woman at the side spoke softly:
“Okay, don’t start arguing again as soon as you see each other.
Today is the day of our Heaven’s Pride Association’s gathering. I asked a friend to reserve a private room in the guild. Mingzhi, why don’t you all come too?”
As soon as she spoke, Qi Renyu and Jiang Meng’s faces filled with joy and they were quick to praise:
“I didn’t expect Miss Wen to have the ability to reserve a room in Yunfu Market.”
“From what I heard, the trade fair is being hosted solely by Mount Laojun. They usually won’t do favors for anyone, so Miss Wen’s influence is certainly impressive.”
Wen Ya responded with a smile: “I just borrowed a friend’s influence.”
Xue Mingzhi replied unhappily: “You may do as you please. I have to accompany Teacher Shen around so I won’t join your gathering.”
Xue Mingzhi’s answer brought the crowd’s attention to Shen Yuan standing in front of him.
The cat in Shen Yuan’s arms immediately caught Wen Ya’s attention.
“Such a cute kitten.”
But because she didn’t know Shen Yuan well, Wen Ya didn’t reach out to touch it, and merely looked at the cat with appreciative eyes.
Upon hearing the compliment, Bai Xue immediately straightened her body and held up her head, hinting to Shen Yuan.
“You see, others praise me for being cute too.”
Shen Yuan found Bai Xue’s inexplicable pride amusing and responded, “Okay, okay, you’re very cute.”
“What a spiritual little cat.”
Wen Ya praised, then turned to Shen Yuan and suggested, “This gentleman must be Mingzhi’s friend. Since we all know each other, you should join us in the private room for the gathering.”
Before Shen Yuan could respond, Li Han’s expression changed as he said righteously,
“He’s not a part of our Heaven’s Pride Association, so he’s not eligible to participate in the gathering.”
Wen Ya didn’t expect such a strong reaction from Li Han and immediately gave Shen Yuan an apologetic look.
Shen Yuan shook his head: “I’m just here to wander around the trading venue, thank you for your kind offer.”
Hearing Shen Yuan, Xue Mingzhi quickly said,
“I need to accompany Teacher Shen, you all can go ahead.”
Xue Mingzhi was so adamant that even Wen Ya didn’t try to convince him further.
After the members of the Heaven’s Pride Association left, a silent Xue Mingzhi suddenly apologized to Shen Yuan.
“I’m sorry, Teacher Shen. Li Han surely refused to invite you to the private room because of me.”
Shen Yuan responded cheerfully, “It’s a trivial matter.
Moreover, it isn’t your fault. They invited me because of you. Without you, there wouldn’t even have been an invitation, so why blame yourself?”
Shen Yuan’s indifferent attitude eased Xue Mingzhi’s worries. He then cautiously began to explain,
“Actually, the Heaven’s Pride Association is formed by some aristocratic scions in the Imperial Capital, with Wen Dao Forum as its base and it attracts many geniuses from all over Great Xia.
There are two conditions for entering the Heaven’s Pride Association. The first is to be a member of the Wen Dao Forum. The second is reaching the Qi Transformation Stage before the age of twenty.”
“You only recently reached the Qi Transformation Stage, so you should have just joined the Heaven’s Pride Association. How did you end up having conflicts with the others?”
Xue Mingzhi looked frustrated:
“Most of the core members of the Heaven’s Pride Association are scions of the Imperial Capital’s aristocracy. I’ve been mingling with these circles since I was a child, and a lot of contradictions have accumulated from a young age.
That guy named Li Han is the thirteenth son of Duke Jinghai. I’ve had conflicts with him since we were children. He is one of the core members of the Heaven’s Pride Association, so it’s normal for him to target me.”
There was a faint smile in Shen Yuan’s eyes,”I’m guessing there’s more to it than just that?”
The expression on Xue Mingzhi’s face became a little stiff, then he subconsciously dared not look into Shen Yuan’s eyes and said:
“Actually, it has something to do with Wen Ya. Li Han likes Wen Ya, but Wen Ya is nice to me, so Li Han is hostile towards me.”
“I see that she’s nice to you, and it seems that your feelings for her are complicated. Are you a lover?”
The expression on Xue Mingzhi’s face became more twisted. He subconsciously didn’t want to speak, but in front of Shen Yuan, he didn’t have the courage to refuse, so he had to speak in a low voice:
“She has been living in my house since she was very young. She was the one I had a secret crush on when I was a child.”
“Is that it?”
“Then one day my father told me that she is my grandfather’s illegitimate daughter, and also my biological aunt.”
Shen Yuan couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of his mouth, even Bai Xue in his arms couldn’t help but widen her eyes when she heard such explosive news.
This plot twist was much more stimulating than any of the human romance dramas she had seen at home. She couldn’t help but wave her small claws at Xue Mingzhi, indicating for him to say more.
“Ahem! This is a private matter of your family, so let us not discuss it.”
“However, you have to regain your dignity in front of your biological aunt who was your initial crush.”
In the midst of Xue Mingzhi’s complicated look, Shen Yuan couldn’t help but suppress his laughter and waved his hand to a nearby waiter and asked:
“What qualifications are required to have a private room?”
The servant respectfully replied, “You need to auction a valuable treasure or exchange a certain amount of spirit stones.”
Shen Yuan nodded and casually threw out a storage ring that was as exquisite as white jade.
“Arrange a meeting with your manager for me.”
The members of the Heaven’s Pride Association collectively entered the private rooms on the second floor. There were dozens of private rooms surrounding the entire second floor, each not too large on average.
The Heaven’s Pride Association had more than thirty people squeezing into one room, making it look somewhat crowded.
“It’s a bit small!” Qi Renyu muttered to himself.
As soon as he opened his mouth, someone immediately chided:
“Shut up! The fact that Miss Wen was able to book this room is already quite difficult. Do you know who the people in the other rooms on the same floor are?”
“Ye State’s Yang Family, Qing Province’s Star Observation Sect, Bin Province’s Mo Family, Talisman Sword Sect, Dense Ground Sect... these are all dominating sects and clans, and several of them even own blessed lands.
However brilliant your family might be, that’s only in the Imperial Capital, they won’t care about your status.”
Qi Renyu instantly fell silent.
“Why did such a simple trading session attract so many bigwigs?”
“Isn’t it because Mount Laojun suddenly proposed to auction the Qi of Heaven and Earth, which directly attracted the noble families and sects around.
If it weren’t for the short duration of this trade meeting, there would surely be more noble families and sects attending.
You have to know that this is the first time Qi of Heaven and Earth has appeared in the world after the Spirit Energy Tidal Surge. If it fits a certain sect’s Cult-suppression Secret Tome, they might be able to quickly nurture a prodigy at the True Being Stage.”
“Mount Laojun is really investing a lot of money.”
Just then, Jiang Meng suddenly looked up at the floor above. Above the second floor of the trading hall, there was a smallest third floor.
Although the area was the smallest, only five private rooms were divided out on the third floor, each of which was several times larger than those on the second floor.
“What kind of people must be in the rooms on the third floor?”
Jiang Meng couldn’t help but exclaim.
Li Han laughed and said, “Don’t even think about the third floor. Even if my father came here, he might not be able to go upstairs.”
“It is said that the rooms on the third floor are reserved for the Marquis Zhennan’s Residence, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, and the newly emerging Sunn Family of Cang Province.
As for the last two rooms, they are incredibly mysterious. Even I couldn’t find out any specific information.”
Although Li Han’s father is Duke Jinghai with a revered title, he is only a nominal founding nobleman. His status is far less than that of Marquis Zhennan, the real sealed marquis who controls the Zhennan Army and reigns over the Southern Three States.
However, as the core figure of the Heaven’s Pride Association, Li Han’s words still drew a lot of praise.
“Vice Chairman Li is being modest.”
“The Duke is sure to have a seat on the third floor when he arrives.”
“The Duke is experienced, even Marquis Zhennan has to respect him.”
Wen Ya didn’t care to listen to Li Han’s words. At this moment, she was standing in front of the large floor-to-ceiling window in the private box, her gaze looking down as if she was searching for something.
Seeing this, the smile on Li Han’s face slightly subsided: “MissWen, since Xue Mingzhi doesn’t want to come to this room, and chooses to gather with those commoners downstairs, why worry about him?”
“We’ve all come together with great difficulty, should we let the party atmosphere be affected by that ungrateful guy?”
The words immediately drew a chorus of voices.
“I think that Xue Mingzhi is simply an ungrateful guy!”
“Miss Wen, don’t let it spoil everyone’s pleasure.”
Qi Renyu, who knew he’d made a mistake earlier, quickly joined the crowd and echoed: “We invited Xue Mingzhi of our own accord, but he is so picky.
He doesn’t even take a look at his own identity. Without our help, even if his father were called in, he might not be able to sit in a room on the second floor...”
His words suddenly stopped, and Qi Renyu looked astonishingly towards the direction of the third floor outside the floor-to-ceiling window.
“Tha...tha...tha...”
Everyone followed his gaze, only to see in the huge private room on the third floor, a cute black and white kitten was curiously looking around from the floor-to-ceiling window.
“It’s Teacher Shen’s cat!”
Inside the private room, there was a moment of deathly silence.

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