Chapter Seventy-Three

Chapter Seventy-Three

Since Little Black had volunteered to handle the matter, Shen Wang confidently handed over the Qingcheng Mountain technique to him and focused on sorting the contents of the snakeskin bag.

As the Mystic Jade Immortal Tome, the glutton, had devoured all the spiritual plants and pills, the bag only contained some finished magical instruments and raw materials.

Setting aside the finished instruments, Shen Wang concentrated on selecting the materials for refining.

Gu Dongting, watching him busily like a diligent bee, suddenly asked, "Aren't you afraid I'll run off with the technique?"

Shen Wang, without looking up: "I trust you."

Such a worthless technique, there’s no need to run away with it.

Gu Dongting's eyes flickered slightly. Securing the Qingcheng Mountain technique, he gave Shen Wang a deep look: "Wait for my news."

As he was about to leave, Shen Wang suddenly remembered something and extended his hand in a playful gesture: "Little Black, we haven’t exchanged contact information yet. Shall we?"

Gu Dongting, like a graceful bird, glanced back at him and then disappeared into the lush treetops without stopping.

Shen Wang paused, retracting his hand, touching his chin: "Did he just smile?"

It was hard to discern the expression behind the ghost mask, but Shen Wang felt a fleeting emotion in those eyes. From that brief glimpse, the perennial coldness in Gu Dongting's eyes seemed to soften a bit.

Shen Wang pondered more deeply: "Why do I feel like I've seen those eyes somewhere before?"

Those subtly cold eyes with a hint of gentleness always seemed strangely familiar to him.

The Mystic Jade Immortal Tome in his mind, confused: "But didn’t you two meet before?"

Shen Wang: "..."

That makes sense, but something still feels off.

Unable to figure it out, Shen Wang didn’t dwell on it. Gathering up the snakeskin bag, he hoisted it onto his shoulder: "Let's head home."

It was quite a distance from there back to City C. Even using a Speed Talisman, it took Shen Wang a good two to three hours to get home.

The first thing Shen Wang did upon returning home was to take out the top-quality jade stolen from the Qingcheng Mountain treasury. Without delay, he headed into the study to make jade talismans.

After an indeterminable amount of time, Shen Wang emerged from the study, looking exhausted, his hair disheveled, but his eyes shone like cold stars, flickering with a ghostly light: "The Minor Ghost King, huh?"

"As long as you dare to come, I dare to trap you to death!"

Having died twice already, Shen Wang cherished his life immensely. It didn't matter whether it was the Minor Ghost King or a major deity; if they came, he was determined to carve out a path to survival!

Holding a handful of lush jade talismans, Shen Wang walked around the perimeter of the villa, embedding them into the ground. As each talisman was placed, a complex formation began to take shape.

Once everything was ready, Shen Wang flicked his fingers as if strumming invisible strings, and a faint ripple of spiritual energy spread rapidly, enveloping the entire villa.

"Millions of yuan worth of jade really is useful, even containing a trace of spiritual energy." Feeling the power of the formation, Shen Wang was immensely satisfied, "The same type of talismans are twice as powerful."

Closing his open palm, the spreading ripples of spiritual energy quickly retracted, finally disappearing into the clenched fist of Shen Wang.

After completing all this, Shen Wang took a long breath, relaxing his taut nerves. Immediately, an overwhelming headache from overexertion hit him, but he was accustomed to it and didn’t mind.

Standing still, he began to recall, feeling like he had forgotten something important...

Xuan Yu Immortal Book felt a bit sour: "Master, you should take some medicine."

Shen Wang’s current strength wasn’t sufficient. Drawing so many talismans in one go, he had overextended his spiritual power numerous times. Now, not only were his meridians empty, but his sea of consciousness also lacked spiritual energy.

Xuan Yu Immortal Book rustled its pages, "There are seventy-six kinds of pills that can restore spiritual energy, fourteen of which are suitable for your level. The most common ingredients are found in five types..."

Shen Wang stopped Xuan Yu Immortal Book’s flipping, rubbing his temples, "Stop, this world doesn’t even have the most basic ingredients."

Xuan Yu Immortal Book's flipping motion halted abruptly, realizing that the 'spiritual plants' it consumed were mere weeds with faint spiritual energy, rather than medicinal plants.

What it considered 'ordinary spiritual plants' were probably extremely rare treasures in this world. Even if they existed, gathering enough for a single dose of medicine would be difficult.

Xuan Yu Immortal Book burst into tears, lamenting, "Master, I'm so useless, I'm a waste..."

It cried pitifully, its pages rapidly flipping open and shut, shedding large golden beads that dissipated in the air before they could fall.

These golden 'tears', dispersing, surprisingly transformed into a tiny amount of spiritual energy, moistening Shen Wang's parched sea of consciousness.

Shen Wang: "..."

Instead of easing his headache, Shen Wang felt even worse, "Xiao Yu, don't cry... You're my golden finger. Although not very useful here, no, I mean, you still have blind spots in this world, but in the cultivation world, you helped me a lot."

Xuan Yu Immortal Book, sobbing, stopped flipping its pages: "Really? But I was asleep then, I didn't know anything."

Shen Wang's mouth twitched, "Even though you don't remember, you helped me a lot, that's a fact... Without you, I couldn't have returned here to continue my cultivation."

Grateful for the life-saving grace of the book, Shen Wang spent a long time coaxing Xuan Yu Immortal Book.

After a bout of sorrowful crying, Xuan Yu Immortal Book wasted some more spiritual energy, slowly closing itself, its voice fading, "Master, I'm going to sleep, you should..."

Before finishing its sentence, it fell silent again, reverting to a golden book hanging in the sea of consciousness.

Shen Wang, massaging his temples: "What a mess this is."

Distracted by Xuan Yu Immortal Book, Shen Wang lost interest in recalling what he had forgotten. With his villa securely protected by formations, safer than a turtle shell, he simply sat down on the spot and began cultivating with the help of the spirit-gathering array.

Time leisurely passed, and Shen Wang finally opened his eyes. The moment he stood up, his body crackled pleasantly, and he stretched comfortably.

This method of depleting himself before re-cultivating proved to be an excellent way to practice. In a short time, Shen Wang's cultivation had advanced a small step, breaking through from the initial to the middle stage of Qi refining.

Although he was still insignificant in the cultivation world, in this world, he could now be considered a master.

Looking down at the faint layer of black mud covering his body, Shen Wang sighed, "Every breakthrough expels impurities."

Helplessly, the marrow-cleansing liquid he made was too weak, unable to expel the deeper impurities, something that no mundane medicine lacking spiritual energy could achieve.

After a bath, Shen Wang felt refreshed. He felt like something was on his mind. Picking up his phone, he instinctively checked his conversation list with Gu Dongting but found no new messages.

Shen Wang curled his lip, understanding yet unable to suppress a subtle sense of disappointment.

Exiting the chat with Gu Dongting, Shen Wang realized his messages had piled up to 99+, his screen dotted with little red notifications.

Shen Wang: "???"

He first opened messages from someone in the Special Department.

Shi Yan: [Chen Feng is in trouble. Did you do it?]

Shi Yan: [I know you're hiding your strength, but you're just one person, not a match for a behemoth like Qingcheng Mountain]

Shi Yan: [Please stay calm.]

This message from Shi Yan was sent in the morning when Chen Feng had his incident, followed by several more messages the next day.

Shi Yan: [Qingcheng Mountain’s treasury has been robbed!]

Shi Yan: [The incident has nothing to do with you, right?]

Shi Yan: [I vouched for you in front of the Metaphysics Association and the Qingcheng Mountain sect leader.]

Reading the last message, Shen Wang clicked his tongue lightly. Shi Yan, the old fox, was trying to make him indebted.

Regardless of Shi Yan’s motives, the fact that he had shielded Shen Wang from the sect leader’s questioning was undeniable. Shen Wang replied: [Don’t worry.]

Less than ten seconds after Shen Wang’s message was sent, the other side started flooding the chat.

Shi Yan: [What do you mean by ‘don’t worry’?]

Shi Yan: [Did you have a hand in the Qingcheng Mountain affair?]

Shi Yan: [Give me a straight answer, so I can deal with those people for you.]

Shi Yan: [Where have you been these past few days?]

By this time, Shen Wang had already moved on to check other people's messages.

Besides Shi Yan, Li Pingping, Wang Kaixu, and Xu Cheng urged him about new items for the shop; his teammates, including the chubby one, were gossiping in the group chat about the robbery at Qingcheng Mountain, along with voice messages from a young monk with a milky voice.

Seeing nothing urgent, Shen Wang was about to put down his phone when he noticed a friend request. He clicked on it and immediately fell silent.

He knew he had forgotten something...

A person named Liang Liangliang had been sending him friend requests for several days, each message more plaintive than the last.

[Hello, Shen Ge. I am Liang Ruri.]

[Shen Ge, please accept my friend request. We haven’t paid you the final amount yet…]

[Shen Ge, don’t you want your money? What about my sister?]

[Shen Ge, you didn’t run away, did you? Is my sister’s situation really that complicated…]

Shen Wang: "..."

He knew he had forgotten something.

Quietly accepting the friend request, Shen Wang pondered awkwardly about how to tell them that he hadn’t run away, just too busy to check his messages.

As Shen Wang accepted the friend request, far away in the imperial capital, Liang Ruri was invigorated. He ran down the stairs excitedly, shouting, "Dad! Mom! Shen Ge replied!"

Liang's parents, initially about to scold him for his lack of manners, perked up: "Really?!"

The couple exchanged a look, their eyes sparkling with intense excitement: "What did the master say? Will he... will he still treat Yueyue?"

On the day Shen Wang left, Liang's parents felt somewhat disappointed but understood. They had postponed various work and social gatherings, eagerly waiting for Shen Wang’s message every day.

After three days without any news, anxiety grew in Liang's parents.

Having witnessed Shen Wang’s abilities firsthand, they knew he couldn’t have been a fraud who ran away. They nervously speculated whether their daughter’s issue was too difficult to resolve.

After another day of anxious waiting, their anxiety intensified, especially during their midnight discussion, when they realized they hadn’t yet compensated Shen Wang for solving their son’s problem.

"Did the master become unhappy because we didn’t pay him on time?"

"I don’t think the master views money as trivial. Could it be that he's unwilling to help us because we weren’t sincere enough?"

"Can we still make amends now…?"

Today marked the fifth day without any news from Shen Wang, and the atmosphere in the Liang household was so tense it was almost suffocating. Even a slightly louder footstep from Liang Ruri would earn him a scolding.

Just when the Liang family was sinking into despair, Master Shen finally replied!

Liang's mother cried tears of joy, grabbing her husband's hand: "Tell the master quickly, our compensation is ready and we’ve doubled it…"

Liang's father tried to remain calm: "Be respectful. You’re not worthy to call him 'Shen Ge'. Address him as master."

Liang Ruri rolled his eyes. How could they understand? Everyone online calls Shen Wang 'Shen Ge'!

Liang Ruri was extremely nervous, his hands shaking so much he almost sent a string of gibberish. Trying to calm down, he was about to type when a message popped up in the chat.

Shen Wang: [I was busy these past few days and didn’t see the messages.]

Liang Ruri paused, typing carefully: [Then, master, have you finished your work? About my sister’s illness…]

After thinking for a moment, Shen Wang sent a list of medicine names, promising: [I haven’t resolved the matter yet. You can prepare these medicines, and I’ll come to treat her once I finish my own work.]

Liang's parents saw the list of medicines; some were common, like ginseng, but others were unfamiliar to them.

Liang's father snatched the phone from his son: [Thank you, master. We will prepare the medicines as soon as possible. The compensation is ready too. How should we transfer it to you?]

[First, report to the special department. You can give it to me when I come to treat your daughter.]

Liang's father took a deep breath and typed out thanks repeatedly, worried that the cold text wasn’t sincere enough. He even searched for several emoticons to send: "The master is truly a master, he knew right away it was me talking to him."

Liang Ruri, whose phone was taken: "..." Such an obvious change in tone, who wouldn't notice?

Muttering internally, Liang Ruri excitedly held the phone after speaking with Liang's father and Shen Wang, spinning around in excitement: "I actually got Shen Ge's personal contact!"

Joy and excitement!

The gloomy atmosphere that had pervaded the Liang household for days was now swept away. Smiles spread across the faces of the three family members, creating an atmosphere of unprecedented ease and cheerfulness. Liang Ruri bounded up the stairs two at a time and returned to his room.

Time to start live streaming!

In just a few days, Liang Ruri had changed his live stream nickname from 'Ghost Young Master' to 'Shen Ge's First Disciple-in-Reserve'.

Entering the live stream, Liang Ruri immediately started bragging, "I have great news for everyone! I've got Shen Ge's personal contact information!"

"Jealous, aren't you? But I won't show it to you. What if you secretly add him as a friend and annoy Shen Ge!"

"Any old fans here who don’t know Shen Ge? Check the pinned comment in my chat for Shen Ge's account link and his shop link. Go follow him quickly."

"What do you mean by 'charlatan'? You really have a way with words. Others might be, but that’s Shen Ge we’re talking about!"

The live chat, which initially was filled with insults towards Shen Wang, had now become a gathering place for Shen Wang's fans and spectators, with only a handful of Liang Ruri's old fans completely clueless about what had happened.

[What the heck, what happened in a few days? Wasn't this streamer against feudal superstition and calling out charlatans?]

[Damn, did he join a cult or something? Such a big change.]

[I'd rather believe he fell in love with a man and became a sycophant...]

[What about the core socialist values, believing in science? Was this streamer cursed or something?]

[Even if he was cursed, it wouldn't be this unscientific. Just a few days ago he was cursing Shen Wang, and now suddenly he’s a die-hard fan?]

[...The world changes too fast.]

The more incredulous the old fans were, the happier Shen Wang's fans and the spectators were. The chat was filled with laughter, almost covering the entire screen.

[Here it comes, today's drama begins!]

[I'm dying of laughter. The streamer's acting is so silly, but it's hilarious. I'm all for this kind of performance.]

[Shen Ge is indeed impressive. Anyone who follows him would understand.]

[I'm a fan of Shen Ge, but even I'm not as hardcore as this streamer. I don't know what happened to make him do a complete 180. Saving his life couldn't be the only reason, right?]

Seeing these comments, Liang Ruri didn't take them to heart. After all, he wasn't streaming for money but for his own enjoyment. He used to love debunking superstitions, and now he loves to rave about Shen Wang.

Unperturbed, he blocked a few users who insulted Shen Wang and then proudly showed off something to his audience: "Look, everyone, this is a talisman personally drawn by Shen Ge. Observe the lines, evenly thick and smooth, just perfect..."

The chat room erupted in even more laughter.

[New fans who clicked in should check out the videos from a few days ago for a surprise.]

[Hahaha, aren't these the same talismans he trashed before tossing them in the trash can?]

[No way, did he pick them out of the trash can...]

[Hahahaha, look how wrinkled these talismans are, I bet he did.]

Caught in his own lie, Liang Ruri wasn't angry but just grinned shamelessly: "Stop exposing me, everyone. I was blind back then, couldn’t recognize a treasure..."

Liang Ruri had millions of fans, not a top streamer but still a minor internet celebrity. His sudden and extreme change of attitude quickly became a trending topic on video platforms.

Initially, it was just an internal buzz on the site, but as it spread, it unexpectedly went viral, becoming a famous meme: 'Iron-Boned Liang Ruri.'

Yes, because he changed his nickname, he lost the cool moniker 'Ghost Young Master' and revealed his real name.

After the revelation of Liang Ruri's true identity as the young master of the Liang family, the story became even more fantastical.

Initially thought to be just a publicity stunt by an internet celebrity, knowing his real identity sparked more curiosity. What kind of charm does Shen Wang possess to make even the Liang family's young master turn into his devoted fan?

Thus, Shen Wang's fan base unknowingly surpassed ten million, and the attention on his shop also broke the one million mark, with a continuing upward trend.

Meanwhile, Shen Wang was completely oblivious, leaving his impromptu shop in the hands of his customer service staff Li Pingping, Wang Kaixu, and Cheng Cheng, who were overwhelmed by the surge of messages demanding new products, tearfully trying to cope.

Shen Wang had completely forgotten about the store he'd opened on a whim. He was busy in the backyard examining the nurturing of the Qing Han Stone and Liu Jin Stone and tossed the materials he'd looted from Qingcheng Mountain into the spirit gathering array.

He silently planned to make a life-bound magical weapon for himself and refine a good sword for Gu Dongting... If there was excess, he could make a dagger or small knife for Xiao Hei.

As he pondered, Shen Wang suddenly received a phone call that startled him.

It was Shi Yan on the line, asking directly, "There's an auction tomorrow, are you going?"

Shen Wang hesitated briefly, "Alright, I'll go."

He was curious to see what kind of items and quality would appear at an auction in this world.

"I've reserved a spot for you." After discussing the business, Shi Yan asked seriously, "Shen Wang, tell me the truth, did you cripple Chen Feng?"

Shen Wang: "Umm..."

Shi Yan, suppressing his anger: "Don't evade the question! Don’t change the subject!"

"Of course, it wasn't me," Shen Wang replied without hesitation.

Indeed, he hadn’t crippled Chen Feng; he had only raided Qingcheng Mountain's treasury. Shen Wang cunningly thought.

Shi Yan snorted, uncertain whether to believe him, "Chen Feng's cultivation was destroyed, his dantian shattered. The next day, his body started rotting, not a single good piece of flesh left. I saw it, a fate worse than death."

Shen Wang was stunned. He had given Chen Feng a drug, but its effects shouldn't have been so severe. He asked in confusion, "What happened?"

Shi Yan's tone was complicated, his stance different from the Metaphysical Association. He had no fondness for scions like Chen Feng and felt pity upon seeing Chen Feng's tragic end: "Nobody knows. It's said he was afflicted with corpse poison."

Corpse poison? Shen Wang frowned. He had only used a powder that caused unbearable itching, something that would make Chen Feng uncomfortable for ten days or half a month at most. How could it have such severe consequences?

Although Chen Feng had tried to kill him and was malicious, Shen Wang, having decided to rob Qingcheng Mountain's treasury, had no intention of taking Chen Feng’s life. He considered the looted treasures as payment for sparing Chen Feng.

Later, after visiting Qingcheng Mountain, Shen Wang learned that the sect leader wanted to eliminate him root and branch, which led him to almost empty the Qingcheng Mountain treasury – an act he hadn’t initially intended to be so thorough.

Shen Wang was certain that the powders he used couldn't have such lethal effects.

Without saying much more, Shi Yan informed Shen Wang about the auction and concluded, "It's rumored that the finale of the auction is a stolen cultivation method from Qingcheng Mountain, but it's just hearsay, and the likelihood is low."

Hearing this, Shen Wang's eyes lit up. Without saying much, he casually chatted with Shi Yan for a few moments before eagerly ending the call.

Shi Yan couldn't even finish saying goodbye before he heard the dial tone, barely maintaining his smile: "Why does Gu Dongting look at him so differently!"

Just after Shen Wang made enemies with Qingcheng Mountain, it suffered several consecutive blows. Not just the people of Qingcheng Mountain, but even outsiders were abuzz with talk.

Although the Special Department wanted to recruit Shen Wang, they didn’t plan to protect him under such public scrutiny. At most, they would help clarify the truth. If Shen Wang wasn't responsible, they would only clear his name.

It was Gu Dongting who, against everyone's opposition, adamantly protected Shen Wang, preventing both the Metaphysical Association and Qingcheng Mountain from troubling him.

Shi Yan couldn't understand: "Isn't Gu Dongting the one who hates those who misuse cultivation for evil the most? Why is he so sure it wasn’t Shen Wang?"

As Shi Yan pondered life's mysteries, Gu Dongting entered: "Did you inform him?"

Shi Yan instinctively stood up: "Brother Gu, I've informed him!"

Gu Dongting hummed in response, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

Shi Yan wondered: "Why am I suddenly so afraid of Brother Gu?"

Feeling an oppressive aura from Gu Dongting these days, Shi Yan sat down bewildered, murmuring to himself, "Did Brother Gu make a breakthrough again?"

The next day, the auction was held as scheduled.

Shen Wang found the seat prepared for him by the Special Department, and after sitting down, he looked around, spotting many familiar faces: the vice president of the Metaphysical Association, the Qingcheng Mountain sect leader, and his so-called fair-weather friends.

Not only that, Shen Wang even saw members of the Tang family!

Shen Wang: "..."

It was bizarre. How did they get out? Weren't they supposed to be in the Special Department's detention cells? The Special Department is too incompetent if they couldn't even keep them confined.

Shen Wang narrowed his eyes, observing that although Tang's father and Tang Jiu were sitting together, the distance between them was significantly wide, no longer exhibiting the closeness of a real father and son.

A smirk curled at Shen Wang's lips, enjoying their misfortune. He noticed a strange woman sitting next to Tang Jiu. Her face was unclear from a distance, but it was evident that she had a close relationship with Tang Jiu.

As he pondered who she might be, the woman turned her head slightly, revealing her features from beneath her hair, causing Shen Wang's pupils to dilate in shock.

This woman, with her exceptional beauty and clear, cold eyes, had an ethereal demeanor... Both in appearance and temperament, she bore a striking resemblance to Gu Dongting!

Gu Manling?! Shen Wang's heart skipped a beat.

His previously good mood dissipated completely. Shen Wang hadn’t expected Tang Jiu and Gu Manling to meet so soon. Their meeting implied connections to the Gu family, to Gu Dongting...

Distracted, Shen Wang didn’t even notice when the auction began.

Only when the atmosphere erupted did he come back to his senses, realizing that the auction had reached its climax and was about to auction the last item.

The male host, dressed in a black suit, stood on stage with a beaming smile: "As many of you might have heard, yes, the final item of this auction is a cultivation method!"

"Really a cultivation method! Could it be the one stolen from Qingcheng Mountain?"

"Qingcheng Mountain is offering a huge reward for the thief who stole their method. Now it's being auctioned off... who would dare to buy it?"

"If it really is Qingcheng Mountain's method..."

"That's almost a complete cultivation method! So many people stop progressing in their cultivation journey because they lack a suitable method. Now, such a great opportunity presents itself..."

The attendees of the auction whispered among themselves as the Qingcheng Mountain sect leader sat in the VIP seat, his face ashen.

He hadn't expected the thief to be so bold as to auction the stolen technique. A flash of murderous intent in his eyes, he crushed the armrest of his rosewood chair.

The host, seemingly oblivious to the murmurs, cheerfully continued, "The starting bid for this technique is fifty million..."

He was cut off by the Qingcheng Mountain sect leader, "Excuse me, but this is a technique stolen from Qingcheng Mountain. We kindly request its return and are deeply grateful."

The intense discussions in the room ceased abruptly, falling into a silence so deep that one could hear a pin drop.

The host's expression unchanged, he replied, "Sect Leader Chen, you must be mistaken. This is an unnamed technique, not belonging to Qingcheng Mountain."

"Are you planning to deny this outright?" The Qingcheng Mountain sect leader slammed the table, about to stand up, when suddenly a powerful aura burst forth, causing the guests close to him to spit out blood.

The host, still smiling but with a hint of coldness in his eyes, challenged, "Sect Leader Chen, are you trying to seize it by force?"

The host exuded a presence no less imposing than that of the Qingcheng Mountain sect leader. From the corners of the room, individuals, each with a formidable aura, stood up.

The Qingcheng Mountain sect leader's face paled. He glared at the host, who showed no sign of backing down. Finally, he forced out through gritted teeth, "I didn't mean that."

As the Qingcheng Mountain sect leader retracted his aura, the four individuals who emerged from the corners also retreated back into the shadows. The host, as if nothing had happened, announced, "The unnamed technique, starting bid at fifty million, let's begin!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Qingcheng Mountain sect leader shouted, "Fifty million for this technique from Qingcheng Mountain!"

The atmosphere became tense.

Despite the eagerness in their hearts, Qingcheng Mountain was not a small force to contend with. Buying the technique could mean becoming a target for murder and robbery, a risk not worth taking.

Under the implicit threat of the Qingcheng Mountain sect leader, no one dared to bid, prompting the host to squint his eyes, "Is there no higher bid?"

"Fifty million for the first time."

"Fifty million for the second time."

Feeling slightly relieved of his frustration, a faint smile appeared on the Qingcheng Mountain sect leader's lips. Although spending fifty million felt like a waste, getting the technique back was all that mattered.

The host slowly raised his gavel, "Fifty million for the thir..."

"I bid one billion," a clear, resonant voice interrupted.

Everyone was startled, turning towards the source of the voice, but could only see a closed private viewing box, reserved for those who preferred anonymity.

The Qingcheng Mountain sect leader clenched his teeth in frustration, nearly losing control of his qi. He gritted his teeth, "Esteemed fellow, if you withdraw your bid, Qingcheng Mountain will consider you a friend and will offer unconditional assistance once in the future."

Hearing this, Shen Wang rolled his eyes; the sect leader was indeed stingy with his offer of 'one-time unconditional assistance'.

Shen Wang had almost decided to bid himself when the person in the box beat him to it.

Others might not know the true identity of that person, but Shen Wang knew all too well: it was Xiao Hei!

Knowing that Qingcheng Mountain wouldn’t easily get back the stolen item, Shen Wang leaned back in his chair to enjoy the show, cracking sunflower seeds.

He didn’t notice that Gu Manling, sitting next to Tang Jiu, looked puzzled.

Tang Jiu, always attentive to her, immediately asked softly, "Ling’er, what's wrong?"

Gu Manling pondered for a moment and then slowly shook her head, "That person's voice sounded a bit like my brother... But I must be mistaken."

Given Gu Dongting's character, it was impossible for him to do something like stealing another's ancestral cultivation technique.

Tang Jiu quickly agreed, saying, "He must have heard wrong."

Under the watchful eyes of all, someone in the private room scoffed, "This is an auction; the highest bidder wins. If you don't have the money, don't compete."

The master of Qingcheng Mountain's face twisted for a moment, and he took a deep breath: "One hundred and ten million."

Someone in the private room casually followed with, "One hundred and fifty million."

The master of Qingcheng Mountain wanted to continue bidding, but was abruptly cut off: "One hundred and sixty million!"

It was like a stone dropped into a still pond, creating ripples. After the first and second bids were called out, those who were eagerly waiting could no longer hold back.

"One hundred and eighty million!"

"Two hundred million!"

The master of Qingcheng Mountain was all too familiar with those bidding. They were elders of other sects who had previously addressed him as a brother! Under the temptation of benefits, these people actually turned against him, competing for the Qingcheng Mountain's techniques!

Unable to restrain himself any longer, the master of Qingcheng Mountain grunted and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

While others were fiercely competing for the techniques, only Shen Wang noticed this scene. He slightly curved his lips, "Is his Qi going wild? No wonder Chen Feng is so petty; he learned it from him."

After saying this, feeling something, he looked towards Xiao Hei Ge's private room, somewhat disappointed, "He left so soon? I haven't even had the chance to say hello."

In the private room, there was only a cup of untouched cold tea left, with no one else around.

As more and more people joined the bidding for the technique, some dropped out, and the price skyrocketed to an astonishing three billion! Shen Wang was so shocked that he dropped his sunflower seeds.

At this point, the auctioneer stepped onto the stage, interrupting the fervent bidders: "Ladies and gentlemen, the seller of this technique has a request. If you can provide an item that intrigues him, he is willing to sell the technique to that person. Moreover, if the item's value is significant enough, he's willing to discount the price of the technique!"

The crowd fell silent for a moment, and after some discussion among the final bidders, they all agreed to this proposal.

A few billion was not a small amount, and although the major sects could afford it, it wasn't easy to part with such funds. Trading items instead was a far better option.

After each person handed their treasures to the auctioneer for appraisal, he would relay their value to the seller.

To everyone's surprise, the final purchaser of the technique turned out to be the master of Qingcheng Mountain!

Under the varied gazes of the crowd, the master of Qingcheng Mountain, despite successfully reclaiming the technique, showed no joy. His face was as dark as could be, almost spitting fire from his eyes.

The crowd: "..."

It was understandable, though. Spending billions in cash and trading valuable items just to buy back one's own property would frustrate anyone.

After the auction concluded, everything settled down.

However, the master of Qingcheng Mountain didn’t leave. He wanted to catch the person who had stolen the technique, retrieve the items he had auctioned, and give the thief a harsh lesson!

He waited until it was dark, and even as the auctioneer started urging people to leave, he didn’t catch a glimpse of the so-called seller. Fuming with anger and spitting blood, he stormed off in his car back to Qingcheng Mountain.

Meanwhile, Shen Wang, having seen enough drama, went back home.

Upon arriving home, he immediately sensed someone's presence. Just as he was about to counterattack, a person in black emerged from the shadows, tossing him a bank card and a box: "Here’s your item."

Shen Wang: "???"

He opened the box to find it contained excellent material for refining artifacts. Hesitating to return it, he said, "You can keep the cash..."

"No need," Gu Dongting said indifferently, "I have money."

Shen Wang guessed that Xiao Hei Ge must be a cultivator driven by deep vengeance, earning money by undertaking tasks, but a single task would typically earn only a few hundred thousand, far less than these billions.

Taking Xiao Hei Ge’s words as bravado, Shen Wang said, "This is thirty billion... How about we split it, Xiao Hei Ge?"

With so much money, it was just numbers to him; Shen Wang wouldn't mind giving away half.

But Xiao Hei Ge just gave him a faint glance and turned to leave.

Shen Wang: "...Xiao Hei Ge really is, too proud for his own good."

However, not one to pass up free money, Shen Wang tossed the refining material in his hand, deciding to put in extra effort to make a better knife for Xiao Hei Ge.

The events of the auction quickly spread throughout the metaphysical community, with online forums buzzing. Just when everyone thought the matter had concluded, strange notebooks began appearing in the metaphysical world.

These notebooks seemed to appear out of nowhere and were found almost everywhere.

In various sects, metaphysical shops in cities, even in the hands of independent cultivators, everyone had a copy.

To everyone's surprise, the notebook contained a technique that seemed complete and viable! Some tried practicing it and found it indeed worked smoothly!

Everyone was overjoyed, and the forums shifted from discussing Qingcheng Mountain to the newly found technique.

After securing the technique, the master of Qingcheng Mountain returned furiously to his sect. After checking on Chen Feng, he decided to practice the technique to stabilize the energy that had been disturbed earlier in the day.

Just then, someone rushed over in a panic, "Sect Leader, it's terrible, something bad has happened!"

The sect leader, with a dark expression, opened his eyes, "What’s the big fuss about?"

The normally timid disciple, now ignoring the sect leader's demeanor, said with a cry in his voice, "Sect Leader, our... our cultivation technique has been leaked!"

The sect leader frowned, not understanding what the disciple was saying.

The disciple handed a small booklet to the sect leader, fearfully saying, "Sect Leader, please look at this."

The sect leader, brows furrowed, casually flipped through it, then suddenly his gaze fixed. Trembling, he flipped page by page, his aura surging wildly.

The disciple continued, "This booklet... it's everywhere now, in everyone's hands!"

The most core technique had been leaked, and the disciple's eyes were lost. He felt a sense of falling into the void, sensing that a significant change might befall Qingcheng Mountain.

The Qingcheng Mountain sect leader, thinking of the stolen technique and the one he had spent a fortune to buy back today, those three billion, and the treasures he had obtained with great difficulty...

Amidst the disciple's cries of alarm, the sect leader's vision turned red, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"It's bad! The sect leader has deviated during cultivation! Someone come quickly!"