32: Arrival in the capital, auction frenzy

The capital of the Great Yan Dynasty was named "Tianyan City."

When Chu He rode his Flying Sword and looked down at this magnificent city from high above, despite being mentally prepared, he was still slightly stunned by the scene before his eyes.

It was too massive!

The scale of this city was more than ten times larger than that of Tianfeng Prefecture City!

The tall and majestic city walls resembled a black giant dragon coiled upon the earth. Inside the city, high-rise buildings stood in rows, streets intersected, and there was a constant flow of traffic and people.

Powerful auras soared into the sky from various corners of the city; among them, there were even a few that made even Chu He feel a hint of pressure.

"Nascent Soul Stage... and more than one?"

Chu He's heart stirred.

It seemed this capital was indeed a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.

He put away his Flying Sword, landed in a deserted corner outside the city, changed into ordinary clothes, and followed the flow of people through the city gate.

As soon as he entered the city, the atmosphere of prosperity and peak vitality rushed toward him.

Shops lined both sides of the streets, and the sounds of hawking, shouting, and bargaining were incessant.

The air was filled with the aromas of various foods, the fresh fragrance of Spirit Medicines, and the faint metallic scent of Magical Artifacts.

"As expected of the capital, just this level of bustle is incomparable to Tianfeng Prefecture."

As Chu He walked, he activated his Eye of Investigation and observed silently.

[Name: Cuihua]

[Beauty: 40 (Plain and Ordinary)]

[Physique: Mortal Body]

[Cultivation: Body Tempering Third Layer]

[Favorability: 0 (Stranger)]

[Offspring Potential: F]

...[Name: Shiliu]

[Beauty: 55 (Slightly Attractive)]

[Physique: Mortal Body]

[Cultivation: None]

[Favorability: 0 (Stranger)]

[Offspring Potential: E]

...After scanning over a hundred people along the way, the results left him somewhat disappointed.

Most were commoners; it was difficult to find even a single D-rank potential.

It seemed that high-quality "breeding" targets were not that easy to find.

"Forget it, business first."

Chu He shook his head and stopped wasting time.

Following the information given by Lin Waner, he headed straight toward the capital's largest trading center—Tianbao Pavilion.

Tianbao Pavilion was an enterprise with the backing of the Great Yan Dynasty's imperial Family; its reputation and strength were beyond doubt.

It was said that as long as you could afford the price, there was nothing you couldn't buy at Tianbao Pavilion.

Tianbao Pavilion was a nine-story pagoda-shaped building, constructed entirely of some unknown white jade that shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight, looking exceptionally grand.

At the entrance stood two rows of guards clad in golden armor; every single one of them actually had a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation!

Using Foundation Establishment Cultivators as doormen?

Chu He clicked his tongue inwardly.

The foundation of this capital was indeed profound.

As he approached the entrance, a beautiful maidservant wearing a cheongsam and possessing a slender figure immediately came forward to greet him.

"Welcome to Tianbao Pavilion, Young Master. How may I assist you?"

The maidservant's voice was sweet and moving, and she wore a professional smile.

However, Chu He could see a faint, barely perceptible scrutiny deep within her eyes.

Clearly, his ordinary attire did not earn him much respect.

Chu He didn't mind and simply said calmly, "I'm here to buy things."

"Very well, please come inside, Young Master." The maidservant led him into the first-floor hall.

The hall was bustling with people coming and going.

Inside crystal counters, various goods were displayed, ranging from low-grade Medicinal Pills and Talismans to High Grade Magical Artifacts and Cultivation Techniques; everything was available.

"Young Master, what would you like to purchase? Our Tianbao Pavilion has a complete range of high-quality goods that will surely satisfy you," the maidservant introduced dutifully.

"I want to buy a Third Grade Spirit Gathering Formation Plate and a Third Grade Earth Fire Induction Formation Plate," Chu He stated his purpose directly.

The smile on the maidservant's face stiffened slightly.

Third Grade Formation Plates?

Those were no ordinary goods.

The value of a Third Grade Formation Plate was enough to match a top-tier Profound Rank Magical Artifact, and was even more precious than some ordinary Earth Rank Magic Treasures!

Such items were usually only purchased by large families or Sects to set up mountain gates or important cultivation rooms.

This ordinary-looking young man in front of her wanted to buy two of them right off the bat?

Could he afford them?

Although the maidservant was skeptical, her good professional training kept her smiling.

"Young Master, I am truly sorry. Third Grade Formation Plates are too valuable; we don't have them in stock here in the first-floor hall," she said tactfully. "However..."

She changed the subject, "In seven days, our Tianbao Pavilion will Host our largest annual auction. At that time, a pair of 'Third Grade High Grade Dual-Linked Formation Plates' personally refined by the Formation Great Master Su Mo will be auctioned."

"This pair of Formation Plates consists of one for spirit gathering and one for fire induction, complementing each other. If set up together, their power is over thirty percent stronger than two separate Third Grade High Grade Formation Plates! They can be considered one of the most anticipated items in this auction."

"Oh? An auction?" Chu He raised an eyebrow.

He had originally wanted to buy them directly with money, but he hadn't expected to have to go through an auction.

This way, there were more variables.

"What is the starting price for this pair of Formation Plates?" Chu He asked.

"The starting price is one hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones," the maidservant quoted a figure that would be enough to bankrupt an ordinary Cultivator.

One hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones!

Chu He calculated in his mind.

He had taken nearly half of the liquid assets from the Prefecture Governor's storehouse, which was about three hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Adding the compensation from the Li and Zhao families, as well as the dividends from the Qingyang Chamber of Commerce over the past few months, the Spirit Stones he had on hand totaled roughly five hundred thousand.

With five hundred thousand to bid for something with a starting price of one hundred thousand, it seemed more than enough.

But Chu He knew that for such finale treasures, the final closing price would often far exceed the starting price.

Furthermore, those who could attend the capital's annual auction were certainly wealthy and influential figures, not lacking in wealthy Sects and noble families.

His current amount of money might not actually be enough.

"It seems I have to find a way to get more money before the auction begins," Chu He thought to himself.

"Thank you for the information." He nodded to the maidservant and prepared to leave.

Just as he turned around, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught sight of a young girl in a corner of the hall who was arguing with someone.

The girl was about seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a pale blue dress that had been washed until it was faded. Her figure was slightly thin, but her makeup-free face was incomparably beautiful, carrying a sense of stubbornness and coldness that seemed untainted by the world.

What made her different was that the moment Chu He's Eye of Investigation scanned her, an unprecedentedly strong alert erupted!

[Ultra-high potential target detected!]

[Name: Su Qingxue]

[Beauty: 95 (Orchid in a secluded valley, unparalleled elegance)]

[Physique: SS-rank (Exquisite Array Heart)]

[Cultivation: Qi Gathering Realm Fifth Layer]

[Favorability: 0 (Stranger)]

[Offspring Potential: SS-rank]

[Suggestion: This girl is a natural Formation Genius! The 'Exquisite Array Heart' Physique gives her unimaginable perception and control over the Formation lines of heaven and earth! She is the perfect candidate for the future head of the Host's Family 'Formation Hall'! Take her! Take her! Take her! The Host's Family will possess the most indestructible guardian Formation!]

Holy crap!

Chu He's heart skipped a beat!

95 Beauty!

Even higher than Lin Waner!

Most importantly, an SS-rank Physique and SS-rank offspring potential!

Exquisite Array Heart!

A natural Formation Genius!

What kind of god-tier luck is this?

Just as he was worrying about Formation Plates, the System directly delivered a top-tier talent who could create Formation Plates right in front of him?

And her surname is also Su?

The maidservant just said that the pair of Formation Plates to be auctioned was refined by the Formation Great Master Su Mo.

Could it be... Chu He's gaze instantly became burning hot.

He was no longer in a hurry to leave, but instead walked toward that corner of dispute with great interest.

He wanted to see what kind of trouble this SS-rank Genius girl had encountered.