16: Prey in a cage

Sanhe Workshop City.

It was the largest gathering place for Loose Cultivators around Danyang City, a chaotic mix of people where order was merely a facade.

Chaos was its true nature.

Lu Yuan was not in a hurry to leave.

Capital never sleeps.

The leveraged gamble he had just completed had put his capital and information authority at an unprecedented Peak.

He spent ten Karma points to acquire two items from the Exchange.

A cold, black iron token, a ticket to the underground world.

And a detailed list of auction items, directly imprinted in his mind.

His gaze swept past the dazzling array of Magical Artifacts, Medicinal Pills, and Talismans before finally settling.

The grand finale, a Spirit Pill enveloped in Medicinal Pill Qi.

A perfect quality foundation establishment pill.

The night was as dark as ink.

Lu Yuan changed into the most inconspicuous gray Dao robe, put on a bronze mask that could block Divine Sense, and quietly merged into the flow of people in the shadows.

The entrance to the auction was hidden in a secret passage in the back kitchen of a tavern.

Two Foundation Establishment Cultivators with powerful auras stood like stone statues, their eyes cold as they inspected the tokens of every guest.

Passing through the secret passage, the air, a mix of Medicinal Pill fragrance, blood, and musty odors, assailed him.

The hall was dimly lit, with hundreds of seats sparsely occupied. Almost everyone, like Lu Yuan, hid their identity and greed behind masks.

Lu Yuan found a secluded corner and sat down.

The clamor on the high platform had nothing to do with him.

He immediately activated [Market Scan].

“Scan the entire venue, evaluate potential competitors and threats.”

[Scanning... consumes 1 Karma point.]

The world before his eyes was covered by an invisible stream of data.

Most of the figures in the seats showed a faint yellow glow—Late Stage Qi Refining, potential buyers, but not much of a threat.

Seven or eight figures, however, emitted a dazzling orange light—Early Stage Foundation Establishment, opponents to be wary of.

However, in the center of the venue, above the head of a burly man, a chilling, almost solid mass of blood-red light hovered.

[High-risk target locked: Han Tiande, Loose Cultivator, Middle Stage Foundation Establishment.]

[Threat Level: Fatal.]

The Exchange’s prompt was devoid of emotion.

Lu Yuan’s eyes, hidden beneath his mask, were equally unmoving.

He issued another command.

“Purchase detailed intelligence on Han Tiande.”

[Confirmed, consumes 5 Karma points.]

A complex stream of information flooded into his mind, quickly summarized and organized.

[Name: Han Tiande, Nickname: Old Demon Han.]

[Cultivation: Middle Stage Foundation Establishment, stuck at the Bottleneck for many years.]

[Personality: Ruthless, greedy, bullies the weak and fears the strong.]

[Special Ability: Cultivates a tracking secret art, “Yin Wind Burial.”]

[Hidden Secret: His early Opportunity was obtained by killing a direct descendant of the Golden Core family ‘Pingyang Chen Family,’ and he has been evading the Chen Family’s pursuit for many years.]

The curve of Lu Yuan’s lips subtly lifted.

A desperate man walking the Dao of self-destruction.

Very good.

This meant that an “accident” tailored just for him would be very cheap.

The auction began.

The auctioneer on the high platform spoke eloquently, and the atmosphere gradually grew lively.

Lu Yuan remained like a silent reef, unmoved by everything before him, quietly awaiting the storm.

During this time, a fist-sized Ore called “Star Iron” was presented.

This item was incredibly hard but showed no Spiritual Qi, making it difficult to refine and thus considered a mere trifle.

Just as it was about to go unsold, a female Cultivator wearing a veiled hat suddenly spoke, buying it at an extremely low price.

Lu Yuan’s peripheral vision glanced over.

[Scanning target, consumes 0.1 Karma.]

[The target has a faint Karma line related to the ‘nine revolutions soul returning grass.’]

Lu Yuan noted the aura of this female Cultivator in his heart.

Is this the aftershock of those three Golden Core competitors?

This storm has not yet passed.

Another half an hour passed, and under everyone’s expectant gazes, the foundation establishment pill was finally presented.

It was a perfectly round Spirit Pill; the moment it appeared, the Spiritual Qi in the entire hall became richer.

The breathing of countless people grew heavy at this moment.

“A perfect quality foundation establishment pill, starting bid five thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, each increment must not be less than five hundred! Starting now!”

As soon as the auctioneer’s words fell, the price soared madly.

“Six thousand!”

“Seven thousand!”

“I bid ten thousand!”

The price quickly broke the fifteen thousand Spirit Stone mark, and most of the Qi Refining Cultivators withdrew from the competition, their faces pale.

Only a few Foundation Establishment Cultivators remained, vying for it.

“Eighteen thousand.”

Old Demon Han’s hoarse voice sounded for the first time, carrying a tyrannical Spiritual Pressure.

Several Early Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators exchanged glances and sat down unwillingly.

No one dared to provoke Old Demon Han’s infamous reputation.

“Eighteen thousand, is there any higher bid?” The auctioneer surveyed the hall.

Just when everyone thought it was settled.

A calm voice came from the corner.

“Twenty thousand.”

Swish!

All eyes in the hall focused on Lu Yuan.

Old Demon Han’s eyes, hidden beneath his mask, shot out two cold killing intents, locking onto Lu Yuan.

The immense Spiritual Pressure belonging to a Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator crushed down on Lu Yuan like a mountain.

Several Cultivators near him were shaken by the aftershock, their Qi and blood surging, retreating repeatedly.

Lu Yuan, however, seemed completely oblivious, sitting there calmly.

The killing intent in Old Demon Han’s eyes grew stronger.

“Twenty-one thousand.”

“Twenty-five thousand.”

Lu Yuan’s voice showed no fluctuation, immediately following up.

He wasn’t bidding with Spirit Stones.

He was crushing his opponent’s greed with the four thousand-plus cold Karma points in his account.

“Thirty thousand!”

Old Demon Han’s voice was already tinged with suppressed fury; this was almost his entire fortune.

Lu Yuan didn’t even think, bidding again.

“Forty thousand.”

The entire hall was silent.

Everyone looked at Lu Yuan as if he were a madman.

Forty thousand Spirit Stones for a foundation establishment pill?

This was no longer a transaction, but a provocation.

Old Demon Han stared at Lu Yuan, his chest heaving violently. Finally, he slowly sat down, no longer speaking.

The killing intent in his eyes almost overflowed.

“Forty thousand Spirit Stones once!”

“Forty thousand Spirit Stones twice!”

“Forty thousand Spirit Stones thrice!”

“Sold!”

The auctioneer’s gavel sealed the deal.

Under countless gazes mixed with greed, jealousy, and pity, Lu Yuan calmly completed the transaction, placing the foundation establishment pill, capable of stirring up a bloody storm, into his Storage Pouch.

He was not in a hurry to leave, as if he hadn’t noticed that he was already in the eye of the storm.

It wasn’t until the auction dispersed that he unhurriedly stood up and walked out with the crowd.

As soon as he stepped out of the tavern’s back door, a cold, sticky Divine Sense, like a persistent shadow, firmly locked onto his aura.

Yin Wind Burial.

A cold smirk appeared on Lu Yuan’s lips beneath his mask.

He didn’t try to shake it off; instead, he deliberately ducked into dark, deserted alleys.

Finally, at the end of a dead-end alley filled with sundries, he stopped.

Behind him, a tall figure blocked the alley entrance.

The moonlight stretched his shadow like a ghost.

Old Demon Han removed the mask from his face, revealing a hideous, scar-covered countenance. He sneered, approaching step by step.

“Kid, you’ve got guts.”

“Hand over the foundation establishment pill and all the Storage Pouches on you.”

“This old man can leave you a complete corpse.”