147: Gangfeng Essence

[The fifty-eighth year,]

[You hammered and refined this poisonous palm technique thousands of times, finally achieving entry-level mastery—]

[Now, by only consuming one drop of vital blood, you can transform it into a thousand palm imprints to surround the target, and these imprints are extremely fast and astonishingly powerful.]

[You were certain—even with your current strength, you couldn't dodge this move, unless the opponent possessed powerful defensive measures or special hidden cards.]

[Because you incorporated a whole drop of vital blood, it is enough to slow the opponent's movements, leaving them at your mercy.]

[You were very satisfied with this result.]

[You named this palm technique—Spirit Erosion Palm!]

[You did not continue your seclusion, having learned the news that Lan Yuting would represent the Heavenly Sword Sect in the competition for the management rights of Ziyang Immortal City.]

[You felt this was a good opportunity.]

[Normally, with Lan Yuting inside the Sect, it would be difficult for you to act, but it would be much easier once she left the Sect.]

[Without hesitation, you immediately set off for Ziyang Immortal City.]

[The distance from the Heavenly Sword Sect to Ziyang Immortal City was a million li, but for the current you, it was nothing.]

[A week later, you spotted a black dot in the distance—it was Ziyang Immortal City.]

[However, a scene on the ground caught your attention:]

[A man wearing a Heavenly Sword Sect robe was covered in blood, fleeing frantically toward Ziyang Immortal City, with three Cultivators relentlessly pursuing him.]

[How could you tolerate such a thing? Seeing someone hunting a Heavenly Sword Sect Disciple immediately reminded you of Liu Jinfeng's actions.]

[Without hesitation, you transformed into a streak of light and dove down.]

[In the blink of an eye, you landed in front of the four people.]

[All four were of Foundation Establishment Cultivation, and upon seeing you, they immediately grew tense and bowed in unison: "Greetings, Senior!"]

[You said nothing, your gaze sharpened, and your vast Divine Sense swept over them—]

[The three Loose Cultivators' pupils instantly dilated, and they fell to the ground with a 'thud,' dying instantly.]

[The Heavenly Sword Sect Disciple grew even more nervous upon seeing this.]

[You smiled and said, "Don't be afraid, I am also from the Heavenly Sword Sect."]

[He sighed in relief: "Junior Chu Yan greets... greets Senior Brother..."]

[You had just used a Divine Sense attack; given his cultivation, he couldn't determine if you were Nascent Soul or Golden Core, but he guessed you were Golden Core, so he called you Senior Brother.]

[Hearing his name, you hadn't expected to run into him here.]

[Although you weren't familiar with him, his Trash Aptitude had left a deep impression on you.]

[You asked curiously, "Why were those Loose Cultivators chasing you? You are a Heavenly Sword Sect Disciple, after all."]

["Alas," Chu Yan sighed and shook his head, "To tell Senior Brother the truth, my Chu family ancestors once produced a powerful figure, but by my generation, we have declined."]

["Fortunately, Heaven's luck favored us; my younger brother has outstanding Aptitude. I plan to sell an ancestral Heaven And Earth Treasure to exchange for Cultivation resources for him."]

["Who knew this news would spread in the Tianxing Tower? Many Loose Cultivators intercepted me halfway, trying to steal my treasure."]

[You nodded: "It's just a Heaven And Earth Treasure. Is it more important than life itself?"]

[He hesitated for a moment, looking at you: "Senior Brother, I should offer the treasure to you to repay your life-saving kindness, but my younger brother truly needs Cultivation resources..."]

[You waved your hand and smiled, "How could I covet your possessions? Besides, we are fellow disciples; helping each other is proper."]

["Thank you, Senior Brother! Once the auction is successful, I will surely repay you well," Chu Yan said gratefully.]

["It's a small matter, no need to be polite. However, Ziyang Immortal City is a mix of Dragons and fish; you must be careful," you reminded him.]

[Chu Yan nodded, and then you entered Ziyang Immortal City together.]

[He went straight to the auction house, while you came to the Heavenly Sword Sect branch.]

[Under Pang Jia's arrangement, you moved into a courtyard in the back of the branch.]

[With half a month left until the Grand Competition, you wandered aimlessly through the city while calculating how to deal with Lan Yuting.]

[You found that Ziyang Immortal City and Tianshu City were not much different, seemingly built from the same mold.]

[The difference was that there was no Tianshu Pavilion above Ziyang Immortal City, allowing free entry and exit, which resulted in a mixed population within the city.]

[You recalled the Tianxing Tower—this was the place Loose Cultivators loved to gather, and many Loose Cultivators were conducting free trade and information exchange in the various private rooms.]

[After arriving at the Tianxing Tower, you quietly listened to news from all sides—although the private rooms were equipped with barriers that isolated Divine Sense, with your strength, you could still easily hear their conversations.]

[One piece of news immediately caught your attention:]

["Brothers, have you heard? In three days, Langgan Pavilion is auctioning gale essence."]

["It is said that once this thing is deployed, it can transform into a hundred-zhang gale, and ordinary Cultivators who approach will be torn to shreds."]

["More than that! It's also a top-grade Material for refining wind-attribute Magic Treasures, capable of increasing a Magic Treasure's speed severalfold."]

["Alas, what a pity! I heard this treasure was brought out by that Heavenly Sword Sect kid named Chu Yan. If I had known it was gale essence, I would have tried my luck too."]

["That kid has good luck. I heard many Loose Cultivators went looking for trouble with him, but he managed to evade them."]

[Hearing the name "gale essence," you felt both surprised and helpless.]

[You were too familiar with gale essence—it was one of the main Materials for refining the immortal slaying sword (wind attribute).]

[To your surprise, you hadn't expected Chu Yan's Heaven And Earth Treasure to actually be gale essence;]

[To your helplessness, you couldn't acquire it this time—because you urgently needed to improve your strength to deal with the crisis.]

[Suddenly, your eyes lit up, and you thought of a plan to deal with Lan Yuting.]

[Three days later, you arrived at Langgan Pavilion to participate in the auction.]

[Participating in the auction required verification of funds, but the threshold on Ziyang Star was very low, requiring only ten thousand Spirit Stones.]

[You had a favorable impression of "Langgan Pavilion." After all, your "heavenly craft tablet" originated from the Langgan Pavilion in the Holy Land.]

[It is said that Langgan Pavilion has every kind of Heaven And Earth Treasure—even treasures never heard of can be found there.]

[You had specifically inquired about Langgan Pavilion—it was spread across the entire Immortal Domain, with a mysterious background and immense power, which no one dared to provoke easily.]

[After all, the Cultivation world emphasizes "Wealth, Companion, Technique, and Land," where "Wealth" refers to resources; without resources, it is difficult to gain strength.]

[Especially since it could open branch pavilions throughout the entire Immortal Domain, its scale was evident—how many Star Continents are there in the Immortal Domain?]

[It is imaginable how vast the influence of Langgan Pavilion is.]

[You even suspected—Langgan Pavilion was founded by one of the five major powers of the Zixiao Immortal Domain, or perhaps an enterprise jointly operated by all five.]

[After you entered the auction hall, the interior was dazzlingly colorful. You sat in a common private room, yet your Divine Sense flowed like water, covering the entire venue.]

[The information of tens of thousands of people was laid bare under the cover of your Divine Sense—]

[Over ninety percent were Foundation Establishment Cultivators, there were only dozens of Golden Core Cultivators, and even fewer Nascent Soul Cultivators, just three people.]

[This was also related to the decline of Ziyang Star—Nascent Soul Cultivators were already considered top experts here.]

[After all, only a few first-rate powers possessed Spirit Transformation Cultivators, and even the strongest person in Ziyang Palace was only at the Nascent Soul Realm.]

[When your Divine Sense swept past a private room on the second floor, you discovered the cold and arrogant Lan Yuting, and you thought to yourself, "She really came!"]