Shen Haoran and his two companions looked up to see a young man with a grim, delicate expression walking out from the Celestial Martial Auction House. This young man was also dressed in black martial attire and was clearly the master of this group of guards.

Sure enough, upon seeing the young man, the two guards quickly lowered their heads and bowed. "Young Master!"

The young man, addressed as the Young Master, glanced at Shen Haoran—a Tier Nine Spirit Pupil. His brow furrowed, and he berated the guards, "What’s all this noise? Don’t you know we’re busy setting up the hall in there? Instead of wasting time shooing away flies, you should be helping out. A bunch of useless trash!"

The two guards’ faces soured after being insulted. They turned to Shen Haoran’s group and yelled, "Get out of here, now! Or don’t blame us for what happens next!"

Seeing the menacing guards and the cold-faced young man, Shen Haoran felt his own mood sour. ’Being called a fly for no reason... anyone would be angry!’

"We only wish to see Manager Luo," Shen Haoran said in a cold voice, suppressing his anger. "This is our VIP card. We’d appreciate it if you could pass on the message."

According to the rules of the Celestial Martial Auction House, all management at the manager level and above were members of the Luo Family. At the mention of Manager Luo, the young man’s expression shifted slightly, but when his eyes fell on the purple-gold VIP card in Shen Haoran’s hand, his gaze filled with disdain once more.

"Hmph. You think Manager Luo is someone you can meet just by asking? I’ve never seen the Celestial Martial Auction House issue a purple-gold VIP card. Where did you get this forgery? How dare you fake a VIP card for the Celestial Martial Auction House! You’re clearly up to no good. Men, seize them for me!" the young man ordered coldly.

At the young man’s command, the two guards and the black-clothed Martial Artists behind him swarmed forward, intending to subdue Shen Haoran.

Shen Haoran’s figure flashed as he dodged their encirclement, retreating to stand beside Ji Lingxuan and Long Mo. He stared coldly at the young man, suppressing the fury that was about to erupt. In a low voice, he said, "If you want to know if it’s fake, just have Manager Luo come out and identify it. You don’t seem to have the authority to arrest people on behalf of the Celestial Martial Auction House, do you?"

"Hmph! It’s not for you to decide whether I have the authority! Seize them!"

As the black-clothed Martial Artists lunged forward again, a faint, murderous aura began to emanate from Shen Haoran. Ji Lingxuan knew he was truly enraged now.

Shen Haoran had been exercising restraint because this was someone else’s territory, and he preferred to resolve things peacefully if possible. But restraint did not mean he was afraid of trouble. All he wanted was to see Manager Luo, yet this young man had provoked him time and time again. He had crossed Shen Haoran’s final line. ’In that case, I’ll have to settle this with force!’

Shen Haoran clenched his fists and threw a simple, unadorned punch toward the charging black-clothed Martial Artists!

BOOM! With a tremendous roar, a terrifying force sent the black-clothed Martial Artists flying. They crashed through the main doors of the Celestial Martial Auction House, shattering them completely. In an instant, a cloud of dust and debris rose, enveloping the young man.

The young man stared at Shen Haoran in utter astonishment. ’He’s just a Tier Nine Spirit Pupil, how can he unleash such terrifying power? This is impossible!’

CLATTER... Just as the young man stood there in shock, a group of people rushed out of the Celestial Martial Auction House. Staring at the door, now shattered into countless pieces, they all drew a sharp, cold breath. ’Who would be so bold? To dare cause a scene in front of the Celestial Martial Auction House and even smash its gates!’

"It must be that kid," someone said, pointing at Shen Haoran. "He’s unbelievably brazen. The Celestial Martial Auction House is an absolute behemoth! Even the Sect Leaders and Elders of the Major Sects wouldn’t dare to provoke them, yet this kid smashed their door. He must have a death wish!"

"What is going on here? Is it not known that fighting is forbidden in front of the Celestial Martial Auction House?" As the crowd murmured amongst themselves, a cold shout rang out. A middle-aged man strode briskly out of the auction house’s main hall. It was none other than Manager Luo of the Celestial Martial Auction House!

Seeing Manager Luo, a delighted expression appeared on the young man’s face. He shot Shen Haoran a cold glance, as if to say, ’You’re dead!’ He then hurried to meet Manager Luo and said, "Manager Luo, these three tried to use a forged VIP card to sneak into the auction house and steal something. When I exposed them, they flew into a rage from the shame and attacked, even smashing the doors of your esteemed auction house! This shows a complete lack of respect for the Celestial Martial Auction House!"

Hearing the young man’s tirade, Shen Haoran just sneered and offered no explanation.

"Is that what happened?" Manager Luo asked with a frown. ’If someone truly dared to challenge the prestige of the Celestial Martial Auction House, they must be punished severely!’

Hearing the question, Shen Haoran did not reply. He simply flicked his wrist, sending the purple-gold VIP card shooting toward Manager Luo.

Manager Luo caught the card. A single glance at the purple-gold card was enough to drench him in a cold sweat. When he looked back at Shen Haoran, his eyes were filled with utter shock!

The young man, however, didn’t notice the change in Manager Luo’s expression. He pointed at the card and said, "Manager Luo, that’s the forged card they used! I’ve never seen the auction house issue a card like that!"

Hearing the young man’s words, Manager Luo shot him a cold glance and cursed furiously in his mind. ’Forged? Forged my ass! I’d recognize the Luo Family’s unique mark on this purple-gold card even if it were burned to ash! This is the real deal! You say you’ve never seen one? Of course you fucking haven’t! Only direct descendants of the Luo Family are qualified to issue a card of this Level. I’ve only ever seen a few myself, let alone a nobody like you! The holder of this card has a status in the Luo Family equivalent to an Elder’s! Do you have any idea that if Shen Haoran were to claim this entire Celestial Martial Auction House as his own right now, I wouldn’t dare make a peep?’

After thoroughly cursing the young man’s entire family line in his head, Manager Luo quickly wiped the foul expression off his face. He walked over to Shen Haoran and respectfully presented the purple-gold VIP card with both hands.

"Sir, perhaps we could continue this conversation inside?" Luo Tian asked deferentially.

Seeing Luo Tian’s sudden change in attitude, the surrounding onlookers were all dumbfounded. The young man, too, wore a look of utter disbelief. ’What is happening? One moment, Manager Luo was radiating cold anger, and the next, he’s this polite? Isn’t this the kid who just smashed the gate of the Celestial Martial Auction House? Shouldn’t he be the one getting arrested right now?’

Shen Haoran himself was also rather stunned. He hadn’t expected the VIP card Luo Xiaowen had given him would carry so much weight. He found himself growing even more curious about her identity.

"Manager Luo, he smashed the doors of the Celestial Martial Auction House! If he isn’t punished severely, what will become of the auction house’s prestige?" the young man hastily interjected, seeing Manager Luo acting so cordially with Shen Haoran.

"Shut up!" Luo Tian snapped, turning his head to glare at him.

"This door was old and in disrepair. It fell apart on its own. What does that have to do with this young sir? If you continue to spout nonsense, the Celestial Martial Auction House will cancel our current cooperation!"

"What!?" the young man cried out in shock.