’An Earth Tier Martial Skill!’ At this, Shen Haoran stared at the box on the auction stage below, his eyes burning with fervor.

"As expected of the grand finale! To think it’s a Cultivation Method for an Earth Tier Martial Skill!" the crowd murmured. It was common knowledge that Earth Tier Martial Skills were incredibly rare on the Starfall Continent. Each one possessed the power to shatter mountains and fill seas. If one could master an Earth Tier Martial Skill, they could walk completely unopposed through the Southern Domain!

"This is the Heaven-Dominating Tribulation, a Secret Skill containing a total of seven tribulations! With each tribulation you overcome, your strength will soar. For example, if you are currently a Tier Seven Spirit Pupil, breaking through one tribulation will boost your strength to that of a Tier Nine Spirit Pupil! Furthermore, the purer your internal Spiritual Power and the stronger your constitution, the greater the surge in strength! Although this power boost only lasts for a quarter of an hour, it can have an unexpected, decisive effect in a tense battle!" Cheng Xiang explained, waiting for the crowd’s initial excitement to subside before revealing the details of the Heaven-Dominating Tribulation.

’A Secret Technique?’ Hearing Cheng Xiang’s explanation, Shen Haoran’s brow furrowed, and his interest vanished in an instant. The surge in strength she mentioned was tempting, but Shen Haoran wasn’t a fool. ’A Secret Technique like this, which relies on sacrificing one’s own Spiritual Power and Essence Blood, must have severe side effects. It might even damage one’s foundation. It’s best to stay away from an Earth Tier Martial Skill like this!’

"Enough talk, let’s start the bidding!" someone below shouted impatiently.

"Very well! The starting bid for the Heaven-Dominating Tribulation is one million Gold Coins, with each increment no less than one hundred thousand. The auction begins now!" Cheng Xiang didn’t waste any more words, her professional smile never leaving her face.

"One million two hundred thousand!" The moment Cheng Xiang finished speaking, a flurry of bids erupted, and the price instantly shot toward two million!

"Two million five hundred thousand!" Suddenly, Second Master Wu, who hadn’t participated in the bidding until now, raised the price by half a million, silencing the clamoring crowd below.

Seeing the now-quiet crowd, Second Master Wu’s expression didn’t relax; it remained grave. He cast his gaze toward the Yang Family’s private room not far away. ’They are my true rivals!’

"Two million seven hundred thousand!" Sure enough, the Yang Family placed their bid the very next moment.

"Three million!" Second Master Wu shot back without hesitation.

"Three million two hundred thousand!" The Yang Family kept pace. The two went back and forth, adding small increments, until Second Master Wu suddenly raised the price all the way to seven million!

"Seven million! Yang Zhen, if you can go higher than me, then this Earth Tier Martial Skill is yours!" Second Master Wu growled. Seven million was the absolute highest the Wu Family could offer. Any more would damage the family’s foundation.

"Haha, in that case, Second Master Wu, I’ll gladly accept this Earth Tier Martial Skill! Seven million one hundred thousand!" Yang Zhen of the Yang Family called out with a clear, loud voice.

"Damn it!" Hearing that Yang Zhen had actually raised the bid, Second Master Wu’s face contorted with fury. He had come to this auction hoping to acquire some treasures, but the Ice Jade Marrow was taken by Shen Haoran, and now the grand finale was snatched away by the Yang Family. This trip had been a complete waste!

"Alright, this concludes today’s auction! Finally, I have a piece of free information for everyone, as a token of our gratitude for your support of the Celestial Martial Auction House!" Cheng Xiang announced.

"Miss Cheng Xiang, what information?" The crowd was curious. Any news coming from the Celestial Martial Auction House was bound to be significant.

"In the mountain forest ten li outside of Celestial Martial City, an Ancient Tomb of a Spirit Emperor Powerhouse has opened! It’s rumored to contain the Spirit Emperor’s inheritance. The Celestial Martial Auction House hereby sincerely invites everyone to explore it. Rest assured, any treasures you find within the tomb will be yours to keep. Our auction house will not interfere!"

"What! An Ancient Tomb of a Spirit Emperor Powerhouse, with the Spirit Emperor’s inheritance!" the crowd cried out in shock. This news was even more explosive than the Earth Tier Martial Skill! If someone obtained a Spirit Emperor’s inheritance, their future achievements would be no less than the Spirit Emperor Realm!

"Brother Luo, what is the meaning of this?" Upon hearing Cheng Xiang’s words, a violent rage swelled within Shen Haoran. A domineering aura enveloped the entire private room, and even Luo Wenqing was stunned by its intensity. ’For such a tyrannical aura to erupt from the body of a mere Tier One Spirit Pupil!’ 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Shen Haoran was truly furious. He had chosen to cooperate with the Celestial Martial Auction House because he believed they had a good reputation. But now they had broadcast this information to the public. ’This will cause a massive uproar! It will be incredibly difficult for me to act in secret now!’

"Younger Brother Shen, please calm down! I had no intention of deceiving you! It’s just that I went to scout the Ancient Tomb yesterday and discovered a strange restrictive barrier outside. Powerhouses at the Spirit General Level and above cannot enter! The situation inside the tomb is unknown. If only Martial Artists at the Spirit Pupil Tier are allowed to enter, it would be extremely dangerous for both the Celestial Martial Auction House and for you! That’s why I resorted to this plan: to let more people scout the path for us. This will greatly reduce the danger!" Luo Wenqing explained.

"A restrictive barrier?" Shen Haoran was puzzled. He immediately asked in his mind, ’Elder Yan, is that really possible?’

’It’s probably true. Ancient tombs often have such barriers to prevent their eternal rest from being disturbed by later generations!’ Elder Yan replied after a moment of thought.

"Will it affect my Refinement of the Fire Element’s Primordial Spirit?" Shen Haoran voiced his concern. After all, this was a matter of life and death for Ji Lingxuan.

’Don’t you worry about that. I’m the only one who knows the exact location. Besides, a larger crowd will provide the perfect cover for you. No need to worry!’ Elder Yan said with absolute confidence.

Hearing Elder Yan’s words, Shen Haoran relaxed. The domineering aura around him slowly receded. He then turned to Luo Wenqing with a hint of apology. "I’m sorry, Brother Luo. I misunderstood you."

"Not at all. I should have discussed it with you beforehand, Younger Brother Shen! Since you don’t object, let’s get ready and prepare to set out tomorrow!" Luo Wenqing suggested.

"Alright!" Shen Haoran agreed immediately. It was best not to delay such matters.

"Come, let’s go get the items you won, Younger Brother Shen!" Luo Wenqing called out, heading toward the warehouse with Shen Haoran following close behind.

"Manager Luo!" The two soon arrived at the collection point. The surrounding staff bowed respectfully to Luo Wenqing while staring curiously at Shen Haoran. In their minds, Luo Wenqing had always been a stern and serious person, yet here he was, walking so closely with a young man.

"Go and fetch the items won by private room number three!" Luo Wenqing ordered.

"Yes, sir!" a staff member replied. Soon, he returned and presented a Storage Ring to Luo Wenqing.

"Younger Brother Shen, here are the Alchemy Furnace and the Ice Jade Marrow you won. Please inspect them," Luo Wenqing said, handing the Storage Ring to Shen Haoran.

Shen Haoran took the Storage Ring and sent his Spiritual Thought inside. A bone-chilling cold instantly assaulted him, making him shiver involuntarily. ’The Ice Jade Marrow truly lives up to its reputation as a once-in-a-century Heavenly and Earthly Treasure!’

"Manager Luo! I didn’t expect to see you here!" Just as Shen Haoran was inspecting the items, a resonant voice rang out. Shen Haoran looked over and saw a middle-aged man in a long blue robe walking toward Luo Wenqing.

"That’s Yang Zhen, from the Yang Family. The one who competed with you for the Ice Jade Marrow," Luo Wenqing whispered in Shen Haoran’s ear.

Seeing Luo Wenqing acting so familiar with the young man beside him, Yang Zhen looked stunned. He then walked over and asked, "Manager Luo, and this young brother is?"

"Oh, he is a distinguished guest of our Celestial Martial Auction House," Luo Wenqing replied nonchalantly.

"Oh? Then this must be the young brother who won the Ice Jade Marrow!" Yang Zhen said with a smile, his eyes fixed on Shen Haoran.

"That’s right, it was me."

"Haha, a young hero indeed! However, I can see you have a Fire Attribute constitution. How about you sell that Ice Jade Marrow to me? I will offer you a suitable price," Yang Zhen said.

"I’m sorry, but I have no intention of selling it at the moment," Shen Haoran replied, shaking his head in refusal.

"Oh, what a shame!" Yang Zhen gave Shen Haoran a deep look, then turned to exchange a few words with Luo Wenqing. After collecting the Earth Tier Martial Skill, he turned and left.

Shen Haoran stared at Yang Zhen’s back with a grave expression. He felt that Yang Zhen’s smile had been filled with a strange, hidden meaning. His intuition told him that this Yang Zhen wouldn’t let the matter drop. ’Looks like I’ll have to be on my guard against him from now on!’

At this thought, Shen Haoran felt a headache coming on. ’I’ve only been in Celestial Martial City for a few days, and I’ve already provoked two major powers. What terrible luck!’ However, the thought that he wouldn’t be staying here for long brought him some relief. For now, he just hoped he could successfully obtain the Fire Element’s Primordial Spirit tomorrow, re-apply the Seal for Ji Lingxuan, and then leave this place.

"Sigh... I’ll just have to take it one step at a time," Shen Haoran sighed deeply. After bidding farewell to Luo Wenqing, he headed back to the inn. He had some preparations of his own to make...