Chapter 60: Chapter 60: Spirit Emperor’s Ancient Tomb

Early the next morning, Shen Haoran arrived in front of the Celestial Martial Auction House.

A crowd of Martial Artists had already gathered at the entrance. Since no one knew the Ancient Tomb’s exact location, they were all waiting for the Celestial Martial Auction House to lead the way. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Step right up, step right up! Anyone who wants to follow our team to the Ancient Tomb, come register and pay! One hundred Gold Coins per person! Don’t miss out!" Just as Shen Haoran was about to go inside to find Luo Wenqing, he heard a familiar voice and turned to look.

Not far away, Xiaowen, who had helped him before, was holding up a large sign and shouting to the crowd. Beside her, a staff member was registering people with a wry smile on his face. He had only come to maintain order, but this young miss had roped him into collecting money and taking names. Seeing the massive, snaking line of Martial Artists, the staff member’s face darkened. ’At this rate, my hand’s going to fall off from all this writing!’

"Hey, Little Brother Shen, you’re here too! Come over here! I have something good to show you!" Just then, Xiaowen spotted Shen Haoran and waved him over.

"Er..." Seeing Xiaowen waving at him, Shen Haoran looked a bit awkward, but he still walked over.

"Sister Xiaowen, what are you doing...?" Shen Haoran asked, pointing to the sign in her hand.

"Collecting money, of course! We can’t just let them follow us for free, can we?" Xiaowen said matter-of-factly.

"This..." Looking at Xiaowen, who seemed to have dollar signs in her eyes, Shen Haoran was left speechless. ’The Celestial Martial Auction House really has a divine Talent for making money!’

"You’re looking for Manager Luo, right? Come on, I’ll take you!" With that, Xiaowen tossed the large sign to the staff member beside her and, without a care for whether he wanted it or not, grabbed Shen Haoran and ran into the auction house.

Just as they entered, they ran into Luo Wenqing. Seeing Shen Haoran, Luo Wenqing smiled and walked up to greet him. "Younger Brother Shen, you’ve arrived quite early!"

"Haha, of course! When there’s treasure to be found, you have to be enthusiastic!" Shen Haoran replied.

"Alright then. Since Younger Brother Shen is so eager, let’s head out!" Luo Wenqing said with a wave and a smile.

However, when he stepped out the main doors, he found a massive line of people at the entrance, which left him completely baffled.

"What’s going on here?" Luo Wenqing asked.

"Er, well, Uncle Luo, I was just charging them a small fee to earn a little extra on the side!" Hearing Luo Wenqing’s question, Xiaowen scratched her head and said sheepishly.

"You... you little rascal! I should send you back to your father and let him teach you a good lesson!" Luo Wenqing said, pointing at Xiaowen’s nose.

As soon as she heard Luo Wenqing threatening to send her back to her father, Xiaowen looked terrified and quickly begged for mercy, "Uncle Luo, I’m sorry! I know I was wrong! Please, please don’t send me back to my dad! I’m begging you!"

Looking at Xiaowen’s pitiful gaze, Luo Wenqing could only let out a long sigh and say, "You... I really don’t know what to do with you!"

Seeing that Luo Wenqing was no longer angry, Xiaowen gave a sweet smile and made a funny face at him.

"You two are...?" Shen Haoran looked at them with surprise, completely unaware of what was going on.

"Ah, Younger Brother Shen, I completely forgot to introduce you. This is my niece, Luo Xiaowen. She’s the one who will be leading our Celestial Martial Auction House team into the Ancient Tomb!" Luo Wenqing said.

"Her...?" Shen Haoran looked at Luo Xiaowen, doubtful, because he couldn’t feel the slightest fluctuation of Spiritual Power from her.

"What, looking down on me? I’m a Tier Five Spirit Pupil, much stronger than you!" Xiaowen said, rolling her eyes at him, seeming to know exactly what he was thinking.

Embarrassed that she’d seen through him, Shen Haoran gave a sheepish laugh and quickly said, "Brother Luo, it’s getting late. We should get going!"

"Right, right, let’s go!" Luo Wenqing shot Xiaowen a look and began walking toward the city gates. As for the other Martial Artists, they could just pay up and follow behind.

Seeing Luo Wenqing set off, the Martial Artists who had paid quickly followed. In no time, a huge procession formed within Celestial Martial City, making the townspeople think some major event was happening.

Shen Haoran’s group exited the city gates and found two other groups waiting ahead. Their leaders were none other than Second Master Wu of the Wu Family and Yang Zhen of the Yang Family.

"Manager Luo, you’ve finally arrived!" Yang Zhen walked up, cupped his hands, and smiled upon seeing Luo Wenqing.

Luo Wenqing wasn’t at all surprised to see the two families. They were so opportunistic. ’It would have been more surprising if they hadn’t shown up!’

"Gentlemen, let me be clear," Luo Wenqing said in a cold voice. "The Spirit Emperor’s Ancient Tomb only allows Martial Artists below the Spirit General Tier to enter. If you dare to try anything, don’t blame the Celestial Martial Auction House for being ruthless!"

Hearing Luo Wenqing’s words, Second Master Wu and Yang Zhen shuddered and quickly said, "Manager Luo, rest assured. We will naturally abide by the agreement!"

"Very well!" Luo Wenqing glanced at the two families, then took the lead with Shen Haoran and walked onward.

"Younger Brother Shen," Luo Wenqing whispered, "once you enter the Ancient Tomb, you must be wary of those two families. You have a deep grudge with the Wu Family, so they probably won’t let you off the hook. And with that Ice Jade Marrow in your possession, the temptation for the Yang Family is significant. They might even try to rob you!"

At his words, Shen Haoran glanced behind him. In the Wu Family’s group, Wu Mengqi was glaring at him with a sinister expression, her gaze so hateful it looked as if she wanted to tear him to pieces. Meanwhile, in the Yang Family’s group, a young man in his twenties was watching him with a gentle smile. When Shen Haoran looked over, the young man even gave him a polite nod.

Although he appeared very courteous, Shen Haoran knew it was just a facade. ’A smiling tiger like him is the most terrifying kind of person!’

"Who’s that?" Shen Haoran asked Luo Wenqing.

"That’s the genius of the Yang Family, Yang Yu. At only twenty-three, his Cultivation has already reached Tier Eight Spirit Pupil. It’s possible he’ll break through to Spirit General before he’s thirty!" Luo Wenqing told Shen Haoran everything he knew. After all, know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat.

"Oh?" Hearing this, Shen Haoran couldn’t help but glance at Yang Yu again. ’A Tier Eight Spirit Pupil... He’s definitely a worthy opponent.’

"Don’t worry, I’ll have Xiaowen stick with you. For the sake of the Celestial Martial Auction House, they probably won’t make things difficult for you," Luo Wenqing comforted him.

"Then I’ll thank you in advance, Brother Luo!" Shen Haoran said politely. He didn’t pay much mind to Wu Mengqi or Yang Yu. ’Once I enter the Ancient Tomb, I’ll split off from the main group anyway. It’s not even certain I’ll run into them.’

"We’re here!" While everyone was talking, a visible Spiritual Barrier materialized ahead of them. Streams of pure Spiritual Power drifted out from it, washing over their bodies and bringing an indescribable sense of comfort. Bathed in this cleansing Spiritual Power, Shen Haoran could suddenly feel the threshold to Tier Two Spirit Pupil, a barrier he had been stuck at for a long time!

’Is this the tomb of a Spirit Emperor Powerhouse?’ Shen Haoran stared at the area within the Spiritual Barrier, his eyes burning with desire. ’Just the overflowing Spiritual Power is this pure. I can’t even imagine what it must be like inside the tomb!’

"That’s right! This Spiritual Barrier keeps out experts at the Spirit General Level, but it has no effect on Spirit Pupils," Luo Wenqing explained.

"You can all enter after a short rest. Remember, your life is the most important thing. Do what you can, but retreat immediately if you encounter any danger!" Luo Wenqing warned solemnly.

"Yes, sir!" the people from the Celestial Martial Auction House replied, their faces serious.

"Alright, get ready to head in!"

Shen Haoran nodded, his gaze once again fixed on the Spiritual Barrier. He shouted in his heart, ’Spirit Emperor’s Ancient Tomb, here I come! Fire Elemental Spirit, here I come!’