Chapter 13: Interesting Youth

“Ancestor Xu, should we attend this auction or not?” Ling Qingshu asked, standing in front of a table while Xu Yang sat opposite her, holding a special letter.

It was an invitation from the Spirit Treasure Auction House, a unique power within Qizhou City. The invitation was for Ling Qingshu and Xu Yang, who had never appeared before outsiders, to attend an auction a few days later.

“An auction, interesting. And the name of this auction house is even more so. We will definitely go in a few days,” Xu Yang replied. He looked at the signature on the invitation; the words "Spirit Treasure" seemed very familiar to him, as if he had seen them somewhere before.

Ling Qingshu was delighted to receive Xu Yang's affirmative reply. She had long heard about the Spirit Treasure Auction House, but previously, her cultivation was only at the Mid-Foundation Establishment stage, so she naturally had no chance to participate. Now that she had broken through to the Golden Core Realm, the Spirit Treasure Auction House had sent an invitation, and Ling Qingshu was eager to experience such an event and broaden her horizons.

Xu Yang also had no particular objections to the auction. In fact, he was quite eager to attend, wondering what good items he might encounter there. Counting carefully, it had been fifteen thousand years since Xu Yang last visited an auction house. Since then, even though he had traveled to many places, Xu Yang had never set foot in an auction house again.

Three days later, Xu Yang, with Ling Qingshu following behind, entered Qizhou City.

“Ancestor, the Spirit Treasure Auction House is just ahead. I heard it’s a branch of a major power,” Ling Qingshu informed Xu Yang, pointing to a large plaque. Xu Yang’s gaze rested on the signboard and he quickly grasped one main thing about this auction house: it was rich. At the very least, in this era and within Qizhou City, the Spirit Treasure Auction House was one of the best.

When Ling Qingshu presented the invitation letter, a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator immediately emerged from the Spirit Treasure Auction House and led her and Xu Yang inside. Along the way, the cultivator introduced the auction house's operations. This particular Spirit Treasure Auction House in Qizhou City was indeed a very small branch, but in the eyes of Qizhou’s cultivators, it was already a colossal entity.

This Spirit Treasure Auction House in Qizhou City had six floors. The second to fourth floors were used for selling spiritual items, the fifth floor was the auction hall, and the sixth floor served as residences for some of the auction house’s cultivators.

After the Foundation Establishment cultivator led Ling Qingshu and Xu Yang to the fifth floor, he turned and left to attend to other guests. Xu Yang, being someone who couldn't stay idle, heard that spiritual items were sold on the second to fourth floors, so he went down two more floors. Ling Qingshu was quite at ease with Xu Yang exploring on his own. She remained on the fifth floor, and soon, people came to strike up conversations with her.

Xu Yang descended all the way to the second floor. He planned to start by browsing the lowest-grade spiritual items in the Spirit Treasure Auction House and continue through the second, third, and fourth floors. If he encountered anything he liked or felt drawn to, Xu Yang would buy it without hesitation.

Xu Yang wandered alone on the second floor. Coupled with his aura, which seemed to be only at the Qi Refining stage, and his very youthful appearance, it wasn't long before trouble found him. After Xu Yang showed interest in a certain spiritual herb, a lavishly dressed young man nearby also spoke up, wanting to contend with Xu Yang for it.

“Kid, do you know who I am? If you’re smart, hand over the spiritual herb I’ve set my eyes on, and don’t bring trouble upon yourself.”

Xu Yang looked at the young man’s arrogant expression and the words that subtly hinted at a powerful background. Instead of getting angry, Xu Yang found it rather amusing. It had been tens of thousands of years since he had encountered such a situation. He never expected that attending a small auction this time would lead to it happening to him again.

Holding the herb in his hand, Xu Yang asked with a hint of amusement, “You want this spiritual herb too?”

“That’s right, kid. You seem to know your place. Young Master here thinks highly of you.” The young man directly reached out to take the spiritual herb from Xu Yang’s hand. In his eyes, Xu Yang had already smartly yielded the herb.

Watching the young man’s movement, Xu Yang subtly flicked his wrist, and the herb moved out of the path of the young man’s outstretched hand. As a result, the young man grabbed nothing but air, and his eyes were filled with surprise as he looked at Xu Yang.

“Kid, do you not know who I am? Tell me, what’s your price for this spiritual herb? Young Master wants it.”

Hearing this, Xu Yang shook his head and replied to the young man, “In my eyes, this spiritual herb is priceless.”

In reality, the spiritual herb wasn’t rare; it just possessed some rather unique properties. In the young man’s eyes, this kind of spiritual herb was no different from a common weed. He only bothered to compete with Xu Yang because it looked decent.

“Priceless? This is clearly just an ordinary spiritual herb! Truly priceless ones would only appear at today’s main auction,” the young man murmured, looking at the spiritual herb in Xu Yang’s hand.

“You know this spiritual item is very common, common to the point of being abundant. So why are you still contending with me for it?”

“I!” The young man was momentarily speechless after Xu Yang’s question. After much thought, he finally came up with a reason for himself. “I like it, alright?!”

Hearing this, Xu Yang smiled even more brightly, nodded repeatedly, and handed the spiritual herb to the young man. “Alright, alright. If you like it, then this spiritual herb is yours.”

With that, Xu Yang turned to look at other spiritual herbs, leaving the young man standing there, dumbfounded. What was going on? He had clearly gotten Xu Yang to give up the spiritual herb, yet why did he feel like he was actually at a disadvantage? Did he look like a beggar accepting charity when he took the spiritual herb just now?

Thinking this, the young man quickly tossed the spiritual herb back. How could he, the dignified Young Master of the Fang family in Qizhou City—a wealthy figure who had nothing but money—possibly resemble a beggar? Shaking his head to clear his mind of distracting thoughts, the young man went to look at other spiritual herbs.

Meanwhile, Xu Yang, who had turned and walked away, was in a very good mood. He hadn't expected that a casual stroll outside this time would lead him to meet such an interesting young man. Thinking about the entire interaction, Xu Yang couldn’t help but smile. If it had been his self from twenty thousand years ago, with that mindset, he would certainly have made this young man suffer today. But now, Xu Yang faced it with a mere laugh and a shrug—this was the difference in his mental state. Over the past twenty thousand years, his mental state had indeed improved significantly. On the path of cultivation, one must cultivate not only strength but also the mind.