A murmur swept through the crowd below. Although transformation techniques were hard to master, they were quite common and had no real auction value. Only a few people, like Lu Yang and Chi Xu Long, were not disappointed.

The auctioneer continued, "This book is not an ordinary transformation technique. It allows for attacks during the transformation process. If used in battle, it could catch opponents off guard."

This piqued some interest, but not much. After all, who would use a transformation technique in a fight?

The auctioneer added, "It's important to note that this technique is extremely difficult to learn. Master Yang Xuanling has said that although this book seems ordinary, it is far from simple!"

Lu Yang spoke to himself in a voice just loud enough for Chi Xu Long to hear, "As expected, this book is too similar to the one described in legends."

Meng Jingzhou, sitting nearby, hurriedly whispered, "Shut up! Can you say such things out loud? When will you stop talking to yourself?"

Startled, Lu Yang quickly fell silent and focused on the transformation technique on stage.

Chi Xu Long observed Lu Yang's reaction with a sideways glance, his curiosity piqued.

"Starting bid: one hundred spirit stones!"

This price was much lower than normal for transformation techniques, suggesting that the auction house was unsure about the value of this one.

"One hundred ten!" Someone quickly raised their bid. This amount was nothing; it was worth it just to buy something unusual.

"One hundred twenty!" Chi Xu Long lazily called out, as if he was just casually making noise.

"One hundred forty!"

"One hundred eighty!"

"Two hundred!"

The price for the transformation technique soared rapidly.

"Eight hundred!" Lu Yang shouted.

Meng Jingzhou quickly grabbed Lu Yang's hand, "Why are you shouting such a high price? Are you trying to draw attention?"

"I-I just didn’t want it to be snatched away," Lu Yang stammered.

Eight hundred spirit stones wasn't a lot, but for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it was significant. Qi Refining cultivators couldn't just casually take out eight hundred spirit stones.

"One thousand!"

A voice came from beside Lu Yang. He turned in shock to see Chi Xu Long, confused about why he would compete with him for this transformation technique. It was just a book that looked a bit special!

Could it be that Chi Xu Long had noticed something?

Lu Yang thought to himself, Oh no, did he overhear what I just said?

Lu Yang whispered to Chi Xu Long, "Friend, this technique resembles one that has been lost in my family for a long time. Could you let me have it? I promise to reward you handsomely after the auction!"

Chi Xu Long sneered. Lost for a long time? He wouldn’t believe that. This technique must hide ancient secrets!

Sitting nearby, Shen Jinyi wanted to say something but held back when he saw Chi Xu Long's determined attitude.

Seeing that flattery didn’t work, Lu Yang raised his bid again, "One thousand two hundred low-grade spirit stones!"

"Two thousand," Chi Xu Long said without even lifting an eyebrow, thinking that Lu Yang must not be at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Lu Yang put everything he had on the line: "Two thousand three hundred low-grade spirit stones!"

"Three thousand." Chi Xu Long remained indifferent.

Lu Yang borrowed money from Meng Jingzhou, "Lend me a thousand spirit stones, I’ll pay you back next year!"

"Sure," Meng Jingzhou agreed readily.

"Three thousand three hundred low-grade spirit stones!"

"Four thousand!"

Lu Yang continued borrowing money, but he couldn't compete with the wealthy Chi Xu Long.

In the end, Chi Xu Long won the transformation technique for a staggering eight thousand spirit stones. Lu Yang left with tears in his eyes, having made a profit of eight thousand spirit stones, achieving a win-win situation.

After the auction ended, the four of them were about to leave. Just as they stepped out of the market area and reached a desolate mountain foot, they were blocked by Chi Xu Long and Shen Jinyi.

"What do you want from us?" they stammered.

Chi Xu Long smirked cruelly. "What do you think? Kid, don’t pretend to be clueless. No one has ever tricked me!"

Chi Xu Long took out the Lu family transformation technique and released his Foundation Establishment aura. "Tell me, what ancient secret is hidden in this book!"

"If you tell me, I might spare your lives. If you dare lie, don’t blame me for being ruthless!"

Chi Xu Long had no intention of letting the four go. The fewer people who knew the ancient secret, the better. Plus, Lan Ting was stunningly beautiful; he wanted to toy with her before killing her!

In Chi Xu Long's eyes, these four couldn't even scrape together a few thousand spirit stones, so they must all be at the Qi Refining stage.

There was no chance for Qi Refining cultivators to resist him!

Lu Yang sighed, recalling how Master Chu had hinted at causing trouble during the Spring Festival. Did Master Chu foresee today's situation and suggest he kill Chi Xu Long and Shen Jinyi?

Master Chu was truly clever!

Lu Yang took off his mask, revealing his true face. "Chi Xu Long, there’s no need for us to be so hostile."

As he spoke, he secretly took out a recording orb.

"Lu Yang! You’re dead!" Chi Xu Long exploded in anger, suddenly realizing that Lu Yang was toying with him.

The auction was just a play for Lu Yang!

"We must have a misunderstanding. There must be someone stirring the pot. How about this: we go to Master Chu and clear things up. Even if you don’t trust me, you should at least trust Master Chu, right?"

Mentioning Master Chu only fueled Chi Xu Long's rage. "How dare you bring up Master Chu! What face do you have?"

"Master Chu must have been deceived by you to make you a steward. And who are these ‘stirrers’? You’re the real instigator!"

"How could I be the instigator? Don’t talk nonsense!" Lu Yang argued fiercely.

Chi Xu Long sneered. "Don’t think I don’t know about your misdeeds!"

"You act like a good person in front of Master Chu, but since joining the sect, you’ve done nothing but betray us! I think you’re a spy sent by the Proper Path!"

Chi Xu Long was just venting his anger. If he truly believed Lu Yang was a Proper Path spy, he would have been secretly watching him for evidence long ago.

Lu Yang sighed, put away the recording orb, and drew his sword, reluctantly saying, "If that’s the case, it seems we have no choice but to fight."

Chi Xu Long and Shen Jinyi smirked disdainfully, readying their weapons.

Meng Jingzhou, Man Gu, and Lan Ting did the same.

The battle began.

...

Lu Yang brought the news of Chi Xu Long and Shen Jinyi's deaths to Master Chu.

No matter how strong Chi Xu Long and Shen Jinyi were, they couldn’t survive against four disciples of the Immortal Sect. It was a one-sided crushing defeat, and their deaths were gruesome enough that Lan Ting didn’t even want to eat afterward.

As Lu Yang took out the recording orb, he explained to Master Chu, "You know Chi Xu Long’s temper; he kills at the slightest disagreement. I worried something like this would happen, so I recorded it in advance, in case he came to you claiming I bullied him."

"Now it seems he won’t be coming to you anymore."

"The recording orb has some issues; it’s a bit choppy, but it should reflect the situation at that time. Please take a look."

Master Chu, sitting on his jade chair, picked up the recording orb and watched the scene unfold.

"Chi Xu Long, there’s no need for us to be so hostile," Lu Yang tried to ease the tension.

"Lu Yang! You’re dead!" Clearly, Chi Xu Long was not appreciative.

"Master Chu… what face do you have!"

"Master Chu… made you a steward… you’re the real instigator!"

"…How could I be the instigator? Don’t talk nonsense!" Lu Yang argued back.

"Don’t think I don’t know about your misdeeds!"

"…Master Chu… acts like a good person… since joining the sect, you’ve done nothing but betray us… I think… you’re a spy sent by the Proper Path!"

The recording ended there, and Master Chu gritted his teeth in anger.

Lu Yang, filled with righteous indignation, said, "Master, you’ve treated me well. We in the Demon Path also have our rivalries; in a fit of rage, I couldn’t help but act. I saw Chi Xu Long slandering you, and Shen Jinyi didn’t stop him. I was furious and brought Meng Jingzhou and the others to kill them!"

"It wasn’t suitable to record during the fight, so I put the orb away."

Lu Yang certainly wouldn’t let Master Chu know about their fighting styles.

Master Chu praised loudly, and one could faintly hear his anger towards Chi Xu Long. "Well done! Those two beasts had it coming!"

Master Chu knew Chi Xu Long was dissatisfied with him. He had previously called him over to offer some advice, and Chi Xu Long had sworn loyalty, claiming he would do better than Lu Yang.

Now it seemed Chi Xu Long still harbored resentment, even accusing him of being a Proper Path spy.

How could the Undying Sect possibly have a Proper Path spy!

"Lu Yang, you’ve removed two serious threats for our sect. Well done! When the inspector arrives, I will definitely speak highly of you in front of him!"

(End of Chapter)