Chapter Twenty-Eight: Borrowing Two Million Spirit Coins

"So you want to come back! But that’s impossible. Even if you’ve actually become stronger, so what?" Mo Yujie chimed in from the side.

Mo Xuan, however, remained indifferent and unbothered, simply saying, "A good dog doesn't block the path."

"How dare you call us dogs! Someone, seize him!"

They had not expected that their underlings would be completely beneath Mo Xuan's notice. The main reason was that Mo Xuan had grown stronger; these men were merely at the first level of the Spirit Gathering Realm, with some not even reaching that stage yet, while Mo Xuan had attained the eleventh level of the Spirit Sealing Realm. It was effortless for him to deal with them.

Seeing this, Mo Jun began to panic. He had intended to use their numbers to teach Mo Xuan a lesson, but he never imagined that none of these men could last even three moves against him. He should have been grateful that Mo Xuan, out of consideration for their shared lineage, had only taught them a minor lesson; otherwise, things might not have ended so easily.

However, the two of them seemed unwilling to let it go.

Mo Xuan walked straight toward the Wolimma Auction House. Thanks to his status as a VIP, he bypassed many of the usual procedures. As it happened, a major auction was taking place, so Mo Xuan decided to drop by and see if he could find any high-level cultivation techniques.

Perhaps the auction was indeed promising, for he happened to run into Lin Mengyao again while she was there to auction off some premium potions. She had her own private box, but as she emerged, she crossed paths with Mo Xuan and they decided to go together.

"Are you here for that item too?" Mengyao asked, looking thoughtful.

Of course, Mo Xuan didn't know what powerful items would appear today; he only wanted to purchase a magic artifact or a scroll of cultivation techniques. "I, uh... I’m just looking around, and maybe selling a few things."

As they made their way upstairs, they encountered a group of acquaintances upon reaching the second floor. There were three of them, one being Chen Pengfei, who had clashed with Mo Xuan at the mines previously and knew the power of his Zero Domain.

Initially, Mo Xuan hadn't paid them any mind and continued toward the third-floor seating with Mengyao, but Chen Pengfei gave a meaningful look to his two companions. They caught the signal and stepped forward to block their path.

"Oh, isn't this Mo Xuan? What’s the rush to go upstairs?"

The two men blocking the way were Chen Xingcai and Chen Bizhi, the eldest and second young masters of the Chen family. Their strength was quite decent, both at the seventh level of the Spirit Sealing Realm. While not exceptionally high, they were considered formidable in Luochuan City. But such strength was clearly insufficient in front of Mo Xuan.

Mo Xuan took a quick look and, having no desire to waste words, simply said, "Move."

"Who did I think it was? Just a rat that only knows how to run!" Mo Xuan did not fear him; he despised those who only thought of fleeing at the slightest sign of danger.

"Hmph, I am nothing like you. However, you won’t be so lucky next time." Chen Pengfei was naturally furious, but his gaze drifted toward Mengyao, and his attitude shifted. "The young lady beside you is quite charming. Let her stay to keep us company, and we’ll let you pass."

"What did you say? Say that again." Before Mo Xuan could speak, Mengyao, incensed by the insult, flared with rage. She prepared to strike, but just as she condensed a palm seal and thrust it forward, she suddenly froze, and the spiritual energy gathered in her hand was dissipated by a strange force.

Chen Pengfei sneered, his words dripping with mockery. "Not bad, to have the strength of the fourth level of the Spirit Gathering Realm at such a young age, but your head is slow."

Mo Xuan hadn't expected Chen Pengfei to deploy a Stasis Domain so abruptly. He thought they would be able to trade blows for a while, but he had miscalculated; this man was truly difficult to deal with. Reacting a beat too slow, he forcibly pulled Mengyao out of the range of the domain.

"Heh, little girl, if you don't have the skill, don't try to be a hero... What!"

Just as Chen Pengfei was gloating, Mo Xuan channeled the Seven Hearts Technique, moving at an unnatural speed to circle around the three men and pull Mengyao clear of the Stasis Domain.

Mengyao originally wanted to turn back for revenge, but Mo Xuan held her back. She stopped, though she remained furious. "Damn it, I'll let you off for now."

Chen Pengfei turned around hurriedly, watching them leave. "Just wait, I won't let you off next time!"

"Thank you," Mengyao said. She had suffered a great loss just now; had it not been for Mo Xuan, she might have been abducted. Being prideful, she didn't admit she couldn't handle it, instead claiming she had never seen such a strange technique.

Mo Xuan kindly offered a warning. "That was a Stasis Domain. You are at a disadvantage fighting him. Besides, he is a disciple of the Shangqing Sect with peak eleventh-level Spirit Gathering Realm strength. Unless she is there, try to avoid fighting him!"

Even the Shangqing Sect, one of the seven great sects, was not held in high regard by her. It seemed the Spirit Fox clan Mengyao belonged to was truly powerful. Mo Xuan didn't ask for an explanation. As a friend, he offered a well-intentioned reminder: "I don't know the extent of your strength, but when facing such strange abilities, it's best to be cautious. In real combat, there is no 'next time.'"

"It's so embarrassing. I'm five levels higher than you, yet I still needed you to protect me," Mengyao muttered to herself, pouting with a sense of grievance, but she couldn't refute the logic in Mo Xuan's words.

The two took their seats.

At first, the items appearing at the auction were mere appetizers, of little value, and they had no intention of bidding. However, Mengyao was quite casual; she bought whatever caught her eye. It was a stark contrast to Mo Xuan, and quite enviable.

It wasn't until the seventh lot that Mo Xuan became interested. It was a mid-grade magic artifact called the Silver Moon Scimitar. It resembled the short blade Mo Xuan used, just a bit longer and larger. With some modifications, it would be usable.

The starting price was 150,000 spirit coins—a fair price for a mid-grade artifact—and he intended to bid. But things did not go as planned; someone was intentionally driving up the price. Mo Xuan looked toward the second floor. "It’s him. It seems winning an auction item here won't be as easy as before."

Mo Xuan placed a few bids, and the price eventually hit 400,000 spirit coins. It was a price he could accept, but he hesitated and eventually let it go.

Mengyao, seeing the man, was also furious and spoke loudly, "You are so shameless! Every time you raise the price, you only add ten spirit coins."

Chen Pengfei stepped forward to acknowledge them, explaining with a smirk, "Since the young lady is unhappy, we shall drop the change and settle on 410,000 spirit coins."

"You, you’ve gone too far." Mengyao wanted to stand up for Mo Xuan, but he held her back.

"Young Master Chen is so wealthy, then we shall not follow this bid."

Mengyao was puzzled. "He’s such a rascal, are you just going to let it slide?"

"I’ve calculated. This is the seventh lot, and there are ten more to come. A mid-grade artifact isn't worth it," Mo Xuan said, naturally unwilling to waste his money.

"Fine, suit yourself. I don't care anymore." Mengyao dropped the matter, though she dearly wanted to gift Mo Xuan one. Knowing he would most likely refuse, she asked, "I have many artifacts here. How about I give you one?"

"I'll find a way myself," Mo Xuan shook his head, though he paused, leaving a "but" hanging in the air.

Mengyao stopped pressing him.

Afterward, Mo Xuan bid on several more items, but Chen Pengfei ended up winning them all at prices two, three, four, or even five times their value. Truly, this was the first time Mo Xuan had encountered such a thing; it was baffling.

Yet, Mo Xuan wasn't angry; instead, a hint of a smile played on his lips, though he acted displeased and disappointed. By his count, the five items he had bid on were worth 200,000 to 300,000 spirit coins each, but they were bought by Chen for 600,000 to a million each. That added up to nearly seven million spirit coins!

That amount should be enough to secure the final grand prize of the auction. He doubted the Chen family could easily produce such a massive sum of cash all at once.

Mo Xuan hadn't expected to buy everything he needed here anyway; he had already prepared himself to forge a suitable weapon, though it would take time.

There were two items left, the second to last being a late-stage Open Realm technique called the "Flame Heart Wandering Dragon," with a starting bid of one million spirit coins. In the market, techniques above the Earth Realm were rarely seen; once they reached that level, they were treated as family heirlooms or sect secrets, effectively priceless and unavailable. Thus, Open Realm techniques were the mainstream.

Because it was a late-stage technique, the announcement drew many fervent gazes. However, one million was a stretch for Mo Xuan. Counting the proceeds from the premium potions he had submitted, he barely had two million spirit coins. He hadn't planned on buying it, so he asked Mengyao, "Are you buying this?"

Mengyao, nearly driven mad by Mo Xuan's behavior, had barely bid on anything since. "No. I'm waiting for the last item. Besides, you don't have that many coins anyway."

"Then, could you lend me one million spirit coins for now? I will pay you back later. No, make it two million!" Mo Xuan's sudden request to borrow money was quite unexpected.