Can a Scholar Be Called a Villain - Book 2: Chapter 7: Start of the auction

In the course of the next two days, Murong Lin tirelessly combed through Heaven Martial City in pursuit of fortuitous encounters, guided by the locations imprinted in his memory. His relentless efforts yielded an impressive collection of Sky-grade spiritual items, and he even managed to acquire several Barren-grade spiritual treasures.

Despite his substantial haul, none of these items had the power to significantly elevate his strength in a short span of time. Consequently, his cultivation remained in the sixth layer of the Cognizance realm.

From exploring the quaint stalls lining the city’s sidewalks to attending high-profile auctions and visiting various shops, Murong Lin’s figure traversed throughout Heaven Martial City. Regrettably, he never crossed paths with the two protagonists.

As the last day before the commencement of the ‘Great Nanyue Wan Guo Tournament’ arrived, Murong Lin was dressed in green as he held a fan in one hand, balancing a teacup on its tip. He appeared to effortlessly float in midair, gliding through one of the entrances of the auction house.

Within the auction house, numerous formidable overseers and managers exuded auras that exceeded the Abhijñā realm. Their presence alone acted as an imposing deterrent to any would-be troublemakers.

Murong Lin gauged their power, finding it to be roughly equivalent to that of Ye Lan, the disciple of the Hundred Cultivation Mountain. This revelation indicated that these decons from the ten great sects were all in the Virtuality realm.

The Virtuality realm stood at a level above the Abhijñā realm, distinguished by its unique ability to manipulate space itself, tearing it apart to enable practitioners to traverse short distances. This was a far cry from conventional wormholes, as it involved exploiting minuscule rifts in space, allowing for virtually instantaneous travel.

Murong Lin exchanged a thousand spiritual stones with an attendant at the entrance and stepped into the opulent auction house.

True to its prestigious standing, this auction house in the grandest city on the continent exuded an aura of extravagance.

Within the grand venue, not all seats were grounded; some were suspended in mid-air. At the heart of the venue, a floating auction platform loomed three stories above the ground, with parallel rows of a million seats, along with an additional hundred thousand seats at even greater heights.

These seats were organized in circular tiers around the central platform, and high above them all, numerous platforms accommodated tens of thousands of spectators. At the apex were a thousand private rooms, each requiring only a single spiritual crystal for entry.

The affluent disciples of the influential factions didn’t hesitate to spend this paltry sum, quickly filling up these rooms. Murong Lin, however, sought a more modest platform and secured a seat, though even that came at the cost of ten thousand spiritual stones.

“How are they this skilled at amassing wealth?” He mused, his remark escaping his lips as he completed his payment and secured a seat. What he soon realized was that every seat provided an unobstructed view of the central auction platform.

By the time he settled in, the auctioneer had already begun to auction off a few smaller items to set the stage, “The higher Earth-level ‘Tong Xin Ming Dan’—a hundred thousand spiritual stones! Sold!”

“The sale of three Manifestation realm demonic beast cubs, capable of evolving into Sky Reaching realm ‘Golden Armour Bellowing Beasts’, a million and a half spiritual stones! Sold!”

“Ten pieces of gamble stones from the Void Sea, their fortuitous encounters holding infinite potential! Three million spiritual stones! Sold!”

Murong Lin observed the small elderly auctioneer who enthusiastically conducted the auction, his white beard swaying in the air as he animatedly gestured.

His attention eventually shifted towards the surroundings, and he quickly identified Xiao Dong seated in the front row. Given Xiao Dong’s strength at the third layer of the Cognizance realm, he was an unmistakable figure among the excited attendees.

Xiao Dong donned white attire and sported a headscarf, clearly a handcrafted item likely made by a maiden. Murong Lin observed as Xiao Dong’s eyes were filled with emotion, and he noticed that the object of his affection was none other than the woman sitting beside him.

To his surprise, this woman was Liu Miao Miao, known as the ‘Descending Dawn Fairy’. Her illustrious title contrasted with her less-than-amiable personality as a socialite.

Yet, in the presence of the protagonist halo, it appeared as if anything was redeemable.

Murong Lin surmised that Luo Miao Miao might have resorted to tears and tantrums, eventually becoming a confidante of Xiao Dong.

In his experience, Xiao Dong was the most lustful protagonist he had encountered thus far.

He gazed helplessly at Xiao Dong, who had drawn numerous envious and admiring looks from the people around him. Murong Lin mumbled to himself, “Xiao Dong, oh, Xiao Dong. You’re courting death all on your own here, don’t blame me.”

Suddenly, a commotion arose from the side. Murong Lin turned his attention to the source and noticed that it was Shi Ji Mi from Shixin and Shi Qiao Long from the East Sea Alliance. Both were practitioners at the first or second layer of the Cognizance realm.

“Hey! I didn’t expect Brother Xie to be seated here as well.” Shi Ji Mi exclaimed, waving his arm excitedly as he and Shi Qiao Long made their way over to sit beside Murong Lin.

It was clear that the two of them had already formed an alliance, and they were both fixated on Murong Lin.

Shi Ji Mi, following Murong Lin’s gaze, looked at Xiao Dong as well, who was radiating self-assured confidence. He smiled and said, “Brother Nie, don’t you find that fellow, Xiao Dong, rather intriguing?”

Murong Lin locked eyes with Shi Ji Mi, paused for a moment, and then smiled in agreement, “Indeed! I’ve never encountered such an intriguing individual before!”

Shi Ji Mi nodded in agreement and began to provide some insight, saying, “Xiao Dong may have gained recognition in the stone betting scene as a master, but they’re all insignificant tricks.

He’s already offended Zhou Xuan Zi, the younger brother of Zhou Xuan Tong, and stirred up conflicts with quite a few people. Once he enters the Heaven Martial hidden realm, he’s likely to face a miserable demise.”

Murong Lin nodded, “You’re absolutely right. By the way, where did Brother Wang go?”

He inquired of the two.

Shi Ji Mi and Shi Qiao Long’s expressions shifted with a hint of anger and embarrassment as they explained, “That fellow, Wang Chuang, left with someone named Bai Xiao Mo. We’re not entirely sure what they’re up to.”

Bai Xiao Mo!

Murong Lin’s gaze shifted as realization dawned on him. It all made sense now; Bai Xiao Mo and Wang Chuang had teamed up. They were likely present in this very auction house. However, it remained unclear whether they had altered their appearances or manipulated their soul’s aura in some way.

Unable to locate Bai Xiao Mo, Murong Lin decided to cease his search.

At this juncture, the auction event was approaching its main proceedings.

As the white-haired old man departed from the stage, an elegant and captivating woman gracefully glided onto it. She wore a pink dress, and her spiritual power radiated, causing occasional petals to descend. Her pink-hued aura surged, instantly captivating the hearts of numerous audience members.

“Wow, she’s so… breathtaking! I’m dying!”

“Goodness! Is she a fairy? I wish I could marry her…”

“Shh! Are you trying to get yourself killed? Do you even know who she is? How audacious can your fantasies get?”

“Who is she?”

“The Red and Pink Fairy. Have you at least heard that name before?”

Murong Lin, too, fixed his gaze on the woman who had taken the stage. He felt a peculiar sensation, which made his brows furrow.

Observing his perplexed expression, Shi Ji Mi chuckled with a mysterious glint in his eyes, “Hey, Brother Nie, do you also sense that something’s off about this woman?”

Murong Lin nodded and turned to the robust man beside him, saying, “You’re right. It feels like her aura isn’t quite human…mm, it’s rather unusual.”

In Murong Lin’s perception, there was a distinct difference in her aura compared to humans, yet it didn’t resemble that of a demonic beast either.

Could it be…

Shi Ji Mi proceeded to enlighten him, “Her name is Di Wu Huo, and she possesses a spiritual physique known as the ‘Red Pink Skeleton’. These kinds of spiritual physiques are found only in the offspring of humans and the bone race.

In other words, Di Wu Huo is neither a human, demonic beast, nor part of the skeleton race. She belongs to a unique species.”

Translator’s note:

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