The Sword God of the Universe

Upon arrival at Rainbow Gown Rainfall Tower, Jiao Zhan took out the entry ticket, smoothly leading Jing Yan inside.

A servant from the Rainfall Tower led them in front, guiding them to the lounge that had been arranged for them in advance.

This auction was clearly not a large-scale event, as Jing Yan noticed during the journey that not many people were entering the auction site. However, those Martial Artists who were able to attend this auction were clearly no ordinary people; Jing Yan even sensed the presence of several Saint Realm Martial Artists. An auction that could attract Saint Realm Martial Artists was definitely not a simple affair.

This meant that, although the auction wasn’t large in scale, the items up for auction were certainly not commonplace.

Outside the lounge, Jiao Zhan asked the four attendants to wait outside the door while he and Jing Yan entered the room.

There were already two people waiting inside the lounge. When Jing Yan entered, both turned their gazes toward him simultaneously.

"Brother Jiao, is this the friend you mentioned?" A young man dressed in a dark blue, luxurious robe glanced at Jing Yan before standing and facing Jiao Zhan with a light laugh.

Aside from the young man wearing the dark blue, luxurious robe, there was another person in the lounge: a young woman dressed in a light pink gown.

"Brother Jiao Zhan!" The young woman in the light pink gown stood up and softly called out to Jiao Zhan.

"Mr. Jing, this is Mu Bing, whose father is the Sect Master of Tianxia Divine Domain," Jiao Zhan introduced.

Tianxia Divine Domain was also a Second Grade Force within the Heavenly Origin Continent.

"And this is Miss Zhuo Liusu, the daughter of the Zhuo Family Patriarch of Jinhuan City."

Jiao Zhan introduced Jing Yan to the two people inside the lounge.

"Greetings to both of you!" Jing Yan nodded to the two individuals.

"There’s no need for formalities, Mr. Jing," Mu Bing replied courteously.

As for Zhuo Liusu, she merely nodded her head and offered a brilliant smile, although her eyes held a subtle hint of disdain.

Her family, the Zhuo Family, was also a Second Grade Force, and ordinary people naturally struggled to catch her eye.

Though Jiao Zhan had mentioned Jing Yan to them beforehand, he had not gone into detail.

Jiao Zhan was truly grateful to Jing Yan from the bottom of his heart and admired his abilities. A Pill Master capable of refining the Golden Silk Red Cloud Pill was no ordinary individual. Befriending someone of his stature would undeniably be a great help to himself.

Thus, it wasn’t appropriate for Jiao Zhan to reveal too much about Jing Yan to others. Furthermore, he didn’t know Jing Yan well himself—it was, after all, only their second meeting. Since Jing Yan helped him refine the Golden Silk Red Cloud Pill, he was even less inclined to publicize it.

Jing Yan could tell that neither Mu Bing nor Zhuo Liusu held him in high regard; if it hadn’t been for Jiao Zhan bringing him along, they likely wouldn’t have given him a second look.

Both Mu Bing and Zhuo Liusu hailed from Second Grade Forces, but their status was still a step below Jiao Zhan’s.

Why?

The reason was simple: Jiao Zhan was the Young Master of the Jiao Family, and there was a high probability he would take over as the new Clan Leader once the Old Clan Leader stepped down. Unless something unexpected happened, his succession was virtually guaranteed. Whereas the positions of these two individuals, despite not being insignificant, gave them little chance to head their respective forces.

Therefore, both of them were quite deferential to Jiao Zhan, which resulted in them giving a modicum of face to Jing Yan on the surface. Yet deep down, they somewhat looked down on Jing Yan.

Of course, Jing Yan didn’t particularly care about this, as he had no intention of making connections with these two individuals.

"Please take a seat, Mr. Jing," Jiao Zhan offered.

"Thank you," Jing Yan replied, without demurring, and took a seat.

The actions of Jing Yan caused Mu Bing and Zhuo Liusu to shift their eyes ever so slightly, their mouths curving somewhat disdainfully. All three of them were still standing, yet Jing Yan had seated himself first, which clearly rankled them a bit. However, out of respect for Jiao Zhan, they refrained from saying anything.

One by one, the four individuals took their seats.

"Brother Jiao, I’ve heard that there will be quite a few good items at this auction. You’ve got to let me snatch up a few," Mu Bing said after sitting down.

"Brother Jiao Zhan certainly won’t be interested in common treasures! We don’t have to worry about him competing with us for the treasures," Zhuo Liusu giggled.

"The auction will feature no less than a hundred items—how many can I possibly buy?" Jiao Zhan chuckled.

He turned to Jing Yan and said, "Mr. Jing, if you fancy anything during the auction, just let me know. I will do my utmost to secure it for you."

His meaning was clear: if Jing Yan was interested in any treasure, he could purchase it and present it to Jing Yan as a gesture of goodwill.

"I won’t need that—if there is anything that catches my eye, I will bid for it myself," Jing Yan responded, waving his hand.

With treasures from the Despair Abyss likely far surpassing those on the Heavenly Origin Continent in quality, Jing Yan was indeed curious about what kinds of treasures would be presented at the auction.

To be honest, the number of items in this world that could captivate Jing Yan’s interest was quite scarce. If there were no must-have items, Jing Yan was inclined not to bid at all. He was attending this auction not for the treasures but to confirm whether Saintess Bai Xue was the same person as Bai Xue City Lord.

Mu Bing and Zhuo Liusu listened to the exchange between the two men, growing even more perplexed as they naturally perceived the unusually respectful attitude Jiao Zhan held toward Jing Yan.

Who could Mr. Jing be? They pondered to themselves, wondering if he might be a core scion of a Second Grade Force. However, they were familiar with all the Second Grade Forces in the entire Tianxia Divine Domain and were acquainted with most of the important young members of these forces.

Yet they had no recollection of this Mr. Jing.

"The Holy Daughter of Rainbow Gown Divine Sect has made her appearance!" Mu Bing suddenly exclaimed.

The few people within the lounge quickly moved to the edge and peered through the crystal barrier; they could see three beautiful young women emerging in the center of the arena.

The venue was circular with the lounges distributed around the perimeter. The crystal walls were opaque from the outside but transparent from the inside.

"The Holy Daughters of Rainbow Gown Divine Sect are indeed beautiful, and their Martial Arts Cultivation levels are also very high," Mu Bing remarked with admiration.

Jing Yan furrowed his brow upon seeing the three young women below, as none of them was Bai Xue City Lord. Could it be that Saintess Bai Xue was not the same person he knew as Bai Xue City Lord?

Swiftly, Jing Yan released a strand of Divine Thought to envelop the three Holy Daughters. Fearing that Bai Xue had altered her appearance and was unrecognizable on sight, he decided to sense them with his Divine Soul. If one of the three young women indeed was Bai Xue City Lord, even with a changed appearance, Jing Yan would be able to sense the difference.

However, Jing Yan quickly felt a wave of disappointment; none of the three Holy Daughters was the Bai Xue City Lord he was familiar with.

"Huh? Doesn’t Rainbow Gown Divine Sect currently have four Holy Daughters? Why have only three appeared this time?" Jiao Zhan muttered, puzzled.