The murmurs erupted even faster than before.
“The private room on the second floor again?”
“The same one who bought the first Qingming Command?”
“Bidding seven thousand for a Moon Breath Spirit Tree that's barely holding onto life?”
“Perhaps they possess some secret method for spiritual fields.”
“When you can spend ten thousand high-grade spirit stones on a Qingming Command, what's seven thousand for a sapling?”
A flash of surprise crossed Ming Qi's eyes as well. She remembered this private room. The first Qingming Command had been bought right here.
She quickly composed herself and smiled. “A distinguished guest on the second floor bids seven thousand high-grade spirit stones. Seven thousand high-grade spirit stones, going once.”
This time, the bidder who had previously bid six thousand three hundred did not follow up.
“Seven thousand high-grade spirit stones, going twice.”
Yun Heng leaned back in her chair, her eyes still resting on the young tree.
“Seven thousand high-grade spirit stones, going thrice.”
The small wooden gavel fell.
“Congratulations to the distinguished guest on the second floor for winning the Moon Breath Spirit Tree sapling!”
Before long, another knock sounded outside the door. Two attendants together carried the jade basin in, accompanied by a man who appeared to be a steward, carrying a transaction jade token in his hand.
“The Moon Breath Spirit Tree sapling has arrived. Please inspect it, guest.”
The jade basin was set down beside a low table in the room.
Yun Heng looked down. The silver-white branches were so slender they looked as if they would snap at a touch, and several leaf edges were tinged with a slight gray. The spirit soil around its roots was sealed by an array, yet a few fine roots could still be seen curled up in the dirt, not fully unraveled.
Approaching it, Yun Heng could feel a faint hint of coolness. The broken jade at her waist stirred gently once more. This time it was clearer than before; resting against her robe, the jade's surface emitted a trace of faint warmth.
She raised her hand and rested her fingertips along the rim of the jade basin without touching the young tree itself, yet the tips of the Moon Breath Spirit Tree's leaves trembled subtly.
Seeing her observe it for so long, the steward said in a low voice, “This tree's vitality is damaged, Miss. If you plan to replant it, it would be best to find suitable spirit soil within three days. If left in this jade basin, Wanbao Pavilion's array can only preserve it for about ten more days.”
Yun Heng nodded. She then handed over seven thousand high-grade spirit stones and pressed down the transaction jade token.
After taking the spirit stones, the steward bowed and withdrew, followed by the two attendants.
Only Yun Heng and the Moon Breath Spirit Tree sapling remained in the room.
Yun Heng stood before the jade basin, gazing at it for a moment. This tree was connected to the broken jade—or rather, to whatever lay behind the broken jade. Yun Heng did not know what this connection was for now, but she knew that anything capable of causing a reaction in the broken jade could not be an ordinary spiritual plant.
She stored the jade basin along with the outer Spirit-Protecting Array into her Qiankun Spirit-Storing Bag, isolating a separate space to place it.
There were a few more items in the remaining auction: a high-rank demon core, a jade box sealed with ancient restrictions, and a bottle of healing pills that could even benefit Nascent Soul cultivators.
When the final item was settled, Ming Qi bowed to the four directions on stage.
“Tonight's auction concludes here. Wanbao Pavilion will deliver all winning items in accordance with our rules. Guests who did not secure an item are welcome to visit the various floors of the building to find what they need.”
The light from the bronze lamps gradually dimmed, and the people in the auction hall began to rise and leave one after another.
Yun Heng glanced at the night sky outside the window; it was already the second quarter of the Hour of the Dog. The lights of Tianque City's night market were already burning bright, with streams of people moving to and fro along the distant streets.
The errand boy soon knocked and entered. “Miss Yun, the auction has ended. Will you be returning to your second-floor private room to rest, or do you have other arrangements?”
Yun Heng stood up. “To the Martial Inquiry Arena.”
The errand boy froze for a second before quickly bowing his head in response. “Yes, this humble one will lead the way for you, Miss.”
The Martial Inquiry Arena was not located at the end of an ordinary market street, but was instead set within an independent complex of buildings. From afar, it appeared as a square, tall building with exterior walls built from grayish-white spirit stones. Standing before the entrance was a thirty-foot-tall black stone plaque bearing three large characters:
Martial Inquiry Arena.
The strokes were heavy and sharp, lacking any ornamentation, yet naturally exhaling an aura of pressure.
Yun Heng stepped inside.
In an instant, a wave of noise washed over her—clamor, collisions, the muffled thuds of exploding spiritual power, and the hushed yet sharp conversations between cultivators.
Her field of view suddenly widened. The interior was far larger than it appeared from the outside, resembling less a building and more a domain held open by arrays.
Faint spiritual light flowed across the ceiling above, like a dome or an inverted array domain, securely enclosing the entire space. The ground was divided into square sections, with a sparring platform standing in the center of each section. At a rough glance, there were at least twenty.
On every platform, people were locked in combat. Sword light, fist shadows, and spell collisions erupted, but the exploding spiritual energy was swiftly smoothed away by the arrays, preventing it from affecting the crowd of onlookers.
Many cultivators stood around the platforms; some watched the matches, some kept records, and others quietly commented on the outcomes.
The moment Yun Heng stepped in, someone noticed her.
A young cultivator dressed in a short white robe with cord tied around his cuffs possessed an experienced demeanor, scrutinizing her with a gaze that was curious without being offensive. He walked over and bowed to Yun Heng. “Fellow cultivator, my name is Bai Yi, a rogue cultivator. Is this your first time at the Martial Inquiry Arena?”
Yun Heng nodded.
Bai Yi smiled. “Would you like me to give you a brief overview? It isn't complicated.”
“Then I shall trouble you.”
He raised his hand and pointed around. “The Martial Inquiry Platforms are divided into five realms: Qi Refinement, Meridian Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul. Each realm has its own independent sparring platform and its own leaderboard.”
As he spoke, he led Yun Heng a few steps to the side. The wall there was brighter than near the entrance, displaying lines of names floating upon it. There was one board for each realm, making five in total. The leaderboards were projections formed by arrays, the names drifting gently alongside the flowing spiritual light.
Bai Yi continued, “The leaderboards only list the top one hundred. Each victory awards ten points, a draw yields no points, and a defeat deducts ten.”
He paused before adding, “If you challenge someone on the leaderboard and win, points are awarded based on their rank. The higher their rank, the more points you gain.”
Under such rules, securing a high rank in a short time was unlikely—unless one could defeat an opponent with a very high rank in one go. If she could defeat the fiftieth rank, she would get 520 points, and if she pushed even higher...
Yun Heng's gaze landed on the Nascent Soul Leaderboard.
Seeing her gaze stop, Bai Yi understood immediately. “The Nascent Soul area is on the innermost side.”
The farther inward they walked, the fewer people there were, but the stronger the spiritual breath became. Five sparring platforms stood side by side. Among the cultivators fighting on them, even the weakest was at the mid-stage Nascent Soul Realm. When spiritual energy collided, even the air briefly distorted.
He whispered, “The top one hundred on the Nascent Soul Leaderboard are mostly late stage Nascent Soul, or even peak stage. Those who can stay firmly in the top fifty are all ruthless characters.”
The names on the Nascent Soul Leaderboard drifted line by line; some glowed with faint light, while others were dim.
She noticed this detail. “Why are some names bright and others dim?”
“A bright name means the person is currently in Tianque City. A dim one means they have left the city.” He added, “Those with glowing names can accept challenges at any time. If challenged, they must arrive within two hours. Those with dim names are given a half-month deadline. If they fail to arrive, one hundred points are deducted automatically.”
Yun Heng's eyes swept line by line across the leaderboard, and she suddenly smiled. First place was actually an acquaintance—Xie Wujiu—and his name was still lit. It seemed his reputation as the Eastern Region's number one genius was truly deserved, and Taihua Sword Sect had already arrived in Tianque City.
Looking further down, thirty-third place was He Zhou, whose name was dim. It seemed the people of Xuanxiao Sect were not traveling particularly quickly.
She withdrew her gaze.
Bai Yi continued, “If you wish to get on the leaderboard, fellow cultivator, you must first register over there.”
He pointed toward a stone platform not far away. Array patterns were carved into the stone platform, beside which stood a black stone tablet displaying four characters: "Martial Inquiry Registration."
She walked over. A cultivator who looked like a deacon sat behind the stone platform. Seeing someone approach, he asked, “Challenge or registration?”
“I want to challenge rank forty on the Nascent Soul Leaderboard.”
Rate on N.U.
