Upon arriving at Black Mark City, Lin Xiu went directly to the auction venue.
"Annual auction conference? Entrance requires tickets, five thousand gold coins is not too much, luckily."
Lin Xiu had not a penny in his pocket, but he was not worried at all.
Because Black-Corner Region was notorious for chaos, Black Mark City naturally was the same. With strength, there was no worry about making money.
Lin Xiu didn't plan to get too many gold coins.
After all,
He didn't plan to spend money to participate in the auction.
He was already a Dou King, and still in the Black-Corner Region, zero-cost acquisition was the right way!
Preparing to find a place to stay first, Lin Xiu turned around and heard someone calling his name.
"Mentor? Long time no see."
Looking towards the sound, Huo Lan happened to come out of the auction venue, accompanied by an elder.
"Lin Xiu, why did you suddenly come to Black Mark City instead of staying in the inner courtyard to cultivate? Are you also here to participate in the auction conference?"
Huo Lan was somewhat surprised, his gaze catching the advertisement on the wall next to Lin Xiu.
"MY Strength has improved, so I came out for experience. I heard there are treasures at this auction conference, so I came to take a look," Lin Xiu replied half-truthfully.
Huo Lan invited Lin Xiu back home to accommodate him, and unable to refuse, Lin Xiu agreed.
On the way,
Huo Lan revealed that there were indeed treasures at this auction conference.
It was said that even Medicine Emperor Han Feng, the Lord of Feng City, had specially come to Black Mark City for this event.
It seemed that he had obtained some treasure and was arranged by Eight Gates to be the finale.
Hearing this, Lin Xiu didn't find it strange either. He knew that the thing was the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill.
And the effect of this Seventh Grade Pill was not to directly enhance one's strength, but to break through adversity.
Setting aside the Earth Rank Dou Technique Three Thousand Lightning Movements, Lin Xiu had some factors aimed at it.
"In case of serious injury or life-threatening situations, having the chance to break through adversity could be considered a life-saving measure," Lin Xiu thought to himself.
Before long, they arrived at Huo Lan's home.
It was a spacious mansion, with servants and maidservants all around. It was evident that Huo Lan's family had a decent development in Black Mark City.
However, Lin Xiu still vaguely noticed that these people had a hint of sorrow in their expressions, as if something was troubling them.
Glancing at Huo Lan, Lin Xiu saw that he didn't show any intention to reveal anything, so he didn't inquire either.
However.
During the meal, a group of people suddenly barged in.
Members of the Huo family looked at them warily.
Leading them was a middle-aged man. As he was about to speak, his gaze fell upon Lin Xiu at the dining table, and he paused for a moment.
Huo Lan stepped forward to talk, and after listening for a while, Lin Xiu realized it was a commercial dispute between the two families, causing a conflict.
"Mentor, do you want me to help?" Lin Xiu volunteered, walking up to Huo Lan.
Since he was present, he felt it was necessary to do something.
What surprised Lin Xiu, however, was that as soon as he spoke, the middle-aged man's eyes showed a hint of wariness and caution.
"Have we met before?" Lin Xiu couldn't help but ask.
He had always hidden his strength well and had spent a long time in the academy.
It was unlikely that just by his appearance alone, he could make the other party wary.
Lin Xiu could sense that the other party had the strength of a 9-Star Dou Spirit.
This level of cultivation is considered formidable in Black Mark City; there's no reason for him to fear a young man like himself.
"No."
The middle-aged man shook his head, his gaze shifting to Huo Lan. "Would it be convenient to discuss this elsewhere?"
"Sure."
Huo Lan was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. He looked puzzled; the last time they met, the man didn't have this attitude.
Shortly after.
Huo Lan returned alone, his gaze fixed squarely on Lin Xiu, making him feel uneasy.
"Mentor, what did you talk about?" If Lin Xiu didn't know Huo Lan well, he would have felt like he was being betrayed.
"Did you break through to Dou King?" Huo Lan replied with a question, his voice trembling slightly. The members of the Huo family around them stopped what they were doing upon hearing his voice.
Eyes fixed on Lin Xiu, they seemed somewhat incredulous.
Lin Xiu was stunned. "How is that possible? I've only been in the inner courtyard for a short time. At that time, what was my strength? You should know."
As the conversation ended, Lin Xiu inquired about what Huo Lan and the other person had discussed.
"I reckon he mistook someone else for me, but he voluntarily backed off, which is quite good, saves trouble, doesn't it? Mentor," Lin Xiu said with a smile, changing the subject.
In the following days, Huo Lan learned that Lin Xiu wanted to attend the auction conference and invited him to stay at his house.
Unable to refuse, Lin Xiu agreed, and each day passed quickly with his training.
The auction conference officially began.
The entire auction venue had two entrances, one side bustling with crowds and lively chatter.
"Lin Xiu, come this way. We have a VIP card from the Huo family, no need to squeeze through," Huo Lan said, leading Lin Xiu towards a less crowded passage.
At that moment, Lin Xiu suddenly felt the temperature around him dropping.
It was as if a chilly object had suddenly drawn near.
A group of people approached from outside, with a young man in excessively pale complexion at the center. His features were somewhat handsome, but the aura he exuded from within was overly cold.
"That's Fan Ling, the junior Sect Master of Blood Sect. Let's step aside and let them go in first," Huo Lan pulled Lin Xiu's sleeve and whispered in a low voice.
In his gaze towards those people, there was a mix of fear and caution.
Blood Sect was one of the few major powers in the Black-Corner Region, and Sect Master Fan Lao was even among the top five on the Black List.
Generally, few dared to provoke Blood Sect actively in the Black-Corner Region.
In fact, the surrounding discussions were filled with astonishment at Fan Ling's appearance.
From their words, it was understood that not long ago, an elder from Eight Gates went missing, seemingly related to Blood Sect.
Because when they found the elder, all his blood had been drained, leaving only a dried corpse.
However.
The more Huo Lan tried to avoid it, the more things didn't go according to his expectations.
Fan Ling walked straight over, his cold gaze sweeping up and down Lin Xiu. "What's your name? I smell a familiar scent on you, somewhat like the blood aura of our Blood Sect."
"Junior Sect Master, this is my student, practicing in the inner courtyard of Jia Nan Academy. His name is Lin Xiu. How could he have the blood aura of Blood Sect? Perhaps you're mistaken?" Huo Lan controlled his tone as he spoke.
This junior Sect Master had a bad reputation outside, with a peculiar and arrogant personality. It was said that he had recently broken through to Dou Spirit.
Although they were in Eight Gates' territory, Huo Lan was still worried that angering him could invite disaster.
Blood Sect and the Academy were not on good terms.
At the Academy, Huo Lan often heard that the Law Enforcement Team frequently caught members of Blood Sect. Those individuals often lurked near the Academy, preying on female students.
"Do you dare to question me? Who gave you the courage?" Fan Ling raised his hand to grab at Huo Lan's neck.
At that moment.
A hand reached out and grabbed his wrist!
Fan Ling looked at the owner of the arm, meeting Lin Xiu's calm and unwavering gaze, and couldn't help but pause.
From those eyes, he couldn't see the slightest fluctuation. It was as if the other party was looking at him as if he were dead.
A thought flashed through Fan Ling's mind, leaving him speechless.
He, the junior Sect Master, was actually intimidated by a student from the inner courtyard?
A group of people emerged from the passage, bearing the emblem of Eight Gates, apparently here to maintain order.
"Lin Xiu, right? Don't rush to leave later. You carry the scent of our Blood Sect. Unless you can teleport back to the inner courtyard, you won't escape," Fan Ling said when he saw them, giving a cold laugh before breaking free from Lin Xiu's grip and entering the passage.
"Lin Xiu, how about we skip this auction?" Huo Lan, taken aback by the turn of events, couldn't help but express some concern.
"Mentor, you go back first. I know what to do," Lin Xiu said, taking the VIP card and not leaving. Instead, he walked into the VIP passage.
He gazed at Fan Ling's figure.
He had never intended to let him off, and now, he had even less psychological pressure.
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