Chapter Seventy-One: Breaking the Seal

Stay behind?

Gou Jiancheng was perplexed.

Would staying behind actually earn him a recommendation to become an elite disciple?

Suddenly, the realization struck him, and he was left momentarily stunned.

This young man—was it possible he wanted to take part in the auction house’s next operation?

A glimmer of admiration flashed in Gou Jiancheng’s eyes. Not only had this youth deduced the auction house’s forthcoming actions, but he even wished to participate.

Such courage was truly commendable!

For the impassioned zeal that should burn in every young man, Gou Jiancheng felt no inclination to refuse—on the contrary, he was determined to give his full support.

That’s what youth is for—to be passionate and bold!

He pressed the matter: “Are you certain?”

Su Yizhao nodded without a trace of hesitation.

Chi Xiangdong was about to speak, but Su Yizhao addressed him: “Escort him first. Wait for me in Vast City.”

Chi Xiangdong shook his head. “It’s not about waiting or not—you promised to come visit my home, remember?”

Of course, Su Yizhao understood his meaning.

He just wanted to bring him along for support, to have someone backing him up.

But now was simply not the time!

Su Yizhao countered, “Wouldn’t it be even better if we set out from Xuantian Sect in Vast City before heading to your place?”

What could be more imposing for a triumphant return?

Chi Xiangdong was overjoyed. “Excellent! We’ll wait for you in Vast City!”

Even someone as shrewd as Gou Jiancheng couldn’t have guessed at the twists and turns between them.

Not that it mattered—there was no need for him to know.

“The headquarters of the Gou Family Auction House is right in Vast City. You can go directly there!”

As night fell, Chi Xiangdong led Gou Haitian through the teleportation array and departed.

Su Yizhao sat cross-legged in the auction house’s cultivation chamber, lost in contemplation.

Suddenly, his body began to twist and contort.

Vital energy surged through his veins, his meridians expanded and contracted, every fiber of his being stirred to life.

An immense aura filled the chamber.

The power of the sixth realm of body refinement erupted all at once.

A rushing sound echoed as his aura struck the walls of the chamber, rebounding and flowing back into his body.

The power in every muscle and drop of blood converged toward his dantian.

Above his dantian, the rock-like seal remained as tight as a lid, sealing it firmly.

Suddenly—

A surge of energy from every part of his body crashed into the rocky seal.

With a sharp crack, the seal shattered into nothingness.

A crystalline, hexagonal pool of profound energy was revealed.

Within the long-suppressed pool, the profound liquid boiled, transforming into pure energy and surging through every meridian.

A fierce, explosive aura burst from him, shaking the chamber with each wave.

Su Yizhao kept his eyes tightly shut, hands forming arcane seals as he circulated his cultivation technique.

Moments later, the chamber gradually quieted.

The ambient energy in the air naturally flowed into his body, along his meridians, settling into his dantian.

A feeling of utter comfort washed over him.

When Su Yizhao opened his eyes, their brightness was even more piercing.

He had gone a year without absorbing a single trace of energy—it had been an arduous struggle.

But now, with power flooding his entire being, he knew it had all been worth it.

With a thought, nine golden flying swords appeared before him.

He stroked them lightly with his right hand.

Even from several feet away, the blades emanated an intimidating sharpness—these were divine weapons.

As his thumb brushed against one edge, he felt the faint sting as the skin was sliced.

A shallow cut appeared on his thumb.

But before the slight pain could reach his mind, the wound had already vanished.

Such was the realm of Meridian Unification.

His meridians and blood had been tempered beyond measure, rendering them so resilient that, faced with a cut, they would reflexively defend, slide, and heal in an instant.

Ordinary magical weapons could no longer so much as scratch his skin; only divine weapons of equal rank could do so.

As Su Yizhao examined the flying swords, his thoughts drifted to the dwarf cultivator’s gauntlets.

If only he possessed such gauntlets, he could even catch flying swords with his bare hands.

Divine-grade gauntlets were exceedingly rare.

Ones that could even merge with the body had never been seen before.

Therefore, the clues from the Gou Family Auction House should be pursued along this line.

He put away the flying swords, gathering his thoughts.

Finding clues was not his concern.

What he needed to focus on was the impending battle.

In such a clash between great powers, his priorities were survival—and making a name for himself.

As for his own strength, his cultivation of both energy and body had reached the same level; from now on, he simply needed to advance both together.

The advancement of his soul could wait a little longer.

Su Yizhao extended his spiritual sense into the storage ring.

Before enforcing the law, he had to prepare every resource at his disposal—standard practice for a Law Enforcement Hall disciple.

Suddenly, he paused in surprise.

His spirit stones had long been depleted. Purchasing the Mountain-Splitting Sect’s techniques from Qin Dahan had cost a great deal more, leaving only a little over three million high-grade stones.

Besides the stones, there was a snow-white orb in one corner.

He glanced over the miscellaneous items.

What caught his attention, however, were two palm-sized golden scales.

How swiftly time had passed!

Looking at the scales, he instantly recalled the battle in the southwestern seas.

These were the life scales of the Prince of the Divine Turtle.

Back then, even when he unleashed every flying sword and performed the Earth Sword Technique to perfection, he could not so much as scratch these scales—their hardness was beyond imagining.

He wondered: how would these scales fare against divine weapons?

With that thought, a golden scale appeared before him.

Golden light sparked as he thrust a flying sword at the scale.

There was a muffled sound—the sword’s golden light slid aside, clattering harmlessly against the wall.

Su Yizhao was delighted.

Inspecting the scale closely, he was astonished to find it utterly unmarked.

A top-grade divine weapon, and the sharpest of flying swords at that, had failed to leave the slightest trace—what level of artifact was this?

He did not know how to use it, but it was doubtless a priceless treasure.

Suddenly—

Su Yizhao’s ears twitched.

A faint sound drifted from afar.

Waves? Surf?

He wasn’t sure. He brought the scale closer to his ear.

The sound was still faint, but now tinged with urgency.

That urgency seemed to beat against his heart, filling him with unease.

The sound grew ever more insistent and pressing.

In an instant, Su Yizhao felt every hair on his body stand on end, as if some dreadful danger had locked onto him.

His anxiety surged—he leaped to his feet.

His heart pounded, the sense of looming peril growing nearer and more terrifying.

Realizing something was wrong, he forced down his fear and hurled the scale back into the storage ring.

The faint, urgent sound vanished.

The pressing sense of crisis dissipated.

His heartbeat returned to normal.

Only then did he come to his senses, fixing his gaze on the storage ring on his finger and pronouncing each word clearly: “There is definitely something wrong with this scale!”

Over twenty miles away, in the bustling streets of Kaoshan City, a tear suddenly opened in the air.

Two cultivators stepped from the rift and stood on the street.

“Missed him by a step.”

“He’s at the Gou Family Auction House!”

“Then I’ll keep watch there!”