His aura skyrocketed in that instant. Four giant trees materialized behind him. One was incomparably massive, seemingly connecting to the heavens themselves. The second was much smaller, and the remaining two were smaller still.
The first towering tree was the Longevity Tree, which had long since transcended the Heavenly Dao Realm. The second was an ordinary Sword Dao Tree; it hadn’t broken through to the Heavenly Dao, but it was close.
The remaining two were the Tree of Lifeless Sword and the Immortal Slaying Sword Tree, both still at the third layer of the Earthly Realm.
At this moment, the four Trees of the Three Thousand Great Dao swayed wildly, exuding a boundless divine charm. Ethereal currents of energy continuously streamed from among their leaves.
Breakthrough! Fourth Heaven of the Life and Death Realm!
The moment all the auras began to retract, Wen Qingye’s mind went from a blur to crystal clarity, and his pitch-black eyes suddenly blazed with light.
Wave after wave of surging power radiated from Wen Qingye’s body, and he instantly felt invigorated.
Wen Qingye smiled faintly. "If I were to run into Xing, Yun, and Yue now, I’m confident I could kill all three of them by myself."
Qingg Ruo’ai floated out and couldn’t help but remark, "Your strength is increasing so rapidly. And you possess top-tier Sword Daos like the Lifeless Sword Dao and the Slaying Immortal Sword Dao. I imagine, given enough time..."
She trailed off, her eyes fixed on Wen Qingye.
’This man’s potential is simply too great. If I were from the Taiyi Pavilion, I wouldn’t be able to eat or sleep.’
Wen Qingye took a deep breath and said, "Next, I’ll fully consolidate my cultivation at the Fourth Heaven of the Life and Death Realm."
.....
The sky was a vast, cloudless azure. A golden sunbeam shone down, bringing a touch of warmth and light. An occasional breeze carried the city’s distant hubbub, a sound that was somehow refreshing.
Within the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty, the City of No Night was greeting its most bustling day in decades. Today, the Ninth Commerce Association’s auction was set to begin.
As the golden sunlight broke free to illuminate the land, people from various factions began appearing in the previously quiet market square.
These talented youths were all individuals of extraordinary skill and exceptionally noble status. Every one of them was a current or future pillar of their respective factions—sights rarely seen by the common person.
But today, these distinguished individuals swarmed out, converging from all directions. They took different streets and different routes, but all shared the same destination: the Ninth Trading House auction, which stood in the most prosperous district of the City of No Night.
Today would be the most lively and prosperous day the City of No Night had seen in decades.
Experts as common as clouds, masters as plentiful as rain, talented youths from countless factions all gathered in one place—only a grand auction held by the Ninth Trading House could create such a scene.
On this day, Wen Qingye awoke early from his state of cultivation. He walked out into the courtyard and stretched his limbs.
By this time, quite a few people had already gathered inside the Celestial Profound Hall. When Meng Yiyu, Yun Yazi, and the others saw Wen Qingye emerge, they hurried over to greet him.
"Qingye, you’re here," Yun Yazi exclaimed, watching the milling crowds on the street. "The Royal City of the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty is truly abuzz with excitement today! As expected of the Ninth Commerce Association; only their auction could create such a spectacle. The sheer number of factions that have shown up... even I’m a little surprised."
Wen Qingye walked to the head seat, poured himself a cup of hot tea, and took a small sip. He smiled faintly and said, "Attending this auction is more than just a status symbol. It seems there are some truly incredible treasures up for grabs."
Meng Yiyu nodded. "However, we can’t reveal all of the Celestial Profound Sect’s trump cards at this auction. Yun Yazi and I won’t be going. With your current strength and prestige, you’re more than capable of holding your own. I can rest easy."
Although every faction knew that their rivals wouldn’t send just a single Inspection Disciple and would dispatch other experts, they all went to great lengths to conceal these masters. This was firstly to protect their own Inspection Disciple, and secondly, to keep their trump cards for this trip to the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty hidden.
Wen Qingye set down his cup and said humbly, "Martial Uncle Meng, you think too highly of me. I’m still a long way from catching up to you and Grand Martial Uncle."
Yun Yazi pursed his lips in resignation. "If I wanted to kill Xing, Yun, and Yue, even with them teaming up, I’d end up severely injured in the process. How could I possibly make it look as easy as you do?"
Meng Yiyu nodded. As if remembering something, he took out a Sumeru Mustard Seed. "Right," he said, "here are 13,000 Top-grade Primordial Stones. Take them. Consider it a reward from the Sect."
"Then I thank you, Martial Uncle Meng."
Wen Qingye smiled and accepted the Sumeru Mustard Seed from Meng Yiyu. His own contained hundreds of thousands of Top-grade Primordial Stones and countless precious Magical Artifacts, so while these additional stones were better than nothing, he wasn’t particularly concerned about them.
With that, Wen Qingye stood up and looked out at the sunlight beyond the hall.
"All right, it’s about time. Let’s go..." Wen Qingye took a step and started walking out of the Celestial Profound Hall.
Yun Yazi and Meng Yiyu watched as Wen Qingye slowly walked out into the street. The two men exchanged a glance and smiled.
Wen Qingye left the Celestial Profound Hall and headed for the Ninth Trading House auction.
The streets were bustling with people. Everyone watched with awe-filled eyes as figures made their way toward the Ninth Trading House auction. They knew that anyone able to attend this event was by no means an ordinary person.
Some beautiful women stood at the front of the crowds, gazing at the handsome and elegant faces passing by. They knew most of these people were either super-geniuses from the Cyan Cloud List or the most outstanding individuals from their respective factions, all with limitless futures ahead of them.
Many of the talented youths in the crowd carried themselves with an air of arrogance and a touch of wildness. They were young, after all, their eyes full of vigor and the unyielding spirit of defiance.
Of course, there were also some prodigies who understood the importance of keeping a low profile. Their conduct was restrained, but one could still catch an inadvertent flash of restlessness and wild abandon in their expressions. That was their pride.
Wen Qingye watched the endless stream of people and couldn’t help but murmur to himself, "This auction’s draw is truly impressive. At a rough glance, people from seventy or eighty different factions have come. It’s a shame Huangfu Tian has already left. I wonder if there are any other geniuses of his caliber among all these powers."
’Huangfu Tian was rumored to have a cultivation at the Sixth Layer of the Life and a Death Realm and possess a unique, powerful bloodline. Not that I’m afraid of him,’ Wen Qingye thought. ’Still, in a place as vast as the Eastern Profound Domain, there must be some talented youths living in seclusion, unknown to the world. I wonder if any of them will reveal themselves and make a splash this time.’