The Treasure Competition Assembly

The black-haired maiden at the center of the void clapped her hands, and a scroll of golden light unfurled in the air above her. Within it, a complex labyrinth of shimmering lines and nodes appeared, like a celestial network of stars connected by rivers of light.

"This," she announced, "is the formation diagram passed down by the Turtle-Crab Immortals—a mortal creation of theirs, but one that holds the essence of their understanding of arrays. As many of you know, the Turtle-Crab Immortals were tutored by an exalted figure of the Three Realms, and their mastery of formations was unparalleled. The diagram before you is their 'game piece,' yet it contains the key to becoming a grandmaster of formations. The starting bid is fifty thousand catties of Primordial Liquid. Let the bidding begin."

A murmur rippled through the gathered guests. On his cloud, Ji Ning's eyes lit up, and beside him, Uncle White's posture stiffened with keen interest. Uncle White, after all, was entirely devoted to the path of formations.

"Fifty-five thousand!"

"Sixty thousand!"

The price climbed rapidly. Although the path of formations was notoriously difficult and most geniuses avoided it, there were always those who, knowing they could never achieve Celestial Immortalhood through conventional means, threw themselves into the study of arrays. A true formation master was a terrifying force, and some had even used their mastery to transcend as Celestial Immortals. Even so, a single diagram—a 'game piece'—had its limits.

"Eighty thousand catties of Primordial Liquid." Shaoyan Xiu Shui finally spoke, his voice carrying the casual authority of a man who treated such sums as pocket change. The bidding slowed.

"Eighty-five thousand." Ji Ning's voice cut through the air, calm and clear.

Heads turned. Clouds shifted as the guests of Duobao Peak looked toward the young man in beast furs, flanked by a snow-white hound and an emerald-green serpent. Whispers erupted.

"Is that the one who killed Shaoyan Nong?"

"The Ji Ning?"

"Look at his spirit-beasts. It has to be him."

Shaoyan Xiu Shui's face darkened. Beside him, Shaoyan Jun's eyes burned with hatred, his teeth grinding audibly. He shot to his feet and shouted, "Ninety thousand!"

Ji Ning didn't even look their way. He raised his wine glass, took a slow sip, and said nothing. The silence was a statement in itself.

The black-haired maiden smiled. "Ninety thousand from the Shaoyan clan. Any other bids? Going once... going twice..."

"One hundred thousand." A new voice rang out, smooth and unhurried.

All eyes turned to a nearby cloud where a bald, red-robed elder sat, his legs crossed and his eyes half-closed. He hadn't spoken until now, but his bid carried an air of unshakable confidence.

Shaoyan Xiu Shui's brow furrowed slightly. The elder turned his head and offered a faint, almost imperceptible nod toward Ji Ning's direction before returning to his wine. The message was clear.

"One hundred and five thousand," Shaoyan Xiu Shui said, his voice now tight.

"One hundred and ten thousand," the red-robed elder replied without hesitation.

A tense silence settled over the duobao peak. Shaoyan Xiu Shui stared at the elder, his gaze probing, but the old man's expression was as unreadable as stone. Finally, Shaoyan Xiu Shui let out a cold snort and said no more.

The black-haired maiden clapped her hands. "One hundred and ten thousand catties of Primordial Liquid to our esteemed guest! The diagram is yours."

A murmur of excitement rippled through the crowd. A game piece of the Turtle-Crab Immortals was not something one saw every day, and the price, while high, was considered a bargain by those who understood its true worth.

On his cloud, Ji Ning watched the exchange with renewed interest. The old man in red—who was he? And why had he intervened against the Shaoyan clan? Ji Ning filed the question away for later consideration. For now, he had a more immediate concern.

"One hundred ten thousand," he murmured to himself. "That's a significant sum. But if that old man is willing to burn that much to deny the Shaoyan clan, then perhaps he is an ally—or someone who wants to be seen as one."

Beside him, Little Qing's eyes gleamed. "Master, shall we approach him after the auction ends?"

"Perhaps." Ji Ning set down his glass. "But first, let's see what other treasures appear. This is only the beginning."

The black-haired maiden raised her hand, and a new treasure materialized in the air before her, a crystalline orb that pulsed with an inner rhythm like a beating heart. Bidding resumed, but Ji Ning's attention was elsewhere—on the red-robed elder, on the Shaoyan clan's smoldering rage, and on the countless eyes now fixed upon him. He had come to the imperial capital to make his name known, and he was succeeding.

"Good," he thought. "Let them all know that Ji Ning has arrived."