Chapter 64: Clashing Auras

The pressure in the auction hall had shifted dramatically.

What had once been a suffocating blanket pressing down on every living being in the room now narrowed into a focused, razor-sharp conflict between two private boxes high above the main floor. The first bidder — a high-ranking member of the Eternal Veil Syndicate — had finally lost his patience. His aura erupted outward like a storm cloud, dark and oppressive, directed entirely toward the second bidder’s soundproofed VIP box. It carried the weight of centuries of ruthless authority, the kind that had crushed countless organizations and left only silence in its wake.

The air grew thick, heavy, and metallic. Lower-level guests who had barely recovered from the earlier wave now clutched their chests, some coughing fresh blood onto their fine robes. Servants froze mid-step, trays trembling in their hands. Even mid-tier cultivators in the middle sections broke into cold sweats, their Qi circulation stuttering under the indirect spillover.

Lian and Elara, watching from their hidden compartment above the main hall, felt the change immediately. The pressure was no longer aimed at the entire room — it was a targeted clash between two powerhouses. They were not suffering as badly as before. The worst of it bypassed them, focused like a laser on the rival box. Still, the residual force was enough to make their knees tremble and their breathing grow labored. Elara leaned harder against the cold metal wall, her alloy fingers gripping the edge of the peephole for support. Lian remained standing, but his jaw was clenched tight, void eyes fixed on the scene below.

The first bidder’s aura surged again, darker and heavier, trying to oppress and force submission. It carried the unmistakable signature of someone accustomed to ruling through fear — cold, calculating, and utterly merciless. The entire hall could feel it. Whispers turned to gasps. Some guests in the lower tiers collapsed outright, unable to withstand even the edges of the conflict.

Then the second bidder responded.

His aura released like a silent explosion — calm, vast, and unyielding. It met the Syndicate member’s pressure head-on, clashing in the space between the two boxes. The collision was invisible but palpable. The air between them warped slightly, shimmering like heat haze. The two forces pushed against each other, evenly matched, neither giving an inch. The pressure in the hall became suffocating and heavy, a constant weight on the chest that made breathing feel like inhaling molasses.

Everyone could feel it.

The first bidder was pissed off. His plan wasn’t working. He released more power, the dark aura flaring brighter, trying to overwhelm the opponent. But the second bidder didn’t back down. His own aura held steady, calm and profound, refusing to yield even a fraction. The clash intensified. The hall’s precursor-grade barriers flickered once, struggling to contain the spillover.

Lian and Elara watched the unfolding drama through the small peephole, their bodies tense but stable. They were not the targets. The pressure was directed solely at the rival box, so they endured it better than most. Still, it was a stark reminder of how far they still had to go.

While the two powerhouses clashed, a voice spoke inside Lian’s head.

Sit. Meditate. It will help.

Lian’s eyes narrowed. He looked around the cramped compartment, scanning the shadows for the source. Elara was still beside him, back against the wall, eyes closed in concentration. The voice hadn’t come from her.

It spoke again, louder and more aggressive.

Sit. Meditate. Now.

Lian tried to ignore it. He focused on the auction below, on the two clashing auras, on the terrified guests coughing blood in the lower tiers. But the voice grew insistent, pounding against the inside of his skull like a hammer on an anvil.

Sit. Meditate. It will help you.

He finally gave up.

He lowered himself to the dusty, uneven floor of the compartment and sat cross-legged, back straight, hands resting on his knees in the familiar meditative pose. Elara noticed the movement but didn’t ask. She thought he was simply bored of the standoff below and had decided to cultivate instead. She remained standing, eyes closed, blade resting at her side.

Lian closed his eyes.

The moment he did, the pressure from the two experts became a tool rather than a burden. The heavy, clashing auras washed over him like a torrent of raw energy. His spiritual, mental, and physical body began to comprehend it, absorbing fragments of the power, rising to meet the challenge.

He started to see without his eyes.

Meridians glowed in his inner vision — his own and those of the people around his level and below in the hall. He could sense Elara’s steady core beside him, the faint hum of her alloy systems. He could hear her heart beating — strong, rhythmic, the red monitor pulsing in perfect sync. He could hear the lower-level guests’ pain — labored breathing, wet coughs, the faint crackle of disrupted Qi. He could even hear sounds outside the auction house — distant shouts from the streets, the hum of transport shuttles, the endless chatter of the bazaar.

His mental level rose by two full stages.

Focus sharpened.

Thoughts became clearer, more calculative.

His spiritual level expanded dramatically. He could feel and see his own core — a bright, stable orb of deep blue Qi threaded with silver — and the cores of others around his level and lower. Higher-level VIPs and the two clashing powerhouses remained blurred, protected by their superior realms, but everything else was laid bare.

Then the breakthrough came.

Silent.

Profound.

No dramatic light or explosion.

Just a quiet, unstoppable expansion.

Stellar Circuit Late → Stellar Circuit Peak.

A new, even deeper aura radiated from him — rich indigo blue with brighter silver threads, calm and unyielding. It filled the small compartment like a second skin.

Elara turned back to look at him.

She felt it too.

Her blue cyber eyes widened slightly as she stared at Lian, sensing the shift in his presence. She didn’t speak. She simply watched, a quiet mix of pride and concern in her gaze.

Back at the auction house, the two powerhouses were still at each other’s throats.

Their auras clashed violently in the space between the boxes, warping the air and making the precursor barriers flicker. Other guests were panicking — some hiding under seats, others coughing blood, a few outright collapsing. The pressure was unbearable for anyone below Stellar Circuit.

The host, standing at the center of the stage, finally shouted, his voice amplified and authoritative.

“Fighting in the auction house is strictly prohibited! Any further violation will not go unpunished!”

The two auras hesitated.

Then, reluctantly, they withdrew.

The first bidder — the Eternal Veil Syndicate representative — sat back down in his box with aggressive force, his face twisted in fury, dark aura still simmering.

The second bidder simply smiled as he settled into his seat, calm and composed, as if the entire confrontation had been nothing more than a mild disagreement.

The hall slowly began to recover.

Lian opened his eyes.

The breakthrough had left him feeling clearer, stronger, more in control.

He looked at Elara.

She was still staring at him.

The auction continued below, but for the first time in a long while, Lian felt a quiet sense of progress.

Power Scale / Cultivation Realms (Quick Reminder)

Foundation Realm (Layers 1–9): Body forging, no external Qi.

Circuit Awakening Realm (Early–Peak): First Qi loop, internal bursts.

Core Condensation Realm (Early–Peak): External Qi release, short flight.

Stellar Circuit Realm (1–9 Stars): True flight, Qi armor, energy projection.

Nebula Dominion Realm and higher: Domain control, galaxy-level power, etc.

Power Scale Reminder

Lian Yu: Stellar Circuit Peak. A new breakthrough.

Elara Voss: Stellar Circuit Early to Middle.

Eternal Veil Syndicate: A powerful organization with higher-ups at Nebula Dominion and at least one Star Forge Progenitor level.

Keep it as reminders