Elara stayed leaning against the opposite wall, watching him quietly. She didn’t disturb him. She understood these moments. The tapping of her foot had long since stopped.

Down in the main auction hall, the event had grown even more intense during those twenty minutes.

The Eternal Veil Syndicate representative had bid on three consecutive items. Each time, the moment his calm voice echoed from the private box, the entire hall fell into a heavy, fearful silence. No one dared compete. Not even the other VIPs. The first item — a set of ancient Qi amplification rings — had started at two hundred million credits. The representative offered three hundred million. The bidding died instantly. The second item, a rare defensive talisman capable of blocking a full-powered strike from a Stellar Circuit expert, met the same fate. The third, a high-grade cultivation manual fragment, was claimed with the same unchallenged authority.

The tension in the hall was suffocating.

Everyone knew what the Eternal Veil Syndicate represented. Cross them, and you didn’t just lose an auction item. You lost your life — or worse. Many who had offended them in the past had simply vanished. Others were found broken, turned into slaves, or publicly tortured as examples. Some became playthings for the Syndicate’s high-ranking members — their minds shattered, bodies used for entertainment until they begged for death. No one wanted to test that fate over mere treasures.

The lower sections were especially quiet. Cultivators who had been panting and flushed from the Sirenari woman’s scent earlier now sat rigid, eyes downcast, trying to make themselves as small as possible. The middle sections fared little better. Even some of the wealthier merchants wiped sweat from their brows, forcing polite smiles while inwardly cursing their luck.

The atmosphere had become thick with fear.

Lian finally opened his eyes. He rose slowly, brushing dust from his dark cloak, and returned to the peephole without a word. Elara shifted slightly but remained silent, giving him space.

The host stood at the center of the stage once more, his silver robes catching the golden light from the floating orbs. He raised both hands, calling for attention after the latest item was carried away. The crowd, still tense from the Syndicate’s dominance, quieted quickly.

“Honored guests,” the host announced, his voice carrying a note of genuine excitement mixed with careful respect, “what I am about to reveal next is not an ordinary item. It is something far greater — a rare opportunity that forms part of this auction.”

He paused dramatically, letting the words settle over the silent hall.

“Every fifty years, a spatial rift opens on the forbidden planet known as Kharvax Prime. This rift leads to an ancient, lost universe — not one of the common explored sectors, but a shattered, dangerous realm that exists parallel to our own. It has been partially explored many times over the centuries, yet it remains largely unknown and deadly. Even Void Ancestor Realm cultivators have perished inside. The environment is unstable, filled with mysterious ancient ruins blending lost precursor technology and forgotten cultivation legacies. There are living threats beyond imagination — creatures that feed directly on life force and Qi, swarms of energy-devouring organisms, shifting labyrinths that drive people mad, and phenomena that can erase one’s cultivation base in moments. But within these dangers lie incredible treasures: ancient manuals that could push one into higher realms, precursor artifacts of unimaginable power, rare herbs that can reconstruct broken foundations, and fragments of technology capable of granting permanent augments or domain-level abilities.”

The host’s voice grew more solemn.

“Many have entered. Few have returned whole. But those who do... return changed forever.”

The entire auction hall fell into a stunned, heavy silence.

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 Star 1. A new breakthrough.

Elara Voss: Core Condensation Early to Middle

Eternal Veil Syndicate: A powerful organization with higher-ups at Nebula Dominion and at least one Void Ancestor- level.

The Four Pillars: the most powerful organizations in the lower core universe — ancient, influential, and dangerous beyond measure.

Keep it as reminders