The grand auction hall of Vorthex Prime’s premier venue was finally empty.

The once vibrant circular chamber, filled with thousands of ambitious cultivators, wealthy merchants, and dangerous elites, now stood in near silence. The floating precursor orbs had dimmed to a soft, golden glow, casting long shadows across the tiered seating and the central black marble stage. Scattered wine glasses, abandoned data pads, and a few forgotten silk handkerchiefs stained with blood from earlier pressure lay on the floor. The air still carried the faint metallic tang of clashing Qi, expensive perfumes, and the lingering sweet aroma left behind by the Sirenari woman. Cleaning staff moved quietly like ghosts, sweeping away the remnants of the night’s chaos under the watchful eyes of security drones.

High above, in one of the most exclusive observation areas, the host of the auction stood alone.

He was a tall, refined Elyssan man named Vaelor Kaine, with flowing silver hair that shimmered like liquid metal and sharp, intelligent eyes the color of polished mercury. His silver robes, embroidered with subtle precursor runes, moved gracefully as he walked to the edge of the upper balcony. He stopped exactly where he had felt the anomaly earlier and looked up toward the hidden maintenance compartment where Lian and Elara had been hiding.

He stared at that spot for a long minute, unmoving.

Vaelor remembered it clearly — the brief but unmistakable surge of Qi during the intense aura clash between the Eternal Veil Syndicate representative and the other bidder, Zephyr Kane. While everyone else had been focused on the terrifying pressure and the possibility of a fight breaking out, he had felt something else. A quiet, controlled breakthrough. Someone had taken advantage of that chaotic moment to advance their cultivation, using the heavy external pressure as a forge. It was a rare and impressive feat, especially in such a public and dangerous setting.

A small, intrigued smile played on his lips.

He knew why Zephyr Kane hadn’t been able to pinpoint the exact location. The walls and ceilings in this entire auction house were specially designed — layered with the same one-way precursor shielding used in the VIP boxes. From inside the compartments or corridors, one could see out, but no one could see in. It was a security feature he had personally overseen. However, as the owner and master of this entire venue, Vaelor had full access. He knew every corner, every hidden passage, every maintenance room, and every blind spot. Nothing happened in his domain without him eventually knowing.

He turned away from the balcony and walked with measured steps toward the central control room located on the upper administrative level. His silver robes whispered against the polished floor as he moved through quiet corridors lined with glowing blue crystal veins. Two security personnel stationed outside the control room straightened immediately when they saw him approaching.

“Lord,” they greeted respectfully, bowing their heads.

He gave a small nod.

“Give me the footage of the upper wing maintenance room,” he said calmly. “The one near the eastern ventilation cluster. From the start of the aura clash until twenty minutes after the auction ended.”

The men didn’t ask questions. One quickly entered commands into the security console while the other pulled up the relevant feeds on the large holographic display that dominated the center of the room. The control room itself was a masterpiece of technology — walls covered in multiple screens showing every angle of the auction house, live data streams, and energy readings. A soft blue light bathed everything.

The footage began playing.

Vaelor watched in silence as the recording showed the hidden compartment. At first, only faint movements were visible. Then, clearly, two figures emerged — a young man and a young woman. Their faces were partially obscured by the poor lighting and the angle of the maintenance corridor, but it was obvious they were both young, likely in their late teens or early twenties. The boy moved with cold, precise efficiency. The girl followed with graceful, silent steps, her posture alert. They slipped through the corridors like trained shadows and eventually exited the building.

Vaelor’s smile deepened as he watched them disappear from view.

“Interesting,” he murmured softly, almost to himself. “Very interesting.”

He leaned back slightly, eyes still fixed on the now-frozen image of the two departing figures.

“Things will be interesting from now on.”

Power Scale / Cultivation Realms (Quick Reminder) 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

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.

Elara Voss: Core Condensation Middle

Keep it as reminders