While Mu Chen and Linglong were negotiating, trouble was brewing for Kong Ye Ming outside the Shanjin Auction House...

"Well, well... if it isn’t Eldest Young Master Kong. Did you come out today without any guards?"

Kong Ye Ming was rubbing his chest in confusion as he headed outside when a soft, chilling voice suddenly called out from behind him. He spun around, his face twisting in disgust. "I knew it was you, you freak, just from that sissy voice. What is it? You got business with me?"

Indeed, the speaker was none other than Tang Yu, who had just collected the Black Obsidian Armor and the Wood Element Xuan Rank Peak Technique from backstage. His breathtakingly handsome face was especially striking in the sunlight as he flashed a wicked smile. "That’s right. I came looking for Eldest Young Master Kong today to settle a little private matter."

The moment Tang Yu finished speaking, four guards radiating powerful Primordial Power stepped out from behind him. Kong Ye Ming froze for a second, his expression turning grave. "Freak," he said coolly, "are you trying to corner me?"

Seeing the four guards’ menacing aura, the surrounding crowd quickly backed away, putting a hundred meters between them and the confrontation, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.

As soon as Kong Ye Ming spoke, six more guards appeared, blocking his escape. Without exception, all ten were masters approaching the Martial Spirit Realm; even the weakest was an Eighth-Ring Great Martial Master. Their leader, Tang Yu, was nineteen years old and already a Four-Ring Martial Spirit. In contrast, Kong Ye Ming was only sixteen, at the Three-Ring Martial Spirit Realm. In terms of raw talent, he was far superior to Tang Yu. But he was hopelessly outnumbered. ’If this were a fair fight, I’d have a good chance of beating him with my Wind Dragon Roar,’ he thought. But looking at the situation now, defeat seemed certain.

"Tang Yu, aren’t you going too far today?" Kong Ye Ming gritted his teeth, his voice low. "Ganging up on me with all these guards? Is it just because I’m alone?"

"Heh, you’re damn right I am. I’m bullying you because you’re alone. So what?" Tang Yu’s face flushed, a crazed glint appearing in his eyes. "What are you going to do, have me silenced? Aren’t you always so high and mighty? Don’t you think you can do whatever you want in the Imperial Capital and no one will dare to touch you? Hmph! Well, I, Tang Yu, am going to teach you a lesson today. What can you possibly do about it?"

Kong Ye Ming took a step back. He was too outnumbered. His only option was to find a way to escape; otherwise, this would not end well for him. Yet, even in this dire situation, he breathed a small, private sigh of relief. ’Good thing Mu Chen isn’t with me. He would have been dragged into this mess.’

This was the kind of person Kong Ye Ming was. His consideration for others was far beyond that of his peers, which is precisely why, in the years to come, his standing would become even more unshakeable than his father’s.

While Kong Ye Ming was being cornered, Mu Chen was still negotiating the exchange with Linglong...

"I’d like to propose an equivalent exchange for another item," Mu Chen said. "And... this item is more than worth the price. In fact, it could make the Xuanling Empire’s branch of the Shanjin Auction House famous throughout the land."

Linglong blinked, then covered her mouth with a chuckle. "You’re quite the charmer, young man. Make the Xuanling Empire’s Shanjin Auction House famous? Are you implying our reputation isn’t already renowned? Or do you possess an item so heaven-defying it can change the very game we play?"

Her expression turned serious on the last sentence. It wasn’t that she disbelieved Mu Chen, but his claim was simply too grand. The Shanjin Commerce Association was one of the two wealthiest powers on the continent. Was there anything she hadn’t seen? Could an item surpassing the Earth Tier truly appear in a place like the Xuanling Empire? Even if it did, that alone wouldn’t be enough to achieve the kind of fame he was describing.

Mu Chen shook his head. "What I have is much simpler than what you’re imagining. But for most people, it’s something they could never hope to obtain in a lifetime."

"Oh?" Linglong’s interest was piqued. "Then by all means," she smiled, "show me this item. Let’s see if you’re just all talk."

Mu Chen smiled faintly. "Then you’ll want to watch closely."

With that, a flicker of thought from Mu Chen caused the ring on his finger to flash. A massive Magical Beast carcass materialized out of thin air, filling the small room.

Linglong glanced at the beast, her eyes filled with disdain. She scoffed, "Playing tricks on me isn’t very funny, young man~"

Mu Chen’s smile only widened. "Miss Linglong, you’ve presided over countless auctions. I find it hard to believe you can’t recognize this Magical Beast."

Mu Chen’s words gave Linglong pause. She looked down at the carcass again, puzzled. To her, it was just a large, pig-like Magical Beast, unremarkable except for its glossy hide. Just as she was about to frown in irritation, a peculiar, sweet aroma began to emanate from the corpse.

"Wait!" Linglong cried out, rising to her feet and rushing over to the carcass. She examined it closely for a few moments before exclaiming in shock, "This... this is a Giant Wild Boar?!"

She began circling the Giant Wild Boar, observing it intently and occasionally stroking its hide. Finally, her face went pale. She turned stiffly back to Mu Chen, her voice trembling, "It really is a Giant Wild Boar... You... you have an entire Giant Wild Boar, and one this massive... I... My heavens!"

Mu Chen shrugged. "I’d like to trade a portion of the Giant Wild Boar Meat for those three items. Would Miss Linglong be willing?" 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Linglong’s mouth fell open. "Are you sure you want to trade Giant Wild Boar Meat for just those three items? I’ll offer you one million per pound. What do you say?"

Mu Chen chuckled. "One million per pound? That’s a little short of my ideal price. But I have a proposal. If your auction house has any Fourth, Fifth, or Sixth Grade Healing Herbs in stock, I’d be willing to trade even more of the meat. Imagine if you were to auction off just one pound of this a month. Before the third auction, you’d have people traveling thousands of miles from other nations just to bid on this ’golden meat.’ It would be impossible for the Xuanling Empire’s Shanjin Auction Branch *not* to become famous. After all, due to relentless hunting by humans, the already scarce Giant Wild Boar is now nearly extinct."

Mu Chen’s pitch was incredibly persuasive. He first laid out the benefits the meat would bring to the Shanjin Auction House, then highlighted the creature’s rarity. As a seasoned professional, Linglong knew every word he said was true. She had expected him to produce some rare treasure, but she had never imagined it would be Giant Wild Boar Meat!

Linglong looked at Mu Chen with a wry smile. "Aren’t you worried I might just take this boar you’ve so carelessly revealed and have you silenced? You realize this is an enormous fortune."

Mu Chen smiled and shook his head. "You won’t. I could tell from the beginning that Miss Linglong is an exceptionally rational person. You don’t know anything about me, and you wouldn’t act rashly when faced with an unknown. Besides, you represent the Shanjin Commerce Association."

"Haha..." Linglong gave Mu Chen a long, meaningful look. "A child who’s too clever stops being cute, you know," she chuckled. "Wait here. I’m going to the storeroom to see what we have. I’ll know how many of those herbs we have in just a few minutes."

Only after Linglong had left the room did Mu Chen let out a long breath. ’Not worried? How could I not be?’ Her strength was clearly far greater than his. If she had decided to simply take the boar by force, he would have been powerless to stop her. It had been a huge gamble, betting on her being a rational person. He had read her right. He had won.

A minute later, Linglong returned, her face flushed with excitement. Before Mu Chen could even speak, she beamed. "We’re in luck! The storeroom has Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Grade herbs in stock. There are only three Sixth-Grade plants and about ten of the Fifth-Grade. We have plenty of the Fourth-Grade Healing Herbs, but I figured they wouldn’t be of much use to you, so I didn’t bring any."

Mu Chen nodded. "The higher the grade, the better. I’ll take the ten Fifth-Grade and three Sixth-Grade herbs, then. You can set the price."

Linglong mused, "I’ve already worked out the prices. Four million for each Sixth-Grade herb and one million for each Fifth-Grade. How does that sound to you?"

Mu Chen thought for a moment, then nodded eagerly. "Yes, those prices are very fair. In that case, for all the items, that will be thirty-seven pounds of meat at an exchange rate of one million per pound. As for the remnant map and the Ice Soul Essence Pill, you can just consider those a gift. After all, they’re not worth much compared to the value of this Giant Wild Boar Meat."

Mu Chen didn’t stand on ceremony. He cupped his fist and said, "Then I thank you, Miss Linglong. Shall we make the exchange now?"

Linglong nodded in agreement. After Mu Chen received his refund of over three million Purple Elemental Crystals along with the three auction items, Linglong carefully carved off thirty-seven pounds of the Giant Wild Boar Meat.

The transaction was complete. Mu Chen stored the rest of the boar carcass and said, "Now that our business is concluded, I should be on my way. My friend is waiting for me outside."

Linglong hesitated for a moment. "Young man, could I ask a favor of you?"

Mu Chen sighed. "Let’s hear it first. And please, just call me Mu Chen. The ’young man’ thing is getting a little strange."

Linglong stuck her tongue out playfully. "Alright. I was hoping to ask you to save some of that Giant Wild Boar Meat. I mean, so that in the future, if there’s anything you need from us, you can use the meat for a direct trade."

Mu Chen nodded. "Of course. I’ll be sure to save some." With that, he turned and left the room. He didn’t want to keep Kong Ye Ming waiting.

Linglong watched the tall, straight back of the youth in white disappear, murmuring in a daze, "His name is Mu Chen..."

...

Outside the Shanjin Auction House, Kong Ye Ming was already engaged with Tang Yu’s guards. Three green Martial Rings flashed into existence around his feet as a verdant whirlwind began to spin beneath him, the Wind Dragon Roar already clutched in his hand.

"Tang Yu, either you kill me today, or I swear, the next time you dare step outside the Tang Family gates, I’ll make you suffer ten times what you’re doing to me now!" With that, Kong Ye Ming swiftly dodged a guard’s attack and, with a flick of his wrist, unleashed a blast of Sword Qi that forced back another guard trying to close in.