With that, he raised the Long Sword in his hand and plunged it directly into the Zheng Beast’s head. The sharp Sword Qi instantly tore its Sea of Consciousness to shreds.

The light faded from the Zheng Beast’s eyes, and finally, all signs of life were gone.

Xu Yunhe harvested the materials from the Zheng Beast’s body as quickly as he could, cut off a large piece of meat, and then departed gracefully, sword in hand.

He silently counted to himself, ’The sixth one.’

Indeed, this was the sixth Tier Two Demon Beast he had slain since entering the Hundred Thousand Mountains. The previous few had all been Tier Two Low Grade; this was the only Tier Two Middle Grade, but it would certainly not be the last.

Most Human Race Cultivators were terrified of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, but in Xu Yunhe’s eyes, it was an excellent place for cultivation.

Three years ago, he broke through to Foundation Establishment and comprehended Sword Intent. To grow as quickly as possible, he decided to leave Ling Province for Bian Province to temper himself.

Ultimately, he chose the Hundred Thousand Mountains, a region yet to be conquered by the Human Race. It was home not only to Tier Three Great Demons comparable to the Purple Mansion realm, but also many Tier Two Demon Beasts.

A saying circulated in Bian Province that the "Hundred Thousand Mountains" referred to one hundred thousand Spirit Mountains, each with a Tier Two Demon Beast of its own.

This was naturally an exaggeration, but the truth might not be far off. Demon Beasts of the Tier Two Level were not at all uncommon in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

Just as Xu Yunhe was preparing to find his next target, a heaven-shaking roar caught his attention, and his expression instantly turned grave.

’It’s found me again.’ Xu Yunhe frowned slightly. He was all too familiar with that roar. When he had first entered the Hundred Thousand Mountains, he had slain a Jade-Eyed Golden Crystal Beast, never expecting it to have powerful connections.

It was the bloodline descendant of a Tier Three Great Demon—and a close one at that. Ever since then, Xu Yunhe had been relentlessly hunted by that Tier Three Great Demon.

Relying on his excellent Concealment Technique, he’d had several narrow escapes, but he couldn’t keep running forever. Sooner or later, there would be nowhere left to run and nowhere left to hide.

’I should head to Luoxia City to lie low for a while. I hear the Great City Lord’s birthday is approaching, so it should be quite lively.’ After some consideration, Xu Yunhe decided that leaving was the best course of action.

It was true that a Swordsman would rather break than bend, but knowingly charging at an opponent you couldn’t beat wasn’t a sign of integrity—it was just being a reckless fool.

’I’m all alone, with no incredibly powerful elders to back me up and no great Fortune on my side. If I die here, there won’t even be anyone to collect my body. I should focus on saving my own skin first.’

At this thought, Xu Yunhe instantly transformed into a streak of Sword Light and shot off in the direction of Luoxia City...

The five-month period passed in a flash. With less than a month left until the delivery date, the Magical Artifact Song Changsheng was refining had finally reached its most critical stage.

All the supplementary materials had been integrated into the Jade Flute, and the Array had been inscribed. Logically, it could be removed from the cauldron now, but Song Changsheng felt it wasn’t quite satisfactory.

Although the Magical Artifact had reached the very peak of Tier Two Low Grade and was not far from Tier Two Middle Grade, in his eyes, it still had not reached its most perfect state.

After a moment of thought, he took out a small Jade Bottle and, with extreme care, poured a pinch of grayish-white powder inside. The Jade Flute in the cauldron instantly underwent another transformation. While it was still Tier Two Low Grade, it was now just a hair’s breadth away from Tier Two Middle Grade.

Its new owner would only need to nourish it for a short time, and the flute would be able to advance in grade.

’All my hard work wasn’t for nothing. This is my best work to date, a creation I likely won’t be able to surpass for a long time to come.’ Song Changsheng held the completed Jade Flute in his hand, feeling very satisfied.

Although this Jade Flute’s grade wasn’t high, the materials used were all top-notch, and he had poured half a year of painstaking effort into it. Even so, it still hadn’t reached its peak.

Thus, he had added powder ground from Profound Nether Crystal Essence, which was what brought it to its current, most perfect state.

His own Lifebound Spiritual Artifact, the Spirit-Slaying Gourd, was slightly inferior in comparison. Its only advantage was that wisp of Primordial Qi; otherwise, there would be no comparison at all.

Song Changsheng didn’t take it upon himself to name the Jade Flute. Instead, he found a Jade Box to seal it in and waited for Elder Casual to come and pick it up.

But to his surprise, the six-month deadline arrived, and the person still hadn’t come. This couldn’t help but make him worry again. ’As long as she doesn’t come to pick it up, the order isn’t complete, and I can’t touch those Spirit Stones.’

’I might be very satisfied with the Magical Artifact I’ve refined, but that doesn’t mean others will feel the same way.’

’The auction is in ten days. This is getting a bit tricky.’ Song Changsheng was troubled. Although he had taken on many orders before, his total payment had only amounted to 10,000 Spirit Stones.

Adding his existing savings, he had only 13,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones. This might be a huge fortune for an ordinary Cultivator, but to compete with others at the auction, it was likely still not enough.

A complete Tier Two White Tiger Skeleton would undoubtedly be coveted by many. According to his estimates, he would need to prepare 20,000 Spirit Stones to be safe.

’If she still hasn’t come to pick it up before the auction, I’ll just have to borrow the funds for now. Worst case, I’ll pay it back later,’ Song Changsheng thought. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

With only a few days left, he didn’t plan to take any more orders and instead immersed himself in cultivation...

Just two days before the auction began, Elder Casual finally arrived at the general store again. Song Changsheng breathed a true sigh of relief; this matter could finally be settled.

Elder Casual didn’t explain why she was late, and Song Changsheng was tactful enough not to ask. The other party was most likely a Purple Mansion Great Cultivator; it wasn’t his place to question her actions.

He offered the Jade Box with both hands and said, "Senior, I have fulfilled my duty."

The woman took the Jade Box but didn’t open it. Instead, she said something that left him completely baffled: "There is indeed some resemblance, but the student has already surpassed the master."

Before Song Changsheng could figure out who she was referring to, she vanished into thin air, leaving him horrified.

’Can people just vanish into thin air?’

’Of course not. That’s a power only the legendary Immortals possess.’

The woman hadn’t vanished into thin air; her speed had simply been too fast for Song Changsheng to perceive. In other words, if she had wanted to take his life, he wouldn’t have even had time to react.

The last time he’d felt this way was when he’d heard that wisp of zither music from the Great City Lord’s invitation—the same sense of powerlessness.

’Zither music, a flute, and such terrifying strength...’ Song Changsheng was shaken. ’Could she be the Great City Lord?’

The next moment, however, he shook his head. The Great City Lord was undoubtedly a man, not a woman.

Besides, while this Elder Casual was also powerful enough to take his life in an instant, she still paled in comparison to the Great City Lord. The two were definitely not the same person.

’But who is she? Why did she seek me out to refine a Magical Artifact? And what did that sentence mean?’

He suddenly felt that the secrets of Luoxia City were piling up, yet he didn’t have a single clue about any of them. This feeling of not being in control made him very uncomfortable.

He was suddenly reminded of the great hand moving things from behind the scenes. This time, he saw not only his grandfather’s shadow in it, but Elder Casual’s as well.

But some shadows remained indistinct.

’What... is your purpose?’ Song Changsheng was lost. He suddenly felt the urge to return to his family immediately.

He wanted to go and demand an answer from that old man in his family and find out just what was being hidden from him!

But, in the end, he didn’t.

’I will uncover the truth myself. I will!’ Song Changsheng clenched his fists, his gaze resolute...

In the blink of an eye, it was time for the auction to begin. Early in the morning, Song Changsheng headed toward the auction house with his little follower, Song Qingluo.

Just as he had guessed, it was a highly anticipated day. Nearly half of Luoxia City had gathered in the area. Even though most of them couldn’t get inside, a continuous stream of people still flocked over.

All just to feast their eyes...