Cade sat in a vast circular chamber, the low murmur of nearly two thousand cultivators forming a steady hum around him. The air was thick with the mingled scents of exotic perfumes and spiritual herbs. At the center of the hall, a fey woman stood on a raised platform, briefly describing the virtues of each item as it went up for auction. She was dressed in a sequined, fiery orange gown that pleasantly contrasted with her bright blue hair. The sequins reflected light from the many sunstones hanging below the ceiling, making it appear as if her body was wrapped in live fire. The dress had a shallow neckline, appearing tame and professional compared to what some of the more progressive female cultivators wore to the auction, often wrapping themselves in thin strips of cloth that left little to imagination.

  Only the rarest of the treasures were presented here. The podium was surrounded by numerous seats rising in concentric tiers; above it, a floating light projection screen magnified the object currently on display.

  Five days ago, Cade had been wandering the beast markets in search of a large Rank 2 corpse when he overheard a conversation between two elven hunters. They discussed this particular upcoming auction, mentioning a rare type of blood that would be available for purchase. They were both full of envy; apparently, it was the dream of every local hunter to take down a ribbon bloodseeker, a unique flying creature. Cade’s ears had perked up when one of the hunters pointed out how incredibly fast and nimble the beast was. After checking his bestiary, he had immediately decided to attend.

  This was the largest Sun Trading Company Auction House in Oasis. If one’s taste lay in the expensive and difficult to obtain, this was the place to be. Here, only the most precious items were auctioned weekly. The Sun Trading Company was a powerful mercantile establishment with branches all over the Sun Continent. Their Treasure Emporium—a high-end pawn shop specializing in rare cultivator goods—could be found in nearly every large city.

  Only a few cities on the continent hosted auctions of this caliber, Tower Oasis among them, and each event drew throngs of wealthy cultivators—some traveling across huge distances to be here. Surprisingly, there were quite a few humans in the chamber, mostly gathered in small groups. Many were young, which suggested they might have come here before heading off to the Sword Dao Monastery trial. Cade knew there were humans living in huge city-nations down south, similar to Red Jewel City except grander, but to his knowledge, there were no human settlements around the Desert of a Thousand Lakes.

  The cultured and refined goldscales were also here, auctioning off their unique artifacts, always attracting attention due to the tiny, metallic scales covering their skin. It was impossible not to gawk as the warm light of sunstones highlighted their silhouettes; fortunately, members of their race were long used to it and took no offense. Goldscales filed their sharp teeth to appear less wild and were generally mild-mannered and calm—a good set of traits for any artificer, as the craft required immense precision and patience of a saint.

  The mystical fey were likewise present. Like their elven cousins, their sprawling city-nation was located in the far south of the Sun Continent, several thousand miles from the Desert of a Thousand Lakes. Fey were not as tall as elves, many of whom matched Cade in height. While they could still be considered lithe, their build was more athletic in comparison to their elegant, thin relatives. Fey ears were a touch longer, their teeth a little sharper than an elf’s, but what truly set them apart were their abyssal black eyes—devoid of whites or irises. On the other hand, their hair colors were very diverse, with bright pink or vivid green not at all uncommon. It was another trait that made them different from the elves, who generally shared most of their hair colors with humans.

  Cade was surprised to see a few beastborn around, as to his knowledge, they rarely ventured south. Maybe they also came for the trial. His eyebrows raised when he spotted an ogre. Those big fellows weren’t generally too smart but had mostly calm dispositions and rarely used their strength. An ogre’s wrath was something nobody wanted to experience in person. This male was old and wizened, his bald head resembling a huge purple raisin. Despite the obvious signs of age, the ogre was still massive, with plenty of muscle on his broad frame. He had removed three chairs and sat on the ground, with no one around him batting an eye.

  The Asura had been observing the auction for the last six hours, unable to shake an expression of boredom. He truly admired the tireless fey presenter. At no point during those six hours did the presenter’s tone change; each item was presented passionately and with attention to detail.

  Fortunately, the auction he’d come for was about to begin. Ribbon bloodseekers were incredibly rare—prized for their blood, a key ingredient in several physical recovery pills, some with near-godlike effects. These creatures fed by draining blood through their tentacles. Some was used for sustenance, but most of the blood qi was converted into spiritual qi and stored inside their energy core, which powered the beast’s flight—as opposed to nearlly all other flying creatures, forced to rely on their physical wings. Thanks to this unique ability, it could burst forward with incredible speed and change direction instantly, entirely negating any momentum. As far as Cade knew, no other local species could match its ability in this regard. The creature was not only hard to track but also extremely dangerous and difficult to kill.

  Spiritual qi cultivators could replicate this maneuverability to some extent, but it was a huge drain on their reserves. Not to mention the risk—at high speeds, a single misstep could liquefy their insides, and no amount of healing pills would save them from reincarnating.

  The bloodseeker’s main body was roughly the size of a cow. It might have been the most unsettling creature Cade had ever seen, resembling a flying octopus with thick, dark blue skin, a single large eye centered on a round, slightly elongated, mouthless head, and dozens of ribbon-like appendages. These smooth, handbreadth-wide limbs were thin, with edges sharper than finest blades, tapering over their length into piercing points. Those deadly ribbons stretched from thirty to well over a hundred feet, based on age and cultivation rank. After feeding, the seeker would bury itself in the sand and enter a state of hibernation until it burned through its blood reserves. Then it would rise again at night to hunt.

  Despite the desert being its natural habitat, bloodseekers were exceedingly rare. Even a Rank 1 bloodseeker was hard to track down, and today’s auction featured blood obtained from a Rank 3 creature. Fortunately, Cade only needed a single drop. He could attempt to track a bloodseeker with his life sense, but a search like this could take months, maybe even years—an amount of time he simply did not have. It was easier to buy the blood, especially considering its superb potency.

  After another half an hour of auctioning off the body parts of high-rank spirit beasts, it was finally time for the first of three drops of blood to make an appearance. The auction house presented a light projection of the bloodseeker, and Cade watched with fascination as its tentacles undulated gently, a sight both uncanny and hypnotizing. After the blue-haired presenter provided a brief introduction, the auction finally began.

  Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

  “We’ll start the bidding at 10,000 crystals; the minimum bid is 1,000,” she announced, her soft, musical voice enhanced with qi.

  “11,000,” someone sitting behind Cade called calmly, raising their number plaque.

  “12,000!” an ageless elven woman from the opposite side responded immediately.

  The bidding war began. The number kept climbing, finally slowing around 23,000 crystals. This was already a large amount to pay for a single drop of blood, and Cade had a feeling that if he didn't go after it now, the other drops could end up climbing much higher.

  “24,000,” he called out.

  “25,000,” a pleasant, young female voice immediately countered.

  Cade peeked at the woman, who to his surprise turned out to be human. Her face was covered with a white veil, only her blue eyes visible. She was eighteen at the most—still a girl, really. Her hair was long and blonde, her stature petite yet full-figured. She wore a white gown with golden embroidering that accentuated her curves, fashioned in a style popular in the Brightheart Empire. There was a serene elderly man sitting next to her, dressed in simple black robes marked with an emblem of a golden sun on the left side of his chest. His hair was long, straight, and gray; his skin was wrinkled but had a healthy shade. His back was straight as an arrow, his eyes were a piercing green, and he had a square jaw.

  Cade couldn’t gauge the elder’s cultivation through spiritual fluctuations alone with so many cultivators around, but using his life sense, he estimated him to be at the late stage of the True Core realm, possibly the great circle. This was a figure one step removed from the Emperor himself. Cultivators around the old man didn't seem to experience any pressure, a testament to how well he controlled his power. He was now confident the young woman was a Brightheart, likely a high-ranking heiress. Who else would be accompanied by such a powerful cultivator? That old man was undoubtedly her dao protector.

  The Asura frowned and made another bid. He didn’t want anything to do with the Brighthearts, especially not with a late stage True Core cultivator, but he needed the blood. They outbid each other a couple of times until the young cultivator decided to address him directly.

  “Fellow Daoist, this drop of blood is of great importance to the Brightheart Empire. I’d consider it a personal favor if you would cede,” her tone was official, albeit pleasant. There was a hint of warmth to her voice; it seemed she really needed the blood and wasn’t just bidding on a whim.

  “Thank you, but I don’t need any favors. Fellow Daoist will have more opportunities to bid and will no doubt win, being this determined,” Cade replied, smiling lightly. “I only want one drop anyway. 31,000 crystals,” he placed another bid.

  “Sadly, we need all of it. Won’t you reconsider? 32,000,” the petite woman responded, her tone noticeably colder.

  “Regretfully, my needs are more important to me than yours. 33,000,” Cade calmly stated, raising the offer.

  “Alright, if that’s how you want to play it. 50,000 crystals!” The woman’s temper unexpectedly erupted, her skin flushing. The hall stirred with excited murmurs.

  “51,000,” Cade said nonchalantly, ignoring her outburst. It was just crystals; he’d find some way to make more. Claiming this blood to manifest his Blood Wings was a rare and precious opportunity.

  “You! 70,000 crystals!” the young woman yelled, clenching her small fists. This was over three times what the drop of blood was worth, but nobody knew when more would show up next, especially sourced from a Rank 3 creature. The seller would only auction a few drops at a time, likely when they needed crystals. It could be many months before the blood reappeared.

  The elderly man’s eyelid twitched, which didn’t escape Cade’s notice.

  “71,000,” the Asura replied, his eyes narrowing as his jaw muscles rippled. If this went on, he was going to end up destitute because of this unhinged princess. She was the first person he had met who could get so mad so quickly.

  His petite opponent gestured fiercely, discussing something with the elder. After a short and heated exchange—mostly from her side—her expression turned to one of disappointment, and her shoulders sagged. It became obvious theirs was a master-disciple relationship. Shortly after, however, her whole body tensed, and she turned towards Cade, giving him a venomous look.

  “Fine! Count yourself vicious,” she spat, angrily eyeing him from above her veil.

  The fey auctioneer gave the angry noblewoman a questioning look, only to receive a headshake from the elderly man next to her. “71,000 going once… twice… Sold. Fellow Daoist with number 368, please head to the collection chamber.”

  Cade couldn’t help but breathe out in relief. “It’s just an auction, Young Miss. You shouldn’t take it so personally. Good luck with future purchases,” he said flatly, briefly cupping his fist. He wasn’t going to allow some spoiled brat to talk to him like one of her servants, but since she had yet to cross the line, he found no reason to be overly rude. Cade had a goal and didn’t need additional distractions from some sheltered noble making trouble for him because she didn’t get what she wanted.

  “Hmph. Concern yourself with your own matters,” the petite cultivator scoffed, turning her head away. The sudden motion shifted the veil, revealing smooth skin and the elegant line of her jaw before it settled back into place.

  The elderly man next to her smiled apologetically at Cade, who released a weary sigh and chose not to respond. He slowly walked towards the exit, sensing many eyes on his back. The doorway opened into a corridor leading to a secure chamber where purchased objects were paid for and collected. There were two True Core guards present; the pressure Cade felt from them was many times lower than what he remembered from the ogre guards when entering Kettle. This was a surefire sign that his absorption of the bead’s energy and the breakthrough into Flesh Fortification had greatly increased his power.

  An elven man of indiscernible age with a refined appearance represented the Sun Trading Company and collected the payment. Cade died a little inside with each bag he was forced to take out, the melodious ringing of crystals stabbing into his heart like serrated daggers. In return, he was handed a tiny crystal bottle containing a single drop of dark liquid. He didn’t need to open it to confirm the quality of the blood; its amazing potency was unmistakable to an Asura.

  Even though Cade had already spent close to half of his crystals since coming to Oasis, he was still incredibly excited. The main reason he went to war for this drop wasn't just for the seeker’s flight ability, though it was amazing in its own right. He was counting on eventually making the red mist fully corporeal, which would allow him to materialize his various unskilled projections. On its own, this would be already very useful, allowing him to harass an enemy during a fight, dividing their attention. Maybe he could even use this improved mist to briefly root an opponent in place or momentarily bind their weapon.

  But what if the corporeal red mist was combined with bloodseeker’s natural abilities? The drop contained all of the beast’s laws, not just those responsible for flight. If he could make the mist tangible and use it to project his wings instead of blood qi, there was a good chance he could wield those ribbons like extensions of his own body, capable of carving a path through nearly anything.

  Cade couldn’t waste any more time. This was a make-or-break moment. He had spent a fortune in crystals on this little drop. If his theory didn’t pan out, he’d have wasted half of his wealth. But if it did…

  He would become a monster.

  The Asura rushed out of the auction house, eyes burning with purpose like two bonfires. Mounting his Arrow, he headed toward the training hall to absorb the blood and test his new potential.

  A moment later, three silhouettes silently followed.

  ! SMALL ANNOUNCEMENT !

  Today, on the 1st of October, in the early morning hours I have finished writing Book 2. Woohoo!

  I was so hyped for the last few days, I struggled to get 6 hours of sleep. That's how tense and explosive the finale is ;) I was obssessed with nailing the ending, and pretty much all my thoughts were focused on getting it right.

  it's the best, most satisfying piece of action I've written so far.