Auction House

After arriving in Danfeng City by train, the two of them did a little sightseeing before parting ways.

Xǔ Tiānlí had already paid his accommodation fees before meeting Mù Qīngyǔ, so he hesitated a bit on where to stay.

Mù Qīngyǔ, on the other hand, didn’t hesitate at all. Since the money was already spent on the dormitory, she would just go there and find a separate rental room for herself.

Her reason was simple: this was her first time in Danfeng City, and she wanted to spend more time getting to know it. Moreover, this city was nothing like Wufeng City. A higher number of Spirit Wielders meant more opportunities and more chances to grow stronger.

Xǔ Tiānlí, of course, had no idea what his master was thinking. He completely believed she made this choice for his sake, and he was deeply moved by it.

However, he wouldn’t part ways with her. Not only could he visit her after school, but he also had plenty of time on weekends to spend with her.

It just felt like… his routine of being at school from Monday to Friday and then running off to a rental room every weekend to see a woman was something a lovesick couple would do.

At the start of the new semester, Xǔ Tiānlí returned to the dormitory he hadn’t seen in two months. As soon as he entered, a musty, moldy smell hit him, but it definitely wasn’t coming from his bed. He had packed everything away before the break, either neatly stored or stuffed into his luggage.

No need to guess—it had to be one of his roommates’ blankets left piled on their bunk. After two months of fermentation, they had turned into a biological weapon.

Xǔ Tiānlí’s dorm was a four-person room. Two roommates had already arrived before him and had cleaned the shared areas.

After thanking them, Xǔ Tiānlí went to the balcony to grab a rag, wet it, wrung it out, and began wiping down his bunk and desk.

One reason Danfeng Academy was nationally renowned was its absurdly good living conditions. Although it was a four-person room, the space didn’t shrink at all compared to a six-person room. Each person had their own bed with a desk underneath, separate closets, a balcony, and separate bathrooms and toilets.

Xǔ Tiānlí had just finished tidying his area and was sitting on his chair to rest when a knock came at the door. The roommate closest to the door went to check.

“Xǔ Tiānlí, someone’s looking for you.”

“Who?”

He had only just arrived at school. It couldn’t be the counselor, could it?

But there was another, more likely possibility.

Xǔ Tiānlí stepped out of the dorm and saw a familiar figure pacing not far away. The young man was on the thinner side, with an ordinary face. When he saw Xǔ Tiānlí, he broke into a smile.

“Old Xǔ, haven’t seen you all summer, and you look like you’ve gained a bit of weight.”

“Probably because I’ve been eating better lately.”

“Look at you, talking like that.”

Xǔ Tiānlí wasn’t lying—he really had been eating better. Not only was the welfare home better off now, but he also didn’t want to skimp on meals for his master.

The visitor was named Song Hai, one of Xǔ Tiānlí’s classmates. The two had met one morning after their freshman year military training.

Back then, while the rest of his roommates were still sleeping in, Xǔ Tiānlí kept his habit of going to the cafeteria for breakfast every morning. Song Hai had struck up a conversation with him on the way, and they quickly became good friends.

Xǔ Tiānlí was generally quiet around strangers, so Song Hai was the person he talked to most, aside from his roommates.

“Why the rush to find me? No one to have dinner with?”

“It’s not that. I just wanted to talk to you alone.”

“Missing Daddy that much?”

“Piss off.”

Checking the time, it was almost dinner hour anyway. Xǔ Tiānlí decided to go out with him—better than eating alone and stewing in his thoughts.

But he had a gut feeling that Song Hai suddenly coming to find him wasn’t just about a simple meal.

Sure enough, as they walked out of the school gate and were discussing which street to hit for snacks, Song Hai suddenly blurted out:

“You and your fiancée broke up?”

“…You know about that too?”

“I pay attention to the news, especially stuff about Spirit Wielders.”

Song Hai couldn’t compare to Spirit Wielders himself—he didn’t have the talent, couldn’t even make it to the Tier-1. But that didn’t stop him from admiring them. A decent chunk of his entertainment budget went toward it.

Being so into Spirit Wielders, Song Hai naturally knew what had happened to Xǔ Tiānlí. But he hadn’t reached out to verify it right away; he waited until school started.

Since his buddy already knew, Xǔ Tiānlí stopped hiding and told him part of what happened over the summer.

“No way, you’re really at the Tier-1 now?”

“Why would I lie to you?”

“A blessing in disguise, man.” Song Hai was so envious he put down his chopsticks.

“I guess so. But the Tier-1 isn’t enough. Mù Qīngyǔ might be at the Tier-3 by now.”

“Yeah, you’re under a lot of pressure.” Song Hai didn’t look so envious anymore. “So, are we going to the old place tomorrow?”

“Yeah, why not?”

The “old place” referred to an auction house in Danfeng City. While it wasn’t exclusively for Spirit Wielders, ninety percent of its customers were.

This auction house had also undergone a transformation, and it was said to have the backing of the local Alchemical Pact—otherwise, it wouldn’t have made such a big name for itself.

After Song Hai and Xǔ Tiānlí became friends, their favorite activity was sneaking into the auction house to feast their eyes.

They couldn’t afford anything, but just seeing those treasures up close made the trip worthwhile.

This time, however, neither of them planned to just watch.

Song Hai had somehow scraped together enough money to buy admission tickets, allowing them to enter the auction house openly and even participate in the bidding.

“Where did you get the money?” Xǔ Tiānlí asked.

“Worked like a dog over the summer. Look how tan I am.” Song Hai chuckled bitterly.

“That’s really putting in the effort.”

“What about you? Looks like you brought some cash too. Not like you’re here just to watch the show.”

“Yeah, I saved up some money over the summer too. Planning to grab something good.”

Xǔ Tiānlí didn’t want to depend on his master for everything. When opportunity came, he had to seize it himself.

“Ah, man, when will I be as lucky as you? Meeting a good master who can lead me into becoming a Spirit Wielder?”

“When you’re as handsome as your dad here.”

“Get lost. A summer apart and your mouth got even nastier. Does your master know you’re always trying to be someone’s dad?”

“No way. My master wouldn’t deign to come to a place like this.”

“Really? I’m getting more and more curious about what kind of person she is.”

“She’s someone you can’t even imagine. I wouldn’t be able to explain it to you anyway. She’s very mysterious, and not someone you can just meet.”

Just as Xǔ Tiānlí was saying this, he brushed past a short, tightly wrapped figure. He slowed his pace.

“What’s wrong?” Song Hai asked.

Xǔ Tiānlí looked back, but the figure had already vanished into the crowd.

“Nothing. Let’s go.”

He had a strange feeling, but he couldn’t quite put it into words. He just chalked it up to being overly jumpy after advancing to the Tier-1 and didn’t dwell on it.