Chapter 137: A Shark Has Arrived

Mo Zhuiwen’s intense excitement stemmed from the extreme rarity of the Five-Colored Fruit; he had heard of it, but had never laid eyes on one until now. To Qin Chuan, the fruit was merely a source of origin energy and experience, but for others, its value far exceeded that.

The primary benefit of such rare spiritual fruits is the improvement of one’s physique, and they can even enhance a person's latent potential. Cultivation relies heavily on aptitude, which is categorized into comprehension and potential. Mo Zhuiwen was almost certain that the Five-Colored Fruit before him could significantly boost one’s potential, making it a priceless treasure. Increased potential meant greater strength, a prospect that made it a highly sought-after commodity among cultivators, guaranteed to fetch a staggering price.

"Young Master Qin," Mo Zhuiwen said with solemn gravity, "I value this premium Five-Colored Fruit at five million spirit crystals, with a starting bid of two million."

Spirit crystals serve as the universal currency in this world of fantasy. They contain pure, balanced energy suitable for refining by any race, though complete refinement is nearly impossible for most. As a currency, however, they are perfect. Qin Chuan had not known what they were initially, only discovering over a hundred of them in Zizi’s storage bag later on. Each crystal provides 100 points of origin energy, meaning one premium Five-Colored Fruit could be exchanged for five hundred million points of origin energy. Clearly, this was an incredibly lucrative deal.

"Very well. I have a few more; let’s sell them together," Qin Chuan said, producing a pile of Five-Colored Fruits that nearly caused Mo Zhuiwen to faint.

"This... so many?" Mo Zhuiwen’s eyes widened, and he stood stunned, struggling to believe his own sight. A single fruit was rare enough, let alone fifty. Had he known that Qin Chuan had once devoured thousands of these, he surely would have collapsed on the spot.

"Young Master Qin, this branch of our pavilion cannot handle such a large quantity of Five-Colored Fruits," Mo Zhuiwen managed to say. "How about this: I will auction one here, and the rest will be sent to our headquarters for auction. I will pay you the starting bid for all of them now, and you may collect the remainder at any branch using your VIP card. However, this will take some time—about one or two months."

Qin Chuan had no objections. "Fine," he replied coolly.

Mo Zhuiwen did not stand on ceremony; he collected all the fruits and produced a single Earth Crystal. "Young Master Qin, this is an Earth Crystal, equivalent to one hundred million spirit crystals."

"Good." Qin Chuan took the Earth Crystal, feeling a surge of excitement. This small stone contained ten billion points of origin energy—it was truly unimaginable.

One truly does not know how vast the world is until they step out of their mountain gates. While others found spirit crystals and Earth Crystals difficult to refine, for Qin Chuan, it was effortless. *There must be plenty of Earth Crystals at Black Wind Cliff,* he mused. *As a professional thief, that place is the ultimate target of my journey.* It must be said that Qin Chuan’s nerve was growing quite bold; he was already plotting against the very lair of Black Wind Cliff.

This visit to the Treasure Pavilion was an unexpected windfall for Qin Chuan. His only regret was having mindlessly devoured all those Five-Colored Fruits in the past; otherwise, he might have been wealthy enough to rival a nation by now. Yet, he did not dwell on it, as that energy had ultimately been used to save Xiruo.

Among the three, Yiyi was likely the happiest; her sweet smile had not faded for a moment. She had not expected to facilitate such a massive deal today. She presented Qin Chuan with a golden 'Supreme' jade token—the highest level of identification in the Treasure Pavilion, one rank above the red 'Special VIP' card. Mo Zhuiwen cast an approving glance at his granddaughter, for she was not only sharp-witted but possessed an exceptional eye for talent. Qin Chuan, unaware of the subtle nuances, assumed it was merely a standard VIP card.

"Young Master Qin, I have arranged a room for you. Please, follow me."

"Very well." Led by Yiyi, Qin Chuan entered the most prestigious chamber of the Treasure Pavilion, which offered a clear view of the entire auction floor. Yiyi did not leave, choosing to serve as a personal attendant in the private room. This gesture left Gu Qinghe, the manager of this branch, absolutely stunned. Yet, he dared not speak or inquire, lest he meet an untimely end.

"Move aside! Get out of the way!"

Suddenly, a dozen ferocious-looking men stormed into the entrance of the Treasure Pavilion, scattering the cultivators gathered there. The cultivators fled in panic, for these were none other than disciples of Black Wind Cliff. The dozen disciples stood in a neat row at the entrance, cupping their hands in a salute as they bowed. "Greetings, Young Cliff Master."

A flamboyant, foppish young man with an evil, seductive air strolled in, his hands clasped behind his back, exuding an aura of arrogant superiority.

"Yiyi," Qin Chuan asked with curiosity, "who is that?"

A flash of disdain crossed Yiyi’s face. "Young Master Qin, that is Shang Xuanyun, the Young Cliff Master of Black Wind Cliff. He is the third son of the Cliff Master, Shang Guihong."

A perfect arc formed at the corner of Qin Chuan’s mouth. *How narrow the world is,* he thought. *I intended to catch a small fish, but a shark has arrived instead.*

Qin Chuan smiled faintly. "Well, Shang Xuanyun certainly carries himself with quite the air of importance."

Yiyi giggled sweetly. "Young Master Qin, you may not know this, but everyone from Black Wind Cliff is cut from the same cloth."

Qin Chuan felt a flicker of surprise; Yiyi spoke with such confidence that she clearly was no ordinary clerk.

As soon as Shang Xuanyun entered, the entire auction hall fell silent, the people visibly trembling with fear. Seeing this, a wicked smirk played on Shang Xuanyun’s lips; he relished the sight of others cowering before him. "It took a lot of effort to secure this inspection duty, but the feeling is truly excellent! Such prestige!"

"Haha!"

Accompanying Shang Xuanyun was an elite among the outer disciples, ranked ninth. This man, He Changjiu, was the person in charge of the Black Water Town outpost. He Changjiu barked at a receptionist girl at the Treasure Pavilion, "Hurry and arrange the best private room for the Young Cliff Master!"

The girl hesitated, glancing toward the upper floors. The best room had already been given to a previous guest; where else could she find such a room? Her hesitation did not escape He Changjiu, who flew into a rage and kicked the girl to the ground.

"Ah!"

"You’re courting death! Are you blind? This is our Young Cliff Master! How dare you show such negligence?"

He Changjiu’s kick had been brutal, sending the girl tumbling as blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

*Arrogant!*
*Tyrannical!*
*Utterly unreasonable!*

The cultivators present cursed inwardly, yet none dared to speak a word of protest.

Gu Qinghe, sensing the situation, hurried over with a forced smile. "Ah, so it is the Young Cliff Master. Please, forgive the oversight. This way, please."

He Changjiu sneered, "Hmph, at least you know your place."

Shang Xuanyun snapped open his folding fan with a flourish, fanned himself with exaggerated grace, and swaggered toward the second floor. Qin Chuan’s lips twitched as he remarked coolly, "The people of Black Wind Cliff all seem to have a desperate need for a beating."

Yiyi could not help herself, letting slip a comment quite unbecoming of her station: "It’s not just a beating they need; they deserve a thrashing."