Chapter 7: the auction.

After three days, old man Lu shuffled into Kai's courtyard, his weathered face etched with excitement of the benefits he will get again from Kai after delivering his job.

" Young master Kai, I've finished gathering all the news and information about the clans and sect" he said, after arriving in Kai training ground, before pulling out a scroll from his robe, handing it to Kai who was in his meditating pose.

Kai stood up before walking to the center of the garden not far away from his training ground, then he invited old man Lu to join him.

Kai received the scroll, leaned in, eager to learn more.

The first clan is the Xia clan, they have a strong military tradition and specialize in combat techniques. They are formidable opponents on the battlefield, they are the military backbone of the city.

The second clan is the Ling clan, they specialize in alchemy and they are known for their ability to create powerful elixir and fire combats techniques. Although this clan is classified into two groups, some only specialize in alchemy while the other group specializes in using fire elements to fight. They are very destructive in nature and they are also very secretive and tend to keep to themselves.

The third clan is the Xue clan, they are the wealthiest of the three clans and have a strong business sense. However, they are also seen as opportunistic and ruthless in their pursuit of profits.

As for the two sects, the celestial sect, is a sect that focus on inner cultivation, they appreciate prodigy, and they believe in righteousness path, in this sec all sort of cultivation can be found, but this sect also has a lot of hidden secret that are bad all in the name of righteousness.

And finally the Heavenly demon sects, it is said that this sect is a demonic sect, there disciples are know to be brute in nature, but very straightforward, they follow pure demonic path, they don't have good public reputation, but they have never been caught with any evil act, which is what make people a lot curious about their ways. Also they have few disciples, but all their disciples are peerless in the same cultivation realm.

After reading all these. Kai nodded thoughtfully, taking in all the information. "Thank you, old man Lu. This is invaluable knowledge."

Then Kai threw a pouch to him, " that is thirty low spiritual stones, your reward for hard working, but I need you to find out when and where the Heavenly demon sect will start their recruitment".

" Young master, the Heavenly demon sect will begin their recruitment in two weeks and anyone who wants to join the sect will have to gather in the demonic blood forest outside the city". Old man Lu replied to Kai immediately with excitement after receiving the benefits.

" Alright, thank you for the news, you can take your leave now. I will call for you when I need you again." Kai said to him.

Old man Lu stood up and started walking away before he suddenly stopped, he turned back and saw Kai deep in thought.

*hem*. He clears his throat which draws Kai's attention to him. Kai raises his eyebrow, " is there anything else old Lu?".

" Actually young master, the Xue clan will be organizing a huge auction in four days, and according to the rumors they will be auctioning off some mysterious materials and treasures. So I thought the young master might be interested in this news." Old Lu said to Kai with a smile on his face.

"Ohhh, such big events will be happening, how can I miss such opportunities, well then old Lu, you go prepare all that is needed for me to attend the auction". Kai said with a smile before he threw another pouch containing low spiritual stones to old Lu.

Old Lu received it and bowed to Kai before he walked out of his courtyard.

…..

Kai was in his training ground swinging his heavy saber, he was still practicing the basic saber art given to him by Master Wu. According to his teaching,"the true essence of saber lies not in the saber, but in the mind and body of the warrior wielding it".

Moreover Master Wu warned him not to practice any saber techniques except the basic control of the saber, unless he was able to create his own saber art and to do that he must integrate the basic saber control into his body and mind to build a solid foundation for his future saber dao.

So Kai has been practicing the basic saber control since he started cultivating, and this basic control was parrying, slashing, thrusting, and slicing, he practiced this technique everyday to learn to wield his saber with great precision and finesse, striking at just the right moment and leveraging the weapon's weight and momentum to maximum effect.

Kai was awakened from his practice by old man Lu who was standing behind him. "Young master the auction will be starting in two hours, but before the real auction starts, there will be pre-auction. So I thought maybe you might be interested in this also". Old man Lu informed Kai with a smile.

Kai was confused about what old Lu meant by pre-auction, so he asked. "Old Lu, what do you mean by pre-auction?".

"Young master, pre-auction is also the same as auction but this time the treasure will be displayed in a room for everybody to go around, check them and bid for them". Old Lu explained.

" Ohhh, I understand now, since I have nothing else to do I might as well check it out and see if anything catches my interest before the real auction starts. Give me a few minutes to clean up". Kai said to old Lu before he headed to his bathroom, took a shower, then he and old Lu walked in the direction of the auction.

.....

Kai and old Lu walked into the bustling auction hall, his eyes wide with wonder at the treasures that lay before him. Rows and rows of ancient artifacts, rare crystals, and priceless paintings lined the walls, and the air was filled with the sound of excited whispers and hushed bidding.

Kai made his way through the crowd, and he started checking out every treasure in the hall to see if there was anything that might catch his interest.

Although he has a lot of rare ores, and high grade materials pile up in one angle of the ring Master Wu gave to him, however he won't mind buying anything that caught his interest, and as for money, he doesn't lack at all, in fact if he claim to be the second richest man in the whole Hua-Tian city no one will dare claim to be first.

As he was checking around suddenly, Kai felt a sharp pain on his forehead, he realized that the golden rune on his forehead shone for a moment. Ever since the book turned to rune and imprint itself on his forehead, it hasn't reacted at all until this moment.

His intuition told him that there is something related to the "Heavenly refinement body art" which is the name of the body art he practiced. So he started looking around.

Suddenly he felt the pain again, but this time the pain was much, ahead of him was a small wooden gate, it's as small as the size of a fist. There is nothing special about this wooden gate, in fact everybody was ignoring it. But Kai's eyes were as bright as the stars upon setting eyes on the gate. He made up his mind to get it no matter what.

So he walked closer to it. Kai tried to pick it up but he realized that the gate was so heavy, but the weight is not a problem for anyone. He looked at the initial price there, it was twenty low spiritual stones.

Kai was thinking of putting fifty low grade spiritual stones, but he felt like the price might attract some attention since basically everyone was ignoring it anyway.

So he called one of the attendants. " hello young master how can i help you?", a female attendant appeared in front of Kai.

Kai did not bother looking at the girl or admire her beauty since his mind was focused on how to get this treasure without attracting anyone's attention.

" I would like to get this wooden gate". He said with a plain tone.

"Young master, this wooden gate is an ordinary item and it has been staying here for who knows how long, are you sure you are buying it?". The lady said.

"You don't have to worry lady, I like to collect junks, as a decoration in my room, since this piece of art caught my interest. Why not buy it, moreover, this little waste of money won't hurt anyway". Kai replies, while handing a pouch with twenty low grade spiritual stones in it to the lady.

However, before the attendant could receive the money a voice rang out in both Kai and the lady's ear.

"What a beautiful carving, lady Chow, I will be taking this beautiful piece of art for thirty low grade spiritual stones".

Kai turned behind him to look at where the voice was coming from, then he saw a rich tall young master, handsome, and exuding an air of effortlessness confidence, his jet black hair was styled in a sleek, modern cut, while his sharp feature were accented by piercing blue eyes that seemed to pierce through to one's soul.

This is the Xue clan's third young master, seeing him walking closer with two ladies on each side while his arm was wrapped around their waist.

Kai realizes that this is the spoiled brat of the Xue clan, he has heard of him before, his name is Xue Jian, a brat who loves to spend unnecessary.