The Grand Ultimate Protagonist Like Auction! (I)

— Fwooop!

Long Yu's eyes glowed with a terrifying light as he activated them, sending a powerful soul attack straight at Ye Chen.

Immediately, Ye Chen's eyes snapped open, sensing the danger. But he was still refining the Qilin Blood and couldn't dodge in time.

"Fuck!" Immediately, he used his right hand to strike his own chest, making himself spit blood.

Then, using his Qi, he muttered to himself, "Blood array... RISE!" He shouted as a red barrier surrounded his body.

However, the attack was much more powerful than he had thought.

— Crack!

The barrier started creaking as the soul energy pressed on towards Ye Chen's body until it finally broke.

Because of that, Ye Chen spat blood on the Qilin Blood, merging his and the Qilin's blood, and then activated a forbidden art, hoping to refine it faster since he couldn't lose this kind of opportunity.

However... he was still too slow.

— Break!

The barrier broke, and the soul attack hit him with a deafening sound, throwing him back.

"Arghhh!" he screamed as the energy tore through his body.

— Crack, crack, crack!

The sound of bones breaking echoed through the cave, blood spraying from his mouth as he felt a searing pain in his chest. 

"Hah... huff...! F-fuck...!"

He looked down to see a deep, gaping wound across his torso, blood flowing freely.

His vision blurred as pain surged through his body.

Worse yet, he could feel the precious Qilin Blood slipping away, its power dissipating before he could fully absorb it.

"No...!" he gasped, clutching his chest.

His breathing grew labored as he could barely stand with his legs shaking from the intense pain.

The wound was severe, his flesh torn and his bones fractured with blood pooling at his feet, staining the ground.

Ye Chen fell to his knees, his hands trembling as he tried to gather his strength.

"N-no... I-I c-can't..." he mumbled before losing consciousness.

— Step...

At that moment, the sounds of steps approaching echoed through the cave. And Long Yu approached Ye Chen's body with a small smile.

He casually put back his blindfold as he brought out a sword from the system's inventory.

— Swish!

— Clang!

"As I thought... a level 9 protagonist wouldn't die this easily." Long Yu muttered as he noticed how his sword couldn't pierce Ye Chen's body.

A now-visible small golden barrier covered Ye Chen's body, which wouldn't let Long Yu attack him.

"Is it coming from that ring...?" Long Yu's gaze locked with the ring on Ye Chen's left hand.

It had very strange symbols that he couldn't decipher.

[Ancient Language.]

"Oh?" Long Yu raised his eyebrow at the system's words.

[I told you... You can't simply kill a level 9 protagonist like that. This barrier seems to be at the Earthly Immortal Level too.]

"Earthly Immortal... huh?"

After the Mahayana Realm, there are many more realms, just like in every cultivation novel.

But because this cultivation world is divided into Nine Heavens, there are a bunch more of them.

However, the 2nd heaven and the 8th heaven are connected with each other.

Basically, the 2nd through 8th heavens form a single world, with each heaven being considered as a continent.

And you simply need to climb something called "Divine Starway" to reach one after the other.

Or simply have someone strong enough to take you to the heaven you want.

Which is why, Long Yu wants to join the Ice Cloud Immortal Sect. They are the only sect that can directly take him to the 8th heaven.

This means that he can have access to the purest form of Qi except for the 9th heaven which is considered God's Realm.

"Mhm... let me recheck the plot..." Long Yu closed his eyes for a few seconds.

"Ah... seriously?" Long Yu sighed in annoyance after opening his eyes.

[Told you.]

"The Primordial God Inheritance Ring."

"The body he actually possessed had something like this? And I can't even take it because of this damn barrier."

"Well... it probably wouldn't accept me anyway. This should be the reason he's a level 9 protagonist though."

Looking at Ye Chen's body, Long Yu simply decided to leave the place. The special auction that Caiyi had invited him to was going to begin after all.

"Mhm... I gathered around... 200 high-level spiritual stones. I don't if it's going to be enough."

"However... the 50% discount card she gave should help me."

"Oh... and save the rewards from injuring Ye Chen for later."

...

The auction house was a grand and imposing structure, its exterior adorned with intricate carvings and glowing talismans.

It stood tall in the heart of the city, drawing the attention of cultivators from all around.

"Phew... beautiful indeed." Long Yu muttered as he approached the entrance.

As he stepped inside, the opulence of the interior took his breath away. Golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting a warm, inviting light.

The walls were lined with tapestries depicting legendary battles and mythical creatures.

Immediately, a well-dressed female attendant greeted him at the door.

"Welcome, esteemed guest. May I see your invitation?" She batted her eyelashes as she asked him.

Nodding his head, Long Yu handed over the invitation Caiyi had given him.

The attendant's eyes widened slightly upon seeing it.

"A-ahh! Y-you're a VIP member...? P-please follow me to the VIP section." The woman immediately bent down 90 degrees upon seeing the invitation.

Every single attendant would act the same as her because that same invitation was none other than for the #1 VIP Seat, given to the most prestigious person in Nanhua Caiyi's heart.

To the attendant, this meant that Long Yu was her husband, and to confirm those thoughts, she even noticed the golden lotus earring on his left ear.

Long Yu nodded at her words, following the attendant through a series of lavishly decorated corridors.

The path was lined with other guests who whispered and cast curious glances his way.

After a few minutes, they arrived.

The VIP section was an elevated platform with a perfect view of the auction stage.

"Here is your seat, sir," the attendant said with a bow. "If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask."

"Ah... so comfortable..." Long Yu spoke as he settled into the luxurious chair.

To his right side, a huge table held a selection of exquisite teas and snacks. He immediately poured himself a cup of tea, savoring the rich aroma.

"Jasmin... just my favorite tea." He smiled contentedly, taking a small sip.

Because the auction was only going to start in half a house, Long Yu closed his eyes and started absorbing Qi.

The tranquil flow of Qi surrounded him, making him feel calm.

However... he was immediately interrupted by a loud voice.

"It's Fairy Huiying!" A loud voice exclaimed.

"H-her aura... is simply insane!"

"F-fuck... she truly is beautiful... As expected of the number one beauty!"

"Number one beauty!? Dream on! Fairy Caiyi is the number one!"

"All of you are wrong! It's obviously Fairy Ningshuang!"

"No! It's Fairy Caiyi!"

"it's Fairy Huiying!"

And just after Shen Huiying arrived, so did Ji Ningshuang. Both of them ignored the mess and headed to their seats which were obviously VIP seats.

However, as they sat down, they couldn't help but glare at each other, sparks flying between their eyes.

— Swizzle!

Ji Ningshuang suddenly waved her hand and a portal appeared right beside her. From the portal, both Luo Yang and Luo Shengxue appeared.

Luo Yang had a faint smile on his face while Luo Shengxue had an icy aura that told people to get away from her.

"Thank you, Master." Luo Yang cupped his hands and bowed respectfully.

Ji Ningshuang nodded her head, awaiting Luo Shengxue to greet her.

But to her surprise, Luo Shengxue completely ignored her, making her sigh and rub her temples in frustration.

"Pfffff... even your disciple don't respect you." A small giggle reached out to Ji Ningshuang.

She looked towards the source of the voice and saw Nanhua Caiyi looking at her with a faint smirk.

"Nanhua Caiyi...!" Ji Ningshuang immediately emitted a cold aura as she stared deeply at her.

To her actions, Caiyi simply smiled wryly. "Don't worry~, I'm not looking for a fight. After all... this is a very important day to me."

"Huh?" Ji Ningshuang raised an eyebrow.

"You'll see it later~" She remained mysterious, turned to Shen Huying, and nodded her head out of politeness.

All of those three hated each other, but they still had a hint of respect for each other.

However, their attention was suddenly caught as a wave of Qi was propelled through the VIP Section.

— Fwoooop!

"Huff—!"

[Congratulations on reaching the 6th Layer of the Foundation Realm!]

"Hah... Love this feeling...!" Long Yu smiled as he stretched his arms.

However, he suddenly noticed pairs of eyes staring at him—everyone was looking at him.

[Maybe... you shouldn't have had a breakthrough here.]

'What?! I wouldn't want to delay it. It entered the perfect phase for a breakthrough!'

[Well... it's an interesting scene now. Your 'fiancee', a woman who is obsessed with you, some kind of ex-girlfriend, the Sect Leader of your sect, and one protagonist...]

[They're all looking at you.]

'Type shit.'

Instead of saying anything, Long Yu simply poured another cup of tea to himself and took a sip of it.

'As I thought... Jasmin tea is really refreshing.' He nodded to himself.

[...Are you seriously going to ignore all of them?]

'What do you want me to say?!'

[...Hi?]

'Yeah no.'

Sigh~

"Is there something on my face?" Long Yu asked in a neutral tone as he looked at each person staring at him.

At his words, Nanhua Caiyi chuckled softly.

"There isn't~, I was just a bit surprised that you had a breakthrough..." Her lips curled into a deep smile.

"Darling~"

'...Fuck.'