Limp

As Mo Qingkuang delved deeper into his thoughts, he increasingly realized that Xu Kong was far from as gentle as he appeared.

In Xu Kong's heart, the Blue Flame Empire was paramount. For its strength and prosperity, he was willing to sacrifice everything!

Xu Kong had begun to harbor murderous intent towards him, which made Mo Qingkuang anxious. Such an opponent was currently beyond his ability to contend with.

"Ancestor, what should I do if he targets me?"

Mo Fan responded nonchalantly, "He won't dare act openly. As for stabbing you in the back, with me here, you won't face any unexpected danger. Why worry?"

Hearing this, Mo Qingkuang finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the Tianxuan Empire's recent incident had caused a significant stir, and the Holy Land had already intervened.

During this sensitive period, the Blue Flame Empire wouldn't dare to act too boldly against Mo Qingkuang and his peers, lest they suffer significant consequences.

"Just focus on your cultivation. The environment here is quite beneficial, and you might make another breakthrough within a month," Mo Fan advised.

"I understand. In a month, it'll be the Autumn Hunt. I will definitely break through to the second-rank Grandmaster before then," Mo Qingkuang nodded solemnly.

Suddenly, Mo Fan seemed to remember something and said, "I recently heard something while wandering around. The Blue Flame Empire will have an auction soon. You should find someone to confirm the exact time and go check it out. Maybe you'll find something good."

"Auction? But I don't have any money!" Mo Qingkuang was puzzled. Why had the ancestor suddenly brought this up?

He was familiar with auctions. Even in a small city like Tiannan City, there were occasional auctions where he, as the young master Mo, would often spend lavishly.

But considering an auction in the Blue Flame Empire, Mo Qingkuang knew that with his financial resources, he couldn't afford even the cheapest items.

"Idiot! I'm taking you there to find hidden treasures! Who needs a lot of money for that? Besides, if you don't have money, can't you borrow some? Go ask Fu Qing. Do you think he won't help you?" Mo Fan replied irritably.

Unexpectedly, Mo Qingkuang answered seriously, "It's very possible."

If it were anyone else, he wouldn't mind. Even borrowing from his reliable teacher Zheng Tao wouldn't be a problem.

However, with the unreliable Principal Fu, Mo Qingkuang felt it was best to keep his distance. Who knew if the old man might demand high-interest returns?

"Foolish! Your teacher is Zheng Tao. If you borrow money from Fu Qing, he'll only ask your teacher to pay it back," Mo Fan spat.

"Well… alright," Mo Qingkuang nodded.

He felt somewhat guilty towards his teacher Zheng Tao, having planned to use him from the start. In reality, Zheng Tao had been very kind to him.

But since the ancestor insisted, there might be something crucial at this auction that he needed to obtain.

"If that's the case, I'll just have to trouble my teacher."

"Hmm, prepare a lot, at least five hundred thousand lower-grade spirit stones! Don't let that Lin Yang kid outbid us," Mo Fan instructed.

"Lin Yang? Ancestor, are you saying Lin Yang will also attend?" Hearing Lin Yang's name, Mo Qingkuang was startled.

"Of course, Lin Yang wouldn't miss such an opportunity to find hidden treasures. With the Saint Alchemist guiding him, he's bound to gain a lot. That's not what you want, is it?" Mo Fan knew Mo Qingkuang's obsession with Lin Yang and spoke with a knowing smile.

To be honest, he hadn't actually heard any news about an auction. He only knew from the original story that an auction in Blue Flame was coming, where Lin Yang, guided by the Saint Alchemist, would find many valuable items, laying a solid foundation for subduing the Dream Flame.

But now that he was here, Lin Yang couldn't get all the good stuff! This was an opportunity to suppress Lin Yang without a fight. He was confident that mentioning it would spur Mo Qingkuang into action.

Sure enough, upon hearing Lin Yang's name, Mo Qingkuang immediately perked up, determined to find a way. Even if it meant selling everything or borrowing at high interest, he was resolved to make Principal Fu secure enough funds for him.

For this auction, Lin Yang shouldn't think he'll get anything!

Gritting his teeth, Mo Qingkuang said, "I'll go borrow money from Principal Fu right now!"

"No rush. Focus on your cultivation first. Right now, you're still in the spotlight. Let this storm pass before making any moves," Mo Fan advised, stopping him.

Mo Qingkuang had just taken Ning Xian's position as the eighth seat. Although many were hesitant to challenge him due to Ning Xian, countless eyes were still on him.

Every move Mo Qingkuang made was being watched by numerous eyes. It was better to stay low for now.

Once this period passed, and Mo Qingkuang had fended off a few challengers and solidified his position as the eighth seat, then he could make other plans.

Mo Qingkuang thought it over and understood Mo Fan's point, nodding. "Understood."

He then calmed his mind and fully immersed himself in cultivation.

One had to admit, the cultivation effects in this layer of the Spirit Ascension Array were far superior to those in the outside world.

Even the lowest layer of the Spirit Ascension Array had at least a twenty percent increase in cultivation efficiency. In this fourth layer, Mo Qingkuang sensed it was nearly three times faster than cultivating outside.

Feeling the spiritual energy continuously pouring into him, Mo Qingkuang even felt he could reach the second-rank Grandmaster level in less than a month.

Of course, this was also thanks to his divine-grade technique. If he had an ordinary heaven or earth-grade technique, even in the fourth layer, how could it compare to the cultivation enhancement at Xu Kong's first seat on the mountain top?

He opened his eyes and glanced discreetly at Xu Kong's first seat on the mountain top. Xu Kong wasn't there at the moment, having gone somewhere else.

Mo Qingkuang secretly longed: What would it be like if I could sit there?

But for now, Xu Kong wasn't someone he could challenge. Thinking this, he returned to his focused cultivation.

...

In Lan Yan, Xu Kong, having temporarily left the Spirit Ascension Array, was swiftly moving through the crowd with his instant step technique.

His speed was so fast that ordinary pedestrians couldn't sense someone passing by.

After a while, Xu Kong gradually moved away from the crowd, arriving at an old, remote mansion without a signboard.

Looking up at the empty signboard above the mansion gate, a look of admiration appeared on Xu Kong's face.

He tidied his clothes and gently knocked on the door.

After a short while, a young man in plain clothes opened the door a crack. Seeing Xu Kong's face through the crack, he quickly opened the door and greeted him with a smile, "So it's Master Xu Kong. Please come in."

As the door opened, the young man's appearance became clear to Xu Kong. He looked listless and lifeless, lacking the vigor of youth.

He even walked with a limp.

If Mo Qingkuang were here, he would surely recognize him! The young man before him was none other than Wang Yu, grandson of former Tianxuan Chancellor Wang Hua, who once forced Mo Qingkuang to compose 'Love for the Lotus' at the Lu Ming Banquet.

Xu Kong frowned slightly and said with mild reproach, "Didn't I tell you not to be so formal? Just call me big brother."