Walking along the way, Qin Xiao encountered quite a few people, all heading toward the direction of the auction house. It seemed this auction house was very lively.
"Kid, are you also going to the auction house?"
Ye Tianyi had already caught up and asked Qin Xiao.
"Ah, Pavilion Master, I am going to participate in the auction. Are you also going to participate?"
Although Qin Xiao was surprised that Ye Tianyi had followed him, he still answered politely.
"Nonsense. If I weren't going to the auction, why would I be walking this way? Could it possibly be because of you?"
Ye Tianyi answered speechlessly.
"Ah, Pavilion Master, we are somewhat related after all. Could you not speak so aggressively? Otherwise, when my martial aunt comes out from Secluded Cultivation later, I'll have to complain to her."
Qin Xiao realized that although Ye Tianyi spoke rather sharply, she wasn't a bad person, and since they were distantly related, he didn't feel as restrained.
"Go away. Who is related to you? When the Great Elder comes out from Secluded Cultivation, if he wants to seek revenge on your master and fails to find him, seeking revenge on you instead is entirely possible."
Ye Tianyi really wanted to teach Qin Xiao a lesson, but as a Pavilion Master, her seniority was right there; she couldn't well bully someone of a younger generation.
"Alright, alright, not related, not related."
Seeing that this woman was truly difficult to converse with, Qin Xiao quickly pulled Yun Man away.
"Master, can you stop causing trouble? Be more low-key. There are simply too many people we cannot afford to offend."
Yun Man couldn't hold back any longer. What on earth was her master doing? He didn't seem to have a single friend, only enemies.
"Disciple, where did I cause trouble? Am I not low-key enough? Those we cannot beat, we entirely avoid provoking. Only against those we can handle do we act just a fraction more prominent."
Qin Xiao was also somewhat speechless. Wasn't this low-key enough? At any rate, he was now the proper Seven Stars Peak Master. Though his actual strength wasn't quite there yet, his status was fixed.
"Low-key... extremely low-key indeed.
Yun Man found herself momentarily unable to refute and could only reply speechlessly.
The two soon arrived at the entrance of the auction house to find a large crowd already formed in a queue.
"Immortal Dao Auction House? Why does that sound somewhat familiar?"
Qin Xiao looked up at the five large characters inscribed above, feeling a sudden sense of recognition.
"It's the very same merchant association where we exchanged our silver."
Yun Man quickly reminded him.
"No wonder! Disciple, aren't you acquainted with that fierce woman? Do we get any discounts for the auction later?"
Prompted by Yun Man, Qin Xiao immediately remembered and turned to ask her.
"This isn't her personal property; the association is jointly operated by several major families. Besides, an auction isn't a retail purchase-how could there be discounts?"
Yun Man said speechlessly.
"True, auctions are decided by Highest Bidder Wins, so discounts are indeed difficult. But what other shops does her family own? The kind that offer discounts? I simply must fleece her a bit, or I won't feel settled."
Thinking of Ling Ruoxue's attitude, Qin Xiao instantly felt displeased. Though he wasn't short on money, failing to take advantage of her felt worse than losing money.
"Chu Sheng, I didn't expect you to lack the sense to flee, and actually dare show your face here."
Just as Qin Xiao was pondering how to fleece Ling Ruoxue, a voice rang out from behind.
"Chu Sheng? That voice... the old man from the Li family?"
Qin Xiao turned to look, and sure enough, it was the Li Family Ancestor, accompanied by a stern-looking middle-aged man.
"Old Li, I didn't expect you to attend the auction as well. What a coincidence."
Qin Xiao offered an indifferent greeting, having entirely pushed his recent beating of Li Qian out of his mind.
"City Lord, it is this very kid who beat Qian'er half to death. He is still bedridden at home recovering. You must secure justice for our Li Family!"
Ignoring Qin Xiao entirely, the Li Family Ancestor hurried to complain to the middle-aged man beside him.
The middle-aged man was none other than Tianyuan City's City Lord, Tan Wang, whose wife was Li Qian's eldest sister, Li Yan.
"Disciple, cultivation level."
Without wasting words, Qin Xiao directly sought information from Yun Man.
"Late Nascent Soul."
Yun Man answered with equal brevity.
"We can't afford to offend them. Retreat."
Qin Xiao grabbed Yun Man, preparing to make a prompt exit.
"Master, hold on. This is the entrance to the Immortal Dao Merchant Association's auction house. They wouldn't dare make a move here."
Yun Man immediately reined in Qin Xiao as he tried to retreat.
"Is the Immortal Dao Merchant Association really that formidable?"
Seeing that Yun Man showed no trace of panic, Qin Xiao halted his steps.
"At the very least, it is more than sufficient within Tianyuan City."
Yun Man couldn't say precisely how powerful the association currently was on a broader scale, but it certainly wasn't an entity Tianyuan City could afford to cross.
"That's a relief. Taking you on as a disciple truly was my finest decision. Since you know that fierce woman, doesn't that mean we can walk sideways through this place?"
Assured of the association's backing, Qin Xiao lost all trace of fear.
"Old man, you guessed right. It's me. I, Chu Sheng, dare to act and dare to take responsibility."
Since the other party had already mistaken him for Chu Sheng, Qin Xiao saw no reason to correct them.
"Li Family Ancestor, this is the entrance of the Immortal Dao Auction House. We must grant some surface respect to the Immortal Dao Merchant Association. Once the auction concludes, I will personally apprehend this kid and deliver him to the Li Family."
Naturally, Tan Wang had no intention of starting trouble here and offending the association.
"Kid, I'll let you draw breath a little longer."
Seeing that Tan Wang had spoken thus, the Li Family Ancestor dropped the matter for now. Leaving behind a harsh threat, he strode toward a separate entrance, bypassing the queue entirely.
"Hang on, why don't they need to queue?"
Qin Xiao watched the two walk straight in while everyone else stood in line.
"Kid, those people hold memberships. Did you suppose everyone is an uncultivated bumpkin like you?"
Ye Tianyi stepped out from the side to mock him.
In truth, Ye Tianyi had arrived long ago, lingering nearby just to see how the youth would handle the situation. To her disappointment, Tan Wang hadn't dared to strike, ruining the spectacle.
"Membership? They have such things here?"
Qin Xiao looked baffled. They actually implemented a membership system? How modern-or rather, advanced.
"Kid, enjoy your wait in line."
With that parting remark, Ye Tianyi produced a membership card and walked straight through.
"Disciple, didn't that fierce woman give you a membership card? Standing in this queue feels somewhat undignified."
Qin Xiao was forced to pin his hopes on Yun Man.
"Master, can you change how you address her? That is an elder sister I knew from the past who treated me very well. Her name is Ling Ruoxue. If you insist on calling her names, I'm ignoring you."
Yun Man had reached her limit. Fortunately, Sister Ling wasn't present, or another clash would be inevitable.
"Oh, she has a name? Why didn't you mention it sooner? Well then, did this Ling Ruoxue give you a card or something?"
Qin Xiao didn't particularly care about names; he simply hadn't known it beforehand and held a lingering resentment for Ling Ruoxue's overbearing attitude.
"She did. Let's go."
Looking thoroughly exhausted, Yun Man conceded. She couldn't shake him off now, so she figured she might as well just get inside.
"Please present your membership card."
As they approached the VIP Passage, Qin Xiao was promptly intercepted by the guard.
"It's just a membership card. Disciple, show it to him."
Qin Xiao wore an expression of supreme confidence. A mere card-who didn't have one?
"A word of warning first: Silver and Gold cards still require waiting in the general line. Only Purple Gold and Supreme cards are permitted through this VIP passage without queuing."
The guard glanced at Qin Xiao, noting the lack of any discernible cultivation fluctuations. Figuring the youth held at most a Silver card, he offered a routine reminder.
"These cards have grades as well?"
"Disciple, what tier of card do we have? If it's merely a Silver card, we might as well join the line. It's too embarrassing otherwise."
Unsure of what card Yun Man possessed, Qin Xiao murmured a tentative suggestion.
"Master, rest assured. Given by Sister Ling, it certainly won't be a low-grade token."
With that, Yun Man produced a card gleaming with a purplish-golden hue.
"What? A Purple Gold Card? No-there are characters inscribed upon it... A Supreme Membership Card?!"
The guard had already been startled upon recognizing the purple-gold color, but upon reading the specific inscription, his shock deepened manifold.
Cards like the ones held by the City Lord and the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion Master who had just entered were merely Purple Gold. Supreme Cards were reserved exclusively for honored guests personally favored by the Ling Family.
"This subordinate is blind and nearly committed a grave offense by questioning two distinguished guests! Please forgive me. Honored guests, please enter at once!"
Recognizing the token of a Supreme member, the guard instantly lowered his posture and bowed deeply, respectfully ushering Qin Xiao and Yun Man inside.