Chapter Thirty-One: Qian Renxue’s Probe! Ning Fengzhi, Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect! The Various Factions’ Attempts to Win Him Over!

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Upon hearing Lu Yu’s answer, Xue Qinghe smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and said, “Lu Yu, you are the empire’s foremost prodigy. Work hard. At the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament two years from now, the empire will have you serve as captain of Tiandou Royal Academy!”

“If you need anything, bring this token to the imperial palace and come find me.”

As he spoke, Xue Qinghe handed Lu Yu a token.

Lu Yu reached out and accepted it, replying neither humbly nor arrogantly, “Thank you, Your Highness.”

Xue Qinghe nodded. After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Lu Yu, he rose and took his leave.

Lu Yu accompanied him all the way out, putting on a flawless show of courtesy.

Only after seeing Xue Qinghe off and returning to his dormitory did Lu Yu release a long breath.

He had no doubt that if he had made even the slightest mistake in answering either of the two questions just posed to him, tremendous trouble would have awaited him.

If he had firmly declared his allegiance to the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe would probably have contacted the Spirit Hall upon returning and arranged for them to send someone to eliminate him.

And if he had been unable to explain his exceptional spirit-ring configuration, sooner or later the Spirit Hall would have captured him and cut him open for study…

Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and the grand Tiandou auction began as scheduled.

The Tiandou Auction was one of Tiandou City’s great occasions. A small auction was held every month, a medium-sized auction every three months, and a grand auction only once a year.

Relying on his guest token, Lu Yu entered the venue with ease.

He wore no mask and made no attempt to conceal his identity.

After all, there were only a handful of people qualified to be honored guests. As a temporary guest of distinction, he was simply too conspicuous to hide.

The girl assigned to guide him was a beautiful seventeen- or eighteen-year-old. She had an extraordinarily voluptuous figure and wore revealing clothes, while her eyes held a hollow, numb expression.

Lu Yu knew that the girls responsible for serving guests had undergone special training at the auction house from a young age. Their hearts had long since withered, leaving them without the slightest hope for life and reducing them completely to walking corpses.

Aside from serving men, these girls possessed no means of supporting themselves. They did not even understand many basic facts of daily life.

The auction house had placed a fixed price on them. Any guest willing to pay one hundred thousand gold soul coins could purchase one of the girls.

In other words, there was little difference between these girls and slaves.

As a distinguished guest, Lu Yu was taken directly to a private box on the auction house’s second floor.

The box was spacious. Apart from the girl assigned to serve him, Lu Yu was the only person inside, making the room seem rather empty.

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The auction had yet to begin when someone suddenly knocked on the box door.

Lu Yu motioned for the girl to open it. She walked over and opened the door, but did not allow the visitor inside. In a stiff voice, she said, “Sir, this is a distinguished guest box. Without the guest’s permission, you may not enter.”

“Please tell Brother Lu Yu that the Qibao Glazed Tile Sect has come to pay him a visit,” said a gentle voice from outside.

At those words, Lu Yu raised his brows slightly and said, “Let him in.”

The door opened, and a man wearing a mask entered. His entire bearing was refined and scholarly.

Coming before Lu Yu, the man said courteously, “I have long heard of the empire’s foremost prodigy. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

Lu Yu narrowed his eyes, then suddenly smiled. “For Sect Master Ning to come and see me personally is truly an honor.”

The man froze for a moment before asking in surprise, “You know who I am?”

Lu Yu shook his head with a smile. “I guessed. It seems I guessed correctly.”

Lu Yu had indeed merely guessed. This was the area reserved for distinguished guest boxes, and ordinary people—even nobles—had no right to enter.

Since the visitor had also claimed to be from the Qibao Glazed Tile Sect, Lu Yu had formed a vague suspicion. A few probing words had been enough to confirm it.

This middle-aged man was none other than the current sect master of the Qibao Glazed Tile Sect—Ning Fengzhi.

Ning Fengzhi had obviously realized how Lu Yu had reached his conclusion as well. He laughed heartily. “I never imagined that Brother Lu Yu would possess not only extraordinary talent, but also such a meticulous mind. The younger generation is truly formidable.”

As he spoke, Ning Fengzhi glanced at the sofa beneath Lu Yu, as though silently saying:

Since you have recognized my identity, are you not going to invite me to sit?

Yet Lu Yu acted as if he had failed to notice the hint and went straight to the point. “May I ask why Sect Master Ning has honored me with his presence?”

The corner of Ning Fengzhi’s mouth twitched, but he was not the sort to lose his temper over such a minor matter. He remained gracious and refined as he said, “I know that Brother Lu Yu is a student of Tiandou Royal Academy. I came today to ask whether, after graduating, you intend to join any particular faction.”

Lu Yu had long since guessed Ning Fengzhi’s purpose. The only reason his talent and potential could have alarmed the dignified master of the Qibao Glazed Tile Sect was precisely that—his talent and potential.

For Ning Fengzhi to personally come and recruit him could be considered a gesture of great respect.

Lu Yu shook his head. “I have always preferred to live like a drifting cloud or a wild crane. I am accustomed to freedom and idleness.”

Though he had not explicitly refused, his attitude was already clear.

Ning Fengzhi frowned, but said nothing more and took his leave.

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He had not offered any especially generous terms, but the fact that the sect master himself had come in person was already enough to demonstrate the Qibao Glazed Tile Sect’s regard for Lu Yu.

Although Lu Yu’s refusal left Ning Fengzhi somewhat disappointed, it amounted to nothing more than that.

What Lu Yu had not expected was that, not long after Ning Fengzhi departed, another visitor appeared at the entrance to his box.

First came the major noble families of Tiandou City. Then came representatives of the lower four sects among the seven great sects of the Heaven Dou Empire. In the end, even the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect sent someone to recruit him.

Without exception, Lu Yu rejected them all.

Only after Lu Yu had dismissed every faction that had come to win him over did the auction finally begin in earnest.

As the grand auction held only once a year, it featured just twenty lots. Every one of them was a carefully selected treasure.

Any single item could have served as the centerpiece of a medium-sized auction.

The first lot was a sword.

Forged by Master Lou Gao, one of the three great master craftsmen on the continent, it was incomparably sharp and possessed considerable soul-tool utility. Once soul power was infused into it, its wielder would receive a ten percent enhancement. The blade itself was made of extraordinary material and could withstand any attack below the level of a Titled Douluo.

Although its enhancement amounted to only ten percent, it was still worthy of being called a divine weapon beneath the Titled Douluo level.

After all, in a battle between experts, even a ten percent advantage in soul power was enough to determine victory.

Lu Yu had no interest in the sword. The so-called divine weapon was nothing more than an ordinary weapon. No matter how powerful it was, could it really surpass his martial soul, the Heaven-Flipping Seal, which was suspected to be a primordial supreme treasure?

One after another, the first nine lots failed to stir even the slightest interest in him.

Some were rare natural treasures with special effects, while others were soul tools with powerful functions. None of them held any value for him.

The effects of those rare treasures were similar to the golden-red fruit in Lu Yu’s possession, but far weaker.

What Lu Yu needed were rare natural treasures containing abundant energy—items he could use directly to increase his cultivation.

He was not an elemental soul master, nor did he possess a beast martial soul. Treasures designed to strengthen bloodlines or enhance elemental power would have almost no effect on him.

It was not until the tenth lot that Lu Yu finally showed a trace of interest.