Chapter 13: I am called Xiao Chen

Xiao Chen watched Zhang Zhen and his men flee, shaking his head helplessly. He then sighed deeply, looking disappointed, as if he hadn't fought enough. Brushing off the dust from his clothes and wiping the sweat away, he continued on his journey. Overall, he felt he'd gained a lot; at least he had learned to fight and had made rapid progress.

As he traveled, Xiao Chen laughed to himself, "Hehe, now I can defeat a Heartbeat Stage cultivator without using true essence. This body of mine is truly remarkable!"

After walking a while longer, Xiao Chen happily mused, "When I reach Tiandu, where experts are as numerous as clouds, fighting them might help me improve even faster. And the Beast Mountain Range—I've heard Tiandu's cultivators often train there. To become stronger, I should go there too."

After leaving Qingshui Town and traveling for several days through mountains and rivers, Xiao Chen arrived at a city called Shuiyun City. Although not as large as Fengyue City, it was still substantial, with cultivators generally stronger than those in Qingshui Town.

Entering Shuiyun City, the young boy carrying a long sword attracted many curious glances. People were amazed to see a teenager traveling alone and looking so calm and determined.

"Old Zhang, have you gotten your hands on any good stuff lately?"

"Good stuff? It's not that easy to find good stuff in this world."

"Come on, Old Zhang. I've seen you frequenting the auction house lately. Aren't you bringing treasures to auction?"

Two cultivators' conversation caught Xiao Chen's attention. Delighted, he thought, "An auction house in Shuiyun City? Great! I can auction off one of my spirit swords from my storage ring and get a lot of crystals in return."

Fengyue City also had an auction house, so Xiao Chen was somewhat familiar with how they worked. Many cultivators brought their treasures to auction, hoping to fetch a good price.

With this in mind, Xiao Chen asked a cultivator for directions to the auction house and, after half an incense stick's time, he arrived there.

The auction house wasn't very large, consisting of several pavilions only about the size of basketball courts. As he approached the entrance, a young maid, around 20 years old, greeted him politely, "Little friend, what brings you here?"

Xiao Chen nodded and said, "I want to auction something."

The maid, surprised, glanced at Xiao Chen. A boy in his teens wanting to auction something was unusual, but she didn't question it and led him into the auction house.

Inside the main hall, Xiao Chen saw many people engaged in transactions. The other cultivators looked at him with curiosity as he entered.

"What is this kid doing at an auction house?" one cultivator asked in surprise. Given Xiao Chen's young age, no one bothered to assess his cultivation level. After a glance, they lost interest.

"Elder, this young friend says he wants to auction something," the maid respectfully said as she brought Xiao Chen before an elder.

"Amazing, he must be at the Nascent Soul stage!" Xiao Chen speculated as he sized up the white-haired elder, unable to determine his cultivation level.

The elder, Li Mu, nodded and looked at Xiao Chen, surprised by his calm and resolute demeanor. "Oh? I can't see through this boy's cultivation. Has he not started cultivating? Such a determined gaze and calm demeanor, no trace of childishness. Not bad, not bad."

After his assessment, Li Mu smiled and asked, "Hehe, I am Li Mu. Little brother, what do you wish to auction?"

Xiao Chen took out a chopping sword from his storage ring. Seeing this, Li Mu was again shocked, thinking, "A storage ring! He has a storage ring!"

"Elder, I want to auction this mid-grade spirit weapon. No need for a bidding process, just exchange it directly for crystals," Xiao Chen said calmly, unhurried.

"What? Mid... mid-grade spirit weapon?" Li Mu was once again shocked, losing his composure. "A boy possessing a mid-grade spirit weapon and a storage ring—who is he?"

In the hall, other cultivators, also shocked, turned to look. "A mid-grade spirit weapon? No way. Shuiyun City has spirit weapons too?"

Shuiyun City was a small city and didn't usually have spirit weapons, only treasure weapons. The appearance of a mid-grade spirit weapon naturally stunned them.

"Who is this kid? Why does he have a mid-grade spirit weapon? And he seemed to take it from a storage ring! He has many treasures." Another cultivator frowned, his eyes flashing with greed.

Li Mu, regaining his composure, carefully examined the chopping sword, feeling its powerful aura. "Heavens! It truly is a mid-grade spirit weapon! Such a strong aura!"

Looking at Xiao Chen excitedly, Li Mu asked, "Little brother, are you sure you want to auction this mid-grade spirit weapon?"

"Of course," Xiao Chen replied with a faint smile.

"Great! Great! Little brother, I will offer you 500 top-grade crystals for it. How about that?" Li Mu said excitedly.

"Sure!" Xiao Chen nodded with a smile, having no objections.

"I'll go prepare the crystals. Please wait a moment," Li Mu said, running off like an excited child.

"500 top-grade crystals! Li Mu is really generous! But I should thank you for these 500 top-grade crystals!" thought the greedy cultivator, his eyes filled with a hidden murderous intent as he watched Xiao Chen.

Sensing someone watching him, Xiao Chen looked over and saw the cultivator's gaze. He remained indifferent, his expression calm.

"Hmph! What a perceptive kid," the cultivator sneered, then left the auction house.

Soon, Li Mu returned with a storage bag, smiling excitedly. "Little brother, this storage bag contains 500 top-grade crystals. Please check it."

"No need, thank you," Xiao Chen said, shaking his head with a smile. He handed the chopping sword to Li Mu, took the storage bag, and placed it in his storage ring before leaving. Throughout, his expression remained calm.

Watching Xiao Chen's departing figure, Li Mu couldn't help but ask, "Little brother, what's your name?"

"Xiao Chen," he replied without turning back, quickly disappearing from the auction house.

"Xiao Chen! Such a steady young man," Li Mu nodded, smiling, satisfied with Xiao Chen.