Inside Star-Treasure Pavilion, Horace Hong stood with several black-clad, masked figures behind him. Even the weakest among them had already reached the early Saint Venerable Realm—their auras were overwhelmingly powerful.
"Reporting, Vice Pavilion Master! About half a stick of incense ago, Evan Chu also successfully met with people from the Savage Brotherhood. But the outcome was far better than we expected—Lena Lin of the Savage Brotherhood now seems to appreciate Evan Chu and has begun inviting him to join them."
"Heh, join the Savage Brotherhood? What are they even worth? Evan Chu is the seed personally chosen by the Prefecture Master—having the Savage Brotherhood follow his lead is already a tremendous favor for them. They're just a bunch of roaming bandits and thieves, and still don't know what's good for them!"
Horace Hong sneered, then continued instructing the leader of the black-clad squad, "Monitor every movement of Evan Chu closely. Don't miss a single action—make absolutely sure of his safety. Also, pay special attention to Malcolm Mo and those three Saint Emperor-level experts. If word gets out that Evan Chu is in the Yellow-Blade Star-Region, it'll definitely bring trouble."
"Understood! But there's one more thing to report, Vice Pavilion Master. It seems Desmond Mansfield, the Mansfield Family's Young Master, has already figured out Evan Chu's true identity. Based on my investigation and judgment, it looks like they've started some kind of cooperation."
"Oh? Desmond Mansfield? That young man is quite sharp. That's fine—if he can follow Evan Chu, it means he's helping share my burden. I can rest easier. All right, that's enough for now. You may leave. Tell the brothers below to stay sharp—this mission must succeed, no matter what!"
After giving his orders, Horace Hong turned and headed to a mysterious underground chamber to report everything to the enigmatic Prefecture Master.
Evan Chu’s duel with Lena Lin had quite an impact, but compared to the upcoming Star-Treasure Pavilion auction, it was far less significant. Right now, the strongest experts across the Yellow-Blade Star-Region were gathered, and everyone’s attention was locked on the auction—who had the time to care about a mere fight?
On this day, the auction finally began. The eight top-tier Purple-Gold Guests—led by the three apex clans, four dynasties, and the Savage Brotherhood—entered the highest Azure-Cloud VIP boxes, officially marking the start of the auction.
Normally, a bandit group like the Savage Brotherhood—who only know how to rob, not buy—would never qualify as Purple-Gold Guests at Star-Treasure Pavilion. But ever since they paid a fortune for the Pavilion’s sages to divine heavenly secrets, they were instantly granted Purple-Gold Guest status.
At first, many thought Star-Treasure Pavilion must have made a mistake—how could the Savage Brotherhood have their own Azure-Cloud VIP box? But then, a lavish Azure-Cloud box opened its doors to welcome the ninth Purple-Gold Guest. When the crowd below looked up, quite a few instantly recognized Evan Chu.
"That's him!"
"The guy who fought Lena Lin!"
"Who is he, really? What's his background?"
Not only did they see him—Lena Lin saw him too. At that moment, she immediately realized Desmond Mansfield had lied to her; Evan Chu clearly wasn't from the Mansfield Family! Otherwise, why would he abandon the Mansfield box to have his own?
The Star-Treasure Pavilion auction was grand and ostentatious—the moment you stepped inside, you had to pay. Order tea? Pay up. Want some fruit? Pay up. Even just taking a look at the auction catalog cost you a hefty pile of Starstones.
Evan Chu was honestly stunned by these money-grabbing tactics. Just this one auction could easily match years of Dragon-Chen Legion's plundering and mining in a star-region!
Step through the auction doors? Fine—five thousand low-grade Starstones. Want a chair? Another five thousand. Need a table? Sure, that'll be five thousand more!
And that's just the most basic stuff. A single piece of fruit? One thousand Starstones—can you believe it? Outside, a single Starstone gets you ten jars of regular strong wine; here, it's a thousand Starstones for one cup! This isn't a scam—it's just how Star-Treasure Pavilion does business. They don't even bother swapping out the cheap booze, just pour it right in front of you.
They don't care if you buy or not, and they don't bother hiding it. Why? Because here, what you're paying for isn't the drink itself, and it's definitely not how fragrant the fruit platter is.
Here, what you're really spending Starstones on is status! Face! That's why plenty of people burn piles of Starstones just for these intangible things. And if you want a slightly better private room or an elegant seat, it'll cost you even more.
Of course, Evan Chu's status as a Purple-Gold Guest meant that, aside from bidding on auction items, everything else here was completely free for him.
"Hmph! That guy is definitely not from the Mansfield Family! Just wait—once the Savage Brotherhood finishes its big business here, I swear I'll hunt you down and fight another three hundred rounds!"
Lena Lin glared at Evan Chu's box from not far away, waving her fist in challenge.
Evan Chu couldn't hear her, but he saw her mouth the words and gesture. Suddenly, a thought popped into his head: "Desmond Mansfield, Lena Lin—one's all about heavenly patterns, one's pure martial ferocity; one's outwardly tough, one's soft inside. If these two got together... heh, and had a son or something, that'd be a sight to see!"
And this wasn't just some random idea—Evan Chu really was thinking about playing matchmaker for the two of them.
Desmond Mansfield hadn't a clue. While he was busy scheming how to guarantee the Starry Void Sigil, Evan Chu was off calculating his future wife and kid.
Clang! A sonorous chime rang out.
On the high auction platform, Horace Hong personally presided over the scene, surveying the hundreds of assembled experts—every one a powerhouse—and the nine grand Azure-Cloud VIP boxes across from him.
Horace Hong raised his voice: "Welcome, everyone, to the Star-Treasure Pavilion Yellow-Blade branch auction! As always, I'll be hosting in person. Now, let's bring out the first treasure—this is a once-in-a-lifetime item, with a fatal allure for every expert here!"
Horace Hong wasn’t exaggerating—Evan Chu was absolutely determined to win this first treasure, though not for himself, but for someone else.
Evan Chu hadn’t come alone this time; Lance Li and Nathan Yates flanked him on either side. After all, with the Starry Void Sigil at stake, even Evan Chu didn’t dare get careless.
"Lance."
"Hm? Throne, what are your orders?"
"You’ve followed me for over a hundred years now, haven’t you?"
"Yes."
"And you’ve been stuck at peak Saint Venerable for decades too, right? All these years, I’ve never really helped you much—always sending you out to fight. Honestly, I owe you an apology for that."
Lance Li was deeply moved. "Throne, why would you say that? Following you is my duty!"
"Heh, if that's the case, then there are even more duties waiting for you. But before that, I want to give you a major gift! The first item up for auction is called the Celestial River Meteor—a powerful star fished out of an endless celestial river in the Starry-Sky Sacred Domain. I’ve already confirmed its attributes match you perfectly. If I win it and give it to you, tell me—do you have the confidence to take one more step?"
When Evan Chu finished speaking, Lance Li was utterly shaken. Take one more step? From peak late Saint Venerable, what realm is that? That’s... the Holy Emperor Realm!