Chapter 129: The Aura of the Dark Knight

Jiang Xiaotian kept a low profile here. He suppressed his cultivation to appear entirely ordinary, and since most people had only heard of him rather than having seen him in person, he encountered no trouble along the way.

Although he was registered as an average martial artist, Brother Long certainly wouldn't allow him to have poor accommodations; his living conditions were naturally superior to those of the others.

However, the spacious suite and luxurious decor did nothing to lift Jiang Xiaotian’s spirits. He was deeply depressed. Li Xiaoqing had truly lost her mind, and though he wanted to wash his hands of the matter, he couldn't stand by and watch his cousin sink into such depravity.

The only solution was to utterly crush Yang Feng’s confidence and, in the process, make them realize what a true martial artist was.

Yang Feng still believed that money could solve everything and that one could simply hire martial artists at will; it was clear he hadn't yet been exposed to the deeper levels of the world.

One had to understand that true powerhouses usually lived in seclusion within great families. Would they care about money? They devoted themselves to cultivation, striving only to reach the pinnacle of human potential. Among those who risked their lives for money, how many ever truly made a name for themselves?

Wait? Wasn't I here for the money too? Jiang Xiaotian paused, wondering why he was insulting himself.

Forget it. Everything would have to wait until the auction ended. Presumably, the group of Easterners was already eyeing the prize like tigers. It wasn't that Jiang Xiaotian was deliberately trying to snatch it from them, but as this was his first encounter with such things, he couldn't help but want to give it a try.

He drew the Divine Sword from its tattered wrapping and stroked it gently.

Jiang Xiaotian desperately wanted to know how powerful its original master must have been to be worthy of this blade, and how such a powerful dragon could have been so easily defeated by the man in the sky.

It seemed there were many powerhouses in this world; even the Divine Realm was likely not the end for a martial artist.

And right now, he couldn't even fully master the Divine Sword.

As he gripped the sword, Jiang Xiaotian felt a familiar warmth—it was the spiritual energy belonging to Ling'er. With her by his side, he felt capable of anything.

Ling'er always found ways to protect Jiang Xiaotian at every moment, and this time was no exception. With the Divine Sword in hand, he was capable of contending with the Divine Realm—a feat he wouldn't have dared to imagine before.

Shaking off these thoughts, Jiang Xiaotian covered the Divine Sword once more. Its energy was immense; if not properly concealed, it would easily be detected by strong practitioners, and there was no shortage of Internal Force experts in the hotel tonight.

As a VIP, he did have some privileges. He didn't need to go downstairs for food, as staff would deliver it to him. He was also provided with a catalog detailing the items to be auctioned tomorrow.

This was quite attractive to him, as aside from the Flower Flow Path, Jiang Xiaotian had no idea what else was being offered.

The auction house clearly attached great importance to this event, as they had specially produced this catalog with detailed descriptions of every lot.

When Jiang Xiaotian received it, the first thing he checked was the Flower Flow Path. Much like other cultivation techniques, it was an ancient book. The contents were something to be intuited rather than explained; one could memorize the text after a single reading, but whether one could grasp the essence depended entirely on the individual.

The Flower Flow Path was indeed mysterious, and the introduction was sparse, consisting only of a few characters: "Eastern Ancient Martial Art, submitted for auction by so-and-so."

Jiang Xiaotian scratched his head. This told him absolutely nothing.

Other than the Flower Flow Path, the introductions for the other lots were quite comprehensive.

It was truly a martial artist’s auction; there were all sorts of strange objects, most of which an ordinary person would find completely unremarkable.

There were also some very peculiar weapons, such as fans, iron swords, and nunchucks.

According to the descriptions, these were no ordinary weapons. Some had been excavated from ancient tombs, while others were the handiwork of famous masters, making it feel like watching a movie.

However, a few items did catch Jiang Xiaotian’s eye.

There was a bracelet, said to have been gifted by an ancient emperor to his empress. It looked graceful and luxurious, and Jiang Xiaotian immediately decided he wanted to buy it as a gift for Ling'er.

This item was relatively normal among the auction lots, and because it had been well-preserved, it didn't look like an antique at all. He had to buy it.

There was also a scabbard, which his Divine Sword happened to lack. He made a mental note of it; if he had enough money, he would buy it. If not, he would let it go. However, if it came to the Flower Flow Path, he would definitely buy it—or, if necessary, take it by force.

If a fellow countryman bought it, he would let it be. But if it fell into the hands of the Easterners, then he was sorry; Jiang Xiaotian had always believed that resources should stay within the family. He would play the villain and act as a bandit to snatch it back.

As he pondered, his phone rang. Upon checking, he saw several unread messages.

Some were from Ling'er asking how he was doing, and others were from Ouyang Zijing.

The gist of her messages was that she had arrived, knew he was there, and told him not to try and run.

Jiang Xiaotian chuckled. She used to be so shy; how had she suddenly become so aggressive? To be honest, it was a little scary!

It was fortunate that she was beautiful and had a great temperament.

There were also two messages from Qin Lulu, along with a missed call from her.

Seeing that she was just asking if he was free in a month, he didn't reply immediately.

He would see how things stood once he was finished here. If it were something urgent, she would have bombarded him with calls already.

After chatting with Ling'er for a while and updating her on the situation, Jiang Xiaotian washed up and went to bed to rest, keeping his energy up for the auction tomorrow. He needed to be sharp.

However, just as he was about to fall asleep, he sensed a powerful aura entering the hotel.

It was the oppressive pressure that only a genuine Divine Realm powerhouse could exude.

Jiang Xiaotian could no longer sleep. He sat up, put on his clothes, and headed downstairs.

This was the scenario he feared most. If a Divine Realm expert appeared, they were surely here to claim the Flower Flow Path. If it were an Easterner, he would have to risk his life to fight them. If it were a countryman, it would be even more frustrating, as he certainly wouldn't have more money than them, making it impossible to outbid or justify stealing it.

However, when Jiang Xiaotian reached the lobby, the pressure vanished. He didn't know if the person had left or hidden themselves.

With his current abilities, he couldn't sniff out a Divine Realm expert; even mid-stage Internal Force masters were difficult to track.

At that same moment, a group of people dressed in Eastern-style clothing entered the lobby. They were all short in stature, but their presence was no less imposing than anyone else's.

Jiang Xiaotian frowned, knowing the two events were likely connected. The Divine Realm expert hadn't left; they were simply hiding. Perhaps one of the people walking past him was the one, or perhaps they were lost in the crowd. He couldn't be certain, but he was sure they were Easterners.

This was trouble. Jiang Xiaotian suddenly wished there was a Divine Realm expert on his side.

But the odds were slim. After all, the Flower Flow Path was an Eastern ancient martial art, and they valued it enough to bring a Divine Realm expert to reclaim it.

However, since relations with the East were tense, most powerful local practitioners probably disdained learning their martial arts, making the appearance of a local Divine Realm expert unlikely.

"Oh my, what a coincidence. To meet you here, Jiang Xiaotian, it must be fate!" A detestable voice rang out. Jiang Xiaotian turned around; it was indeed Ito Hiroshi. He had shed his habit of hiding whenever he saw him and had instead taken the initiative to greet him.

This confirmed to Jiang Xiaotian that the newcomers were definitely from the East.

He smiled, "Did you hire a Black Samurai?"

Perhaps because he had guessed correctly, Ito Hiroshi’s expression stiffened, but he remained relaxed. "Who knows? I didn't expect you to know about Black Samurai. I heard you have them here too, though you call them Divine Realm. Is it possible that a Black Samurai is considered a god in Huaxia?"

"Whether they are gods or not, I don't know, but they can certainly beat you until you're senseless. Watch your tongue. Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you have backing. You are standing on Huaxia soil now," Jiang Xiaotian retorted sharply.

Ito Hiroshi didn't engage in a war of words, merely sneering, "Whatever. I hope you can buy what you like tomorrow, and I hope we aren't interested in the same things."

He seemed to be hinting at something. After speaking, he gave a twisted grin and walked away.

Jiang Xiaotian spat, finding Ito Hiroshi truly disgusting.

What was worse was that in the distance, a woman in a bathrobe was standing there. He didn't need a closer look to know it was Chu Ran. She was no better than a whore now.

He felt lucky to have been dumped by her. Disgusting! Ugh!

Unable to sleep after returning to his room, he decided to go out for a walk, though the sights near the hotel left him quite astonished.