From the ranks of the [Descending Tiger] team, a voluptuous young woman broke formation. She carried the Earth Dragon’s stomach sac, her hips swaying with practiced allure as she approached Jiang Chen.

“Fellow Daoist,” she said, her voice soft and honeyed, “here is the item you won.”

Jiang Chen’s gaze lingered on her for a beat longer than necessary—just enough to seem appreciative—before his expression flattened into indifference. He accepted the grisly package with one hand while passing over eighteen [Mid-grade Spirit Stones] with the other.

The transaction complete, the woman flashed him a sweet, teasing smile and winked. Then, with a burst of Qi, she turned and leaped, vaulting dozens of meters from the rooftop back to her team in a single, graceful arc.

The auction continued without pause.

The next item was the main event. It eclipsed the skin, bones, and even the essence blood in sheer desirability. The crowd’s anticipation was palpable, a heavy silence descending over the square.

The Earth Dragon’s [Core Part].

Every demon beast possessed a core—a concentrated locus of its power and attribute. The older the beast, the more potent the core. Since the Earth Dragon was an Earth-attribute behemoth, its core was the holy grail for cultivators of the same path.

“I’ve waited years for this!”

“With a core of this quality, I can attempt the [Human-Grade Golden Core]!”

Loose cultivators were practically vibrating with excitement. Breaking the bottleneck from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core often required a catalyst of immense power, and a demon core was the most reliable method available to those without sect resources. For Earth Spirit Root cultivators stuck at the peak, this was a lifeline.

Wang Tianba, the burly captain, reached into his personal storage bag. With both hands, he hoisted a palm-sized yellow crystal above his head.

Crack.

The stone pavement beneath his boots fractured, spiderweb cracks spreading outward from the sheer weight of the object’s aura.

It looked like a crystal, but it was actually a scale—the reversed scale of the 500-year-old Earth Dragon.

Under the sunlight, it gleamed like topaz. A heavy, suffocating Earth Spirit Qi radiated from it, instantly increasing the atmospheric pressure in the square. Those standing too close felt invisible shackles drop onto their shoulders, their movements turning sluggish, their feet feeling as if they were sinking into mud.

Jiang Chen’s eyes widened. “So that is the core…”

“Behold!” Wang Tianba bellowed. “The core accumulation of five centuries! The [Filthy Earth Scale]! It contains dense Earth Qi and weighs thousands of jin. It is the pinnacle of defense and stability!”

“Finally!”

The crowd erupted. This was the climax. While most were just there for the spectacle, the true players—the wealthy and the desperate—stepped forward.

Wang Tianba smirked, enjoying the fervor. “Starting bid: 100 Mid-grade Spirit Stones. Minimum increment: 10 stones!”

The previous items had been mere appetizers. This was a feast for the rich.

“110!”

“150!”

“200!”

The price skyrocketed, smashing past 500 stones in moments. This was the watershed mark. Half the bidders dropped out, their faces pale with despair. But for the remaining few, the frenzy only intensified.

Crazy, Jiang Chen thought, watching from his high vantage point.

Most of the active bidders were elderly men and women, their hair white, their skin loose. They were Foundation Establishment cultivators nearing the end of their lifespans. This scale wasn’t just a material; it was a bid for survival, a chance to extend their lives by centuries. They were throwing their entire life savings onto the table.

“700!”

The price continued its relentless climb.

Eventually, the field narrowed to two stubborn old men.

“Old Ghost Liu!” one shouted, a man in a cyan robe with a kindly face that belied his sharp tongue. “You’re already buried up to your eyebrows! Why waste the money? Give it up!”

“Damn you, Wang Xiang!” the other retorted, his face flushed with rage. “You’re just as old as I am!”

“Wrong! I’m three years younger! I have three more years of potential than you!”

“Three years?! You think that matters? You senile old coot!”

“Oh? Is that anxiety I hear? Did I strike a nerve? Ouch!”

The crowd, despite the tension, rippled with laughter. One curmudgeon screamed insults while the other deflected with sarcastic mockery. It was a spectacle within a spectacle.

Jiang Chen looked at Wang Xiang. Behind the old man stood several younger kin, their faces buried in their hands in sheer embarrassment. Wang Xiang ignored them, making faces at his rival, goading him with childish glee.

Old Ghost Liu was furious, his beard trembling, his forehead turning a dangerous shade of purple. Yet, he didn’t attack.

He couldn’t. This was Green City, Perfected Master Wang’s territory. Violence was strictly policed. Moreover, Liu was old. His vitality was fading. Even if he wanted to fight, he might not win against Wang Xiang, who—as he annoyingly pointed out—was indeed slightly younger and spryer.

Liu was trapped. He couldn’t win the argument, and he couldn’t win a fight. All he could do was bid and fume.

Jiang Chen crouched on the roof tiles, retrieving a handful of melon seeds from his storage bag. Crack. Crack. He watched the drama unfold with the detached amusement of a theatergoer.

“Fellow Daoist,” a voice whispered. “Share some?”

Jiang Chen turned. A man in black had sidled up to him. He was short—barely chest height to an adult—with a thin mustache and beady, darting eyes that screamed ‘untrustworthy.’

Jiang Chen shrugged and poured half the seeds into the man’s hand.

“Thanks,” the man chuckled, cracking a shell with his buckteeth. “I’m Wang Fada, a talisman maker here in Green City.”

“Han Fei,” Jiang Chen replied smoothly. “Alchemist.”

Wang Fada spat a shell onto the street below. “So, Fellow Daoist Han, who do you think takes the [Filthy Earth Scale]? The Screamer or the Joker?”

Jiang Chen curled his lip, popping another seed into his mouth. “Whoever wins, wins. Doesn’t matter to me.”

He truly didn’t care. He was just here for the show.