bookbashuk 26. First Encounter
26. First Encounter
After many twists and turns, the auction ended with a showdown between Lu Zhi and He Kui. It can be said that regardless of whether the participants bought anything or not, they were able to witness so many good items and see a Dou Zun powerhouse take action, making the trip worthwhile.
Xiao Yan, Xu Yingwu, and the others walked through the designated passage of the Golden Alliance Chamber of Commerce to retrieve the items they had bid on. Although there was no need to rush, Zi Yan's tearful expression left Xiao Yan with no choice but to retrieve them immediately.
After all, the Echo Clan was a large and powerful family, and they used a special passage. Naturally, Xu Yingwu led the way. After Lu Zhitian bought the Emperor's Essence Fruit at a high price, Xu Chengze left with a solemn expression.
Not long after, they reached the end of the passage and pushed open a simple door, revealing an elegantly furnished room with a fresh fragrance. Seated in the center of the room were Xue Ningyi, He Kui, and Tang Huang, the owner of Wanyaoxuan.
Xu Yingwu smiled and said, "This junior greets Chairman Xue, Master Tang, and Senior He!"
Xue Ningyi glanced around, then smiled and bowed, saying, "Welcome, Young Sect Master Xu. Why, Sect Master Xu isn't here?"
"Hehe, what's wrong, Chairman Xue? Are you worried that I can't afford to pay?" Xu Yingwu said with a frivolous smile.
"Sister, how can you underestimate Sect Master Xu? The person behind him is probably Master Xiao Yan, who is ranked first on the Medicine Ranking."
Xiao Yan touched his nose. Although Tang Huang had met him before, the fact that Xue Ningyi recognized him directly showed that her leadership of the Golden Alliance Chamber of Commerce was indeed well-deserved, and her intelligence-gathering ability was first-rate.
"It was just luck; I really don't deserve the title of master."
Xue Ningyi took a storage ring from the maid beside her and handed it to Xu Yingwu, saying, "Everything that the Echo Sect bid on is here."
As he spoke, he gave Xiao Yan a meaningful look.
After counting them, Xu Yingwu handed a storage ring to Xue Ningyi, saying, "President Xue, please take a look as well!"
"No need, I trust the Echo Sect's reputation."
As he spoke, he put away the storage ring, but Xu Yingwu muttered, "If I had known that the Echo Sect's reputation was so useful, I would have kept the amount less by tens of millions."
Xue Ningyi rolled her eyes at him, "You little rascal, you're never serious. See, your first place title has been taken away from you."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yingwu put his hands behind his head and said, "Lu Zhi is too monstrous. Who among the younger generation can rival him?"
A hint of admiration flashed in Xu Yingwu's eyes. As a genius of the Echo Sect, he was confident that he was no less than anyone else, but he had little confidence in Lu Zhi.
Suddenly, He Kui, who had been standing indifferently to the side, spoke up: "I think there's more than one young person among these people around you who can surpass Lu Zhi."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yingwu raised an eyebrow. He Kui meant that two of the group were no less capable than Lu Zhi, and most likely he wasn't referring to himself.
However, before Xu Yingwu could voice his doubts, someone else came in, and Xu Yingwu had to give up.
The group left the room, and Xu Yingwu kept thinking about who He Kui was talking about. Xiao Yan? But Xiao Yan was better at alchemy and cultivation than him, and he was also younger than him. Was there any justice in this world?
I have absolutely no interest in the three girls next to me. The prettiest one is Xiao Yan's girlfriend, and she completely follows his lead. The purple-haired girl and the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Serpent Mansion haven't even advanced to the Dou Huang level yet, so it's even less likely.
As Xu Yingwu lowered his head in thought, he unexpectedly encountered a group of people. Wearing a brand-new white robe, with four old men and Lu Chen behind him, who else could it be but Lu Zhi, who had shone brightly at the auction?
Just as the two groups were about to pass each other, Lu Chen stared at Zi Yan and said, "Big brother, they're the ones who stole our White Fragrance Berries!"
"Oh?" Lu Zhi looked at the group and became interested.
"What do you mean 'you'? We were the ones..." Zi Yan's retort was cut short by Xiao Yan's dragging her away. It wasn't that she was in a hurry to leave, but rather that she was showing contempt for Lu Chen.
"Kid, you're asking for trouble. You think you can just leave without explaining yourself?"
Lu Chen felt Xiao Yan's contempt and was filled with rage. He condensed his fighting spirit and created patterns on his arm before striking Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan casually threw a punch backward, and with the two punches combined, Lu Chen was directly blasted away, rolling several times in the passage before finally coming to a stop.
Zi Yan couldn't help but burst out laughing when she saw this, and the expressions of the others were also quite interesting.
Lu Zhi stared intently at Xiao Yan and said, "Not bad, try this move of mine."
Gray lines gathered on Lu Zhi's right arm, and the skin on his right arm turned yellowish-gray. The same angle, the same direction, the same punch as Lu Chen, only the force was different.
Xiao Yan's expression also hardened; Lu Zhi was putting considerable pressure on him. His right fist trembled strangely, the force of which vibrated the air, creating a buzzing sound.
The Eight Extremes Collapse!
With the two punches combined, Xiao Yan felt as if he were hitting a mountain. He staggered back three steps before regaining his balance.
Lu Zhi also took a half step back with his right leg, looked at Xiao Yan and smiled: "Not bad, you have some strength, but it's not enough. Work hard for the next month and a half, and the myriad beasts will give me some surprises!"
As he led the old man away, Lu Chen said, "Brother, are we just going to let this kid go like that?"
"I didn't stop you, you can go by yourself," Lu Zhi said indifferently.
Lu Chen gave Xiao Yan and the others a sinister look, then, after meeting Zi Yan's eager gaze, he gritted his teeth and followed Lu Zhi who was leaving.
Xiao Yan and Xu Yingwu exchanged a glance and smiled. Compared to Lu Zhi, Lu Chen was nothing more than a spoiled brat.
Xiao Yan looked at his right fist, which was now stained with blood, and muttered, "This Lu Zhi is quite a worthy opponent."
Xu Yingwu put his arm around Xiao Yan's shoulder and said, "That guy just now used the Hard Skin Pattern, which can increase his own hardness. Just be careful next time."
"The methods of the Xuanwen Sect are quite strange; it's easy to fall into their traps on your first encounter."
"Who can argue with that? My father even said that this is simply not a method from the Dou Qi Continent. There are fifteen different patterns in total, and they are quite difficult to deal with when combined."
Xiao Yan asked with interest, "How many kinds of skills does Lu Zhi know?"
Xu Yingwu pondered: "According to intelligence, there are seven types: the Hard Skin Pattern that enhances defense, the Spirit Devouring Pattern that absorbs battle qi, the Wind Control Pattern that enhances speed, the Bloodthirsty Pattern that draws in essence blood, the Chaotic God Pattern that attacks the mind, and the last two are only known to him, but no one has ever seen him use them."
Xiao Yan was startled halfway through his conversation: "He can also use mental attacks?"
Xu Yingwu waved his hand and said, "His Chaotic Divine Runes are very effective against others, but they are useless against us alchemists. His soul power is not as strong as ours, and he will be injured instead."
Even so, Xiao Yan was still worried. After all, he had promised Yang Yue the top spot in the Beast Gathering. Now it seemed that Wan Qing of the Heroes Alliance and Shi Meng of Xiangxi Mountain were not to be underestimated, not to mention a formidable opponent like Lu Zhi.
"It's time to strengthen our own capabilities."
Xiao Yan looked at the storage ring he had just brought back, which was covered in his essence blood, and thought to himself.