'Aghhh, it's so boring.'

Xinyi had just finished with her shift of greeting new customers and showing them the showrooms and stock. There hadn't been any big fish coming into town for a while, not since that scholar had come through ten days ago. She wished he would come back, he was the only big spender that was assigned to her. Her sale had provided her with enough tier 2 spirit water for a month, which was about what she made in 6 months. It was a competitive scene in the Shining Pavilion Auction House, any people who were willing to spend large amounts of money were quickly snapped up by the other guides. Scholars are one of their biggest moneymakers, alongside alchemists, artisans, and young master types. Young masters where the richest people who frequented here, and they were handled directly by the foundation establishment elders. They were the richest people here because the people in real power didn't bother with this auction house.

While the spirit water had pushed her to the peak of second stage, she would need a more reliable cultivation method to reliably enter into the 3rd stage of qi gathering.

"Sigh, if only I could get more commissions."

"Xinyi! Xiiiiiinyiiii!"

Xinyi's supervisor, the woman who kept tabs on all the people in the women's dorm, rushed towards her room.

"Xinyi, I hope you're decent in there, your scholar just rolled into shop, and it won't do keep him waiting!"

"!!! Yeah! I'll be right out!"

Xinyi had stopped her evening cultivation session in record time and quickly donned her Shining Pavilion robes. She was just about to start gloating about her big catch coming back when she noticed the concerned look on Madam Supervisor's face. This woman was just as tired of Xinyi's gloating as anyone else, and had told her off about it just yesterday. She should be annoyed about Fang Hu coming back, what had made her so worried? She was about to ask, but her supervisor pushed her forwards without any regard towards her intent.

It would have been futile to ask anyway. What the problem was quickly apparent as Xinyi laid eyes on Fang Hu. The scholar was much stronger than before! His dao pillar had stopped reminding her of the elders, and made her think of the city leader! That old monster was a core formation cultivator! What kind of insane technique would allow a qi gathering scholar's dao pillar be comparable to a core formation warrior!? Not to mention that he had jumped from 5th to 6th stage in 10 days!

When she sent out her qi sense she was rooted to the spot. Instead of seeing a man's qi, it was like she was looking at a sleeping snake! Fang Hu was silently filling the entire pavilion with quiet killing intent, you wouldn't be able to sense it if you weren't looking for it! It was at this point that Xinyi knew that the 6th stage guards would be a joke in front of this scholar. This changes things, if it weren't for the high possibility of this Fang Hu having a deep backing, then the auction house would torture him for his techniques. As things stand now, Xinyi would be the first one of the chopping block if things went south.

///

When Xinyi came out to greet Fang Hu, she quickly froze. This concerned Fang Hu, as they shouldn't have done anything to arouse shock. He had even learned to control the killing intent his body now produced naturally. He would need to act like nothing was large was going on, and only sell them some subpar cultivation techniques, so they have no reason to try to harm him. When Fang Hu greeted Xinyi, she quickly dropped into her 'sales' personality and politely inquired the nature of Fang Hu's visit.

*Getting more spirit stones are a pain, so I decided to sell some of my less important techniques.*

"Going to acquire more spirit stones would be inconvenient, so I am willing to part with a few minor methods."

Xinyi was both amazed and excited. She was amazed that someone would part with cultivation techniques, of all things, just to spend less time on retrieving spirit stones. Also, 'sub-par' techniques from a cultivator of his grade were bound to be great. Just look at that mortal who he got to cart him around. His skin went from aged leather to finely aged leather in ten days, and he has a healthy glow now from his tanned skin! Getting that from just reaching peak 3rd stage from high 2nd stage is incredible!

There are a few misunderstandings here, but it would be irritating to explain them. You're not an idiot, just think of: Cultivation

Fang Hu had written down two different techniques, the 'Snake Breath Cultivation Technique' plus his improvements and the new and improved 'Solar Sculpting Body Cultivation' minus everything having to do with the amulet. The snake technique shouldn't cause any problems, that was widely known even outside the snake sect and only given to initiates anyway. Surely the system would have said something in the history of the technique if there was going to be a problem. The solar technique being the only other technique he was both willing to sell and worth anything. Whatever deity they worship around here knows 'Basic Ritualistic Cultivation' is useless. The only thing he ever got from that was 'Basic Fist Reinforcement' for Jiahao, and that was only useable because he spliced it with a few things from his system gifted martial art.

While Xinyi didn't know it yet, this was the deal that finally allow her enough resources to get a better technique and push into the third stage of qi gathering. While Fang Hu didn't know it yet, this was the move that put him on the radar of every cultivator within years of Iron Dragon City. It would also be his first step into fame in the Wonton Fields. Fang Hu didn't know nor care for any of that, he was just happy about the unexpected amount of spirit stones he got. Fate speeds along while Fang Hu dances like a goblin inside his head. It has as many plans for the jester as it does the kings.