A few days after the council with the Jade Sea Pavilion, a new, subtle energy entered Coralspire Harbor. No one noticed his arrival.
He moved through the crowded streets with an unassuming ease, his aura so perfectly suppressed that he seemed to melt into the background, just another one of the thousands of merchants and cultivators that flocked to the prosperous port city.
He arrived at the Golden Shell headquarters and was granted an immediate, private audience with Li Yu. The others—Kui, Xylia, Jian Xuan, and Fat Pig—were also present. The time for segmented information was over; they would now face this threat as a united council.
Fengliu gave a deep, respectful bow. "Young Master," he began, his voice as calm and professional as ever. "My in-person investigation of the Golden Tide Clan has yielded new information."
He went on to give a detailed report, his words painting a picture of a clan that was far more than a simple group of artisans. He then produced a small, intricately carved jade slip.
"This is what I believe to be our next move," he said. "I have learned from a source within the clan's sphere of influence that a rare treasure is about to be auctioned off in the neighboring city of Port Meridian. It is a unique artifact known as the 'Crystal Orb of Serenity'."
"What does it do?" Kui asked, his merchant's instincts immediately intrigued by the mention of a rare treasure.
"Its properties are said to be miraculous for those who raise beasts," Fengliu answered. "It was recovered from the treacherous Sunken Palace ruins deep within the Endless Sea. It emits a constant, spiritual wave that has a profound, soothing effect. It creates an environment where beasts feel safe and content, which in turn makes them overall happier and slowly helps them grow stronger and healthier. It is not an item with any combat application, but for a sect or a faction that wishes to nurture powerful beasts, its long-term value is immeasurable."
The implication was immediately clear to everyone in the room.
"The Faction…" Xylia breathed, her voice a low growl. "An item like that, in their hands, would be a strategic asset. It could help them raise a more powerful and loyal beast army over time."
"Precisely," Fengliu confirmed. "My sources have confirmed, with a high degree of certainty, that the Beast Revolution Faction is extremely interested in acquiring this orb. They will have agents at the auction."
A new plan began to form in Li Yu's mind. "This is our chance," he said, his voice quiet but firm. "We will go to the auction. We won't bid on the orb itself but the winners will lead us to their local leadership."
He looked around the room, his gaze settling on his retainers. "Fat Pig, Spine, you will remain here to manage the headquarters and coordinate with the Jade Sea Pavilion. Maintain a high state of alert. Kui, your presence as the Guild Leader at a major auction is expected and will provide us a way in quietly. Fengliu, Xylia, and Jian Xuan you will come.
The decision was made. They would travel to Port Meridian, a metropolis slightly larger and more opulent than Coralspire Harbor, known for its massive, continent-renowned auction house.
The Port Meridian Auction House was a testament to the wealth and power of the southern coast. It was a grand, circular building constructed of pure white marble, its roof a dome of shimmering, crystal-like glass. Inside, thousands of cultivators and merchants filled the tiered seating, their auras a sea of powerful, influential figures.
Li Yu's group, led by Kui, was escorted to a private, upper-level viewing room, a place reserved for the most distinguished guests, offering them a perfect, anonymous vantage point from which to observe the proceedings below.
The auction began, and a dazzling array of treasures was brought out, one after another. There was a Phoenix-Plume Fan, a beautiful but purely decorative item prized by the noble ladies of the central empire. There was a deed to a vast, undeveloped spirit mine in the far western wastelands, an item of interest only to a major sect with the resources for a decades-long development project.
There was a bottle containing a rare, exotic perfume ingredient, priceless to a grandmaster perfumer but useless to a warrior. The bidding for these items was fierce among certain parties, but Li Yu's group watched with a detached interest. The treasures were valuable, but they held no appeal and offered no benefit to any of them.
Then, an item was brought out that was unusual, it was presented almost as a curiosity. It was a single lotus seed, about the size of a child's fist, and it was a deep, mesmerizing, lapis blue. It was beautiful, but it radiated no spiritual energy.
"Our next item is a true mystery!" the auctioneer announced, his voice booming with practiced enthusiasm. "This is the Lapis Lotus Seed, recovered from a deep-sea ruin. Our appraisers have been unable to identify its species, and it appears to be completely inert. However, its hardness is astonishing—it is completely impervious to the blades of even high-grade spiritual weapons. Perhaps a collector of rare and exotic treasures would be interested in this unique enigma!"
As the auctioneer spoke, Li Yu felt a sudden, deep, resonant thrum from within his sea of consciousness. It was his Koi martial spirit. It had reacted, not with the hunger it showed for aquatic life, but with a profound, instinctual sense of recognition and a deep, undeniable longing. It was the first time his martial spirit had ever reacted to a seed, to a plant-based item of any kind. He did not know what it was, but he knew that he had to have it.
"Kui," he said, his voice low. "Buy it."
Kui, seeing the rare, intense look in Li Yu's eyes, nodded without question. The bidding for the seed was sparse. A few collectors made token bids out of curiosity, but with its purpose unknown and its nature inert, there was not much interest.
Kui, with his calm, professional bidding, won the item with relative ease for a modest sum. A short while later, the Lapis Lotus Seed was delivered to their private room, and Li Yu tucked it away into his storage ring, a new, personal mystery now in his possession.
Other items came and went, none of them drawing more than a passing glance from the group. Finally, the main event they had been waiting for arrived. It was the third-to-last item of the auction, a clear sign of its immense value.
The Crystal Orb of Serenity was brought out on a velvet cushion. It was a perfect sphere of flawless crystal, about the size of a dragon's egg, and it pulsed with a gentle, calming, silvery light that seemed to wash over the entire auction hall, soothing the frayed nerves of the excited bidders and creating a palpable sense of peace.
The bidding began, and it was an immediate inferno. The price shot up at a terrifying rate. The main competition quickly narrowed down to two bidders, both hidden from view in high-level private rooms on opposite sides of the hall. Their bids, relayed by the auctioneer, were cold, relentless, and determined. It was impossible to tell which of the two groups, or if perhaps both of them, belonged to the Beast Revolution Faction.
The price climbed to a truly astronomical sum, and finally, one of the parties fell silent. The Crystal Orb was sold.
A moment later, a group of four men emerged from one of the private rooms. They were dressed in the simple, unassuming robes of a non-descript merchant company. They moved with a swift, professional purpose, heading directly to the auction house's private exchange to claim their prize and leave immediately.
"They're on the move," Fengliu whispered.
Li Yu's group rose as one, their movements calm and unnoticed in the general stir of the auction. As they exited their own room, they saw that a second group, emerging from the room that had lost the bidding war, was also heading for the exit, their expressions grim, a predatory light in their eyes.
"It seems we have a hunt within a hunt," Jian Xuan murmured.
Li Yu's group followed them out of the auction house and into the bustling streets of Port Meridian. The winning group moved quickly, their path leading towards the city's eastern gate. The losing group followed at a discreet distance, their movements the practiced, silent steps of experienced stalkers.
Li Yu made a quick, tactical decision. A group of five was too large for a subtle tailing mission. He stopped in a shadowed alleyway. He looked at Kui, Xylia, and Fengliu, who understood his intent immediately. With a shimmer of opalescent light, they vanished, recalled into the inner world of his koi martial spirit.
Now, it was just Li Yu and Jian Xuan, two powerful experts whose auras were suppressed that they were all but invisible to the world. They melted into the shadows of the city, two silent phantoms following a pair of hunting wolves, who were in turn following their own, unsuspecting prey. The trap was sprung, and the chase had begun.