Chapter 164: The Price of Pride
Applause erupted throughout the hall, tinged with disbelief and awe.
Su Tianhao exhaled slowly, leaning back in his seat. His golden eyes gleamed with a cold light.
He had secured the Raging Viscera Tonic—but 100,000 gold coins, the equivalent of 1,000 spirit stones, was an astronomical sum even for a grade 6 medicine. It stung even more knowing he could have had it for half that price.
Wang Bing turned to him, concern still lingering in her autumn eyes. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." His expression softened slightly. "I got what I came for. That's all that matters."
Elder Xuan nodded. "You handled that well, Tian Hao. Staying composed under pressure is a rare quality."
Su Tianhao's gaze drifted toward the fifth private box.
'Mo Tianye... we'll meet again. And when we do, you'll understand the price of crossing me.'
For now, he had what he needed.
---
In the fifth private box, a young man sat calmly amidst seven others—each one massive and muscular, radiating a wild aura of raw power and danger, like chained tigers waiting to be released.
The young man himself appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six. Handsome in a sharp, dangerous way. Short, well-trimmed black hair framed a face of firm lines and focused eyes. Dark-toned skin, a broad and powerful frame—the kind that spoke of countless battles fought and survived.
He wore a sleeveless martial outfit that left thick, tattoo-marked arms exposed, each design winding with purpose like ancient runes of war. A fang-shaped pendant hung around his neck, the polished bone catching the light and adding a savage edge to his already imposing presence.
Dignified. Dangerous. The kind of man who didn't need to speak to be heard.
Mo Tianye.
"Young Lord, was it wise to provoke the guest of the Wang Mansion like that?" asked Lin Chaoxu—Mo Tianye's right-hand advisor, a 1st level Martial Master known as the Spectral Blade Advisor—his voice deep and measured.
Mo Tianye's expression remained unchanged, a faint smile at the corner of his lips. "Advisor Chaoxu, the men from Squad 19 believe that man may be the one who killed their squad leader."
Lin Chaoxu shook his head. "That's unconfirmed. They never saw his face—only said the figures were similar, which is hardly rare in a world this vast."
"Hmph."
Mo Tianye's smile didn't waver. "Whether or not he's the killer is irrelevant. He dared share a room with my woman. He should be prepared for the consequences."
"Young Lord," Lin Chaoxu said carefully, "Wang Bing is not yet your woman."
"But she will be," Mo Tianye said, eyes sharpening. "So what's the difference?"
"Young Lord—"
"He's an ordinary person with no known background," Mo Tianye cut in, his tone dropping to something final.
He turned to the other men in the room. "Keep your eyes on him. The moment he leaves..."
Killing intent bled into his voice.
"End him."
He leaned back, expression settling into something almost casual. "Let this serve as a reminder to anyone who thinks of getting close to my woman."
---
On stage, the curtains drew closed.
The intermediate section was over. The major items were next.
Madam Rou clasped her hands. Two female attendants walked onto the stage carrying a golden tray, whatever rested upon it covered by a cloth of red silk. Even spiritual sense couldn't penetrate it—the silk was clearly inscribed with concealment runes, ordinary in appearance but far from ordinary in nature.
"Now," Madam Rou said, her body swaying with a grace that made the hall unconsciously lean forward, "the moment we've all been waiting for."
"The major items section."
She gestured, and the red silk was swept away in a single fluid motion.
Whoosh.
Atop the tray sat a semi-transparent box housing a small crystal, purple in colour, glowing with an ethereal light that caused those who stared at it to fall into a momentary daze. The light pulsed like living flame—constant, hypnotic, pulling attention toward itself with quiet insistence.
"It can't be—" Su Tianhao's eyes went wide.
"Do you know what that is?" Wang Bing asked.
Before he could answer, Madam Rou's voice rang out across the hall.
"The first treasure of the major section—the Ethereal Mind Crystal. A rare mental-type treasure born deep within the Island of Illustrious Death. This crystal refines the soul, calms the mind, and strengthens spiritual will."
She let the words settle before continuing. "Cultivating in proximity to the Ethereal Mind Crystal can accelerate comprehension of spiritual techniques, enhance inscription mastery, and stabilise one's foundation during bottleneck breakthroughs. However..." her smile deepened, "...only those with a sufficiently powerful soul can endure prolonged exposure. For those who cannot—the crystal's aura may overwhelm the mind entirely, trapping it in an endless dreamscape much like the Island itself."
Silence.
Su Tianhao's eyes gleamed.
'No wonder I felt that pull the moment I saw it. I underestimated this treasure.'
He had assumed the Ethereal Mind Crystal served only to stabilise mental focus and soul force—preventing spiritual backlash and enhancing clarity during deep cultivation. That was all the Supreme Dragon Vein Awakening Art required of it, and he hadn't thought to probe further into his inherited memories. But this was far more than that.
'A treasure that strengthens the mind, soul, and spiritual will—it's practically made for someone carrying inherited memories.'
'I must secure this. No matter what.'
He had come to the auction prepared to walk away without it, intending to substitute soul crystals in its place. That plan was gone now. There was an opportunity directly in front of him, and he wasn't the kind of person to look away from one.
"That sounds like quite the treasure," Wang Bing said, eyes bright. "Do you want it, Tian Hao?"
"Yes," he said. "It's important to my cultivation."
Wang Bing nodded and didn't press further.
---
Below, the crowd stared at the crystal with unconcealed awe. The chances of acquiring it were low—most of them knew that—but the desire to try hadn't fully died.
Madam Rou chuckled at their expressions. "As you all know the Island of Illustrious Death is a very dangerous place, lives were lost and the seller only stumbled upon this crystal by chance... Expect an equally expensive price."
Her eyes scanned the crowd, gauging their reactions. "Without further ado—the starting price is 1,000 spirit stones."
The mood in the audience section shifted immediately.
"1,000 spirit stones? The same as the Raging Viscera Tonic?"
"This is a treasure from Mingxu Island we are talking about!"
"It's truly not a section for ordinary people."
The general audience gave up on bidding but settled in eagerly—this was now a performance, and they had front row seats.
"1,500 spirit stones!" A voice rang from the first private box.
"1,700!" Another from the sixth.
"2,000!"
The bids climbed steadily through the VIP floor.
Su Tianhao watched with narrowed eyes — waiting, calculating, tracking every increment.
"2,100!"
"2,300!"
"2,500!"
'Now.'
"3,000 spirit stones!"
His voice cut through the hall like lightning across a clear sky.
"The third private box again!"
"Raising by 500 in one go even after that previous purchase—these VIPs are something else entirely."
Many in the audience quietly reassessed their own position in the world.
Then Mo Tianye's voice drifted across from the fifth box—unhurried, almost amused.
"3,500 spirit stones."
---
Inside the fifth box, Lin Chaoxu frowned slightly. "Young Lord, is this really necessary?"
"What do you mean?" Mo Tianye glanced at him.
"If you're already sending men after him," Lin Chaoxu said carefully, "wouldn't it make more sense to let him win the bid—and simply take it from his corpse afterward?"
"No." Mo Tianye feigned a yawn. "That would be boring. I want him rattled first. Angry. Offended. Let him believe revenge is possible—then crush him before he can act on it."
Lin Chaoxu forced a smile. "The Young Lord is truly... thorough."
---
The auction floor had transformed into something closer to a spectacle, the crowd's energy rising with each exchange.
In the third box, Su Tianhao's expression had darkened. His fists were clenched tight enough to whiten his knuckles.
Three thousand spirit stones was his line. Of the five thousand Su Huiqing had given him, less than three thousand three hundred remained—four hundred given to the gate guards out of gratitude, two hundred spent at the Thousand Beast Pavilion, one hundred and twenty had gone for the Bloodroot Vitality Pill, and a full thousand on the Raging Viscera Tonic.
'Dammit.'
His hands were tied.
"What's wrong?" Wang Bing asked softly, her hand resting gently on his shoulder. "Talk to me."
"He's already won," Su Tianhao said quietly. "I'm out of spirit stones."
"Let me lend you some," Wang Bing offered immediately. "How much do you need?"
Su Tianhao's brow furrowed. He had left Oakwood City with every debt cleared, and he intended to keep it that way. He had no desire to start owing people again—not even people who had been nothing but kind to him.
He shook his head slowly.
Elder Xuan's frown deepened. "What is the meaning of this, Tian Hao? Is this not what friends are for?"
"I know, but I really don't want to—"
"Enough." Elder Xuan's voice was firm, but not unkind. "If you cannot accept our goodwill, then you do not see us as friends—and we cannot call you one either."
Wang Bing's eyes pleaded silently.
Su Tianhao exhaled. "Alright. I accept."
Elder Xuan's expression warmed immediately. "How much do you need?"
"Fifteen hundred spirit stones."
"Done." Elder Xuan nodded without hesitation.
Just then, Madam Rou's voice rang through the box.
"3,500 spirit stones... going once."
"Going twice—"
"4,500 spirit stones!"
Boom!
A wave of shock rolled through the hall.
"Did he really just raise by a thousand in one go?!"
"Am I dreaming?!" A young man in a goat mask grabbed his companion's arm.
His companion in a chicken mask promptly pinched his thigh.
"Ow! I'm not dreaming!"
---
In the fifth box, Mo Tianye blinked. "What a surprise. I thought he was finished."
"Perhaps we stop here, Young Lord," Lin Chaoxu suggested.
"No," Mo Tianye said flatly. He raised his token.
"5,000 spirit stones."
---
Su Tianhao's jaw tightened. If Mo Tianye had only been a foe before, he was something more now.
"What will you do?" Wang Bing asked softly. "We could borrow more—"
"No." Su Tianhao's voice was quiet but final. "A man should know when to acknowledge a loss."
He exhaled slowly, unclenching his hands.
"I lose."
Elder Xuan nodded with quiet respect in his eyes. "Wise words."
---
"5,000 spirit stones... going once..."
"Going twice..."
Bang!
"Sold to the gentleman in the fifth private box!"
---
"Wait—" Mo Tianye stared at the stage.
"Did I just buy a mental-type treasure for 5,000 spirit stones?"
He had never intended to actually win the bid. The plan was to drive the price up, watch the man from the third box bleed—not end up holding a crystal that had nothing to do with his cultivation path.
Lin Chaoxu said nothing. He simply looked at Mo Tianye with an expression that required no words.
Mo Tianye's temper flared. He turned to the six men stationed in the room.
"No more wasting time. Get out now. The moment that man leaves this auction—follow him. Find a suitable location. No witnesses. No mistakes."
The six men nodded in unison.
"Understood."
They vanished from the room like smoke, slipping into the shadows without a sound.
---
"I'm sorry you didn't get it," Wang Bing said quietly.
"It's fine. I got what I came for." Su Tianhao rose to his feet and cupped his fists toward the two of them, bowing slightly. "Elder Xuan, Bing'er—thank you for your hospitality. I won't forget it."
"No need for such formality," Elder Xuan said warmly.
"Then I'll take my leave." Su Tianhao turned toward the door.
"Wait—" Wang Bing's voice caught slightly.
Elder Xuan placed a quiet hand on her shoulder. "Let him go. Now is the best time—before Mo Tianye's men have the chance to mobilise."
Wang Bing paused. Then nodded.
Neither of them knew that the moment Su Tianhao stepped out of the room, six shadows had already detached themselves from the dark and fallen silently into place behind him.
Their intent was singular.
Kill!