Chapter 304: Auction
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Tian Xie Zi’s voice could not be heard by everyone. It made of the divine will. Only those who had reached a certain level of power could sense it, so only limited few people in this tribe could hear it.
Once that old man who wanted to hurt Su Ming was punished for his actions by nearly dying, no other divine will appeared within those dozen something sword-ships. They were all deathly silent.
Within the tribe, in the ordinary looking tent protected by the men in black robes, a surprised glint appeared in the eyes of the young man with a black dragon embroidered on his robe, and his breathing quickened.
"Tian Xie Zi?"
"It’s him…" The old man sitting right in front of the young man smiled wryly and nodded his head.
"If I can have such a powerful person serving me…" When the young man uttered the final word in his sentence, he shook his head and took a big swig from his wine cup.
"Second Young Master, don’t think about this anymore. That’s impossible… as one of the three most powerful Berserkers in the Land of South Morning, he will definitely not join in the battle between the big tribes.
"Of the three great Berserkers, besides Guru Long Li, who is known to the world and currently staying in Western Sea Clan, very few people know about the other two. And even if they know them, they would definitely not spread the news.
"Because powerful Berserkers like these have the right to choose the way they want to live, such as senior Tian Xie Zi. His personality is weird and he’s occasionally crazy. There are less than ten people who know about his true identity in Freezing Sky Clan, and even within the Great Tribe of Freezing Sky, only those who have the blood of the Elder like you are allowed to know this secret after becoming adults.
"That is why many of the disciples and outsiders have their own assumptions regarding his identity, but most of them are negative… We wouldn’t dare reveal his identity either, or else once he leaves Freezing Sky Clan, it’ll be difficult for us to get him back," the old man said with a wry smile.
"His disciples don’t know about it as well?" The young man was surprised.
The old man hesitated for a moment before he said softly, "Besides… that person from the Nine Li Tribe, the other disciples shouldn’t know about this."
A glint appeared in the young man’s eyes. He immersed himself in his thoughts for a moment before he looked at the old man.
"Invite that person called Su Ming to join Western Sea Clan’s secret auction after the official auction… I will pay for whatever he wants to buy."
"But… if your older brother learns of this..?"
"I’m just making a friend. I sincerely want to befriend Su Ming and I’m not asking for his help. Are people actually going to stop me from making friends now?" The young man smiled, but there was a chilling glare in his eyes when he looked at the old man.
The old man was silent for a moment before he nodded his head.
"When I was still a child, I heard of the battle thousands of years ago between the three great Berserkers and the Shamans’ Great Patriarch…" the young man mumbled, and fascination appeared in his eyes.
Outside, the windstorm continued howling on the snow plain, only growing stronger. At its center, Su Ming could also feel his own aura increasing.
"Snowstorm…" he mumbled. The instant he uttered that one word, an endless amount of snow appeared around in the sky around Dark Mountain, the tribe, and the blood moon!
That snow seemed to have fused together with the snow that had originally been in the area until they could not be told apart from each other. Once they fit together perfectly, the scene that appeared in the sky was the Picture of the snow covered Blood Moon and Dark Mountain!
The moment the picture was revealed, Su Ming lifted his head and let out a long howl towards the sky. The aura within him increased exponentially, and his blood started circulating rapidly within him. The power of Awakening started rising in an astonishing manner.
As it rose, cracking sounds came from within Su Ming’s body as if his flesh and blood were being pressed down and his bones were rubbing against each other. That power increased until eventually, a loud bang sounded in Su Ming’s head.
The moment it did so, Su Ming broke through the middle stage of the Awakening Realm and went into the later stage!
Almost the second he arrived at the later stage of the Awakening Realm, the Picture of the snow covered Blood Moon and Dark Mountain in the sky charged towardshim like a scroll painting that was dragged into the windstorm, then as it twisted in the air, it flew towards Su Ming along with the windstorm!
The Mountain Mark was on his face, the red moon in his eye, the tribe on his chest, and the snow flew around his entire body!
At that moment, Su Ming’s power increased once again. The piece of Berserker Bone he had obtained from Han Mountain’s ancestor in the past started melting rapidly within his body. A power that belonged to those in the Berserker Tribe spread out and turned into the power of Awakening Realm belonging to Su Ming. It fused with his Qi, and as his heart pounded strongly against his chest, it spread into every part of his body.
Along with the completion of his Berserker Mark, Su Ming’s body experienced an earthshaking change. He became stronger while still retaining his original physical form. His power continued rising, and just when he arrived at the later stage of the Awakening Realm, he shot straight into the peak of the later stage. There was only a little more before he could attain great completion in the Awakening Realm!
Su Ming had a strong feeling that if he closed that small distance and attained completion in the Awakening Realm, then he could try and conquer that realm that belonged only to those who were powerful - Bone Sacrifice!
He would need to refine a piece of his spine into the true Berserker Bone. The Berserker Bone that only belonged to the Ancients and would only appear through atavism! Only when he managed to refine such a bone could he be seen as to have reached the Bone Sacrifice Realm!
If the day came when he could turn all his bones into the Ancients’ Bones, then even if he could not split apart heaven and earth and pluck the stars, moon, and sun from the sky, his physical abilities would still be enough for him to have the wind and clouds at his beck and call!
If he could take one more step and become one of the few who, through great difficulty, reached the Berserker Soul Realm after attaining great completion in the Bone Sacrifice Realm, then he could call himself as one of the truly powerful Berserkers in the Berserker Tribe!
It was a long road, but Su Ming longed for it!
Su Ming swiftly opened his eyes and the Berserker Mark covering his entire body glowed, but as calmness filled his eyes, there was also a hint of pity hidden underneath.
He had tried, but he fell slightly short of that step that would take him to reach great completion in the Awakening Realm. He could not cross over and could only stay in the later stage of the Awakening Realm while endlessly accumulating his power.
‘I know what’s missing…’
Su Ming stood up silently. The instant he stood up, the windstorm around him disappeared and the world returned to its original state. Snow continued falling from the sky.
This time, when Su Ming stood up, he did not rely on the puppet beast but his own legs. As his power increased, his physical body’s strength also increased exponentially. The sixteen ice hoops could no longer limit his movements.
‘Life is missing from my Berserker Mark… The tribe is empty, but I don’t have the ability to draw the people who belong there. I need the song played by the xun in my memories to envelop my Berserker Mark and bring me… to find the path back to my home…’
Su Ming closed his eyes. The memory of Tian Xie Zi bringing him to that peaceful tribe surfaced in his mind. He also remembered the blind, old xun maker in the tribe who could no longer see light.
‘I should find time and retrieve… my xun,’ Su Ming mumbled and swatted away the snow on his body before walking back towards Western Sea Clan’s tribe in the distance.
Zi Che ran forth from thousands of feet away. When he saw Su Ming, the worry on his face faded away. When Su Ming nodded at him with a smile, he followed behind and walked slowly back to the tribe with him.
When the two of them reached the tribe and walked in, almost all the people stood outside their tribes and looked towards Su Ming at the same time.
There were no words, neither were there a lot of actions taken, but when those gazes fell on Su Ming, all of the people lowered their heads. Su Ming walked past them calmly and did not stop. He went to his tent, bent his back, and walked in.
The night went by. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but the moment Su Ming entered the tent, the sun started rising in the distance…
A new day had arrived. Wind blew past the land and lifted the snow, sweeping it through the tribe. This day would be the first day of the auction held by Western Sea Clan!
After resting for two hours in his tent, Chang Yi came to Su Ming’s tent with a rather courteous bearing, along with well-hidden complicated feelings, and personally escorted Su Ming to the auction hall.
"Congratulations, brother Su. Your power has improved. Even with my power in the initial stage of the Bone Sacrifice Realm, I still feel somewhat pressured when I stand before you." Chang Yi walked beside Su Ming and spoke as he wrapped his fist in his palm to Su Ming.
Su Ming smiled faintly and wrapped his fist to return the salute, but he did not choose to provide too many explanations.
Zi Che followed behind silently. However, his eyes would occasionally scan through the surroundings with caution hidden within his gaze.
The three of them soon reached the easternmost part of the tribe. There was a large building there. It was built in the form of a ring and looked incredibly majestic; it should be able to accommodate several thousands of people within.
Right in the center was a circular shaped platform. That spot should be the place where the items would be brought out to be auctioned. There were ring shaped stages around that platform. Except for the top layer, which was divided into several individual rooms, the other layers underneath were decorated with several tables and chairs that surrounded the platform. There were already quite some people who were sitting there and waiting for the auction to begin.
The place bubbled with noise. Occasionally, someone would enter, and sometimes, someone would move from their seats to search for their friends to talk. There were also quite a number of Western Sea Clan disciples patrolling around the place and looking at all the people who came forth with aloof gazes.
"The auction is about to start. Brother Su, this way please. Clan Elder Bi Zong Hai reserved the ninth room at the top layer specifically for you," Chang Yi said respectfully. His respect was born not just because of the pressure brought by Su Ming after his power increased, but also because of the piece of news he received just this morning.
Clan Elder Hai sent word to leave a room at the top layer empty for Su Ming.
It had to be stated that there were not many rooms in the top layer to begin with, and they were reserved for the powerful Berserkers in the Berserker Soul Realm. Normal people would not be able to step inside! Besides, the rooms in the top layer were originally filled. That ninth room was only built just this morning.
For one person, they built an additional room. This thing was something that was difficult to imagine for Chang Yi. Su Ming might not be from the same Clan as he, but he still needed to be more courteous and respectful towards him.
A glint appeared in Su Ming’s eyes, but he did not decline having the room. He nodded his head, and under Chang Yi’s lead, he went to the top layer and entered the ninth room.
Once he entered the room, Su Ming saw an incredibly beautiful woman with an alluring body and shapely curves standing up from a chair in the room. She smiled at him, and that one smile was flirtatious and filled with a unique charm.
"I am Zi Shan, and my Master is Hai Yun Lai. By the orders of my Master, I have come to provide you with the explanations towards the items that will be auctioned."
A barely noticeable crease appeared between Su Ming’s brows. He did not know what happened yesterday night, but he could tell that the man named Hai was slightly odd. He left Su Ming a room for his own and also arranged his own disciple to come forth to provide explanations and serve him. It was pretty puzzling for someone of Clan Elder Hai Dong Zong’s status to do such a thing. It was either that he had other plans, or he had a request to make of Su Ming.
A glint appeared in Su Ming’s eyes and he asked unhurriedly, "Is this all?"