"Please come in, Eighth Master."
Terra Su walked into the courtyard, invited Eighth Master Mu to sit down, and asked, "Eighth Master, what brings you here?"
"Hehe, nothing special, just here to deliver an invitation." Eighth Master Mu chuckled.
"An invitation?"
"That's right. In three days, the Mu Family will be hosting a banquet for the Crown Prince at the mansion. So, I've come to deliver an invitation to Young Master Su, inviting you to attend the banquet," Eighth Master Mu explained.
The Crown Prince?
Terra Su's eyes narrowed slightly.
Eighth Master Mu, thinking Terra Su might not know, elaborated, "The Crown Prince is one of the strongest contenders for the title of Marquis Anyang's successor."
"Marquis Anyang has only one beloved daughter and no sons. However, the throne still needs an heir. Therefore, several outstanding children from the royal family branches have been chosen and titled as princes. When the time is right, one will be selected to inherit the throne."
"Currently, Marquis Anyang has not yet chosen an heir, so the competition among the princes is fierce, both openly and covertly."
"And the Crown Prince is one of the strongest contenders among them."
What Eighth Master Mu said matched what Terra Su had heard in his previous life. He had heard that the princes of Marquis Anyang fought fiercely for the heir's position. In the end, the conflict escalated to life and death, causing a huge mess and resulting in many deaths.
However, that should be a few years down the line.
"Does the Mu Family have a good relationship with the Crown Prince?" Terra Su asked.
"Yes, the Mu Family has always had a good relationship with the Crown Prince. Among the princes, they have the closest ties," Eighth Master Mu nodded.
Terra Su pondered, "Is it the old man's idea to get close to the Crown Prince?"
"No, it's not the old man's idea," Eighth Master Mu shook his head. "The old man has always stayed out of these matters. It's mainly some of the higher-ups in the Mu Family who have a good relationship with the Crown Prince."
So, it wasn't the old man's idea.
Terra Su smiled. The old man was wise. Given the Mu Family's status, they shouldn't get involved in the open and covert struggles among the princes.
Terra Su thought to himself that he should find a time to remind the old man that the higher-ups in the Mu Family getting too close to the Crown Prince was not a good thing.
"I'll be there that day," Terra Su accepted the invitation.
Eighth Master Mu smiled, "Then, Young Master Su, I won't disturb you any longer."
After Eighth Master Mu left, Terra Su began to cultivate.
His cultivation level had just reached the Condensing Origin Realm seventh-level, and it would take some time to break through to the eighth-level. Moreover, the Minor Origin Elixirs he had obtained from Otto Jiang and Robert Jiang were all used up, and he needed new cultivation resources.
Although Terra Su could refine elixirs himself, he didn't have the time to refine Minor Origin Elixirs, which he consumed dozens of daily. Besides, Minor Origin Elixirs were now too low-level for him; he needed higher-grade cultivation resources.
"The Five Elements True Essence Core is truly a bottomless pit. I need five times the cultivation resources of others. But in return, my combat power can explode to five times that of others. This trade doesn't seem like a loss."
Terra Su's eyes sparkled. Having five times the combat power of others was not easily achievable. For many martial practitioners from large families and powerful forces, if they could gain five times the combat power by paying five times the resources, they would do so without hesitation.
Unfortunately, they didn't have such an opportunity, as encounters like the Primal Five Elements Lotus were not something everyone could come across.
However, the immediate problem Terra Su faced was that he needed to acquire new cultivation resources quickly.
"I'll check out the auction house tomorrow."
The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, Terra Su left his room and walked outside.
Gu Qianyin and Gu Qianxue were both cultivating, so Terra Su didn't bring them along and left the Mu Family alone.
The businesses in Anyang City were all concentrated on the commercial street, so the auction house was easy to find. Upon arriving at the commercial street, he saw a prominent sign from afar:
"Star Pavilion."
This auction house seemed quite large. Terra Su walked in casually.
A dazzling array of goods immediately came into view: weapons, manuals, elixirs, materials… everything a martial practitioner might need was here, though the prices were naturally much higher than in Clear River City.
Terra Su looked around for a while but didn't find anything satisfactory.
Just as he was about to leave and check elsewhere, he overheard a conversation nearby:
"Tonight, Star Pavilion will hold its bi-monthly auction, showcasing many rare and precious treasures. Are you coming?"
"Of course, I've been wanting a low-grade Mystic manual for a long time. I must come tonight to take a look."
So, there was an auction tonight.
Terra Su showed interest. Perhaps the auction would have some cultivation resources he needed.
"Sir, may I help you with anything?" A Star Pavilion attendant approached Terra Su quickly and asked.
"Tell me about your auction," Terra Su said.
"Certainly, sir. Star Pavilion has three types of auctions. One is held every half month, showcasing rare items not usually sold at our counters. Another is held every three months, featuring rare treasures. The last one is an annual event, displaying priceless treasures."
In other words, the rarity of the items varies with the auction type, with the annual auction showcasing only priceless treasures that most people can only look at but not afford.
"However, even the bi-monthly auction tonight will feature many rare and precious items worth a look," the attendant recommended enthusiastically.
"Alright, give me a ticket for tonight's auction," Terra Su smiled.
"Certainly, sir." The attendant quickly fetched a ticket and handed it to Terra Su.
Taking the ticket, Terra Su was about to leave when two young men, arms around each other's shoulders, walked in from outside. They seemed to be on good terms.
"Hey, it's you!"
One of the young men saw Terra Su and his face instantly turned cold. He pointed at Terra Su and sneered, "Heh, kid, you didn't expect this, did you? I still got into Anyang Academy!"
What a coincidence, it was Situ Ming. Terra Su had just dealt with him at the Anyang Academy registration yesterday, and here he was again today.
At that time, an Anyang Academy instructor had thrown Situ Ming out and banned him from registering again. However, it seemed the Situ Family had some influence and managed to get Situ Ming another chance to register.
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