Chapter Forty-Four: The Battle in the Realm of Illusions and Demons

The demigod races were not unfamiliar to her; among them, the Azure Phoenix, Winged Tiger, and Dragonfolk appeared most frequently, but that was mainly in the Central Continent. On the Eastern Continent, the Dragonfolk had only appeared once, a thousand years ago. Yu Youwei truly had no idea there was also a Violet-Eyed Ape race among the demigods. Her bright eyes swept over the faces of the five purple-eyed individuals. Only when the auction commenced did her attention shift to the stage.

The opening item was a high-grade Xuan-class flying vessel, the “Flying Star Boat,” capable of carrying three people, with a starting bid of seven hundred spirit stones.

Spirit stones, essential for cultivation, were hard currency. Many things could not be bought with gold or silver, only with spirit stones. Usually, only lower-grade spirit stones circulated in the market; mid-grade, high-grade, and supreme-grade stones were rarely traded. Unless otherwise specified, auctions typically referred to lower-grade spirit stones.

To her, seven hundred spirit stones for a flying vessel seemed exorbitant, but the wealthy patrons of Jiangning Prefecture proved abundant. The bidding was fierce from the outset, driving the price up to one thousand seven hundred spirit stones—more than three hundred above market value.

The second item was a pair of gloves with both defensive and amplifying effects, valued at five hundred spirit stones, but auctioned off for a high price of twelve hundred. Yu Youwei couldn’t help but sigh, “Are these people out of their minds?”

Ning Guodong chuckled, “The Ten Prefecture Phantom Realm Battle is about to begin. Recently, the market for high-grade Xuan-class magical artifacts has surged; it’s common for prices to multiply several times over.”

Ning Mofei blinked and said, “I know about the Phantom Realm Battle. Third Brother is the triple champion.”

Yu Youwei had heard of the Ten Prefecture Phantom Realm Battle while traveling—it was a ranking competition among the ten foremost prefectures of the seventy-two in the Qian Dynasty. Only direct descendants of the ten prefectures could participate; no external assistance was allowed. That was all she knew, and she hadn’t realized Jiangning Prefecture was among the ten.

“Youwei, would you like to participate in this year’s Phantom Realm Battle?” The question from Ning Guodong startled her. She asked, “Can I join? Isn’t external help forbidden?”

“A wife isn’t considered an outsider. Of course, if you participate, it would require two slots. If the ancestor agrees, no one else in the family will object.” Ning Guodong glanced at his son as he spoke.

Simple-minded Ning Mofei was suddenly struck by inspiration, “The ancestor will definitely agree. If not, I’ll pluck all his beard.”

Yu Youwei was genuinely tempted. Though the details of the Phantom Realm Battle were unknown to outsiders, there were rumors that participants with decent strength gained considerable rewards.

A feverish light flashed in her beautiful eyes, but she remained calm and asked pointedly, “What are the restrictions in the Phantom Realm? Why has the market for Xuan-class artifacts risen? Are Earth-class spiritual instruments and Heaven-class treasures restricted, unable to enter the Phantom Realm?”

“You know Earth-class are spiritual instruments and Heaven-class are treasures, but do you not realize that controlling spiritual instruments and treasures drains the most mental energy?” Ning Guodong smiled and continued, “The Phantom Realm places no restrictions on spiritual instruments or treasures, but it does limit the participants’ strength and age. Mofei’s elder brothers are overage and cannot compete. The event is held every three years; after this year, both Baixia and Mofei will be over twenty, and since he advanced to the Golden Core stage, he’s no longer eligible. But you’ve caught this cycle, and three years later, you can participate again.”

“It’s two cycles. Mother said Youwei is five years younger than me, so next-next time, she’ll have just turned twenty.” Ning Mofei solemnly raised his left hand, spreading five fingers.

This silly boy remembered nothing else, but could recall her age? Yu Youwei was surprised. His reminder made her realize she was indeed in the bloom of youth, though she often felt a certain world-weariness. A strange emotion flickered in her deep eyes, and when she looked at Ning Mofei, a hint of gentle affection stirred.

“That’s right. By the time the Phantom Realm opens, Youwei will be fifteen, so she can participate twice, just like Baixia—three consecutive championships shouldn’t be a problem.” Ning Guodong laughed heartily.

Chen Feng exclaimed, “You have such confidence in Youwei?”

“Ha! Youwei’s talent is not weak!” Ning Guodong boasted, then said with a smile, “You must craft her the finest armor set, or in a couple of years, she’ll deem it too inferior, and your reputation will suffer.”

Yu Youwei understood that Uncle Chen intended to custom-make armor for her, and quickly replied, “That’s not necessary, Uncle. You already gave Mofei a pair of bracelets—no need to spend more.”

“Your Uncle Chen was a genius descendant expelled from the great Central Continent smithing clan. When the opportunity arises, you must make him pay dearly. If your father were here, he’d support you in exploiting him.” Ning Guodong realized Yu Youwei had never met her late father and stopped himself.

“Hey, can’t you just introduce me as a master craftsman? Must you ramble so much?” Chen Feng glared at Ning Guodong, then looked at Yu Youwei with keen interest. “Uncle would like to present a Xuan-class armor set as a meeting gift, but it seems insufficient. I’m not skilled enough for Heaven-class, but I must at least produce an Earth-class set. Tell me, what do you prefer?”

Yu Youwei was not one to be coy and smiled, “Thank you, Uncle. I’m of wood and fire attributes, with stronger fire and weaker wood. If the armor could amplify wood-elemental mana, that would be best.”

Chen Feng was puzzled, “Why not seek amplification for fire mana? Typically, with fire strong and wood weak, people request fire-enhancing armor. Amplifying wood seems pointless.”

Though Chen Feng was a master craftsman, Yu Youwei had her own reasoning. “If I rely on armor to amplify fire mana, I’d be gravely injured. It’s better to enhance wood mana for healing.”

“Exactly! Such a simple principle, but why do so many fools miss it?” Chen Feng shook his head, forgetting he himself belonged to that group.

While they spoke, another high-grade Xuan-class blade was auctioned for more than double its market value. Now, the fifth item was being presented.

“Now we are auctioning a broken sword whose grade cannot be identified by our auction house.” The auctioneer, Lan Mei, spoke plainly, without embellishment, but the fact that the auction house could not appraise it was a gimmick in itself. With just that sentence, the entire room was instantly electrified, a surge of anticipation rippling through the crowd as all eyes fixed on the sword.

The ancient, dark blade had neither sheath nor intact hilt; only half the sword remained. It lay quietly on the display stand, above which hovered a luminous array covering half a meter in diameter.

“What a beautiful sword!” The simple-minded boy whispered in Yu Youwei’s ear, his warm breath making her feel ticklish.