Chapter 1363: First Encounter with Love Rival

As the light of the teleportation formation dissipated, Zhou Yiqiao and Luo Lishang appeared in the valley in a few breaths.

The two of them left the valley along the winding mountain road with ease, and after a while they entered the nearby Yinxianfang City.

They registered and took it out at the registration office set up by the Tijian Sect in the Yinxianfang City, and then flew away without stopping.

Luo Lishang led Zhou Yiqiao to the auction venue with ease, and took the opportunity to introduce to Zhou Yiqiao the origin and importance of the auction.

"Mr. Zhou, this auction is held by Jian Ge, one of the Central Continent's holy sects. It is held every hundred years and aims to gather heroes from all walks of life in Tianchen Realm to exchange sword skills and share what they have."

Luo Lishang's voice was cold and calm, and her eyes revealed her anticipation for the upcoming auction.

"The reason why Jian Ge held this auction is, on the one hand, to demonstrate Jian Ge's strength and influence, and on the other hand, to attract more young talents and inject fresh blood into Jian Ge and even the entire Zhongzhou Saint Sect."

Zhou Yiqiao was confused and couldn't help but ask.

"Although the Central Continent Saint Sect like Jiange is not as good as Her Royal Highness Princess's Great Xuantian, it is also one of the top forces in Tianchen Realm. Do they still need to attract talents through auctions?"

"Besides, if you want to recruit students, wouldn't it be better to hold a spirit testing conference? Why look for sword geniuses at an auction?"

Hearing this, Luo Lishang curled up a faint smile and a hint of deep meaning flashed in his eyes.

"Mr. Zhou, you don't know that the Spirit Testing Conference can certainly directly select disciples with extraordinary talents, but this method is too direct and too public."

"As the holy sect of Central Continent, Jiange has fierce internal competition. There are many factions within the sect, and each has its own calculations."

"Through occasions like auctions, the Sword Pavilion is actually using a more subtle and sophisticated method to screen and attract those sword cultivators who are truly promising and have strong character."

Zhou Yiqiao does not agree with this.

"Since it is an enrollment meeting, it will certainly be known to all the monks who are interested in participating. No matter how covert the means are, it is nothing more than covering one's ears and stealing the bell."

Luo Lishang heard Zhou Yiqiao's question and explained.

"Mr. Zhou, you don't know that Jian Ge's use of auctions to recruit sword-fighting geniuses is actually a more subtle way of selection."

"At the auction, the Sword Pavilion can not only observe the financial resources and backgrounds of the sword cultivators, but also judge their dedication to and understanding of the sword through their bidding for sword treasures."

Hearing this, Zhou Yiqiao's expression couldn't help but become a little strange.

"According to the princess, the Sword Pavilion doesn't seem to value the disciples they recruit based on their sword skills, but rather their financial background."

"What's weird about that."

Luo Lishang raised his eyebrows slightly.

"All forces above the Central Continent Saint Sect know that even the Sword Pavilion's leader is not the one with the highest sword cultivation in the Tianchen Realm."

"Otherwise, I would not have come to the Sword Sect to seek the true meaning of the sword instead of going to the Sword Pavilion."

“Zhou doesn’t understand, what benefits will this bring to the major forces?”

Zhou Yiqiao was still confused.

"benefit?"

Luo Lishang sneered, seeming to be very dissatisfied with the intrigues behind it.

"The interests behind this are much greater than you think!"

"As long as all the major forces recognize the status of the Sword Pavilion as the Central Continent Saint Sect, they can obtain huge amounts of benefits from the Sword Pavilion every year."

"As for these benefits..."

Luo Lishang wrinkled her nose and snorted coldly.

"It was all because the Sword Pavilion used the so-called Central Continent Saint Sect's identity to squeeze out other uninformed forces and cultivators."

"really."

After hearing this, Zhou Yiqiao finally accepted Luo Lishang's words.

Ever since he joined the Netherworld Demon Sect, he had come into contact with several so-called Central Plains Holy Sects one after another, and had long seen clearly the true faces of these Central Plains Holy Sects beneath their sanctimonious appearances.

These forces, whether they are sects that claim to be the leaders of the righteous path or organizations that clearly state that they are aloof from the world, are actually large-scale bandits that plunder the resources of the entire Tianchen Realm.

So when Zhou Yiqiao heard that Jiange was the same as other Central Plains holy sects, he was not surprised at all. Instead, he felt that it was reasonable.

"We can discuss any questions you have later, Mr. Zhou. The most important thing right now is the auction in front of us."

The two chatted about the general situation, and Luo Lishang brought the topic back to the Jiange Auction.

"Mr. Zhou, although the invitation letter has already stated most of the rules of the auction, I still need to tell you some hidden details."

"At the auction in Jiange, although it seems to be a fair trade on the surface, in fact, most of the items are likely to be coveted by major forces long before the auction."

"So, if Mr. Zhou takes a fancy to a certain item in the auction, let me observe it for you first to determine whether there are other forces that also need it."

"Sometimes, behind an auction item, there may be a secret contest between several forces. If Mr. Zhou acts rashly, he may be involved in unnecessary disputes."

Zhou Yiqiao nodded seriously. He understood that this was Luo Lishang's attempt to win him over as the auction was about to begin.

However, since it concerns his own life and property, he cannot help but take it seriously.

"Then I'll trouble Your Highness the Princess."

Luo Lishang agreed with a smile. After confirming that Zhou Yiqiao had no other problems, he controlled the magic sword under his feet to distance himself from Zhou Yiqiao and rushed towards their destination with Zhou Yiqiao.

The flying sword flew through the sea of ​​clouds, carrying the two of them through the air for two days, and finally arrived at the auction venue, the top of a towering mountain.

The top of the mountain is shrouded in clouds and mist, like a fairyland.

A magnificent palace complex stands on it, majestic and imposing.

In front of the palace, people were coming and going, all of them were monks dressed in gorgeous clothes, some carrying long swords, and some holding magic weapons. They were either talking in low voices or looking around sharply, and it was obvious that they all came for the auction.

Luo Lishang and Zhou Yiqiao dropped their flying swords and walked into the palace gate.

As soon as you enter the door, there is a long corridor with all kinds of swords on both sides, from ordinary iron swords to magic swords full of spiritual energy, everything is available, which is dazzling.

"These swords are all for show that the Sword Pavilion has collected them from all over the Tianchen Realm in order to show that it is the most powerful sword sect. The only two swords of the highest grade are truly useful."

Luo Lishang explained a few words in a mocking tone, then continued forward with Zhou Yiqiao.

After walking through the corridor, they came to a spacious hall.

The interior of the hall is luxuriously decorated, with a huge crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, emitting a soft and bright light.

On the surrounding walls are hung exquisite murals depicting the glorious moments in Jiange's history.

In the center of the hall is a huge auction platform with a complex forbidden magic array set up on it to ensure safety during the auction.

Around the auction table are rows of neatly arranged seats, enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people participating in the auction at the same time.

Luo Lishang led Zhou Yiqiao through the bustling crowd and walked towards the stairs on the side of the hall.

The stairs lead to the private room area on the second floor, which is reserved for distinguished guests, allowing them to participate in the auction more comfortably while maintaining a certain degree of privacy.

The two of them walked up the stairs to the second floor, and Luo Lishang found the private room prepared for her by Jiange with ease.

The door of the box is engraved with the totem of the Daxuantian royal family, highlighting Luo Lishang's noble status.

Luo Lishang gently pushed the door open and walked in with Zhou Yiqiao.

The interior of the box is spacious and comfortable, with elegant decoration. There is a round table in the center and several comfortable chairs around it.

Through the window of the box, you can clearly see the auction table below, which has an excellent view.

Just as the two of them sat down and waited for the auction to begin, a man's voice came from the door that had not yet been closed at an inopportune time.

"Second Princess, I didn't expect you to attend this auction."

Luo Lishang frowned slightly, she turned her head and saw a man in gorgeous clothes standing at the door of the next box.

The man had a handsome face, but his eyes revealed a coldness. He was tall and stood there like a sharp spear, exuding a strong sense of oppression.

The man stared at Zhou Yiqiao coldly, with murderous intent revealed in his eyes. It was obvious that just as Luo Lishang had predicted, he regarded Zhou Yiqiao as his love rival.

Luo Lishang pretended not to notice the man's murderous intent and she introduced him to Zhou Yiqiao softly.

"This is Yu Poyun from the Yu family of Daxuantian. His father is the patriarch of the Yu family and one of the pillars of Daxuantian, Yu Cangqiong."

Yu Poyun looked at Zhou Yiqiao, and the hostility in his eyes became stronger and stronger.

He sneered and said:.

"Are you the guy who walked with Shang'er? I don't care what your background is. If you dare to snatch a woman from me, Yu Poyun, you are courting death."

Zhou Yiqiao seemed unusually calm in the face of Poyun's provocation.

He smiled slightly and said.

"Mr. Yu has misunderstood. There is nothing innocent between me and the Second Princess Luo. There is nothing like what Mr. Yu imagined."

Ignoring Luo Lishang's surprised look, Zhou Yiqiao continued.

"As the descendant of the Immortal Emperor, the Second Princess' Taoist companion must not only be pleasing to the Princess herself, but also have to be approved by the Immortal Emperor. Before the Immortal Emperor officially recognizes it, Zhou dare not call himself the Second Princess' Taoist companion."

What he meant was that Yu Poyun was ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth. He started to show off everywhere as Luo Lishang's Taoist companion even without the Immortal Emperor's formal order. He was extremely stupid.

Yu Poyun was choked by Zhou Yiqiao's words and was speechless for a moment. His aura suddenly exploded, and the air around him shook.

"Boy, in the world of cultivation, strength is everything. What's the use of being eloquent? I'll let you know right now what will happen if you offend me, Yu Poyun!"

Yu Poyun was about to explode when the auction bell rang, and the auction officially began, preventing Yu Poyun from taking any further action.