Chương 20: The Great Yama Palm

"I shall also bid two hundred spirit stones, supplemented by two Spirit-Condensing Pills," another contender declared after a tense hesitation, his voice heavy with the weight of his decision. This offer clearly scraped the bottom of his reserves; should his opponent push the price any higher, he would be forced to concede the prize with a heavy heart.

"Heh, I wonder if this junior sister is willing to continue the dance? If not, this spiritual artifact shall find a new master in him," the seller remarked with a predatory grin. The burgeoning haul was already far exceeding his expectations, and he relished the sight of the desperate bidding war.

"I will add one more Spirit-Condensing Pill to the pot. If this senior brother wishes to go further, then the artifact is his," the woman said, her teeth clenched in a display of stubborn resolve.

"Alas, it seems fate has not decreed this weapon for me. It is yours, Junior Sister," the other bidder sighed, retreating into the shadows with a bitter, self-deprecating smile. The woman, radiating a joy that bordered on the manic, completed the exchange. She spent a few moments obsessively turning the hook-like Wu Hook in her hands, admiring its cold sheen, before stowing it into her storage bag and vanishing into the night with hurried steps.

Reyn watched another dark silhouette depart in the opposite direction, his brow furrowing slightly. After a moment's deliberation, he remained rooted to the spot, his face a mask of practiced indifference. For the next quarter-hour, various disciples stepped forward to barter their treasures. However, the crease between Reyn's brows only deepened. Thus far, not a single mention of a cultivation technique or manual had surfaced. Was he destined to return to the Hundred Herb Valley empty-handed today?

Just as his patience began to fray, a man who had remained silent in the corner finally spoke.

"I have a remnant scroll in my possession. I stumbled upon it within the depths of an ancient, forgotten cavern, but the script upon its pages is utterly indecipherable to me. Nevertheless, I can swear upon my path that this scroll is extraordinary. Should any of you possess the wit to crack its secrets, it will surely be a providence of no small magnitude. For this, I seek only medicinal pills." Reyn looked up, his gaze locking onto the yellowed, weathered parchment in the man's hand.

His body stiffened for a fraction of a second before he regained his composure. Beneath the cowl of his black robe, however, his features were alight with a sudden, electric excitement. The Great Yama Palm! The script etched into the ancient paper was identical to the characters used for the Hunyuan True Scripture on the golden seal. Though they resembled wriggling tadpoles, they possessed an archaic, sovereign dignity that felt as if it were carved by the heavens themselves.

One look was enough to know this was no mundane object. Reyn knew he had to have it. Judging by the cover, it was a martial technique of some sort. Given his experience with the Hunyuan True Scripture, he understood deeply that anything recorded in this primordial script was bound to be world-shaking. Yet, despite the scroll's obvious aura of antiquity, the fact that the text was unreadable acted as a deterrent.

Furthermore, the seller demanded pills—a high price for a gamble that might yield nothing but a useless relic. The crowd exchanged glances, but for a long moment, the air remained silent and devoid of offers.

"Ten Spirit-Condensing Pills. I'll take the scroll!" A booming voice suddenly cut through the silence from the entrance.

"Senior Brother Chu Dian!"

"They say Senior Brother Chu Dian has already reached the peak of the eighth level of Qi Condensation. He only holds back from consuming a Foundation Establishment Pill to prepare for the Sect Tournament in six months. His supernatural prowess is said to be so vast that even early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators struggle to gain an advantage over him."

"Why is Senior Brother Chu here today? Ten Spirit-Condensing Pills... if he's willing to pay that much, this remnant must truly be a treasure." Reyn looked toward the entrance. Though he rarely left the valley, he had heard of this man—the one hailed as the undisputed titan among the younger generation of the Xuanxiao Sect. Chu Dian appeared to be twenty-two or twenty-three years old, clad in coarse hemp robes with a massive greatsword strapped to his back.

He radiated a wild, domineering arrogance that seemed to demand submission from all who looked upon him. His arrival was a physical assault on the senses. Though he had entered the black market without a robe to conceal his identity, no one seemed surprised. Clearly, this was not his first time flouting the rules of anonymity.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Chu Dian," the crowd chorused, bowing in respect. Only a few, Reyn included, merely watched from a distance without moving a muscle. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Ten Spirit-Condensing Pills. Hand it over," Chu Dian commanded, ignoring the pleasantries as he marched directly toward the seller. Reyn's mind raced. His best course of action was to remain low-profile; the more attention he drew, the higher the risk of his secret being unearthed. If the sect found out that a man without a spiritual root had reached the seventh level of Qi Condensation in a mere six months, his peaceful days would end in a laboratory or a prison.

However, his intuition screamed that the Great Yama Palm was vital to his path. To lose it now would be a lifelong regret. Steeling his resolve, he stepped forward, his voice low and raspy.

"Wait. I offer twenty Spirit-Condensing Pills for the scroll." The market fell into a deathly silence. Even those who had ignored Chu Dian earlier now turned to stare at Reyn with eyes wide in shock. Someone was actually daring to contest Chu Dian? Did he have a death wish? Mockery soon replaced the shock in the eyes of the onlookers. Where did this greenhorn come from? To seek the limelight here was to invite a swift and brutal end. Chu Dian turned slowly, a powerful, suffocating pressure erupting from his frame.

His gaze locked onto Reyn like a predator marking its prey. He said nothing, but the sheer weight of his intent was enough to shatter the courage of those with weaker wills. Reyn remained expressionless. Having decided to fight for it, he would not retreat. He met Chu Dian's gaze head-on, standing like a lone island in a raging sea. Let the waves crash as they might; he remained immovable, his breathing as steady as a mountain's heartbeat.

A flash of surprise flickered in Chu Dian's eyes, and his expression grew solemn. He had initially dismissed Reyn as a fool, but this brief clash of wills proved otherwise. Only a true expert could remain so unfazed under the full weight of his aura.

"Thirty Spirit-Condensing Pills!" Chu Dian's thick lips parted, his voice a low growl.

"Fifty!" Reyn didn't hesitate. Over the past six months, the Spirit-Condensing Pill was the medicine he had refined the most. Even with his daily consumption during meditation, he still had hundreds of them stockpiled in his storage bag. In a contest of resources, perhaps only his master, Dan Chenzi, could outmatch him in the entire Xuanxiao Sect. Chu Dian's face darkened. After a moment of hesitation, he cupped his fists, though the gesture held little warmth.

"I know not which brother hides beneath that robe, but to produce such a sum, you must be a disciple of the Hundred Herb Valley. I have some friendship with your Eldest Senior Brother, Duan Zhonghua. This scroll is of use to me. I offer one Minor Restoration Pill plus thirty Spirit-Condensing Pills. I ask that you cease your bidding here." Normally, Chu Dian would have simply beaten an opponent into the dirt. However, he could not gauge Reyn's depth, and that uncertainty bred caution.

He chose the path of persuasion.

"My apologies, but this scroll is also of great use to me. I cannot yield," Reyn replied, his heart cold. Had it been anyone else, he might have reconsidered, but in his eyes, Duan Zhonghua was a man he intended to settle scores with sooner or later. There was no face to be given.

"One Peiyuan Pill and fifty Spirit-Condensing Pills," Reyn added. The Peiyuan Pill was a recovery medicine used by Foundation Establishment cultivators; even Reyn had only managed to refine a dozen or so. A collective gasp filled the room. The onlookers looked at Reyn as if he were a madman. In the Xuanxiao Sect, no one had ever dared to simultaneously snub both Chu Dian and Duan Zhonghua. Who was this mysterious figure, and where did he get the audacity to act with such blatant defiance?

Chu Dian's brow furrowed tightly. Without another word, he turned and strode out of the market, his silhouette quickly vanishing into the darkness. With the titan gone, the crowd's gaze remained fixed on Reyn. Feeling a surge of impatience, he barked coldly, "Since there are no more bids, let us conclude the trade."

"Since the Daoist friend has offered the highest price, the item is naturally yours," the seller said, his voice neutral. As his fingers brushed the rough texture of the Great Yama Palm remnant, a surge of triumph rose in Reyn's chest. Now was not the time to study it; he needed to leave immediately. Stowing the scroll, he swept his gaze across the room, noting the predatory glints in the eyes of several onlookers. With a cold sneer hidden by his hood, he turned and departed.

Predictably, five or six figures detached themselves from the shadows and followed him. Once clear of the trade meet, Reyn's Divine Sense swept backward. Sensing the tails, he smiled thinly and accelerated toward a specific coordinate.

"Damn it, where is he? I saw the kid turn this corner!"

"How did he vanish? Did he grow wings and fly away?"

"Search ahead, quickly! Don't let him escape!" The group of thugs looked frantic, their faces twisted in frustration as they sprinted forward into the gloom. Hidden behind a thicket of tall grass barely a dozen meters away, Reyn allowed a smirk to touch his lips. The concealment properties inherent to the Hunyuan True Scripture were not something these small fry could hope to pierce. He stood up, his gaze glancing seemingly by accident toward a certain spot behind him before he took to the air and sped away.

Moments after he left, the space he had glanced at shimmered, and Chu Dian stepped out from the void.

"Could he truly see through my invisibility art?" Chu Dian wondered, shaken. That final glance from Reyn felt as though it had pierced his very soul. After a moment of doubt, he rose into the air and followed cautiously. As he flew, Reyn sensed the persistent 'little tail' behind him. A cold light danced in his eyes. He abruptly changed course, heading toward the desolate, uninhabited stretches of the sect's back mountains. Fine. There should be no one here.

I'll deal with him once and for all, * Reyn thought, his killing intent flickering. But just then, the sound of a violent struggle reached him from the ground below.

"Hehe, let's see where you can hide now! I placed a tracking mark on that spiritual artifact. No matter how far you run, you cannot escape my palm!"

"What do you want? We are both disciples of the Xuanxiao Sect! If you dare harm me, the sect will never forgive you!" a woman's voice cried out. It was a sharp, desperate shriek, betraying her sheer terror.

"Hahaha! Oh, I'm so frightened! This place is a wasteland. Even if I kill you, who would ever know it was me? But don't worry... before you die, your Senior Brother will make sure you feel plenty of... affection." Reyn frowned. He hadn't expected to stumble upon such a sordid scene. As he debated whether to intervene or bypass them, the person below spotted his silhouette in the sky.

"Senior Brother up there, please save me! This man has abandoned all sect honor! He seeks to murder me!"