Cultivation System: Stronger with Age

After Xu Bei finished speaking, the surrounding Stewards who were gossiping quietly immediately cast peculiar glances at Lin Xuankong.

Especially those Stewards in the late-Second Layer phase, they all shook their heads slightly.

Lin Xuankong, with his mid-Second Layer Cultivation, had acquired the position of Silver Jade Steward. Naturally, some were slightly dissatisfied. However, since the Silver Jade position was determined by the Chief Steward, none dared express it overtly. Now, with the Feng Family's ranking, it made a few Stewards who felt discontented in their hearts quite pleased.

Steward Zhao Yufei, with cold and beautiful eyes, looked at Steward Lin Jiao and asked, "Steward Lin Jiao, what about my ranking?"

Seeing everyone looking at Lin Xuankong with peculiar eyes, Lin Jiao already felt somewhat regretful, thinking he shouldn't have taken out the ranking list here.

But now, facing the Steward's question, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and respond, "Zhao Yufei, ranked 18th, age twenty-seven, equipped with Silver Hook Armor, Dragon Blood Fierce Dog, skilled in Eight Gates Celestial Eye... highest achievement: killing a late-stage Tier Three Demon People. Odds 1 to 1.1. Hmm, those ranked in the top fifty Martial Cultivators all possess full sets of Battle Armor and are in the late-Third Layer!"

Zhao Yufei's lips curled into a smile. "Oh, it seems my Silver Hook Armor is quite well-ranked among the various Battle Armors, 18th place... The Feng Family's information is indeed reliable!"

After speaking, she glanced at Lin Xuankong, her eyes full of disdain.

The surroundings fell silent once more. A Steward spoke up, "Steward Zhao's strength is indeed formidable among the Third-Layer Martial Cultivators, especially the Silver Hook Armor, crafted from eight hundred Forehead Scales and renowned in the Great Marsh. With this Battle Armor, it's only fitting for Steward Zhao to be ranked 18th! Steward Lin also has considerable strength, but his equipment is mediocre. Facing this pure battle of strength and equipment in the Demon Slaying Conference would indeed be tough for him; ranking lower is normal!"

In the crowd, Ma Jiang frowned tightly, abruptly stood up, and said, "What's the point of this damned ranking? It's not the Hero List of the Great Xia Dynasty's officials! All this talk, is there anyone among these thousand people who can compare with that hidden Nine-Seal Genius? Is there anyone among these thousand people who can compare with the Conical Hat Guest, who possesses the Twin Vine Demon Pearl and kills Third-Layer demons like chickens? Comparing the small differences between these thousand people, what's the blasted point? Besides, during the Demon Slaying Conference, is it already decided who will come out alive? If not, there's no need to talk so much nonsense beforehand! Xuankong, come have a drink with me. I want to see who the hell dares to speak nonsense again!"

When Ma Jiang, the strongest and most bad-tempered among the Stewards, spoke up, everyone fell silent.

Xu Bei's face turned ashen; he lowered his head without saying a word. Even the usually arrogant Zhao Yufei coldly snorted, somewhat irritably, and stopped talking.

Steward Hu, Lin Jiao, Nalan Yunzhu, and a few others frowned, looking worriedly at Lin Xuankong.

Lin Xuankong scanned the crowd, observing their varied expressions. Then, he stood up straight, holding a wine cup, and walked to Ma Jiang's side. "Boss, you're right. Let me toast first!"

After drinking the strong liquor, he chatted casually with Ma Jiang for a few moments before turning to leave.

Due to the low ranking and the disdain from Xu Bei and Zhao Yufei, I naturally felt somewhat unhappy. However, after hearing Ma Jiang out, I felt somewhat relieved... With my fiftyfold Cultivation Speed, Twelve Seals and Twenty-four Thunder Roots, and the Dual Beads in hand, what fun is there comparing myself with people like Xu Bei and Zhao Yufei? Crushing newbies, is it delightful? A few months later, being able to outdo a late-Fifth Layer expert like Cyan-Eyed Tiger Zhao Renxiong, now that's true joy! 18th place? 69th place?... How could a sparrow understand the ambitions of a swan! As for their prized Profound Silver Scalp Sword and Silver Hook Armor... There's even less need to care about these! Tonight, I'll secure the Forehead Scales, and tomorrow I can commission the forging of the Ruyi Battle Armor! Just... I hope that tonight's auction at Dragon Capturing Town, the largest town in the Outer City, doesn't encounter any trouble! This is too crucial for me; after all these efforts, just one last step left!

Dragon Capturing Town is located over three hundred miles from Great Marsh Prefecture. It covers a vast area and is more prosperous than many big cities under the jurisdiction of Great Marsh Prefecture.

As the largest town in Great Marsh Prefecture and a symbol of the officials' strength in the prefecture, Dragon Capturing Town has a population of more than eight hundred thousand, with various industries, and even a City Defense Array! It is said that during the founding Great Emperor of Great Xia, he had once imprisoned a Tier Nine Flood Dragon here using a Grand Array, Refining it daily, spending countless manpower and resources, and finally turned it into a Flood Dragon Puppet.

Later, although the Array Core of the Dragon Capturing Array was moved, three Array Hubs remained. Relying solely on these three hubs, it served as a City Defense Array sufficient to keep Demons below Tier Six outside the city. This was comparable to the Tier Six Grand Array of Great Marsh Prefecture. This town, originally established for imprisoning the Flood Dragon, gradually became the largest town in the Outer City.

Lin Xuankong, now in mid-Tier Three with explosive power, covered the distance of over three hundred miles in just a few tea intervals. When he entered Dragon Capturing Town using his Yin Talisman Sect badge, the sky was just turning dark.

With the Demon Slaying Conference approaching and several auctions being held recently, Dragon Capturing Town was naturally much more lively than usual. Lin Xuankong walked along the street for a while, bought some special snacks for the Young Lady at home, and then arrived at Myriad Phenomena Pavilion.

The officials' auction was being held in Myriad Phenomena Pavilion, and Martial Cultivators participating in the auction were continuously entering. Lin Xuankong paid ten taels of silver at the door, received a private room number plate, and joined the crowd in entering.

Like Lin Xuankong, most of these Martial Cultivators wore veils or masks. With a Ghost Face Mask on his face, Lin Xuankong wasn't particularly noticeable among them.

Entering a private room in the last row, Lin Xuankong opened the auction catalog on the table and glanced through it, secretly clicking his tongue.

Indeed, the items selected by Great Marsh Prefecture officials for auction were all immensely valuable. Apart from the three hundred Forehead Scales that Lin Xuankong was most concerned with, other precious items like the Evil Lizard Demon Blood Pearl, Evil Sheep Demon Horn, etc., were all being auctioned in quantities of hundreds. There was also a batch of Nine Revolutions Qi Replenishing Soup materials, six hundred portions sold simultaneously, with a starting price of thirty thousand taels of silver. These pure materials were comparatively cheaper.

The extremely valuable treasures, such as three drops of Marsh Python Gall which could bring the dead to life and heal severe injuries, were clearly stated in the catalog to be auctioned only using Qi Replenishing Soup materials. The bidding started at four hundred portions, equivalent to one drop of Marsh Python Gall costing over ten thousand taels of silver!

Of course, the Marsh Python Gall, with its miraculous effects, can grant a Martial Cultivator an extra life. If I had ten thousand taels of gold, I'd definitely bid for it!

There's also an item called the Ghost Frog Pouch, reportedly capable of storing vast amounts of materials, comparable to spatial Treasures! Just one piece had a starting bid of fifteen hundred portions of Qi Replenishing Soup materials!

Moreover, there's a pair of Dragon-Defying Boots, reportedly crafted by the officials' Artifact Refiners, made from four hundred Forehead Scales, with a starting bid of four thousand taels of gold.

Flipping through half of the auction catalog, Lin Xuankong suddenly felt that the three thousand taels of gold he brought were entirely inadequate. I feel like a country squire encountering the royal treasury!

However, thinking about Treasures like Marsh Python Gall, Ghost Frog Pouch, and others that are worth thousands of gold, which could be obtained from Tier Three Demons within Demon-Suppressing Valley, a strong anticipation surfaced in Lin Xuankong's eyes. Once I secure the Forehead Scales today and forge the Ruyi Battle Armor, then advance my Cultivation to late-Third Layer or Perfection, and enter Demon-Suppressing Valley... It's impossible to be so unlucky as to not encounter a single Tier Three Demon. Even with the worst luck, I should at least encounter three to five Tier Three Demons, right? The more Demons inside, the better!