Buy It or Get Out
"Buy it if you're going to buy it, otherwise get lost."
One of the middle-aged cultivator's eyes—a focusless glass eye—twitched. The dull gray eyeball rolled and twisted, a dark, murky shadow swirling within it. Shuddering at the sudden, chilling sensation, the young cultivator carefully set down the Jade Slip and hurried away.
"Hey, old man. How do you expect to put food on your plate doing business like that?"
"Hmph! It's the goods that matter, not the merchant. Those who want to buy will buy eventually."
Glaring at the man snickering from the adjacent stall, the middle-aged cultivator bit down on his long pipe and cast his gaze into the distance. He saw a crowd of cultivators pouring out of the harbor like a rising tide. While many among them were ordinary human cultivators, there was no shortage of those who looked bizarre and twisted.
The middle-aged cultivator pulled down his bamboo hat to avoid making eye contact with them.
They're growing in number.
They were demon cultivators who had undergone human form transformation. When he had first seen them years ago, he had been utterly terrified, but now he was used to them. Of course, being used to them did not mean he no longer feared them.
Achieving human form transformation meant they were, at the very least, Great Demons. For an ordinary Qi Condensation cultivator like him, merely locking eyes with one could inflict severe damage on his soul.
And that's if I'm lucky enough to escape with just a wound, he thought.
The middle-aged cultivator unconsciously traced his glass eye. He had lost this eye to a Ghost Demon at the Great Yao stage. During a heated haggle over a price, the Ghost Demon had lost its temper and glared at him, instantly corrupting his eye. It was a stroke of luck that the Ghost Demon had managed to rein in its emotions afterward; otherwise, his entire soul would have been corrupted, turning him into a monstrous specter—neither human nor ghost.
"Hey, Nang Hwi, business good?"
"Can't you tell just by looking?" Nang Hwi, the middle-aged cultivator, replied gruffly to his acquaintance's teasing question, pulling his bamboo hat down even further.
"Be careful. Another pack of Great Demons just arrived."
"Damn it, has word spread?"
"The rumors have never died down. Where else could you find a place like this?"
"True."
In these turbulent times, with both the Human Territory and the demon realms in chaos, the unique nature of Haeyeon Island shone even brighter. Was there any other place in Yangseo Lake where humans and demons—who would normally slaughter each other on sight—could suppress their tempers and trade peacefully? Perhaps there was, but at least to low-level Qi Condensation cultivators with narrow horizons like them, such a place was unheard of.
"Still, you're trembling like a leaf, yet you refuse to move your stall."
"Why would I move? Where else would I find such prime real estate? Do you have any idea how many years I had to scrape by here just to secure this spot?"
"Sure. But that spot cost you an eye."
"A cheap price to pay."
"Tsk, tsk. You really are relentless."
Relentless? Nang Hwi chuckled bitterly to himself.
If one is not relentless, how can they call themselves a cultivator?
Opportunity always walked hand in hand with crisis. For an ordinary man like him, devoid of both wealth and talent, a miraculous encounter was the only way to advance along the path of cultivation. This island was his miracle. He had realized this truth more than ten years ago.
A Foundation Establishment Pill...
He calmed his racing heart.
Six pills were put up in the last auction. Four the time before that. If roughly the same number appears this time... perhaps I'll have a chance.
It was almost always the demons who put Foundation Establishment Pills up for sale. They would come to Haeyeon Island to dispose of useless spoils plundered from human cultivators, and the Foundation Establishment Pill was one such item. Consequently, Qi Condensation cultivators who heard the rumors flocked to Haeyeon Island, and these desperate souls were Nang Hwi's primary clientele. To be precise, they were the ones who had come seeking a Foundation Establishment Pill, only to abandon the idea after seeing the eye-watering prices, but still lingered, looking to salvage something from their trip.
"A breakthrough secret technique? The Six Desires Mind-Sinking Scripture? Is this for real?"
"I don't play games. The technique's effects are genuine."
"If it has such incredible effects, why haven't you used it yourself?"
Nang Hwi sneered openly at the youngster trying to sound sharp.
"You only look at the benefits and ignore the cost. The Six Desires Mind-Sinking Scripture certainly offers immense help in breaking through the bottleneck of Foundation Establishment, but the price is steep."
The young cultivator checked the brief section on side effects written at the end of the jade slip.
A secret technique that significantly aids in breaking through the bottleneck to the Foundation Establishment realm.
"If you fail to overcome the six inner demons immediately after breaking through, you turn into a Demon Human?"
"Yes. I know my limits. With this aging body and mind of mine, overcoming those inner demons would be nigh impossible."
A sigh, heavy with tobacco smoke, drifted past the agonizing young cultivator's eyes.
"The moment hesitation creeps in, it means you are afraid. Give it up, young man. Reaching the late Qi Condensation stage at your age means your talent is already quite exceptional. You still have time. There's no need to take such a dangerous gamble."
"How do you know whether I have time or not?"
Snapping coldly, the young cultivator paid the Spirit Stones and snatched the jade slip. Nang Hwi watched his retreating figure, chuckling softly as he shook his head.
"I've heard many rumors about you. Some sounded plausible, while others seemed utterly absurd."
The young man stared at his steaming teacup. No matter how hard they tried to mimic humans, it was difficult to replicate this kind of refined taste. What was so good about drinking this bland water? Yet, the person sitting opposite him seemed to genuinely enjoy the tea ceremony. His natural demeanor was more human than that of most actual humans.
"Now that you see me in person, what do you think?"
"Well, you are quite different from what I imagined."
He had imagined a sinister Great Demon, or perhaps a cunning human cultivator. But what stood before him now was an ambiguous figure who fit neither description. His appearance and behavior were indistinguishable from a human's, yet a faint demonic energy drifted from him—an extraordinary aura that made even someone of the Heumwon Clan's bloodline tense up instinctively.
"Everyone says that."
"By 'everyone,' do you mean...?"
"Honored guests. Just like you."
The young man had barely had a chance to look around Haeyeon Island before receiving an invitation from the Ghost Spider. He had accepted readily, as it was what he wanted, but reflecting on it now, it meant he had been detected the very moment he set foot on the island.
This place is even more formidable than I imagined.
His mind raced with a flurry of thoughts, but he kept his expression perfectly neutral.
"Am I truly an honored guest?"
"Are you not the Young Master of the Heumwon Clan? Of course we must treat you as an honored guest."
The young man's expression stiffened. As his cracked face hardened, it looked as if his skin might crumble at any moment.
"It seems you knew I was coming."
He had no choice but to admit that the rumors were true. Evading the Ghost Spider's eyes on this island seemed utterly impossible. The young man was neither flustered nor offended. He simply accepted reality; there was no reason to let his composure slip.
"Impressive. I hope our previous actions did not cause any offense."
"It is fine. Everyone does that," Myeong-ha replied, sipping the last of his tea with a warm, gentle smile.
Staring at the cold tea, Myeong-ha spoke. "What do you think?"
Behind his seat, the stone wall that occupied an entire side of the room blurred, revealing the space beyond. Half-reclined in a massive wooden chair that took up most of the spacious chamber, Jekyeong replied listlessly, "I don't have much of an opinion."
"Hmm. He is the Young Master of the Heumwon Clan, after all."
"He's just a young master, not the true master."
"Haha."
Jekyeong recalled the young man who had been engaged in a quiet battle of wits with Myeong-ha just moments ago. The conversation they had shared, the attitude he had displayed...
"I can't say."
For a mid-stage Great Yao who was the Young Master of the Heumwon Clan, Seon-chang was decent, but that was all. No matter how much Jekyeong turned it over in his mind, he couldn't find anything particularly special about him.
"Perhaps you couldn't get a proper look because he was in human form?"
"Maybe."
"He was quite cautious. It's not easy for a continental heir—especially a demon—to act that way."
"Well, if you have a good feeling about him, why don't you associate with him?"
Myeong-ha laughed and shook his head. "You must be joking. If you put your hand too close to a fire just because it feels warm, you're bound to get burned. Keeping a moderate distance is the best approach."
"Do as you wish. It's your call." Jekyeong stood up.
"Are you leaving?"
"There's nothing for me to do here anyway."
"Why not stay and watch the auction?"
"I'm not interested."
None of the items up for auction today were of interest to him. The only reason Jekyeong had come here to kill time was at Myeong-ha's request. Myeong-ha had anticipated that the Heumwon Clan would likely send someone to this auction, and he wanted Jekyeong present just in case anything went wrong.
But seeing how the Heumwon Clan had chosen to act cautiously—just like Gyeongwang Palace and several human factions before them—there was no longer any reason for him to waste his time here.
"In any case, things turned out exactly as you predicted."
"Indeed. It was only natural."
Over the past ten years, the secrets of Haeyeon Island had gradually and naturally spread. Consequently, not only humans but also demons had begun to take an interest in this unique island.
At first, most of those who flocked here were fools who didn't know their place. Myeong-ha dealt with some of them himself, but Jekyeong usually stepped in to make an example of them. By the time over ten Great Demons had been slaughtered, word had spread sufficiently to deter any more brainless fools from charging in blindly.
Instead, more calculating individuals emerged, attempting to probe Haeyeon Island's strengths and weaknesses. Some even took human form to infiltrate the island directly. Myeong-ha handled those types personally. Once five or six Great Demons mysteriously vanished from the island, the clumsy schemes began to die down.
At that point, the true powerhouses watching from the shadows finally stepped into the light. The first to act was Gyeongwang Palace. Since Gyeongwang Palace maintained a decent relationship with Jekyeong, they approached Haeyeon Island—which they suspected to be his venture—in a highly gentlemanly manner.
They questioned Jekyeong about Haeyeon Island, and he answered them without hiding anything. Of course, this candid response was based on Myeong-ha's advice. Myeong-ha had judged that a precarious tightrope walk was inevitable to survive in the increasingly chaotic Yangseo Lake.
Hiding it was no longer an option. If so, it was better to reveal it on their own terms rather than have it exposed. In that sense, Gyeongwang Palace being the first to approach was a welcome development.
"It was thanks to you, Fellow Daoist."
Upon learning that Haeyeon Island was a joint venture between Jekyeong and his half-demon partner, Gyeongwang Palace showed great interest. Myeong-ha, alongside Jekyeong, met with Makgye. At that meeting, Myeong-ha showered Gyeongwang Palace with praise before presenting them with a few privileges they could enjoy on Haeyeon Island.
Well, the privileges were nothing grand. They merely consisted of providing advance information on auction items and reserving designated seats in the auction hall, but Makgye was deeply pleased by just that. It wasn't because of the minor perks, but rather the respect Myeong-ha had shown toward Gyeongwang Palace.