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Si Wei'an is a Fifth Rank Star Lord and one of the six directors. No one believes he's truly gone mad—most lean toward the idea that he actually found a fragment of the Qilin Wedge and received some monumental blessing. As a result, he has to pretend to be insane to protect himself, avoiding being devoured by big shots from the Dark World.
Because in the Dark World, survival of the fittest is the rule.
In the Ether Association, if you truly demonstrate enough talent, the President will immediately groom you as their successor, and no one will dare touch you—unless they have a death wish.
But in the Dark World, the ones above might devour you at any moment.
Master Four has always been a deeply cunning and ruthlessly pragmatic person.
This aligns with his behavioral logic.
"I'll say it again: the fragment of the Qilin Wedge is not in my possession."
He scanned the people around him, the smile on his face twisted and eerie.
No one dared meet his gaze.
After all, there was a dead body lying right there.
At this moment, Gu Jianlin suddenly noticed that the man's gaze had shifted to his side.
Tang Ling's delicate body instantly tensed up, her striking eyes filled with an icy chill.
Si Wei'an walked up to her, then completely ignored her presence, looking directly at the man behind her.
"The way you looked at me earlier was suspicious. You think the Qilin Wedge fragment is with me, don't you? Are you planning to kill me and take the fragment? If I say it's not in my possession, you wouldn't believe me anyway, right?" Si Wei'an's smile grew more terrifying.
The middle-aged man attending the auction wet himself in fear and turned to escape immediately.
But Si Wei'an suddenly leapt forward, tackling the man, and ignited the Divine Sacrificial Fire in his hands.
He burned him alive on the spot.
The crowd was horrified, and no one dared to look at him again.
Si Wei'an resembled a rabid beast; anyone who dared to meet his gaze would make him suspect they'd slander or even try to kill him to steal the artifact—prompting him to strike first.
Once no one dared to look at him anymore, he straightened his clothes and stepped into the auction hall.
The Guardians lowered their heads and followed silently behind him.
Moments later, a familiar laugh rang out.
"Si Wei'an would stop at absolutely nothing to protect his treasures, huh."
Mr. Liu swaggered in with his hands clasped behind him: "Does he think this act will make everyone believe the Qilin Wedge fragment isn't in his possession? How naive! One day, he'll pay the price for his actions. Letting living corpses bite my ass in the Returning Burial Forest? Just wait; he's a goner!"
After disappearing for a few days, this rotund man emerged from the Returning Burial Forest looking rather spirited.
Ning Chen, his loyal bodyguard, still trailed behind him.
Butcher, as Mr. Liu's most assertive candidate, naturally stuck close by, his expression fierce.
Besides him, there was also Miss Lan, whose bodyguards held up a black curtain for her.
"Good day, Third Master!"
Numerous candidates passed by, all greeting him respectfully.
"Miss Lan, what are you looking at?"
Mr. Liu was notably deferential in his tone toward the young woman.
If the candidates were his investments, then this Alchemy Master in front of him was someone he had explicitly hired.
"Nothing much. I happened to glance at the list of attendees at today's auction and spotted a familiar name. I looked around casually and found him after all," Miss Lan replied, glancing at a young boy in line and the red-haired woman beside him, letting out a scoff.
Mr. Liu blinked. "Who is it?"
Miss Lan calmly said, "Gu Ting."
Mr. Liu, who had recruited far too many candidates, waved dismissively. "Can't remember; probably just some minor character. But that surname—it reminds me of that chair-murdering lunatic from the Ether Association. That guy sure is fierce! No wonder he managed to catch Miss Yue Ji's eye."
Miss Lan let out a soft sound of acknowledgment: "If Miss Yue Ji were here today, things would get interesting."
"It's a shame Miss Yue Ji got injured at such a critical moment. I had even planned to pour in resources to help her advance to Fifth Rank first. Now, the Si Clan's elder has emerged, bringing along a few formidable candidates, making it up to Butcher whether he can secure the Moonstone Heart successfully," Mr. Liu sighed.
Butcher grinned and said, "Relax, Third Master. I'm not afraid of those bastards!"
"Cut it out. The Ancient Martial Path only becomes dominant at Fifth Rank. The candidates brought out by the Si Clan are all insidiously cunning tacticians. Your brain wouldn't stand a chance against theirs," Mr. Liu muttered.
"Still, I'm curious why Miss Yue Ji insisted on taking the risk to enter the underground ruins. She ended up heavily injured again. Same thing last time; if she had agreed to participate in Lord Youming's trial and accepted his blessing, she might already be at Fifth Rank. But she couldn't be found anywhere during that time."
He scratched his head. "What's she been up to?"
Butcher chuckled darkly. "Fell in love, obviously."
Mr. Liu paused for a while before speaking. "The Ghost Slayer's Inheritance Path demands not only spatial awareness but also deep, overwhelming obsessions. The more intense the obsession, the more likely someone is to choose this path. Her talent is exceptional, indicating profoundly rooted obsessions. She's endured so much hardship to get here; why would she allow herself to be held back?"
No shit—it's because of a man.
Miss Lan let out a cold snort.
After all, Sister Yue Ji was her closest confidante.