"Make way! Get outta the way! Quick!"

Mu Chen, Li Kun, and Xia Ping were strolling down the aisle when they heard a thunderous roar behind them.

Several people walking around them panicked and jumped to the sides.

Mu Chen and his friends were surprised and they looked behind to see who had the nerve to make a ruckus within the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

A short and scrawny little middle-aged person was leading a group of people. He wore a uniform that was that characteristic of the staff that belonged to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. But unlike the regular staff, a silver and gold tassel dangled on his chest.

Li Kun gestured at the scrawny guy. "That guy―he must be the proprietor?"

"Looks like it." Mu Chen frowned. He had never seen someone from the Pavilion fawn over any of the guests.

The group of people who were following the proprietor were dressed regally and had their noses up in the air. They walked with a pompous gait, not minding the discontent they had caused among the other people.

Mu Chen, Li Kun, and Xia Ping didn't want to cause any trouble and moved aside, clinging to the walls. As the group walked by, Mu Chen felt something about their dressing style was off–but he couldn't pinpoint it.

"Who were those people?" Xia Ping whispered, daunted. "Nobles?"

Mu Chen shook his head. "I don't think they were from around here." But he wasn't confident about his guess.

"If they are not from here, could they―"

Ding! The sound of a gong echoed through the passageway. Hearing the sound, the people around them who had been cowed into a standstill, spurred into action. Like agitated bees, they began to streak along the passageway.

"Ah! That's the warning bell. There is only an incense-stick worth of time for the auction to begin." Xia Ping cried, "Brother Kun, Brother Chen, we have to hurry. Once they close the doors―they won't let anyone in!"

The three of them rushed along the passageway with other people. The passage split into a dozen channels at the end, turning into a maze. They followed the directions on their ticket and were ushered into a large amphitheater.

Greeting them were gazes of hundreds of cloaked figures who were already sitting in their seats. Although there wasn't any cultivation involved, the combined weight of the gazes made Mu Chen feel uncomfortable.

Li Kun must have felt the same because he was urging Xia Ping to quickly find their seats.

"R-right there!" Xia Ping panicked but eventually found three empty seats on their right in the middle of a row.

"Should've worn a cloak." Mu Chen grumbled as they sat in their seats.

"S-sorry, Brother Chen!" Xia Ping was almost in tears. "The boxed rooms were sold out...these were the only seats available."

"Forget it. I didn't mean to blame you. It's just..." Mu Chen sighed. Their seats were in the open section. But in their haste, they had forgotten to wear their cloaks. Everybody could see their faces, but they couldn't see anyone else's. It made them feel strangely exposed.

"Yeah!" Li Kun patted Xia Ping's back. "It's alright, Brother Ping."

Now that they were seated, Mu Chen had the leisure to look around. A large circular stone dais was placed at the focal point, facing the audience against a backdrop of heavy curtains. A pedestal stood at the edge of the dais. The symbol of Heavenly Treasure Pavilion–a pagoda floating in the clouds, was engraved at the base of the pedestal.

The hall was illuminated using special lamps that were embedded in the ceiling, which used spirit stones instead of oil―a truly extravagant display of wealth, for even the rich would rarely burn spirit stones for light.

The auction hall was divided into several sections. The largest was the open section. It was also the most crowded. It lacked the privacy of booths, but it was closer to the dais which could be considered an advantage.

Behind the open section were the boxed rooms. A thin wooden sieve in the front prevented the nosing of the crowd, yet allowed its inhabitants to peer through the box, providing a modicum of privacy.

In addition to the boxed rooms, there was the balcony. But unlike the boxed rooms, the booths in the balcony had tinted glasses in the front and they completely prevented outsiders from peering into the box. They were much more spacious. Mu Chen hadn't seen such booths in the Falling Stone City's auction hall, he guessed they must be reserved for the VIPs.

The entire construction was housed underground.

Another ding sounded, quelling the buzzing of the crowd. The lights dimmed leaving only the dais glowing, drawing everyone's attention. The curtains parted and two women dressed in cheongsam walked onto the podium. They looked alike.

The crowd that had been silent moments before began to leer and cheer at the appearance of the two ladies. Some guys began to whistle while some catcalled. The ones making the noise were mostly people from the open section. Very few people from booths participated in the banter, and the VIP section was completely quiet.

The two women were not only unperturbed, they even waved and smiled back at the audience, making the crowd even more spirited.

"Welcome, honored guests!" The woman dressed in red bowed. "I'm Xia."

The woman dressed in blue bowed. "I'm Mia."

"We will be your hosts for today!" Xia and Mia finished together. They sounded the same, every word was matched in pitch, rhythm, and tempo, making it impossible to distinguish their sounds.

The crowd applauded.

Xia Ping also cheered along with the crowd. "Wow, are they twins?"

"How rare!" Li Kun was surprised.

"Indeed." Mu Chen couldn't help but take second glances, just to confirm.

Xia and Mia continued to smile for a while, till the applause slowly died and the hall turned quiet again.

"We are very grateful to our patrons who arrived on such short notice." Xia and Mia echoed with a slight bow, "To express our thanks, the refreshments will be on the house."

The crowd applauded again.

Mu Chen, Li Kun, and Xia Ping smiled wryly at each other.

Mia and Xia waited until the chatter and sniggering died and the hall became silent once more.

"As everyone is aware, a secret realm will open in a few days. I don't think anyone here needs an introduction to what a secret realm is," Mia said.

"Secret realms," Xia said, her voice caught on a dreamy undertone. "They are the lands of trials and opportunities, of loss and gain, death and rebirth. Mystical and dangerous, they attract everyone with their allure."

"But they are far too rare," Mia sighed. "Not only are they rare, but there are also several restrictions on entering them. Entering one is not just a question of talent but also luck. And one such secret realm was recently discovered…"

"More importantly," Xia said, "the Ming Dynasty has been generous enough to disclose it to the public."

"Although the older generation can't enter it―there are no such restrictions for the young. When the realm is opened, the younger generation will enter it. There, they will compete for resources, treasures, and most crucially, for inheritance." Mia didn't hide the envy in her voice. "The younger generation is really lucky this time."

"To emphasize," Xia said, "in the history of Five Continents, the number of secret realms disclosed to the public can be counted on fingers."

"Entering one is a chance you wouldn't want to miss in a thousand lives," Mia said.
 
"But it's not just opportunities that you will find in the secret realms." Xia continued, "Dangers lurk at every corner―a single misstep and you will fall into the pit of death."

"We ask you," Mia and Xia spoke together with practiced ease, "do you wish for your younger generation to suffer? Do you wish to see them fail? Or worse, fall?"

A murmur ran through the crowd, as people began to discuss amongst themselves. Mia and Xia's little speech had aroused the audience.

"If you don't want your descendants to suffer, you can prevent them from entering the realm―keep them safe and sound behind the four walls of your house. But is it alright?"

"Can you bear to deprive your children of their opportunities because you are worried for their safety? If you continue to shelter them, will they ever grow up? In the future, how will they survive in the cultivation world? How will they face off against others who have defeated the challenges of the secret realm? Will they be able to hold their heads high? Or will they forever remain under the shadows of their peers, oppressed and downtrodden, unable to raise their heads without any dignity? Can you bear it?"

Another murmur ran through the crowd, louder than before. The people in the open section had become agitated and began discussing with each other. Finally, one person stood up and asked, "Do Lady Xia and Mia have a solution?"

Mu Chen's brow twitched―he had the impression that the person asking the question was someone planted by the Pavilion itself.

Mia and Xia smiled at the cloaked figure. "We say, don't hold the younger generation back! Let them go! Let them test their mettle against adversaries, fate, and each other," Xia said. "But send them prepared. Send them equipped with tools and defenses that will ensure not just their survival but success as well!"

"Today's auction was organized keeping in mind the needs of the younger generation and the dangers they might face in the realm. Many of the items have been imported from the Central Continent. I am sure everyone will find something in the auction worth buying for their cherished young ones," Mia said.

Excitement brewed within the crowd. Anything from the Central Continent was always worth some extra attention. Mia and Xia gauged the excitement level of the audience and grinned.

"Without further ado, let's start the auction! The first item is something indispensable for every cultivator," Xia beckoned to Mia.

Mia went behind the curtains.

"The road of cultivation is fraught with blood and there is no shortage of injuries. So healing pills have been among the first pills to have been concocted by the alchemists. For ages, they have helped cultivators deal with various sorts of injuries. It's not without reason that they have become the staple of any cultivator and a quintessential part of any cultivator's arsenal." Xia said, but her words instead seemed to lower the crowd's enthusiasm. Everyone had healing pills, like Xia said, they were the staple of cultivators.

"However," Xia continued, unruffled by the crowd's lack of interest, "these same pills which are usually indispensable are rendered useless during the heat of the battle. When facing the enemy, do you focus on fighting or healing? What―"

"What kind of question is this? Isn't it obvious?" Someone from the crowd shouted. Several people nodded their heads in approval and began to whisper.

Xia didn't take the snide remarks to heart and continued to smile. "Indeed, for any cultivator who has experienced battles, the answer is so obvious you might wonder if it even warrants a question. But could you bear with me and entertain the question?" Xia said looking at the person who had interrupted her.

Several pairs of eyes turned towards the person who had interrupted.

The one who had interrupted felt a bit hot in the face and pulled his cloak closer. "You focus on the fight! If you are in no condition to fight, just... just run away." The guy said in a loud voice but trailed off at the end. Although it was the correct choice, he felt embarrassed when he spoke it out loud.

"If you can retreat, it is good and well, you can find a place to heal. A wise decision," Xia nodded, "But what if you can't retreat? What if you are caught in a situation where the only choice is to fight?"

The crowd fell into contemplation. When two cultivators fought, unless the difference between skill and realm of two opponents was big, it was difficult for one cultivator to finish another in the first few exchanges. So the general strategy was to first injure the opponent enough to affect his spiritual qi circulation. Once the difference grew big, you could use one of your killer moves and finish the opponent.

So any cultivator was averse to getting hurt during battle. Unfortunately, as Xia said, healing pills were useless during fights. To use them, one had to circulate spiritual qi, otherwise, they would end up just enhancing the body's natural healing ability. But if you circulated the spiritual qi to infuse the healing properties of the pill, you couldn't use any other techniques, leaving you defenseless. Trying to heal your wounds during battles was nothing but idiocy.

"This dilemma has plagued alchemists and cultivators alike for ages," Xia said. "It was finally resolved by the stroke of creative genius from Grandmaster Alchemist Fu. Grandmaster Fu was able to combine his alchemy with formations and develop a new type of healing pill."

At this point, Mia who had gone behind the curtains came back. She was carrying a tray draped with a plush satin cloth. A transparent glass bottle laid at the center of the pillow. Mia placed the tray on the pedestal for everyone to see. Inside the glass bottle were several silver-colored pills.

Everyone looked at the pill bottle unable to restrain their growing curiosity.

"Introducing to you, the brainchild of Grandmaster Fu's effort and dedication," Xia waved at the pedestal with her hand. "Self-healing pills!" Xia announced and the audience broke into an uproar.