Gou's Liver Experience in the World of Demons and Demons

Hearing him say that, Tantai Xueli felt a little relieved, but then she remembered something and couldn't help but give him a reproachful look.

"Brother Gu Sheng said he wouldn't actively seek trouble? Then what's the deal with the arena of the Myriad Manifestations Holy Land? Behind Shi Wufeng stands the entire Myriad Manifestations Holy Land, and its Holy Lord is a renowned Saint Realm expert!"

Gu Sheng explained calmly.

"Times have changed. The situation at the Myriad Phenomena Holy Land is different from that at the Azure Bag Holy Land. When I first arrived in Zhongzhou, although I had the Linlang Pavilion and the Tantai family to rely on, without sufficient reputation and deterrence, I would ultimately be a castle in the air, easily looked down upon, and attract more unnecessary covetousness and trouble. The Myriad Phenomena Holy Land, at just this time, took the initiative to offer its face to me."

His gaze pierced through the crystal curtain wall, as if he could see the scene of tomorrow's arena.

“Isn’t a declining but still holy land with a decent Holy Son the perfect stepping stone? If we win this battle, we can not only settle our previous grudges, but also make a name for ourselves among the younger generation in Zhongzhou and let people know that I, Gu Sheng, am not just hiding behind the wings of the Tantai family.”

Some paths must be walked alone, and some fame must be earned through hard work.

Tantai Xueli frowned slightly, looking worried.

“I understand the logic. But if the Holy Lord of All Manifestations were to disregard his reputation and personally intervene…”

"He wouldn't dare in the short term."

Gu Sheng interrupted her, his tone resolute.

"The Holy Land of Myriad Phenomena has been in decline for a long time, and its internal situation is not necessarily stable. He does not yet have the courage or the resources to completely break ties with the Tantai family, which is at the height of its power."

"If I can cleanly defeat, or even... kill, Shi Wufeng in tomorrow's battle, the Myriad Manifestations Holy Land will temporarily restrain its aggression, turning open conflict into covert scheming and apprehension. And this is precisely the time I need."

His eyes became deep and unfathomable.

"They need time to plan, assess the risks, and it might even be delayed by internal strife within the Holy Land. This time will be enough for me to continue growing stronger. By the time they feel ready and want to strike again..."

Gu Sheng's lips curled into a cold smile.

"I'm afraid it's too late."

Tantai Xueli's heart fluttered as she listened. Looking at Gu Sheng's calm yet incredibly confident face, she suddenly realized that this young man's profound thoughts and precise calculations far exceeded his age.

With his cultivation at the Sect Realm, he not only plotted how to crush the Holy Son of the Venerable Realm, but also took into account the reaction of a Holy Lord of the Saint Realm. He was even confident that he could grow to the point of not being afraid of the other party before the other party made another move!

"A Sect Realm cultivator... capable of fighting a Heavenly King; a Venerable Realm cultivator... able to defeat a weaker Saint Realm cultivator... doesn't seem too excessive?"

The thought flashed through her mind, and even she found it somewhat frightening. But considering Gu Sheng's incredible growth rate, from the Yellow Martial Realm to the unfathomable seventh level of the Sect Realm, it didn't seem entirely impossible.

She ultimately didn't voice her doubts, but simply sighed softly.

“Brother Gu Sheng, you always make unexpected decisions. In that case, Xue Li will not try to persuade you any further. I just hope you will be careful in everything you do tomorrow.”

Gu Sheng nodded.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

While the two were talking, the auction outside had already entered a heated phase. The bidding for "Qingnang Lihuo Technique" was soaring, driven by several obviously wealthy alchemists or their backers, and the price quickly broke through ten million top-grade spirit stones, with no sign of slowing down.

"Eleven million!"

"Ten million five hundred thousand!"

"Twelve million!"

"Twelve million three hundred thousand!"

The bidding was incessant, leaving many in the hall speechless.

Although this secret technique of alchemy and fire originated from the Alchemy Sage, it is not a pill or divine weapon that directly enhances cultivation. The fact that it fetched such a price demonstrates the Alchemy Sage's reputation and the value of the technique itself.

When the price climbed to 13 million top-grade spirit stones, the bidding noticeably thinned out, with only two or three private rooms still slowly raising the price, and each bid increase becoming much smaller.

Just as the red silk auctioneer was about to begin the countdown—

"Twenty million."

A woman's voice, cool and indifferent yet carrying a sense of superiority and unquestionable authority, suddenly came from another private room on the third floor—the Tianyi Room.

The sound wasn't loud, but it clearly drowned out all the noise in the room, like ice beads falling onto a jade plate, instantly silencing the entire auction hall.

Twenty million! That's a whopping seven million more than the original thirteen million! This extravagant gesture instantly stunned everyone.

The voices that had been hesitating about raising the price fell silent. Auctioneer Hongxiao was also stunned for a moment, but she reacted quickly, immediately smiling broadly, and asked three times, "The VIP of Tianyi has bid 20 million top-grade spirit stones, are there any other bidders?"

The audience was silent.

"Sold! Congratulations to our VIP guest on the Tianyi ship for successfully acquiring the 'Qingnang Lihuo Technique'!"

As the jade hammer in Hongxiao's hand fell, the fierce bidding came to an abrupt end.

After a moment of silence, gasps and whispers filled the hall.

"My God... 20 million! Add another 7 million!"

"It's the Tianyi Private Room! That's... a private room exclusively for the Zixiao Holy Land, isn't it?"

"That's right! That voice just now most likely belonged to the new Holy Maiden of the Purple Cloud Holy Land! It's said she's only been in office for a little over a month!"

"As expected of a top-tier holy land, they are truly wealthy and powerful!"

"They're not after the Dan Huo Secret Technique itself; they're probably more interested in the reputation of the Qing Nang Dan Sheng, or... perhaps there's some other deeper meaning?"

The crowd buzzed with discussion, their eyes involuntarily drawn to the Tianyi No. 1 private room on the third floor, filled with awe and curiosity.

Inside the private room of Tianjia, Gu Sheng raised an eyebrow in surprise and looked at Tantai Xueli.

"The Purple Cloud Holy Land? What is its strength?"

Tantai Xueli recovered from her shock and explained.

"The Purple Cloud Holy Land is among the top twenty of the 108 Holy Lands in Central Continent. It is a truly top-tier Holy Land with a profound foundation and strength far surpassing that of a declining place like the Myriad Manifestations Holy Land. Its current Holy Lord is said to have already touched upon a higher level of the Holy Realm, making him unfathomable."

This new saintess... I've only heard of her before, I've never seen her."

As they were talking, a servant from the Wanbao Hall was seen on the auction stage below, carrying a tray containing the jade slip of "Qingnang Lihuo Technique" and preparing to deliver it to the Tianyi private room.

However, just as the attendant had taken a few steps, the cold female voice rang out again from the private room of Tianyi. This time, her voice seemed to have less of its coldness and more of a... indescribable complex meaning.

"Wait a minute."

The attendant immediately stopped and bowed in greeting.

The voice paused, as if considering its words, before clearly resonating throughout the hall.

"This item need not be sent to my private room. Please pass it on to... Young Master Gu Sheng in the private room of Tianjia." Upon hearing this, the entire room erupted in another uproar!

Countless gazes instantly turned towards the private room on the Tianjia! Doubt, shock, envy, jealousy, inquiry... a mix of emotions mingled together.

The secret technique of the Pill Saint, bought for twenty million top-grade spirit stones, was actually... given away to someone else?! Just who is this young master Gu Sheng in the private room of Tianjia? How could he garner such a generous gift from the Purple Cloud Saintess?!

Inside the private room of Tianjia, Tantai Xueli suddenly widened her beautiful eyes and turned to look at Gu Sheng, her tone full of surprise and doubt.

"Brother Gu Sheng! You...you know the Holy Maiden of Zixiao?!"

Gu Sheng also looked bewildered, his brows furrowed.

He carefully recalled that he had never heard this voice before, whether in his past life or in his experiences after coming to this world, and he was certain that he had no connection with the Purple Cloud Holy Land.

"I don't recognize it. I've never seen or heard this voice before."

At this moment, the servant, clearly having received some kind of telepathic instruction, turned and walked towards the Tianjia Private Room, carrying the tray. Soon, there was a gentle knock on the door of the private room.

Tantai Xueli glanced at Gu Sheng, who nodded slightly. Tantai Xueli waved her hand to remove the soundproof barrier and called out.

"Come in."

The servant pushed open the door and entered, bowing respectfully to Tantai Xueli and Gu Sheng, his face showing a hint of undisguised surprise.

He held the tray and looked at Gu Sheng with some hesitation.

“Young Master Gu, this…this was specially requested by a VIP guest in the private room of Tianyi Hotel…and presented to you.”

On the tray, the jade slip of "Qing Nang Li Huo Shu" lay quietly, radiating a warm aura.

Tantai Xueli waved her hand.

"let it go."

The servant felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He carefully placed the tray on the jade table beside him, bowed again, and quickly withdrew, closing the door behind him.

Only Gu Sheng, Tantai Xueli, Gu Yuanyuan and Qi Diaoyaoyao, who were attracted by the commotion and looked over curiously, remained in the private room.

Tantai Xueli walked to the jade table, looked at the jade slip worth 20 million, and then looked at Gu Sheng. Her eyes sharpened, as if she was analyzing something.

"As far as I know, the new Holy Maiden of the Purple Cloud Holy Land only took office a little over a month ago. Before that, she was quite mysterious and rarely appeared in public."

Brother Gu Sheng, think carefully. Did you have any interaction with her before you came to Zhongzhou, or when you were in the Eastern Wilderness? Perhaps she wasn't appearing as a saintess at that time?

Gu Sheng thought about it carefully again, but still shook his head.

"The voice is wrong, and the demeanor is completely unfamiliar. I must have never seen him before."

A deep sense of doubt arose in his heart; this sudden and generous gift was definitely not ordinary. The other party not only knew he was in the Tianjia Private Room, but also directly stated his surname!

"Then... what should we do with this?"

Tantai Xueli asked.

"Should we return it, or..."

Gu Sheng's gaze fell on the jade slip. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke.

"Let's accept it for now."

"Take it?"

Tantai Xueli was somewhat surprised.

"This is a favor worth twenty million top-grade spirit stones..."

"That's why we can't retreat easily."

Gu Sheng analyzed the situation calmly.

"Since the other party chose to give it away in such a high-profile manner at an auction, they must have their purpose. It could be a gesture of goodwill, a test, or something else entirely. Returning it now would not only seem disrespectful, but it might also alert them and lead them to a more covert scheme. It would be better to accept it for now and observe how things unfold."

Since she gave a gift, she probably won't just disappear without a trace; she'll likely contact us eventually. We can find out her intentions then.

Tantai Xueli thought about it and agreed, nodding in agreement.

“Brother Gu Sheng is very thoughtful. Very well, then let’s accept it for now. I’m sure the Purple Cloud Holy Land wouldn’t dare to play any excessive tricks on the territory of my Myriad Treasures Hall.”

Just as the two reached an agreement, the clear, cold female voice rang out for the third time in the private room of Tianyi.

This time, her tone seemed to have undergone a very subtle change, losing some of its initial coldness and aloofness, and vaguely revealing a hint of...resentment?
"Young Master Gu... you accepted Xue'er's gift, but you won't even say thank you?"

The sound entered directly into the private room of Tianjia, clearly using some kind of directional sound transmission method, allowing only Gu Sheng and the others to hear it.

"Or perhaps... Young Master Gu has already forgotten Xue'er after so long? When we parted, Xue'er thought... thought we would never see each other again, and felt a deep sense of loss for a long time. I never expected... that we would meet again in Zhongzhou so soon. Xue'er spent twenty million spirit stones, could it be... that Young Master Gu wouldn't even spare Xue'er a little bit of patience?"

The voice was melodious and low, carrying a girlish grievance and reproach, completely different from the aloof and cold saintess image she had projected during the auction! The information conveyed in her words was immense—"Xue'er"? "The parting back then"? "Never to meet again"? "Reunion"?
Gu Sheng frowned even more deeply.

He was 100% certain that he had no confidante who called him "Xue'er" and with whom he had shared a deep sense of parting! What on earth was going on?

Tantai Xueli was also stunned. She looked at the jade slip, then at Gu Sheng, her eyes becoming extremely strange. She lowered her voice and said.

"Brother Gu Sheng...you're calling her 'Xue'er' now? And you've said 'separated' and 'reunited'? You really don't recognize her?"

Gu Sheng rubbed his temples helplessly and replied telepathically.

“I really don’t know him. The voice, the breath, the feeling—it’s all completely unfamiliar. This matter…is quite strange.”

The "Purple Cloud Saintess" didn't seem to expect Gu Sheng to respond immediately; her voice continued softly, carrying a hint of loneliness.

"Enough... If after the auction, if Young Master Gu still can't guess who Xue'er is, then let it be that Xue'er... is just being presumptuous. If Young Master Gu truly doesn't remember... then there's no need to meet again. It's better to... forget each other in the world."

The voice trailed off, carrying a poignant sense of melancholy, before falling completely silent.

Inside the private room of Tianjia, all was quiet.

Gu Yuanyuan and Qi Diaoyao looked at each other, puzzled. Tantai Xueli looked at Gu Sheng with complicated expressions, hesitant to speak.

Gu Sheng remained silent for a moment, then simply shook his head, offering no response to the resentful words. Something was amiss; before ascertaining the other party's true identity and purpose, any response could lead to a trap.

Meanwhile, on the auction stage, the experienced auctioneer Hongxiao had quickly regained her composure, as if the shocking gift-giving incident had never happened.

Her smile remained charming and alluring, and her delicate hand rose gently once more.

"Thank you all for your enthusiasm for the first item! Now, let us present the second treasure—a rare 10,000-year-old 'Nine Apertures Spirit-Connecting Jade Ginseng.' Its medicinal properties are mild and mellow, making it a key ingredient in many high-grade elixirs, especially those that nourish the soul and replenish the body's essence. It can even be ingested directly, possessing miraculous effects of strengthening the foundation, cultivating vitality, and prolonging life! Starting bid: six million top-grade spirit stones!" (End of Chapter)