.


    Upon advancing to the second level of the Fifth Stage, Ethan had taken yet another step toward the end of the mortal realm.


    From these first two levels, Ethan understood that the remaining ones would also require a significant amount of time.


    Too much time, in his opinion.


    Of course, if the other cultivators of the Fifth Stage overheard him, they would beat him to death.


    Each of them had needed decades to advance through every level, yet here was Ethan,ining about just a few months.


    They would have spat liters of blood if they had known Ethan''s thoughts.


    Initially, Bai Yu had been one of those people, but after spending several years with him, she realized that normal people and Ethan lived in different worlds.


    There was no point in trying to instillmon sense in someone who, with his cultivation speed, wouldn''t understand it anyway.


    Ethan had almost finished all his business in the capital, so after the auction, he was ready to leave, return, and prepare for secluded cultivation.


    He found it somewhat funny that he had juste out of secluded cultivation and, not long after, was already thinking about going back into it.


    Although he wanted to start immediately, he knew it would take at least a few months, if not an entire year, due to the various tasks he had set for himself before retreating into the minor dimension.


    With that said, afterpleting his breakthrough and taking the time to solidify his new cultivation base, he moved on and finally the day of the auction arrived.


    The locations where auctions were held throughout the year were numerous, especially in the capital, which, as a major city, nevercked events or venues of this kind.


    The tournament auction had been scheduled to take ce in a building near the colosseum.


    The building in question, with a majestic appearance, was richly adorned with sturdy wooden pirs crafted from the highest-quality spiritual wood.


    It showcased the advanced architecture of the capital''s edifices and was thus perfect for such an asion.


    The interior of the building was divided into many sections, but the one of most interest to people was the underground hall, where the actual auction was held.


    Contrary to what one might expect, the underground hall was very spacious, featuring arge stage surrounded by rows of seats arranged in a semicircle, capable of seating thousands of people.


    Naturally, in addition to these seats, there were private rooms avable for those willing to pay extra for personal spaces to view and participate in the auction.


    Among these were also VIP rooms equipped to meet any needs of the guests staying there.


    Ethan and four other individuals were currently in one of these rooms.


    These individuals were none other than Bai Huo Shan, the judge in pink, and, to Ethan''s surprise, Hu Xingyan and Xiang Hua.


    Ethan had no idea how these two women had also ended up in this room.


    When he sought an exnation, the grandmaster alchemist replied that one hade in ce of her grandfather, who was currently busy in the White Tiger kingdom, and the other had somehow obtained a special permit thanks to the master of the Phoenix Sect.


    Ethan nodded, but what he truly wanted to ask was why these women ended up in his room.


    It turned out that the room wasrge, designed for great figures to gather here.


    The room was divided into three groups of four seats each, and at the moment, along with their group, there were also some other figures in the other seating groups.


    As it happened, these two, unwilling to sit with those people, decided to join his group of seats, which, while distanced, wasn''t too far away.


    Ethan thought the privacy aspect of these VIP rooms had apparently been forgotten.


    He discovered that, the single VIP rooms were alreadypletely booked, so they had to settle for this one.


    Ethan was sure that, with the influence of Bai Huo Shan and the Phoenix Sect master, there would have been no issues in securing one of these rooms, but in the end, he decided to let the matter drop.


    It wasn''t as if he cared much.


    After the auction, he would be leaving, so he could only tolerate this unexpectedpany.


    Eventually, turning to the pink-d woman who had seated herself on his right, he asked:


    "Are you nning to participate in the auction as well?" he asked, recalling the reason the woman was here in the first ce.


    As it turned out, the woman was none other than Bai Huo Shan''s granddaughter.


    Ethan had learned this during the tournament''s closing banquet when she drank too much alcohol and caused trouble for the old man Bai Huo Shan, who could only surrender to his granddaughter''s whims.


    Ethan didn''t know whether tough or cry at the sight of a woman who had most likely surpassed 100 years behaving like a drunken teenager.


    "Not really, I just came to watch the auction. My grandfather wanted me to apany him, and knowing you would be here too, I thought, why not?" she said, in a far moreposed manner, very different from how she had been on the day of the banquet.


    Ethan had noticed that the woman was already speaking to him as if they were old acquaintances, and he wasn''t sure if this was normal or not, but he ignored it.


    After all, he didn''t mind.


    In fact, he preferred it this way. He didn''t want to spend all his time talking formally like some sort of noble.


    It wasn''t something that suited him.


    Bai Huo Shan had already expressed his intention to acquire the Eternal Youth Pill, and if not for a few particr people present today, Ethan was sure that no one would have even dreamed of taking it from him.


    Ethan nced at certain parts of the room, not to observe the walls but to take note of the people also in VIP rooms, several chambers away from them.


    In particr, two individuals.


    "They were quick to arrive as well," he thought as he immediately recognized who these two figures were.


    One was a tall man with a somewhat elderly appearance, gracefully dressed, though his slightly aged demeanor masked the fact that he had lived for several centuries.


    The other was a beautiful woman, equallyposed and naturally charming as she observed the beginning of the auction.


    These two individuals, who would surely draw attention if not for the fact they were also in VIP rooms, were none other than two of the four grandmaster alchemists.


    Ethan knew the Eternal Youth Pill would bring several individuals out of their dens, but he was still surprised that even the other two grandmaster alchemists had already arrived.


    Not long after, the auction finally began.


    Presiding over it was a woman with short brown hair, dressed in a refined gown, who, despite not wearing any apparent makeup, still captivated many of the attendees.


    With professionalism, she weed everyone, and with that, the auction officiallymenced.