The Sect Leader System-Chapter 285: Retiring to a Farm

Jia Xueqin would have much preferred to finish his tea rather than spending his limited time smoothing things over with an offended powerful cultivator, but while his position as the head manager of the Premiere Jade Treasures Auction House was often cushy and paid quite well, there were times when he had to earn that large salary. He sighed and rose from his chair.

The first decision he had to make was whether or not to bring Yan Chunhua with him to meet with the cultivator. Sometimes, having the object of the offended party’s ire in the room stirred their thirst for inflicting punishment themselves. With others, seeing the underling suitably chastised by their boss smoothed things over nicely. It all depended on the particular person.

“Follow me,” he told her.

She winced but obeyed his command.

When he reached the door to the receiving chamber, he said, “Stay here out of sight but pay attention. If I call for you, come immediately, head hung low. Fearful.”

She cupped her hands. From her appearance, she definitely wouldn’t have to fake that last part.

After taking a deep breath to center himself, he opened the door to face the wrath of the cultivator. The first things he saw were two dozen swords hovering in the air. As he stepped inside the room and shut the door behind him, the blades rearranged themselves to point at him.

He swallowed hard.

The young man, who didn’t appear to be older than his early twenties, was well groomed with a cleanly shaven face and close cropped hair, but the robe he wore screamed homeless to Jia Xueqin’s sensibilities. He could easily understand why his clerk might have been somewhat less than polite. No one with strong backing was likely to appear in their establishment wearing such rags.

But the young man’s appearance wasn’t the biggest mystery. Jia Xueqin was in the middle realm of Golden Core, and considering that his specialty was appraising, he’d honed his spiritual sense more than any other aspect of his cultivation. As far as he could tell, the man was a mere mortal.

But he couldn’t be a mortal. Streams of finely controlled qi directed each of the blades. Jia Xueqin was positive he couldn’t perform the same feat even if he’d mastered a technique for the purpose. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Clearly, the young man was not so simple.

Jia Xueqin’s stomach sank. Something wasn’t adding up. He cupped his hands and bowed low. “Greetings, Esteemed Master Cultivator, this lowly one’s inept assistant indicated there was a sword to be appraised.”

“You’re an appraiser?”

“Forgive me, Esteemed Master Cultivator. This lowly one is Jia Xueqin, head of this branch of the auction house and an Expert Appraiser.”

The young man frowned. “Only an expert? Disappointing.”

Jia Xueqin would have been insulted if he wasn’t so terrified. Never before had he been so confused about a situation. “Apologies, Esteemed Master Cultivator. This lowly one assures you there are no better appraisers on this entire continent.”

The man sighed. “I guess you’ll have to do, then.”

“May this lowly one have the Esteemed Master Cultivator’s name?”

While Jia Xueqin doubted he’d recognize the actual name, it might give him some clue as to what organization the young man represented.

“I’m Chao Su. Nice to meet you.”

It was only vast years of experience dealing with tricky situations that kept Jia Xueqin’s jaw from dropping. Chao Su! The sect leader of the Rising Tide Sect. The man who had killed two Nascent Soul cultivators from the Jade Chameleon Sect by himself. The man who had completely destroyed that entire branch sect and killed most of their Golden Cores, so-called sparing others by destroying their cultivation.

That Chao Su?

Jia Xueqin suppressed a shudder.

Rumors ran rampant about the man. His cultivation level. His combat prowess. The fact that he was an actual Formations Master—he had to be one considering he constructed an array that held and killed a Nascent Soul.

With all the stories spreading through the city regarding the man, none of them spoke to his appearance. That was probably because almost everyone who caught sight of him died shortly thereafter. Only the Poison Claw Sect, and the Kang family in particular, seemed able to survive encounters with him. And not only was he in the auction house, but that idiot, Yan Chunhua, had insulted him.

Even though Jia Xueqin was barely into his fourth century, he decided right then and there that, if he survived the day, he would retire. Find a nice house somewhere in the country. Maybe a farm. Raise crops.

Yeah. If he survived, that would be nice. If.

Jia Xueqin realized he was just standing there staring at the monster. He had to do something. Quickly. And running away probably wasn’t an option. Not from a Nascent Soul with Chao Su’s reputation. The man would probably destroy the entire city.

“M-may this lowly one examine the sword, Esteemed Master Cultivator?” It was the only thing Jia Xueqin could think of to do.

Chao Su gestured to a sword that was lying on the counter.

The appraiser wanted to slap himself on the forehead for making such a simple mistake, a mistake that might get him killed. “Of course, Esteemed Master Cultivator. Apologies, Esteemed Master Cultivator.”

Jia Xueqin engrossed himself in examining the blade, trying to distract himself from the looming natural disaster staring at him. Luckily, it was as well made as Yan Chunhua had indicated. In fact, it was even better than she’d said. The entire construction was a masterwork, forged by a true Master Blacksmith.

There were a few mortals on the continent who claimed the title of master blacksmith, and he supposed they’d earned it. But they were confined to working with only mortal materials. When one added in the skills necessary to manipulate qi and metals that could accept channeling it, the difficulty in achieving that level of craftsmanship multiplied by several orders of magnitude, and only by reaching mastery of those elements could anyone be considered an actual Master Blacksmith. To the best of Jia Xueqin’s extensive knowledge, there were currently no artisans of that rank currently operating on the continent.

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Jia Xueqin couldn’t imagine where Chao Su had acquired such a sword.

On top of the blade being a masterwork, Jia Xueqin could sense that three formations had been added to the weapon. Self-repair was an obvious and valuable addition. He sent a bit of qi into the array and observed the flow.

The movement of qi through the channels was nothing short of a work of art. No obstructions. If there was any loss of efficiency, he couldn’t detect it. The blade had clearly been inscribed by a Formations Master.

That factor, at least, made sense given Chao Su’s reputation.

Becoming more and more fascinated by the magnificent piece he held in his hands, Jia Xueqin examined the next array. It appeared to feed some type of unfamiliar qi element to the blade’s edge. Enhancing it somehow. Cutting? Swiftness? Something along those lines.

Finally, he moved to the final array that he sensed. It took in Wind qi from the user, amplified it, and emitted a Wind Slash. Simple, but well done.

“This lowly one can’t quite determine the qi element enhancing the blade itself, Esteemed Master Cultivator.”

“Sharpness,” Chao Su said.

A good choice. All three arrays represented added value. Each would be useful to anyone lucky enough to obtain such a weapon.

“This lowly one can’t put a price on such a masterpiece, Esteemed Master Cultivator,” Jia Xueqin said reluctantly. “The Premiere Jade Treasures Auction House has never had the fortune of presenting such a sword in one of our auctions. The blade is clearly the work of a Master Blacksmith. It is exquisite. Simply exquisite.”

“Aw, shucks,” Chao Su bizarrely said.

“This lowly one didn’t understand, Esteemed Master Cultivator?” Jia Xueqin felt like he was taking his life in his hands making that admission, but he didn’t see any alternative.

“I simply meant that you’re embarrassing me with your praise.”

Jia Xueqin again had to resist dropping his jaw. “Is this lowly one given to understand that the Esteemed Master Cultivator forged this sword?”

“I did.”

“And the formations as well?”

“Obviously.”

If Jia Xueqin survived the encounter, that was some interesting information to add to the knowledge base of anyone interested in Chao Su, which encompassed every major sect member and noble on the continent—Chao Su was apparently both a Master Blacksmith and a Formations Master.

“Does the Esteemed Master Cultivator wish to enter this sword in today’s auction?” Jia Xueqin said.

“Yes, please.”

Jia Xueqin swallowed hard again. He couldn’t imagine the disaster that would come about if the sword sold for less than Chao Su wanted. “Does the Esteemed Master Cultivator wish to enter a reserve? This lowly one would suggest fifty thousand greater spirit coins.”

“No, that’s okay. I really have no use for it or the others, so whatever the market will bear, you know?”

Jia Xueqin’s eyes widened. Did Chao Su mean the two dozen swords that were still facing him, ready to turn him into a pincushion? Those weren’t simply a threat? “O-others, Esteemed Master Cultivator?”

Four of the swords floated over and laid themselves gently on the counter.

“These are just like the one you just looked at, except they use Earth, Fire, Water, and Wood qi respectively.”

Jia Xueqin gave the four blades a cursory inspection. As far as he could tell, they were all of similar quality to the first. If he survived long enough, which was bizarrely seeming like more of a possibility by the moment, he’d examine all the blades in far more detail after Chao Su left.

Five more swords floated over, landing on the counter with the softest of clinks.

“These five are a bit more special than the first set,” Chao Su said. “They convert whatever qi the cultivator inputs into an attack that corresponds to the sword’s qi element—Force, Ice, Lightning, Magnetism, and Shadow respectively.”

Jia Xueqin was sure that he’d misunderstood something. It wasn’t possible for a blade to receive qi of one element and convert it to an attack of an entirely different element. Was it?

Chao Su laughed. “Go ahead. Test one of them. The Shadow one would probably be the safest if you want to use it inside, though.”

Jia Xueqin couldn’t help himself. He needed to know. Of the five swords, one of them did resonate with an element that could definitely be Shadow, so he picked that one up. Pointing the blade at a deserted corner of the room, he inserted a quite small amount of qi into it. He followed the path of that qi through the blade’s arrays with his spiritual sense as it was converted into a different qi type.

A stream of Shadow poured from the blade, darkening the corner of the room.

There was no other source of qi present. He wasn’t quite ready to stake his reputation on the results—he’d need far more testing before taking that step—but his initial analysis was that the sword worked. It actually worked.

Five more swords floated over.

“These might be the biggest money makers,” Chao Su said. “They’re just like the previous five, but the elements used are much more exotic—Gravity, Soul, Space, Time, and Void.”

Jia Xueqin didn’t speak. He couldn’t. The value of, say, a Lightning sword that any cultivator could use that didn’t need to be recharged with Lightning attuned greater spirit coins was already of incalculable value. Adding such mythical elements as those would raise the price by an order of magnitude. Even the Emperor might go broke bidding for one of those.

Five more swords and then another five floated over, and Jia Xueqin nodded along to whatever it was that was said. But he didn’t process a word. Forget making a quarter of his annual profits at the auction. He might make many multiples of his annual profits.

He needed to get the word out about the swords. Fast. There were major factions from other continents that would want to attend for a chance to see the masterworks, much less have a chance to own them.

“You think you can accommodate all of these?” Chao Su said pointedly.

Jia Xueqin almost reflexively answered yes, but he hesitated, thinking about it. “Given the value of these swords, Esteemed Master Cultivator, this lowly one fears there aren’t enough greater spirit coins in circulation on this continent—and certainly not in this city—to get you the payment you deserve for them. This lowly one will do his best, but…”

Chao Su simply nodded. “Just do the best you can. I won’t blame you if the audience doesn’t have enough money on them. After all, I’m springing this on you at the last moment.”

Relieved and hopeful that the man’s words were true, Jia Xuequin cupped his hands. “Gratitude, Esteemed Master Cultivator. Is there anything else we can do to make sure your experience with us meets your satisfaction?”

Chao Su rubbed his hands together before describing in detail exactly what he wanted.

“Of course, Esteemed Master Cultivator. This lowly one already has several items in the auction that meet your criteria and will search high and low for more!”

“I do have one other request, if you don’t mind.”

“Anything, Esteemed Master Cultivator. Anything.”

And Jia Xueqin meant that quite literally. His first act would be to draw up paperwork to have Chao Su attain the most elite status the Premiere Jade Treasures Auction House offered. Anything he wanted on top of that would be granted. If it could be purchased, begged for, bartered, or stolen, Jia Xueqin would see that it was provided.

“I appear to have gained the slightest bit of enmity from a sect or two,” Chao Su said.

There was absolutely never an understatement greater than that one made in the entirety of Sixth Flawless Flowing City in its long history.

“It is doubtful that I can keep my presence at the auction hidden for the whole time, but I’d prefer that it not be announced that the swords came from me,” Chao Su said. “It might hurt the bidding.”

“Of course, Esteemed Master Cultivator! No one but this lowly one knows your identity, and I swear to you that not one single clue regarding the origin of the blades will be mentioned to anyone.”

Purple Heavenly Lightning flashed outside, followed by the deep rumble of thunder.

Jia Xueqin’s heart thudded hard against his chest. His oath had been witnessed by the heavens. Never in his life had that happened to him. He was far too unimportant to gain the attention of the heavens.

Just who or what was Chao Su?

“Fantastic.” And then Chao Su did something completely unfathomable. He cupped his hands and bowed. “Gratitude, Esteemed Manager Jia Xueqin.”

And with that, the man popped out of existence. One moment he was standing there. The next he wasn’t.

If not for the twenty-five heavenly treasures stacked neatly on the counter, Jia Xueqin might have suspected that he’d imagined the whole thing.