The training grounds buzzed with eager young experts preparing for their turn. With too many challengers vying for the spotlight, not everyone could ascend the stage at once. Before stepping up, they first required qualification assessment from the organizers—the Elders of the Medicine King Sect's Herb Gathering Hall—who determined if the applicant was a second-tier or higher young master, aged between twenty and thirty.

But this alone was insufficient; many masters fit that age bracket. To ensure fairness, if multiple challengers insisted on going first, they would have to fight it out on the secondary stage. The victor would earn priority in challenging Xie Yun, the current master of the main ring.

Ye Qin glanced from afar at Xie Yun seated on the platform. Noticing Yang Yicheng and Feng Xiao still arguing about how many rounds Xie Yun could endure, he couldn't help interjecting: “Senior Brother Xie Yun’s internal energy is severely depleted. Judging by his complexion, he must have consumed the 'Nine Yang Pill'—the qi recovery medicine developed by our Herb Gathering Hall—to replenish his rapidly draining True Qi. However, the exhaustion to his stamina and spirit cannot be remedied by medication. After every single match now, he needs at least a quarter of an hour of closed-eye rest to alleviate the physical and mental fatigue before he can continue. Several of our Hall’s Elders are down below, using various means to stall for him, hoping to grant him more rest. I suspect tonight will be his absolute limit.”

Feng Xiao clapped his hands and laughed heartily upon hearing Ye Qin’s analysis. “Second Senior Brother shares my view; I’ve been saying all along that reaching the seventh round tonight is Xie Yun’s ceiling. There is no way he can hold out until tomorrow’s eighth round. If it weren’t for the abundance of our Herb Gathering Hall’s qi-restoring pills, and the fact that our Hall’s Elders are presiding over this grueling defensive marathon—secretly manipulating things a bit—he would have been dethroned long ago. Why don’t we find a spot in the training grounds, sit back, and watch to see which round Xie Yun finally falls in?”

Sun Ying looked distinctly unimpressed. “Second Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother, one of you has superior stamina and the other excels in movement techniques, but so what? Neither of you possesses aggressive martial arts. I suspect even I could defeat both of you. How long could you last on the stage? You probably wouldn’t survive a single exchange. Our Senior Brother Xie Yun fought his way to the sixth round purely on merit. I think you are clearly jealous, hoping Senior Brother Xie Yun gets defeated soon. Hmph!”

Clearly, the arena tournament over the past few days had profoundly impacted the young girl. The dignity of the martial world, glory, status, and wealth—these things demanded to be spoken for by the hardest military might. Without power, one simply did not qualify to stand on that stage, bask in the cheers and honor, nor become a key figure in the Sect.

“There are too many people here. You all look around as you please. I’m going to wander the night market for a bit; see if there’s anything good worth buying.”

Ye Qin felt stifled squeezing through the dense crowd. After speaking, he turned and walked toward the sparser areas outside the training ground, his sleeves trailing slightly. The other four had no idea how he moved; in just a few blinks, he had vanished from the thronging masses.

“Second Senior Brother! Second Senior Brother!”

Sun Ying grew anxious when Ye Qin walked away just because he disagreed. When she looked again, he was nowhere in sight. She stamped her small foot in frustration. “Hmph, good riddance! What’s so great about him anyway. Senior Sister, let’s go too! Let’s go cheer on Senior Brother Xie Yun!”

She grabbed Qian Ruoxiu’s arm and headed into the crowded arena grounds.

Yang Yicheng and Feng Xiao exchanged a look, both helpless. They were accustomed to Ye Qin’s solitary nature. Offending the two junior sisters over Ye Qin wasn't worth the trouble. They quickly followed, forging a path for the two girls.

......

Ye Qin walked alone down the bustling streets of the night market in the county town. Hearing the shouts of vendors hawking hot food by the roadside, and the little merchants tugging at passersby to push their wares, a sense of peace gradually settled over him.

What he sought was not learning peerless martial arts, nor earning petty cash from gathering herbs. After turning twenty, he was supposed to marry, have children, and live out his days peacefully within the Herb Gathering Hall of the Medicine King Sect, just like countless ordinary mortals finishing their lives.

Whether Ah Ying and Ruoxiu held affections for him or not, he had no capacity to accept them. Severing these vague, nascent feelings sooner rather than later would benefit both him and everyone else involved.

Perhaps, just as that old devil Nan Tianba often mumbled, once one touched upon the path of Cultivation, the Cultivator pursued the way of eternal life, and this desire would only intensify. When the road to immortality was clearly visible, few could tolerate that craving for extended life. Nan Tianba could not withstand the temptation of longevity; even after his physical body was destroyed, he sealed his nascent soul within the Green Jade Pendant, remaining imprisoned for over twenty years, searching for an opportunity for rebirth through body seizure to continue his Cultivation path.

Ye Qin did not yet know what he truly wanted, feeling bewildered about the road ahead. But what he didn’t want, he knew clearly: within the Herb Gathering Hall, within this Bamboo Qí County, there was hardly anything he required. Perhaps only by leaving Bamboo Qí County could he find what he was searching for.

However, one thing worried him.

A cultivation expert like Nan Tianba, who had once reached the fifth layer of the Qi Refining stage and served as the head of the Nan family, still met his end when confronting stronger cultivators outside Pingzhou. This fact instilled in Ye Qin a sense of apprehension regarding the strange world beyond Bamboo Qí County. Until he possessed sufficient strength, he had no immediate plans to leave.

Thinking this, Ye Qin strolled down the street.

The night market in Bamboo Qí County was not solely centered around the training grounds as the lively hub. The two main thoroughfares crossing the entire county, the Northwest District’s trade bazaar, gambling dens, opera houses, and even the open-air campfire camps outside the city walls—all these places were vibrant.

Ye Qin had only been walking for a short while when he unconsciously arrived before the "Eternal Fortune Tower," known as the most luxurious establishment in Bamboo Qí County, located in the Northwest Sector. A large wooden sign stood before the entrance, announcing a small, exclusive treasure auction to be held on the third floor that evening, welcoming all distinguished guests. Dozens of luxurious carriages were parked outside the tower entrance, bearing the insignia of various sects; most had clearly arrived for this small treasure event.

Ye Qin’s eyes brightened. A treasure auction? Could this be the Treasure Sect’s event, one of the Ten Great Sects of Pingzhou? He wondered if he could find one or two spiritual items that suited him. If he could secure a few, they should offer considerable help to his cultivation.

On the first floor of the tower, he found a waiter busy serving tea and water to the hall's patrons and inquired about the auction.

The waiter, seeing Ye Qin was a disciple of the Herb Gathering Hall, dared not show disrespect and immediately smiled warmly: “Esteemed Young Master, haven't you heard? Elder Huang of the Treasure Sect has booked the entire third floor of this establishment. Every ten days, they host a Treasure Sect Auction here, putting up around several dozen treasures in one go, often inviting dignitaries from various large and small sects to participate in the bidding. Furthermore, the Medicine King Sect’s Herb Auction scheduled for half a month from now is being co-organized by Elder Huang of the Treasure Sect and the great philanthropist Mr. Li from your esteemed Hall, and it is also planned to take place right here in this tower. All the honored guests for tonight have mostly arrived; the Treasure Auction should commence very soon. However, given your status... it might be slightly too low to gain access to the third floor.”

The waiter bowed with a strained smile, carefully offering his warning to Ye Qin.