Chapter 189: A Tuopian of the Nine Cauldrons of the Celestial Beings?

After Jiang Hua left, the martial artist surnamed Ji whispered to Zhou You, "That man is one of the Fighting Generals of the Doujichang, just like Ma Yuanyang."

The Doujichang doesn't just fight chickens; it also fights people and strange creatures—whatever provides a thrill. To be precise, it is an arena, not a chicken-fighting pit! Here, one can not only trade freely and auction treasures of unknown origin, but they also regularly hold underground death matches.

Underground fights are kept in the shadows, filled with scenes of bloody slaughter; the loser must die, and being able to leave behind a whole corpse is already a luxury.

It is said that the minced meat carried out of the Doujichang every day could fill five large vats.

Anyone who survives multiple death matches is an elite, known as... a Fighting General.

Every Fighting General is a top-tier expert of their level, able to hold their own against many, and even capable of fighting across ranks.

Under the explanation of the martial artist surnamed Ji, Zhou You also understood where Jiang Hua's massive wealth came from.

The profits from winning a fight are extremely generous; the prize money for a single victory, tips from generous spectators, and even betting on oneself to win—the odds are quite substantial.

It is no exaggeration to say that as long as one survives to become a Fighting General, they will never lack money.

"That man just now is somewhat famous among the Fighting Generals at the initial stage of Blood Qi in the Doujichang. He specializes in the Blood Sand Palm and is ruthless in his strikes; the martial artists who die by his hand are all sucked dry until they are nothing but skin and bone."

"Hmm, some suspect he is not a local."

Zhou You's eyebrows twitched; he finally knew the reason why Jiang Hua was never at the martial arts hall year-round.

He only heard that he was away on business all year; it turns out he had a side job in Fucheng, working underground fights to support his studies.

I have to say, that's inspiring!

Relying on underground fighting, he earned a fortune equivalent to a house in Fucheng, then bought two bugs.

The martial artist surnamed Ji observed his expression and instigated, "Are you interested in making some extra money? I have a way to introduce you to fight a match."

Hmm? Zhou You turned his head to look at him, his gaze carrying a hint of amusement; this line of talk was wrong!

"If Brother Lu is not short of money, there is no need to go to such a dangerous place."

The martial artist surnamed Ji said with a sheepish smile.

In the circle, the final featured item was brought out, and the surrounding atmosphere changed abruptly.

The owner's voice rang out clearly for all to hear, "A Tuopian, half a foot in diameter, printed with cinnabar as ink, with half a broken character, suspected to be... one of the inscriptions of the Nine Cauldrons of the Celestial Beings."

"... No reserve price, auction, the highest bidder wins."

The surrounding martial artists were silent for a moment, then collectively erupted. What kind of joke is this? The Nine Cauldrons of the Celestial Beings are legendary objects, capable of becoming large or small, changing in myriad ways; some reside high above the nine heavens among the clouds, while others merge with the earth, becoming one with famous mountains and great rivers.

All Martial Dao in the world originates from the nine great cauldrons; they can be called the spiritual Totem of all those who practice martial arts.

There are even secret rumors that whoever can obtain the contents of the Nine Cauldrons of the Celestial Beings can break through the mysteries of the Celestial Beings, break through all Martial Dao realms, and become the supreme Martial Saint of the world.

A Martial Saint! A saint of the Martial Dao is the ultimate existence qualified to break the cage of heaven and earth and converse with the Celestial Beings.

Regardless of the era or the realm, it is all too far away. The Blood Qi martial artists present all treated it as a myth, and it is not even certain if the Nine Cauldrons of the Celestial Beings truly exist.

Now someone brings out a palm-sized Tuopian with half a blurry ancient character on it and claims it comes from the Nine Cauldrons of the Celestial Beings.

Pfft, you'd have to be brain-damaged to buy this piece of scrap paper...

"100,000 taels." A palm was raised, "... in gold."

Some people's heads were buzzing, their faces flushed red, as if they had been slapped hard.

Someone actually bid?

100,000 taels of gold, five times the previous transaction amount, totaling 1,000,000 taels of silver, enough to buy five houses in the Inner Courtyard of Fucheng, or ten Blood God Leeches.

The martial artist surnamed Ji's breathing became heavy, and he cursed, "Son of a bitch." Before the crowd could catch their breath, higher bids followed one after another...

"1,000 pearls, plus 20 squares of jade; if that's not enough, I have a horse farm with 800 fine steeds."

Crazy, completely crazy! A yellowed piece of scrap paper that a child could soak into mush with a puddle of urine, and so many people are fighting over it? "My master's name is Yanshan; I promise to take action once in exchange for this item."

Yanshan's nickname is the Hateful Overlord, a high-level Martial Master and one of the most prestigious experts in Fucheng. He owns five martial arts halls, each several times the scale of the Jian Xiong Martial Arts Hall.

It is no exaggeration to say that this person's disciples could organize an army of elite soldiers.

A single promise from him is worth more than the previous bids! The bidder was a Disciple of Yanshan; he did not hide his identity, looking at the owner with a spirited gaze.

The owner looked hesitant, as if weighing the benefits, and the surrounding gazes gathered on him, waiting for an answer.

Suddenly, a man in green outside the crowd raised his hand and said, "The Liu family wants this Tuopian."

The Liu family, one of the famous clans of Fucheng, originates from one of the seventy-two tribes of antiquity, the nobility among the nobility, the elite among the elite.

The bidder wore a green garment and a small cap, dressed like a Servant Lineage, but looking at his aura and posture, no one dared to treat him as an ordinary servant.

When servants of the Liu family walk outside, no matter who it is, they must treat them with the courtesy of an honored guest.

The host's tense face blossomed into a smile on the spot, "Why did you come in person? You could have just sent word, and I would have had someone bring it over."

The man in green waved his hand, "The rules of the Doujichang must still be followed."

He looked at the owner, "Come back to the Liu family with me; as long as the item is correct, you can name your price."

Zhou You noticed the fleeting unnaturalness in the owner's expression, but in the end, he didn't say anything and obediently followed.

They didn't even know the final transaction price! The crowd couldn't help but feel it was uninteresting, but the Liu family intervening in a transaction of this level was somewhat unusual.

The Doujichang is a place where the refined and the vulgar coexist; Blood Qi martial artists can come, Martial Masters can come, Commoners can come, and nobles can come too.

The area Zhou You came to is the entry-level, with no threshold, and everyone around is an ordinary martial artist.

High-end players have high-end games, which are not in this area.

Some speculate that even if that Tuopian is not the real Nine Cauldrons of the Celestial Beings, it has an extremely close connection.

"Doesn't that mean the owner of the Tuopian achieved financial freedom with just a piece of scrap paper!"

The martial artist surnamed Ji heard this and shook his head with a smile, "Wealth, yes; freedom, not necessarily."

"It is more likely that they will keep him in captivity in some corner of the mansion from now on, slowly squeezing out all his secrets regarding the Tuopian."

"Didn't you see? He was reluctant to leave; it's just that he knew the other party's style too well."

Noble clans, unless absolutely necessary, will not stoop to killing and seizing items, but rather have more bloodless ways to kill.

Zhou You thought more about it; that Tuopian looked somewhat familiar no matter how he looked at it.

The few characters printed from that tree knot of his godmother, although reduced in size by dozens of times, were surprisingly similar.

His first reaction was not wild joy, but rather a sense of fear.

Because Ceng Fuzi had said that the noble and powerful families originated from the leaders of the Seventy-two Ancestral Tribes, who pooled their resources to cast the Nine Cauldrons of Heaven and Man.

The family mission they inherited was to collect all clues regarding the Nine Cauldrons of Heaven and Man in the world.

Once the other party discovered that Zhou You possessed a Tuopian suspected to be of the Nine Cauldrons of Heaven and Man, it would absolutely trigger a bloodbath.

(End of this chapter)