World-saving Plan: The Only Savior
Chapter 125 - 23 Cultivation Exchange Conference (Part 2)

Chapter 125: Chapter 23 Cultivation Exchange Conference (Part 2)

In a large hall on the third floor, a middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes stood excitedly on the stage, talking about something. In front of him was a display cabinet, inside which lay a sleek and translucent piece of jade.

"This is the rare glass species double fish pearl pendant, also personally consecrated by Meihua City’s Master Liao. It is indeed as scarce as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, said to repel all evil!"

"Currently, gentleman number 229 has bid 270,000. Does anyone else wish to raise the bid? Such an opportunity, once missed, may never come again!"

There was a buzz of discussion among the guests below the stage. However, it seemed the price had already reached everyone’s mental limit, and no one else stepped forward to compete.

After waiting a moment, the man on stage hammered down with a small mallet and announced loudly:

"Double fish pearl pendant, 270,000 for the first time!"

"Double fish pearl pendant, 270,000 for the second time!"

"Double fish pearl pendant, 270,000 for the third time!"

"Sold! Congratulations to gentleman number 229 for obtaining this treasure!!"

The audience burst into applause, and Zhang Xiaoman also followed, clapping a few times indifferently.

Glancing at the next item coming up for auction, which was an antique-looking small tripod, he simply lost interest in continuing to watch and stood up to leave the hall.

"The world of the wealthy is truly incomprehensible. That piece of jade just now is worth at most 150,000, but just because it was blessed by what’s-his-name, the price shot up... tsk tsk..."

"Yeah, those masters don’t have to do anything. Just for showing up, they get at least 10,000 in travel expenses. I heard that Master Pei gets as much as 150,000! With food and drink provided, plus the cash, why can’t we get such good deals?"

"Ah, if only I had known, I wouldn’t have studied hotel management. Better to become a monk than to be where I am now..."

Two servers passed by, talking to each other.

Zhang Xiaoman overheard their conversation and nodded in agreement. He thought of the consecrated objects that had been auctioned just now, each going for tens or even hundreds of thousands, all deceptive trinkets that even made him itch to try his luck.

If it were his genuine Extraordinary Items, wouldn’t the prices go through the roof?

"Unfortunately..."

He shook his head, dismissing this rather tempting idea for the moment.

Now was not the time. It was better to save his points to improve his strength. Although he had gained some fame, it wasn’t as effective as he had imagined. Besides, once an Extraordinary Item was out in the open, he would be put on the spot in minutes, and government attention would be inevitable...

Thinking this, Zhang Xiaoman couldn’t help but look around. Aside from those self-proclaimed enlightened masters, many were dressed-up high society figures.

He had originally thought this gathering was just a small circle’s social party, but to his surprise, it turned out to be an event with quite the fanfare. This undoubtedly increased his risk of exposure by no small degree, and now he was even regretting his earlier decision.

"Well, let’s just take it one step at a time. I still have the abilities of the Eternal Veil and the Shadow Lord. It’s not like I’m bound to be exposed..."

Zhang Xiaoman was deep in thought as he arrived at the lobby on the first floor, which was soon to host the most grand part of the forum, the discussions on the Dao.

Inside the hall, resplendent with gold and glittering with lights, the crowd was bustling. Rows of tables and chairs had been neatly arranged, and many cultivators who had been invited to the conference had already come down in advance.

At this moment, they either sat in odd positions for meditation or clustered in groups, engaged in discussions. Each of them looked quite distinguished, prompting many of the famous guests to marvel in admiration.

Photography and filming were not allowed in the venue, and anyone who held a phone or other devices for too long would attract the attention of the patrolling security personnel.

Zhang Xiaoman, with his hood pulled low over his face, walked through the crowd, sensing whether there were any transcendents like himself present.

He used to be able to easily perceive the energy fluctuations in his environment, but after the "update" of the system, ordinary energy had been replaced by pervasive Dark Energy, greatly impacting his perception ability.

Under these circumstances, if Zhang Xiaoman wanted to detect the presence of Dark Energy in someone, he would have to get close to barely make out a trace, which undoubtedly caused him considerable trouble.

"Ah, it looks like I can’t just rely on my perception to directly locate monsters anymore, that’s somewhat of a drawback... It would be great if there was a Skill to enhance my perception..."

As Zhang Xiaoman thought this, a term suddenly popped into his mind.

"Spirit Detection Technique!"

"That’s right! The Spirit Detection Technique, a Skill I haven’t successfully released yet. But judging by the name, it seems like it’s meant to improve perception..."

Zhang Xiaoman considered this with excitement, but he forcibly suppressed the urge to try it immediately and set the idea aside for now. After all, he had never used this Skill before and didn’t know what the aftermath would be like, so it was best to proceed with caution.

As time passed, the number of people in the hall was steadily increasing, but fortunately, the space was large enough not to feel crowded, allowing everyone to find a seat.

In the center of the hall was a temporary stage that seemed poised to become the focal point of the forthcoming Dao conference.

Within the crowd, Zhang Xiaoman continued to move unnoticed. The conference hadn’t officially started yet, and everyone was engaged in their own conversations, with cultivators praising one another’s sects, while some guests took the opportunity to discuss business matters.

Zhang Xiaoman even recognized a few familiar faces in the crowd, including some "Masters" he had met at Su Fu’s house, as well as some third-rate celebrities whose names he couldn’t recall but whose faces looked vaguely familiar from TV dramas.

"It seems there are no real cultivators here; at least, my perception hasn’t found anyone with energy fluctuations. Could it be that I’m the only transcendent in this world..."

After a futile search, Zhang Xiaoman was even more convinced of his earlier speculation. He felt mixed emotions about this situation. On one hand, the absence of other transcendents meant he could hide better, but on the other hand, it also meant that he would be under much greater pressure in dealing with any potential Alien Species invasions.

Lost in thought, Zhang Xiaoman bumped headfirst into someone’s back. The person let out a cry of "Ma ya" and spilled a heap of food they were carrying, then fell to the ground with the awkwardness of a dog trying to eat sh*t—a sight that made anyone wince at the pain.

Seeing this, Zhang Xiaoman was momentarily stunned. When he came to his senses and took another look, who else could that familiar back belong to but Pei Laoliu?

"Master Liu!"

...