"There's no need to collect the items," the Trade Master said to John with a small smile as the door suddenly opened to their room and several attendants of the auction house walked in. Each held a singular spatial ring in their hands as they approached the Trade Master.
"Congratulations on your winnings," the attendants said to the Trade Master as they handed over the spatial rings to him, and bowed before leaving the private booth.
"There are some perks to being the Trade Master of the Mystic Trade Hall," the Trade Master winked as he handed the spatial rings over to John. John reached out and accepted the rings, and sent his divine sense into each one.
Each ring held a different item he had bid on, and even his Nine-Convergence Lightning Core was there, which he had purchased outside of this private booth. Clearly the Trade Master had sent word to the auction theater to send the item here instead, which John truly appreciated.
The items he had bid on, namely two seals, were incredibly valuable, and would no doubt draw envious gazes towards him, with some even trying to steal the items from him. However, everyone thought the Trade Master himself had obtained those items, and no one was crazy enough to try to steal from such a person.
"Thank you," John said graciously upon realizing this. "You've truly been nothing but helpful."</o>
Not only had the Trade Master explained many things to him during the auction, he had also allowed John to stay in his private booth, shielding his purchases from prying eyes, as well as making a five hundred billion spirit crystal deal with him. While that deal also benefited the Trade Master, it was still a massive boon to John, and so his approval of the Trade Master only continued to climb.
"There's no need for such pleasantries. I helped you, and you helped me. We both came out winners from this year's auction," the Trade Master replied, "besides, I have a feeling that more wondrous opportunities may arise from the partnership between you and my Trade Hall, so feel free to stop by at any time. You will be received as an honored guest each time."
"Thanks. I'll be sure to do that," John thanked the Trade Master once more, as well as Caz, truly appreciative of all the help he had received from the both of them.
…
John spent a short while after talking to Caz and the Trade Master about various things, before the three parted ways. After receiving instruction on where to find Daoist Eternal Weapon, John made his way off the central island and into the Eternal Weapon Temple district.
As he made his way into the Eternal Weapon Temple district, he was able to feel several gazes locked onto him, clearly following him. The following had started from when he was on the central auction house island, shortly after he had left the auction house.
"Tch, what a bunch of amateurs. If you're going to follow someone, at least learn how to mask your presence, idiots," John sighed softly as he ignored them, as they would not dare to do anything to him inside the city. If they tried to make a move on him once he left the city, John was more than willing to take on that challenge.
John meandered through the streets of the district, which was far different that the Mystic Trade Hall district. Most of the shops and buildings lining the streets light brightly with the heat of forges and furnaces, as weaponsmiths, armor smiths, and other crafting professionals produced their metallic wares.
The clinking of metal on metal filled the streets, while a metallic odor hung in the air, which John felt quite enjoyable, and not at all unpleasant. After walking through the streets of the district, he arrived before the front gates of the Eternal Weapon Temple. The gates were crafted off some sort of sturdy metal, black in color, while metallic walls wrapped all around the temple grounds. Just the gates alone were incredibly well crafted, as it was easy to tell that a master craftsman had produced them. There were no visible flaws at all, and the aura from the gates indicated that it was made of an incredibly durable metal, which would have been very hard to work into shape.
The Eternal Weapon Temple was as the name suggested a massive temple, stone colored with dark metallic furnishings all about.
The temple was almost a mile wide, and just as tall, with towering spires releasing plumes of smoke, clearly acting as smokestacks for the forges contained within. The temple itself gave off a strong and robust presence, as if it could survive the shattering of the world itself.
As John approached the front gates which were open with guards inspecting travelers entering and leaving, he was approached by one guard.
"What is your business here? Are you here to see a specific forgemaster?" the guard asked John, who nodded his head in confirmation.
"I'm here to see Daoist Eternal Weapon," John confirmed, to which the guard scoffed dismissively.
"This is no place to make Jokes. Move along, child," the guard scoffed and told him to leave.
John took no offense to the guards actions, as they were reasonable given the nature of his request. Instead he handed the guard a spatial ring, which the guard eyed suspiciously before taking it.
"Bribing me won't work," the guard scoffed as he inspected the ring, and his eyes widened as he noticed what was within.
"Follow me," the guard said as he handed John the ring back and walked through the gates into the Eternal Weapon Temple grounds.
…
Clank!
Clank!
Clank!
The sound of metal on metal rang out all throughout the Eternal Weapon Temple as the guard led John through its massive hallways. The central hallway was lined on both sides with rooms, some opened and some closed, but all ringing with the sound of metalworking.
Hallways branched off from the main hallway as they walked through it, each branching hallway much the same, with metallic ringing drifting within and the flares of flames illuminating it brightly. It was as if John had stepped into a forge itself, one that he found incredibly interesting.
The guard led John deep into the temple, and eventually to a massive set of stairs that led deep into the earth below. The stairs stretched down for thousands of yards, each side of the staircase illuminated by flaming torches.
Just before the staircase was a massive stone table, behind which a singular person sat. The person was an older man, with a long white beard who appeared to be in his sixties. However, his body was quite muscular, as his clothing revealed his bare arms. His head was down as he wrote something on a scroll before him, ignoring both John and the guard. John gazed curiously at the man, who was clearly a powerful cultivator, most likely in the World Expansion Realm.
However, the thing that shocked John the most was the man's body, which naturally gave off an incredibly powerful aura. Such an aura was unmistakable…the aura of a body cultivator.
‘A World Expansion body cultivator!'
