"No need to be so tense. Why the nervousness? We all hail from Tianhai, after all!"

Xu Ke spread his hands. "Weren't you the ones who ambushed and tried to kill me this morning? Why are you acting as if I'm about to harm you at any moment?"

As if caught red-handed, Shi Hongda's voice shot up. "What nonsense are you spouting? When did we ever ambush you?"

The Yin Yang Elders chimed in, "Stop making baseless accusations."

The three of them looked at Xu Ke with an 'I knew it' expression.

He's pretending to make small talk, but he's really just digging a pit for us. If we accidentally admit anything, we'll fall right into his trap!

Watching the trio, jumpy as frightened birds yet simultaneously smug as if they had seen through his scheme, Tang Yingchang was speechless.

It's one thing to dodge his verbal traps, but to be proud of it... And these are supposed to be three great Innate experts. It seems strength doesn't always equate to intelligence.

Xu Ke chuckled. "Alright, alright! You're older, so you must be right. Why don't you answer my question, then? Are you here for the auction?"

Shi Hongda snorted. "We're eating here. If we weren't attending the auction, would we have come just to window-shop?"

Their original plan had been to assassinate Xu Ke here. But when they saw he was already at the Deyun Hotel, they changed their minds. They would compete with him at the auction instead!

The reason was simple. One of the items up for auction was the Jade Mountain Lotus, which could help a martial artist break through from the Postnatal Great Perfection to the Innate Realm. For an Innate Martial Artist, it wasn't particularly valuable, but for a Postnatal Great Perfection Martial Artist, it was absolutely crucial.

When they first learned Xu Ke would be at the auction, they didn't know what he intended to bid on, as he was only at the Postnatal Late Stage at the time. But that afternoon, Shi Hongda had been stunned when he felt the aura that burst from Xu Ke, which indicated he had reached Postnatal Great Perfection.

How could his cultivation advance so terrifyingly fast? Is he even human?

At the same time, he realized that what Xu Ke desperately needed now was the Jade Mountain Lotus. Therefore, they had to get it first.

The leap from Postnatal Great Perfection to the Innate Initial Stage was a qualitative change. Xu Ke was already at Postnatal Great Perfection, just one step away. If he obtained the Jade Mountain Lotus, he would become truly unstoppable.

"I see," Xu Ke said, nodding with a grin. "So you bought your invitations from someone?"

Shi Hongda considered the question for a moment, saw no problem with answering, and replied, "Yes."

"Good," Xu Ke said with a smile. "Thanks for your cooperation."

Then, he fell completely silent.

His reaction once again threw the three of them into a state of anxious uncertainty, feeling as if Xu Ke was plotting something else against them. In truth, they were mistaken. While his first few questions had indeed been an attempt to trap them off-guard, his last question was purely to clear up his own confusion.

He knew that this auction was normally only open to people from Sui City. Zhou Hongsheng had only received an invitation because he had once saved the life of a Bai Family elder. Xu Ke had wanted to find out how Shi Hongda and his group had gotten in. If they had simply bought their invitations, that was fine. But if their invitations had been gifted by a Sui City family, the implications would be entirely different. This confirmation put Xu Ke's mind at ease.

As Xu Ke stood in silence, DING. The elevator arrived.

The three of them scrambled out as if their lives depended on it, desperate to get away from Xu Ke.

Xu Ke and Tang Yingchang shook their heads. For such powerful experts, they were as timid as mice. Not very impressive.

The two of them walked toward the banquet hall. Though a formal event, it wasn't overly grand. At the entrance to the second-floor hall, four beautiful women in bright red cheongsams smiled as they greeted the guests. Inside, six waiters in gray vests stood ready to attend to everyone.

Xu Ke and Tang Yingchang walked up and presented their invitations. "Hello, I'm Xu Ke, and this is Mister Tang Yingchang."

The four greeters' expressions changed subtly.

"Please follow me, gentlemen!" one of the greeters, the one with the longest legs and most delicate skin, stepped forward, intending to lead Xu Ke inside personally.

Xu Ke was taken aback. Is it appropriate for her to leave her post like this?

Just then, a server whose hair was caked in an absurd amount of gel—clearly the team leader—stepped out and blocked both the greeter and Xu Ke.

"Hold on!" the server with the gelled hair said coolly.

"Captain Wong, what is it? I need to take these guests into the venue," the long-legged greeter forced a smile. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Wong Ming ignored her, his eyes raking over her body as he began to harass her. "Xiao Yu, how many times do I have to tell you? Just call me Wong Ming. Must you be so distant with me?"

Lin Yu's face paled slightly. "Captain Wong, we're on duty. Our priority is to receive the guests."

"Fine! You want to receive them, is that it? Good!" Wong Ming's expression turned cold. Without even glancing at Xu Ke, he said, "Then you should give me their invitations. After I've checked them, I'll personally escort them in."

Lin Yu hesitated and glanced subconsciously at Xu Ke.

Xu Ke smiled at her and handed over the invitation.

Without so much as a look, Wong Ming snatched the invitation and tossed it into a nearby trash can.

THUD.

"The invitation is fake. You have no right to be here. Get out!" Wong Ming sneered at Xu Ke.

The smile on Xu Ke's face grew wider, and colder.

Lin Yu's face went white. "Captain Wong, that invitation is real..."

SLAP!

The crisp sound echoed through the hall.

Before Lin Yu could finish her sentence, she was slapped hard across the face. Her fair cheek instantly swelled and turned red.

"A mere greeter, not only overstepping your duties but also bringing in guests with fake invitations. Get out! You're fired!" Wong Ming fired Lin Yu without a second thought. He crossed his arms and stared provocatively at Xu Ke. He wasn't just trying to drive Xu Ke away; he was also taking the opportunity to humiliate Lin Yu.

Serves her right for refusing to get into my bed. Damn her!

At his words, Lin Yu's face went deathly pale. "Captain Wong, I..."

"You what? Get out!" Wong Ming turned hostile in an instant.

Fighting back tears of indignation, Lin Yu turned to leave.

By now, many people in the hall were watching the commotion at the entrance, their faces showing a mixture of schadenfreude and knowing amusement.

Shi Hongda's group, who had already entered and taken their seats, sneered as they waited to watch Xu Ke make a fool of himself.

How dare he strike Xie Jinhua? Did he not know that the host of tonight's banquet was Xie Jinhua himself? Now, even a lowly attendant like Wong Ming could drive him out. As for that woman, Lin Yu—that was the fate of anyone who dared to help him!

Just then, Xu Ke's strong hand grabbed Lin Yu's arm.

"Hold on!"

Tears welled in Lin Yu's eyes. "Sir, I need to leave..." she said nervously.

"Don't be in such a hurry. It's not too late to leave after he's paid for what he's done," Xu Ke said, reaching up to undo the meticulously fastened top button of his shirt.

"What?" Lin Yu was astonished, suddenly finding an indescribable air of charisma emanating from him.

The next moment, her eyes flew open in disbelief.

Xu Ke exploded into action, his leg whipping up in a vicious kick.

BANG!

An explosive sound echoed through the hall.

Wong Ming, whose face was still a mask of provocation, was suddenly wracked with excruciating pain. "AHH!" he shrieked.

His body flew backward like a ragdoll.

CRASH!

He collided with a shelf, sending the wine glasses on it shattering to the floor.

The entire hall fell silent.