Chapter Seventy-Three: Boiling

The faint voice caused Obenshan, who was preparing to teach Su Yi a lesson, to pause immediately. With a cold snort and a reluctant glare at Su Yi, Obenshan turned his head toward the source of the voice and said, “So it’s Miss Maya. Heh, what a coincidence to meet again…”

Maya, dressed elegantly in a snow-white cheongsam, walked over with composed grace, her expression calm and natural as she spoke. “The servants told me the patriarch of the Oben family had a conflict with someone. From what I see, the disagreement is indeed quite serious—enough for the dignified head of a clan to act out in the auction hall, which is rather unexpected, to be honest.”

Obenshan inwardly snorted at her words. Now that Maya had intervened, it was no longer appropriate for him to make a move. Regardless of his status, this was still the territory of the auction house, and even he could not act with complete impunity, especially when his target was someone affiliated with the auction house.

He shot Su Yi a sullen look, then sneered coldly, “Su Yi, I hope you can always hide behind a woman!” With that, he turned and strode away.

Watching Obenshan’s departing figure, Su Yi took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the violent emotions raging within him. After calming himself for a moment, he slowly walked toward Maya. Not far away, Lie Chen and the Lord of Chett City bid Maya farewell and soon left as well.

Maya’s sudden appearance had surprised and puzzled them, but since she had shown herself, there was no further need to linger. Besides, Su Yi’s affairs were not worth their attention.

Among them, Geli and the others felt some disappointment at not witnessing Su Yi’s true strength, but there was nothing they could do. Perhaps the next time they saw him in action would be at the upcoming martial tournament.

Su Yi approached Maya, lowered his voice, and said, “Thank you, Sister Maya.”

“There’s no need for thanks between us.” Maya smiled faintly, then looked at Su Yi with some surprise. “I didn’t expect you to stand up to Obenshan like that. You must know that few in Changling City dare challenge his authority. I imagine he’s furious now.”

“Even if I flatter him, Obenshan won’t let me off,” Su Yi replied calmly, shaking his head. “So why should I fear him?”

Not wishing to dwell on the topic, Su Yi changed the subject, “Sister Maya, how did the auction go this time?”

Maya smiled and began walking toward her chambers. Su Yi followed, and along the way, Maya briefly recounted the events of the auction. When she mentioned the last two items—the Voidbreaking Crossbow and the Revolving Light Sword Technique—Su Yi couldn’t help but exclaim, “There was actually such a powerful weapon as the Voidbreaking Crossbow?!”

What shocked him even more was that the Voidbreaking Crossbow had ended up in Obenshan’s hands. Given their animosity, it might well be used against him in the future.

“Powerful?” Maya looked at Su Yi meaningfully and said, “Su Yi, when you become a true master and can access certain circles, you’ll understand what truly counts as powerful… The Voidbreaking Crossbow is, in fact, outdated technology from the imperial family.”

“Outdated technology?” Su Yi was momentarily stunned.

“That’s right,” Maya explained. “For now, you only need to know that the Voidbreaking Crossbow’s power increases with the strength of its user. But the energy contained in a Tier Four magic core is immense—not so easily unleashed. Moreover, its energy conversion rate isn’t very high, so those below the rank of Battle King cannot draw out the crossbow’s full strength.”

“So it’s like that?” Su Yi exclaimed in surprise. “Does that mean only Battle King masters can use it?”

Maya shook her head. “Battle Lords can use it as well, and its power is considerable, but for true masters, such items are little more than embellishments. Everything depends on one’s own ability, not external aids. This is why weapons capable of shocking the continent are so rare. So, Su Yi, you mustn’t let your perspective be limited by such things…”

Su Yi nodded, noting that Maya seemed unconcerned about the Voidbreaking Crossbow. He then asked, “If Obenshan were to wield it at full strength, how powerful would it be?”

“That’s precisely what I meant about strength,” Maya replied with a gentle smile. “The gap between cultivators of different ranks is vast. Even a Battle Lord at the peak wielding the Voidbreaking Crossbow couldn’t defeat a Battle Dragon master. Obenshan with the crossbow would indeed pose a threat to Lie Chen… I imagine there will be plenty of fallout between the Lie and Oben families after this auction.”

“Oh?” Su Yi’s mind raced. “So, the Voidbreaking Crossbow can only threaten those of equal rank?”

“That’s right. So, if you have the strength of a tenth-level fighter, even if someone uses the crossbow against you in the tournament, it won’t be much of a threat. Therefore—” Maya smiled sideways, “I think you can rest easy now.”

“Uh…” Su Yi scratched his head, surprised by Maya’s sharp intuition. She had seen through his concerns. When he learned the crossbow had gone to the Oben family, he had wondered if they would use it against him.

Now, knowing the user’s strength limits the crossbow’s power, he realized that among all the under-twenty-seven cultivators in Changling City, none surpassed him. Even Oben Yu, considered a genius, was only a fifth-level fighter. With the crossbow, he still wouldn’t be a match for Su Yi.

“But Sister Maya, if the Voidbreaking Crossbow is outdated technology, why auction it off?” Su Yi thought of how Obenshan had spent so many coins for a relic and felt a surge of satisfaction.

Maya merely smiled without replying.

“…I see,” Su Yi suddenly understood. While the crossbow was outdated for Maya’s family, it was still a formidable weapon for clans like the Lie family in Changling City.

As they walked, Maya continued, “Actually… though the news hasn’t spread, there’s now a new manufacturing method for the Voidbreaking Crossbow. The improved version is much more powerful and easier to use, which is why the old ones are being auctioned off. If it were a Magic Crystal Cannon…”

At this point, Maya seemed to realize something and lowered her voice, stopping short.

“Ah… I see…” Su Yi nodded, pretending not to notice, lowering his voice further. “But these must be royal and military secrets, right? Sister Maya, you…”

“That… you’ll know in time…” Maya replied with her usual mysterious smile.

Su Yi shook his head, speechless. Judging from earlier, Maya not only had access to confidential matters, but also seemed unfazed by the likes of Lie Chen and Obenshan, Battle Lord masters of the city. It was as if she didn’t even consider them a threat.

Such confidence could be attributed to Maya’s status, but Su Yi sensed it wasn’t just that—there was an unmistakable aura of self-assurance, like a true master’s faith in their own power.

Su Yi himself was confident in his abilities, so he could detect a similar vibe from Maya, though he couldn’t be certain. In fact, over the past couple of years, since their first meeting, Su Yi had never sensed any fighting energy from Maya. It was odd—perhaps she hadn’t cultivated at all?

…but if she had, and Su Yi had never noticed…

As Su Yi was lost in thought, Maya’s next words pulled him back to reality. “Alright, enough of that. For the upcoming martial tournament, Su Yi, what are your plans? I’ve already made it known that you defeated the seventh-level fighter Di Yuan. Few in Changling City know your real strength, so I imagine they’ll be astonished when the time comes.”

“Uh?… Oh, that…” Su Yi smiled lightly. “I’ll do my best, of course.”

Though it’s often wise to keep a low profile, Su Yi no longer cared. After the tournament, he would set out in search of the Blood of Heaven and Earth and likely leave Changling City for good. Rather than depart underestimations, he’d rather shock everyone one last time and leave in glory…

Yes! The start of the tournament would mark the return of genius Su Yi! He was eager to see the expressions on everyone’s faces then!

Su Yi’s heart was indeed beginning to boil!

Martial Peak Volume 73, Chapter Seventy-Three—Boiling, finished updating!