TL: Zhao

　　Editing: Krisaia

　　Sai Gao stood tall in his white skintight pants and black batwing coat. Charmful as ever, he was the center of attention in the small town he stayed in. However, he had no time to mind the scrutiny of those around him — it took all of his focus to repress his urge to leap at the throat of the man standing in front of him.

　　"You're alive?" Yun Yiyuan looked at the man whose demeanor did not match his appearance.

　　"I've disappointed you." Sai Gao smirked and slid his hand over the turtle sh.e.l.l he held. The sh.e.l.l had shrunk from pot-sized to about as big as his palm, and it had a smooth surface comparable to jewelry.

　　"Not disappointed. I'm simply surprised that you're a guardian. I thought that you were a mythical beast." Yun Yiyuan replied calmly, feeling unthreatened by Sao Gao's presence. However, he was more concerned by the possibility that Li Yiming as also roaming nearby, since Sai Gao fought alongside Li Yiming in Lianyun City.

　　"I hope for your sake that your path ahead will be an easy one." Sai Gao smiled coldly and turned around. He still remembered the pain from when Yun Yiyuan's spear nailed him to the city's wall. Contrary to Yun Yiyuan's supposition, he was not a guardian, giving Sai Gao leverage over the latter. However, their personal conflict had to be set aside for a later date, as he did not have the confidence to strike first. Sai Gao decided to wait patiently and strike when the time was right, knowing that Yun Yiyuan was not looking for a fight, either.

　　"Li Yiming…" Yun Yiyuan whispered a name he would never be able to forget. 'Just how strong are you? Three hundred guardians, all wiped out after dueling me. How come I've never heard of such a person before?'

　　* * *

　　Li Yiming picked up a gla.s.s of martini from a waiter. He removed the little decorated umbrella from the gla.s.s, briefly s.h.i.+fting his attention away from the women in bikinis nearby as he settled down more comfortably on his long chair. There were three days left until the start of the auction, and the guests on the Pandaria were using the time to relax and enjoy themselves.

　　Although the cruise s.h.i.+p was equipped with a myriad of facilities to entertain the guests, the main attraction remained the sea. A party had been organized on the deck, and it continued on even as night fell. One thing that Li Yiming noticed during his time on the cruise was that even though the men all looked fairly normal, the women were all extremely attractive.