At Xu Ran's speed, even a journey to Black Seal City would have been swift, yet he lingered for several days to satisfy the curiosity of the women.
Moreover, they descended upon several towns, allowing the ladies to purchase some trinkets not available in the Divine Realm. However, every visit caused quite a stir.
After all, one person might go unnoticed, but the appearance of so many women, each stunning enough to bring a nation to its knees, would attract attention, even if Xu Ran tried to minimize their presence.
The power of Black Seal City Grand Auction House had grown considerably since before.
Even, Xu Ran sensed the presence of several Douhuang (Battle Emperor) Strong Ones, likely the auction house's guards. These individuals were mostly mercenaries hired to enforce order at the auction house, which was now flush with money. Adventurers found such easy and profitable missions irresistible. Most of them even chose to stay and pledged loyalty to the auction house.
Initially, Zhongzhou powers occasionally coveted the auction house, but once they learned of its strength, they dared not entertain such thoughts anymore.
The notable Zhongzhou powers aware of Xu Ran's existence had obviously warned their own forces. And for the other powers, the auction house's strength was deterrent enough.
Xu Ran, accompanied by the women, arrived at the auction house's grand salon, where the sight of them stunned the service staff, leaving them dumbfounded. After all, Xu Ran and his entourage had appeared through a sudden distortion of space, and the abrupt arrival of so many people would baffle anyone.
Xu Ran had grown accustomed to the admiring and even drooling gazes they attracted.
"Master."
Shortly after Xu Ran's arrival, the Saint of Heavenly Fire rushed to his side, adopting a posture of loyal allegiance.
"Take us to a quieter room and summon Ya Fei," Xu Ran instructed.
"Yes," the Saint of Heavenly Fire said respectfully as he stood up, his eyes sneaking glances behind Xu Ran. Despite his many years in Zhongzhou, it seemed he had never seen so many beautiful women in one place. Not just many—any at all.
Even now, aged as he was, he found them breathtaking.
He could tell these were not just pretty faces. The noble aura they exuded astonished him.
Any one of them, if taken out alone, would be a rare beauty in Zhongzhou.
"Could it be that I'm unlucky with women, and beautiful women simply avoid me? That's why I've never encountered such beauties?" the Saint of Heavenly Fire doubted himself inwardly. If such beauty were not rare, then perhaps that was the only explanation. But he quickly dismissed the thought since even the pampered beauties in Zhongzhou seemed to pale in comparison to these women.
"It seems I haven't followed the wrong person. Not only is his strength formidable, but my master also has peerless talents in other respects. To be able to stay with so many outstanding females without any discord among them," the Saint of Heavenly Fire even began to admire Xu Ran more. Though past his passionate years, men will always care about such matters. Even in old age, one would hope to be seen as eternally virile.
Just the way Xu Ran managed his wives alone was a topic of great interest, let alone his physical capabilities—which did indeed make others feel defeated. Considering his own body, the Saint of Heavenly Fire thought handling two or three would be his limit; most men would likely struggle to handle even one over an extended period.
The Saint of Heavenly Fire couldn't fathom how Xu Ran did it, attributing it in the end to his master's miraculous nature.
If he weren't so exceptional, how could he have remade his body, helped him become a Dou Sheng, a master, right?
"Yay. This auction house is just like the ones on Soul Land. So other worlds have such places too."
"As long as there are goods to trade, there will always be places like this. Some things can't be sold directly, so an auction gets them into the hands that value them the most, fetching a higher price."
"But this is Xu Ran's power as well, right? From now on, I'll settle down here."
The room was spacious, and even with more than thirty people inside, it wasn't crowded at all. In front of Xu Ran, they even went as far as to expose themselves without restraint, making Xu Ran feel a heat surging through his body.
If there was a large private bathhouse, with so many people...
Sensing that Ya Fei was about to arrive, Xu Ran went out to greet her directly. Otherwise, with so many people, she would surely be taken aback.
Nevertheless, it seemed that Xu Ran had discussed such matters with Ya Fei before, and with her personality, she wouldn't be prone to throwing a tantrum.
"What's the matter?"
Seeing Xu Ran, Ya Fei quickened her pace, her eyes revealing a distinctly nervous expression. Clearly, she had already heard about the commotion at the auction house.
"It's as I told you before, I've brought them all over," Xu Ran said sheepishly, feeling somewhat embarrassed to have brought so many people all at once.
"It seems there are quite a few," Ya Fei said, sticking out her tongue. This was her first time encountering such a situation, and she was very nervous. These people had known Xu Ran much longer than she had, and she knew the attitude she should adopt to host them.
If she acted too humble, would she be looked down upon, or worse, become a minor character at their beck and call later on? But if she were too cool or indifferent, being a later addition to Xu Ran's life, wouldn't it be inappropriate? And making enemies with so many people at once could make her position by Xu Ran's side untenable in the future.
Ya Fei was evidently nervous. After all, it wasn't just one or two people, but many. A blunder now could mean difficulty remaining by Xu Ran's side in the future.
And hearing that they were even more outstanding than her only added to her worries.
Ya Fei's expression was tense, hesitating at the door without entering.
"Don't worry, there's nothing to be afraid of; they're not that scary," Xu Ran reassured her with a smile. It was fortunate he didn't directly bring them to meet Xun Er and the others; if the easygoing and socially adept Ya Fei was this nervous, one could only imagine the others' reactions upon meeting her. The mere presence of System had already caused them concern. And the attractiveness of Gu Yuena and the rest could indeed give Ya Fei and the others a significant sense of threat. After all, they were in Godly Physiques that had undergone an evolutionary transformation, superior to normal beings.