Although the Northern State was far from the Eastern State, as the master of a peak, Gu Liangyuan knew a bit about the Northern State's affairs, and indeed, there was a force called the Red Cloud Palace.

  Gu Liangyuan remembered the Red Cloud Palace because their cultivation methods were particularly peculiar.

  The disciples of the Red Cloud Palace often held themselves to high moral standards and enjoyed helping others.

  Initially, people were puzzled, but later, a wise person revealed the truth: the Red Cloud Palace acted this way because of their unique method of borrowing fate.

  When they help you in times of need, a portion of your fate is shared with them.

  However, this bit of fate is nothing compared to saving a life, so even knowing their method of borrowing fate, the Red Cloud Palace still maintained a good reputation.

  Some might ask, do they return the borrowed fate?

  The answer is simple: they borrowed it with skill, so why should they return it?

  The swindler in front of them claimed to be the Young Palace Lord of the Red Cloud Palace, relying on the palace's reputation, and might actually fool some people.

  But to the Young Palace Lord's disappointment, he waited for a long time without any cultivators making a move.

  A supreme-grade spirit stone might mean nothing to Gu Liangyuan, but to ordinary cultivators, a supreme-grade spirit stone, worth ten thousand lower-grade ones, could buy a Profound-Grade Magical Artifact.

  Ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators, to save a supreme-grade spirit stone, would even travel on foot instead of using teleportation arrays.

  Moreover, the person in front of them was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, claiming to be the Young Lord of the Red Cloud Palace, which wasn't very convincing.

  As the crowd watched, a young man in black walked up to the Young Palace Lord.

  With a flip of his hand, he handed over a supreme-grade spirit stone:

  "Fellow Daoist, I believe you."

  "My name is Mo Chen, a disciple of the Supreme Holy Land. Today, I lend you this spirit stone. When you return to the Red Cloud Palace, just send someone to return it."

  The Young Palace Lord, moved, tightly grasped Mo Chen's hand, their eyes meeting:

  "Brother Mo~"

  "Fellow Daoist~"

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  After a long while, the Young Palace Lord released Mo Chen's hand, sighing with emotion: "There are still many good people in this world. Brother Mo, I consider you a friend!"

  "Brother Mo, rest assured in the Supreme Holy Land. One day, I will repay you a thousandfold..."

  "No!"

  "One day, I will bring ten thousand supreme-grade spirit stones to find Brother Mo!"

  Mo Chen nodded heavily:

  "I believe you!"

  Amidst the crowd's sighs, the Young Palace Lord left, looking back every few steps.

  After he left, a group of cultivators spoke to Mo Chen:

  "Fellow Daoist, I think that supreme-grade spirit stone of yours is wasted."

  "Yes, I've traveled the mortal world and seen similar tricks many times. Fellow Daoist, you're still young."

  "Exactly, if that person comes to find you, I'll eat my hat!"

  Mo Chen listened to the discussions without explaining, just chuckling to himself.

  Gu Liangyuan walked up, giving Mo Chen a pat on the back of the head, making Mo Chen yelp.

  "I say, Mo Chen, I never realized you had such a kind side."

  "I only gave you ten supreme-grade spirit stones for this trip, weren't you planning to buy a gift for Liu Shuang?"

  Mo Chen didn't reply, just kept grinning foolishly. Seeing Gu Liangyuan raise his hand to hit him again, he pulled Gu Liangyuan to a secluded corner, with Qian Qiu and Song Xian'er closely following.

  After looking around to ensure no one was nearby, Mo Chen mysteriously said to Gu Liangyuan:

  "Everyone thinks he's a swindler, but I'm sure he's telling the truth."

  Song Xian'er was puzzled: "Why?"

  Mo Chen chuckled, revealing a pitch-black storage ring in his hand:

  "Because I really found an ownerless storage ring."

  Gu Liangyuan: ...

  A bit of conscience, but not much...

  Qian Qiu and Song Xian'er also had strange expressions.

  Oh, you thick-browed, big-eyed third junior brother!

  Mo Chen continued:

  "As expected of the Young Palace Lord of the Red Cloud Palace, his storage ring contained a full hundred thousand supreme-grade spirit stones!"

  "I was only planning to buy a flying sword for Cousin Liu, but now..."

  Qian Qiu and Song Xian'er made a sound of disdain, stepping back slightly.

  Here we go again.

  Can't go three sentences without mentioning Liu Shuang.

  As Mo Chen indulged in fantasies of the future, Gu Liangyuan, recalling the rumors about the Red Cloud Palace, suddenly frowned and casually cast a Detection Technique on Mo Chen.

  He discovered that Mo Chen's previously bright Fate Trait, the Smooth Path to Dao, had dimmed somewhat.

  Gu Liangyuan reached out and took the storage ring from Mo Chen's hand.

  Mo Chen was immediately anxious: "Master, you can't do this, at least leave me half."

  Gu Liangyuan didn't reply, instead using his Divine Sense to carefully examine the ring. He found that besides spirit stones, there wasn't a single magical artifact inside.

  Gu Liangyuan's face darkened, giving Mo Chen another flick on the forehead:

  "You're still laughing, your fate was stolen, and you didn't even realize it!"

  "Huh?"

  Not only was Mo Chen dumbfounded, but Song Xian'er and Qian Qiu were also a bit confused.

  So Gu Liangyuan explained the rumors about the Red Cloud Palace to them, concluding with:

  "Actually, if you think about it, there are many inconsistencies."

  "Spatial rings are recognized by Divine Sense, and even if they encounter spatial fluctuations, the chances of erasing the Divine Sense are very small."

  "Moreover, whose storage ring isn't filled with a bunch of magical artifacts and miscellaneous items?"

  "This one only has spirit stones and nothing else, which is unusual."

  Mo Chen scratched his head: "But Master, why didn't he just throw it to me? Why did he say he lost his storage ring?"

  Gu Liangyuan pondered for a moment: "I think such a strange method of borrowing fate must have limitations."

  "The reason he was waiting there was probably due to some restriction."

  "Or maybe he saw your good fate and wanted to take advantage of you a few more times."

  Mo Chen was puzzled: "Is my fate really that good?"

  Gu Liangyuan didn't respond, instead looking around for the Young Palace Lord's figure.

  In the current Ghost City, powerful beings were everywhere, and Gu Liangyuan didn't dare to casually release his Divine Sense. But with just his eyes, how could he find someone in the vast crowd?

  Gu Liangyuan, annoyed, gave Mo Chen another flick on the forehead:

  "Being greedy for small gains leads to big losses. The Cultivation World is not like the Holy Land, it's full of schemes, and you must be cautious everywhere."

  "Although this bit of fate doesn't have a huge impact on you, this matter can't just end like this. After the auction, we'll make him pay."

  "You three should also remember this experience, be cautious in everything, and you won't go wrong."

  Gu Liangyuan's words were directed at his three disciples, but also at himself.

  He realized he hadn't been cautious enough. If he had used the Detection Technique on the Young Palace Lord earlier, this wouldn't have happened.

  The four of them wandered for a while longer, and Gu Liangyuan, having learned his lesson, kept the Detection Technique active, from Qi Refining to Tribulation Crossing, leaving no secrets under its scrutiny.

  But to Gu Liangyuan's disappointment, he didn't see the Golden Interface.

  As night fell and thinking about the auction the next day, Gu Liangyuan lost interest in wandering and led his disciples back to the inn.

  Pawread.