The Grand Auction Begins

“Welcome, fellow Daoists, to the Grand Auction at my Treasure Pavilion!”

Not long after Chi Qiu and Su Hanxing entered their private booth, a figure, leaning on a slender staff, slowly ascended the central platform of the auction hall.

It was an elder, seemingly past his sixties. Despite his hair and beard being entirely white, his face was remarkably hale, his eyes sparkled with vitality, and his back remained ramrod straight, betraying no hint of his advanced age.

“I believe most of you present here have heard this old man’s name before, but allow me to reintroduce myself,” the elder declared, a radiant smile gracing his features. He scanned the auction hall, listening to the murmurs that filled the space.

Thump-thump—

Lightly, the elder raised his staff and tapped the platform floor twice, seemingly without a care. An invisible ripple instantly spread from the spot he touched, swiftly extending throughout the entire auction hall. Wherever the ripple reached, the crowd fell silent. In mere moments, the vast hall became utterly still.

“This old man is named Fansheng, and I shall be your host for this auction.”

Fansheng’s power… it’s truly formidable. He must be a Dharma Manifestation Realm cultivator, Chi Qiu mused, utterly astonished that a mere tap of the staff could silence the entire auction hall.

“Given that this is the Daqi’s second-largest merchant guild, an auction of this scale absolutely requires a host capable of commanding the room,” Su Hanxing remarked, nodding. “Choosing a Dharma Manifestation Realm cultivator to preside is indeed the most fitting choice.”

His eyes narrowed slightly as he inwardly assessed Fansheng’s true strength.

“His power is likely inferior to the Heart God Sect cultivators in Qingyuan Ravine, probably around the Human-tier stage of the Dharma Manifestation Realm,” Su Hanxing whispered softly to Chi Qiu after a long observation.

“You can discern the strength of Dharma Manifestation Realm cultivators now?” Chi Qiu’s eyes widened in surprise upon hearing Su Hanxing’s words. She knew that, in the past, Su Hanxing had been completely unable to gauge the power of cultivators at that level.

“I can perceive a few clues, Little Chi. There’s no need to be so surprised. My strength in the God Concealing stage has reached its peak; with the right opportunity, breaking through to the Dharma Manifestation Realm won’t be difficult.” Su Hanxing smiled at Chi Qiu, extending a hand to lightly embrace her shoulder, drawing her a little closer as he explained.

Then I must redouble my cultivation efforts. I’m still quite a distance from the pinnacle of the God Concealing stage, Chi Qiu thought, a strong desire to improve her strength surging within her. She had no wish to be left far behind by Su Hanxing again. So intense was this urgent desire to cultivate that she didn’t even notice she was once more half-embraced by Su Hanxing.

“Don’t rush, Little Chi. You possess the True Dragon’s Aura; you only need to cultivate to the peak of the God Concealing stage to directly break through to the Dharma Manifestation Realm. By then, I’ll likely still be in the God Concealing stage,” Su Hanxing said with a comforting smile, observing her eager expression.

“Look, the first auction item is about to be revealed.”

Chi Qiu seemed on the verge of saying something more when Su Hanxing suddenly pointed to the central platform, successfully diverting her attention.

“Enough with the pleasantries. Our first item for auction is this.” Fansheng gently raised his hand, and an ink-black jade longsword, shimmering with crimson-green light, instantly appeared within his grasp.

“This is the Heavenly Rainbow Sword, a mid-grade Primordial Spirit Treasure. Forged from Heavenly Crystal Rainbow Iron, it houses two conflicting forces, crimson and green. With a single strike, it can unleash incredibly destructive sword qi, even without the use of true qi. The starting bid is ten thousand Spirit Pills, with each subsequent bid not less than ten thousand Spirit Pills.”

Longswords were arguably the most commonly used magical treasures among cultivators. Whether for close combat or controlling flying swords, these skills were mastered by almost every practitioner. To prevent an initial lull, many auctions typically featured a longsword treasure as their first item.

“The starting bid is surprisingly low. Aren’t they worried about taking a loss?” Chi Qiu asked, a hint of surprise in her voice. She turned to Su Hanxing, her brow furrowed in confusion.

She recalled the Ink Jade Longsword she had sold at Qibao Hall, which was valued at 120,000 Spirit Pills, despite being a mid-grade Primordial Spirit Treasure with damaged spiritual energy. Its true worth should have been at least 300,000 Spirit Pills.

“These major merchant guilds are shrewd. If the final bid isn’t satisfactory, they’ll simply have their own people buy it, never giving anyone a chance to snag a bargain.” Su Hanxing raised an eyebrow. As the chief disciple of the Tianyan Sect, he had attended countless auctions and was well-versed in their intricacies.

“So that’s how it is…” Chi Qiu nodded in sudden understanding.

As they conversed, the price of the Heavenly Rainbow Sword had already soared to 170,000 Spirit Pills. The bidding calls continued to erupt across the hall, showing no signs of stopping anytime soon. Ultimately, a God Concealing stage cultivator clad in purple robes secured the Heavenly Rainbow Sword for 430,000 Spirit Pills.

Once the item was confirmed sold, a white-robed attendant swiftly ascended the platform. They carefully took the Heavenly Rainbow Sword, then descended and headed directly for the purple-robed cultivator to finalize the transaction.

Fansheng’s smile broadened further, having earned a considerable sum from the first item. As the host, he received a percentage from every item sold. This accumulation of wealth, even for a Dharma Manifestation Realm cultivator like him, represented a truly substantial income.

“For our second item, we have a Golden Sun Flower. This is an exceptionally rare Dao plant, bearing natural sun patterns. Such a spirit plant, with its inherent Dao patterns, is a truly uncommon find. The starting bid is also ten thousand Spirit Pills, with each increment not less than ten thousand Spirit Pills.”

The elder extended his hand, and a mesmerizing, basin-sized flower, radiating a golden-crimson glow, materialized in his palm. This Golden Sun Flower had seven petals, each adorned with intricate Dao patterns that made it appear profoundly mystical.

Chi Qiu’s eyes widened. Upon seeing the dense, golden Dao patterns, she instantly entered a meditative state, quickly comprehending a trace of the Dao of Golden Sun from it.

“One hundred thousand Spirit Pills.”

Before Chi Qiu could even take another look, Su Hanxing’s bid echoed in her ears.

“Hanxing, do you need this item?” Chi Qiu, startled by Su Hanxing’s sudden shout, blinked and turned her head to ask him.

“I don’t need this item, but you do, Little Chi. Don’t refuse; consider it a reward for accompanying me to Huangzhou.” Su Hanxing gently ruffled Chi Qiu’s hair, smiling at her slightly dazed expression. He knew she generally disliked accepting gifts without reason, so he used this as an excuse to persuade her.

“I… alright, I truly need this item. Thank you, Hanxing.” The importance of rebuilding her physical body left no room for hesitation. After a brief moment of deliberation, she nodded her small head and expressed her gratitude to Su Hanxing.

“One hundred and eleven thousand!”

The sudden bid of 110,000 Spirit Pills startled everyone below the stage, but they quickly recovered, continuing to bid without yielding. After all, spirit plants were something one could never have too much of; no cultivator would ever complain about possessing an abundance of them.

“One hundred and twelve thousand!”

“One hundred and fourteen thousand!”

“Two hundred thousand.” Seeing the fierce competition, Su Hanxing simply offered another significantly higher price. His family wealth was unfathomable, and a few tens of thousands of Spirit Pills were of no consequence to him.

Upon hearing Su Hanxing’s bid, which once again jumped by several tens of thousands of Spirit Pills, the cultivators below instantly fell silent, no longer daring to bid.

“As expected of someone in a private booth—they truly have money to spare.”

“Bidding in increments of ten thousand, ten thousand—how incredibly generous.”

“After all, a single private booth costs fifty thousand Spirit Pills. Those who can afford one certainly wouldn’t care about an extra ten or twenty thousand Spirit Pills.”

Su Hanxing’s bidding style sparked widespread discussion among the cultivators in the hall. Amidst their whispers, the auction house quickly grew noisy once more. It was well known that the market price for a spirit plant bearing Dao patterns was only around 100,000 to 200,000. This person, clearly unconcerned about money, seemed someone it was better not to offend by competing. Instead, it was wiser to concede gracefully.

“Two hundred thousand Spirit Pills. Is there any higher bid?” Fansheng’s smile broadened even further. He held his staff, slowly surveying the entire auction hall as he inquired.

“Two hundred thousand, going once!”

“Two hundred thousand, going twice!”

“Two hundred thousand, going thrice! Sold!”

With a light tap of his staff, the Golden Sun Flower was officially awarded to Su Hanxing.