It was clear that this foreign Grand Ascension cultivator had no idea that the true bidder competing against him in the flying pavilion was merely a junior at the Void Refinement stage.
Upon hearing this, Xue Po’s expression shifted slightly, and she couldn’t help but glance at Han Li.
“No need to worry. Since this is an auction, the highest bidder naturally wins. If you truly need it, Fellow Daoist Xue, don’t hesitate—just bid as you please,” Han Li replied calmly, his expression unchanged.
“Thank you, Senior! With your words, this humble one can rest assured.” Xue Po relaxed visibly, her voice filled with gratitude.
She then tapped the disk a few more times and called out a new price: “Fifty-five million!”
This sudden increase of three million spirit stones shocked many of the foreign cultivators in the plaza.
The first Grand Ascension elder who had bid earlier fell silent. Even after Hu Yushuang on the stone platform confirmed the price three times and ultimately declared Xue Po the winner of the Golden Thunder Lion Marrow, no further bids came from the flying pavilions.
It was unclear whether the Grand Ascension elder truly believed the item wasn’t worth such a high price or simply saw no need to compete with a peer for it.
In any case, Xue Po was overjoyed. Shortly after, a servant from the merchant alliance arrived to deliver the item, and she promptly paid the full amount in spirit stones.
“Who would’ve thought Sister Xue was so wealthy? You didn’t even blink at such a massive sum,” Zhu Guo’er remarked enviously after the servant left, eyeing the small purple vial in Xue Po’s hands.
Given her age and cultivation level, it was impossible for her to possess such vast resources.
“You jest, Sister Guo’er. These spirit stones were painstakingly saved by my original self over many years. I never expected something as rare as Golden Thunder Lion Marrow to appear so early in the auction—otherwise, I would’ve waited longer before bidding. But now that I’ve spent so much on this treasure, I won’t have any hope for the later items,” Xue Po sighed, then flicked her wrist, storing the vial away in a flash of spiritual light.
“Actually, I think your timing was wise. Though there may be rarer items later, their prices will surely skyrocket far beyond this. Many are likely holding back now, waiting to see what comes next—otherwise, you wouldn’t have secured the marrow so easily,” Zhu Guo’er mused playfully, tilting her head.
“This is all thanks to Senior Han’s presence. Alone, I wouldn’t dare compete with a Grand Ascension elder. Even if no Grand Ascension cultivators had participated, others wouldn’t have let the marrow go without a fight,” Xue Po said, casting another grateful glance at Han Li.
“I had thought I might need to lend you some spirit stones, but since you secured it on your own, that’s even better,” Han Li replied with a faint smile, neither confirming nor denying her words.
His gaze then returned to the center of the plaza outside the pavilion.
The auction’s opening with something as rare as Golden Thunder Lion Marrow had surprised even him, and he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of anticipation for what might come next.
On the stone platform, Hu Yushuang had already taken hold of the second item—a slightly longer wooden box—and opened it with a flourish.
The moment the dark box was unsealed, a dragon’s roar echoed through the air.
A streak of azure light shot out, twisting midair before transforming into a massive green flood dragon over ten zhang long, its claws bared as it soared skyward, seemingly intent on escaping.
“Hmph, down!”
A cold snort rang out from the five-colored clouds above, followed by several golden beams shooting from nearby mist formations. They struck the flood dragon with pinpoint accuracy, forcing it to let out a pained cry before plummeting back down.
Seizing the moment, the woman on the platform chanted an incantation and pointed at the descending creature.
The flood dragon writhed, its glow dimming until it reverted to a gleaming azure sword, gently floating downward.
Hu Yushuang raised a hand, summoning the sword into her grasp. With a light rub of her palms, the blade’s glow faded entirely, and the dragon’s roar ceased abruptly.
Han Li’s eyes flashed blue as he examined the weapon in detail.
The sword was of ancient design, no more than a foot long, with the blade and hilt each taking up half its length. Its surface was covered in dense, scale-like patterns, while the hilt vaguely resembled a green dragon’s head, its jaws clasping a crescent-shaped crystal.
“The ‘Azure Dragon Moonpiercer Sword’—one of the three famed spiritual swords once wielded by the legendary Moonpiercer Elder ten thousand years ago. Forged with the essence of over a dozen spiritual green flood dragons and tempered for centuries under the power of lunar energy, its spiritual nature and might are beyond question. Interested fellow Daoists may come forward to inspect it,” the alluring woman announced, holding the sword aloft with a smile.
True to her words, dozens of cultivators rose from the plaza to examine the blade on the platform, some nodding in approval, others shaking their heads. Nearly thirty had passed through in a short time.
Once the last examiner stepped down, Hu Yushuang raised the sword and declared without hesitation:
“The Azure Dragon Moonpiercer Sword’s auction begins now! Starting bid: seven million spirit stones—payment in top-grade spirit stones only!”
The base price was noticeably lower than that of the Golden Thunder Lion Marrow, but the number of interested bidders for this storied blade far surpassed the earlier item.
The moment the announcement ended, voices rang out:
“Seven and a half million!”
“Eight million!”
“Nine million!”
The screen above the plaza flickered with the sword’s phantom image as the bidding price soared, changing too rapidly to track clearly.
But when the number hit twenty-six million, the bids abruptly ceased.
Evidently, the foreign cultivators in the plaza deemed this the limit, not worth further competition. As for the Grand Ascension elders in the flying pavilions, such treasures held no appeal to them, and none made a move.
Thus, the Azure Dragon Moonpiercer Sword was sold for twenty-six million.
When Hu Yushuang opened the third box, she revealed a fist-sized chunk of blood-red ore—Bloodsteel Iron, a specialty of the Blood Sky Continent.
This material, used for crafting certain rare artifacts, was smoothly auctioned off for seventeen million.
And so, the auction continued with a strong start.
Treasures and materials were presented one after another, each swiftly sold under Hu Yushuang’s deft handling.
Few of these items caught the attention of the Grand Ascension elders in the pavilions, who only intervened a handful of times out of nearly a hundred lots.
Han Li, naturally, found nothing worth bidding on either.
Xue Po’s eyes gleamed at several later offerings, but the moment their prices were announced, she could only sigh and withdraw. With her funds depleted, she could only admire from afar.
The Helian Merchant Alliance, seemingly aware that these items couldn’t tempt the Grand Ascension elders, finally unveiled five or six treasures even rarer than the Golden Thunder Lion Marrow midway through the auction.
Each of these was related to resisting or delaying heavenly tribulations.
This time, the pavilion’s occupants stirred, competing fiercely. Every item soared past a hundred million spirit stones, with one special material for crafting tribulation-resistant artifacts fetching an astronomical four hundred million.
The plaza’s Body Integration and Void Refinement cultivators finally witnessed what true wealth looked like—where top-grade spirit stones were treated like mere pebbles.
Han Li had shown interest in that special material, but once the price exceeded two hundred million, he chuckled and withdrew.
With these ultra-rare items, most Grand Ascension elders were now fully engaged. Even when subsequent offerings dipped in quality, these venerable figures began snapping them up frequently.
As time passed, the auction stretched over an entire day, finally nearing its conclusion.
Yet none of the attendees—all formidable cultivators—showed fatigue. If anything, their spirits seemed to rise.
“I trust many fellow Daoists have been eagerly awaiting this moment. Without further ado, let us begin the auction for this event’s three finale treasures—each guaranteed to exceed your expectations,” Hu Yushuang announced with a mysterious smile, clapping her hands lightly.
A thunderous rumble echoed as the five-colored clouds parted overhead, revealing a magnificent golden palace.
From within, accompanied by sacred chants, emerged three stunning women in five-colored robes, each bearing a silver tray veiled in golden light.
No sooner had they appeared than four elderly figures—each radiating the overwhelming aura of Grand Ascension cultivators—followed from the palace.
As the seven descended onto the platform, Hu Yushuang bowed deeply to the elders.
“Greetings to the Four Great Elders. This junior had intended to pay respects upon arriving in the Wind Yuan Continent, but learned you were in seclusion. I hope you’ll forgive the oversight.”
A gaunt elder in hemp robes, his features weathered yet dignified, waved a hand.
“Ah, you must be Old Hu the Fifth’s most promising descendant. Your talent is indeed exceptional. As for formalities, we’ve never cared for them—no need to trouble yourself. The four of us have been cultivating a joint technique at a critical juncture. Had Ming Zun not insisted we oversee this event, we’d still be in seclusion.”
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