"Young Master Li Xuan, the eldest miss has been waiting in the front hall and sent me to inform you."
In the blink of an eye, the day of the auction arrived. On this day, Li Xuan was awakened from his meditation by a voice outside his door.
Li Xuan opened his eyes and scanned with his spiritual sense, spotting the household servant outside. He responded with a sound and then got out of bed, walking towards the door.
"Let's go," Li Xuan nodded, signaling the servant to lead the way.
"Young Master Li Xuan, I am truly sorry. Xue Man was occupied with matters and could not disengage, so she sent a household servant to call you. Please do not take offense." Hu Xue Man saw Li Xuan from a distance and quickly hurried over.
"It's alright, Miss Xue Man," Li Xuan smiled faintly.
"Young Master Li Xuan, since you are here, let us depart." Hu Haide and the Grand Elder also led everyone out, cupping their fists towards Li Xuan and saying.
"Good," Li Xuan nodded.
"Shuangyang City, the Hu family arrives."
As the man at the entrance shouted, a woman emerged from within Ling Tian Pavilion, followed by four maids.
It was none other than Wan Ru.
"I have long heard of the reputation of the Hu family patriarch and wished to pay you a visit. However, my duties kept me occupied, and I was unable to get away. To have the fortune to meet you today fulfills a wish of mine. Patriarch Hu, and esteemed guests, please come inside." Wan Ru said with a smile.
"Miss Wan Ru, you are too kind," Hu Haide cupped his fists and led Li Xuan and his group inside. Following them, a maid emerged and guided Hu Haide.
"Earth-rank Number One." Li Xuan glanced at the plaque hanging before the door and walked in.
"Patriarch Hu, I am Yue'er, a dedicated attendant for this designated chamber. Below, Yue'er will introduce you to the facilities of this chamber. This is Earth-rank Number One, where all items are provided free of charge. You may enjoy them at your leisure."
"When the auction begins shortly, the items to be auctioned will appear here, along with their starting bids. You may place your bids here. This display is synchronized with the live event, so please be at ease. Yue'er will be waiting at the door; should you have any questions, you may summon Yue'er at any time."
After Yue'er finished speaking, she bowed slightly and walked out.
"Esteemed guests, I thank you all for your enthusiastic attendance. My name is Nan Huazi, and I am the chief steward of Ling Tian Pavilion in Shuangyang City. Regarding this auction, allow me to keep a little suspense. I can only tell you all that the grand finale item will surely satisfy everyone immensely."
"Alright, enough preamble. I declare the auction, officially open!"
Nan Huazi stepped onto the stage, and silence fell around them.
A short while later, an elder appeared on the stage.
"Esteemed guests, this auction will be presided over by this humble one, Wu Daozi. If there are any shortcomings, I request your indulgence." Wu Daozi bowed to the crowd below.
"Wu Daozi? Could it be the Wu Daozi, the legendary artifact refining master?"
"It should be correct. Although Wu Daozi only has the cultivation of the Destiny Realm, his artifact refining skills are divine."
"Indeed, if I were fortunate enough to obtain a spiritual weapon personally crafted by Wu Daozi, my strength would surely ascend to a new level!"
As a few people discussed, those who did not know Wu Daozi also became aware of his reputation. After all, this person before them was an artifact refiner.
Furthermore, he was the only one to break through to the Destiny Realm with the status of an artifact refiner.
"Alright, the chief steward has not spoken excessively, so I shall not delay further. Let us begin," Wu Daozi said, gesturing behind him.
"Wow, what a radiant gem." Many women were captivated by the gem.
At this moment, in the Earth-rank Number One chamber, Li Xuan's eyes were also fixed on the gem displayed on the screen.
"Esteemed guests, this gem is called the Falling Star Stone. It can be inlaid onto spiritual artifacts to enhance their attributes. Alright everyone, the starting bid is three thousand top-grade spirit stones. Each subsequent bid must not be less than one hundred top-grade spirit stones. Now, let us begin."
After Wu Daozi finished speaking, he said no more and smiled, looking around.
"Three thousand, I bid three thousand." After a long pause, a shout erupted from the hall.
Li Xuan looked and saw a man of a more slender build. Although the man had bid, it only served as a catalyst. Following his bid, everyone began to raise their prices.
Ultimately, it was sold for eight thousand seven hundred top-grade spirit stones.
As the auction progressed, Li Xuan gradually lost interest. These items seemed to offer no particular benefit to him. He had come to the auction primarily to see what price his presented elixirs and three innate supreme treasures would fetch.
"Esteemed guests, the next item to be auctioned is an elixir. This is no ordinary elixir; it is an eighth-grade top-tier divine elixir!" Wu Daozi said with a smile after handing the previously sold item to a maid, and then began to introduce the next one.
Here it comes! Li Xuan held his breath and watched intently.
"An eighth-grade top-tier elixir? Brother Wu Daozi, do you know what kind of elixir it is?" A deep voice resonated from the hall. Li Xuan followed the sound and found that it originated from Heaven-rank Number Three.
"Indeed, Senior Wu Daozi. Please quickly tell us all what kind of eighth-grade top-tier elixir it is; everyone is waiting." From the seating area in the hall, several people also called out.
"Right, right. An eighth-grade elixir is already a heaven-defying divine elixir, let alone a top-tier one. It can be considered a high-grade divine elixir. Senior Wu Daozi, please stop teasing our appetites and reveal it quickly."
As the crowd's clamor grew louder, Wu Daozi smiled slightly and raised his hands to signal for quiet.
"Heh, since everyone is eager to know, this old one shall not keep it a secret any longer." Wu Daozi nodded behind him, and immediately four attendants, forming a square, escorted a woman forward. The woman held a small box in her hands, walked towards Wu Daozi with a smile, handed him the box, and then turned to leave.
"Esteemed guests, this is that eighth-grade top-tier divine elixir!"
Wu Daozi held the box above his head and opened it. Instantly, an incredibly violent aura emanated from the box.
Strange, by what method did they manage to unleash such potent medicinal power? It's emitting such a strong aura. Li Xuan mused internally and then continued watching.
"What divine elixir is this? It emits such a violent aura!"
"I have never seen such a divine elixir. May I ask, fellow Daoist Wu Daozi, what is this elixir?" At this moment, a voice from Heaven-rank Number Two also chimed in.
"It seems I must enlighten everyone. To be honest, this old one is also seeing such a divine elixir for the first time. This elixir is named the Wu Yun Divine Elixir! To put it plainly, it is a Berserk Elixir. It can amplify a person's strength by twelvefold!"
"In simple terms, between two evenly matched opponents, taking this elixir instantly enhances one's strength by one hundred and twenty percent! Victory then becomes much easier."
Wu Daozi looked with satisfaction at the expressions of the people seated below and continued, "Furthermore, after taking this elixir, there are no side effects whatsoever! This means that not only is strength instantly restored, but there are no lingering consequences!"
What!
Everyone in the hall was stunned. Such a heaven-defying divine elixir, and no side effects! Those who had been hesitant moments ago now had their eyes light up.
"I never imagined that Ling Tian Pavilion possessed such a heaven-defying divine elixir. I wonder which master refined it. If I could obtain this elixir, what need would I have to fear Qin Wuya!" Hu Haide exclaimed excitedly.
Li Xuan, overhearing this from the side, felt a bit awkward.
"Father, if we can think of this, the Qin family must also be able to. What if the Qin family obtains this elixir!" Hu Xue Man said with some concern.
"No matter what, we must bid for this elixir. Even if we cannot obtain it, we cannot let the Qin family have it!" Hu Haide said with a grave expression.
"Brother Wu Daozi, please proceed with the bidding quickly. I believe everyone is impatient."
"Good, this elixir starts at one hundred million top-grade spirit stones. Each bid must not be less than ten million top-grade spirit stones. Everyone, begin." Wu Daozi nodded, closed the box, and said with a smile.
"One hundred and fifty million top-grade spirit stones!"
As soon as Wu Daozi's words fell, a force in the hall called out.
"One hundred and sixty million top-grade spirit stones!"
"Such a divine elixir, and you open with such a low price. How dare you even bid. Our Liu family bids three hundred million!"
"What are you Liu family members? Our Li family bids five hundred million!"
"This is the Liu and Li families from Derivative City!" a man exclaimed, immediately drawing countless gazes.
Following this, numerous bids surged in. People no longer paid attention to the man who had just spoken. As the bids continued, the price of the Wu Yun Divine Elixir reached thirteen billion before the upward trend began to slow.
After all, over ten billion top-grade spirit stones was the annual income of a top-tier force. And it was still early in the auction; most did not want to waste a large amount of spirit stones here. What if there were even better items later, that would be a huge loss.
"Our Qin family bids fifteen billion!" Just as the atmosphere was about to cool down, a voice came from Earth-rank Number Three.
"Father, the Qin family has made their move!" Hu Xue Man shouted nervously.
Hu Haide nodded, signaling Hu Xue Man to calm down.
"This is the Qin family of Shuangyang City! They are a local force, no wonder they bid such a high price," a man in the hall looked towards Earth-rank Number Three and said.
"Isn't there also a Hu family in Shuangyang City? Why are they not bidding?" As the man's words fell, an elder beside him asked.
"That I do not know. How can we ordinary folk fathom the thoughts of these major forces?" The man shrugged and sat down.
"Good, the Qin family of Shuangyang City has bid fifteen billion top-grade spirit stones. Are there any friends who wish to continue bidding?"
Wu Daozi looked towards Earth-rank Number Three with a delighted expression. After all, an eighth-grade elixir selling for fifteen billion top-grade spirit stones could truly be considered a sky-high price.
"Our Hu family bids fifteen billion and five hundred million!" After a moment of silence, Hu Haide finally made his move.
"The Hu family has entered the bid!"
"Good, the Hu family of Shuangyang City bids fifteen billion and five hundred million. Are there any..."
"Fifteen billion and six hundred million." The Qin family interrupted Wu Daozi's words and bid again.
"Fifteen billion and seven hundred million."
"..."
"Sixteen billion!"
As the price continued to rise, Li Xuan, sitting to the side, looked somewhat embarrassed.
"Alright, you two families, stop targeting each other. I am quite fond of this elixir. How about this, I bid seventeen billion spirit stones. To prevent others from saying I am using my authority to oppress, as long as either of you bid higher than me, I will not continue."
At this moment, a deep voice came from Heaven-rank Number One.
"Father, this is..." Hu Xue Man exclaimed upon hearing the bid from Heaven-rank Number One.
"It is the City Lord. Never mind, since the City Lord has bid, we will not continue. I believe Qin Wuya will not dare to continue bidding either," Hu Haide said, his expression becoming much more relaxed. After all, his goal was merely to prevent the Qin family from obtaining the elixir.
"Since the City Lord also fancies this elixir, our Qin family will concede to the City Lord. However, we wonder what the Hu family intends," Qin Wuya said loudly, not forgetting to dig a pit for the Hu family.
"Our Hu family will also cease bidding," Hu Haide sneered, showing no concern for Qin Wuya's actions.
"Good, the City Lord of Shuangyang City has bid seventeen billion top-grade spirit stones. Are there any other friends who wish to bid?" Wu Daozi's smile was so wide it was almost splitting, but he still remembered to inquire further.
However, the happiest person at this moment was undoubtedly Li Xuan, as this item was something he had put up for auction.
Everyone remained silent. Competing with the City Lord of Shuangyang City, one of the three main cities, was akin to playing with one's life.
"Good, since no one wishes to continue bidding, this old one shall announce that the Wu Yun Divine Elixir has been successfully bid for by the City Lord of Shuangyang City!"