Chapter 357: A High-Profile Auction!
Chapter 357: A High-Profile Auction!
Chapter 357: A High-Profile Auction!
After Ling Feng finished his cultivation, he donned his cloak once more and, together with Yue Yunlan and her maid, headed to the Tianmeng Auction House.
Upon Ling Feng presenting his golden token, the auction house staff immediately nodded and bowed, leading Ling Feng and Yue Yunlan to a luxurious private box.
The holy water Ling Feng had offered was of immense value. To curry favor, the old master, Jing Xuan, had given Ling Feng a top-tier VIP gold token. With this token, the holder could enjoy a ten percent discount on all auction purchases.
By this time, the auction hall on the first floor was already about eighty percent full. The second floor was lined with a series of curved VIP boxes, each protected by a special array that shielded them from external spiritual consciousness probing. This was a measure taken by the Tianmeng Auction House to ensure the privacy of their distinguished guests.
After all, post-auction incidents like murder and robbery for treasured items were not uncommon.
After Ling Feng and Yue Yunlan settled into their VIP box, another ten minutes passed before the seats below were completely filled.
Although the despicable donkey had caused a ruckus at the last auction, a month later, the venue had evidently been refurbished and looked even more luxurious.
Moreover, the standard of this auction was clearly higher than the one Yan Cangtian had brought Ling Feng to last time. Even the martial artists in the regular seats were all at least in the Transformation Realm.
As for those in the Pulse Formation Realm, like Ling Feng, they were primarily there to compete for the Dragon Blood Sacred Fruit. These individuals were mostly from prominent families and had been preparing for this auction for quite some time.
Ling Feng knew that from the East Court’s sword team alone, Ye Nanfeng and Lin Mochen had been brought by their family elders to participate in this auction.
Though Ling Feng was reluctant to compete with his teammates for the treasured item, the Dragon Blood Sacred Fruit held great significance for him.
His accumulation had been exceedingly profound. While this wasn't inherently a bad thing, it had caused him to stagnate after reaching the twenty-fifth meridian gate. Therefore, no matter what, he was determined to obtain the Dragon Blood Sacred Fruit.
Even before the auction began, the entire auction house was bustling with activity with the sound of voices rising to a fervent pitch.
"Did you hear that besides the Dragon Blood Sacred Fruit, there's another high-profile item tonight called the Tiankui[1] Holy Water? Brother Kong, have you heard of it?"
"Hehe, I haven't heard of it before, but anything that can rival the Dragon Blood Sacred Fruit must be an extraordinary treasure."
"I have a good relationship with the auction house manager. I heard that the Tiankui Holy Water contains a trace of water attributed rule-based power!"
"Gasp! Such a treasure, I must have it!"
...
In Ling Feng’s box, Qiao Qiao giggled. "Master Jing Xuan sure knows how to name things. Tiankui Holy Water sounds like something amazing!"
Yue Yunlan nodded with a smile, her bright eyes curving into beautiful crescents.
Ling Feng smiled faintly, thinking to himself, “If Master Jing Xuan knew that the so-called Tiankui Holy Water was just ordinary river water from the Five Elements Heavenly Palace, he would probably faint on the spot.”
Before long, Tianmeng Auction House sent someone up to the stage. It was an elderly man with white hair and a beard. He appeared to be someone who held a significant position in the chamber of commerce.
"It's Manager Feng!"
"Oh my, it's Manager Feng! It's been a long time since he hosted an auction. It looks like the Tianmeng Chamber of Commerce is taking tonight's auction very seriously!"
The Manager Feng everyone was talking about was a man named Feng Yu, a top-tier auctioneer at the Tianmeng Auction House. The fact that they had him host this auction showed just how important it was; ordinary auctioneers likely couldn't handle the occasion.
"Welcome, everyone, to tonight's auction hosted by Tianmeng," Feng Yu greeted warmly from the stage, speaking slowly and deliberately. "I know most of you are here for the Dragon Blood Sacred Fruit and the Tiankui Holy Water, but since these are the highlight items, they will be auctioned last.
"Alright, I won't waste any more time. Let's start the auction with the first treasure."
As he spoke, Feng Yu gestured to the backstage. A young woman with an alluring body in revealing attire quickly walked up to the stage while carrying a tray.
Feng Yu took a porcelain bottle from the tray and smiled lightly. "Ladies and gentlemen, the first item is an Element-Boosting Pill, which can enhance elemental force by thirty percent in a short period of time..."
As Feng Yu finished his introduction, some of the martial artists in the audience immediately started bidding. Although this medicinal pill couldn't directly enhance one's cultivation, in a critical moment, taking an Element-Boosting Pill might turn the tide of battle and save a life.
However, for experts above the Spiritual Element Realm, this pill had no effect. Enhancing elemental force by thirty percent meant nothing to top-tier experts. Consequently, the bidding for this Element-Boosting Pill only saw a few exchanges between those at the Pulse Formation Realm and Transformation Realm before a square-faced man acquired it for 200 mid-grade elemental stones.
Following this, Feng Yu auctioned off some soft armor, secret manuals, and other treasured artifacts. These items were also just appetizers meant for the regular martial artists on the first floor to bid on.
Even after auctioning off over a dozen valuable items, none of the VIPs on the second floor had bid. These treasures didn't interest them, and they needed to save their elemental stones for the main event—the Dragon Blood Sacred Fruit and the Tiankui Holy Water.
"Next, we are auctioning a mid-grade spiritual weapon!"
Feng Yu announced, raising his voice when mentioning the weapon. Clearly, from this point on, the real highlights of the evening were coming out.
"As you all know, in our Tianbai Empire, weapons are categorized into five grades: ordinary, mystical, treasured, spiritual, and sacred. The Mystical Fire Sword, up for auction tonight, is among the best mid-grade spiritual weapons. When powered by fire attribute elemental force, it can unleash Mystical Fire of Six Suns at the Transformation Realm level, with formidable power! The starting bid is 3000 high-grade elemental stones."
Before Feng Yu finished speaking, the martial artists below began to buzz with excitement. Whispers even started to emerge from the VIP boxes on the second floor, indicating that this Mystical Fire Sword had caught the attention of the true experts.
"It can unleash the Mystical Fire of Six Suns? 4000 high-grade elemental stones! I'll take it!" Shouted an elderly voice from one of the boxes.
"You think you can take it for 4000? I'll bid 5000!"
"6000!"
"7000!"
"..."
In the VIP boxes on the second floor, the bidding voices rose and fell continuously. The price quickly surged to 20,000 high-grade elemental stones. These bidders were all wealthy individuals with the support of powerful families, and they didn't really consider amounts like 10,000 or 20,000 high-grade elemental stones significant.
Moreover, they had all prepared substantial funds for the auction, especially to compete for the Dragon Blood Sacred Fruit. The real competition hadn't even begun, yet the atmosphere was already quite intense.
Ling Feng, possessing the Eradicator of Realms, had little need for another sword. However, the mid-grade spiritual weapon was indeed far superior to his current Crimson-Fire Golden Wind Sword, which was merely a treasured weapon.
1. Tian Kui is a species of plant with the scientific name Semiaquilegia adoxoides. In Chinese medicine, it also means growth, puberty, maturation, etc. ?