Chapter 701: Who

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Miter Guild's auction is now underway." Ya Fei's smile and frown were intoxicating; her voice, rich and magnetic, sent shivers through many, sinking into their bones and leaving their hearts tingling.

Hearing her voice, many young men below felt an urge to pin her down on the auction stage—but everyone knew full well that even rising to their feet would mean instant death.

Everyone knew to whom this temptress belonged, and Ya Fei herself had long since given her heart to someone.

Seeing Ya Fei appear, Nalan Yanran and Feng Qing'er'er in the box room both glanced at themselves—they were no less beautiful or shapely than Ya Fei, and their cultivation talent far surpassed hers—but somehow, certain feminine arts seemed beyond them.

Nalan Yanran lightly furrowed her brows and murmured to herself: "Do men really fall for that act?"

Nalan Yanran was proud, yes—but coquetry was not in her nature.

After striking the gong, Ya Fei lifted her beautiful eyes toward the box rooms; those seated there were naturally either overlords of the Dou Qi Continent or individuals connected to Xiao Yan.

When Ya Fei saw that Box Room Number One remained empty, a flicker of disappointment passed through her eyes. That box room was not open to the public—only one person could enter it.

Ya Fei did not notice that, among the audience seats, a figure clad in black robes, face hidden beneath a hood, had just revealed a languid smile as he gazed up at Ya Fei on stage.

Who else could it be but Xiao Yan!

Xiao Yan had just emerged from seclusion and intended to have Ya Fei leverage the Miter Guild's reach across the entire Dou Qi Continent to search for ancient texts—even murals or fragments of writing.

Perhaps something left behind by the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor might be found.

But upon arriving, he remembered it was auction day.

Watching Ya Fei, radiating her charm on stage, Xiao Yan's lips unconsciously curved into a smile—he recalled their first meeting had been at the Wutan City auction, when Ya Fei had been sent there for training.

Back then, Ya Fei was only eighteen or nineteen, yet she already possessed a unique allure.

Not only had Xiao Yan, as a youth, often sought her help to find medicinal materials for his self-taught pill alchemy, but even afterward, she had continually aided him in gathering intelligence. Xiao Yan was a man who valued loyalty and sentiment—he remembered every kindness done to him, and repaid it tenfold.

"The first auction item: a Heavenly Rank Low Grade special technique—Lei Movement Technique—originating from the Lei Clan, a Dou Emperor Family. Created by an ancient Lei Clan Sage Emperor, this technique is not a conventional Dou Technique; upon cultivation, it grants control over thunder and lightning in the heavens and earth, and contains a unique thunder-attribute Dou Technique. Starting bid: three billion Yan Yuan."

Though the Yan Alliance had disbanded, whether the Snake Empire, Yun Lan Sect, Flower Sect, or Jia Ma Empire, all still used Yan Yuan, not Gold Coins.

Yan Yuan was their own issued currency—in truth, how much was printed was decided collectively by these four factions; Gold Coins could not be directly exchanged for Yan Yuan.

Though Xiao Yan had no intention of unifying the Dou Qi Continent, Ya Fei and others held a different view—they naturally regarded Xiao Yan as the continent's overlord.

This auction would not accept Gold Coins, nor even Exchange Offers—only Yan Yuan. Her goal was clear: to use this auction to establish Yan Yuan as the dominant currency of the Dou Qi Continent, helping Xiao Yan seize control of the continent's economic lifeline.

Sometimes, coercion won't get things done—you must rely on temptation. For instance, if you want someone to search for ancient texts, even if Xiao Yan were a Dou Emperor, he couldn't locate such dead relics—but money could.

That was why Xiao Yan had come to Ya Fei.

Starting the auction with a Heavenly Rank Low Grade thunder-control technique immediately raised the bar.

No—it raised the horizons of nearly everyone who would attend future auctions.

"Kuang! Heavenly Rank!"

"Not only enhances thunder control, but also includes a Heavenly Rank Low Grade thunder-attribute Dou Technique!!"

"Three billion Yan Yuan! My god!"

Three billion Gold Coins might be within reach of many major factions—but Yan Yuan was hard to come by; acquiring it required trading with the four major factions, and the exchange rate was entirely up to them.

No wonder Ya Fei was called the Queen of Money—she made money faster than robbery.

For many great families, a Heavenly Rank Low Grade Dou Technique was already a sect treasure; many Dou Zun didn't even possess one.

Only first-tier sects and clans could afford to possess a Heavenly Rank Dou Technique.

With a starting bid of three billion, many in the crowd immediately lost the ability to bid, leaving them mere spectators.

Though such a high barrier excluded most cultivators, several major figures remained present.

"Three point one billion..." Someone immediately bid.

Before the bidder's voice faded, another immediately topped it: "Three point five billion!"

"Three point eight billion!!!"

Watching those shouting deafeningly, even glaring at each other, Xiao Yan, observing from the side, shook his head helplessly—this was truly intense.

He wouldn't even glance at a Heavenly Rank Low Grade technique, let alone a higher one.

The mindset of the rich!

Within moments, the scroll's price had soared to five billion Yan Yuan—an increase of nearly double! Xiao Yan had long since stopped calculating how much Ya Fei stood to profit.

And this was only the beginning.

Seeing this spectacle, many cultivators in attendance were stunned, especially those from humble backgrounds—such scattered cultivators were utterly dumbfounded.

For cultivators from second- or third-tier sects, this value was astronomical; acquiring five billion Yan Yuan would require offering something far more valuable than a Heavenly Rank Low Grade Dou Technique.

"There are so many rich people," many murmured in awe—it had truly opened their eyes.

Of course, this auction also featured many low-grade items; after the first item, the quality of auction items dropped considerably.

Soon after, a Mystic Tier Mid Grade soul cultivation technique appeared—and was sold for only one hundred thousand Yan Yuan.

This auction wasn't all high-grade items—it deliberately included many low-grade ones, meant for smaller sects.

After auctioning off numerous relatively low-grade items, Ya Fei unveiled another bombshell.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the next scroll is one of the highest-grade Dou Technique scrolls of this auction." As Ya Fei spoke, a special piece of Ancient Jade was brought forward.

Dou Techniques stored in special artifacts were always more precious and harder to cultivate than those on scrolls.

Seeing the Ancient Jade arrive, Nalan Yanran and Feng Qing'er'er, who had been meditating with closed eyes, both opened theirs and fixed their gazes on the special jade on the tray.

Ya Fei's beautiful eyes glowed with emotion as she smiled: "This is one of the items obtained by Dou Emperor Xiao Yan from the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Cave Mansion. Personally authenticated by Xiao Yan himself, it contains a Heavenly Rank Advanced Grade sword-type Dou Technique left behind by an ancient peak-level powerhouse."

As she spoke, Ya Fei glanced toward Nalan Yanran's direction, a faint smile playing on her lips. If Nalan Yanran had simply asked Xiao Yan for it, this Ancient Jade would never have appeared on the auction stage.

Ya Fei smiled, then her eyes sparkled as she announced: "Starting bid: one Yan Yuan."

!!!!!!

"One Yan Yuan?!!"

"Huh?! A Heavenly Rank Advanced Grade inherited Dou Technique—for one Yan Yuan!!"

The moment Ya Fei spoke, a storm erupted.

"Does this mean there's no minimum bid?" someone asked, puzzled.

Auctions have a rule regarding whether to set a reserve price: if no reserve price is set, bidders may bid freely.

"No, Miss Ya Fei must know that bidding can proceed without a reserve price—one Yan Yuan and no reserve price mean the same thing, yet she did not set it as no reserve price."

Some of the Old Generation had sensed something: if it were truly without a reserve price, it could be stated directly—there was absolutely no need to start at one.

Many others gradually understood, turning their gazes toward Box Room Number Two—the chamber where Nalan Yanran sat.

This is meant for Nalan Yanran!

Hearing Ya Fei's words, Xiao Yan smiled and shook his head; Ya Fei truly was an excellent secretary.

Xiao Yan had originally intended to keep this Ancient Jade for Nalan Yanran, but that girl was truly a bit dull—she thought she could simply buy it herself, and had been working hard to "earn money" these past days.

As Sect Master, she still had to take on missions to earn money, and even after receiving the child flames of the Yin-Yang Twin Flames, she remained clueless—no wonder she and Yun Yun were master and apprentice.

The lively discussion in the hall quickly fell silent; everyone understood what was happening, yet not a single person placed a bid.

Never mind Ya Fei—just consider Nalan Yanran's current strength and status: who would dare offend her unless they sought death? To compete with her for something could cost you your life!

Nalan Yanran soon understood Ya Fei's meaning.

"Is this his intention?" At this moment, Nalan Yanran's thoughts had drifted far from the Dou Technique inheritance; her heart fluttered wildly with wild, unfocused imaginings.

She lightly bit her Red Lips, the look of a young girl lost in love. Nalan Yanran had once questioned the meaning of the Yin-Yang Twin Flames' child flames, but later thought back to how she had indeed received them, so she had not pursued certain directions further.

For a moment, the entire Pai Mai Chang sank into silence.

"No one bid even one Yan Yuan? Then I'll take it—I offer two Yan Yuan."

Yet, just as Nalan Yanran was lost in thought, an untimely laugh suddenly rang out, causing everyone to freeze for a moment, then stare in stunned disbelief, some even glancing at the source of the voice with looks of pity for a fool.

Who was so foolish as to challenge the Sect Master of Yun Lan Sect for a Dou Technique? Didn't they know this was deliberately arranged by Miss Ya Fei—or even by the Dou Emperor Xiao Yan himself?

A hundred gazes followed the sound, finally settling on a spot in the front row, where a shadow cloaked in black robes sat.

Not only the entire audience, but even Ya Fei turned curious eyes toward the black-robed figure.

(End of Chapter)