Chapter 219: S-Rank Flowing Cloud Golden Edge Spear! Auction!

Time slowly passed, and the seats in the auction hall gradually filled up.

"Ladies and gentlemen!"

At exactly nine o'clock, the lights in the hall dimmed slightly, the music ceased, and the entire auction hall fell swiftly silent.

A brilliant white spotlight illuminated the central stage.

A middle-aged man in a white robe stepped into the light, his back bearing the large blue lightning emblem of Lei Wu Guan.

"Welcome, everyone, to the auction hosted by Lei Wu Guan. Today's auction features a total of 108 items!"

The man waved his right hand, and the surrounding virtual light instantly coalesced into lifelike holographic projections of the items.

"The 108 auction items include cultivation resources, battle armor, and combat technique manuals—perhaps even something you're seeking."

"I won't waste your time. I now declare this auction officially open!"

Amid applause, a holographic projection of a peculiar plant emitting cold mist slowly rotated in midair.

It allowed every attendee to see it clearly. At the same time, the middle-aged man introduced:

"Lot 1: an extremely rare thirty-year A-grade rare herb, Hanyingcao!"

"Consumed directly, it boosts the spiritual power of any below fifth-rank adept by fifty points."

"It is also one of the main ingredients in crafting Hanying Dan. Starting bid: twenty million!"

"Each bid must increase by no less than one hundred thousand!"

Hanyingcao is a relatively common rare herb, but one that reaches thirty years of age is exceedingly rare.

No sooner had the man finished speaking than someone pressed the button on their armrest to place a bid.

Instantly, voice announcements echoed throughout the auction hall:

"Seat 0213: twenty-one million!"

"Seat 0625: twenty-two million!"

"Seat 0408: twenty-two point four million!"

"......"

Ultimately, the thirty-year A-grade Hanyingcao was sold for a high price of twenty-four million.

"Lot 2......"

One item after another was sold; only a few required five or six minutes of bidding.

Most items were auctioned off within one or two minutes.

"Lot 36: five fourth-rank lower-tier Thunder Cores. Starting bid: forty million. Each bid must increase by no less than two hundred thousand."

As the man spoke, five crystal cores swirling with thunderlight slowly materialized in the holographic projection.

"Finally, the first one."

Xu Jingming entered his bid on the screen, and an electronic announcement rang out in the hall:

"Seat 0310: forty-one million!"

Thunder Cores were always controlled by Lei Wu Guan and major clans, never sold publicly.

Outside the auction, the only way to obtain them was by hunting fourth-rank ferocious beasts in the Thunderstorm Zone.

Not everyone had the strength to hunt fourth-rank ferocious beasts.

"Seat 0637: forty-one point four million!" Someone raised the bid.

"Seat 0708: forty-one point eight million!" Another joined the competition.

Xu Jingming frowned and entered his bid again, then confirmed.

"Seat 0310: forty-four million!"

Whether due to the sudden jump in price or not, murmurs immediately rose from the crowd, but no one raised their bid further.

"Forty-four million once!" the man on stage called out.

He did not use a microphone, yet his voice carried powerfully throughout the hall.

"Forty-four million twice! Fourth-rank Thunder Cores are rarely sold publicly."

"Miss this chance, and you won't know how long you'll have to wait for the next. Anyone else?"

The man called again, but no one bid higher.

"Forty-four million thrice! Sold!"

"Congratulations to the gentleman in seat 0310. We will complete the transfer after the auction ends."

The middle-aged man smiled over toward him.

Xu Jingming was surprised—he had prepared to keep bidding, yet the auction ended so quickly.

"Lei Wu Guan and the major adept clans hold vast stocks of Thunder Cores."

"Only lone cultivators like you, who come to the Thunder Secret Realm to train, need to buy them individually."

"But they don't have your wealth—you raised your bid by two million at once. Naturally, they wouldn't continue bidding against you."

His senior, Jiang Luo, chuckled.

Two million!

For a lone cultivator, that was no small sum.

In truth, only someone as formidable as Xu Jingming could earn one or two hundred million Daxia Coins per trip into the Thunderstorm Zone.

A typical third-rank upper-tier adept was lucky to earn a few million.

Even Jiang Luo himself earned barely over one hundred million per trip.

"But why buy so many fourth-rank Thunder Cores? You'd be better off hunting them directly in the Thunderstorm Zone—it's more cost-effective." Jiang Luo asked in surprise.

"I feel my proficiency is about to break through, so I want to try pushing it all at once," Xu Jingming replied with a smile.

"Already about to break through to Condensation?" Jiang Luo's eyes widened.

As a Thunder-affinity adept himself, he had only fully mastered it in his third year of college...

The auction continued, item after item sold.

During this time, Song Qiuyun and Jiang Chu also spent tens of millions, each purchasing cultivation resources and rare herbs they found interesting.

Soon, over four hours passed, and more than half of the 108 items had been auctioned.

The prices of subsequent items rose steadily, each starting bid at least one hundred million.

"Lot 98: S-grade spear, 'Liu Yun Jin Feng Qiang.'"

"The Liu Yun Jin Feng Qiang was forged by the master armorer Yu Wen, total length two point one meters."

"The shaft is crafted from special A-grade alloy, Kemi'er Alloy."

"The spearhead is forged from Jifeng Alloy, the hardest and sharpest among S-grade alloys."

As the man spoke, a spear materialized in the holographic projection.

The spear's body glowed in a subdued, luxurious dark gold, its shaft engraved with dense, intricate cloud patterns.

Even through the hologram, the spearhead radiated an unmistakable sharpness and edge.

Whether cultivation resources or combat techniques, any S-grade item always drew murmurs.

This spear was no exception—upon its appearance, the hall erupted in hushed whispers.

"Master Yu Wen hasn't forged a new weapon in one or two years, has he?"

Indeed, I didn't expect such an impressive work from your first attempt.

"Kemi'er Alloy and Jifeng Alloy—this combination is perfect!"

"......"

Many masters in the Thunder Secret Realm could forge weapons, but Yu Wen was the most renowned.

Moreover, different alloys possessed distinct properties.

Kemi'er Alloy increased in weight according to the energy infused into it.

Jifeng Alloy was the hardest and sharpest among all S-grade alloys.

Combined, these three elements ensured the 'Liu Yun Jin Feng Qiang' would be no ordinary weapon.

Indeed, the man on stage continued:

"Everyone should know the properties of the special A-grade Kemi'er Alloy."

"Strength-type adepts can infuse it with blood qi; elemental adepts can infuse it with elemental energy, causing the spear's weight to adjust accordingly."

"Though spirit-type adepts cannot use it, its base weight is eight hundred kilograms."

"When infused with energy, its maximum weight reaches one hundred tons—a feature many will find appealing."

"The starting bid for this S-grade spear is five hundred million. You may now begin bidding. Each bid must increase by no less than one million!"

"A spear whose weight can change?"

Xu Jingming's eyes lit up, fixed on the holographic spear.

Due to his cultivation of Thunder Indestructible Body, his physical strength had increased rapidly.

Now, he could wield weapons weighing over a thousand kilograms with ease.

It was clear that as his rank advanced, his strength would continue to grow dramatically.

If this spear's weight could adjust with infused energy, it was perfectly suited to him.

"I'm taking this spear."

Xu Jingming's gaze sharpened, ready to bid.

With a starting bid of five hundred million, among the 800+ attendees, fewer than fifty could afford it.

But it was an S-grade weapon, forged by a master armorer—its market value was at least five hundred fifty million!

Even if he didn't use it, buying it to resell would still be profitable.

Within just over ten seconds, people kept bidding.

"Seat 0113, 505 million!"

"Seat 0224, 520 million!"

"Seat 0131, 530 million!"

"......"

"Seat 0310, 550 million!"

Xu Jingming, eager to secure the spear, raised his bid to slightly above market value in one go.

Those hoping to profit from arbitrage immediately withdrew; only four or five continued bidding.

"Seat 0104, 560 million!"

"Seat 0137, 570 million!"

"Seat 0310, 580 million!"

"Seat 0104, 590 million!"

"......"

As the price continued to rise, only two bidders remained in the auction hall.

One was Xu Jingming in seat 0310; the other was seat 0104... Xu Jingming looked across.

In seat 0104 sat a young woman with alluring features.

It was Li Wanying of the Li family, whom Xu Jingming had seen upon entering.