Chapter 38

The next day, at noon.

In front of the Tianbao Pavilion, traffic was heavy, and carriages were gathered. Representatives of major forces, famous rogue cultivators, mysterious guests hiding their identities... countless cultivators gathered here, waiting for the start of this grand event.

Accompanied by Qian Duoduo, Lin Xuan entered the interior of the Tianbao Pavilion silently through the exclusive passage of the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce, arriving directly at the "Heavenly Number Three" VIP room on the third floor, which was decorated with extreme luxury, had an excellent view, and possessed the strongest formation protection.

Inside the room, spiritual fruits and fragrant tea were already prepared. In front was a huge one-way crystal glass window, from which one could clearly overlook the entire auction hall, while those outside could not peek into the room at all. There were even dedicated attendants standing by, waiting for orders at any time.

"Elder Mu, everything has been arranged. You only need to bid from here; the outside will only show that the 'Heavenly Number Three' room is bidding, and no one will know your identity." Qian Duoduo whispered, his face also showing a trace of excitement. "Our Chamber's representatives will assist in creating momentum below and will also step in to support the price at critical moments to ensure nothing goes wrong."

Lin Xuan nodded and sat down on the comfortable soft chair, his gaze calmly cast toward the circular auction hall below, which resembled a Roman colosseum. At this moment, the hall was already packed, and the noise was deafening.

His spiritual sense swept slightly, and he could feel the powerful auras coming from several VIP rooms, including "Heavenly Number One" where Ye Chen was, and "Heavenly Number Two" where the Third Imperial Prince was.

"Enemies really do cross paths." Lin Xuan sneered inwardly.

Soon, an old man in brocade robes with a spirited appearance walked slowly onto the central auction stage. His aura was deep and profound; he was actually a peak Golden Core cultivator! He was the Tianbao Pavilion's gold-medal auctioneer—Master Mo.

"Welcome, fellow Daoists, to the Tianbao Pavilion!" Master Mo's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached every corner, instantly suppressing all the noise. "I am Mo Chen, presiding over today's auction. I believe everyone knows the rules: the highest bidder wins; those with insufficient spirit stones can use equivalent treasures as collateral... Now, the auction begins!"

Without too much nonsense, the first auction item was presented. It was a Third Rank Superior spirit sword that shone with cold light, attracting many Golden Core cultivators to bid, and the scene quickly heated up.

The subsequent items—cultivation manuals, elixirs, materials, talismans... emerged one after another, all extraordinary, leading to bidding sounds rising one after another, and the atmosphere was enthusiastic.

Lin Xuan sat firmly on the fishing platform, having no interest in the previous items; he had only one goal. During this time, the "Heavenly Number One" room where Ye Chen was also made a few moves, bidding for some body-tempering materials and a thunder-type divine ability talisman, clearly preparing for his own cultivation.

Time passed bit by bit, the auction gradually approached its end, and the atmosphere became increasingly grave. Everyone knew that the main event was about to appear.

"... Next, is the third finale item of this auction—Ten Thousand Year Blood Ginseng! This ginseng contains majestic blood energy and is a holy medicine for body tempering, and can also be used to refine life-extending precious elixirs! Starting price, 200,000 superior spirit stones!"

A gasp sounded in the hall. Ten Thousand Year Blood Ginseng! This was a treasure that could bring the dead back to life and regrow flesh and bones! The bidding instantly became intense, the price climbed all the way, and it was finally auctioned off by a mysterious cultivator in the "Earth Number Five" room for a high price of 450,000.

"Below, is the second finale item—the damaged ancient magic treasure, Mountain-Suppressing Seal!" Master Mo's voice carried a trace of excitement. "Although it is damaged and the artifact spirit has been extinguished, its main material is Nine Heavens Meteorite Iron, containing a trace of mountain laws. If a master refiner can be found to repair it, its power will be immeasurable! Starting price, 500,000 superior spirit stones!"

Ancient magic treasure! Even if damaged, it drove countless people crazy! Especially those large sects and families; if it could be repaired, it would be a treasure to suppress the sect!

"550,000!"

"600,000!"

"650,000!"

The price soared all the way, and the competition was mainly concentrated among several VIP rooms. In the end, this Mountain-Suppressing Seal was pocketed by the "Heavenly Number Five" room (representing a certain protector family) for a sky-high price of 880,000.

The atmosphere in the auction hall had already boiled to the peak! Everyone knew that the last, and most eye-catching finale treasure, was about to appear!

Master Mo took a deep breath, looked around the audience, and his voice suddenly rose: "Everyone! Next, is the final item of this auction, and also the holy object for breaking through realms that countless Golden Core Daoists dream of—Condensing Core Jade Liquid!"

A beautiful female cultivator carried a jade tray onto the stage. On the tray was a crystal-clear jade bottle, with runes flowing on the bottle body, and one could vaguely see a drop of liquid inside that looked like liquid jade, emitting a hazy halo and majestic spiritual opportunity!

The entire auction hall instantly quieted down, leaving only heavy breathing! Countless fiery gazes stared fixedly at that jade bottle!

Lin Xuan also sat up straight, his eyes as sharp as a hawk's.

"Condensing Core Jade Liquid, there is no need for me to repeat its effects! Starting price—300,000 superior spirit stones! Each bid must not be less than 10,000! Now, let the bidding begin!"

As soon as Master Mo's voice fell, the bidding sounds erupted like a volcano!

"320,000!"

"350,000!"

"400,000!"

The price climbed at an astonishing speed, breaking the 500,000 mark in almost the blink of an eye! Most of those participating in the bidding were wealthy rogue cultivators and representatives of small families in the hall; the VIP rooms were still silent, clearly waiting for the final moment.

When the price reached 600,000, the bidding sounds in the hall clearly thinned out; this price had already exceeded the bearing capacity of most people.

"650,000." A cold voice came from the "Heavenly Number Two" room; it was the Third Imperial Prince of the royal family!

As soon as he spoke, the hall became completely quiet. The royal family's move meant that the final struggle had officially begun!

"680,000." Another room (Heavenly Number Seven, suspected to be a certain hidden sect) followed up.

"700,000." The "Heavenly Number One" room where Ye Chen was finally emitted his calm and firm voice.

"720,000." The Third Imperial Prince did not show weakness.

"750,000." Ye Chen added to the bid again.

The price rose steadily in the alternating bids of the two, and soon broke through 800,000! The cultivators in the hall watched with heart palpitations; was this the contest between top forces?

When Ye Chen reported the price of "850,000," the Third Imperial Prince's side was silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. This price was already very high.

"850,000, going once!" Master Mo began the countdown.

The corners of Ye Chen's mouth curled slightly, seemingly confident of victory.

However, just as Master Mo was about to call out "going twice"—

"900,000."

A flat voice drifted leisurely from the "Heavenly Number Three" room.

Wow—!

The whole audience was in an uproar!

Directly adding 50,000! Jumping from 850,000 to 900,000! Who is this?! Daring to challenge both the Ye family and the royal family at the same time?!

The smile on Ye Chen's face instantly froze, his gaze shot fiercely toward the direction of the "Heavenly Number Three" room, his eyes cold. He recognized this voice; it was that "Mu Xuan" who had "helped" him in the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range and made him feel a bit strange!

The Third Imperial Prince's side also emitted uncertain spiritual sense fluctuations.

"Heavenly Number Three room, bid 900,000 superior spirit stones!" Master Mo's voice carried a trace of excitement. "Is there any higher bid?"

Ye Chen's face was gloomy; he didn't expect this "Mu Xuan" to have such financial resources! He took a deep breath and said coldly: "910,000!"

"950,000." Lin Xuan's voice remained flat, as if he were just reporting an insignificant number.

"You!" Ye Chen's aura stagnated, a trace of anger flashing in his eyes. 950,000 was already close to the funding limit he had prepared this time! He had originally thought that 800,000-plus would be enough to secure it!

"960,000!" Ye Chen reported this price almost through gritted teeth.

"1,000,000."

Lin Xuan did not hesitate at all, directly reporting a price that instantly made the entire auction hall deathly silent!

1,000,000 superior spirit stones! Just for a drop of Condensing Core Jade Liquid!

This price had already far exceeded the value of the Condensing Core Jade Liquid itself! It was simply crazy!

Ye Chen stood up abruptly, his fists clenched, thunder light appearing around him, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop by a few degrees. He stared fixedly at the direction of "Heavenly Number Three," and in the end, he sat down dejectedly. 1,000,000—he couldn't take it out, and the Ye family wouldn't invest infinitely for him.

The Third Imperial Prince's side also became completely silent.

Master Mo called out three times, and no one else bid.

"Sold! Congratulations to the Daoist in the Heavenly Number Three room for winning this finale treasure—Condensing Core Jade Liquid!"

The hammer fell!

The gazes of the entire audience focused on the "Heavenly Number Three" room with complex emotions—envy, jealousy, and even deeper dread. Who exactly was this mysterious person?

Inside the room, Lin Xuan let out a long sigh of relief; although the process was intense, he had finally secured it smoothly. Spending 1,000,000, although painful, was worth it for the foundation of the Great Dao!

Qian Duoduo rubbed his hands excitedly on the side: "Elder Mu, domineering! Now let's see who dares to underestimate you!"

Soon, the manager of the Tianbao Pavilion personally delivered the sealed Condensing Core Jade Liquid to the room. After Lin Xuan checked it and confirmed it was correct, he completed the payment (the credit was directly deducted by the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce).

Holding the warm jade bottle and feeling the majestic energy contained within, Lin Xuan's heart was agitated. With this item, his certainty of breaking through to the Mid-Stage Golden Core, or even the Late-Stage, was even greater!

However, he also knew that winning this item was just the beginning.

The moment he walked out of the Tianbao Pavilion was the beginning of the real test.

He didn't know how many pairs of eyes were hiding in the dark, coveting the jade liquid in his hands and his "abundant" wealth.

Ye Chen's hostility, the royal family's attention, the Youming Sect's revenge, the Zhao family's prying... all contradictions would be completely ignited at this moment!

Lin Xuan carefully put the jade bottle into his Dust Ring, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

"Come on, let me see just how deep the water in this imperial capital is!"

He tidied his robes and, taking Qian Duoduo with him, walked out of the Heavenly Number Three room calmly.

(End of Chapter 38)