Demon-Illuminating Mirror
This round of bidding truly shocked Yue Qianchou. It wasn't that the other party couldn't afford the items mentioned earlier, but rather that they didn't find them appealing. After all, they were using public funds to conduct business, unlike him who was paying privately and could buy whatever he liked. But once they encountered something even slightly better, they would bite like mad dogs. Such financial power was definitely beyond the reach of ordinary small sects. It was estimated that only the top sects of Righteous and Demonic paths could afford such prices. These sects had mostly existed for thousands of years, and each possessed several Spirit Stone mine. As for the extent of their accumulated wealth, outsiders had no idea.
However, this did serve as a reminder to Yue Qianchou that if there were any good things down there, and if they were things he wanted, he would probably have to pay a high price, and it would be impossible to get anything cheap again.
The fifth round of auction began. Again, a tray was covered with a red cloth. A member of the Wu family lifted the cloth, revealing a makeshift wooden frame on the tray, upon which rested a small bronze mirror, about the size of a palm excluding the five fingers. The bronze mirror was antique in appearance, pale yellow overall, with a slightly convex center and a ring of carved patterns around the edge. It had two small holes at the top, through which a thin chain threaded, suggesting it was something to be worn or hung on the chest.
Everyone was wondering what kind of treasure this was, including Yue Qianchou. But one thing was certain: in terms of the auction order, this item was likely to be more valuable than the 'Wood Spirit Liquid' from the previous round. Similarly, anyone who wanted to buy it would probably have to pay an even higher price.
Amidst everyone's expectant gazes, Wu Tai smiled and said, "Legend has it that in High Antiquity times, there was a master craftsman known as the 'Divine Craftsman,' which I believe many people have heard of."
As soon as these opening remarks were spoken, the audience held their breath and stared intently at the small bronze mirror, many people's pupils contracting sharply.
Wu Tai took the bronze mirror from the plate, untied the thin chain, and turned the back of the mirror towards everyone. He continued, "It is said that this 'Divine Craftsman' would leave his name, 'Mo Ruqi,' on every treasure he forged. As everyone knows, the world was in chaos in High Antiquity times, and demons and ghosts roamed freely in the human realm. At that time, the human realm was also filled with geniuses who fought against the demons and ghosts, leaving behind countless amazing legends that we, the later generations, admire. It is precisely because of those exceptionally talented predecessors that our Cultivation World enjoys peace today. I'm sure many of you know that it was during that time that the Divine Craftsman forged a 'Demon-Illuminating Mirror' to wear on his chest, in order to identify those rampant demons. And the bronze mirror in my hand is precisely the 'Demon-Illuminating Mirror.'" He then showed the bronze mirror to everyone around him.
Everyone stared intently, and sure enough, three ancient characters, "Mo Ruqi," were engraved on the back of the bronze mirror. They all gasped in shock; it was true that a High Antiquity treasure had been passed down to the present day. They wondered if it was genuine or not. Immediately, someone shouted, "Elder Wu, can your Wu family really be sure that this is the 'Demon -Demon-Illuminating Mirror' made by the Divine Craftsman from High Antiquity times?"
Upon hearing this, Wu Tai placed the bronze mirror back on the plate and smiled at everyone, saying, "My Wu family wouldn't dare boast that we can identify High Antiquity treasures. But this item is undoubtedly a 'Demon-Illuminating Mirror.' Of course, the engraving left by the Divine Craftsman on the back isn't enough to determine this. My Wu family once carried this item into the outer reaches of the Demon Ghost Domain, and any demon was revealed in its true form within the mirror. That's why I dare to call it a 'Demon-Illuminating Mirror.' As for whether this item is truly from the Divine Craftsman's hand or a replica, my Wu family can't be certain. But I would like to ask you all, since ancient times, who has ever heard of a second 'Demon-Illuminating Mirror'?"
"Hey! I've never heard of this, tell me about it!" Yue Qianchou tugged at Wu Licheng. He was a loner in the Qingguang Sect, and on Fu Xian Island, he was always thinking about doing his own work, rarely chatting or joking with his fellow disciples. He was completely clueless about historical allusions. Wu Licheng leaned closer, and the two whispered together, their heads almost touching...
After careful consideration, everyone shook their heads inwardly; they had indeed never heard of such a thing. In an instant, most people's doubts vanished, replaced by expressions of bewilderment. This auction actually featured High Antiquity treasures, and by Divine Craftsman no less! It was truly a difficult decision!
Why is it so difficult to choose? This item is the work of High Antiquity Divine Craftsman, so it can certainly be considered a treasure. But according to the current classification of treasures, what level of treasure would this 'Demon-Illuminating Mirror' be? It's probably at best a magical Law Artifact, not even Law Treasure, let alone a spiritual treasure. Because this item can neither attack nor defend, it has no practical value whatsoever. Why would I bother going around looking for monsters to reflect in it? Besides, monsters have vanished these days; finding even one is truly difficult. I can't very well go to the Demon Ghost Domain to use it for fun. If I did that, I'm afraid I'd be left as a guest by the demons, never to return.
Moreover, if this item is put up for auction now, the price will definitely be high. It's simply not worth spending a lot of money on this, and who knows what other things might come up later. But even with this useless item, you can't refuse to bid, especially for the major sects of Righteous and Demonic paths. It's the work of High Antiquity Divine Craftsman, and a treasure that has been recorded in history. It's a gimmick for any sect, even though it's not very useful.
Besides, which sect doesn't have old masters of weapon crafting? It's just a matter of skill level. If they find out that they missed out on bidding on a treasure crafted by Divine Craftsman, they'll likely face a difficult situation. They'll probably just say that studying and learning from the Divine Craftsman's treasure will greatly improve their crafting skills. Then they'll give them a piece of their mind.
Sigh! We should take the photos, but the key is to keep a proper balance in our hearts! Everyone looked at the Demon-Illuminating Mirror and smiled bitterly to themselves, wondering how they could have come up with something like this.
After hearing Wu Licheng's explanation, Yue Qianchou was taken aback. This small, broken mirror could reflect any level of demon cultivation; wouldn't that mean it could even reflect Bai Suzhen? His heart grew heavy. In his heart, he already considered Bai Suzhen family, regardless of whether she was a demon or not, she was his most trusted relative. He was most averse to anyone mentioning that Bai Suzhen was a fox spirit; even Qu Ping'er had been severely reprimanded by him for it. Because he wanted Bai Suzhen to live a normal life, because she was a woman who could completely relax him.
Not bad! She's a woman, not a demon, at least that's how he sees her. Fortunately, this 'Demon-Illuminating Mirror' is unique, so he'll buy it at any cost, not for any other reason than to ensure that no one can slander this woman! Yue Qianchou's eyes narrowed as he stared at the 'Demon-Illuminating Mirror' on the stage.
Wu Lixue kept glancing at Yue Qianchou while holding the sign in her hand. She was getting restless again; the feeling of snatching something from someone was so exhilarating. But she was also afraid that Yue Qianchou would disappoint her again. After all, it was his money, and she couldn't just randomly hold up a sign for him!
Wu Tai looked at the audience with a smile and said, "The Demon-Illuminating Mirror has a starting price of 1.5 million high-grade Spirit Stones. The highest bidder wins, and each bid must be at least 100,000 high-grade Spirit Stones higher. Please bid, all buyers!"
Most people in the audience were cursing the Wu family in their hearts. The Wu family's decision to bring out the Demon-Illuminating Mirror at this time clearly showed that they had figured out what everyone was thinking. It would be hard to explain if they didn't take back such a useless treasure. But to bid? The starting price was neither low nor high, which was really hard to swallow!
Just as everyone was internally contemplating the fate of the Wu family, Yue Qianchou spoke up, "Two million!"
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