Ling Yun led the others to a secluded corner and sat down, then began surveying the venue.
It had to be said that quite a few people had come to this auction. Everywhere he looked, the seats were nearly full.
Among them were representatives of various major powers. At a glance, he spotted four or five martial halls alone!
Ling Yun even saw the emblem of Black Tiger Martial Hall not far from where they sat.
Ma Ruhu was among them as well, respectfully whispering something to an old man beside him.
The old man wore a black robe and had a grim, severe face. He looked somewhat familiar.
After thinking back briefly, Ling Yun quickly recognized him. This man was the master of Black Tiger Martial Hall.
Come to think of it, aside from seeing each other on their first day at the martial hall, the fellow had vanished for several months straight. Ling Yun had not expected to see him here now.
There was no need to think about it. He had definitely come for that Spirit Tool as well.
At that moment, the old man seemed to sense something. He suddenly frowned, his sharp gaze sweeping the surroundings, yet he found nothing.
That strange gaze from before had vanished like a fish slipping into the sea.
"Hall Master, what is it?" Ma Ruhu noticed his abnormality as well and asked in confusion.
"Nothing. Perhaps I sensed it wrong."
The old man pondered for a moment, then shook his head to indicate that it was nothing, though inwardly, he became quietly vigilant.
"Worthy of an old-established Spirit Conduit Realm martial artist."
Ling Yun withdrew his gaze and could not help praising the man's sharp senses.
If he had not reacted quickly just now, that old fellow might really have discovered him.
Zhang Mu, who sat beside him and had no idea what had just happened, leaned closer and whispered.
"Master Ling, the Spirit Tool you want will probably appear at the very end, as the finale."
"Judging by the situation here, there's a good chance people from every faction came for that thing. We need to prepare beforehand."
Ling Yun nodded, agreeing with his judgment.
Throughout the entire auction, only that mysterious Spirit Tool could likely draw so many factions here at once, like sharks that had caught the scent of blood.
This also showed just how formidable the Demon Suppression Division was. Casually producing a single Spirit Tool was enough to stir up such a tremendous storm.
Ling Yun shook his head and stopped dwelling on it, turning his gaze toward the auction floor.
The auction item on display was no longer the earlier porcelain bottle, but an ancient painting, seemingly the work of some renowned master.
Yet no matter how Ling Yun looked at it, he could not see what was so remarkable about it. It would probably feel too rough even if used to wipe one's ass.
And yet, bids for this very painting rang out one after another. In just a short while, the price had already climbed to several hundred taels.
In the end, it was bought by a somewhat portly merchant for the high price of seven hundred taels.
Ling Yun could only shake his head and sigh. These people truly had more money than sense.
The auction items that followed were mostly antiques, calligraphy, paintings, spirit herbs, pills, and the like.
Though those spirit herbs and pills had decent effects, they no longer held much appeal for him.
No matter how extravagantly the auctioneer praised them, Ling Yun had no interest whatsoever. After watching for a while, he simply closed his eyes in boredom.
The people behind him, however, remained thoroughly entertained. After obtaining his permission, Zhang Mu even placed a bid and bought a uniquely designed jade hairpin.
Seeing the smile rippling across that boy's face, who knew which lovely beauty he intended to give it to.
Thus, as one auction item after another was sold, the auction gradually approached its end.
Just as everyone awaited the final centerpiece, the beautiful auctioneer who had been presiding over the event suddenly bent at the waist to apologize, then retreated with a hoarse voice.
As the lights brightened again, an old man with a ruddy complexion appeared on the stage.
At the same time, twelve powerfully built men stood scattered around the area, watching everything around them with wary expressions.
Judging from their auras, they were all Intent Conduit Realm martial artists!
Especially that old man. Though thin and inconspicuous in appearance, the aura he emitted was incomparably stronger than those burly men beside him!
Before the old man sat a mysterious object quietly covered by a white cloth. It was presumably the main attraction of this auction.
Facing the countless burning gazes around him, the old man coughed softly. An invisible pressure spread outward, swiftly covering the entire venue!
For a moment, the entire hall fell silent as a graveyard.
The ordinary people were fine; at most, they suddenly felt some tightness in their chests.
But for martial artists possessing the power of qi and blood, it was as though each of them bore a massive boulder on their backs. Even the circulation of their qi and blood became sluggish.
Ling Yun's expression remained calm, and he was not affected in the slightest. Instead, he studied the old man with great interest.
Among all the martial artists he had seen so far, this fellow was probably the strongest.
Judging by his aura, he was likely only one step away from breaking through into the Bloodforging Realm.
Unfortunately, although his qi and blood were powerful, they carried the scent of decay. Breaking through was probably hopeless for him.
Ling Yun then glanced at Zhang Mu and the others behind him, whose faces had turned red. His body trembled faintly, canceling out the pressure enveloping them.
Only then did they all let out sighs of relief, looking at his back with gratitude and reverence in their eyes.
Meanwhile, the old man onstage looked at the grave expressions around him, nodded slightly, and withdrew his pressure.
His gaze swept inconspicuously across several spots. Those were all places unaffected by his pressure just now, and they deserved special attention.
One of those places was where Ling Yun sat.
Seeing that the desired effect had been achieved, the old man smiled. "First, I thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to support this auction house."
"This old man is Ge Xu, specially responsible for auctioning off this final centerpiece."
"I will not waste any more words. I am sure you have all been waiting impatiently."
"Then next, please behold the centerpiece of this auction: the Low-Grade Spirit Tool—Thousand Machines!"
As the old man's voice fell, the white cloth before him was slowly pulled away, revealing the true appearance of the object concealed beneath it.
"This is..."
Yet when everyone saw the so-called Spirit Tool, they were all dumbfounded.
There was neither a weapon nor a suit of armor on the tray, but an egg-sized... egg?
That was right, an egg!
Whether in shape or color, it looked exactly like an ordinary egg people ate every day!
After a brief silence, countless voices of doubt erupted throughout the venue.
"This piece of trash can be called a Spirit Tool? A random stone picked up from the roadside would be better than this!"
"Heh, your auction house isn't trying to toy with us, is it?"
"Ge Xu, I hope your establishment can give us a proper explanation."
"Damn it, give us our money back!"
Ling Yun's gaze was also filled with astonishment as he looked at that "egg."
He had never imagined that the Spirit Tool he had anticipated for so long would turn out to be such a thing.
Never mind whether this thing was truly a Spirit Tool—even if it was, surely he would not have to carry an egg around to smash people with it?
Yet seeing that the old man onstage remained as calm as ever, Ling Yun's heart stirred, and he settled down once more.
It seemed that this egg concealed some other, extraordinary secret.
Before you continue