"Master Ling, what's going on? Could the auction house's information have been false?"
Zhang Mu was somewhat dumbfounded as he looked at the outraged crowd around them.
"Don't rush. We'll know if we wait," Ling Yun said calmly, his expression unchanged.
At that moment, a new development appeared on the stage.
"Silence!"
Ge Xu let out an angry roar. By his strength alone, he actually suppressed the clamor throughout the entire venue.
But in the next instant, several dissatisfied snorts rang out at once.
"Ge Xu, you had better explain yourself. Otherwise, after today, there will be no need for your auction house to remain open."
"Old Ge Xu, do you take us for three-year-old children?"
"Hehe, who would have thought that this so-called number one auction house was nothing more than a fraud living off a stolen name?"
Without exception, those who dared speak up at such a time were Spirit Conduit Realm experts.
Even someone as formidable as Ge Xu had no choice but to treat them with caution.
Yet even so, Ge Xu remained perfectly composed. After sweeping his gaze across the venue, he said lightly,
"Why are you all in such a hurry? The First Auction House has stood for so many years. How could we possibly deceive everyone over something like this?"
"Please remain calm and listen while I introduce this item first."
As soon as those words were spoken, everyone came to their senses.
That was true. Given the First Auction House's reputation, there was indeed no need for it to ruin the credibility it had accumulated over so many years through such methods.
"Very well, then we shall wait and see."
The several Spirit Conduit Realm martial artists exchanged glances, reluctantly accepted his explanation, and sat back down.
Seeing the atmosphere return to normal, Ge Xu smiled faintly and directly reached out to cradle the "egg" in his hand.
"Everyone, I believe you all understand the essence of spirit tools very well, do you not?"
"The reason spirit tools are so powerful is not merely because their materials are exceptionally tough. More importantly, it is because of the Spirit Inscriptions carved upon them!"
"Yet those Spirit Inscriptions can only be activated by the Spiritual Energy within those people's bodies. To martial artists like us, so-called spirit tools are really nothing more than weapons that are somewhat sharper and sturdier."
No one's expression changed upon hearing this. Clearly, they all knew it well.
But even if they could not unleash a spirit tool's power, its intrinsic quality alone was enough for it to be called a divine weapon!
But why was this old fellow bringing that up now?
Could it be...
The several Spirit Conduit Realm martial artists were all startled as an utterly impossible notion surfaced in their minds.
Before they could ask, however, Ge Xu's voice rang out again.
"Perhaps some of you have already guessed it."
"That's right. This Thousand Machines in my hand is a spirit tool made specifically for martial artists!"
"Furthermore, it has six Spirit Inscriptions carved upon it in total. It only requires the power of blood and qi to activate!"
"Impossible!" The instant Ge Xu finished speaking, an old man rose to his feet in disbelief.
"It's Old Bloodrot." People below the stage immediately recognized him, and many began to gloat.
It turned out that not long ago, Old Bloodrot had pulled countless strings and spent a great deal of wealth before finally obtaining a Low-Grade Spirit Tool from the Demon Suppression Division.
What was interesting was that those Demon Suppression Envoys had not carved any Spirit Inscriptions onto it.
Old Bloodrot had figured that he could not activate it anyway, so he had not cared.
Now that a spirit tool suitable for martial artists had suddenly appeared, it was no wonder his reaction was so intense.
Faced with Old Bloodrot's doubts, Ge Xu did not offer much explanation. His expression merely turned solemn as dense blood and qi billowed from his body.
In the next instant, the previously ordinary "egg" was suddenly shrouded in radiance.
Before everyone's stunned eyes, the ball of light stretched and lengthened, eventually transforming into a several-foot-long sword!
With a casual swing, it let out sharp, piercing whistles, enough to prove that it was no empty display.
But it was not over yet. With a flick of Ge Xu's wrist, sabers, staffs, spears, halberds, and all sorts of other weapons transformed into being one after another!
"Everyone, what I just demonstrated was Thousand Machines' first Spirit Inscription—the Thousand Transformations Inscription!"
"As for the abilities of its other Spirit Inscriptions, let this spirit tool's true owner unveil them personally."
Seeing that every gaze had been thoroughly captivated, Ge Xu smiled inwardly and waved his hand.
"Then I hereby announce that the auction officially begins now. The starting bid is one thousand taels!"
As his voice fell, countless bids immediately rose and fell in waves.
"Eleven hundred taels!"
"Fifteen hundred taels!"
"Three thousand taels!"
"Thirty-five hundred taels!"
Even Old Bloodrot, who had questioned him earlier, was now red-faced as he bid madly. From time to time, he glared at those bidding beside him, threatening them to give him some face.
Unfortunately, his face was not as useful as he had imagined.
At a time like this, manners and personal ties meant nothing. Every one of them fought until their faces were red and their necks thick.
In the blink of an eye, the price had already broken through the five-thousand mark!
The speed of its rise left Zhang Mu and the others staring in slack-jawed astonishment.
During that time, Ling Yun also tried raising the price twice, but he was swiftly suppressed each time.
The banknotes he had prepared this time amounted to only around fifteen thousand taels at most. If it had merely been an ordinary spirit tool, that would have been enough.
But judging by the current trend, taking this Thousand Machines would likely be difficult.
Recalling the anomaly he had noticed earlier, Ling Yun's eyes flashed. He turned and gave several instructions to Zhang Mu and the others behind him.
Watching them leave with excited smiles, Ling Yun remained calm and began to wait.
Before long, amid the fierce cries of bidding, several ill-timed voices suddenly emerged.
"Tell me, if this spirit tool is so good, why are they putting it up for auction? Wouldn't it be better to buy it themselves in secret?"
"Who knows? Could there be something strange about this spirit tool?"
"Yes, yes, yes! When that old fellow was performing his magic trick earlier, I kept watching him. For one brief moment, I noticed that his face turned extremely pale!"
"..."
As those voices spread, everyone looked at one another, and the atmosphere immediately became somewhat strange.
Even the Spirit Conduit Realm martial artists who had been fighting until they were red in the face, on the verge of throwing hands, felt their hearts skip a beat and calmed down.
Only Ge Xu's face darkened. His sharp gaze swept in every direction as he tried to find those troublemakers.
Unfortunately, the venue was simply too chaotic. There was no way to begin searching.
"Ge Xu, were those words just now true? What are you hiding from us?"
"Does this spirit tool have some drawback?"
"Please explain in detail!"
Before he could think of a response, the Spirit Conduit Realm martial artists had already begun pressing him for answers.
Seeing that the situation had turned bad, a bead of cold sweat could not help appearing on Ge Xu's face. If no one had asked, he could have played dumb and muddled through it.
But since others had brought it up, he absolutely could not lie. Otherwise, if word spread later, his auction house's reputation would be utterly ruined.
Though he wished he could skin and pull the bones from those troublemakers, he could only speak vaguely for now.
"Actually, it is not a major issue. It merely consumes a little more blood and qi than usual."
Before you continue