Extraterrestrial Meteorite

Black Seal Auction House, inside the auction hall!

Xu Haoyu raised the bid by two hundred thousand in one go, bringing the value of this High-Level Storage Stone to two million. That was already an astronomical price.

The entire hall erupted into an uproar. Every gaze locked onto Xu Haoyu, their eyes filled with scrutiny as though they wanted to find out what was so special about him that he could afford such a sky-high price.

The old man hosting the auction also had a gleam flash through his eyes. He roughly knew who Xu Haoyu was—a distinguished Fourth-Rank Alchemist who had supplied the Black Seal Auction House with a large number of Rank 4 Pills, which had now sold for high prices.

Thus, he knew perfectly well that Xu Haoyu could afford two million gold coins. With a thought, he shouted in an invigorated voice:

"Two million! A guest has bid two million! Is anyone willing to raise the price?"

"Two million, going once!"

"Two million, going twice!"

"Two million..."

Before he could call it for the third time, Fan Ling, the young sect master of the Blood Sect, shot Xu Haoyu a resentful glare and called out:

"Two million one hundred thousand!"

A High-Level Storage Stone like this was a rather rare treasure. Fan Ling still wanted to fight for it.

The elderly auctioneer roared inwardly:

Keep going, keep going! Don't stop! Keep raising the price like mad, and our Black Seal Auction House will make a fortune! Hehehe...

Xu Haoyu glanced at Fan Ling, then calmly raised the bid again.

"Two million two hundred thousand!"

Seeing Xu Haoyu looking at him, Fan Ling grinned, stuck out his tongue, and licked his lips, revealing a bloodthirsty expression.

This brat actually wasn't afraid of him. Interesting—far too interesting. Throughout the entire Black-Corner Region, he had always done whatever he pleased. Now, he had decided to make this brat who dared not fear him disappear completely from the world. Then the High-Level Storage Stone would still be his in the end.

Fan Ling did not raise the price again, but everyone saw the expression on his face and the killing intent in his eyes.

Clearly, Fan Ling intended to kill Xu Haoyu afterward and seize the treasure. In the Black-Corner Region, such things were commonplace. Even if one had the money to buy a treasure, without sufficient strength, one simply could not keep it.

Everyone was already silently mourning Xu Haoyu. At the same time, they eagerly wondered whether they could join in later and perhaps gain a little benefit for themselves.

The Black-Corner Region was full of people like this. Whenever they saw profit, they were like sharks in the ocean smelling blood.

Seeing this, the old man onstage felt rather regretful. It seemed no one would raise the bid now. As for the subsequent killing-and-treasure-seizing affair, he had no idea how many people would take part.

They would only ensure that no killing or treasure theft occurred within Black Seal City's sphere of influence. Once outside that territory, it was none of their concern.

Then he spoke again:

"Two million two hundred thousand, going once!"

"Two million two hundred thousand, going twice!"

"Two million two hundred thousand, going three times!"

"Very well. This High-Level Storage Stone belongs to this guest."

After saying that, the old man waved his hand, signaling for the High-Level Storage Stone to be sent away first. Then two burly guards carried a heavy object onto the stage. The strained expressions on their faces made it clear just how weighty it was.

With a bang, the object landed on the ground with a heavy thud. Without further ado, the old man lifted the red cloth, revealing what lay beneath.

It was another stone, about the size of a human head. Its entire body was pitch-black and roughly spherical, but its surface was full of pits and craters, giving off a peculiar feeling.

What sort of feeling was it?

Xu Haoyu could not say. He decided to wait for the old man to explain the stone's origins before making a judgment.

As he thought this, the old man began speaking. After sweeping his gaze across the hall, he smiled and said:

"This is the final item in this auction. This stone is an Extraterrestrial Meteorite. Its original size should have been far larger, but after falling from beyond the heavens, it was worn down and compressed along the way until only this much remained."

"When its owner brought it to us, we had already examined it. This Extraterrestrial Meteorite is extraordinarily hard. No matter what kind of bombardment it suffers, it remains completely unscathed."

"If someone can hire a master to melt it down and forge it into a weapon, it will surely become a divine weapon—capable of cutting iron like mud and slicing through hair with a breath. The boost to one's strength would be self-evident. Thus, our starting price is four hundred thousand, with each increase no less than ten thousand. Any guest who wishes to pursue a divine weapon may now place a bid."

As soon as his words fell, the entire hall broke into discussion. Though the noise was extremely lively, not a single person bid.

These people were all pragmatic. If it were truly a divine weapon, capable of cutting iron like mud and slicing hair with a breath, then they would certainly spend a huge sum fighting over it.

But it was only a piece of raw material. No one would bid lightly. Just because he said it was an Extraterrestrial Meteorite, did that make it one?

What if it was merely an ordinary stone with somewhat greater hardness? If it could not be melted or forged into a weapon, then it had no value whatsoever.

Who would hold a head-sized rock in their hand during a fight and use it to smash their opponent to death?

After no one bid for a long time, a trace of helplessness appeared in the old man's eyes. It seemed this stone would go unsold. Four hundred thousand gold coins was no small sum—who would spend it on a worthless stone?

In the end, Xu Haoyu opened his mouth. He decided to take a gamble on whether he could pick up a bargain. After all, novels were always written this way. If this stone truly was a treasure, he would make a tremendous profit. If it was just an ordinary stone, then he could also verify that novel plots were unreliable.

"Four hundred thousand. If anyone wants it, raise the bid and take it. If no one does, I'll take it back and have a look."

What Xu Haoyu meant was that he would bid only once. If anyone wanted to contend for it, they could raise the price, but he absolutely would not follow up.

His words stirred up another round of discussion, but no one raised the bid. Xu Haoyu had made himself clear: he would never bid a second time. Whoever raised the price would take it. If someone raised the price but later decided they did not want to buy it, hehe, then they would see whether the Eight Gates Sect came looking for trouble.

Fan Ling frowned deeply, gritting his teeth somewhat. In his eyes, Xu Haoyu's money was now his money, merely being kept with Xu Haoyu for the time being. Yet Xu Haoyu actually dared to squander his money on a worthless rock.

He decided that he would not let Xu Haoyu die too easily. He would definitely take him back and turn him into a blood slave, make him suffer every torment, and drain every last drop of blood from his body until he died.

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort, Fan Ling quietly instructed those beside him that once the auction ended, they were to keep a close watch on Xu Haoyu and the old servant at his side. They absolutely could not allow them to slip away unnoticed.

Meanwhile, at the auction venue, the old man felt regretful yet relieved. At least the stone had not gone unsold:

"Four hundred thousand, going once!"

"Four hundred thousand, going twice!"

"Four hundred thousand, going three times."

"Since no one is raising the bid, this stone belongs to this guest..."