Contention at the Auction

Days turned into weeks, and more and more martial artists arrived in Tian Yuan City. In addition to the Da Qing City Lord, two more titans had arrived in the past couple of days: the Blood Hand Gate Master and the Dark Devil Valley Master. Both were formidable experts at the Xiantian level, leading sects with formidable reputations in the surrounding region.

They had all come for the outstanding disciples under their tutelage. Originally, they had intended to negotiate with the City Lord's Mansion for the Xiantian Pill, but now their target was the Xiantian Pill being auctioned at the Sky Silver Auction House.

On the morning of the Xiantian Pill auction, Ye Xiwen woke up early and headed out to the Sky Silver Auction House. Compared to when Ye Xiwen had arrived a few days prior, the place was now an absolute sea of people.

And the vast majority were martial artists, all possessing a certain degree of combat prowess. Fights often broke out over minor disagreements, and troublemakers were promptly thrown out by the Sky Silver Auction House guards and banned from entry.

However, for Ye Xiwen, who possessed an advanced technique like the Heavenly Immortal Steps, this was not a problem. Like a fish navigating through water, he easily weaved his way into the auction house. Just like last time, after paying the Spirit Stones, Ye Xiwen received his seating pass.

As Ye Xiwen walked into the passage, he suddenly caught sight of a group of people striding towards the VIP passage not far away. Leading them was a man in his forties, dressed in a luxurious robe. His aura carried a distinct scent of blood, so potent that it seemed to waft over from a distance. His hands were a deep, crimson red.

Following behind him was a young man clad in blood-red robes, his face unnaturally pale, as if he were recovering from a serious illness. However, his constantly shifting gaze held a hint of coldness. Like the man in front of him, his hands were also stained red.

"Everyone, quickly move aside! Those are people from the Blood Hand Gate. It's actually the Blood Hand Gate Master, An Yuan, leading the group!"

"Tsk, tsk, it looks like the competition for the Xiantian Pill this time will be between these few. Is that his prized disciple, An Yunpeng, behind An Yuan? An Yuan himself has come this time to purchase the Xiantian Pill for An Yunpeng!"

"It is him, no doubt. Look at his crimson hands; he must have cultivated the Bloodhand Skill to a considerable level. It's said that this martial art requires the blood of living people to train. Who knows how many he's brutally murdered to reach this stage!"

"Hush, speak softer! Do you want to die? Those are unruly, evil path martial artists!"

Whispers rippled through the crowd.

"Just now, the Dark Devil Valley Master passed by. Tsk, tsk, such imposing presence!"

"Indeed, it's only these few powers vying for the Xiantian Pill this time!"

Ye Xiwen didn't linger and found his seat, then began to rest with his eyes closed, awaiting the start of the auction.

The auction hall buzzed with noise. After another half hour, it finally began.

"Welcome, everyone, to our auction house's auction!" The auctioneer was the same old man from last time. "I know why everyone is here, so I won't waste any more time. Let's begin our auction right away!"

Much like last time, this white-robed elder was brief and to the point.

Compared to the previous auction, the quality of the items being auctioned this time had significantly improved.

"This treasured sword is named Jade Snow. It was forged from thousand-year-old cold iron. This is an outstanding work crafted by a master invited by our auction house. It can slice through metal like mud. The starting bid is two thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones!" Before the old man was a platinum tray, upon which a serene, azure sword lay. A faint chill emanated from the blade, causing the surrounding air to condense into white mist. Clearly, it was a divine weapon.

The quality was a significant improvement over the items auctioned previously, but Ye Xiwen still wasn't very interested. He used a saber, and there was a vast difference between a saber and a sword. No matter how good the sword was, it was useless to him.

Although Ye Xiwen wasn't interested, many others were. Moreover, the financial strength of the martial artists present this time was considerably greater than before.

"Two thousand three hundred!"

"Two thousand five hundred!"

"Three thousand!"

After two minutes of bidding, the treasured sword was purchased for four thousand five hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

The sheer wealth displayed made Ye Xiwen gasp.

As expected, the Sky Silver Auction House then presented several more decent weapons and rare materials one after another. However, none of them piqued Ye Xiwen's interest. Ye Xiwen had no use for them, so he didn't participate in the bidding. Of course, the most important reason was that the prices of the items were increasing with each one. It wasn't that Ye Xiwen couldn't afford anything, but he simply hadn't seen anything he felt he absolutely had to buy.

Gradually, even people in the VIP boxes began to bid, opening prices. Compared to those below, the people in the VIP boxes were undoubtedly more generous.

However, the next item to be auctioned quickly captured Ye Xiwen's attention.

"The next item we will be auctioning is an inner armor. This inner armor is the work of a renowned craftsman and is woven from Golden Cicada Silk. It is impervious to blades and spears. With this inner armor, I believe everyone's personal safety will be greatly guaranteed!" the white-robed elder said with a smile.

As he spoke, he unveiled the red canvas, revealing a snow-white inner armor lying quietly upon it.

"The starting price for this inner armor is four thousand!" the white-robed elder announced. Defensive items had always been more valuable than weapons.

Ordinary divine weapons could never fetch such a high price, yet this was an inner armor. Having an inner armor was akin to having an extra life.

"Five thousand five hundred!" Ye Xiwen called out first. He was very covetous of this inner armor. Although he knew it was unlikely to fall into his hands due to his limited finances, he still wanted to try.

"Eight thousand!" As soon as Ye Xiwen finished speaking, the arrogant voice of a young man immediately called out, as arrogant as ever, increasing the price by two thousand five hundred in one go.

Ye Xiwen frowned. Such reckless bidding would only benefit the Sky Silver Auction House. Ye Xiwen looked at the white-robed elder in the center of the auction hall. As expected, the elder's eyes were crinkled into a smile.

Ye Xiwen recognized the voice. Wasn't that the Young City Lord of Da Qing City, Zhao Qiyan?

"Nine thousand!" Someone from another VIP box chimed in. Judging by the location, it was the seat of the Dark Devil Valley people.

"Ten thousand!" Zhao Qiyan spoke again, his tone filled with smugness.

"Twelve thousand!" The young master from the Dark Devil Valley in that box also appeared exceptionally arrogant.

"Fifteen thousand!" Zhao Qiyan spoke again, acting like a magnate who didn't care about money. This finally made the young master of the Dark Devil Valley back down.