Treasure Appraisal Conference

The main conference room of Yuanqiang Group is very spacious, with nearly two hundred seats, each of which is large and comfortable. With the addition of tables and a tiered floor, it resembles a small theater.

After Luo Jun entered, he glanced around and spotted Ling Xin. He walked over and sat down with her in the corner.

"Why did you choose such a spot?" Luo Jun looked around. It was quite far from the stage. Although his eyesight wouldn't affect the "treasure appraisal," it was still a bit out of the way.

"Don't you usually like sitting in places like this during class?" Ling Xin glanced at Luo Jun, a half-smile on her face, and said, "Besides, we're just here to join in the fun and broaden our horizons. There are plenty of highly skilled experts here; it might not be our turn to bid."

As they were talking, Ailongtan walked in, looked around, and finally chose a seat that was slightly off in the middle, about ten seats away from Luo Jun.

As more and more people arrived, two-thirds of the seats in the conference room were soon occupied, and finally no one else came in.

Several staff members went forward and closed the door. After a short while, a tall, beautiful woman with long hair walked onto the stage and looked at the crowd. "Good evening, distinguished guests. I am the host of this Treasure Appraisal Conference. You can call me A Yun."

"Those who have participated in Treasure Appraisal Conference before may have some understanding of the process. Since Cultivators mostly Treasure Appraisal Conference events differ from regular auctions. In fact, the rules may be slightly adjusted each time, depending on the treasures being appraised."

"Everyone, please look to the side of your seats. There should be a treasure catalog on your desks."

Luo Jun looked down and sure enough, there was a small booklet next to him, with a sign shaped like a hand inside.

"This time, our Yuanqiang Group has carefully selected twelve treasures for everyone to appreciate. Detailed information is in the catalog, which you can check in advance to identify your favorite treasures."

"As for the appraisal process, once an item is displayed, any customer who is interested can raise their paddle. However, the purpose of raising a paddle is not to bid, but to gain the qualification to participate in the bidding."

"After the bidding process, all bidders can record their willingness to pay for the treasure on their bidding paddles. To do this, simply place your bidding paddle against the Hundred Treasure Box, select the treasure you are willing to bid on, and record the relevant information on the bidding paddle. You can record any number of items. Once you have finished recording, select 'send' to complete your bid."

"After the bidding phase ends, our back-end system will review the prices and, based on the wishes of the item provider, select the most suitable bidder for the transaction, thus concluding this round of auction."

"So that's the process," Luo Jun nodded upon hearing this. This blind auction method was indeed more suitable. After all, treasure item transactions are all barter transactions, without a standard price. One-on-one transactions allow for mutual consent and negotiation, but if everyone bids one after another, and each bid needs to be verified on the spot, it would take forever. Moreover, there are only a few qualities of treasure items, and everyone is using Epic-level, so why should you bid after me?

This blind auction method solves the problem well. Everyone bids blindly, and the group and the seller discuss and decide whose bid to accept, which is reasonable.

However, this brand...

Luo Jun scanned it with his spiritual energy and found it to be a Fine Treasure Item, so he was relieved.

With this level of quality, there's absolutely no need to worry about the contents of the Hundred Treasure Box being discovered.

While listening to the rules being explained, Luo Jun flipped through the booklet. At a glance, there were twelve treasures, one after another, recorded on it. The first nine were Epic-level, and the last three were legendary.

To be honest, Luo Jun was somewhat disappointed. He had expected that such a large black market, after being dormant for several years, would be filled with legendary items, or even a Myth one or two. But looking at this list of treasures, the quality was rather average...

Wow, three legendary items?

"Look at this, Legendary-grade weapon. Once this special effect is activated, isn't it an instant kill?"

"These epics are no ordinary works either; they each have their own unique aspects!"

"This is truly eye-opening!"

Unlike Luo Jun's nonchalant attitude, everyone else around him was clearly extremely excited about the auction list, making Luo Jun feel completely out of place...

Upon closer reflection, his rise in the past six months has been incredibly rapid. Not only has his strength increased dramatically, but he has also acquired rare and precious artifacts that are unimaginable to ordinary people.

Putting aside everything else, at least several thousand people participated in this black market, but only a little over a hundred were ultimately allowed entry. Many of these were people who came specifically to attend the Treasure Appraisal Conference, which shows how precious Epic Treasure Item are to ordinary Cultivators, not to mention Legendary Treasure Item, which are treasures that most Cultivators can only dream of.

Luo Jun skipped the epic items and focused his attention directly on the three legendary items. Two of them were weapons: a rocket launcher and a Nine Section Whip. According to the description, the rocket launcher was very powerful, but it had limited ammunition. Although the ammunition could be automatically replenished, the cooldown was very long. For Luo Jun, the Myriad Jun Hammer was more useful.

As for the Nine Section Whip, it is a weapon that combines offense and defense, and its use requires skill, so it is not suitable for Luo Jun.

As for the remaining item, it is Legendary-grade contract.

This is a very practical treasure, a consumable item. There are three in total, each with a fixed format. Both parties write the specific terms in the blank space, sign and press their fingerprints to make it effective. If violated, there will be coercive measures to restrict and punish.

Such contracts exist at various levels, with varying degrees of effectiveness and penalties for breach. For low-level contracts, a sufficiently powerful realm and cultivation level might allow one to resist the penalties through vital energy. However, Legendary-grade contracts, once signed, are so binding that even those who have ascended to Feather Transformation dare not disobey.

That's not bad... Luo Jun nodded. If the opportunity arises, he'll try to get his hands on it.

"What does 'Stay tuned for the final Mysterious Treasure' mean?"

Just as Luo Jun was calculating what price he should pay for the Legendary Contract, someone in the audience raised their hand and asked.

Luo Jun was taken aback upon hearing this. He turned to the last page and indeed found an irregularly shaped silhouette with a large question mark on it, next to which was written, "Mysterious Treasure, stay tuned."

"This is a surprise prepared by Yuanqiang Group for all our guests," A Yun said with a smile on the stage. "The group's inventory naturally includes more than just these three Legendary Treasure Item. In particular, our Chairman's private collection contains many treasures that are even more precious than these three."

"To thank everyone for their support over the years, the Chairman has promised to offer one of his own collection items for everyone to appreciate and bid on at the end of the Treasure Appraisal Conference. However, the specific item will depend on the auction results of the previous twelve treasures and will be subject to some temporary adjustments. Even I, A Yun, don't know yet. But the only thing I can guarantee is that this Mysterious Treasure will be more powerful and more valuable than the three items in the catalog!"

After she finished speaking, the attendees below began to discuss among themselves.

There's another surprise... Luo Jun nodded. So it seems best to save some savings for the final, mysterious gift?

As I was pondering this, Ailongtan's voice echoed in my mind.

"Master, look at the fifth Epic Treasure Item!" Luo Jun was slightly taken aback. He flipped the album forward to the fifth one and found that the picture in the picture was of a pair of rubber overalls that workers often wore. They were usually worn to prevent getting dirty and to make them easy to clean when doing dirty work.

However, this one looked dirty, covered in bloodstains, and had many seams that were stitched together. It looked terrifying and eerie, more like the clothing of a deranged killer.

However, these were secondary; it was the explanation beside it that caught Luo Jun's attention.

Name: Horrifying Hide

Grade: Epic

Description: This equipment, worn by a notorious, Cold-Blooded Butcher, is pieced together from the skins of countless victims. Its numerous acts of cruelty and resentment imbue it with extraordinary protective capabilities.

Function 1: Bloodstained: Covered in blood and grime, imbued with the resentment and malevolence of the victims, greatly increasing defense. Furthermore, once attacked, this resentment will attach itself to the attacker, causing a continuous fear effect. This effect is passively activated, requires no energy consumption, and lasts for ten seconds.

Function Murderous Weapon: When wearing this equipment, it has an additional Mental Deterrence effect on intelligent beings.

Function Three: Vengeful Ghost: Once activated, it summons numerous Vengeful Ghost to aid in battle. It consumes thirty Breath Vital Energy. The Vengeful Ghost can only exist for a maximum of one hour, with a one-hour cooldown. During the Cooldown Time, the Bloodstained effect is ineffective.

Note: Wearing this, I can hear their screams all the time, hehehehehe...

The error-free version can be read at 69 Book Bar! 6=9+shuba is the first site to publish this novel.

Luo Jun stared at the description of this treasure. It was clear that this was part of the same set as the Kai Ren Qi and the Hanging Hook!

I never expected to get two pieces of the set in one market visit... It's like a dream!

Moreover, on its own, this Horrifying Hide isn't a particularly powerful Noble Phantasm, so other people's offers probably aren't high. This greatly increases Luo Jun's chances of getting it!

If successful, I'll only need one more piece to complete the set. I wonder what the final effect of the complete set will be...

Filled with anticipation, Luo Jun's hands trembled slightly as he held the picture book.

"What's wrong?" Ling Xin noticed his unusual expression and asked in a low voice, "Did you see what you wanted?"

"Oh..." Luo Jun waved his hand, "It's nothing..."

Luo Jun outwardly agreed, but inwardly reminded Ailongtan that he absolutely had to get his hands on this thing!

"Oh, right..." Ling Xin suddenly touched her hair. The bow tied at the back of her head made the already beautiful girl even more charming, enough to make any man fall in love at first sight.

"Did you buy this headband because you thought blue suited me?"

Luo Jun was taken aback by Ling Xin's question. After a moment's hesitation, he replied, "You can't choose the color of a Noble Phantasm, right? Function is more important than style..."

"That's true..." Ling Xin nodded in agreement, then asked, "So, what color do you think suits me?"

Luo Jun was taken aback again, thinking to himself, "What kind of nonsense is this?"

Seeing his hesitation, Ling Xin pressed further, "To be honest, I won't accept an answer that applies to everything."

Seeing her serious attitude, Luo Jun couldn't help but think carefully. For some reason, the scene of his first meeting with Ling Xin a few years ago flashed through his mind.

Ling Xin didn't come to Second High School; she transferred here two months later. At that time, most of the other students in the class already knew each other, so everyone was curious about the sudden arrival of a new student.

Especially since she's such a beautiful girl.

Luo Jun's memory of the specific events of that day was somewhat Blur. He only vaguely remembered that the girl who stood in front of the class and was introduced to everyone by the homeroom teacher had a high ponytail with a light purple bow tied behind her head.

"I think a lighter shade of purple might suit you better..." Luo Jun didn't know why he recalled this scene, but just as Ling Xin asked the question, that image suddenly surfaced from the depths of his memory.

"I see..." Ling Xin looked at Luo Jun and smiled slightly, "Thank you for the hairband."

"Huh?" Luo Jun was taken aback. "Didn't I already thank you?"

"Really? I don't remember." After saying that, Ling Xin rested her chin on her hand on the table and looked at the stage. "The Treasure Appraisal Conference is about to begin."

As they were talking, the first treasure was brought to the stage, and the host A Yun, began to introduce it.

Luo Jun flipped through the catalog. It was an Epic-level pistol, with decent power and special effects, nothing particularly outstanding. So he didn't bid. He just browsed the other Epic-level items, but apart from the Horrifying Hide, there was nothing else that caught his eye.

The bidding round ended quickly, and everyone who was interested wrote down the Noble Phantasm they were willing to offer on their bidding paddles. However, the backstage team still needed to compare everyone's bids.

Because this result could affect the guests' subsequent bids—since they don't know if they've won the bid—it could lead to the same item being offered for different treasures. Therefore, in principle, the next round should only proceed after the comparison is completed and the result is announced.

How long will this comparison take? Luo Jun has to compare prices at three different stores when buying something online. If there are twenty people bidding, it's a huge undertaking. Even if each round of auction is kept to half an hour, it will be almost dawn by the time all twelve items are finished.

Fortunately, the Yuanqiang Group's back-end comparison was much faster than Luo Jun had expected, and the results came out in less than ten minutes. In the end, the pistol was swatted away by a man wearing a hat.

A Yun immediately brought out the second treasure: a pair of shoes that could increase movement speed and jumping ability, as well as a powerful attack skill... However, Luo Jun didn't really care about any of these features, letting others bid for them.

And so, one by one, the treasures were brought to the stage for everyone to bid on, but Luo Jun did not make a move.

Finally, in the fifth round, a clothes rack was pushed onto the stage, with that Horrifying Hide covered in blood hanging on it!

(End of this chapter)