So, what could it be?
Chen Yan had no intention of probing it with his Spiritual Sense. Doing such a thing at an auction house was taboo among taboos.
If he were discovered by the great expert backing this auction house, the best possible outcome would be being thrown out of the venue.
There was no need for that at all.
After all, as long as he remained seated here, it was only a matter of time before he saw what lay beneath that red cloth.
A clear, resonant bell rang out.
The previously noisy Purple Mansion Pavilion gradually fell silent beneath the long, lingering peal of the bell, until not a sound remained.
The lights dimmed.
Only several candles still burned upon the auction platform. Then an elderly man in a white Daoist robe stepped onto the stage, his hair, brows, and beard all white with age.
His eyebrows were so long that they nearly drooped below the corners of his eyes.
Without using his Spiritual Sense, Chen Yan immediately judged from his own eyes and experience alone that the old man standing on the auction platform was a Guiyi Realm cultivator.
The old man swept his gaze across the hall. Only after confirming that no one was speaking did he slowly open his mouth at last.
"The auspicious hour has arrived—"
His voice was not loud, yet in the utterly silent hall, it struck like thunder.
Then came the sound of light footsteps.
A young girl in a pale red gauze dress walked in, holding an ebony tray in both hands. A piece of red cloth covered the tray.
She was an ordinary mortal girl.
She ascended the auction platform with graceful steps and came to a stop beside the old man.
Without a word, the old man