Mysterious Stone

Qian Yu swept his gaze across the crowd, his heart stirring slightly.

Almost everyone in this line was at the Realm Lord Level.

And not ordinary Realm Lords—the vast majority were mid-stage, high-stage, or even peak Realm Lords. Their auras were either sharp, icy, blazing, or heavy; each one of them would be a dominant force in the outside world.

And at this moment, such individuals formed two long dragons, stretching endlessly out of sight.

"Sir, welcome to this session of the Ganwu Auction. This is your seat number."

At the entrance, a mechanical lifeform politely handed over a black token.

Qian Yu took it and looked at the number on the token: KBR38521.

He moved forward slowly with the line, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

The auction hall had sixteen entrances in total, each with a queue forming.

A rough estimate suggested at least a hundred thousand Realm Lords were currently waiting in line.

A hundred thousand Realm Lords.

Qian Yu sighed inwardly.

A mere auction could gather a hundred thousand Realm Lords—this spoke volumes about the foundation of the Ganwu Universe Country.

He followed the line as it slowly entered the auction hall.

Inside, the space was astonishingly vast.

The massive dome soared thousands of meters high, studded with countless dazzling gems that simulated a starry sky.

The entire hall was circular, with rows of seats rising layer upon layer, from the lowest to the highest, totaling over a hundred tiers.

Each tier held enormous seats, each dozens of meters wide, enough to accommodate races of various sizes.

Qian Yu found his seat and sat down.

The seat was extremely comfortable, with a small service counter nearby for ordering drinks and food at any time.

The view ahead was excellent, offering a clear sight of the massive auction stage at the center.

He looked around.

The seats around him were filled with all kinds of powerful beings.

There were humans, beast tribes, mechanical lifeforms, and some special races he couldn't name.

Every single one had an unfathomable aura, clearly all at the Realm Lord Level.

These were just the Realm Lords of one country, the Ganwu Universe Country, and only a portion willing to attend the auction.

How many Realm Lords were there in the entire Primordial Universe?

Above Realm Lords were the Immortals.

Above Immortals were the Sealed Marquises and Sealed Kings.

Above Sealed Kings were the Universe Venerables, Cosmic Lords, and Cosmic Supremes.

The path of cultivation was truly endless.

Qian Yu withdrew his thoughts and focused on the auction stage.

On the stage stood an old man in gray robes with a tortoise shell.

The old man was hunched, appearing frail and near death, but the moment Qian Yu's gaze touched him, his heart tightened.

An Immortal.

This old man was definitely an Immortal god.

And not an ordinary Immortal at that.

"Welcome, everyone, to this session of the Ganwu Auction."

The Tortoise-Shell Elder spoke, his voice not loud but clearly reaching every ear.

"Before the auction officially begins, as per tradition, we'll start with a warm-up auction."

He raised a hand, and a massive screen appeared behind him.

On the screen, a exquisite auction item slowly materialized—a miniature crystalline palace, radiating a faint golden light.

"The mobile palace, Golden Palace!"

The Tortoise-Shell Elder announced loudly.

"This is an Immortal-level mobile palace, crafted by the renowned refining master Jin Yan, made entirely of Red Gold Copper Mother. Its interior space is vast, capable of housing a hundred thousand people!"

"Starting bid—500 Hunyuan Units! Each bid must increase by no less than 10 Hunyuan Units!"

As his words fell, a murmur of discussion rippled through the auction hall.

"A mobile palace? That's quite a rare item."

"Jin Yan's work—quality guaranteed."

"500 Hunyuan Units—not expensive."

Soon, someone started bidding.

"550!"

"600!"

"700!"

Qian Yu watched the numbers on the large screen jump continuously, his expression calm.

A mobile palace was indeed nice, but he already had an F9-class starship, more than enough for his needs.

The price quickly climbed to 1200 Hunyuan Units, ultimately secured by a massive alien powerhouse for 1350 Hunyuan Units.

The warm-up auction continued.

Second item.

"Void Vine Seed! An Immortal-grade plant lifeform. Once mature, it can grow to the Marquis level. Starting bid: 800 Hunyuan Units."

Third item.

"One ton of Star Sand! A top-tier material for refining spatial treasures. Starting bid: 600 Hunyuan Units!"

Fourth item.

"Three Spectrum Fragments, usable for comprehending the laws of time. Starting bid: 2000 Hunyuan Units!"

One auction item after another took the stage, with final prices ranging from a few hundred to several thousand Hunyuan Units.

Qian Yu watched quietly the whole time, never making a move.

Though these items were decent, none of them were essential to him.

Until.

The seventh warm-up auction item.

On the screen appeared a stone the size of a fist.

The stone was pitch-black, with faint flowing light shimmering across its surface, looking utterly unremarkable.

The moment Qian Yu's gaze landed on it, his heart stirred slightly.

That stone—it seemed somewhat special.

"Next up, this auction item comes from a secret realm."

The Tortoise-Shell Elder introduced.

"After appraisal, this stone possesses spatial attributes, but its specific use is unknown. The only certainty is that it is extremely hard—an Immortal's full-force strike cannot damage it in the slightest."

"Starting bid—100 Hunyuan Units. Each increment must be no less than 10 Hunyuan Units."

As his voice fell, the auction hall fell silent.

No one bid.

A stone of unknown use, no matter how hard—what good was it?

It wasn't like you could use it to hit someone.

The Tortoise-Shell Elder seemed to have anticipated this, showing no hurry as he waited calmly.

After a moment, a voice rang out: "100."

It was Qian Yu.

He didn't know what the stone was for either, but 100 Hunyuan Units—couldn't lose much, couldn't go wrong.

"110!"

Suddenly, another voice sounded.

Qian Yu raised an eyebrow slightly and followed the sound.

It was a powerhouse sitting not far away, lean and tall, with pale blue skin. His eyes were fixed on the stone on the screen, a certain glint flickering within them.

Had he noticed something too?

Qian Yu remained composed and bid again.

"200."

"300."

The alien powerhouse responded without hesitation.

"500."

"600."

The two bidders went back and forth, the price quickly breaking 1,000 Hunyuan Units.

The surrounding Realm Lords turned their heads, surprise flickering in their eyes.

A broken stone of unknown use—was it really worth this?

"1,500."

Qian Yu raised the bid again.

The other powerhouse paused for a moment, gritting his teeth.

"2,000."

"3,000."

Qian Yu's expression remained calm.

The alien powerhouse suddenly whipped his head toward him, a trace of unwillingness flashing in his eyes.

After a long pause, he slowly shook his head and gave up.

"3,000 Hunyuan Units! Counting down from three—3, 2, 1—congratulations to guest KBR38521 for winning this mysterious stone!"

The Tortoise-Shell Elder announced in a booming voice.

Qian Yu nodded slightly, his curiosity about the stone growing.

For a Realm Lord to be so persistent—this thing was probably no ordinary item.

With the warm-up auction concluded, the real auction officially began.