Mysterious Stone

Qian Yu swept his gaze over the scene, and his heart stirred slightly.

Nearly everyone in these queues was a Realm Lord.

And they were no ordinary Realm Lords. The vast majority were mid-stage, high-stage, or even peak Realm Lords.

Their auras were sharp, cold, blazing, or heavy. Any one of them would have been an overlord in the outside world.

Yet now, people like them had formed two endless lines stretching beyond sight.

"Hello, sir. Welcome to this Ganwu Auction. This is your seat number."

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

Qian Yu accepted it and looked at the number engraved on it: KBR38521.

He slowly moved forward with the queue, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings.

The auction hall had sixteen entrances in total, and each one had a queue.

By rough estimate, there were at least a hundred thousand Realm Lords currently waiting in line.

One hundred thousand Realm Lords.

Qian Yu sighed inwardly.

A mere auction could gather a hundred thousand Realm Lords. This alone showed the foundations of the Ganwu Universe Country.

He followed the queue slowly into the auction hall.

The interior of the auction hall was astonishingly vast.

The enormous dome rose thousands of meters high, embedded with countless dazzling gemstones that simulated a starry sky.

The entire hall was circular, with rows upon rows of seats rising upward in layers. From the lowest point to the highest, there were over a hundred levels.

Each level contained enormous seats, each dozens of meters wide, enough to accommodate races of all shapes and sizes.

Qian Yu found his seat and sat down.

The seat was exceptionally comfortable, with a small service counter beside it where he could order drinks and food at any time.

The view ahead was excellent, giving him a clear sight of the enormous auction platform at the center.

He looked around.

The surrounding seats were filled with all kinds of powerful beings.

There were humans, beastfolk, mechanical lifeforms, and special races whose names he did not recognize.

Every one of them possessed unfathomable auras. Clearly, they were all Realm Lord Level beings.

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

How many Realm Lords existed in the entire Primordial Universe?

Above Realm Lords were Immortals.

Above Immortals were Sealed Marquises and Sealed Kings.

Above Sealed Kings were Universe Venerables, Universe Lords, and the Universe Strongest.

The path of cultivation truly had no end.

Qian Yu withdrew his thoughts and turned his gaze toward the auction platform.

On the platform stood a Tortoise-Shell Elder dressed in gray robes.

The old man was hunched and looked as though he had one foot in the grave, but the instant Qian Yu's gaze touched him, his heart tightened slightly.

An Immortal.

This old man was definitely an Immortal God.

And no ordinary Immortal at that.

"Welcome, everyone, to this Ganwu Auction."

The Tortoise-Shell Elder spoke. His voice was not loud, yet it rang clearly in every person's ears.

"Before the auction officially begins, as usual, we will start with a warm-up auction."

He raised a hand and pointed, and an enormous screen immediately appeared behind him.

On the screen, an exquisite auction item slowly emerged. It was a miniature palace, crystal-clear throughout and radiating a faint golden glow.

"A mobile palace, the Golden Palace!"

The Tortoise-Shell Elder introduced it loudly.

"This is an Immortal-level mobile palace refined by the famous treasure-refining master Jin Yan. It is made entirely from Red Gold Copper Mother, with vast internal space capable of housing one hundred thousand people!"

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

As soon as his words fell, discussions broke out across the auction hall.

"A mobile palace? That is rather rare."

"Jin Yan's work. The quality is guaranteed."

"500 Hunyuan Units... not expensive."

Soon, someone began bidding.

"550!"

"600!"

"700!"

Qian Yu watched the numbers on the giant screen continue to jump, his expression calm.

The mobile palace was indeed good, but he had an F9-Class Cosmic Ship, which was more than enough.

The price quickly rose to 1,200 Hunyuan Units before a massive alien powerhouse finally claimed it for 1,350 Hunyuan Units.

The warm-up auction continued.

The second item.

"Void Vine Seed! An Immortal-level plant lifeform that can grow to Sealed Marquis Level after maturing. Starting price: 800 Hunyuan Units!"

The third item.

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

The fourth item.

"Three Spectrum Fragments, which may be used to comprehend the laws of time. Starting price: 2,000 Hunyuan Units!"

Auction items appeared one after another, selling for anywhere from several hundred to several thousand Hunyuan Units.

Qian Yu merely watched quietly and did not make a move.

Although these items were all good, none were necessities to him.

Until—

The seventh warm-up auction item.

A fist-sized stone appeared on the screen.

The stone was pitch-black, with faint streams of light flickering across its surface. It looked utterly ordinary.

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

That stone... seemed somewhat unusual.

"The next auction item comes from a secret realm."

The Tortoise-Shell Elder introduced it.

"After appraisal, this stone was found to possess spatial properties, but its exact use is unknown. The only certainty is that it is extraordinarily hard. Even the full-force strike of an Immortal God cannot damage it in the slightest."

"Starting price—100 Hunyuan Units. Each bid must increase by no less than 10 Hunyuan Units."

As soon as he finished speaking, the auction hall fell silent.

No one bid.

A stone of unknown use—even if it was extremely hard, what use was it?

It could not possibly be used to smash people, could it?

The Tortoise-Shell Elder seemed to have expected this. He was in no rush and simply waited quietly.

A moment later, a voice rang out. "100."

It was Qian Yu.

He did not know what the stone was for either, but for 100 Hunyuan Units, there was no real loss.

"110!"

Suddenly, another voice sounded.

Qian Yu raised his brows slightly and looked toward the source.

It was a powerhouse seated not far away. He was thin and tall, with faintly blue-green skin. His eyes were fixed firmly on the stone on the screen, flickering with a certain light.

Had he seen something as well?

Qian Yu remained impassive and bid again.

"200."

"300."

The alien powerhouse did not hesitate.

"500."

"600."

The two bid one after another, and the price quickly broke through 1,000 Hunyuan Units.

The surrounding Realm Lords all turned to look, surprise in their eyes.

Was a worthless stone of unknown use really worth this much?

"1,500."

Qian Yu raised the bid again.

The powerhouse fell silent for a moment and gritted his teeth.

"2,000."

"3,000."

Qian Yu remained calm.

The alien powerhouse suddenly turned to look at him, a flash of unwillingness passing through his eyes.

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

"3,000 Hunyuan Units! Three-second countdown: 3, 2, 1—congratulations to guest number KBR38521 for winning this mysterious stone!"

The Tortoise-Shell Elder announced loudly.

Qian Yu nodded slightly, growing even more curious about the stone.

For it to make a Realm Lord so determined, this thing was probably far from simple.

Once the warm-up auction ended, the true auction officially began.