As the number of bidders dwindled, the grand three-courtyard mansion was finally won by a tiger-headed man for the high price of five hundred taels.
The lots that followed included not only mansions, shops, and estates, but also calligraphy, paintings, porcelain, precious jade, and more.
There were also all kinds of fine weapons and armor, powerful bows and crossbows, as well as concealed weapons and poisons.
Even beautiful dancing girls from beyond the frontier made an appearance.
They set off a frenzy of bidding, driving the auction to its climax.
The atmosphere in the hall grew more and more heated, with bids rising one after another.
Lu Yuan sat quietly in his seat the entire time, resting with his eyes closed.
He was, of course, a normal man—and a vigorous young man in the prime of his youth, at that.
But for now, this was no time for him to indulge himself.
Besides, although he had brought a thousand five hundred taels in banknotes, that might not be enough.
At least until he was sure he could get his hands on that special technique, he absolutely couldn't waste money recklessly.
"Heh heh... Here comes the grand finale!"
At last, at the purple-robed man's amused words, Lu Yuan abruptly opened his eyes.
He saw a purple sandalwood box in the man's hands.
Inside lay a yellowed thread-bound book.
Some of its pages were worn and tattered, as if someone had leafed through it countless times.
"A fragment of the Mystic Grade technique, the Vajra Technique. It contains only the first three volumes, but they form a complete internal cultivation method, sufficient to support a breakthrough into the ranks of the elite—and perhaps even to cultivate Gold Skin!"
"The starting bid is five hundred taels, with a minimum increment of ten taels!"
Boom!
As the purple-robed man's words fell, the crowd below erupted in an uproar.
Five hundred taels was already enough to buy a grand three-courtyard mansion.
And though the Vajra Technique was indeed a genuine Mystic Grade technique, this was still only a fragment containing the first three volumes.
Most importantly, for the vast majority of martial artists present, what they lacked most wasn't an internal cultivation method capable of supporting a breakthrough into the ranks of the elite. It was the aptitude and resources to make that breakthrough.
Without sufficient aptitude and resources, they might not reach the level required to attempt a breakthrough for years, or even decades.
Only the great masters who had already entered the Transformation Realm urgently needed this kind of internal art to help them break through into the ranks of the elite.
So, in truth, not many people in the hall were tempted by the fragment of the Vajra Technique.
The bidding was nowhere near as heated as it had been for the mansions and dancing girls.
Still, everyone knew that if anyone bid on it, they were very likely to be a great master of the Transformation Realm—or a true genius with exceptional aptitude, confident of breaking into the Transformation Realm soon.
Of course, it was also possible that a wealthy person with money to burn would join the bidding just for the sake of owning it.
"Five hundred and ten taels!"
"Five hundred and twenty taels!"
"Eight hundred taels!"
After a brief lull, bids finally rang out again.
The price soared, quickly breaking a thousand taels.
"Good thing I got that five-hundred-tael reward from the Zhou Family. Otherwise, I really might have come all this way for nothing!"
Hearing someone call out a bid of eleven hundred taels, Lu Yuan's gaze sharpened.
The good news was that this special technique, the grand finale of the auction, was precisely the internal cultivation method he needed most urgently.
It was also a Mystic Grade technique capable of supporting a breakthrough into the ranks of the elite. Though it contained only the first three volumes, he could still make do with it.
Besides, even the fragment was already worth over a thousand taels. If it were the complete version, it would probably take several thousand taels to win it.
By then, the bidding had reached twelve hundred taels.
This was undoubtedly the most extravagantly priced lot in the entire auction.
As a result, the number of bidders dwindled until, in the end, only a dog-headed man and a cat-headed man remained, bidding against each other.
"Thirteen hundred taels!"
When the dog-headed man called out another bid, the cat-headed man fell completely silent.
Clearly, the price had exceeded what he could afford.
"Does anyone else wish to bid on this fragment of the Mystic Grade Vajra Technique?"
After a moment of silence, the purple-robed man looked over the crowd and asked, his eyes full of hope.
"Thirteen hundred and ten taels!"
He wasn't disappointed. Soon, a calm voice rang out from the hall.
Lu Yuan had waited until now to start bidding because he knew that no matter how fiercely people bid earlier, none of them would actually win it.
He might as well save his breath and strength, then bid when the decisive moment arrived.
"Anyone willing to offer more?"
The smile on the purple-robed man's face grew broader as he called out again.
His gaze went straight to the dog-headed man.
Everyone else's eyes fell on him, too, waiting to see if he would keep bidding.
But the dog-headed man turned to look at the sheep-headed man who had suddenly entered the contest.
"Thirteen hundred and twenty taels!"
After raising the bid again, the dog-headed man addressed Lu Yuan directly. "Friend, I urgently need this fragment of the Vajra Technique. Would you be willing to let me have it? I will repay you handsomely afterward!"
"I'm sorry, but I need it too."
A deep, gravelly voice slowly came from Lu Yuan's mouth.
"Friend, could you do me a favor and give me, Wang Qing, some face?"
The dog-headed man suddenly pulled off the mask he was wearing and spoke to Lu Yuan again.
"That's Wang Qing, the Iron Palm Gang's young master!"
Someone couldn't help shouting in surprise.
Though the Iron Palm Gang had risen to prominence only a little over a month ago, its reputation was already immense.
Not only had it nearly wiped out the entire Black Tiger Gang overnight, it had also swiftly swallowed up more than half of the East District. It was already showing signs of standing as an equal to the Axe Gang and the Jukun Gang, the two great gangs.
People even believed that before long, Qinghe County might see the rise of a true third great gang.
At that moment, everyone turned their attention to Lu Yuan.
Wang Qing, the Iron Palm Gang's young master, had revealed his identity so openly, clearly hoping to make Lu Yuan back down.
They all wanted to know whether Lu Yuan would cave in and withdraw from the bidding, or dig in his heels and continue.
"Friend, do me this favor today, and from now on, if you run into any trouble in Qinghe County, you can just give my name, Wang Qing. How about it?"
Wang Qing continued.
"Thirteen hundred and thirty taels!"
Lu Yuan merely glanced at Wang Qing, then immediately called out another bid.
Back when he was still in the Hidden Energy Realm, he had not only fought his way through the Black Tiger Gang but also killed the Black Cloud Stronghold's third master, a Transformation Realm expert, all by himself. Now that he had reached the Transformation Realm, why would he fear the young master of the Iron Palm Gang?
Even if the Iron Palm Gang's leader showed up, Lu Yuan was still determined to get the Vajra Technique!
"Where did this fierce dragon come from?"
As Lu Yuan's voice rang out, many people stared at him in astonishment.
This sheep-headed man was not only wealthy, he even dared to snub the young master of the Iron Palm Gang.
Was he a reckless fool, or did he truly have the strength to back himself up?
"Fine! You really are something!"
Wang Qing clenched his fist until his knuckles cracked, killing intent flooding his eyes.
Then he turned and walked straight out.
Everyone knew that even if the sheep-headed man won the fragment of the Vajra Technique, without enough strength, not only would those thirteen hundred and thirty taels go to waste, he might lose his life as well.
Private fighting was forbidden in the black market. But once you left, who would care whether you lived or died?
"Congratulations to friend number three-two-nine for successfully winning the fragment of the Vajra Technique!"
After a long silence, the purple-robed man finally brought down the hammer, announcing that the fragment of the Vajra Technique belonged to Lu Yuan.
A beautiful maid carried the sandalwood box containing the fragment over to him.
Lu Yuan handed the banknotes to the maid, picked up the sandalwood box, and quickly turned to leave.
After leaving the black market, Lu Yuan had expected Wang Qing to ambush him. To his surprise, he made it all the way home without incident.
"The Vajra Technique!"
After lighting a candle, Lu Yuan carefully took the fragment of the Vajra Technique out of the sandalwood box.
Without the slightest hesitation, he eagerly opened to the first page.
The first thing he saw was several diagrams of the human body's meridians, with red lines winding and twisting across them.
"The power of the vajra begins in the skin and flesh, travels through the sinews and bones, and ends in the internal organs. The marrow becomes golden broth, the blood like liquid mercury..."
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