The Auction

Li Beichen's question made Zhang Meng scratch his head.

"The exotic beasts I've seen are all physically powerful ones. I've heard of the types you're talking about, but I've never actually seen them myself."

"It seems these exotic beasts are much like martial artists; most of them focus on tempering their bodies."

"That should be the case. Let's go; it's about time. The auction is starting, and there might be something in there that you need."

Li Beichen followed Zhang Meng, winding through paths until they reached a small grove enclosed by a fence.

The perimeter of the fence was guarded by men in black.

Only a single passageway was left open for people to enter and exit.

Furthermore, there were guards who had attained the martial ranks stationed at this passage to conduct inspections.

Zhang Meng took a wooden token from his pocket and handed it to a guard.

The guard then handed over two bamboo tablets, and Zhang Meng gave one to Li Beichen.

Li Beichen raised his hand to look; the bamboo tablet had the characters "332" written on it.

The one in Zhang Meng's hand read "332."

"You must have qualifications to enter this auction, and that qualification is the wooden token I just gave the guard."

"Since you're participating in the auction this time, Seventh Brother, if you spend enough, you'll be able to receive such a token when you leave."

"Next time, even if you come alone, you'll be able to participate in the auction."

Listening to Zhang Meng's explanation, Li Beichen recalled Hu San, whom he had lured into a trap and killed with the help of a wolf pack at Small Gravel Mountain several months ago.

At that time, he had also found a wooden token on Hu San's corpse.

He had left it at home, never knowing what it was for.

Now it seemed it was an entry token for this Black Market auction.

"Then, Senior Brother, the bamboo tablets we were just given are the paddles we'll use to bid later, right?"

"That's right."

The auction venue was very crude.

Wooden stumps served as stools throughout.

At the back, there was a wooden shack.

Just then, some men in black carried a large wooden table out from the shack and placed it in the center of the auction area.

"They're still preparing. Let's pick a seat near the front, Seventh Brother."

Zhang Meng pulled Li Beichen along, and they sat directly on the wooden stumps a few rows in front of the large table.

"In a moment, the items for auction will be placed on this table for display. If you're interested, you can raise your paddle to bid."

Li Beichen and Zhang Meng chatted in low voices.

Before long, the auction venue began to fill up.

Everyone there was tall and sturdy, clearly not people to be trifled with.

Li Beichen even spotted a Rank Seven expert.

Although he was masked, the ring scars on his scalp and the string of prayer beads hanging around his neck made it clear he was a wandering monk.

Rank Seven experts were easy to distinguish; one only needed to look at their exposed skin to see their unique traits.

The monk's skin possessed an unusual, reddish hue.

After another cup of tea's time, the wooden stumps in the auction venue were mostly occupied.

Li Beichen did a quick count.

Including Senior Brother Zhang Meng, there were at least four martial artists of Rank Seven or higher present in the open.

There were also some figures wrapped tightly from head to toe.

He could not discern their strength.

"Senior Brother, can you beat all of these people?"

Li Beichen lowered his voice to ask.

If Zhang Meng said he could take them all, then he could afford to be a bit more reckless later.

Senior Brother caught a glimpse of what Li Beichen was thinking.

He was already starting to regret bringing him out.

"Within Rank Seven, in the territory of Ram City, when it comes to a one-on-one duel, your Senior Brother has never feared anyone."

Zhang Meng patted his chest first, then lowered his voice.

"But Seventh Brother, two fists are no match for four hands. We don't fear trouble, but we don't go looking for it either."

"Don't worry, Senior Brother. I never look for trouble; I only strike if others strike first."

"That is good."

At this moment, a woman wearing a vibrant red skirt and a chest wrap, her face veiled in thin gauze, walked gracefully toward the large wooden table.

Yet, judging by the refined and well-defined six-pack abs visible on her midriff, it was clear that she was also a ranked martial artist.

"Seventh, the auction is about to begin. This is Lady Li, an eighth-rank Tendon-Refining expert. She usually hosts the auctions."

"Eldest Senior Brother, why do I feel like our ninth-rank Fifth Senior Sister has much larger muscles than her?"

"Ahem, Seventh, the cultivation methods of our Like-Elephant Martial Hall are different from others. Some halls, like the Cloud Crane Martial Hall, focus more on speed and agility, so their muscles don't grow quite as large."

"I see..."

As the two conversed, Lady Li cleared her throat.

"Everyone, I am Lady Li. I presume most of you present know me. I will be hosting today's auction as well."

"Now, the auction begins!"

"The first item is ninth-rank Exotic Beast Meat, ten catties in total. The starting bid for the whole block is two hundred taels, with each increment being no less than five taels."

Li Beichen's eyes lit up; he had not expected Exotic Beast Meat to be the opening item.

At this, some people could not wait and began raising their placards.

"Number sixty-three, two hundred and twenty taels!"

"Number forty-five, two hundred and thirty taels!"

The shouts rose one after another, though the bidding remained restrained, with increments of only ten taels.

"Seventh, this ninth-rank Exotic Beast Meat usually goes for twenty-five taels per catty. Just bid as you see fit."

"Understood, Eldest Senior Brother."

Li Beichen raised his bamboo placard.

"Number thirty-three, two hundred and fifty-five taels."

His bid had already exceeded the normal market price, immediately discouraging many bidders. However, Exotic Beast Meat was a resource that was hard to come by, often having a price but no market.

Still, quite a few people continued to compete with him.

"Number forty-five, two hundred and sixty taels."

"Number thirty-three, three hundred taels!"

Li Beichen added forty taels in one go.

On the stage, Lady Li's eyes turned sultry as she looked toward the floor.

"Guest number thirty-three bids three hundred taels. Are there any other gentlemen who wish to bid higher?"

"One... two... three..."

Seeing that no one raised their placard again, a hint of resentment flashed in her eyes, as if he had let her down.

"Congratulations to guest number thirty-three for winning the ten catties of ninth-rank Exotic Beast Meat!"

This Lady Li was truly a master of hosting auctions; her professional skills were formidable.

In the blink of an eye, she returned to her radiant self and began introducing the next item.

With this successful start, the atmosphere of the auction became increasingly heated.

Fine swords, farmland, storefronts, herbs, and pills all appeared at the auction.

Li Beichen watched as the martial artists in the hall raised their placards one after another, and he squeezed the banknotes in his pocket.

He still had over six hundred taels.

He intended to spend the money as soon as he saw an item suitable for him.

Only when converted into his own strength were resources truly put to good use.

At this moment, a palm-sized booklet and ten small swords, each the length of a chopstick, were brought to the large wooden table.

"The next item is a rare hidden weapon technique and its accompanying armaments."

"It is called Shuriken. Once mastered, its force is comparable to a powerful bow or heavy crossbow, capable of threatening the life of a seventh-rank Skin-Refining martial artist!"

As soon as Lady Li said this, the entire hall erupted in an uproar.

The greatest characteristic of a seventh-rank martial artist is their tough skin and membrane, which is equivalent to wearing a suit of soft armor.

An ordinary person using all their strength to hack or slash with a blade would struggle to inflict even the slightest injury.

Even for a ranked Flesh-Refining martial artist, unless they wielded a hundred-forged weapon, any blade that managed to pierce the skin would likely be caught by the seventh-rank martial artist's muscles.

Furthermore, a seventh-rank martial artist's speed and strength far exceed those of the ninth rank; in reality, even if a ninth-rank martial artist held a sword, they would find it difficult to even get close.

Let alone threaten their life.