The Auction

The Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion was going to hold a grand auction.

For some reason, the news spread like wildfire. Every major power within a hundred miles of Yan City received an invitation, including the three most powerful factions in the city.

No one knew the origins of the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion, that mysterious shop. All they knew was that its proprietor was a man named Li Quan from Green Sun Town. Beyond that, they knew nothing.

In response to the invitation, every major power with some standing decided to send someone to investigate the shop's background.

As a result, Yan City had been bustling these past few days. Every street was packed with people, stretching farther than the eye could see.

To maintain order, the City Lord Mansion dispatched all its soldiers to patrol every street day and night, making sure nothing went wrong in Yan City.

"Damn it! If the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion doesn't have anything good, then the next time I see one of their people, I'll beat them to a pulp!"

A man who couldn't find an inn and had no choice but to sleep on the street was seething with anger, nearly cursing aloud.

He wasn't the only one. Many unaffiliated cultivators had also been drawn here by the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion's announcement and were suffering for it. Yet they couldn't bring themselves to leave, so they had to make do with spending the night in Yan City.

Soon, the time stated on the invitations arrived. Everyone made their way to the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion's branch: the Ten Thousand Treasure Auction House.

Li Quan had spared no effort in building the auction house, investing a great deal of time and energy to make it resplendent and grand. It was every bit as impressive as the Ten Thousand Gold Chamber of Commerce, and in some respects, even better.

Clearly, the moment everyone saw the Ten Thousand Treasure Auction House, satisfaction and anticipation shone in their eyes.

The auction house was cylindrical in shape and had six floors, each with a different layout.

The first and second floors were for those without much money. Each could accommodate three thousand people. Starting from the third floor, guests had to pay a sufficient fee to enter as members of the auction house.

As for the sixth floor, only those granted a Purple Gold Card by the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion could enter. It was said that even the City Lord Mansion, the Ten Thousand Gold Chamber of Commerce, and the Blood Wolf Gang had no right to go in.

"Not bad, not bad. This really is impressive."

On the sixth floor, Lin Ge looked down at the crowd below, a satisfied expression on his face.

"This is nothing. One day, I'll build an even bigger and more luxurious auction house in the Capital!"

Li Quan laughed heartily, boldly declaring his ambition.

Lin Ge smiled faintly and said nothing.

About half an hour later, everyone had taken their seats. A bewitching woman in a red dress walked slowly onto the auction stage with a seductive sway. After smiling at the crowd, she spoke in a voice infused with Origin Power: "Welcome, everyone, to the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion's auction. I'm certain you won't regret coming here today."

"Enough talk. Get started already!"

The woman had barely finished speaking when someone, unable to contain his excitement, shouted impatiently.

She wasn't angered in the least and continued smiling. "Then I won't waste any more of your time. The auction begins now!"

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone held their breath and turned their attention to the center of the hall.

Inside a luxurious box on the fourth floor, a handsome young man wasn't looking at the center of the hall. Instead, he watched the two figures on the sixth floor, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes.

"Who do you think that person accompanying Li Quan is?" the young man asked the man beside him coldly.

"I'm not sure, but he must be from some great clan. Otherwise, Li Quan wouldn't have ignored the representatives of the three major powers," the man replied slowly.

Li Quan hadn't received the representatives of the three major powers at today's auction. He hadn't even met with them, which had left the two Blood Wolf Gang disciples feeling rather displeased.

"If there's something here that interests me, then fine. But if there isn't, I won't be leaving so easily!"

The young man snorted coldly, his voice icy.

The man said nothing. This wasn't something he could control.

Unlike the young man, the representative of the Ten Thousand Gold Chamber of Commerce seemed quite calm, almost indifferent.

"Linger, what do you think of the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion?"

The speaker was Mina, the Ten Thousand Gold Chamber of Commerce's representative. She gracefully lifted the fragrant tea in her hand and asked the question casually.

Linger was her maid, but also her friend.

Hearing Mina's question, Linger answered respectfully, "They have great ambitions. At the very least, the three major powers of Yan City clearly don't impress Proprietor Li Quan."

Mina nodded slightly. She had the same impression. The owner of the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion seemed to have no regard for Yan City's three major powers at all. He had seated them on the fourth floor instead of the sixth, which made Li Quan's attitude toward them clear.

"This is getting more and more interesting."

Mina smiled faintly, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"Everyone, our first item today is a fifth-grade, upper-tier martial art of the wind element."

The woman in red announced the first item of the day with a smile.

Her words stunned the entire crowd.

A fifth-grade, upper-tier martial art was one of the most powerful martial arts in Yan City. Yet at the Ten Thousand Treasure Auction House, it was merely an appetizer. It was hard to imagine what sort of treasure the final item would be.

The woman in red paid no heed to the crowd's astonishment and continued, "The starting price for our first item is ten thousand Pure Origin Stones or an item of equal value. Each bid must increase by at least one thousand Pure Origin Stones!"

As soon as she finished speaking, countless people began bidding wildly. They stared at the fifth-grade, upper-tier martial art, their eyes burning with desire.

On the fourth floor, the young man from the Blood Wolf Gang was quite interested in the martial art, but it wasn't suited to him, so he had no choice but to give up.

Mina of the Ten Thousand Gold Chamber of Commerce was also interested, but she didn't join the bidding. She remained silent, smiling as she watched the crowd below scramble for it.

In the end, a prominent clan from Yan City won the martial art for ninety-four thousand Pure Origin Stones.

"Your first auction item was already a fifth-grade, upper-tier martial art. Where did you get so many good things?"

Lin Ge hadn't seen that move from Li Quan coming. He couldn't hide his surprise.

Li Quan gave him a mysterious smile and said with a hint of regret, "Sorry, I can't tell you. I promised its owner I wouldn't tell anyone—not even my own family."

Lin Ge deeply understood. He was becoming more and more interested in the items still to come.

Just then, the maid slowly placed the second auction item in the center of the stage.