Incomplete Map

"The second auction item for today is a Grade 4 spirit herb; its primary function is to boost a person's strength for a short period."

Following the red-clad woman's introduction, a maidservant placed the reddish spirit herb onto the auction stage using a jade tray.

"Red Blood Grass!"

In the audience stands, everyone stared at the spirit herb, their eyes filled with astonishment.

Red Blood Grass is a Grade 4 spirit herb. Consuming it accelerates the circulation of energy throughout the body and provides a massive boost to one's strength. It is a rare and invaluable lifeline.

"I believe everyone is already aware of the effects of Red Blood Grass, so I shall not explain further."

The red-clad woman swept her gaze across the room and smiled, "The starting bid for this second item is five thousand Pure Origin Stones, with each increment no less than one thousand Pure Origin Stones."

"I bid seven thousand Pure Origin Stones!"

No sooner had the red-clad woman finished speaking than a customer on the third floor shouted out a bid.

"I bid eight thousand!"

Another person immediately followed suit.

"I bid nine thousand!"

"I bid ten thousand!"

After a fierce bidding war, it was finally auctioned off to a family surnamed Pei for the price of thirty-eight thousand Pure Origin Stones.

"The third item today is Blood Coagulation Powder. The starting bid is 500 Pure Origin Stones, with each increment no less than 100 Pure Origin Stones."

As the red-clad woman finished, the maidservant brought out a polished wooden bottle.

"A medicinal treatment, why is it being sold for so much!"

"We want to see the results!"

Seeing that the red-clad woman remained standing in place without any intention of demonstrating the product, the people in the audience became disgruntled, shouting one after another to express their dissatisfaction.

The red-clad woman had long anticipated the demands from the crowd, so she did not show a hint of panic, remaining entirely composed.

Of course, she did not stop the crowd from venting their frustration; she simply listened with a smile until the noise in the venue died down before finally speaking.

"Everyone, the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion promises once again that everything from our shop is worth the price. We will never engage in deceptive behavior toward our customers, so you may bid with confidence. As for the request to demonstrate the effects, we regret that we cannot do so."

The red-clad woman's words were like a bomb, nearly detonating the entire room. They glared at her in the center of the stage with hostile expressions, as if ready to strike at any moment.

Facing the hostile gazes of tens of thousands, the red-clad woman felt immense pressure, as if she were about to collapse and fall to the ground at any second.

But at that very moment, a powerful aura suddenly erupted from the sixth floor. It was like a sharp blade, piercing toward every person in the audience, causing the complexion of everyone present to change!

In a private box on the fourth floor, the two members of the Blood Wolf Gang also wore heavy expressions. Facing this powerful aura, they found themselves without any power to resist, breaking out in cold sweat.

In another box, Mina and the maidservant named Linger were also having a difficult time. Mina, in particular, had a look of shock in her eyes, for she was a genuine expert of the Heaven Origin Realm, yet even she could not withstand this aura.

After about three seconds, this terrifying aura vanished instantly, as if it had never appeared at all.

In the audience stands, there was no longer any of the previous arrogance or boldness; everyone remained silent, their eyes filled with varying degrees of fear.

"It's the man next to Li Quan!"

The young man from the Blood Wolf Gang had a dark face, his tone somewhat hostile.

"Aside from our gang leader, no one has ever given me such a terrifying feeling. The strength of the person beside Li Quan is definitely at the Grand Perfection of the Yuan Dan Realm!" the man said with a grave expression.

"What! You mean to say that this Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion also houses an expert at the Grand Perfection of the Yuan Dan Realm!" The young man's eyes revealed a trace of terror, his face full of shock.

If anyone else had said this, the young man certainly wouldn't have believed it, but coming from this man, he already believed it more than half, leaving him deeply shaken.

It was not just the two from the Blood Wolf Gang; Mina from the Ten Thousand Gold Chamber of Commerce and everyone sitting in the audience had deduced the level of the expert who had released that aura, and their expressions were equally shocked.

On stage, the red-clad woman breathed a slight sigh of relief, her smile deepening as she asked, "Does anyone need this bottle of Blood Coagulation Powder? If no guests require it, the shop will withdraw it from the auction."

The red-clad woman's words jolted everyone awake. Their gazes turned in unison toward the wooden bottle in the center of the stage, their minds racing.

"I bid one thousand Pure Origin Stones!"

Just then, a voice of moderate volume rang out from the audience, and everyone turned their eyes toward him.

The man was draped in a black robe, his face obscured, and one could only judge from his voice that he was not very old.

"Congratulations to this gentleman. Trust in the Ten Thousand Treasure Pavilion, and you will certainly not regret it."

The red-clad woman smiled as she finished speaking and took the item away.

After the auction concluded, all purchased items would be delivered in full to their owners.

For the subsequent items, the previous unrest did not occur again. As time passed, the audience gradually forgot about the earlier incident, and the atmosphere slowly recovered, becoming lively once more.

Over an hour passed in the blink of an eye, and the auction finally reached its final stage. Everyone looked eagerly toward the center of the stage, wanting to see what the grand finale of this auction would be.

Under the anticipation of the crowd, the maidservant brought out a yellowed, seemingly tattered scroll on a jade tray.

"Hmm?"

Lin Ge watched this scroll, his eyes filled with contemplation.

"Everyone, this is the second-to-last item of this auction: a fragmented map."

After more than an hour of auctioning, the woman in red had beads of sweat on her face, yet her smile remained undiminished and her voice just as resonant.

"It's just a map, what could be so extraordinary about it?"

In the audience, a man couldn't help but ask.

This was a question everyone wanted answered; after all, as the penultimate item of this auction, it could hardly be that simple.

The woman in red had no intention of keeping secrets and said with a smile, "This is a map to the tomb of a fallen powerhouse, though no one currently knows the extent of that expert's strength. Therefore, the starting bid for this item is one Pure Origin Stone."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone frowned in unison.

To auction off something so vague and ethereal—was this not just playing them for fools?

Yet, while they thought this in their hearts, no one dared to voice it; having experienced what happened earlier, they had no desire to go through it again.

"I bid one hundred Pure Origin Stones!"

Mina extended a slender finger and said with a smile.

"One hundred, going once. One hundred, going twice. One hundred, going three times. Congratulations to Miss Mina of the Ten Thousand Gold Chamber of Commerce for acquiring this incomplete map."

The woman in red spoke with a smile before heading off to prepare the final item.