Auction? Those with strength call it cost-free procurement!

Following the maid for nearly a hundred feet, she stopped before a small chamber, bowed respectfully to Xiao Li, and smiled, "Sir, as long as you hand over the items you wish to auction to the master inside for assessment and verification, you will be assigned a seat in the auction house based on the value of your goods."

Nodding slightly, Xiao Li pushed open the black wooden door, stepped inside, and closed it behind him.

The small chamber was brightly lit. An elderly man with slightly graying hair swept a sharp gaze over Xiao Li, but as the latter was almost entirely concealed within his black robe, it was difficult for him to discern anything.

"Please, sit." Gesturing casually to the chair in front of the desk, the old man finished organizing his appraisal tools and said indifferently, his head lowered, "Take out the items you wish to auction."

Xiao Li nodded slightly. From his Storage Ring, he dumped out over a hundred weapons and retrieved a dozen empty Storage Rings from his pockets.

He did not take out the medicinal herbs; he would save those for Xiao Yan to practice with. Since he had an alchemist in the family, he should make good use of him—finished pills were far more valuable than raw herbs.

Exploiting his younger brother? No, no, that was called using herbs to cultivate his brother.

The corner of the old man's mouth twitched. Although those in his line of work shouldn't pry into a client's background, but...

You brat clearly wiped out an entire group, didn't you? Truly plucking the feathers off a passing goose, even taking the other party's belongings to sell.

Though the old man thought this, his face remained as calm as water. "Hehe, friend, although you have many items, none of them seem to be of a very high grade."

Xiao Li nodded, remaining silent as he waited for the rest.

Sure enough, the old man continued, "So, you have two choices: either sell them yourself, where the price is uncertain and you might not sell everything, or we purchase them directly—the price will be lower, but you clear your inventory all at once."

"Fine, give me a quote." Xiao Li did not hesitate. What he lacked most was time, so he certainly wouldn't waste effort selling them himself. A lower price didn't matter; the cost was zero anyway.

Actually, that wasn't quite true—there was the cost of the Dou Qi used for his techniques, but that had already been recovered.

The old man nodded with a smile, stepped forward to inspect the items one by one, and calculated the price in his mind.

Before long, the old man finished his assessment and stroked his beard. "The total value is just under two hundred thousand gold coins. I'll make the call and round it up to two hundred thousand. How about that?"

"Many thanks."

Xiao Li wasn't surprised. Those in the Black-Corner Region were all desperate scoundrels who spent money lavishly; weapons were a matter of life and death, so it was normal for them to be of decent quality.

After clearing out these miscellaneous items, Xiao Li's total wealth reached three hundred and twenty thousand, finally giving him some confidence to participate in the auction.

Confidence, but not much.

However, this did lead Xiao Li to a way to make a fortune. A Two-Pattern Green Spirit Pill for Xiao Yan had a starting price of around three hundred thousand here, and he had managed to scrape that much together just by killing a few hundred people. It seemed he would have to do more good and eliminate evil in the future.

Elder Qian patted Xiao Li on the shoulder. "Follow your heart, but let it be a heart that follows the righteous path—a heart within the rules of heaven and earth, not one of evil desires or crooked ways."

Xiao Li had killed too many people recently, and Elder Qian was worried he might become obsessed.

Hearing Elder Qian's reminder, a flash of clarity crossed Xiao Li's eyes. "This junior understands."

Xiao Li lowered his head and sighed. No wonder reaching enlightenment was difficult, and no wonder everyone had inner demons; the path of cultivation was still very long.

After leaving the Black Seal Auction House, Xiao Li headed straight back to the inn where he was staying. He rested in his small room for a while, and only when the start time for the auction drew near did he emerge from his meditative state. Refreshed, he donned his wide black robe and walked unhurriedly out of the inn, heading back toward the auction house.

When Xiao Li appeared at the entrance of the auction house again, the sea of people and the deafening roar of noise and shouting left him slightly stunned. He hadn't expected the auction to attract so many people; it was truly worthy of being a grand event in the Black-Corner Region.

Moreover, this wasn't the Gama Empire. If you tried to cut in line here, dozens of fists would immediately come flying at you. After all, the people in the Black-Corner Region weren't as mild-mannered as those in the outside world; drawing a blade to hack someone over a disagreement was practically the norm.

Bad news: Xiao Li didn't have a VIP card and couldn't use the special passage.

Good news: There weren't many experts who couldn't use the special passage.

So... under Elder Qian's helpless gaze, after dealing with a few people who didn't know their place, Xiao Li gained another few tens of thousands of gold coins and swaggered into the auction house.

"Elder Qian, sometimes it's not that I'm bloodthirsty, it's just that I have no choice."

Elder Qian shook his head helplessly and didn't say anything more.

Even the few Great Dou Masters in the line looked at Xiao Li with faces full of wariness.

Even the auction house staff pretended not to see; they were still outside the venue, and no one would bother to account for the dead or the strong.

Entering the passage, the light grew dim. Following the corridor to the end and turning a corner, a massive auction venue suddenly appeared in Xiao Li's line of sight, causing him to gasp softly.

This auction venue was larger than any Xiao Li had ever seen. The densely packed seats and the auction platform, constructed almost entirely of brilliant crystal, were truly dazzling.

A beautiful maid hurried over and respectfully asked for the seat numbers of Xiao Li and Elder Qian.

After being informed, the maid led the way, with Xiao Li following closely behind.

Before long, the auction house was already bustling.

"It's finally starting," Xiao Li murmured, looking at the massive venue that was nearly packed to capacity, a hint of anticipation in his dark eyes.

Xiao Li was slightly excited, as it was his first time in such a place, while Elder Qian remained calm. In his eyes, these things were all second-rate, so naturally, his mood didn't change.

"If you see anything you like, just tell me. Money is no object," Elder Qian said indifferently.

Xiao Li chuckled. "Elder Qian is generous, but this junior wouldn't dare let you foot the bill. If there is something I truly desire, I will shamelessly trouble you then."

Elder Qian smiled mysteriously. "Xiao Li, I won't be spending money."

Xiao Li was startled, feeling a bit confused. "Does Elder Qian intend to..."

"Although I feel your bloodlust has been a bit high lately, this is the Black-Corner Region. Who here doesn't have blood on their hands? So I cannot say you are wrong. After all, killing a villain to save many good people is a merit. I only hope that once you leave the Black-Corner Region, you can change, rather than remaining blindly bloodthirsty."

Elder Qian's tone was flat. Instead of answering Xiao Li's question, he spoke of these principles.

Xiao Li nodded solemnly. "This junior understands. Please rest assured, Elder Qian; I have my bottom line. I will not kill the innocent, nor will I be bloodthirsty."

Elder Qian nodded in satisfaction and continued, "Good. But as I said, this is the Black-Corner Region—a pile of trash. If you kill them, you kill them."

"In the Black-Corner Region, when people have similar strength, competitive buying is called an auction. But when you possess strength that far exceeds everyone else..."

"Auction? Those with power call that 'procurement at zero cost'!"