That day.
A bustling crowd filled the space outside the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.
Dressed in blue robes, Lin Chen followed the crowd into the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. After he presented his Purple-Gold Token, an attendant immediately guided him straight to the second floor.
Three tiers of private rooms encircled the auction hall.
The first tier held the Profound Grade rooms, the second the Earth Grade rooms, and the third the Heaven Grade rooms. Guests of the lowest, Yellow Grade, were generally seated in the main hall.
Every private room had restrictive wards in place. Those inside could overlook the entire venue, while those outside could hardly discern anything within.
Earth Grade Room Seven was elegantly furnished, with spirit tea and refreshments already waiting on a sandalwood tea table. Through the glass wall at the front, the entire auction stage lay in plain view.
Lin Chen sat in a cushioned chair, studying the catalog in his hands.
"Thirty-four auction lots in total. My horn is the sixteenth."
Barrier-Breaking Pills, the Azure Wave Sword, hundredfold mystic water...
Finally, Lin Chen's gaze settled on the thirtieth auction lot.
It was a sword—a broken sword.
This was the item Lin Chen intended to bid for.
Of course, the sword itself was not his objective. What mattered was the true essence of the Sword Dao it carried.
After studying it for several breaths, Lin Chen closed his eyes and waited quietly.
About half an incense stick's time later, the seats in the auction hall had filled, and the hubbub gradually subsided.
A middle-aged man in brocade robes walked slowly onto the auction stage. Fair-faced and clean-shaven, with keen eyes, he was Qin Ming, the host of this auction.
Qin Ming surveyed the audience, his voice carrying clearly into everyone's ears with the aid of true