"Two million four hundred thousand!"
"Young Master Xiao Teng of the Xiao Clan bids two million four hundred thousand! Does anyone wish to raise the bid?"
"Three, two, one-sold! Congratulations to Young Master Xiao Teng on acquiring this Dark Demon Ice Nether Soul!"
Inside the Merchant Association building, a handsome young scion of an aristocratic clan sat in a room, listening to the auctioneer outside exclaim and announce the result in a somewhat exaggerated tone.
A gong sounded immediately afterward, signaling that he had purchased the most precious treasure at this auction: the high-grade Earth Rank spirit creature, the Dark Demon Ice Nether Soul.
However, Xiao Teng was merely a young master of the Xiao Clan's direct lineage. As a rising talent at the tenth turn of the Human Rank, he was by no means qualified to enjoy such an Earth Rank spirit creature. He had come here to carry out a task assigned by his lineage.
"Wonderful, Brother Teng! We won the bid!" Once the result was settled, several other youths, also around seventeen or eighteen, spoke joyfully.
They belonged to families subordinate to the Xiao Clan in the city, or were cousins from the Xiao Clan itself.
Yet Xiao Teng showed little joy. Instead, he gave a bitter laugh and said helplessly, "Winning the bid does me no good. This thing isn't mine."
A Xiao Clan disciple patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Don't put it that way. We're all doing our part for the lineage."
As he spoke, a yearning look appeared on his face. "With this, our clan can add another powerful Earth Rank fighting force. Once the elders give it a manifested body and tame it, perhaps we'll even have a chance to take it into battle!"
Great aristocratic clans and