A Glance Back at an Enticing Sight; the Fisherman Profits, Only to Be Surrounded and Caught!
While Yun Yuan explained the Primordial True Explanation to Li Xunyuan, the Futian Auction was also ready to begin.
Every seat in the auction hall was occupied. Prodigies from all sides had come face to face on a narrow road, all for the Three Lives Emperor Key.
However, those seated in the hall were merely ordinary prodigies.
Transcendent powers such as the immortal families and ancient imperial dynasties had all been assigned emperor-class private rooms.
Each room had a spatial projection that allowed its occupants to place bids from afar.
Slightly lesser powers, such as holy lands and ancient kingdoms, had been assigned VIP rooms.
The VIP rooms had no spatial projections; they merely provided a private setting.
Anyone wishing to bid had to open a window and call out an offer.
Compared with the secrecy of the emperor-class rooms, the VIP rooms were somewhat awkward.
"The Heaven-Subduing Pavilion welcomes everyone who has traveled from afar. We wish all the seniors present a fruitful visit, and may each of you return with treasures!"
A middle-aged man in black robes walked onto the auction stage. Without further ado, he announced the start of the Futian Auction.
Clap, clap!
As the black-robed man gently clapped his hands, a lovely, ethereal young woman stepped onto the auction stage with a graceful sway, a jade box resting on her jade hands.
The box opened to reveal a thumb-sized black stone. Its surface had a warm, smooth luster, with faint patterns engraved upon it, much like a pebble.
"Seriously? They're auctioning off a lousy rock?"
After examining it closely, one prodigy found nothing unusual about it and muttered his complaint.
Most of the people present also murmured in dismay and shook their heads to themselves.
They had not expected the Heaven-Subduing Pavilion to open such a grand auction by dropping a massive turd.
"Hehe, although this object looks ordinary, it has a remarkable origin!"
Seeing that the crowd was less than enthusiastic, the black-robed man began his introduction with a smile in his eyes.
"This stone was discovered by chance by a Quasi-Supreme expert in a secret realm on the edge of the Desolate Forbidden Land."
"After a series of tests by the Heaven-Subduing Pavilion, even sacred fire proved unable to scorch it, and Quasi-Supreme-level combat power could not budge it in the slightest!"
With that, the black-robed man looked around and said with a smile, "The starting bid for this mysterious stone is twenty Immortal Crystals!"
Immortal Crystals were crystallized, concentrated Immortal Source Liquid, hence the name.
In the emperor-class room, the Chaos Ancestral Dragon sleeping on Li Xunyuan's shoulder suddenly opened its eyes and stared fixedly at the black stone on the auction stage.
"Thirty Immortal Crystals."
Li Xunyuan was the first to break the silence in the auction hall, placing a bid of his own accord.
Anything that could interest this little fellow was worth thinking about.
Li Cangtian's eyes widened slightly. Thirty Immortal Crystals for a black stone of unknown nature was a rather steep price!
Li Tianji, however, gently shook his head at Li Cangtian, signaling him to say no more and trust the Divine Son's decision.
The power of karma flowed through Li Tianji's pupils as he examined the black stone, but he discovered that a special restriction blocked him, making it difficult to glimpse its true nature.
Perhaps it really was no ordinary object.
The auction result came quickly. No one else bid, and Li Xunyuan won it for thirty Immortal Crystals.
Before long, a maid knocked on the door and respectfully set down the jade box. Only after curtsying did she turn and leave.
"Interesting."
Li Xunyuan picked up the thumb-sized black stone and rubbed it gently in his palm.
The Chaos Ancestral Dragon's eyes shone on his shoulder, and drool streamed uncontrollably from its mouth. It could hardly wait to rush over and swallow the stone in one gulp.
Buzz!
Li Xunyuan then sent a wisp of Chaos Qi into the stone. After sensing it carefully, he slowly uttered a few words.
"Dragon-Patterned Black Gold!"
No wonder the Chaos Ancestral Dragon had awakened. It had been drawn by the Dragon-Patterned Black Gold's Qi.
Hearing this, Yun Yao's beautiful eyes widened, and she gave Li Xunyuan a long look.
The odds of finding a piece of immortal metal capable of forging an emperor weapon for thirty Immortal Crystals were less than one in a hundred thousand.
Not only was this fellow handsome, but his methods were extraordinary too!
"Um..."
Yun Yuan gave a mischievous smile and strode up to Li Xunyuan. Rubbing his hands together, he said, "Good nephew, could you let your uncle take a look?"
Holding the uncut Dragon-Patterned Black Gold, Li Xunyuan nodded gently. "Of course. Go ahead!"
Yun Yuan gestured with his eyes. "Put it in my hand. I can get a better look that way."
At this request, Li Xunyuan promptly put the Dragon-Patterned Black Gold away.
He stared at Yun Yuan suspiciously and said, "A treasure shouldn't leave its owner's hand. I think I'd better not."
Li Xunyuan had a persistent feeling that his uncle was up to no good.
If he handed the Dragon-Patterned Black Gold over, it would be like throwing a meat bun to a dog: once gone, never to return.
Yun Yuan covered his forehead and sighed in pain. "Alas, where's the trust between people? I'm your own uncle!"
As he spoke, Yun Yuan seized the chance to peek at Li Xunyuan through a gap between his fingers, then continued his performance of sighs and lamentations.
"Never mind my uncle. Even if you were my father, it wouldn't work." Li Xunyuan's stance was firm.
"Hey! You little brat!" Yun Yuan said, his face darkening.
Watching the two bicker, Yun Yao smiled helplessly. The pair were simply a couple of living treasures.
The saying was true: a nephew took after his maternal uncle!
The sound of bidding from the auction stage outside caught Yun Yao's attention, and she moved with graceful steps to Li Xunyuan's side.
Her beautiful eyes, clear as mirrors, gazed at the projected image for a long time as her thoughts drifted.
The Flying Immortal Physique was said to allow its possessor to shed their mortal form and ascend as an immortal once cultivated to mastery.
For all these years, Yun Yao had swept through the younger generation without ever suffering defeat.
Yet Li Xunyuan made her heart tremble!
He was also the only person who had made even her Flying Immortal Physique feel a trace of fear!
Just how powerful was he?
"Um..."
Yun Yao looked back at Li Xunyuan and sought out a topic, her voice gentle and pleasant. "Yesterday, I overheard something. Master Yun Yuan said he was going to hit you. He said you had to start hitting your nephew early!"
"Hm? What?"
Li Xunyuan frowned and turned warily to look at Yun Yuan.
He could have gone without turning around.
The first thing that met his eyes was an enticing expanse of snowy whiteness, richly fragrant and pleasing to the senses.
"Mm... a little unsuitable for children."
Li Xunyuan's face stiffened as he muttered under his breath, and awkwardness filled the air.
"Ah!"
Only then did Yun Yao realize that when Li Xunyuan had turned around-
Whether by coincidence or not, the young man's gaze had landed squarely on her fragrant shoulder, then shifted halfway down.
The young woman cried out and quickly pulled away, stirring up a fragrant breeze.
Yun Yao's face instantly turned red all the way to her neck.
Seeing this, Yun Yuan shook his head helplessly. "You young people really know how to have fun. I didn't see a thing. Carry on!"
Li Cangtian and the other two tactfully turned their heads away as well, pretending they had seen nothing.
"Next up for auction is a precious treasure, the Three Lives Emperor Key everyone has been waiting for!"
At that moment, the middle-aged host made his solemn announcement, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
The atmosphere at the venue reached its peak.
A black-and-white key appeared on the auction stage, the Qi of the Great Dao flowing around it. It was the final item of the auction.
"Fifty Immortal Crystals!"
Xuan Xiao, the inheritor of the Black Tortoise Divine Mountain, was the first to call out a bid.
"Seventy Immortal Crystals!"
Zi Tianque, the Holy Son of the Purple Mansion Holy Land, followed close behind.
"Eighty Immortal Crystals!"
"One hundred!"
"..."
In the emperor-class room, the sound of bidding broke the awkward atmosphere.
"Divine Son, Tianji thinks... we need not bid on this Three Lives Emperor Key!"
Li Tianji, who had been silent all this time, quietly made calculations with his ten fingers, then suddenly smiled mysteriously.
"Go on." Li Xunyuan nodded.
Receiving his approval, Li Tianji continued, "When the snipe and clam fight, the fisherman profits. Surround and catch the fisherman: that is the best strategy!"
"You brat, you're downright wicked!"
Li Xunyuan immediately understood what Li Tianji meant and readily agreed. "Good, we'll do it your way!"
When the snipe and clam fought, the fisherman profited.
Some would play the snipe and clam, leaving both sides injured in their struggle for opportunities, only to be used as pieces by the fisherman behind them and ruthlessly harvested in the end.
He, meanwhile, would be the one to harvest the fisherman.
The Three Lives Emperor Key bought at the auction, as well as the emperor keys held by the other ancient imperial clans, imperial dynasties, and holy lands...
The opportunities from the emperor tomb that those prodigies had labored so hard and braved nine deaths to obtain would all run straight into his, Li Xunyuan's, pocket!