The auction
In response to Gu Fan's question,
Commander Mad Wolf's lips curled slightly. Rather than answering immediately, he asked in a probing tone,
"Auction Master Gu, if I entrust this treasure to the Profound Heaven Auction House for auction... would your auction house be able to shelter me?"
"Shelter you?"
"Indeed."
Commander Mad Wolf's eyes shone.
The Shattered Star Sect was a powerful sect within the Great Qian Dynasty. Since that young man had been an elder's disciple, his status must have been very important.
Presumably,
it would not be long before they sent people to search for him, perhaps even discovering how that young man had died!
And as the one responsible for killing a Shattered Star Sect disciple, he would inevitably be hunted down by the sect!
That was also why he was probing whether the Profound Heaven Auction House could shelter him.
"I'm very sorry."
Gu Fan refused outright.
Although the Profound Heaven Auction House could shelter him, offending others for his sake was no wise decision.
Hearing this, Commander Mad Wolf could not help looking disappointed.
However, he quickly returned to normal, reached out to push the Spirit Heart Lotus in front of Gu Fan, and said with a curl of his lips,
"In that case, I'll entrust this treasure to your auction house."
"We certainly won't disappoint you, Commander Mad Wolf."
Gu Fan smiled as well.
Night fell beneath a sky full of stars.
Lights glittered throughout Guangyang City.
However, viewed from above, the street outside the Profound Heaven Auction House in the north of the city was bustling with people compared to elsewhere.
"Night Star Grass of excellent quality! Come take a look, everyone..."
"Fine delicacies from the royal capital! Anyone who's never been there should come have a taste..."
"A treasured saber! A treasured saber! A treasured saber passed down through the family! Dear customer, don't judge it by its ordinary appearance. This is a fifth-tier supreme treasure..."
People of every description gathered here.
And most of them had come for the now-renowned Profound Heaven Auction House!
After multiple consecutive auctions, the reputation of Guangyang City's Profound Heaven Auction House had long since spread far and wide!
Even among the various nearby sects that had heard the news, rumors circulated that ruins had opened near Guangyang City, allowing so many second-tier treasures to circulate outside.
Naturally, such news unsurprisingly drew even more people to Guangyang City.
Outside the Profound Heaven Auction House,
Lineage Head Miao, dressed in blue robes, stepped leisurely down from his carriage and walked toward the auction house.
Wherever he passed, everyone around him respectfully moved aside.
At the same time, they looked with some fear at the slender little snake on Lineage Head Miao's shoulder.
This Black Baleful Intent Snake's fearsome reputation was already known to everyone.
Who did not know that this tiny snake had swallowed three Spirit Sea Realm experts in a single gulp?
It had also propelled Lineage Head Miao into the position of Guangyang City's strongest expert overnight!
And that opportunity had come from the Profound Heaven Auction House and Auction Master Gu!
Moreover, the auction house had now held eight consecutive auctions, with someone purchasing a second-tier treasure at every one!
Tonight was the ninth. Why couldn't they be the one to obtain this auction's second-tier treasure?
At this thought,
the people around him walked through the auction house's doors with even greater hope.
Inside the hall, the aisles were crowded, a sea of heads surging.
This was because every guest who entered would first approach Gu Fan, seated in the seat of honor, to greet him before heading to their own seat.
There was no helping it.
Although Lineage Head Miao was Guangyang City's strongest expert,
when it truly came down to it, Auction Master Gu of the Profound Heaven Auction House was the most prestigious person in Guangyang City!
Besides, every second-tier treasure had been provided for auction by Gu Fan. How could they not respectfully greet such a good man?
At that moment, Lineage Head Miao strode up to Gu Fan.
Immediately, the crowd around them cleared away.
Such was the prestige of Guangyang City's strongest expert. Wherever he stood, no one dared give offense.
Even so, Lineage Head Miao addressed Gu Fan very respectfully.
"Auction Master, have you been well lately?"
Gu Fan looked at Lineage Head Miao with a smile.
He understood why the latter treated him with such respect.
It was probably because... the Black Baleful Intent Snake still tended to obey Gu Fan's will more.
Even though Lineage Head Miao had used the Beast Taming Talisman to become the Black Baleful Intent Snake's master, he could not change the fact that it classified him as a "secondary master"!
And this was perhaps because of the system.
Still, since the Black Baleful Intent Snake now belonged to Lineage Head Miao, Gu Fan naturally would not meddle over this.
The two exchanged greetings.
Soon, Guangyang City's other prominent figures also arrived at the auction house one after another.
These people, too, had undergone tremendous changes over the past seven days.
Take Lineage Head Huang, for example.
Not only had he successfully entered the Spirit Sea Realm with the Four Symbols Pill, but he had also subsequently purchased a second-tier defensive magical treasure at auction.
Although he still fell somewhat short of Lineage Head Miao, he was nevertheless a renowned figure in Guangyang City.
And among all this,
what was rather regrettable was that the Liu Lineage had already fallen out of the ranks of the three great lineages.
Instead, someone else had successfully entered the Spirit Sea Realm through a treasure purchased at the auction house, leaping up to become one of the new three great lineages.
The Profound Heaven Auction House,
to Guangyang City's various powers, was a land of opportunity.
Some could soar through the opportunities offered by the auction house, but others would fail to seize them and gradually be eliminated.
Time hurried by.
The auction house gradually grew quiet.
Soon,
the ninth auction of Guangyang City's Profound Heaven Auction House... began!
"Welcome to this auction, everyone. I am your auctioneer, Xiang Yin..."
Brimming with confidence, Xiang Yin surveyed the auction hall's unprecedented turnout from the stage as she introduced herself with a smile.
As her words fell, those below immediately played along, beginning to cheer and make a commotion.
Calls about wanting to marry Xiang Yin reached her ears from time to time.
Xiang Yin's cheeks flushed slightly. Only after the hall quieted somewhat did she regain her composure and get straight to the point.
"We will now auction our first item, an ordinary object entrusted to the Profound Heaven Auction House by an anonymous guest-a jug of clear spring water drawn from the Black Forest!"
"Boo..."
A chorus of boos rose from below the stage.
Yet despite all the booing, no displeasure appeared on their faces.
After eight auctions, they already knew that the true treasures would only go under the hammer at the grand finale!
The earlier auction items were basically there to warm up the crowd!
However,
this auction's turnout was unprecedented, and some guests from elsewhere did not know the inside story. They immediately frowned and spoke up.
"Spring water? Spring water from the Black Forest?"
"Even something like this can be auctioned? Isn't the Profound Heaven Auction House supposed to be Guangyang City's greatest auction house? What is the meaning of this?"
"Are they deceiving us? We came for second-tier treasures, not this beast's bathwater..."
"Could its reputation be nothing but an empty name?"
The other guests in the auction house also heard these people's frowning complaints.
Hearing them, they sneered and spoke up.
"An empty reputation? If you feel deceived, you're perfectly free to leave!"
"Hahaha, I remember someone beside me leaving early at one of the previous auctions, only to come slinking back later..."
"Let them leave. Once these people are gone, there might be less competition later."
"Exactly, exactly..."