"Is ten thousand taels of gold really that much?" Ian Song said again, sounding as if to him, ten thousand taels of gold were no different than a single tael of silver.
The richly dressed young man sneered, "Looks like this gentleman is quite wealthy!" In his mind, Ian was just putting on a show—once the auction started, his true colors would be exposed.
"How is my wealth any of your business?" Ian scoffed, turning his head away with disdain.
The young man's face instantly darkened. If they weren't inside the Imperial Crown Auction House, he would have taught this country bumpkin a lesson.
Time passed slowly, and more and more guests arrived for the auction.
Finally, after about half an hour, a woman in a purple training outfit, tall and slender with a stunning oval face, stepped onto the auction stage.
For a moment, most of the guests' eyes were drawn to the auctioneer, their expressions varied.
"My name is Sherry Summers. I'll be hosting today's auction... Thank you all for coming. I hereby announce the official start of today's auction. Now, let's bring up the first item."
At Sherry's signal, a maid carried a wooden box made of rare timber onto the stage and handed it to her.
Sherry opened the box, took out a long sword, and introduced it: "The first item today is a divine weapon forged by Master Skye, called the Inkstone Sword. Not only can it slice through iron like mud, but even a trace of inner qi will make it spontaneously emit a three-foot sword aura!"
As she spoke, Sherry Summers drew the Inkstone Sword. With a resonant hum, a three-foot blade aura shot out, as if slicing the very air in two.
The crowd was visibly amazed. More than a few people secretly resolved to win this divine weapon for themselves.
For any martial artist, only a powerful weapon can truly multiply their strength.
"I announce: the Inkstone Sword starts at fifty thousand taels of gold! Each bid must increase by at least one thousand!"
The fifty-thousand starting price didn’t scare off many. As soon as Sherry finished speaking, someone immediately called out fifty-five thousand, and the price began to climb rapidly.
In less than fifteen minutes, the Inkstone Sword’s price had already shot up to two hundred thirty-five thousand taels.
A regular divine-grade weapon usually sells for around one hundred thousand gold. Master Skye is a renowned refining master, and his weapons are worth double. That put the Inkstone Sword’s fair value at about two hundred thousand.
But since the price had reached two hundred thirty-five thousand, it was already above the sword’s true value—so only two bidders remained.
"Two hundred forty thousand taels! This Inkstone Sword—I, Ray Bolton, am taking it!"
A voice rang out from one of the VIP boxes.
"Ray Bolton? Is that the infamous playboy from the Thunder Family?"
As soon as he announced his name, many people in the hall looked visibly shaken.
Sure enough, after Ray revealed his identity, his only competitor wisely backed down. The Inkstone Sword was successfully claimed by Ray Bolton.
"Now, let’s bring up the second item!"
Sherry accepted a jade bottle from a maid, her tone a little excited. "The second auction item is an Eternal Grace Pill, refined by an Immortal Dao alchemist. Taking one pill will keep your appearance at its most beautiful age forever. The starting bid is sixty thousand taels of gold, with each raise no less than a thousand."
"Whoa, a pill of this grade is seriously expensive!"
Ian was a little surprised. Back when he refined the Beautifying Pill, it didn’t just grant eternal youth—it could even restore older women to their prime.
"Were you serious about what you said earlier?" At that moment, the veiled girl’s eyes sparkled as she stared at Ian.
"What, you’re actually interested in this pill?" Ian asked.
"Don’t change the subject. I just want to know if you meant what you said earlier?" The veiled girl pressed him.
"Of course I meant it!"
"Good!"
The veiled girl nodded, then loudly called out, "One hundred thousand taels!"
"This young master has bid one hundred thousand taels! Does anyone want to offer more?" Sherry’s gaze swept over the veiled girl as she announced the bid with excitement.
"One hundred ten thousand!"
"One hundred twenty thousand!"
"One hundred thirty thousand!"
……
The price for the Eternal Grace Pill kept climbing, making the veiled girl anxious. She instinctively glanced at Ian.
"Don’t worry, just keep bidding!" Ian said casually.
"Let me give you some advice: if you make fake bids at the Imperial Crown Auction House and can't pay up, you'll pay the price!"
The richly dressed youth behind them couldn't help but sneer.
"Mind your own damn business!"
Ian retorted irritably.
"...You...!" The richly dressed youth was left fuming.
Even so, the veiled girl was a little skeptical about Ian’s finances. "Can I really bid as much as I want?"
"Go ahead, go ahead, it’s no big deal!" Ian said, growing impatient.
"Two hundred thousand taels!" the veiled girl called out again.
"This young master has bid two hundred thousand taels! Any higher offers?" Sherry glanced at the veiled girl again.
Inside one of the VIP boxes, a man and a woman were cozily snuggled together.
Hearing the veiled girl's bid, the woman beside Ray Bolton caught her breath, then snuggled closer to him and said coyly, "Young Master Ray, you have to win that Eternal Grace Pill for me. Tonight, I can give you...!"
Her cheeks flushed bright red as she spoke.
The so-called Young Master Ray was the same Ray Bolton who’d won the Inkstone Sword earlier. Swayed by the woman’s charms, he quickly declared, "This Eternal Grace Pill is mine—two hundred thousand and one thousand taels! Whoever bids against me is disrespecting me!"
At that, the veiled girl looked annoyed and immediately called out, "Two hundred ten thousand!"
"Hmph!"
Ray Bolton’s cold snort echoed from the VIP box as he growled, "Two hundred twenty thousand! Who still dares to raise?"
"Three hundred thousand!"
This time, before the veiled girl could speak, Ian jumped in first. Inside the Divine Temple, even spirit crystals were everywhere—mere gold was meaningless to him.
"Who’s the bastard going against me?"
Ray Bolton’s furious voice rang out from the VIP box.
"If you can't afford it, don't bid!" Ian replied coolly.
As soon as he said this, many people in the hall turned to look at Ian.
Someone even whispered, "Who is this guy? He actually dares to go head-to-head with Ray Bolton?"
"He looks unfamiliar. He’s probably not from Skyroc City!"
"Idiot!"
The richly dressed youth behind Ian sneered.
"Do I look like someone who’s short on gold? Fine, if you want to compete with me in wealth, I’ll play along! Five hundred thousand taels—let’s see if you dare to raise again!" Ray Bolton’s furious voice echoed.
"One million taels," Ian said calmly.
"Bastard!"
Ray Bolton’s furious roar rang out. With a bang, the VIP box door slammed open and Ray stormed out, his face twisted with rage as he scanned the hall and shouted, "Who’s the bastard going against me? Stand up and let me see you!"