Chapter 211: Chapter 211: Treasure Pavilion Auction, Qingyun Zhenren Throws a Tantrum
Upon arriving at the banquet hall, Jiang Xinyu did not find his father, so he turned to the maid beside him and asked, “Where’s my dad?”
“Replying to the Young City Lord, the City Lord and the Great Elder have gone to County King City to make purchases, and it is said they are also preparing to set up a sub-branch. They will not be in the city for the time being,” the delicate and beautiful maid replied with an extremely pleasant and soft voice.
“Alright, you may leave,” Jiang Xinyu said as he pinched the maid’s face and then, with his hands behind his back, led Ye Feng and the others to take their seats at the table.
After eating and drinking their fill, the group moved to the Auction House’s grand hall a few miles away.
This was a hundred-meter-tall dome structure with an auction platform in the center that was thirty feet high, surrounded by a large number of seats and boxes hanging in mid-air.
As honored guests, Ye Feng and company were naturally arranged to be in the Number One Sky Box.
Through the screen, the disciples saw people entering the Treasure Pavilion one after another, taking their places and quietly waiting.
Suddenly, the presence of a dozen Element Gathering Realm level cultivators entered the Treasure Pavilion.
Ye Feng felt a hint of familiarity, lifted the screen and looked down, only to discover that it was none other than Yunhua Zhenren, City Lord of Sanyuan City, Deputy City Lord of Whitefloat City, the powerhouses from Hundred Artifacts Sect, Qingyun Sect, and other forces.
“It is said that the heavyweight item of this auction is a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact of excellent quality, rumored to be worth no less than eight thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones. I just so happen to be in need of a Spirit Sword. Let’s see who dares to compete with me for it,” a domineering voice rang out.
As the voice carried, everyone felt the pressure mount, and the entire Treasure Pavilion seemed to tremble in response, compelling them to look towards the source of the voice.
There came a man in a green robe, Qingyun Zhenren, with his hands behind his back, accompanied by several Elders of the Qingyun Sect, his body radiating splendid light and exuding an extraordinary aura.
“The auction item goes to the highest bidder. Such domineering conduct does not fit the occasion, Qingyun Zhenren,” Sect Leader of Liuyun Sect walked into the Treasure Pavilion and said with a smile.
With a gentle wave of his hand, he dispersed the force of Qingyun Zhenren’s presence.
The pressure on the others greatly reduced, and they couldn’t help but cast grateful glances toward the Sect Leader of Liuyun Sect.
“Ahem, fellow Daoists, the auction is about to begin. Please take your seats.”
An elderly man who had reached the second layer of the Element Gathering Realm stepped into the Treasure Pavilion and stood on the auction platform, “I am Jiang Daoli, the regular host of the Auction House, and I believe many of the Daoists present recognize me.”
“Well then, I won’t waste time with idle chat, let’s begin the bidding!”
“The first treasure is a First Grade Spell ‘Spiritual Flying Horse’. Once mastered, one can use Spiritual Energy to conjure a white horse with wings on its back capable of brief flight, though it has the drawback of consuming a great deal of Spiritual Energy. The starting bid is thirty Lower Grade Spirit Stones.”
Auctioneer Jiang Daoli brought out an ancient tome and quickly finished the introduction.
“Thirty-five.”
“Thirty-eight.”
“Forty.”
“…”
After a round of fierce bidding, ‘Spiritual Flying Horse’ was sold for fifty-three Lower Grade Spirit Stones.
“The second item up for auction is a bottle of Spiritual Wine aged for many years, which can speed up cultivation. Especially before dual cultivation, if each party drinks a cup, the effect, well, only those who have tried it know…”
Jiang Daoli spoke at length, inviting bids.
In less than half an hour, hundreds of items like Spiritual Artifacts, Spells, Elixirs, or refined Spirit Mines had been sold.
However, these items were not high-level, mostly being bid on by those in the Qi Refining Realm.
Later on, the auction progressed to Third Grade Spells, ordinary Middle Grade Spiritual Artifacts, and Lower Grade Consolidating Origin Pills suitable for use in the Element Gathering Realm.
Ye Feng watched indifferently, without making a move.
It wasn’t that he looked down on them, but rather the Misty Sect was just too impoverished. Even if they sold thirty Lower Grade Spiritual Artifacts to acquire sixty Middle Grade Spirit Stones, they would still need to pinch pennies to gather the Spirit Stones required to refine the Five Elements Spirit Sword.
Another quarter of an hour passed.
“The next item for auction is a highly sought-after Middle Grade Spirit Sword valued at at least five thousand Spirit Stones, created by a certain Artifact Refining Master. The starting bid is three thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones.”
Jiang Daoli opened a wooden case and drew out a sharp Spirit Sword, merely a foot in length, bursting with cold radiance.
As soon as the Spirit Sword was revealed, everyone felt their skin tingle as if they had encountered a formidable opponent.
“It’s finally starting.” Seeing the Spirit Sword, Ye Feng and the disciples from Misty Sect immediately showed interest, eager to see how much it would sell for.
In an instant, dozens of Spiritual Senses covered the Spirit Sword, scanning and judging its quality and value.
“Truly a fine sword. I bid three thousand five hundred!” Qingyun Zhenren was the first to retract his Spiritual Sense, holding his arms and slowly raising the corners of his mouth as he announced his bid.
“Such an exquisite sword is a rare treasure for cultivators of the Sword Dao, and as the Sect Leader, I have taken a fancy to it as well. I bid three thousand eight hundred!” The Sect Leader of Liuyun Sect said, unwilling to show weakness.
Under normal circumstances, bidding against the petty Qingyun Zhenren would undoubtedly earn his resentment, but with the looming threat of Demon City, the Sect Leader of Liuyun Sect only wanted to improve his strength as much as possible.
This Spirit Sword had to be his!
“Four thousand,” the Sect Leader of Hundred Artifacts Sect joined the bidding.
He had never seen such exquisite craftsmanship, almost as if not made by human hands, highlighted particularly by the meticulously neat Array Patterns. If he could acquire this Spirit Sword to take back to Hundred Artifacts Sect for study, surely a great deal could be gained from it.
“Four thousand five hundred!” Qingyun Zhenren slammed his armrest in anger.
“Four thousand eight hundred!” The Sect Leader of Liuyun Sect bid again.
“Five thousand!” With a frown, the Sect Leader of Hundred Artifacts Sect raised his bid to his limit. If it were any more expensive, he would have to let go since Hundred Artifacts Sect did not operate by his word alone, preventing him from spending so much on a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact.
“Five thousand three hundred.” Qingyun Zhenren smashed the armrest, “If anyone dares to compete with me again once we leave, I will surely give them a beating.”
Upon hearing this, everyone shrank back.
The auctioneer Jiang Daoli’s mouth twitched as he thought Qingyun Zhenren was too domineering. What he hated the most at auctions were those who used their power to bully others, disrupting the rules and causing the Auction House to earn less.
The Sect Leader of Liuyun Sect and the Sect Leader of Hundred Artifacts Sect looked at each other across the room and shook their heads helplessly, abandoning the idea of raising their bids further.
Inside the box.
Ye Feng slapped his thigh, cursing the old man Qingyun Zhenren for being so overbearing, even daring to cut him off from his wealth, and then he shouted out loud:
“A beating? You wish?!”
With those words, the entire venue fell silent.
Many in the crowd, clueless about the situation, cast incredulous glances at the private box where Ye Feng sat. Just who was it that even dared to go against the overbearing Qingyun Zhenren? Did they no longer wish to live?
Jiang Daoli and Jiang Xinyu also experienced a tightening of their pupils.
Ye Feng had offended Qingyun Zhenren. If the two parties ended up fighting in Longwu City, what then would be the right course of action?
“It’s him!”
When the sudden voice rang out, Sect Leaders like those of Liuyun Sect, Hundred Artifacts Sect, and the City Lord of Sanyuan City all had their gazes sharply intensify.
To that voice, Qingyun Zhenren was all too familiar—it was as if he were transported back to the day when Ye Feng had thoroughly bested him, causing his body to shake.
The Elders of Qingyun Sect beside him, thinking their Sect Leader was angry, pointed towards the private box where Ye Feng was and scolded: “Where did this petty thief come from, daring to…”
“Shut up, scram!”
Qingyun Zhenren kicked the Elder aside and then sat upright, staring at Ye Feng’s box with a sneer. “Ye Feng! If you have the money, you should simply bid, instead of resorting to cheap verbal tricks.”
The moment these words were spoken, the entire room buzzed with shock.
Was Qingyun Zhenren, notorious for being petty and vengeful, not taking action against Ye Feng but instead coexisting peacefully?
What was going on?
Scared, was he?
Apart from a few individuals like the Sect Leader of Liuyun Sect, even the disciples of the Misty Sect found the whole affair utterly unbelievable.
“Qingyun Zhenren seems somewhat wary of the Sect Master Uncle. Can someone explain what’s happening?” Shi Lei expressed his confusion.
All disciples turned their gazes toward Ye Feng.
“I bid 5,500!” Ye Feng ignored everyone’s astonishment and started to call out his bid.
On the stage.
Jiang Daoli swallowed nervously, glanced at Qingyun Zhenren, and said, “Qing… Qingyun Zhenren, it seems Sect Master Ye’s bid is higher than yours.”
Qingyun Zhenren’s face darkened, and he harrumphed, “6,000!”
“6,001 Spirit Stones,” Ye Feng bid.
“6,500!” Qingyun Zhenren raised the bid.
“6,501 Spirit Stones,” Ye Feng continued to bid, forever outbidding Qingyun Zhenren by a single Spirit Stone.
“You’re infuriating me!” Qingyun Zhenren stomped, shattering the floor, and a terrifying aura burst from him as he seemed about to erupt completely.
Everyone nearly fell to their knees, their bodies trembling.
In the private box.
Mo Ying whispered in a low voice: “Sect Master, we can’t afford this price, can we?”
“I’m not trying to buy it. I’m just driving up the price,” Ye Feng said with a smile.
He used the Wind Spirit Pearl to shield the conversation. Apart from Mo Ying, none of the other disciples could hear what was being said.
“I see!” Mo Ying nodded, looking at Qingyun Zhenren in the distance. “But if Qingyun Zhenren holds a grudge after this, what then?”
“Do you think he can beat me?” Ye Feng retorted.
Mo Ying initially froze, then her pupils drastically contracted.
No wonder Ye Feng was so arrogant. It turned out his strength had reached a level where he was not afraid of Qingyun Zhenren.
Could it be that he was at the peak of the Element Gathering Realm?
Recalling the incident of the mysterious strongman bombarding Demon City with a meteorite, Mo Ying looked at Ye Feng and, smart as she was, instantly thought of the Misty Sect’s Third Grade Spell, “Heavenly Moon Strike”.
“Indeed, the Sect Master is the peak Element Gathering Realm expert who caused havoc in Demon City! With such astonishing strength, it’s no wonder his bizarre methods are endless,” she realized with sudden clarity.
At that moment, Qingyun Zhenren abruptly left his box, pointing at Ye Feng and berating: “This Middle Grade Spirit Sword, I’ve decided to buy it for 8,000 Spirit Stones!”
His voice was like thunder, accompanied by the ringing of swords, shaking everyone’s hearts.
Ye Feng thought for a moment and decided not to raise the bid any further.
If Qingyun Zhenren suddenly backed out, it would be a substantial loss.
So, Ye Feng purposefully stood in front of the box, his expression shifting from previously calm to serious, as if deliberating whether to raise the bid. His acting was unparalleled.
“Are you going to raise the bid or not?” Qingyun Zhenren sneered.
In his opinion, Ye Feng, deep in thought, must have run out of money, otherwise he wouldn’t hesitate to bid immediately.
Furrowing his brow, Ye Feng pondered for a moment before letting out a deep sigh, “Alas! My pockets are too shallow to raise the bid. What a pity to miss out on such an exquisite Middle Grade Spirit Sword!”
After speaking, Ye Feng slumped back into his chair, looking up at the sky as if he had missed out on a tremendous opportunity. His acting became even more refined, almost convincing Mo Ying.
“Sect Master, are you alright?” Li Jiaojiao and the other female disciples quickly surrounded him, massaging his shoulders and back in perfect cooperation.
“Since Sect Master Ye has backed out of the competition, this Middle Grade Spirit Sword is sold to Qingyun Zhenren for 8,000 Lower Grade Spirit Stones,” Jiang Daoli finalised the deal.
“Tch, you dare compete with me without money!” Qingyun Zhenren sneered, paid on the spot, and got the exquisitely unmatched Middle Grade Spirit Sword. He immediately claimed it as his, naming it the “Qingyun Sword” and couldn’t put it down.
Then, he looked sideways at Ye Feng, full of satisfaction.
Qingyun Zhenren had no idea that the Qingyun Sword he’d bought for 8,000 Spirit Stones was actually crafted by Ye Feng!
He was also unaware that he had been swindled!
The Spirit Sword’s quality was indeed very high, but its real price was only about 5,000 to 6,000 Spirit Stones, far below the closing price of 8,000.
In a particular lavish private box.
Young City Lord Jiang Xinyu swallowed nervously and silently gave Ye Feng a thumbs up.
“Sect Master Ye’s strategy of price inflation has directly increased the closing price of the Middle Grade Spirit Sword by forty percent. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!”