19 Sep 2016
Yang Chen’s actions were monitored by the master of the auction house for the entire time. The master’s room was the center of the entire auction house, inside there, not only could he see the auction of every object, he could also find out everything happening in any room at the same time.
When Yang Chen was paying for the Heaven Measuring Ruler, he did not pull out scattered pieces to make up the catty of high grade spirit stones, instead he had first pulled out a complete piece of extremely bright top grade spirit stone. Then he put it back in and took out a pile of scattered spirit stones to pay.
Everyone in the auction house knew about Yang Chen’s situation. Moreover, Yang Chen would always enter the bidding competition, this made it sufficiently clear that Yang Chen wanted these things. After some objects had been auctioned, Yang Chen had clearly established his image as a rich person who had an inferior cultivation and lacked experience.
On the master’s side there was a seemingly confident youngster whose gaze was fixed on Yang Chen’s every movement, just like the auctioneer.
The last item of the auction was an obscure demon beast’s horn. The horn was extremely sharp and was of the ninth water attribute. After putting in spirit power, it could even penetrate ordinary flying swords in a single stab. The material of the horn was very hard. Even burning by fire, soaking in water and being hacked by a flying sword wouldn’t leave any kind of marks behind.
But even the appraiser of the auction house couldn’t identify what demon beast this horn belonged to. This world was very large; just in the Greater Mountains tens of millions of organisms lived, so even if the appraiser was very well learned, it was still impossible for him to know about everything.
But one thing was certain: that this belonged to a demon beast at least at peak of the YuanYing stage or higher, which had fallen off for some unknown reason and had thus been received by someone. Since even the owner of this horn couldn’t refine it, he had brought it to the auction house to exchange for spirit stones.
Even then, this horn caught the attention of many people. The horn was roughly two feet long and innately had the shape of a pointed awl, so there was no need to grind it to turn it into a flying sword. As long as someone could refine it, it would be a high grade flying sword.
For demonstration, this horn was dropped onto the arm of a peak JieDan stage demon beast without using any force. The horn effortlessly passed through the arm of the peak JieDan stage demon beast without so much as a scratch.
The demon beast who was demonstrating there was a demon cultivator who regularly appeared in the Devil Flame Valley. His real identity was that of a thick skinned rhinoceros with thick leather and skin, which made his defense astonishing. Him being so effortlessly pierced by the beast horn clearly demonstrated the sharpness of the horn.
Following this, it was hacked at by a flying sword and burned in fire on the spot, but there still wasn’t the slightest amount of harm to it. All of this clearly showed the strength of this beast horn.
Naturally, the auction house had clearly announced that if one’s cultivation was not sufficient, there was no need to even think about it. But who wouldn’t desire for a powerful magic weapon? Even if the cultivation was low at the moment; whoever had a high cultivation from the start? If necessary, it could be bought right now and then refined when the strength was sufficient.
All of the previous items had a base price ranging from several catties of middle grade spirit stones to several tens of catties of middle grade spirit stones, that was several hundred catties to several thousand catties of low grade spirit stones. But this beast horn had a base price of one catty of high grade spirit stones, the same as the Heaven Measuring Ruler.
“Two catties!”
The instant the auctioneer announced the base price, Yang Chen immediately announced his own price. Forcibly increasing the price to double.
“2.5 catties!”
“3 catties!”
“5 catties!”
“6 catties!”
“6.5 catties!”
“7 catties!”
“7.5 catties!”
“8 catties!”
“9 catties!”
“9.23 catties!”
“9.5 catties!”
“9.72 catties!”
“9.82”
“9.92!”
“10 catties!”
Experts who had been waiting for an opportunity also began to move. Adding a little here, adding a little there, the price of the beast horn had very quickly risen to ten catties of high grade spirit stones.
At the greater Mountains even a YuanYing stage expert could not casually take out one catty of high grade spirit stones easily. Only by pouring in their sect’s strength would that be possible. The more the bidding extended, the more the number of people increasing the price decreased and so the increase in price slowed down.
Even then, everyone only increased the price after proper consideration. If they didn’t bid in small units such as liangs, then customers even wanted to use units as low as qian. It had to be known that one qian of high grade spirit stones was just one catty of middle grade spirit stones.
The atmosphere of the auction house was becoming more and more fiery. Most of the clients were cursing without any restraints in their room, if it were not for the fact they didn’t know who the others were and it was strictly prohibited to cause trouble in the auction house, maybe someone would have already rushed to other bidders and attacked them.
Yang Chen also hadn’t expected that the final item of the auction would be such a pleasant surprise. Other people may not know, but he clearly knew that was the horn of a qilin.
An ordinary qilin’s horns were similar to deer. But this one was certainly not an ordinary qilin’s horn. Rather this horn had fallen into some kind of torrential water or a whirlpool and had been scrubbed for countless years and got this shape. The reason why it was ninth water attributed was probably also because in these countless years it had been infected by the ninth water.
Such a treasure, if he had not bumped into it, then he would not have cared, but now that he had found it, how could he let it go to others for such a small amount? After seeing that the bunch of customers had gradually reached the price of ten catties of high grade spirit stones and stopped, the auctioneer had already counted two times, when Yang Chen raised the bid again.
“11 catties! 11 catties! Is there someone who wants to bid higher?”
Looking at this completely new price, the auctioneer had become excited. The increase of one liang by one liang, had made him feel that there was no more suspense left, but then came Yang Chen’s sudden action of increasing the price by 1 catty. How could it not make people excited?
“He is just an initial Foundation stage youngster, who doesn’t have any method of refining it, so what does he intend to do with it?”
The confident youngster sitting besides the master of the auction house asked, wrinkling his brows while looking at Yang Chen effortlessly bidding.
“Even if he waited with refining until he could, it wouldn’t be too late!”
The master smiled. This kind of question was really quite childish, but with the identity of that youngster, he had to reply:
“Or perhaps, he has some special method of refining.”
“Although his age is not too old, he is quite well-off!”
That youngster thoughtfully said, with his gaze fixed on Yang Chen.
“Young master, we auction house people cannot break the rules ourselves, otherwise nobody would give us any face in the Greater Mountains.”
Hearing that youngster’s words, the master of the auction house immediately understood what he was thinking and hastily warned him.
“Don’t worry, I know what to do!”
The youngster revealed a sneer at the corner of his mouth and slowly said this, attentively watching Yang Chen.
One unknown beast’s horn, although it was very sharp and had good quality, was not enough to make the people of the Greater Mountains invest a price more than ten catties of high grade spirit stones.
Most of the cultivators come there with the intention of making a breakthrough, some others also came to look for ingredients, but it was no one’s main aim to invest in something which nobody recognized and which couldn’t be refined.
After Yang Chen had bid eleven catties of high grade spirit stones, the auctioneer turned silent, waiting for the clients to increase it. But after waiting for a short time, no one had increased the bid.
“Eleven catties, does anyone wants to bid higher? Eleven catties, two!”
The auctioneer again announced the bid, but waiting for him was still silence.
Moving forward, the auctioneer was suddenly startled, as if he had seen something unfathomable and immediately said with excitement:
“Fifteen catties! Fifteen catties! Does anyone want to bid higher?”
The sudden increase of four catties created a ruckus in the auction house. It had to be known that four catties were equivalent to forty thousand catties of low grade spirit stones. The spirit power from that was sufficient for a JieDan initial stage expert to reach the peak JieDan stage. This addition of four catties, who could even spend so much money?
“Young master, this…”
In the moment the master of the auction house was not careful, the youngster at his side had added four catties of high grade spirit stones, which gave the master huge fright. Even if all the things which had been previously auctioned were added in, the total amount would be just around this. So if Yang Chen renounced right now, the auction house would have suffered a loss this time.
“I want to know what exactly it is!”
The young master nervously said, with his eyes glued on the scene in Yang Chen’s room. But a trace of jealousy could be seen on his face:
“Does he not have a piece of top grade spirit stone? Still afraid to pay?”
Even with his identity as young master, he could not casually take out ten catties of high grade spirit stones, but Yang Chen, who was just at the initial Foundation stage could easily take out a piece of top grade spirit stone, how could it not make him go green with jealousy?
“Our appraisal master had said that the highest price of this thing would be twelve catties of high grade spirit stones.”
The master was somewhat vexed, but he was just a shopkeeper, so the gap between his identity and the young master’s was too large and he simply couldn’t criticize the actions of that young master and could only quote the highest possible price.
The young master had also begun to feel the regret as soon as he had opened his mouth. Why couldn’t he help but try to embarrass Yang Chen? Perhaps seeing Yang Chen pull out the top grade spirit stones had made him realize of his own inferiority.
He was the majestic young master, yet everyday he would be hard pressed for money, but that person was strolling around, carrying a piece of top grade spirit stone. It looked as if this was just his allowance. This strong contrast made him ashamed to death. But right now, he began to tense, if Yang Chen backed out, this thing would fall in his hands and he didn’t have enough spirit stones to compensate for this.
“Twenty catties!”
Before the auctioneer could shout the second time, Yang Chen had already made his bid. Directly doubling the price at which all other people had stopped before.
Bang!
This was not just the auctioneer’s cry of surprise, but everyone had been astonished. Who could spend so much money to buy a beast horn’s whose method of refining was not known? Could it be that this was some rare treasure?
Everyone began to make enquiries and the eyes of the master of the auction house also brightened. Yang Chen had only won the bid of two things. The first was the Heaven Measuring Ruler, which was in the beginning, at one catties of high grade spirit stones. But this time, he had spent even more money: twenty catties of high grade spirit stones.
These two high bids, both made auction master and young master not know what to do, since everything about Yang Chen was an enigma. Furthermore, Yang Chen was very young and his cultivation very low, but he still had a top grade spirit stone. All of this had an enormous attractive force, which made the master pay more attention to Yang Chen.
The young master did not dare to open his mouth again. If the beast horn really ended up with him, his gains would not make up for the losses. Moreover, he had already formed another plan: that was to learn the secret of the beast horn from somewhere else. If it really was a unique treasure, then the beast horn had to return to him.
“Young master, no matter what you have planned, you must be careful during work.”
The master who was also staring at Yang Chen’s figure, repeatedly warned him:
“You cannot allow anyone to know that it was your doing by any means! We cannot break the rules.”
“I know!”
When he heard the price, the young master had heaved a sigh of relief in his heart. Right now the master was still repeatedly warning him like a child. Did he think that this young master didn’t know this? After impatiently answering him, he immediately stood up and called out an attendant, giving him some instructions and only then did he sit back down.
“I have arranged for good people to take care of it. Within a hundred miles of the Devil Flame Valley, no one will attack him.”
The young master softy said, but it made the auction master who was asking feel relived.
Nonetheless the auction master showed no response and continued to sit there, neither opposing nor agreeing, as if he had not heard this. But young master knew that this was his way of informing him that he would not be responsible for this matter.
After the price of twenty catties of high grade spirit stones, he no longer dared to contest with Yang Chen. When he thought that, for a trifling price of twenty catties of high grade spirit stones, he had obtained a qilin’s horn, Yang Chen did not know if he should rejoice or make fun of them. In any case, it was a great feeling, as if a tasty meat pie had fallen into his hands.
Two bids, including one of twenty catties of high grade spirit stones. This was already the highest transaction in the history of the auction house. Yang Chen was convinced that he certainly had to have given rise to the attention of people in the auction house. The next step was to just sit tight and wait for the robbers.
Yang Chen was not certain if someone would attack him, but from the instant he had left the auction house, he had discovered that someone had already begun to trail him.
Even though Yang Chen was still wearing the appearance hiding mantle and everyone looked the same which should hide which one Yang Chen was. Nonetheless Yang Chen could sense that kind of concentrated gaze on him.
After much thinking, he could only think of one explanation: That there was some problem with this mantle handed out by the auction house. Those people had recognized him by this mantle.
Holding those things, Yang Chen did not stop in the Devil Flame Valley and similar to cultivators who had obtained some treasure, directly departed the Devil Flame Valley on his flying sword.
After Yang Chen had flown for over ten miles, behind him a group of trackers appeared. The leading person was holding a compass and joyfully followed the direction Yang Chen in which had left and began to chase after him.
What they hadn’t noticed was that Yang Chen, who was quickly fleeing ahead of them, had already shown the trace of a sneer on his face.