The auction soon began, and Ling Feng’s goal was very clear—he was naturally aiming for the "Sword Enlightenment Stone" that was used to enhance Sword Dao Enlightenment.
The first dozen items were all kinds of weapons and defensive equipment, and there were even some precious Secret Technique Manuals.
The most outrageous was the tenth item to be auctioned—an Upper Grade item, which turned out to be a living person!
To call it a person was not entirely accurate; it was a woman, naked, with sharp-pointed ears on her head and a fluffy tail behind her, covering the key parts of her body.
But merely this was enough to make many male Martial Artists’ blood surge.
This was a Fox Woman with mixed blood from the Human Clan and the Demon Clan, who had been trained as a female slave since she was young. Such a phenomenon was not uncommon in the pleasure districts of the Imperial City.
Shortly after, the Fox Woman was bought for the high price of six thousand Upper Grade Elemental Stones. Being just a female slave, her price was comparable to that of an ancient elixir, which says a lot about the terrifying nature of human desires.
Finally, the auctioneer on the stage showed a solemn expression and chuckled, "The next item for auction is truly a treasure, and its value is absolutely extraordinary."
Hearing this, everyone’s expressions grew serious—the real treasures were just about to be presented.
"I won’t keep everyone in suspense any longer, the next item for auction..."
The auctioneer deliberately elongated his voice, then clapped his hands, and soon, a muscular man walked up to the stage holding a tray.
On the tray, covered by a red cloth, it was making everyone extremely anxious.
"Hehe, boy, pay attention, this is the Sword Enlightenment Stone you want," Yan Cangtian stroked his beard and smiled faintly.
With his insight, a small piece of red cloth couldn’t block his perception.
"The Sword Enlightenment Stone?" Ling Feng held his breath; he was determined to obtain this treasure.
"Ha ha..." The auctioneer on stage waved his hand grandly, uncovering the red cloth on the tray, and laughed loudly, "No mistake, I believe many have guessed it—this is the famous Sword Enlightenment Stone!"
"As everyone knows, within the Sky White Empire, there’s only one perilous place, named after an ancient era Swordsman who used his sword to create a massive canyon—hence the name Sky Sword Canyon. Ever since, for thousands of years, the Sword Intent of that Swordsman has lingered in the Sky Sword Canyon. These Sword Enlightenment Stones are collected from within the Sky Sword Canyon. For those skilled in Sword Dao, it is an unbeatable treasure!"
The auctioneer raised the tray high, laughing heartily, "Look, this Sword Enlightenment Stone is a full seven inches long, definitely the largest one our Sky Alliance Commerce has collected in the last decade. So, the value of this Sword Enlightenment Stone—I think needs no further explanation, does it?"
Before he finished speaking, there was a stir below the stage.
"This Sword Enlightenment Stone, I, South City Luo, am determined to have it!"
"I am Ye Tianchen, a local from the Imperial City, anyone who dares to compete with me, Tianchen will accompany to the end!"
A crowd of people shouted various things, but judging from their seats, not a single one was even in a standard VIP box—they were all jumping clowns!
However, a seven-inch Sword Enlightenment Stone was indeed capable of catching the attention of the real big shots.
"Boy, it seems this competition may be quite fierce," Yan Cangtian had not expected that the Sword Enlightenment Stone being auctioned this time would unprecedentedly reach a seven-inch size. If Ling Feng could absorb it, it would definitely enable his Sword Embryo to metamorphose into Sword Intent.
"Will these twelve thousand Upper Grade Elemental Stones be enough?" Ling Feng asked in a low voice.
"Let’s see." Yan Cangtian raised an eyebrow and spoke faintly, "If no one stubbornly competes with you, twelve thousand should be more than enough. However, there are always exceptions. If someone wants to buy it as a gift for their descendants, then it might be a bit dicey."
"Hope my luck isn’t too bad then."
Ling Feng took a deep breath; no matter what, the Sword Enlightenment Stone was an item he was determined to obtain.
On the stage, the auctioneer, seeing that the atmosphere was getting lively, immediately said cheerfully, "The value of the Sword Enlightenment Stone is well known to all of you, so I won’t say much more. This seven-inch-long Sword Enlightenment Stone starts at a price of five thousand Upper Grade Elemental Stones, and each bid must increase by no less than one hundred Upper Grade Elemental Stones!"
Before the echoes of his words had faded, someone immediately gathered up their bid placard and shouted, "I bid six thousand Upper Grade Elemental Stones!"
"Six thousand? You think you can get this Sword Enlightenment Stone for that? I bid eight thousand!"
"Eight thousand five hundred!"
"Eight thousand six hundred!"
The voices of the bidders rose one after another and quickly broke the ten thousand mark.
The seven-inch-long Sword Enlightenment Stone contained thrice the Sword Dao Enlightenment compared to the ordinary three-inch-long ones. It was a treasure that swordsmen on the brink of comprehending Sword Intent, or whose Sword Intent had reached a critical point and were about to breakthrough, naturally wanted desperately.
"Eighteen thousand! Gentlemen, please give South City Luo some face!"
"South City Luo has no face to speak of! I, Ye Tianchen, bid nineteen thousand!"
The price soared to nineteen thousand when finally, those big shots sitting in the VIP boxes could no longer sit still and joined the bidding.
The speaker was an elderly man in a top-tier VIP box, his voice slightly deep but possessed an irresistible deterrence.
His cultivation was undoubtedly terrifying!
The auctioneer looked up at the VIP box and promptly bowed with his hands together, laughing, "It turns out to be Elder General Deng. It seems General Ying Yang’s Mansion will have another sword prodigy this year!"
Indeed, it was the old warrior of the court, Deng Xian!
Elder General Deng had killed enemies on the battlefield and suppressed the frontier for more than ten years. Neither enemy states nor the Demon Clan could step past the Thunder Pond, making him a famous War General in the Empire, known as General Ying Yang.
Deng Xian’s intention to bid for this Sword Enlightenment Stone was surely not for his own use, so the auctioneer’s calculation that the Deng family had a new Sword Dao prodigy was somewhat flattering but not entirely inappropriate.
"Everyone, I am Deng Xian, and I hope you can give me this face. I will remember this favor to all of you!" Elder General Deng’s words were clearly intended for the other top-tier VIP guests. Having spent his life in military service, even the royal officials of the court had to give him some deference, so though others were inclined to bid, they had to let it pass as a favor.
"General Deng has illustrious military achievements; very well, I, South City Luo, will give you face, and will no longer bid!"
"Hmm, I, Ye Tianchen, might not submit to anyone, but I respect only you, General Deng. I too will refrain from bidding!"
The surrounding guests twitched their mouths and stared at these two idiots with eyes full of pity for the feeble-minded.
They curiously wondered how these two idiots, who lacked shame and were overly self-assured to such an extent, had managed to live so long.
However, with that one statement from Deng Xian, Elder General Deng, there was indeed a sudden silence, and no further bids were made.
Just when everyone thought that the Sword Enlightenment Stone would undoubtedly fall into the hands of General Ying Yang’s Mansion, a discordant voice suddenly rang out.
"I bid, forty thousand!"