In the end, Ji Hongling announced that the Hundred Herbs Furnace belonged to Zhao Letian.
Subsequently, several finale treasures were auctioned, each one stirring up a frenzy among the crowd. However, Zhao Letian was not interested in the following items, so he chose not to participate in the bids.
"The next treasure, this lady believes, will definitely cause a sensation throughout the city," Ji Hongling said mysteriously.
"A sensation throughout the city? Really?"
Everyone was taken aback and showed skeptical expressions. How could any treasure cause such a stir in the entire city?
"This treasure is an Early Stage Xuan-level premium Martial Technique, the 'Bone Erosion Palm'!" Holding up a Jade Scroll, Ji Hongling confidently proclaimed. She believed that no further introduction was necessary; this statement alone was sufficient to make everyone present realize the value of this treasure.
"A Martial Technique? And it's even a premium one at the Early Xuan-level? Good heavens, am I hearing this correctly?"
"How come there is a Martial Technique auction? Why didn't Ten Thousand Treasure Tower notify us in advance?"
"Yeah, if we knew there was going to be a Martial Technique auction, would we have brought only this small amount of Primordial Stones?"
The room instantly erupted into a tumultuous discussion filled with shock.
"Come on, what's the starting bid?" Liu Yidao from a private room on the second floor asked impatiently. He had his sights set on this Martial Technique and, fortunately, had brought with him enough Primordial Stones today, convinced that no one could outbid him.
"The starting price is 15,000 Mid-Grade Essence Stones, and each bid must be no less than 1,000 Mid-Grade Essence Stones," said Ji Hongling with a pleasant smile, evidently very pleased with the crowd's reaction.
"Good, I'll bid 20,000!" Liu Yidao declared without hesitation, raising the price by 5,000. He wanted everyone to know that he was determined to win this Martial Technique and that nobody should try to compete with him.
"Hold on!" unexpectedly, Zhao Lingfeng from another private room interrupted with a grave expression.
"Zhao Lingfeng, what do you want to do? If you want to bid, just name your price, otherwise, get out and don't hinder this young master," said Liu Yidao with a frown.
"Hmph! The auction can't just start so straightforwardly," Zhao Lingfeng retorted with a cold huff.
"What do you mean? Why can't it just start?" Liu Yidao's face darkened.
"Xuan-level Martial Techniques are not trivial matters, let alone a premium one at the Early Stage of the Xuan-level. This could change the power dynamics of an entire family. With such a precious item, the fact that Ten Thousand Treasure Tower didn't leak a whisper of it before the auction is rather child's play, isn't it? If we had known about this Martial Technique earlier, would we have come unprepared?" Zhao Lingfeng posed his question to Ji Hongling, ignoring Liu Yidao.
"Sorry, this Martial Technique was a commission received at the last minute by our auction house. There was simply no chance to notify everyone in advance. I hope all esteemed guests can understand," Ji Hongling explained.
"A commission received at the last minute? Let's not discuss that any further. However, for this round of the auction, I suggest postponing it for half an hour to allow us to prepare more Primordial Stones. I suppose Ten Thousand Treasure Tower would also welcome this Martial Technique being sold at a higher price, right?" Zhao Lingfeng cast a meaningful glance at Zhao Letian before making his suggestion.
For some reason, he suddenly thought that the person who commissioned this Martial Technique might be that unfamiliar Martial Artist, who had gone backstage earlier. Nevertheless, this could be verified later. At the moment, the most urgent matter was to figure out a way to secure this Martial Technique and ensure that it wouldn't fall into the hands of other families.
"Zhao Lingfeng, since when do auctions accommodate interruptions at whim? I oppose the delay. We better start as soon as possible," Liu Yidao said grimly.
Now, he might be the person with the most Primordial Stones on hand at the scene. Perhaps not many Primordial Stones would be needed to secure this Martial Technique. If people like Zhao Lingfeng have the chance to go back and prepare Primordial Stones, then the matter will become troublesome. The final transaction price of this Martial Technique will inevitably more than double.
"Hmph! What use is your objection? Besides you, I think everyone present should agree with Brother Zhao's suggestion, right? Delaying the auction by an hour is very fair," Sun Shuhao also said. Although he had quite a few Primordial Stones on him, he was not confident he could outbid Liu Yidao and needed to go back and prepare.
"That's right, such a precious treasure cannot be auctioned off so casually. We must go back and bring more Primordial Stones."
"We hope that Ten Thousand Treasure Tower will consider carefully and delay the auction."
There was a strong call from the crowd, particularly from those smaller families who had accumulated wealth. Hope flared in their eyes; if they could acquire this Martial Technique, they might become the next great family within a few years. Therefore, even if it meant spending all their wealth and selling everything they have, they were willing to pay any price to secure this Martial Technique.
"Damn it!" Seeing the overwhelming public opinion, Liu Yidao clenched his fists in anger. Now there was trouble. If other people were to go back to prepare, he would have no choice but to bring more Primordial Stones as well.
"Although our Tower has never had the precedent of delaying an auction mid-way, since our esteemed guests strongly request it, on behalf of Ten Thousand Treasure Tower I'll make an exception just this once. This auction can be delayed, but it's getting late. There's still an even more valuable treasure to be auctioned later, so I can only give everyone a quarter of an hour. I hope all esteemed guests can manage their time well," Ji Hongling said with a helpless smile.
"What? There's something even more valuable than the Xuan-level Initial Stage premium Martial Technique?"
"Could it be a Xuan-level Cultivation Technique?"
Everyone was suddenly shocked and began to speculate boldly.
"You guessed correctly. The final highlight treasure is indeed a Xuan-level Initial Stage premium Cultivation Technique. If you plan to participate in the bidding, you might as well prepare for that during this break as well. Now, the countdown begins," Ji Hongling said with a smile as she nodded.
"A Xuan-level Cultivation Technique? My goodness, that's really going to shake the entire city. Anyone with a bit of strength in the city would probably not want to miss it."
There were exclamations from the crowd.
"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! ..." The r!e@f$eren$ce v!e+r%si$o#n$ of t-hi$s ch#ap+t*er* is on *.*
While some were still exclaiming in surprise, many people had already stood up and quickly left the auction hall.
However, some did not leave; instead, they contacted their respective families directly through Communication Jade Scrolls to bring Primordial Stones over quickly.
"Just two Martial Techniques and Cultivation Techniques are making them go this crazy. Looks like I need to be even more cautious and careful when making moves in the future," Zhao Letian thought to himself as he watched the frenzied scene at the venue.
In fact, he was aware of the risks of selling Cultivation Techniques and Martial Techniques; however, this was to prepare funds for his mother, and even if there were risks, it was worth it.
In the Zhao Family, Clan Leader Zhao Wuji was in the midst of closed-door cultivation when he suddenly received a message from Zhao Lingfeng. Without a second word, he brought Primordial Stones and headed straight for Ten Thousand Treasure Tower.
At the same time, the Clan Leaders of the Sun Family, the Patriarch of Liu Family, and even City Lord Shentu Yuanba all received the news and put aside whatever they were doing to rush over.
Time passed quickly, and the quarter hour was nearly up. Everyone returned carrying enough Primordial Stones, one by one.
"Time's up, the auction will continue," Ji Hongling announced after waiting for a moment.