"Three thousand three hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones." Chu Ming quoted lightly.
Although the minimum bid increment was fifty Lower Grade Spirit Stones, both Chu Ming and Li Huo were increasing the bid by one hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones. Chu Ming paid no attention to fifty Spirit Stones, while Li Huo did it for his pride, unwilling to only add fifty Spirit Stones.
Across the auction hall, Li Huo clenched his fists in his VIP room, eyes blazing with murderous intent, crushing the tea cup in his hand into fragments, splashing tea and pieces everywhere.
"Three thousand four hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones!" This time, Li Huo squeezed the words out through his gritted teeth. He had a total of twenty thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones, many given by his elder brother Li Yun. He didn’t want to touch these funds, but now he had no choice.
"Three thousand five hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones!" Chu Ming replied evenly, seemingly indifferent to Li Huo’s tense tone.
"Boy, even if you win the auction, you need to have a life to wear it!" Li Huo directly threatened, his words chillingly ominous.
In another VIP room, Leng Wuyan heard this and shrugged. He had long anticipated Li Huo’s habit of threatening others.
"No need for you to worry whether I live to wear it. If you don’t bid, this Defense Armor belongs to me," Chu Ming responded, clearly unfazed by Li Huo’s threats. Given their equal strength, Chu Ming had a higher chance of winning if they fought.
Li Huo snorted coldly, ceased speaking, evidently conceding the competition. However, whether he truly gave up was known only to himself. Many Martial Artists present were expecting a good show.
"Since no one is bidding, this Defense Armor goes to VIP Room 17!" the gray-haired auctioneer announced.
He felt some regret, since as an auctioneer he hoped the bidding would continue. However, the price had already subtly exceeded the armor’s intrinsic value, allowing him a generous commission as per regulations.
"The next auction item is the Yellow Level High Tier cultivation technique ’Withered Wood Technique’...."
The auction continued, and a maid brought up a tray with a yellow book on it. Yellow Level High Tier secret technique manuals were exceptionally valuable to lone Martial Artists without sect affiliates. The Chu Family, one of the Four Great Families of the Great Yan Kingdom, had Yellow Level Top Tier ’Cyan Yuan Technique’ as their family tradition. Similar conditions applied to the other three families.
A Yellow Level High Tier cultivation technique equated to a Low Tier Profound Level martial technique in value and even surpassed it in cultivation speed.
Instantly, many Martial Artists eyed the ’Withered Wood Technique’ with intense desire. In comparison to cultivation, everything else pales; cultivating directly affects life, and who would risk their life frivolously?
"Two thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones!"
Within moments, the price of the ’Withered Wood Technique’ soared to two thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones, but it was far from the end. Many lone Martial Artists continued bidding.
There was a knock at the door. Through the crystal glass, Chu Ming could clearly see a maid standing there.
Chu Ming said lightly, and the maid walked in with a tray.
"Sir, here is the item you just won at the auction!" The maid set the tray down and stepped to the side. Chu Ming uncovered it to see the Bronze Armor, faintly glowing with flowing light and intricate patterns.
Chu Ming paid the Spirit Stones, three thousand five hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones, exhausting all his Lower Grade Spirit Stones and Gold Notes. He even handed over nine Middle Grade Spirit Stones to the maid to settle the transaction.
As the maid closed the VIP room door, Chu Ming placed the Flowing Light Armor in his Storage Ring and donned the Bronze Armor. A warm feeling enveloped him; though the armor was not large, it protected all critical areas.
According to Chu Ming’s estimates, wearing the Bronze Armor, not even a peak Transcendence Realm Ninth Layer attack could break his defense. Only Core Disciples could achieve that.
The auction continued, and eventually, the ’Withered Wood Technique’ sold to a True Dao Martial Artist for four thousand three hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones. The martial artist, thrilled with his new technique, believed it could help him swiftly advance from his current Yellow Level Middle Tier cultivation technique.
The subsequent auction items were either unsuitable for Chu Ming or too valuable for him to claim. Even if he managed to win them, he couldn’t protect them before leaving Cyan Smoke City, facing pursuit from countless Martial Artists.
Though Chu Ming was an Inner Sect Disciple of the Cyan Yang Sect, deterring ordinary Martial Artists, there were too many desperados and Demon Dao Martial Artists eager to boost their power through any means. His current strength was only enough to spar with a True Dao First Layer martial artist, with difficulty in defeating them.
"Next is the second-to-last auction item, a Middle Tier Profound Level elixir, the True Dao Pill. No need for extensive introduction; starting bid is ten thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones, with each increment no less than two hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones."
A maid held a round tray. In its center, a transparent vial contained a spinning turquoise pill, highly attractive in its appearance.
At the mention of the True Dao Pill, the room went silent, eyes of many peak Transcendence Realm martial artists gleaming with desire. The pill’s miraculous effect was it could help Transcendence Realm martial artists break barriers to reach the True Dao Realm.
In the Great Yan Kingdom, while Transcendence Realm martial artists were plentiful, True Dao martial artists were rare. With only twelve hundred across the kingdom, amid its billions of Martial Artists, the privilege and status of True Dao martial artists became clear.
A True Dao First Layer martial artist could find a position as an Outer Sect Elder in one of the Five Great Sects, and many True Dao martial artists started their own sects.
However, the True Dao Pill held no appeal for Chu Ming, not because it was useless, but because elixirs carried both benefits and risks. While aiding in breaking through to the True Dao Realm, the True Dao Pill would limit a martial artist to remain at True Dao First Layer forever, barring further advancement.
For martial artists devoid of hope for higher realms, it’s a Miracle Elixir. But for sect disciples aspiring higher, it’s poison.
If the Five Great Talents of the Great Yan Kingdom could use True Dao Pills to reach the True Dao Realm easily, they wouldn’t struggle in the Transcendence Realm. Though precious, the Five Great Sects could acquire True Dao Pills instantly.