Heavenly Sword Saint
The final cultivation resource had been sold.
Jian Chen leaned back in his seat, calculating the wealth he had left.
The Dragon Gathering Palm had sold for 160,000 Gold Coins. After Treasure Hall's commission, 144,000 Gold Coins would return to him. He had also secured the resources required for his next breakthrough.
His immediate goals had been accomplished.
There was no reason to remain.
Yet Qiu Han did not announce the end of the auction.
Instead, he turned toward the final item on the stage.
A long black case.
Jian Chen's attention shifted toward it.
The case was roughly the length of an adult's arm, its dull black surface unmarked. Several heavy metal clasps held the lid shut.
Qiu Han's expression grew noticeably more serious.
"Next item."
He placed a hand on the case.
"This object was discovered less than a month ago."
The hall, which had begun to stir, gradually quieted.
Qiu Han released the clasps one by one.
Click.
Click.
Click.
He slowly lifted the lid.
A strange pressure spread through the room.
Several cultivators instinctively released their spiritual senses. The moment their senses touched the object inside, their expressions changed.
"What is that?"
"I can't sense its material."
"Is it a weapon?"
"No. It doesn't look like one."
Inside lay a palm-sized piece of black metal, irregularly shaped as though broken from something much larger. Faint silver markings covered portions of its surface, ancient and complicated beyond the recognition of most cultivators present.
Qiu Han allowed the crowd to examine it before continuing.
"Treasure Hall has conducted several tests on this object. It cannot be cut by ordinary weapons. We also tested weapons containing spiritual energy, but none could leave even the slightest mark."
The murmurs faded.
"Our craftsmen attempted to refine it under extremely high temperatures."
Qiu Han shook his head.
"Nothing happened. No deformation, melting, or reaction."
His voice remained calm.
"Despite these tests, Treasure Hall has been unable to determine its exact origin, purpose, or practical value."
The crowd's interest declined immediately.
"If even Treasure Hall can't identify it, why would anyone buy it?"
"Thirty thousand Gold Coins for unidentified metal? That's ridiculous."
"Maybe it's just ancient scrap."
Jian Chen remained still, his gaze fixed on the black metal.
The instant he saw it, he recognized it.
Starfall Iron.
A rare material from the Divine Realm, so durable that even Saint Realm experts coveted it. In his previous life, Jian Chen had witnessed three Saint Realm experts fight over a fragment no larger than a fist. Their battle had destroyed an entire mountain range, yet none had obtained it.
He had never expected to see Starfall Iron again, especially here, in Moonriver City and this small auction hall.
His gaze shifted toward the faint silver markings.
That was even more unusual.
They weren't refining inscriptions. They were part of a sealing formation.
Black residue obscured much of the formation, making its complete structure impossible to determine. But Jian Chen could still tell one thing.
Something had been sealed inside.
He didn't know what.
That uncertainty made the object even more valuable.
Qiu Han raised his hand.
"The starting price is thirty thousand Gold Coins."
A bidder immediately raised his token.
"Thirty-five thousand."
"Forty thousand."
"Forty-five thousand."
The price continued climbing.
Jian Chen didn't move. He wasn't interested in competing for the sake of winning. He was calculating.
The Starfall Iron itself was extraordinarily valuable, but the ancient sealing formation changed the situation completely. If something had been sealed inside, the metal might be the key to something far more valuable or far more dangerous.
Either way, leaving it behind was unacceptable.
But Jian Chen wasn't reckless. His next breakthrough remained his priority. Fortunately, he had already secured the necessary cultivation resources, and the Dragon Gathering Palm had provided enough Gold Coins to make this purchase without damaging his immediate plans.
He had room to bid.
He simply needed to know when to stop.
"Fifty thousand."
The price reached fifty thousand, leaving only two bidders.
Jian Chen finally raised his token.
"Sixty thousand."
The hall quieted as several people turned toward the masked figure who had suddenly entered the bidding.
The previous bidder frowned.
"Sixty-five thousand."
"Seventy thousand."
Jian Chen responded without hesitation.
The man's expression darkened.
"Eighty thousand."
A few spectators exchanged looks. This was no longer casual bidding. Someone genuinely wanted the mysterious metal.
Jian Chen studied the black case.
"Ninety thousand."
Whispers spread across the hall.
"Who is that person?"
"He's already bid ninety thousand for something unidentified."
"Perhaps he knows something we don't."
The other bidder hesitated. He had clearly been interested in the object, but Jian Chen's calm, relentless bidding was forcing him to reconsider.
The man clenched his teeth.
"One hundred thousand."
The atmosphere tightened.
One hundred thousand Gold Coins was a considerable amount, even for Moonriver City's stronger forces.
Jian Chen didn't immediately respond. He stared at the black metal, fingers tapping lightly against the armrest.
One hundred thousand was still acceptable.
But if the price continued rising, he would have to choose.
He had already decided on his maximum. He wouldn't sacrifice the resources needed for his breakthrough. Yet opportunities like this could not be measured purely by immediate usefulness.
Starfall Iron was rare enough that even Saint Realm experts had once fought over it. This piece also contained an ancient seal.
He might never encounter another one.
Jian Chen slowly raised his bidding token.
"One hundred and ten thousand."
Silence.
The other bidder stared at him, fingers tightening around his token. For several moments, he seemed ready to continue. Then he looked at the black metal again, and his expression changed.
He lowered his hand.
"I give up."
A quiet breath seemed to pass through the hall.
Qiu Han looked around.
"One hundred and ten thousand Gold Coins."
No response came.
He waited.
Still nothing.
The auction hammer descended.
"Sold."
Bang!
The sound echoed through the hall.
Jian Chen lowered his bidding token.
He had won.
Yet he felt no excitement. Instead, an inexplicable uneasiness settled in his heart.
His gaze remained on the black case.
The feeling was strange, almost as though the object had been waiting for someone to recognize it.
Jian Chen immediately dismissed the thought.
That was absurd.
An object couldn't recognize its owner.
At least...
That was what he believed.
The auction continued briefly, but Jian Chen paid little attention to the remaining items. His purpose had already been fulfilled.
Once the auction ended, he left Treasure Hall without attracting attention.
Moonriver City's streets were quiet by then.
Jian Chen walked through several streets before turning into a secluded alley. He stopped and carefully checked his surroundings.
No one was following him.
Only then did he retrieve the black case and place it on his palm.
Its weight surprised him. The piece of Starfall Iron was small, yet incredibly dense.
Jian Chen opened the case and examined the silver markings.
As he had expected, they formed part of a sealing formation. Unfortunately, the black residue obscured too much of the inscription for him to determine what had been sealedor whether the seal remained completely intact.
His expression became solemn.
Breaking the seal now would be reckless. His current strength was nowhere near enough to deal with an unknown ancient object. If whatever lay inside was dangerous, he might not even have the opportunity to regret his decision.
He closed the case.
For now, the secret could remain a secret.
His cultivation couldn't wait.
Jian Chen stored the black case away and continued toward his courtyard.
The eastern horizon was beginning to brighten.
Dawn was approaching.
He looked toward the distant sky.
Tomorrow...
He would begin his next breakthrough.
Everything he needed was ready.
But just as he took another step, a faint vibration came from his storage ring.
Jian Chen stopped.
His expression changed.
The vibration disappeared almost immediately.
He waited.
Nothing.
He carefully extended his spiritual sense into the storage ring.
The black case lay exactly where he had placed it.
Closed.
Still sealed.
Jian Chen frowned.
Then
Buzz.
The case trembled once.
His expression instantly turned cold.
He didn't touch it or open it. He simply watched.
Several moments passed.
The case became completely still.
Jian Chen's gaze remained fixed on it.
That wasn't his imagination.
Something had caused it to move.
But what?
He carefully examined the case with his spiritual sense.
Nothing.
No visible change. No obvious fluctuation.
The seal remained intact.
Jian Chen slowly withdrew his spiritual sense.
He still didn't open it.
Whatever was sealed inside...
It could remain sealed.
For now.
He continued walking toward his courtyard as the first rays of dawn spread across Moonriver City.
Yet one thought remained in his mind.
He had believed that he was the one who had discovered the Starfall Iron.
Now...
He wasn't so certain.
Perhaps he hadn't simply discovered the Starfall Iron.
Perhaps...
The Starfall Iron had discovered him.