The arrival of the Golden Crow Sect's celestial maiden set the entire auction abuzz, raising everyone's expectations to a new level.
After all, the Golden Crow Sect itself was a prestigious name, and her presence only further confirmed the extraordinary nature of this auction.
As expected, her appearance was just the beginning. Soon after, members of the Tianmai Sect followed, led by a Purple Mansion elder as well.
Then came a stream of Purple Mansion cultivators some from the Seven Prestigious Clans, others renowned rogue cultivators with fearsome reputations.
But the "Whatever-you-call-me Senior" that Song Changsheng had been paying attention to still hadn't shown up, which left him a bit disappointed.
Someone did arrive from the Lieyang Sect, but it was only a few Foundation Establishment cultivators. Compared to the other Seven Prestigious Clans, they seemed rather underwhelming.
This, however, reflected just how serious that old bastard's injuries must have been. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stayed hidden for all these years.
"Good riddance," Song Changsheng muttered inwardly, echoing the sentiment of many Song Clan disciples.
Finally, just a quarter-hour before the auction was scheduled to begin, the gates to the auction house slowly closed. Song Changsheng, who had been resting with his eyes closed, now opened them.
At that moment, a side door that had remained shut for quite some time slowly creaked open, and a woman stepped out.
She was dressed in a sheer, flowing gown, her snow-white skin faintly visible beneath the translucent fabric. A silk sash hugged her slender waist, outlining her graceful curves to perfection.
Her dress swayed gently with each step as if she were dancing. Her movements were light, and elegant, as though she were gliding across a stage each step a careful choreography that stirred the hearts of everyone watching.
Her brows arched like crescent moons, subtly raised with a touch of flirtation and allure. Her phoenix eyes glimmered with a soul-capturing charm, each blink seemingly able to steal one's spirit away.
Song Changsheng was a little surprised. A beauty of this caliber was rarer than even Purple Mansion cultivators. What a day two extraordinary women had appeared back-to-back, each striking in her way.
The woman from the Golden Crow Sect had been like a celestial being descending to the mortal realm. Though stunning and noble in bearing, she carried with her a cold, unapproachable air.
In simple terms: cold and distant.
But this woman was completely different. Every gesture, every smile, every step seemed meticulously calculated to showcase her at her most dazzling she didn't shy away from the greedy, burning gazes of those below.
Swaying her hips like a seductive serpent, she glided to the center of the auction platform and offered a graceful bow, her attention seemingly touching every direction and every social rank present.
She wore a charming smile the entire time, her gaze seeming to leave silken trails behind, seductively pulling at people's hearts. Those of weaker will were already having trouble restraining themselves some even on the verge of springing up in excitement.
Even Song Changsheng felt a faint heat in his chest, though he quickly suppressed it, muttering to himself, "She's truly a seductress."
"What a seductress!" someone in a luxurious third-floor private box muttered the same thing through gritted teeth.
"Qingxue, you're letting her get to you," said the burly man beside her in a Golden Crow Sect elder's robe, sipping his wine calmly.
Xia Qingxue's pretty face frosted over, and she quickly denied it. "I am not."
The burly man simply smiled and didn't press her. The entanglement between those two women wasn't something he wanted to get involved in some grudges ran too deep for a few words to resolve.
"Esteemed seniors and fellow cultivators, welcome to today's auction. This humble one is named Xia Wanyun. I am honored to host this event and hope to bring you all a bit of luck."
Her voice was sweet and sultry, like a whisper right beside your ear it made one's heart itch with anticipation.
She raised a delicate, snow-white hand and gestured, prompting a veiled attendant to bring up a tray draped in red silk. Xia Wanyun gently lifted the cloth and revealed what lay beneath.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is today's first treasure a Tier-3 Low-Grade Wind-Slicing Soul-Severing Talisman. Usable by any Foundation Establishment cultivator and equal in power to a full-strength strike from a Purple Mansion early-stage expert."
"A Tier-3 offensive talisman?" Song Changsheng raised his eyebrows. He hadn't expected the auction to start so grandly. In most auctions, such an item would've been the grand finale. Yet here, it was just the appetizer.
However, the effect was undeniable the crowd's excitement instantly ignited.
Seeing that the mood was just right, Xia Wanyun smiled charmingly and said,
"The starting bid for this item is 5,000 spirit stones. Each raise must be no less than 100. Fellow Daoists, please begin your bidding."
"6,000 spirit stones!" shouted a Qi Refining cultivator seated on the first floor, raising his bidding paddle, his eyes filled with greed.
"Heh, what use does a lowly Qi Refining cultivator have for such an item? I bid 10,000!" a haughty voice echoed from the second floor, instantly pushing the price into five-digit territory.
Song Changsheng couldn't help but click his tongue in astonishment. He was tempted as well but his entire fortune only amounted to just over 30,000 spirit stones. Even if he managed to snatch the talisman, he could kiss the White Tiger Fang goodbye.
So, he had no choice but to sit this one out.
More and more people joined the bidding war, and the price steadily climbed until it finally stopped at 28,000 spirit stones, claimed by a Foundation Establishment cultivator on the second floor.
For a Tier-3 talisman, that was a bit of a bargain but perhaps due to many wanting to conserve their strength for later items, not everyone got involved.
The next few lots were more ordinary: a few Tier-2 magical artifacts, some spirit fruits, and the like. The main bidders were the abundant Qi Refining cultivators, along with a handful of Foundation Establishment ones.
Just as the crowd's enthusiasm began to wane, Xia Wanyun threw out another bombshell this time, a sword-shaped spiritual weapon. The hall burst into another heated round of bidding, and it ultimately sold 40,000 spirit stones to a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"That guy's in trouble," Song Changsheng muttered with a slight frown. A spiritual weapon might be good, but only if you lived long enough to use it.
As he expected, that cultivator ended up dead in the forest outside Luoxia City, his body stripped clean of every last possession...
For Song Changsheng, it was just a minor incident. He didn't particularly care about the man's fate what mattered was that this auction was proving to be well worth attending.
Although he hadn't made a single bid yet, the sheer number of rare treasures on display was an eye-opener. He'd gained a great deal of insight just by watching.
By now, the auction had been going on for three hours, with over fifty items sold five of which were in the Tier-3 category, including talismans and spiritual tools.
He also spotted a familiar face in the crowd Elder Cheng Yufei from the Earthfire Sect.
Cheng had just spent 50,000 spirit stones on a Tier-3 fire-element cultivation technique. This instantly put Song Changsheng on alert. As far as he knew, the Earthfire Sect had only one Tier-3 technique passed down by their founder, but it wasn't suitable for Chang Wudao.
This one, however, was a perfect fit meaning Chang Wudao was preparing to break through to the Purple Mansion Realm!
"Old man, you'd better step it up…" Song Changsheng clenched his fists under the table. Still, there was nothing he could do to stop it.
What puzzled him more was that no one from his clan had shown up to the auction. That gave him a faint sense of unease as if something was amiss.
Before he had time to think it over further, Xia Wanyun below announced the next item:
"Next up is the skeleton of a high-grade Tier-2 White Tiger…"
-support me in Patreon for more chapter, 160+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader