Hmm?
Hearing that familiar voice from behind him, Lin Xi's face instantly twisted into a ferocious expression.
This damned Ling Xiao!
You steal my woman, you steal my opportunities... You're clearly targeting me on purpose!
"Xi'er, this Nine Calamities Sword was far more than just a Dao artifact in ancient times. I vaguely remember a 'Master of the Nine Calamities' who used this sword to fight his way through the Nine Heavens, ultimately achieving the position of Supreme Sovereign of Heaven and Earth. Although it's missing two calamities now, its value is still far beyond what spirit stones can measure." Spirit Elder's voice came from the ring. With his level of soul power, a mere Profound Void ant couldn't possibly detect him. So at the moment, he was somewhat unrestrained.
"Master of the Nine Calamities?" Lin Xi's eyes narrowed. He finally gritted his teeth. "Fifty thousand spirit stones!"
"Fifty-one thousand." But the moment Lin Xi's voice fell, Ling Xiao's leisurely tone came through again.
Lin Xi clenched his fists, barely suppressing the rage in his heart. Increasing the bid by just one thousand! Isn't this bastard deliberately targeting me? Had his identity been recognized? Impossible! Although Spirit Elder loved to boast, he had real skills. If he said a Divine King expert couldn't see through his disguise, then they couldn't!
"Could it be... Ling Xiao also recognizes the extraordinary nature of this sword?" Lin Xi hesitated for a moment, then finally shouted out a frightening price. "Seventy thousand spirit stones!"
Hiss.
A low-grade divine artifact was theoretically worth this price.But this divine artifact was damaged. Although it was an ancient relic... Given the cunning of the Cloudcoming Pavilion, if this sword still retained its power, why would they auction it? Seventy thousand spirit stones... this kid is quite rich, eh? The looks many people gave Lin Xi changed, faintly flickering with greed. Hmph, it's not that we covet your wealth, but you dare to compete for treasure with Young Master Ling Xiao? Isn't that just seeking death?
"Seventy-one thousand spirit stones." Ling Xiao still casually called out a price. Given his financial resources, seventy thousand spirit stones wasn't just a drop in the bucket; even seven hundred thousand would be insignificant. But... killing Lin Xi's desire outright would be too boring. Playing with him slowly like this was much more stimulating.
Damn it!
"Xi'er,don't be impulsive!" Just as Lin Xi was channeling his spiritual power, about to break all pretenses with Ling Xiao, a cooling sensation suddenly came from the ring. "Turning against him now has no benefit. Remember, this is Sunset City..."
Sigh. Lin Xi took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the anger in his heart. But the killing intent in his eyes had almost solidified into substance.
"Congratulations, Young Master Ling Xiao, on obtaining this heavy treasure." A maid on the stage immediately brought the Nine Calamities Sword to Ling Xiao.
"This sword is clearly damaged and severely impaired. Seventy thousand spirit stones... you really have money to burn." Nian Qingyun teased, clearly thinking Ling Xiao had been duped. The unknown youth from before was probably a plant hired by the Cloudcoming Pavilion. Otherwise, how could a youth who could casually produce seventy thousand spirit stones be an unknown nobody?
"I know. I just have money to burn." Ling Xiao grinned. Lin Xi, sitting in front of him, nearly spat out another mouthful of blood.
"But this sword is an ancient relic. Maybe if we find the remaining two calamities, it can regain its former glory. So, do you like it?" Ling Xiao held the Nine Calamities Sword and immediately felt a strand of desolate intent spreading up his arm. He was a bit puzzled now. Where did all those ancient mighty figures go? Why were their personal spiritual treasures either sealed, damaged, or lost here in the Sacred Province? Throughout history, countless Venerables and even Saints had left legends here. But now, the strongest in the entire Sacred Province were only at the Emperor Realm. As for whether the Holy Church had Venerable Realm experts, the world didn't know. But... Ling Xiao suspected they did. Otherwise, those hypocrites couldn't have suppressed the Sacred Province for millennia on reputation alone.
"You... you're giving it to me?" Nian Qingyun's pretty face stiffened. She looked at the young man beside her in disbelief. Seventy thousand spirit stones! Even for the Holy Sons and Young Masters of supreme orthodoxies, that wasn't a small sum. Although the ancient sword had lost its power, the price tag was still there!
"Don't you use a sword? This sword has a story. You might as well try it." Ling Xiao smiled faintly and handed the ancient sword to Nian Qingyun. Her expression changed, a flash of surprise appearing in her beautiful eyes. Clearly, she also sensed the suppressed emotion within the sword. As Ling Xiao said, if they could find the remaining two calamities, this sword might truly shine with its former divine radiance.
"It's not bad."
"Then it's yours."Having said that, Ling Xiao didn't look at Nian Qingyun again, as if seventy thousand spirit stones meant nothing to him. The most lethal kind of boasting is the unintentional kind.
Of course, Ling Xiao's actions weren't just to please Nian Qingyun. This sword, being an ancient relic, was clearly meant for a Son of Destiny. The probability of him, a person with zero Karma Points, finding the remaining two parts of the divine sword was almost zero. But Nian Qingyun was different! She was the Daughter of Destiny with the highest Karma he had encountered so far. In her hands, the sword was far more likely to trigger a destined opportunity. By that time, Ling Xiao estimated he would have completely subdued her anyway. Who held the ancient sword then wouldn't matter.
"The next auction item: the Nine Dragons Roaring Heaven Cauldron! This cauldron was left by a Medicine Emperor. A low-grade divine artifact. The starting bid is ten thousand spirit stones." On the stage, the enchanting maid brought out another treasure. This time, however, Ling Xiao didn't bid. A low-grade divine artifact was utterly useless to him; he even had several dozen low-grade divine artifacts in his Qiankun Bag.
But his disinterest didn't mean others felt the same. Especially these prodigies from holy sects and ancient clans—an extra divine artifact meant an extra life-saving trump card.
"A medicine cauldron? Unfortunately, the grade is too low." Lin Xi shook his head and didn't bid again.
"Thirty thousand!"
"Fifty thousand!"
Soon,the price of this low-grade divine artifact was driven up to fifty thousand.
"Senior Brother Yin, when will we ever have a divine cauldron of our own?" A young girl's voice, full of envy, came from behind Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao raised an eyebrow and glanced back at the girl in yellow.
"Ah?Young Master Ling Xiao... I..." Lin Meng's face flushed red, even her voice carrying a trace of panic. Young Master Ling Xiao is talking to me again!
But beside her, Yin Tianxing's face was darkening. He and Lin Meng had been childhood sweethearts and joined the same sect, the Blazing Cloud Sect. Yin Tianxing's grandfather was the Grand Elder of the Blazing Cloud Sect. In his eyes, Lin Meng was his forbidden possession. Today, Ling Xiao repeatedly showing favor to Lin Meng truly infuriated him.
"Sixty thousand spirit stones." Ling Xiao shook his head with a slight smile. How could he not see the resentment in Yin Tianxing's eyes? But a Soul Sea realm ant, with no background—even if he were a disciple of a supreme orthodoxy—Ling Xiao wouldn't hesitate to kill him if he wanted. However, if Ling Xiao did that, he might earn the hatred of the girl in yellow. Even if she eventually submitted under duress, she probably wouldn't contribute Karma Points effectively. Give him some stimulus, make him crazy. Everything would then fall into place naturally. A pitiful young couple, originally fond of each other, came down the mountain to see the excitement for no good reason and fell right into Ling Xiao's trap! How tragic.
"Seventy thousand spirit stones..." But just as Ling Xiao was secretly scheming, a voice with a death wish suddenly came from ahead.