The crowd still buzzed from the Void Spatial Stone sale. The tension had not faded; it only deepened. Every cultivator present sat straighter, eyes shining with hunger.
On stage, Xiao Yuki let the silence linger before her crimson lips curved once more. She knew how to control the tempo of desire. The flame-red dress clung to her curves as she leaned forward slightly, voice rippling like wine poured into crystal.
"Ladies and gentlemen," she said, eyes flashing like daggers concealed in silk, "the next treasures are not mere materials or baubles. What you are about to witness are techniques and wonders that could decide the fate of nations."
Her beauty intoxicated, but her aura burned like thorns, daring anyone to overstep.
The All-Consuming Palm
A jade slip was revealed upon a tray. Its glow was faint, but the oppressive aura radiating from it forced some weaker cultivators to gasp for breath.
"This," Xiao Yuki announced, her voice both soft and razor-sharp, "is the All-Consuming Palm Technique. A mortal-tier pinnacle martial art. With one strike, it devours the essence of flesh and qi, turning enemies into husks. It is said to be incomplete—but even so, those who master it can dominate battlefields."
A chill swept the crowd. Some gulped nervously, imagining the technique in action.
"The starting price: three hundred thousand mid-grade black crystals. Each raise, no less than fifty thousand."
Bidding exploded immediately.
"Three-fifty!"
"Four hundred!"
"Half a million!"
Curtains quivered with hidden figures, voices thundering. The art was sinister, cruel—perfect for many ambitious cultivators unafraid of dark paths.
Wei Shiyan chuckled, his sharp teeth flashing briefly. "Such a fine tool for slaughter. Pity for them—I'll acquire it tonight without wasting a single crystal." His eyes gleamed. He wasn't interested in learning it; he was interested in stockpiling fear.
The jade slip eventually sold for two million mid-grade black crystals, secured by an unknown power within a shadowed booth.
The Eyeless Pupil
Next, Xiao Yuki lifted another tray. This time, a sealed scroll pulsed faintly with an eerie eye-shaped sigil. The temperature in the room dropped.
"Behold—the Eyeless Pupil Technique. Once cultivated, the user gains foresight glimpses into unseen truths—an art used by ancient seers. Though the strain is great, and blindness a risk, the power to peer beyond veils of illusion and destiny itself is not a gift one should underestimate."
Her dangerous smile deepened. "Starting price: five hundred thousand mid-grade black crystals."
The hall shuddered with noise. Bids fired like arrows—700k, 800k, then a million. Seers were rare; anyone who held such a technique could control fate itself.
"Two point five million!"
"Three million!"
At last, the scroll vanished behind the velvet of booth number seven, secured at a staggering 3.2 million.
Wei Shiyan's tongue clicked softly. "So fate can be bought and sold too, eh? Hmph. Let them cling to it. In the end, fate belongs to the strong."
Cosmic Black Iron
The next reveal was greeted with awe. When Xiao Yuki pulled the red silk away, the tray held a chunk of dark ore that seemed to drink in light. Stars twinkled faintly within its surface, as if fragments of the cosmos themselves had been locked inside.
"The Cosmic Black Iron," Xiao Yuki said, her tone hushed yet resounding, "a rare heavenly metal birthed from collapsed stars. Indestructible to ordinary forging flames, yet once refined, it births weapons of unmatched durability. Such iron could form the core of a weapon destined to become divine."
Gasps filled the chamber. Some older powerhouses in the private booths stirred for the first time.
"The starting price is one million mid-grade black crystals. Each raise—one hundred thousand."
The bids surged with ferocity, climbing to two million, then three, then a deafening:
"Five million!"
The room hushed again. A battle of titans erupted behind curtains, and finally, booth number one secured it at 7.5 million mid-grade black crystals.
Wei Shiyan's fingers tapped his chair slowly, his eyes flickering with faint hunger. A fine treasure. With it, I could forge a blade to sever mountains. But patience, patience. Wolves need not chase when the flock panics into their jaws.
Embryonic Mountain
At last, Xiao Yuki's final reveal for the night came. She lifted the silk slowly, her motions deliberately sensual. Beneath it lay what looked like a miniature mountain, no taller than a man's palm. It pulsed with a faint glow, its surface etched with natural runes of creation itself.
"This," Xiao Yuki whispered, her voice now carrying undeniable reverence, "is a Tier 5 Embryonic Mountain. Though its chance of birthing a true world is less than ten percent, its potential is limitless. Should it succeed, it will grow into a self-sustaining realm—a world in miniature, holding rivers, forests, even the breath of heaven and earth itself."
The air itself seemed to shudder under the weight of her words.
"This is not merely a treasure. It is destiny. A foundation to build an empire, a sect, a legacy that could last for eternity."
Her crimson dress swayed as she lifted her arm. "The starting price is ten million mid-grade black crystals. Each bid no less than one million."
The hall erupted into madness.
"Eleven million!"
"Twelve million!"
"Thirteen!"
"Fifteen!"
Clans, sect representatives, and rogue powerhouses threw themselves into the frenzy. For this treasure, they would bleed fortunes dry.
Wei Shiyan's lips curled into a predator's grin. His soul ring pulsed violently in his chest, resonating faintly with the embryonic mountain. The desire within him surged like a tidal wave.
With this, even gods would bow.
But he did not raise a hand. He watched, silent, calculating.
The bids stormed higher—twenty million, twenty-five, thirty. The numbers broke sanity itself, until finally, after a deafening silence—
"Forty million!"
The crowd erupted in disbelief. Forty million mid-grade black crystals—an amount that could bankrupt small kingdoms.
Xiao Yuki's eyes glittered with triumph. Her rose-like smile bloomed, thorns hidden but sharp.
"Forty million once… twice… thrice! Sold!"
Thunderous noise shook the hall.
The Embryonic Mountain disappeared into the shadows of booth number three.
Wei Shiyan closed his eyes, but his mind burned. Booth three. Curtain two. Curtain one. Curtain four. All fattened pigs waiting to be slaughtered. Tonight, the true auction begins—in blood.
Outside, the night deepened. Inside, a rose in red smiled sweetly, her beauty sharper than any blade.
And
Then…