As the st of the mid-tier items were whisked away, the auctioneer took a moment to collect herself.
A barely noticeable sheen of sweat clung to her brow. She inhaled deeply, as if summoning courage from the very heavens.
“Honored guests,” she said, voice carrying a subtle tremor, “we now begin the high-tier segment of the Divine Ascension Auction.”
Gasps echoed through the hall again. Some nobles leaned forward in anticipation, thers narrowed their eyes, already calcuting which treasures were worth risking their cn's wrath for.
“These next items are of exceptional grade,” the announcer continued. “Artifacts from transcendent-level ruins. Equipment used by cultivators who once roamed above the clouds. Some even defy cssification, their effects not fully understood.”
A servant rolled out a velvet-covered cart. Upon it rested a radiant, deep-blue robe threaded with starlight-like patterns.
“Nascent Soul-Grade Spiritweave Garment,” the announcer decred. “Imbued with spatial reinforcement runes. Reduces physical damage, lightens bodily burden during flight, and passively resists temperature extremes. Believed to be worn by a Sky Reaver from the ancient por sects. Starting bid, 150,000 spirit stones.”
Before anyone could even exhale—
Jin Yu tapped his chair’s arm. “Three hundred thousand.”
Boom.
Shock.
“Three hundred thousand going once—”
“I said I’ll take it,” Jin Yu repeated, eyes glinting behind the viewing mirror.
“Any higher bids?” the announcer offered weakly.
No one moved, it's too early to spend their wealth on a cloth.
“Sold!”
Another cart was wheeled out. This one bore a bde sealed within a jade case, pulsing with bck and silver qi.
“Void-Edge Saber,” the announcer announced, barely keeping her voice steady. “Recovered from an ancient battlefield in the Bckwind Wastes. The metal defies spiritual analysis. Estimated to be forged by a fallen sect. Possesses soul-cutting properties and is rumored to absorb qi upon killing. Starting bid...two fifty thousand spirit stones!”
“I bid—!”
“Mine,” Jin Yu said zily, sipping tea.
“You’re not even a saber user!” someone shouted from the crowd.
“It’s for my followers,” Jin Yu replied with a shrug. “Don’t worry. If you bow nicely, maybe they’ll lend it to you someday.”
Min Li grinned. “Or lend it to your gravekeeper to decorate your tomb.”
Ding!
Influence +6,500 (Hatred)
Ding!
Fury +8,700 (Hatred)
“Next!” Jin Yu said in same zy voice.
The next cart was carried, this time guarded by two cultivators. On it sat a small, obsidian cube etched with unknown runes that shimmered like a mirage.
“Mystery Artifact. Retrieved from the ruins of the ancient Soulgss City, buried beneath the Searing Sand Sea. Effects unknown. Our appraisers could not decipher its energy signature. It pulses with residual time-w fluctuations. Starting bid: thirty thousand spirit stones.”
Jin Yu narrowed his eyes.
“That one. I’ll take it too.”
“No!” a gravelly voice echoed from one of the opposing VIP rooms. “This one belongs to the Red Lotus Sect!”
The curtain covering VIP Room Three was pulled aside, and from within, an old man with sunken eyes and flowing red robes stepped into view. Pressure rolled across the auction house like crashing waves.
“A te Essence Core cultivator!” someone whispered in awe.
The old man gred at the mirror hiding Jin Yu. “You have made a mockery of this auction, boy. But this... this is not yours.”
Silence.
Min Li walked closer to the mirror and said calmly, “Then you should’ve bid faster, fossil.”
“You impudent—!”
“I’m buying,” Jin Yu cut in, cold now. “Thirty-five thousand.”
The old man snarled. “Forty thousand!”
Jin Yu leaned forward.
“Eighty thousand.”
Gasps.
You could hear someone choking on their wine.
“Eighty—!? That’s twice—!”
The old man’s fury burst into the air like fire.
Ding!
Influence +10,000
(Emotion provoked: Killing Intent)
The announcer beamed. “A-Accepted! Sold to Young Master Jin Yu of VIP Room Seven!”
Min Li chuckled. “You tried to py with fire, old man. But my master doesn’t burn. He incinerates.”
With a violent sweep of his sleeve, the old man vanished into his room again, furious but unwilling to waste more resources.
And then—
The hall trembled.
This time, a massive orb was rolled onto the stage. A Inside the orb, flickering illusions showed beautiful halls, divine gardens, and rivers of spiritual qi.
“A spiritual mansion!” the announcer gasped. “A mobile transcendent abode with self-restoring formations, suited for sect establishment or independent cultivation. Estimated to be several centuries old. Includes minor artifact spirits and automatic defenses. Starting bid...Five hundred thousand spirit stones!”
A storm of energy exploded in the crowd.
“I bid—!”
“Ten million,” Jin Yu said before the announcer could finish.
Dead silence...
Min Li raised his arms like a priest at an altar.
“My young master is expanding,” he decred. “We will need a base to accommodate all the treasures you failed to secure.”
“HE’S HOARDING EVERYTHING!”
“This is insanity!”
"That's TWENTY times the price!"
“Does he even have that many spirit stones!?”
“Doesn’t matter, he’s definitely a Young Master who never worked for money!”
“This isn’t an auction, it’s a massacre!”
Ding!
Influence +10,000
Ding!
Influence +10,000
Ding!
Influence +10,000
(Emotion provoked: Sughtering will)
Jin Yu stood now, the light from the crystal above catching on his robes.
“You all think this is about showing off. But I’m buying because I can. You wanted these treasures for selfish gain. I want them for my people, for a future you can’t imagine. You call it greed. I call it vision.”
The announcer, pale and breathless, nodded slowly.
"Any higher bid?"
No one talked. They don't have the confidence to keep up with the prodigal young master
“Mansion… sold.”
Min Li bowed once more. “The young master thanks you again for generously giving up .”
---
As the st mid-tier items were carried off the stage, the crystal chandelier above dimmed slightly. A bell chimed twice, low and solemn, before the auctioneer lifted her hand.
“Esteemed guests,” she announced, voice brimming with solemnity, “we have now reached the High Segment of the Divine Ascension Auction.
From this moment onward, only rare, transcendent-css items, be they weapons, armor, relics, or ancient inheritances will appear. These treasures are eligible for cultivation from initial level to peak level to Transcendent Realm. Let the final phase… begin!”
The hall quieted. All eyes sharpened.
The first cart was rolled onto the stage under heavy guard. Upon it y a gleaming violet sword, its bde humming with ancient runes that occasionally sparked with lightning.
“Void-Drinker,” the announcer called, reverently. “A transcendent-tier bde said to absorb spiritual qi and vitality from the target. Forged during the fall of the Thunder Lotus Dynasty. Starting bid: Ten million spirit stones!”
A young lord stood immediately. “Eleven Million!”
“Twelve Million!” barked a merchant prince in purple robes.
“Twenty Million!” came a reply from a sect elder seated above.
“Forty Million,” Jin Yu’s calm voice drifted from VIP Room Seven.
Heads turned.
“Seventy Million!” the young lord snapped, clearly unwilling to yield.
“Ninety Million!” another shouted.
“One Eighty Million” said Jin Yu, tone ft but final.
A hush swept through the hall.
“Who is this bastard?” a noble growled.
Min Li stood up beside Jin Yu’s mirror, arms crossed, smirking. “The one who actually has money.”
Ding!
Influence +7,400
Ding!
Influence +5,900
The announcer hesitated. “Going once… going twice… sold!”
The thunderous bell rang once more.
The next item was carried in, unveiled with dramatic fir. A defensive armor shimmering with yered enchantments, engraved with a coiling wyrm.
“Dragonbone Aegis,” the announcer spoke reverently. “Capable of dispersing elemental attacks and regenerating slowly over time. Starting bid:Ten Million spirit stones!”
“Sixty Million!” cried someone instantly.
“Seventy!”
“Eighty!”
“Eighty-five Million!”
Jin Yu lifted a hand. “One hundred and fifty Million.”
Screams echoed through the crowd.
“Is he insane!?”
“Who raises by that much?!”
“He’s mocking us!”
“Your families bid with your savings. I bid with interest,” Jin Yu said, eyes gleaming coldly behind the mirror. “You can’t match me.”
Ding!
Influence +9,300
Ding!
Influence +10,000
Ding!
Influence +10,000
(Emotion provoked: Killing Intent)
Min Li added cheerfully, “Try again in your next life, trash.”
Boom!, sold.
More carts followed in dizzying succession: talismans infused with sealing arts, robes spun from celestial silkworms, formation fgs drawn in divine beast blood, pills able to force a temporary breakthrough, even a neckce said to contain a sliver of ancient dragon’s will.
Each item unched a bidding war.
Every time it looked like someone else might win, Jin Yu calmly outbid them—sometimes by a little, often by leaps.
“Seventy-five Million!”
“Eighty!”
“Eighty-five!”
“Ninety!”
“Ninety-five!”
“One hundred and eighty Million,” Jin Yu yawned.
Sold.
Rage built. Powerhouses smmed their hands down in frustration. Sect heirs shouted furiously at attendants. One woman fainted after losing three consecutive bids. Another bidder broke his jade token in half out of shame.
Ding!
Influence +8,000
Ding!
Influence +10,000
Ding!
Influence +10,000
Ding!
Influence +10,000
Ding!
Influence +10,000
(Emotion provoked: Killing Intent)
And then—
A towering cart rolled in, upon which a pristine white sword hovered above a silver-pted foundation.
“A fully preserved transcendent Sword, capable of flight, barrier defense, qi collection, and minor time dition. A perfect mobile base for cultivation and authority,” the announcer’s voice quivered. “Starting bid: Thirty million spirit stones.”
Silence.
Then—
“Fifty Million!” a robed man growled from VIP Room Two.
“Sixty!” shouted a veiled beauty.
“Seventy!”
“Hundred!”
“One Fifty!”
“Two hundred Million!”
someone gasped, sweat beading down their temple.
“Two hundred and fifty!” screamed a young heir, veins bulging.
“Three hundred!” Jin Yu said coolly.
“Are you MAD!?”
“Four hundred!”
“Four-fifty!”
“Seven hundred million!” Jin Yu said, standing up now.
The entire hall fell silent.
The announcer’s mouth was dry. “Seven hundred… once… twice…”
BOOM!
“Sold!”
Min Li cpped as if watching fireworks. “What a deal. You all came hoping to get scraps, but my young master walked in and bought the feast.”
Growls erupted from every corner of the auction.
“How dare he!”
“Does he know who we are!?”
“I represent the Serpent Pavilion! The Nightmoon Sect! The Bckfire Aristocracy!”
“And?” Min Li leaned forward. “You think your names are worth a single copper in our eyes? Speak again, and I’ll write your names on the list of people who’ll be sleeping on broken beds tonight.”
Ding!
Influence +10,000
Ding!
Influence +10,000
Ding!
Influence +10,000
(Emotion provoked: Sughtering will)
Jin Yu stretched zily. “I hope you all enjoyed this lesson in economics.”
If you're angry, go sughter your whole family.
