Under countless fiery gazes, two beautiful women ascended the stage. Before them stood a plump middle-aged man in brocade robes, his face wreathed in smiles as he cupped his hands and looked at the guests on all sides.
"Distinguished guests, welcome to the auction of our Myriad Gold Auction House. I hope you all return satisfied today."
The plump man chuckled and spoke a few polite words. When he saw the impatient expressions of the people present, he smiled and said no more, immediately moving on to the auction's main topic.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the first item our auction house is presenting for bid is the Autumn Scale Sword, crafted by Grandmaster Yan Xuan, the Chairman of the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild and a Fourth-Seal Talisman Master."
Behind the plump man, a maidservant approached, holding a silver tray. On it lay a sword, about two chi long, pale yellow in color, with a clear, shimmering luster. Talismans resembling fish scales were engraved upon it, and a chill emanated from its blade.
"Grandmaster Yan Xuan's reputation needs no further introduction from me, as it is already thunderous. This Autumn Scale Sword was personally engraved with talismans by Grandmaster Yan. It can be said to be so sharp it can split a hair with a breath, and cut iron like mud. Even a master with vital energy protecting their body would find it difficult to defend against; it is truly a formidable weapon."
"The starting price for this sword is five hundred Yang Yuan Stones. Those interested, please begin your bids."
After speaking, the plump man smiled and cupped his hands to everyone.
"Five hundred Yang Yuan Stones, that's fifty Yang Yuan Pills."
When Lin Dong heard this price, his mouth twitched slightly. He could tell that this Autumn Scale Sword was indeed a formidable weapon, but its value clearly wasn't this high. The reason for its exorbitant price was undoubtedly related to the reputation of its creator.
"Grandmaster Yan Xuan? It must be this Grandmaster Yan. I didn't expect him to be a Fourth-Seal Talisman Master. He truly is an extraordinary individual."
Lin Dong sighed inwardly at the sword's price, muttering to himself.
At this moment, many people in the auction hall were already bidding for the Autumn Scale Sword. It seemed that Grandmaster Yan Xuan truly had a golden reputation.
Lin Dong wasn't very interested in the Autumn Scale Sword. He wasn't skilled in swordsmanship, so buying it wouldn't be of much use. Therefore, he calmly watched as the sword's price climbed to eight hundred Yang Yuan Stones, all the while sighing inwardly.
This first item was finally sold for eight hundred Yang Yuan Stones. The plump man was naturally satisfied with this price, smiling as he congratulated its new owner, then continued with the auction of the second item.
The second item was a volume of Third-Grade martial arts. As it wasn't particularly appealing, its price was only one hundred Yang Yuan Stones. Far fewer people participated in the bidding than for the first item, and it ultimately sold for only one hundred and fifty Yang Yuan Stones.
After several rounds of bidding, the novelty of the event had worn off for Lin Dong. He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and rested, waiting for the item he needed to appear.
The atmosphere in the auction hall remained lively. After about ten more auction items, what Lin Dong needed finally appeared.
"Ethereal Spirit Grass, a Fifth-Grade spirit medicine, effective for nourishing the mind. Starting bid: two hundred Yang Yuan Stones."
The extremely simple introduction made Lin Dong, who had been closing his eyes, open them. He stared intently at the jade box containing the spiritual medicine on the auction stage with burning eyes.
This type of spiritual medicine was highly sought after, and Lin Dong had never seen a fifth-grade spiritual medicine of such high quality before. Therefore, when it was presented, many people immediately started bidding. In just a short minute, its price had already reached three hundred Yang Yuan Stones.
Lin Dong frowned slightly at the bids from the others, but he did not immediately participate. Instead, he quietly observed the situation.
The price of the Void Spirit Grass continued to rise, but the speed was obviously much slower. After that, only two people were still bidding, and the price had already broken through five hundred Yang Yuan Stones.
"Six hundred Yang Yuan Stones."
The sudden voice in the auction hall made everyone tremble. Everyone's eyes simultaneously turned towards a person wearing a hat on the stage, but then they quickly looked away. Obviously, no one paid much attention.
This final bid was from Lin Dong. He increased the price by one hundred Yang Yuan Stones in one go, making others so frustrated they could only sit down. Hearing Lin Dong's bid, people thought he was a rich man with too much money and didn't know what to do with it.
After he made his bid, the fat man asked three times if anyone would continue bidding. Then he struck the gavel with a thud, and the Void Spirit Grass was considered to be in Lin Dong's pocket.
"Phew."
Seeing that he had successfully bought the item, Lin Dong also let out a slight sigh of relief. No matter what, he finally had some收获 (harvest/gain).
After successfully purchasing a fifth-grade spiritual medicine that could nourish spiritual power, Lin Dong continued to close his eyes and rest. After a while, he spent another 3,500 Yang Yuan Stones to consecutively buy four more fifth-grade spiritual medicines. His gains today were quite substantial.
Of course, this kind of gain also came at a considerable cost. Five fifth-grade spiritual medicines cost Lin Dong over four thousand Yang Yuan Stones, which was equivalent to exactly four hundred Yang Yuan Pills. If it weren't for the refining help of the Sheng Fu, with the hundred Yang Yuan Pills that Lin Zhengtian gave him, he would probably only be able to watch this auction unfold.
"This Yan City is indeed different from Qingyang Town."
In just half an hour, he had spent four hundred Yang Yuan Pills. Even Lin Dong felt a bit of a heartache. Only when he came here did he realize what a "money pit" truly was.
But as long as he could advance to a Two-Seal Talisman Master within two months, even a greater cost would be worth it!
"Today, I still have six hundred Yang Yuan Pills left. It seems I won't need to use them anymore." Lin Dong calculated the remaining Yang Yuan Pills and couldn't help but click his tongue.
"Haha, the next item to be auctioned is a Star-grade spiritual secret technique. It has no small attraction for Talisman Masters. The starting bid is one thousand Yang Yuan Stones."
Just as Lin Dong was weighing the pros and cons, a voice from the stage made him stiffen.
"A Star-grade spiritual secret technique?!"
Lin Dong lightly licked his lips. As expected, it was worthy of being a highly renowned auction house in Yan City. He didn't expect that there would be a Star-grade spiritual secret technique for auction here. Even Gu Ying didn't have something like this.
What Lin Dong lacked most right now was a spiritual power attack method!
"One thousand one hundred Yang Yuan Stones!"
"One thousand two hundred!"
"..."
Watching the price steadily climb like a raging fire, Lin Dong's eyes narrowed. He hadn't expected anyone here to be interested in a Star-grade spiritual secret technique.
As everyone vied for the Star-grade spiritual secret technique, several gazes also looked down from a VIP room.
"I didn't expect someone to be auctioning a Star-grade spiritual secret technique here today."
Grandmaster Yan, dressed in a gray robe, looked at the auction hall with great surprise and said with a smile.
"Haha, if Grandmaster Yan is interested, Dong Su will have someone bring it down."
Beside Grandmaster Yan, an elegant figure in red clothing smiled indifferently.
"No need. Although a Star-grade spiritual secret technique is not bad, for an old man like me, it's not something I need!"
Grandmaster Yan smiled and shook his head.
"That's true. With Grandmaster Yan's current strength, a Star-grade spiritual secret technique doesn't hold much appeal."
The woman said with a smile.
Grandmaster Yan chuckled, about to speak, when he let out an "ah" sound. His gaze fixed on a spot in the auction hall and he said,
"This person is truly wealthy, spending 2500 Yang Yuan Stones to buy this Star-grade spiritual secret technique. I noticed he previously bought only spiritual herbs that nourish spiritual power. It seems this person must also be a Talisman Master."
Hearing this, the woman in blue clothing beside him also looked down. This was Lin Dong's location.
"But why does this person's spiritual power feel somewhat familiar?"
Grandmaster Yan's gaze intently stared at that spot, his eyebrows suddenly furrowing. His spiritual power rapidly surged out, reaching Lin Dong's location in just one breath.
As Lin Dong was rejoicing at having acquired the Star-grade spiritual secret technique, his expression suddenly changed. He felt a surge of spiritual power spreading towards him.
Upon discovering this, spiritual power, like a conditioned reflex, burst forth from Lin Dong's Niwan Palace, then blocked it. However, by the time his spiritual power surged out, it was already a step too late. His appearance had certainly been probed by that person.
As Lin Dong frowned, Grandmaster Yan, who had been smiling in the VIP room, became utterly astonished. Discomposure appeared in his eyes, surprising the two women beside him.
"So it's him?!"