by Translator: BornToBe; Author: Ordinary Magician (平凡魔术师); Licensed From: 17k
But they could only do that once. Once the auction started, you could not exchange for a higher credit limit. That was why most people would exchange as much money as they possibly could at the beginning in order to increase their spending limit.
If you didn’t buy anything or your credit had yet to reach the limit, the Huayun Pavilion would return your money to you without taking the slightest percentage.
So every single person here had their own crystal card with all their money on it. Once the auction was over, the Huayun Pavilion would immediately take those cards back and deduct what they had spent. It was a very efficient process.
For those like Long Chen who had used up all their money, the rule was that they could no longer add to their funds. But obviously, the higher-ups of the Huayun Pavilion had opened a special backdoor for him.
Long Chen hesitated for a moment as he looked at the crystal card in his hand. Originally, he had been planning on going back to refine since he had no more money. Watching others spend while you had no money was also a kind of torment.
But now that he had more funds, he truly was interested in the items that had yet to be auctioned.
“Fu Gui, we already have an agreement that you won’t immediately demand money from me if the things I gave you don’t sell. I can’t immediately return the money that you loaned to me in that case.”
“Don’t worry, my boss has said that if those pills don’t get auctioned off, the loan will just be written off as a gift to you,” smiled Fu Gui.
Long Chen was startled. “Who is your boss?”
“Hehe, sorry, but this little one cannot reveal that. Please don’t make it hard on me,” apologized Fu Gui.
Although he was a bit puzzled, Long Chen still decided to stay. He really was interested in the later items of the auction.
After Fu Gui left, the auction paused for a moment and began to serve tea. Whether it was to the auctioneers or the guests, this kind of tense atmosphere truly did use up a lot of energy.
Such a huge auction naturally had to give its guests some breaks. Only then would they have the energy for the even more intense bidding later.
Otherwise, if everyone was exhausted, the auction would have a weak finish. Obviously, the Huayun Pavilion had already made preparations to avoid that.
After a two hour break, the auction once more began. Calculating the time, the auction had already gone on for two whole days.
Due to the competition being too intense, no one had really felt the time passing. Every item brought out was even more precious than the ones before it, and the bidding became increasingly hostile. The prices naturally shot up wildly as well.
This was especially the case with Yao Niqian’s ‘encouragements’. It was as if everyone had taken some kind of drug that made them go wild.
Looking at the impassioned crowd, Long Chen couldn’t help but feel some admiration. After two days of auctioning, this Yao Niqian had figured out the majority of the people’s temperaments, and now the atmosphere was completely under her control.
Shi Feng, fatty Yu, and the others had all been exposed to the grandness of the world. Even after these two days of auctioning, none of them were the slightest bit tired.
Although none of them had the money to enter the competition, just watching those impassioned sky-high bids was stimulating on its own.
“The next item is the Mountain Splitting Battle-Ax.”
As she said this, a battle-ax was carried to the top of the stage. But everyone was shocked when they saw it.
Naturally, they all knew what battle-axes looked like. But they had never seen such a battle-ax before. It was absolutely enormous!
That double-edged ax head was at least five feet long. It was as thick as an arm and possessed an imposingness that was absolutely terrifying.
“Mountain Splitting Battle-Ax. It was made from golden sand, and its hardness is unmatched. It weighs two tons and is a symbol of power and martial might. It is said that it was the weapon of a divinity, and placing it within your estate will scare off any spirits or ghosts. The starting price is two million.”
Dozens of nobles immediately began to bid.
“2,010,000!”
“2,050,000!”
“2,080,000!”
In truth, the battle-ax might be considered more of an ornament than anything else. Weighing two tons, it would be a miracle if you could even hold it, let alone wield it in battle.
But Yao Niqian was not wrong; such a domineering battle-ax would definitely be a symbol of your status and power. The nobilities especially were interested in such an item.
“Shi Feng, help me shout my bid,” said Long Chen quietly.
Shi Feng was startled. “That’s just a household item. What are you buying it for?”
“Don’t worry about it, I have my own use for it. Help me bid. If I do it myself, then that idiot woman will come to look for trouble,” said Long Chen.
At the very first moment he saw that Mountain Splitting Battle-Ax, he had thought of a certain huge figure - Wilde.
With Wilde’s physical strength, he should be able to use the battle-ax properly. That ax’s weight was something extremely hard to find in other weapons, and it was also incomparably sturdy. It was practically perfect for Wilde to use.
“2,910,000!”
“3,000,000!”
“3,050,000!”
The last bid was Shi Feng’s. When others heard Shi Feng make such a high bid, they all shook their heads.
Although it might possess a domineering might, it was simply an ornamental piece. Three million was already too high of a price. Three million fifty thousand was already something others were unwilling to bid against.
Xia Baichi had been waiting to shout her own bid against Long Chen when she heard the voice coming from Long Chen’s private room. But hearing that the voice wasn’t Long Chen’s, she hesitated and didn’t bid against it.
It was already the later stages of the auction. The wares being auctioned were becoming increasingly better, and if she ended up using all her credit limit, she would only be able to watch as those good things were taken away by others.
Although she was suspicious that it was actually Long Chen, she wasn’t completely certain, and after debating it for a moment, she still decided not to interfere.
Long Chen celebrated when he saw the Mountain Splitting Battle-Ax be obtained so smoothly. Unfortunately, this item was something they were unable to bring into their private room, so Long Chen had to personally go get it.
Long Chen followed the secret channel to below the stage. There were a dozen men guarding that place.
His pupils contracted slightly when he saw them. Those people were actually all Blood Condensation experts.
Just an auction already had so many experts. Then what was the true strength of the Huayun Pavilion?
Long Chen arrived in front of the Mountain Splitting Battle-Ax. Looking at the huge battle-ax that was even larger than he was, he was truly stunned.
Reaching out a hand, he slowly rubbed the handle. He noticed that he was almost unable to wrap his hand around that handle which was as thick as an arm.
“UP!” Long Chen used his full force in an effort to raise that battle-ax. It shook slightly and slowly rose into the air, but after just rising it for three inches, it fell back down to the ground with a crash.
The shelf that was originally holding it was immediately smashed into pieces. A huge explosion followed as it fell to the ground.
“Who would have thought that young master Long Chen possessed such divine strength. It really is admirable.”
Those guards had all been watching Long Chen. Originally, they had been looking at him with some disdain as he had spent so much on something that was only ornamental.
But seeing him actually able to raise the ax with just one hand caused all their disdain to disappear.
And even though he had dropped it in the end, it was still completely shocking. They were all clear on
just how heavy it was. It required at least two people using their full strength to raise it like that.
But Long Chen had succeeded in lifting it slightly with just a single hand. Plus, he had been holding it from the handle. The kind of force required to lift it from there was difficult to even imagine.
That was why they had all opened their mouths to exclaim their admiration.
Long Chen shook his head and bitterly smiled, “This thing really is just an imposing ornament.”
“Who said it wasn’t? It’s so heavy; just who could manage to use it?” One of them nodded.
After confirming the huge ax’s heaviness, Long Chen no longer showed off anything. He directly stored it within his spatial ring.
Returning to his private room, Long Chen’s indifferent expression became one of delight. That ax was definitely something Wilde could use.
If he had used his full force, then even he would have been able to use it. But it would exhaust too much of his strength. Fortunately, Wilde wasn’t the same. His physical body was the most abnormal one Long Chen had ever seen, and physical strength was his main forte.
With this battle-ax, even without using spiritual qi, his battle strength would be absolutely terrifying.
As time passed, the later items became even rarer and more precious. Natural treasures of heaven and earth, cultivation techniques, and medicinal pills, they were all available. The prices became even more frightening. There was practically not a single item that was sold for less than five million gold coins anymore.
“Everyone should look carefully at our next item.”
An exceptionally confident smile appeared on Yao Niqian’s face. She raised her hand, showing off what she was holding.
Chapter 59 Earth Class Battle Skill
In her hand was a thin book. When it appeared, the whole crowd went silent for a moment before exploding into startled cries.
Most of the people present all knew that every three years, the Huayun Pavilion would always have a Battle Skill as their final auction item. Counting the time, this was precisely the third year.
If it was just an ordinary Battle Skill, it wouldn’t have attracted so many startled cries. However, it was no ordinary Battle Skill. It was an Earth class Battle Skill!
Earth class Battle Skills only existed in legends. They could only be found within the hands of sects that were isolated from the secular world.[1]
It was rumored that the Phoenix Cry Empire’s most precious treasure was just a portion of an Earth class Battle Skill. And only the imperial disciples could learn it.
Thus, for most people, Earth class Battle Skills were things they had only ever heard of in legends. Now that they could personally see one, although they knew such a thing would not be obtained by them, it was still something that caused their hearts to jump wildly.
“Earth class Battle Skill – Three Style Parting Wind. Starting bid of twenty million.”
An Earth class Battle Skill did not require much introduction. Just the ‘Earth class’ introduction was enough.
“Thirty million!”
Xia Changfeng’s bid came from his private room. That was the first time Xia Changfeng had participated in the competition since the golden armor.
Furthermore, he immediately increased the price by ten million. That kind of money spending style was quite shocking.
Although Long Chen was attracted to that Battle Skill, he knew that it was impossible for him to obtain it. Xia Changfeng’s thirty million bid was nothing. It was just the beginning.
“Fifty million!”
An aged voice came from inside another private room. The guest in that room had never revealed himself to the crowd so no one knew who was inside.
Long Chen realized that the old man had probably come here expressly for that Battle Skill. Perhaps, now was the time for all the hidden tigers participating in the auction to reveal themselves and compete.
“Sixty million!”
This time, the voice was extremely sharp and uncomfortable to listen to, like the sound of metal scraping against metal. It came from a bearded, middle-aged man in the corner of the crowd.
“Eighty million!”
This time, it was the soft feminine voice of Marquis Ying.
Now the crowd was extremely quiet. Other than Xia Changfeng, the mysterious elder, the bearded man, and Marquis Ying, no one else had enough money to compete against such a high price.
“One hundred million!”
Xia Changfeng took a deep breath and shouted out this price.
Long Chen sighed in admiration. The Huayun Pavilion truly had a shocking amount of wealth. Just a copied, handwritten Earth class Battle Skill could be sold for over a hundred million.
What was even more shocking to think about was that they could copy it countless times and auction it over and over in different places. As for the people who managed to obtain it in the end, they would all hide it away deeply so no one else could take it from them. Maybe they would even kill anyone who knew about it.
This caused Long Chen to become more and more interested in the identity of the secret support of the Huayun Pavilion. Whatever the origin of that support was, it even allowed them to take out such a precious item without being afraid of others attacking in greed.
Xia Changfeng’s hundred million bid might be shocking, but it was immediately followed up.
“110,000,000!”
This time, it was the mysterious elder in the private room. Considering that he had refused to show himself up to this point, it seemed he would not easily give up on obtaining this Battle Skill.
“130,000,000!”
That bearded man was also unwilling to appear weak. Considering the current point in the auction, only bids by increments of ten million were worth anything.
The rest of the crowd was completely silent. Only the astronomical bids continued to ring throughout the room.
“150,000,000!”
“160,000,000!”
“180,000,000!”
Such high numbers actually tested a person’s mental fortitude. Although it wasn’t their money, when fatty Yu and the others heard them, it made it hard for them to breathe.
Sweat was dripping off Xia Changfeng’s forehead. He had managed to learn from a secret backchannel that the auction this time would have an Earth class Battle Skill.
Thus, he had brought all the money he had to increase his credit limit. But in total, he only had two hundred million. Since the price was already at one hundred eighty million, it seemed that his two hundred million wouldn’t be enough.
“Baichi, how much more credit do you have?” He asked of Xia Baichi.
Looking at her crystal card, she replied, “I still have three hundred sixty million.”
Xia Changfeng was overjoyed. “Good sister, your brother’s money won’t be enough soon. Lend me some money and I’ll return it when we get back to the Grand Xia.”
Xia Baichi hesitated for a moment before saying, “I can lend it to you, but you must hand over Long Chen’s head to me within a short time.”
Xia Changfeng immediately felt awkward. Chu Yang was right there! To talk about murder in front of the crown prince was definitely excessive.
“Baichi, we’ll talk about this when we get back.”
“No, if you don’t promise me, then I won’t lend you any money.” Xia Baichi coldly snorted. She didn’t give her older brother any face.
Chu Yang smiled slightly. “This Long Chen is dislikable, and in this case, you’ll be my younger sister’s husband soon, so I won’t hear anything you’re saying now.”
Hearing Chu Yang say such a thing, Xia Changfeng became much more at ease and he cupped his fists at Chu Yang. “Many thanks, future brother-in-law.”
“Ok, Baichi, I promise you. Give me your crystal card.”
Only then did she hand him her crystal card. Drawing a line over his crystal card, Xia Baichi’s credit limit was transferred over to his card. Now he had a credit of over five hun
dred million.
“300,000,000!”
Seeing that the price was continuing to climb, Xia Changfeng directly raised the price greatly in order to display that it was a must-have item for him and hopefully, intimidate his competitors away.
The others became somewhat taciturn after that high price. Although an Earth class Battle Skill was extremely rare, it still was something buyable with money.
Furthermore, the price for one was much lower than three hundred million. After all, most Earth class Battle Skills that were sold were all second hand copies.
This Earth class Battle Skill auctioned by the Huayun Pavilion was one that didn’t exist in this region. That was why its price was so high.
But the price of three hundred million truly was intimidating. After all, if you had enough gold, you could travel to somewhere far away and then, you would be able to buy Earth class Battle Skills for a much lower price.
Now, the mysterious elder, the bearded man, and Marquis Ying were all hesitating.
“Prince Xia Changfeng bids three hundred million. Are there any higher bids? Three hundred million going once, three hundred million going twice-“ Yao Niqian’s voice was a bit excited as she started to count time.
The profit from this auction had already surpassed her expectations. That was especially the case for this Earth class Battle Skill. The three hundred million bid was extremely exciting for her.
Three hundred million should be the ceiling price for this Battle Skill; thus, she decided to start counting down.
“400,000,000.”
What no one expected was for a lazy voice to suddenly ring out.
That voice was extremely young. It was Long Chen’s voice! The entire crowd was stupefied, and even Yao Niqian was shocked.
She had yet to even react when a small earring on her ear shook slightly. She immediately recovered and smiled.
“That bastard.” Xia Changfeng flew into rage. Just as he had been about to obtain the Earth class Battle Skill, Long Chen suddenly interfered.
“Long Chen, I don’t believe a bastard like you has that much money. You’re just looking for trouble!” shouted Xia Changfeng angrily.