Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Cyan Emperor Sword!
Soon, with the passage of time, the auction hall on the first floor was almost filled to capacity with people. Most of those who needed to be there had already arrived.
The auction officially began.
A man over fifty slowly walked onto the auction stage in the middle of the hall.
"I am Zhao Geng, an elder of the Zhao Family in Celestial Essence City. Many of you here are old friends, so I won’t introduce myself further. Today’s auction will be personally hosted by me," he said with a smile after clearing his throat.
The Zhao Family in Celestial Essence City is one of the ten major families of the Imperial Capital, and its strength is not to be underestimated.
This auction venue is actually one of the Zhao Family’s properties.
The Grand Elder Zhao Geng is said to be a Spirit Transformation Realm expert, a first-class master even by the standards of the entire Celestial Essence City.
"Regarding the rules of the auction venue, I still need to remind everyone: Do not disrupt the order during the auction, do not harm others, anything brought out for auction is won by the highest bidder."
"Without further ado, let’s start the auction directly."
As soon as he finished speaking, a servant carrying a wooden box with both hands walked onto the stage below the auction platform.
After placing the wooden box on the auction stage, he bowed and retreated.
Zhao Geng smiled, opened the wooden box before everyone’s eyes and said, "The first item to be auctioned today is a Second Grade Elixir, named the ’Cultivation Enhancing Pill’..."
After a brief introduction, Zhao Geng finally said, "The starting price is five hundred Spirit Stones, with no upper limit. Each bid increment must not be less than ten Spirit Stones. Everyone, start bidding."
"A Cultivation Enhancing Pill?"
"I didn’t expect them to take out a Second Grade Elixir right at the start!"
"Even though this pill isn’t of high grade and many Second Grade Alchemists can make it, it’s rare due to the scarcity of the ingredients, and it seldom appears on the market."
The crowd began to chatter, and soon, people started bidding.
In just a short moment, the price of this Cultivation Enhancing Pill was called up from the starting price of five hundred Spirit Stones to over a thousand.
Normally, an ordinary Second Grade Elixir would be valued at two to three hundred Spirit Stones at most.
However, due to the unique nature of the Cultivation Enhancing Pill, its price compared to other Second Grade Elixirs was directly increased several times over.
One thousand Spirit Stones is no small number, about equivalent to half a year’s expenses of the Lingyun Sect.
Ultimately, this elixir was auctioned off at a price of one thousand three hundred Spirit Stones.
Ji Chen had been quietly observing from the beginning to the end, showing no interest in this elixir.
Soon, the auction continued, and the second item was brought up, also an elixir, but reaching the Third Grade level, making the competition much fiercer.
Furthermore, compared to the Cultivation Enhancing Pill, the role of this Third Grade Elixir was apparently more appealing, attracting more bidders.
Ultimately, this Third Grade Elixir’s price was called beyond two thousand Spirit Stones. The winner was an old man in a second-floor pavilion; although he remained unseen, anyone seated in the second-floor private rooms was doubtlessly an extraordinary figure.
Time passed, and the third and fourth items were brought to the stage for auction one by one.
None of these items interested Ji Chen.
He sat idly in room number three; had it not been for Qu Luoning occasionally chatting with him, Ji Chen might have already dozed off.
"The next item to be auctioned is a ’Dao Artifact.’"
Towards the end, Zhao Geng’s voice once again resounded throughout the venue.
Upon hearing the words Dao Artifact, the sleepy Ji Chen suddenly became much more alert.
"What?!"
"It’s actually a Dao Artifact!"
"Is it true?"
The entire crowd burst into an uproar, with many discussing in tones filled with disbelief.
What’s known as a Dao Artifact is a rare Magical Treasure.
The weapons of ordinary cultivators are mostly Mortal Weapons, made of wrought iron.
But Dao Artifacts are different; they are all forged from special materials and are nourished with spiritual power over time, making their power impressive. If one possesses a Dao Artifact during a confrontation, their own strength will be significantly enhanced.
Throughout the Chu Kingdom, it’s said that other than the royal family, almost no other force possesses a complete Dao Artifact.
Even the Lingyun Sect, one of the three major sects, only has a damaged Dao Artifact, an ancient treasure handed down from many years ago.
Amid the crowd’s astonished discussions, two servants carried a rectangular wooden box onto the auction stage.
Zhao Geng smiled and then, before everyone, gently opened the wooden box.
"Buzz..."
Invisibly, it seemed as though space itself trembled for a moment, and a fierce and astonishing aura instantly permeated the entire venue.
A glint of cold light flashed, and upon looking ahead, one could see that a cyan treasure sword lay quietly within the wooden box.
An indescribable aura emanated from the sword, allowing everyone to sense its extraordinary nature; it was indeed the legendary Dao Artifact.
"This sword... was fortuitously acquired by a certain senior in an ancient ruin, and entrusted to our Zhao Family for auction. For certain reasons, I must apologize for not revealing this senior’s identity,"
"Before the auction, our Zhao Family conducted multiple verifications of this sword and ultimately determined its origin."
"This is the legendary ’Cyan Emperor Sword’!" Zhao Geng’s voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.
"What?!"
"This is actually the Cyan Emperor Sword!"
"How is that possible? Thousands of years ago, the name of the Cyan Emperor shook the Profound Domain, and this was actually his personal sword!"
No one could hold back their astonishment.
Who was the Cyan Emperor?
He was a figure from thousands of years ago.
At that time, the Profound Domain was divided, with reportedly more than twenty or thirty dynasties and kingdoms, unlike today’s ten countries.
The Qing Kingdom was one of them.
The Cyan Emperor’s name shook the world, sweeping across with his sword, showing signs of nearly unifying the Profound Domain.
Unfortunately, the overly aggressive Cyan Kingdom offended too many people and was later besieged by various factions. It’s said that the Cyan Emperor ultimately fell under the stars, leading to the downfall of the Qing Kingdom.
No one expected that today, thousands of years later, his sword would be found in ancient ruins and brought here for auction.
Dao Artifacts are rare enough, let alone the Cyan Emperor’s sword. All at once, everyone present couldn’t help but become excited.
After Zhao Geng cleared his throat, he loudly announced, "This sword... the starting price is ten thousand Spirit Stones, with each increment not less than one thousand. The highest bidder wins. Please, begin bidding."