Half an hour later.
As people lived their simple yet fulfilling lives as usual, a meticulously planned game of chess was silently unfolding.
...
At the Tinguang Auction House, the provincial capital of Feng Province.
Tinguang Auction House ranked sixteenth on the Hua National Auction Ranking.
The Hua National Auction Ranking: a list ranking all auction houses in Hua Nation based on important metrics such as overall scale, capacity, and reputation.
Therefore, the Tinguang Auction House's position at eighteenth on the Hua National Auction Ranking indicated its high standing.
And on this day, Tinguang Auction House officially released a piece of news.
"Our establishment will hold a temporary auction three days from now at noon. Due to the sudden nature of this auction, we are hereby releasing all information regarding the auction items for your reference."
Subsequently, a detailed list of auction items was published on the official website of Tinguang Auction House.
The news of this auction immediately piqued everyone's curiosity. Not for any other reason than the fact that such "temporary auctions" were unprecedented in the history of Tinguang Auction House.
Thus, this temporary auction attracted more attention than usual.
However, when most people saw the announced auction items, they were bewildered. This was because about half of the auction items on the list were unheard of by them.
For instance, the thirteenth auction item: the Huoyun Needle.
The eighth auction item: the Huichun Pill.
Most crucially, the grand finale of this auction was actually a stone,
referred to as: Mingshi.
Also unheard of.
But what most people didn't know was the storm this list caused when it reached certain circles.
"The Huoyun Needle, isn't that the eleventh hidden weapon on the Hidden Weapon Compendium? How could it appear at the Tinguang Auction House?"
"And the Huichun Pill, isn't that a pill that can slow down the aging of the human body?"
"Right, and the final auction item, does anyone know about it?"
"Haven't heard of it! But judging by the name, it sounds like something very peculiar."
...
At the Chenxing Auction House, the provincial capital of Huan Province.
Chenxing Auction House ranked twelfth on the Hua National Auction Ranking.
At the same moment, on the official website of Chenxing Auction House, an announcement was posted about "adding a temporary auction."
Similarly, all information regarding the items for this auction was also disclosed.
Unsurprisingly, this announcement also quickly captured people's attention. But when they saw the auction items,
they were stunned!
This was because, in the list of items disclosed this time, about half of the items were ones that most people had never heard of.
And the grand finale of this auction was a seed.
Named: Shengming Tree.
When this list reached the ancient martial arts circles,
some people went mad!
...
At the Tingyun Auction House, the provincial capital of Mu Prefecture.
Tingyun Auction House ranked sixth on the Hua National Auction Ranking.
The same thing happened once again.
Tingyun Auction House was also holding a "temporary auction."
And the grand finale of this auction was a weapon.
Named: Qixing Sword.
...
On this day, at the same time, similar events continued to unfold.
It could be said that almost all the auction houses ranked in the top twenty of the Hua National Auction Ranking were holding a "temporary auction."
Even the Liming Auction House, the number one ranked and headquartered in the capital, was among them.
And the grand finale of the Liming Auction House caused the entire ancient martial arts world of Hua Nation to fall into turmoil.
This was because the item was a book, named - Xiantian Yiqi.
...
Several hours after the news of various temporary auctions spread, the entire Hua Nation was in an uproar.
This included the auction houses themselves.
When they released the news, they did not anticipate that auction houses in other provinces and cities would also release news of "temporary auctions" at the same time.
Furthermore, even the scheduled times for the auctions were identical.
At this point, they realized that an invisible giant hand seemed to be manipulating everything from behind the scenes, and they had all become pawns in the hands of this giant hand.
But by this time, they had no room to maneuver.
Although they could choose to cancel the temporary auctions, the information about the auction items had already been leaked. If the auctions were canceled, then certain individuals would target not only the auction items but also the auction houses themselves.
Therefore, these auction houses had no choice but to proceed with the temporary auctions as planned.
However, all of this was merely surface-level commotion. Beneath the surface, undercurrents were slowly beginning to gather.
...
The Capital.
Headquarters of the Ancient Martial Arts Association.
Ten figures sat in silence before a simple, round wooden table.
The atmosphere in the room was slightly peculiar.
It was solemn yet fervent.
Calm yet frenzied.
It seemed as if everyone present was suppressing something.
Yet their aura was incredibly peaceful, betraying none of their emotions.
"Regarding this sudden turn of events, I hope you will all find your rightful place."
At the head of the table, an old man's gaze swept over everyone.
The old man's gaze was light and gentle, and the expressions of those present did not change. Yet, within their hearts, ripples had already begun to form.
Because whenever the old man looked at them with such a gaze, it meant that certain matters had reached the brink of losing control.
He was warning them!
"A large number of ancient martial artists will emerge in the coming days. I hope you will recognize your mission."
The old man stood up and glanced at everyone again. This time, however, his gaze held a hint of decisiveness.
Sensing this, everyone's hearts trembled, and their expressions were no longer as calm as before.
"Meeting adjourned!"
As everyone left, only the old man at the head of the table remained.
"Xiantian Yiqi!" the old man murmured the name silently, then muttered to himself:
"Now that I think about it, I've been stuck here for twenty years!"
...
Upon returning to the villa, Ye Ming did not pay much attention to external affairs, but instead began to guide the women in their cultivation.
Due to Nangong Qian's "injury," she did not join the women in their cultivation.
Today, Fang Junxue also did not go to the company, as she had more important matters to attend to.
"Ye Ming, can you accompany me back to the Fang family?"
Fang Junxue pulled Ye Ming aside and spoke.
Her expression at this moment was somewhat dejected.
Return to the Fang family?
Hearing this, Ye Ming realized that it was the day of Fang Tingsheng's funeral.
After all, no matter what, Fang Tingsheng was Fang Junxue's father. Therefore, it was only right and proper to return to the Fang family to send Fang Tingsheng off for his final journey.
Ye Ming gently held Fang Junxue's somewhat cold hand, his eyes filled with tenderness, and said softly:
"Okay!"
...
Half an hour later.
As the two arrived in front of the Fang family courtyard, a sense of desolation instantly washed over them.
The jade hand in Ye Ming's grasp seemed to grow even colder at this moment.
After all, Fang Junxue was still a flesh-and-blood ordinary person. Facing this desolate scene, her heart was inevitably touched.
"Let's go!"
Fang Junxue composed herself, then stepped into the Fang family courtyard.