Martial Dao: I Can Enhance My Talents

Chapter 284: Chapter 283: The Auction Begins

「Three days later, as late afternoon approached.」

Fang Han changed into a clean green robe, fastened his Flowing Wind Sword to his waist, and picked up the bag containing a huge sum of money before heading out.

He took a carriage provided by the inn and, following the address on the invitation letter, made his way to the city center.

A vast and magnificent five-story pavilion came into view.

The pavilion was constructed from redwood and glazed tiles, with upturned eaves, carved beams, and painted rafters. A massive, gold-lettered plaque hung above the entrance: "Hundred Treasures Pavilion."

At this moment, the entrance to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion was already bustling with activity. All sorts of ornate carriages filled the open space in front.

An endless stream of Martial Artists and wealthy merchants, dressed in various brocade robes and exuding extraordinary auras, entered in an orderly fashion under the guidance of the pavilion’s attendants.

When Fang Han presented his Purple Gold Invitation Letter, a middle-aged man who looked like a Steward immediately broke into a wide smile. He respectfully led Fang Han inside and up a soft, carpeted staircase directly to the second floor.

The second floor was a stark contrast to the clamor below. It was divided into several independent private boxes, each with a quiet and elegant atmosphere.

Fang Han was led into a private box named "Qiuye."

The box was lavishly furnished. The table and chairs were crafted from precious wood, and an incense burner wafted the calming scent of sandalwood.

On the outer wall was a massive window, offering a clear view of the auction stage below.

Exquisite refreshments and seasonal fresh fruits were already laid out on the table.

"True Inheritor Fang, should you require anything, simply pull the bell cord on the wall. A Maid is waiting outside to attend to your needs at any time."

The Steward said with a bow.

"Thank you," Fang Han replied with a slight nod.

The Steward respectfully withdrew, gently closing the door behind him.

Fang Han walked to the window and looked down.

The auction hall was already packed, buzzing with a cacophony of voices.

All sorts of auras intertwined, with more than a few powerful presences among them. Clearly, this auction had attracted many experts.

His gaze swept over the crowd below, and he also caught glimpses of faint figures behind the windows of the other private boxes.

Those who could enter these boxes were either of noble status, possessed immense wealth, or both.

Fang Han sat down in a chair by the window, quietly waiting for the auction to begin.

At three in the afternoon, a clear chime of a bell resounded throughout the entire auction hall.

The lights in the hall dimmed slightly, while the auction stage blazed with brilliance.

As the echo of the bell faded, the clamor in the auction hall gradually subsided. All eyes, as one, focused on the brightly lit stage.

A slender and stunningly beautiful figure slowly walked out from behind the curtain, instantly capturing the attention of the entire audience.

It was Lan Yuexin.

Today, she had changed into a more formal, moon-white long dress, its hem embroidered with intricate cloud patterns in silver thread.

As she walked, the dress shimmered, accentuating her fair, jade-like skin and her incomparably beautiful face.

"Welcome, esteemed guests, to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion’s Jinhuang City auction. I am Lan Yuexin, and it is my humble honor to be your host for this event."

Lan Yuexin stood at the front of the stage. Her voice was clear and melodious, like pearls falling onto a jade plate, and it carried to every corner of the hall, instantly silencing the last vestiges of chatter.

"Without further ado, so as not to waste your precious time, the auction will now begin! Please see our first item: a pot of Calm Heart Grass from outside the commandery."

"Simply placing it in a room will produce a continuous calming effect. Whether as a gift or for personal use, it is an exceptionally rare herb... The starting bid is 100,000."

Her words were concise yet carried a convincing charm. With a graceful wave of her hand, a Maid in a qipao glided onto the stage carrying a tray.

On the tray was a plant that was an ethereal blue from root to leaf.

"120,000."

"140,000."

"150,000."

...

The auction had officially begun.

Lan Yuexin had an excellent stage presence as an auctioneer. Her introduction for each item was precise and on point, her words witty yet professional, and she was adept at energizing the atmosphere.

Whenever the bidding lulled, a few well-placed remarks or witty teases from her would reignite the bidders’ passion.

Many of the Martial Artists and wealthy merchants present had likely come for the final few items, but under her guidance, they couldn’t help but become interested in items they had initially overlooked.

The atmosphere was electric, with bids rising and falling one after another. Weapons, Soft Armor, Elixirs, medicinal herbs, and even some rare treasures were sold one by one for respectable prices.

Fang Han sat in his private box, watching quietly, in no hurry to make a move.

Although the items presented so far were all of fine quality, they were of little value to him now.

’My goal is clear: high-value physical items that can be used for ’recharging.’ It’s best if they are things that seem useful to me, so as not to arouse suspicion.’

Time passed quietly, and the auction was halfway through.

"The next item is a three-hundred-year-old wild ginseng!"

Lan Yuexin lifted a piece of red silk, revealing a Jade Box about a foot long.

Inside the box lay a ginseng with gnarled roots, vaguely resembling a human figure. It was a faint golden color and exuded a rich, medicinal fragrance.

"This ginseng grew on the peak of a frigid, snowy mountain, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon for three hundred years. Its medicinal properties are gentle yet potent. It is a Holy Medicine for healing wounds, extending life, and consolidating one’s foundation. The starting bid is 300,000 taels, with a minimum increment of 10,000 taels!"

"Three hundred and fifty thousand!"

"Four hundred thousand!"

...

The bidding was quite fierce. Although a three-hundred-year-old wild ginseng couldn’t bring the dead back to life like a thousand-year-old ginseng, it was still enough to save a life at a critical moment.

It held an immense attraction for any Martial Artist or faction.

"1,100,000."

Fang Han’s eyes flickered. ’This item is quite valuable, and it’s the kind of thing that I could plausibly have a use for.’

When he raised the price to 1,100,000, the bidding began to thin out.

After all, 1,100,000 taels was no small sum, being equivalent in value to 550,000 tons of silver.

In the end, Fang Han acquired the three-hundred-year-old wild ginseng for a price of 1,300,000 taels.

Not long after, another auction item caught Fang Han’s attention.

"A Calm Heart Jade. Worn on one’s person, it has the effect of clearing the mind, focusing the spirit, and aiding in comprehension."

"It is quite beneficial when practicing Inner Power or comprehending Martial Arts. The starting bid is 300,000 taels..."

It was a beautiful piece of jade, about the size of a palm, pure white, and warm to the touch, radiating a faint, cooling aura.

"One million one hundred thousand."

Fang Han bid again. After a few rounds of bidding, he ultimately won the jade for 1,100,000 taels.

His purchases of these two items could be considered reasonable.

The three-hundred-year-old ginseng was a life-saving item, and the Calm Heart Jade aided in Cultivation. Both were things a Martial Artist urgently needed. Although the prices were high, with his status as a Celestial Pride True Inheritance, he could fully afford them without arousing suspicion.

The auction continued, reaching one climax after another.

Finally, after another of the final items was sold for a high price, Lan Yuexin’s beautiful eyes swept across the hall. The smile on her face faded slightly, replaced by a more solemn expression.

"Next is the final, grand finale item of this auction—"

She paused, successfully building everyone’s anticipation. The entire auction hall fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.

Two guards with deep, steady auras carried a massive Cold Jade Box onto the stage. The moment the lid was opened, a scorching, majestic wave of blood qi, tinged with a wild, primordial aura, billowed out.

Inside the Jade Box, nestled on soft red silk velvet, lay a fist-sized fruit. It was crimson-gold, with natural cloud-like patterns on its surface, and it was shaped like a heart.

Under the lights, a crimson-gold liquid seemed to flow within the fruit, emitting an energy fluctuation that made one’s heart palpitate.

"The Vajra Fruit!"

Lan Yuexin’s voice was filled with an emotion that inspired desire.

"This fruit comes from the Vajra Bodhi Tree of the Vajra Temple. It ripens only once every ninety years and contains immeasurable blood qi and Body Tempering Essence. It is a Transcendent Treasure Medicine for Body Hardening!"

"Consuming it allows for Yijing Marrow Cleansing, drastically strengthens the physique, solidifies one’s Martial Dao foundation, and grants a powerful constitution comparable to that gained from Body Hardening Martial Arts Training! The starting bid is 3,000,000 taels, with a minimum increment of 100,000 taels!"

"Bidding begins now!"

"Three million five hundred thousand!"

"Four million!"

"Four million three hundred thousand!"

...

The price shot up like a rocket, instantly breaking the five-million-tael mark.

The ones participating in the bidding were mainly the esteemed guests in the private boxes on the second floor. The crowd in the main hall had long been reduced to spectators.

Fang Han didn’t bid immediately. His gaze swept over the windows of the few boxes from which bids were being called.

As his eyes passed over a box diagonally opposite him, his pupils contracted slightly.

Behind the window of that box, a figure was faintly visible.

This figure was wearing the Disciple’s Robe of the Netherworld Pavilion, embroidered with strange, dark flame patterns on the cuffs and lapels. However, unlike an ordinary disciple’s attire, this robe was made with a silver thread base, and its patterns were more complex and exquisite.

It was the True Inheritance Robe of the Netherworld Pavilion. The person’s identity was clearly a True Inheritor of the Netherworld Pavilion, and not an ordinary one.

Even from a distance, he could feel a faint yet extremely dangerous aura from the man—cold and piercing, like a dormant venomous snake.

’A True Inheritor on the level of the Celestial Pride List...’

Fang Han was inwardly alarmed.

’To give me such a sense of danger, he must be a Netherworld Pavilion True Inheritor who is ranked on the Celestial Pride List.’

He had only just ascended to the Celestial Pride List himself and hadn’t had much contact with True Inheritors of this caliber. He didn’t know which of the nine Celestial Pride True Inheritors from the Netherworld Pavilion this person was.

His mind went to Shen You, the man he had killed who had been carrying a huge sum of money.

’A thought surfaced. Shen You was probably here to deliver money to this fellow sect member, this Celestial Pride True Inheritance. But in the end, the money was never delivered, and the man ended up dead.’

The bidding continued.

"Five million five hundred thousand!"

An elderly voice called out from Box Jia.

"Six million!"

The Netherworld Pavilion True Inheritor spoke, his voice hoarse and deep, carrying an unquestionable chill.

"Six million three hundred thousand."

Fang Han finally made his bid.

"Six million five hundred thousand!"

Box Jia followed.

"Seven million!"

The Netherworld Pavilion True Inheritor raised the bid again, his tone imposing.

This price silenced Box Jia.

The entire auction hall fell silent. Seven million taels was an astronomical price!

Lan Yuexin’s beautiful eyes shifted, turning toward Fang Han’s "Qiuye" box.

"Seven million taels! The esteemed guest in the Ghost Shadow box has bid seven million taels. Is there a higher offer?"

"Seven million one hundred thousand," Fang Han said, his tone even.

"Seven million three hundred thousand!"

The Netherworld Pavilion True Inheritor immediately followed, a hint of impatience in his voice.

"Seven million five hundred thousand."

Fang Han raised the price again. He still had over ten million in silver notes on hand, allowing him to remain calm and unhurried.

Inside the Ghost Shadow box, the expression of the young man in the Silver Patterned True Inheritance Robe instantly turned as grim as a stormy sea.

His name was Yin Huang, and he was ranked eighty-first on the Celestial Pride List.

He had come to Jinhuang City this time specifically for the Vajra Fruit, intending to use it to push a powerful Body Refining Secret Technique to a higher level.

But unexpectedly, the funds of over four million taels that Shen You was supposed to escort and deliver before the auction had failed to arrive.

This forced him to raise money elsewhere, but on such short notice, he hadn’t managed to gather enough.