Chapter 294, 295 – Auction Begins
After settling everything, Qin Nan and Princess Miao Miao returned to the residence.
Inside it, the Longhu Ancestor Beast wore a painful expression on his twisted face. The two lumps on his forehead expanded and contracted at times, while Houzi’s face turned incredibly pale watching him from the side.
Qin Nan was too lazy to give him a glance. He sat down with his legs crossed and began to refine his Inner Core, while waiting for the day of the auction…
…Three days were gone in the blink of an eye, marking the beginning of the auction!
At that instant, the entire Jianghuang City was more lively compared to before, as cultivators within the lower district arrived to attend the auction.
Furthermore, when the news regarding the fact that the Ancient Dragon Auction would be auctioning eleven Emperor Weapons and three Dominator Weapons was made known to the public, it even attracted the attention of some of the Martial Ancestor Realm or even Martial Dominator Realm experts.
“Humph, I’m looking forward to seeing the expressions on the faces of those assholes when the time comes!”
The Longhu Ancestor Beast transformed himself into a gorgeous middle-aged woman with a curvy physique. The red gauze he was wearing added a slight charm to his appearance, attracting the attention of countless cultivators on the street. Furthermore, he even shamelessly gave the cultivators a seductive glimpse, causing them to blush.
Princess Miao Miao took a deep breath. If it weren’t for the sake of the plan, she would have given him a big slap to his face.
“Enough, you two must be careful with your current identities. This is extremely important, don’t reveal your tempers, and act according to my plan!”
Qin Nan transmitted a message to his companions as they arrived at the entrance to the Ancient Dragon Auction.
The entire auction covered an area of ten square li, which seemed like a huge bowl being placed upside down. The mystical glow emitted from its surroundings resulted in a spectacular sight.
Two rows of ladies stood on each side of the path to the entrance of the auction, each wearing a chi-pao, with a certain type of elixir applied to their skin, causing the skin to look fair and tender, as if one were able to squeeze out drops of water when pinching it.
A continuous flow of cultivators presented their invitations and entered the auction.
At that instant, a loud voice was heard, “The One-Handed Martial Dominator is here!”
The crowd became immersed in a chatter after hearing the words, as they immediately focused their attention on the voice.
The One-Handed Martial Dominator, whose cultivation had reached half-Martial Highness Realm, possessed a significant reputation in the lower district.
Qin Nan glanced toward the voice and saw an old man with a pair of dull-looking eyes and a missing left arm. When he became aware of the gazes of the crowd, he let out a harrumph, resulting in two ferocious gusts of wind blowing out from his nostrils, causing the crowd to be intimidated.
“One-Handed friend, I have the obligation to remind you that no one is allowed to unleash their aura in Jianghuang City.”
With a shoosh, a figure descended from above wearing a blossoming smile, who turned out to be the City Lord of Jianghuang City: Jianghuang!
“Jianghuang!”
The eyes of the One-Handed Martial Dominator were filled with a hint of fear, who immediately withheld his anger and forced a smile on his face, “You’re right. Everyone should obey the rules of Jianghuang City!”
After saying this, he instantly left the scene.
The crowd of cultivators felt their eyes glistening. As expected of Jianghuang, even though their cultivations were on par with each other, this One-Handed Martial Dominator did not dare to offend Jianghuang.
Jianghuang scanned the crowd and was startled when he saw Qin Nan’s figure. A hint of suspiciousness could be seen in his eyes, before he entered the venue without saying anything.
“What does that mean? Could it be that Jianghuang has discovered our real identities?”
Qin Nan wore a doubtful expression.
Even the Six-Eared Divine Being could not see through our disguise. It’s impossible that Jianghuang was able to see through it!
Before Qin Nan could come up with an explanation, an uproar took place among the crowd.
A young man with a pale skin tone and a pair of sharp-looking eyebrows—wearing a white armor suit, while carrying a huge sword on his back—could be seen arriving accompanied by four peak Martial Emperor Realm experts, resulting in a splendid sight.
On the other side of the path was a teenage girl wearing a red shirt, who had an attractive appearance. In contrast with the imperious appearance of the young man, the teenage girl displayed a gentle and weak aura, causing one to feel affection for her.
It appeared as if the young man and the lady were unable to see each other, as they focused on walking toward the entrance.
“F**k! Isn’t that Leng Jianxiong, who’s ranked first on the Primary Candidates Ranking? He’s here too!”
“Tsk tsk, the other one should be the second-ranked Hong Fu, right? It was said that Hong Fu was never convinced of Leng Jianxiong acquiring the top spot. It seems like that is definitely the case here!”
“Of course, Hong Fu and Leng Jianxiong are both fourth-grade Xuan ranked geniuses; there’s no doubt that they would be reluctant to admit to one another’s talent!”
“I’m eager to know who among the geniuses will be recruited as disciples of the two Sacred Areas in the selection in one and a half months’ time!”
“……”
Hearing the chatter of the crowd, Qin Nan’s eyes showed a hint of speechlessness.
He purposely stayed at the entrance of the auction in order to witness the geniuses of Jianghuang City.
However, the outcome was slightly disappointing. Both the first ranked and second ranked candidates only possessed fourth-grade Xuan ranked Martial Spirits. That being said, Qin Nan could feel his heart boiling, as their cultivations had reached the second-layer Martial Emperor Realm. Therefore, the outcome of a battle between them could not be determined yet.
“In the Martial World, it’s unwise to judge one’s strength just by looking at the rank of Martial Spirits!”
Qin Nan reminded himself.
Although he possessed the Divine Battle Spirit, allowing him to be granted the upper hand, he should not be proud and full of himself.
At that instant, a pleasant melody of a guqin could be heard all of a sudden. Originating from a distance away, it felt like a stream of a river was flowing into the hearts of the crowd following the tone.
The crowd was utterly astonished, as everyone instinctively glanced toward the direction of the melody. Even Leng Jianxiong and Hong Fu halted in their tracks and turned around.
The crowd could only see the manager of the Ancient Gambling Store and the owner of the Qingxin Inn leading the way, followed by eight silver-plated peak Martial Emperor Realm cultivators carrying a palanquin. The entire crew walked toward the entrance at a slow pace, which resulted in an indescribable imperious sight despite the fact that not a single aura was unleashed!
The ladies standing at the sides of the entrance cheered in a loud tone.
“Welcome Saintess!”
Such an entry caused the crowd to be stunned.
“I’m the Prince of the Maple Kingdom. I never had the chance to meet the Saintess, and I’m utterly honored today to have the chance to see your glamorous appearance!” The Maple Prince, who had long since arrived at the scene, brought his fists together with a smile as his eyes stared at the palanquin with a passionate look.
“I’ll have the chance to chat with the Prince when the auction begins.”
The white-shirted lady appeared from the palanquin.
“Thanks, Saintess!”
The Maple Prince’s eyes turned joyful. To him, it was a blessing to have the chance to talk with the Saintess.
The eyes of the surrounding cultivators flickered slightly, but they did not dare to express their thoughts. After all, this Saintess possessed a formidable background; it would serve as a great disaster to them if they were to say any inappropriate comments.
However, at that instant, Qin Nan suddenly raised his head and stared at the palanquin.
Despite being blocked by the palanquin, Qin Nan could sense that the person inside was staring at him!
“Mr. Qin, since when has a genius like you existed in the lower district? Would you mind having a chat inside the palanquin, and keep each other company at the auction?” The white-shirted lady suddenly spoke. Although her voice was pleasant, the words served as a grenade exploding in the ears of the crowd.
Qin Nan’s eyes flickered coldly upon hearing her words.
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Chapter 296 – Why Not Be Scornful Until the Very End?
The cultivators at the entrance of the auction gazed in Qin Nan’s direction, their eyes filled with a doubtful expression.
Which Mr. Qin was this young man?
The Saintess had never allowed any man to enter her palanquin, and yet she was giving him the chance to do so?
Leng Jianxiong, Hong Fu, and the Maple Prince focused their attention on Qin Nan’s figure, and thoroughly observed him. Judging from his appearance, Qin Nan’s age was similar to theirs; It is highly possible that this mysterious Mr. Qin has come to Jianghuang City to participate in the selection of the two Sacred Areas.
“Aren’t you the Saintess of the Trading Alliance? Pardon me, but your words alone are not enough to persuade me to sit inside your palanquin!” Qin Nan said with an indifferent tone.
Since he was now wearing a disguise, preventing the others from seeing his true identity, shouldn’t he make use of the chance to behave scornfully until the very end?
Saintess, huh?
Do you think you are powerful?
Well, you’re still insignificant in my eyes!
The cultivators in the surroundings were utterly dumbfounded. It was their first time witnessing someone talking to the Saintess in such a manner.
The Saintess was the Saintess of the Trading Alliance, and the Trading Alliance was a faction that had spread their influence from the upper district to the lower district. Although it was only a sub-faction in the lower district, it was still considered extremely powerful. Even the two Sacred Areas would think twice before troubling them.
“How bold!”
Both Peng Yu and the owner of the Qingxin Inn became enraged at that instant.
No one in the lower district dared to speak to the Saintess like that!
“How bold?”
Qin Nan let out a smile while placing his hands behind him, “What gave you two servants the right to bark as you wish here! Let me make it clear, you wouldn’t wish to witness my anger. Otherwise, even the Trading Alliance would not be able to guarantee your safety!”
Peng Yu and the owner of the Qingxin Inn were stunned.
We’re both Martial Dominator Realm experts, and this half-Martial Emperor Realm kid dared to look down on them?
At that moment, the eyes of Peng Yu and the owner of the Qingxin Inn were engulfed in flames, but they turned silent, as they could feel the pride displayed by this Mr. Qin to be coming from his bones, instead of him faking it.
If this Mr. Qin in fact possesses a formidable background, it’s true that the Trading Alliance would sacrifice them if they were to offend him!
“Mr. Qin, why would you say such words? It’s fine if you are not willing to sit in my palanquin. Although I will be quite sad, I wouldn’t do anything to trouble you.” The white-shirted lady spoke once again with a gentle voice, which caused the crowd to feel affection for her after hearing the words, resulting in them glaring at Qin Nan.
That’s right!
You can just reject the invitation of the Saintess; why are you being so smug for?
Do you really think you can be disrespectful toward anyone as you please?
“Bastard Qin!” At that instant, the Maple Prince was the first to step forward with a pair of reddened eyes, “You dare to be disrespectful toward the Saintess, I’ll challenge you right——”
“Where does this trash come from, piss off!”
Before the Maple Prince could finish his speech, Qin Nan immediately uttered a roar without raising his eyes.
This Maple Prince was an absolute idiot. Previously, for the sake of the Saintness, he had ended up losing two thousand Arcane Realm Stones and twenty three Emperor Weapon fragments. Currently, with just a mere trick played by the Saintess, he immediately went out of control and challenged him to a battle.
As the prince of a kingdom, as a genius with a second-grade Xuan ranked Martial Spirit, can’t you stop being such a loser?
“I will kill you!”
The Maple Prince uttered a huge roar. He had never felt this mad before. His only thought now was to kill, to end the life of the person in front of him in order to unleash his anger.
“Trying to harm my Young Master? Idiotic!”
The Longhu Ancestor Beast uttered an excited cry. He could no longer hold in his desire as he had been forbidden from using violence after arriving at Jianghuang City, as he lashed out a slap right onto the Maple Prince’s face.
The crowd could only hear a cry of agony as the Maple Prince’s figure was sent flying by the slap, landing one hundred meters away and shattering a wall made of iron into pieces.
“A mere seduction trick, stop embarrassing yourself!”
Princess Miao Miao let out an indifferent harrumph. Each of her words served as a clap of thunder occurring in the surroundings.
BANG!
The crowd felt like their brains were about to explode, allowing them to collect their thoughts instantly, despite their eyes being filled with a confused look.
The eyes of Peng Yu and the owner of the Qingxin Inn turned icy after seeing this. This Mr. Qin definitely possesses a formidable background. Although his guards are only peak Martial Ancestor Realm experts, their strengths are extraordinary. Even a first-layer Martial Dominator Realm expert would be unable to defeat them.
“Guys, please don’t break the rules of Jianghuang City. If you are still planning to take part in the auction, please enter the venue at once.”
At that instant, Jianghuang’s voice was heard coming from the venue.
Shoosh!
Following a piercing sound, the figure of the Six-Eared Divine Being appeared in mid-air. He scanned the surroundings and said to the white-shirted lady, “Saintess, the auction is about to begin, please come in now.”
He then switched his gaze onto Qin Nan’s figure and said while twitching his lips, “Mr. Qin, feel free to come in too!”
“Oh, sure!”
Qin Nan immediately entered the venue in a reckless manner, fully displaying his scornful attitude. Although some among the crowd were not fond of it, they did not dare to express their thoughts.
The Six-Eared Divine Being let out a sigh of relief; he was quite afraid of Qin Nan stirring any more trouble here. He then brought his fists together and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, the auction is about to begin. Those who are planning to enter should do so now, to avoid missing out on the exciting treasures!”
The entrance to the auction turned lively once again.
……
……
The entire Ancient Dragon Auction appeared to be a huge square, with a stage made of white jade being set up at the front. Below the stage were placed tables and seats made of a type of ancient wood, each marked with their respective numbers. There were over three thousand seats, and each table was crowded with people, resulting in an extremely lively and magnificent scene.
On the first-floor were a total of sixty six booths. Each booth was marked with different numbers starting from number one to number sixty six, and had different sizes and decorations, depending on the status of the customer.
“Mr. Qin, you are assigned to booth number six!”
A young man guided Qin Nan and his crew.
“Booth number six? What? Why am I assigned to booth number six? Who’s sitting inside booth number one?”
Qin Nan purposely stared with his eyes opened wide and uttered a roar.
Those who were seated inside the booths close to Qin Nan were immediately startled. After discovering the person to be Qin Nan, they chose to remain silent. The reason being that they were aware of the incident occurring outside the venue just before. Therefore, they would not dare to offend a person that even the Saintess did not dare to offend!
“Uhh… The one sitting in booth number one is Jianghuang.” The maid extended her tone, showing no sign of being troubled. Instead, her eyes were filled with a mocking look.
She had already received the order from the Six-Eared Divine Being to teach Qin Nan a lesson!
Weren’t you being smug?
Weren’t you being disrespectful?
Then don’t be a coward; go and challenge Jianghuang!
“HAHA, Mr. Qin, right? If you are not willing to sit in booth number six, feel free to join me in booth number one, since I’m the only one here. Besides, I would like to have a talk with you.” Outside of the maid’s expectations, Jianghuang let out a series of pleasant laughs, loud enough to be heard by the people in the first-floor or the entire crowd in the ground floor.
As expected, after hearing the words, over ten thousand gazes were focused on Qin Nan’s figure with a hint of fear.
To receive such an invitation from Jianghuang; this guy must possess a formidable background!
However, Qin Nan’s reply almost caused them to fall to the ground.
Qin Nan waved his hand and said with a disgusted face, “Forget it, I don’t like to sit with a senior. Senior Jianghuang, feel free to enjoy your peaceful moment. I shall bear with it for the time being and take booth number six!”
“That’s fine, Mr. Qin is always welcome to have a tea in my booth later!”
What’s the definition of being conceited?
This is the f**king definition of being conceited!
Even when Jianghuang personally invited him, he had rejected this offer too with disrespectful words.
Despite that, instead of turning mad, Jianghuang even replied with a respectful tone!
Who among the factions inside Jianghuang City would be able to achieve what he just did?
The eyes of the Six-Eared Divine Being and the white-shirted lady flickered vigorously. They were both suspicious toward Qin Nan’s background, but it appeared that Jianghuang had some ideas about who he was. Otherwise, he would not speak to him in such a respectful tone.
However, they had no idea that Qin Nan could not help but frown after entering the booth.
He was now sure that Jianghuang was suspicious of his identity, or should he say, that he had already guessed his identity.
Especially with his words, wasn’t it obvious that Jianghuang was… helping him to build an intimidating disguise?
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Chapter 297 – The Wealthy Mr. Qin
As soon as they entered the booth, the Longhu Ancestor Beast and Princess Miao Miao both gave him confused looks. It was obvious that they both were aware that something was not right.
“Let’s not care if Jianghuang has discovered our identities. After our plan is executed successfully, even if our identities are exposed, it won’t be a big deal.” Qin Nan spoke in a slow tone.
Princess Miao Miao did not show a significant reaction, but the Longhu Ancestor Beast was utterly excited. As expected of Qin Nan, I’ve made the right choice to follow him here; he never lets go of any chance to create trouble. The Longhu Ancestor Beast could nearly not help himself to go outside of the booth and yell, “This guy is Qin Nan, this guy is actually Qin Nan himself!”
Qin Nan stared at the Longhu Ancestor Beast, causing him to feel guilty for his previous thought. He then focused his attention onto the huge white jade stage.
The booths for the VIPs were made out of a unique material; not only could it prohibit one from peeking inside, it also allowed the people inside to see the scene outside—quite a perplexing invention.
At that instant, the entire auction was fully crowded. Famous people and fresh talents of the lower district were already seated inside the venue, their faces filled with excitement.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to our annual Ancient Dragon Auction. I’m the auctioneer for today. You guys can call me Xiao Jin, or Jin Xin will do!” Following a bright voice, an elegant middle-aged man appeared in front of the crowd.
Behind the middle-aged man stood six gorgeous ladies wearing exposing clothing, with seductive looks as if they had practiced some sort of seduction Martial Art.
“First of all, I’m proud to tell you that there are a total of… five hundred and sixty three pieces of treasure to be auctioned today!” Jin Xin raised his tone toward the end of his sentence. His voice was filled with a magical effect, causing the crowd to feel a great impact in their hearts.
As expected, many of the cultivators who possessed a weak cultivation could not help but uttered a loud cheer, filling the entire venue.
“Since so many seniors are present here, Xiao Jin shall not waste your time anymore; Let’s start with the first item!”
Jin Xin immediately waved his hand.
Behind the white jade stage, eight half-Martial Ancestor Realm cultivators wearing crimson armor instantly appeared. They all carried a huge golden glassy stand. The stand was covered with a piece of red cloth, hiding the appearance of the treasure.
BANG!
A dull crash was heard as the golden glassy stand was placed in the center of the stage. Following this, Jin Xin immediately uttered in a blasting tone, “This item is a pill—a healing medicine to be exact. As long as your cultivation is below the Martial Dominator Realm, any injury to your meridians, your Inner Core, your Nascent Soul will be instantly healed! Its name is known as… the Total Recovery Elixir!”
Following the words, Jin Xin reached out his hand and pulled the red cloth away, exposing a transparent white jade jar. Within the jade jar was a pile of liquid emitting a mystical blue glow.
“The price starts at three hundred Arcane Realm Stones; each call should not be lower than a price increase of fifty Arcane Realm Stones!”
Jin Xin sped up his speech, which felt like a succession of bullets.
The cultivators at the auction who possessed a cultivation lower than Martial Dominator Realm were utterly excited hearing this.
After all, in the Martial World, everyone would suffer some sort of injury at times. Some of them would take years to recover. Hence, this Total Recovery Elixir was definitely something that would only appear in their dreams!
“Three hundred and fifty!”
“Four hundred! I’ll pay four hundred!”
“Six hundred Arcane Realm Stones! Stop fighting for it!”
“……”
The venue turned lively instantly, as the price was rapidly increased.
The eyes of Qin Nan who was seated in booth number six glistened slightly. His damaged Inner Core had yet to totally recover, hence this Total Recovery Elixir would be quite useful for him. He immediately yelled with his uniquely scornful voice, “Two thousand Arcane Realm Stones!”
After the words were spoken, it was as if a bucket of cold water was poured down on the lively crowd, as they all glanced in Qin Nan’s direction.
That’s a total of two thousand Arcane Realm Stones, instead of two thousand Martial Emperor Pills. Although the Total Recovery Elixir was quite precious, it’s nowhere close to the price of two thousand Arcane Realm Stones!
Inside the second booth, the eyes of the Six-Eared Divine Being and the white-shirted lady flickered slightly. Although this Mr. Qin was a little bit too scornful, he was quite delightful when it mattered, to tremendously raise the price of the Total Recovery Elixir in their favor.
“Two thousand Arcane Realm Stones? Anyone interested in raising the price further? One, two… three; very well, this Total Recovery Elixir now belongs to the owner of booth number six. Please settle the payment after the auction comes to an end!”
The smile on Jin Xin’s face grew stronger. With the first item being sold at such an incredible price, at this rate, the auction would definitely be a great success!
“We’ll continue with the second item. The second item is a stalk of a rare plant, which was discovered by the Trading Alliance at the peak of the Icy Mountains, known as the Icy-Heart Unaging Lotus. I believe that most of you will know its uses, so I’ll not mention them again! The auction of the item begins now, starting at a price of two hundred Arcane Realm Stones…”
The crowd turned lively after hearing Jin Xin’s yell.
Inside booth number six, Princess Miao Miao’s eyes flickered as she said, “Qin Nan, I want this!”
Without hesitating, he immediately uttered a roar, “Two thousand Arcane Realm Stones!”
Since he now possessed the Chaos Qi capable of repairing the weapons, together with the current plan, Qin Nan was not worried about spending his Arcane Realm Stones ruthlessly!
The venue fall into silence once again. Although the Icy-Heart Unaging Lotus was quite rare, the price that Qin Nan offered was way too high!
“Two thousand Arcane Realm Stones! Anyone bidding? One, two….three! Congratulations to the owner of booth number six!”
“Let’s move on to the third piece of treasure. It is the Inner Core of a peak Martial Ancestor Realm beast, who failed to survive the tribulation when it was trying to level up to a Dominator Beast…”
Inside booth number six, the Longhu Ancestor Beast’s breathing intensified as he said, “Qin Nan, get that for me; I’ll allow myself to be your mount for three days!”
“That’s what you said!”
Qin Nan could not help but let out a smile. He had always wanted to ride the Longhu Ancestor Beast as his mount. He immediately uttered a roar, “Two thousand Arcane Realm Stones!”
Following this, the place fell into silence once again, as many among the crowd could feel their lips twitching.
Two thousand Arcane Realm Stones again!
In just less than ten breaths’ time, this maniac had already spent six thousand Arcane Realm Stones!
“Congratulations to the owner of booth number six, let’s move on to the fourth piece of treasure…”
“Two thousand Arcane Realm Stones!”
“Congratulations to booth number six, let’s move on to the fifth…”
“Two thousand Arcane Realm Stones!”
“Congratulations, let’s move on to the sixth…”
“Two thousand!”
As the treasures were being displayed one by one, Qin Nan was like a hunter who smelled the scent of blood, as he continued to bid two thousand Arcane Realm Stones for each item, causing the crowd to give up on bidding. On the other hand, the auction had just started; therefore, there were more valuable items to come.
As for Six-Eared Divine Being, the white-shirted lady and Jin Xin, they were utterly delighted after seeing this. They did not care what Qin Nan was planning to do, since he had increased the price of the items by at least double their expected prices, resulting in a great profit for the Trading Alliance!
However, their smiles immediately stiffened!
The crowd was left in awe!
The tenth item!
The twentieth item!
The thirtieth item!
When the fiftieth item was being displayed, the crowd, the Six-Eared Divine Being, and the rest almost vomited blood!
What the f**k, bidding two thousand Arcane Realm Stones for fifty items in a row?
Was this Mr.Qin out of his mind!