King of Creation
Chapter 238 - 235: Eight Red Broken Swords

Chapter 238: Chapter 235: Eight Red Broken Swords

"Why can’t I be here?"

"Collecting the world’s strange spiritual treasures and mysterious skill manuals is my job. Moreover, many members inside our tower often entrust Stars Tower to keep an eye out and even purchase some rare treasures for them. Therefore, at every auction, I always pay attention and even participate personally!"

As soon as Hai Luoshuang started speaking, she spared no effort in showcasing the merits of Stars Tower with obvious intent.

"That sounds rather impressive!"

Ye Zhen smiled and sat down next to Hai Luoshuang.

"What do you think, Young Hero Zheng? Are you interested in joining?"

Faced with Hai Luoshuang’s warm enthusiasm again, Ye Zhen could only smile wryly in refusal.

Being invited repeatedly is usually quite annoying, but with Hai Luoshuang, it somehow made one feel guilty for declining.

This Stars Tower Master, Hai Luoshuang, was too good at handling matters.

"Young Hero Zheng, you’re very lucky. I have inquired, and this time, there are eight Red Broken Swords in the auction, but there are many contenders. You should be prepared mentally."

"Eight swords?"

Ye Zhen was slightly startled, that number was quite high. Ye Zhen had stayed at Spirit Sword Grave Mountain for half a year and had only found two swords by good fortune.

Normally, even martial artists in the Spirit Transformation Realm guarding it for a year might only find four or five Red Broken Swords under good circumstances.

After all, besides the major eruptions every half year, the smaller eruptions yielding one or two Red Broken Swords were already considered good.

The auction venue’s VIP room was very well designed, featuring a large window that provided a clear view of the entire auction house.

Besides the dozen or so VIP rooms on the second floor, there were fewer than a hundred chairs in the entire hall.

"This auction seems rather small in scale." Ye Zhen remarked.

"The size of an auction isn’t about the number of people but about the transaction prices, the financial power! Young Hero Zheng might not know, but unlike other industries, the more people that participate in an auction, the less quality items appear. Often, some small-circle auctions will feature better items," Hai Luoshuang explained with a smile.

"Is that so?"

This concept differed from Ye Zhen’s usual understanding, leaving him somewhat confused.

"Is this the first auction you are attending, Young Hero Zheng? As they say, ’Wealth should not be flaunted,’ and also, ’Money moves people’s hearts.’ Nobody wants to catch the eye of others, especially amidst martial artists where the order is minimally enforced."

"If you don’t believe me, take a closer look at the bidders in the hall, and you’ll notice," said Hai Luoshuang.

With a puzzled look, Ye Zhen concentrated his sight, meticulously scanning over each bidder in the hall, and soon, his expression revealed astonishment.

"More than sixty percent of the people here show signs of being in disguise? Although the remaining forty percent are not disguised, they have greatly concealed themselves, either wearing cloaks or masked with veils." Ye Zhen said in astonishment.

Hai Luoshuang’s face showed an expression of intrigue, "Young Hero Zheng, what keen eyesight! I could only discern nearly fifty percent of the people in disguise, but you noticed sixty percent. It seems I need to enhance my skills!"

"It was mostly a guess, maybe I’m just overthinking some of it!"

....

Bang!

An old man in a gray robe with somewhat gray hair stepped onto the auction stage, started with an impressive opening speech, and then quickly got to the main topic.

"Like previous auctions, our Heavenly Treasure Auction House starts bidding in two forms of currency, one is gold, and the other is Low Grade Spirit Crystals.

Everyone understands gold, and our rule at Heavenly Treasure Auction House is that nothing is non-exchangeable for gold: ten ounces of silver for one ounce of gold, one Low Grade Spirit Crystal for a thousand ounces of silver, a hundred ounces of gold. The value of these can be calculated by our esteemed guests.

If silver or Spirit Crystals are not sufficient, other items such as pills, artifacts, spiritual medicines, and cultivation technique manuals can also be appraised in gold. Please make sure to calculate your wealth properly before bidding to avoid empty bids."

"Similarly, if Low Grade Spirit Crystals are insufficient], other treasures can first be converted into gold, then exchanged for Low Grade Spirit Crystals at a smaller account. Due to cost reasons, twelve hundred ounces of silver, or one hundred and twenty ounces of gold, are needed to exchange for one Low Grade Spirit Crystal here!"

The pricing strategy of Heavenly Treasure Auction House was somewhat harsh, appearing to profit from both ends, but there would likely still be many converters at crucial moments.

"Of course, if any esteemed guest is strapped for cash and has treasures to sell, they can bring them out for appraisal or direct sale at the auction. Now, let the auction begin, the first item, please!"

As the old man’s voice fell, the entire auction house fell silent, all eyes turned to the auction stage as a beautiful maid walked up with a tray.

"The first item up for auction is a Low Grade Treasure Armor, made with Hundred-refined Fine Gold mixed with ten percent Mica Soft Sand and crafted by the renowned Grandmaster Artifact Refiner, Huoo Yunzi from Sword Origin Empire, over the course of three months.

Wearing this armor, even attacks from a peak Spirit Summoning Realm martial artist can be reduced by fifty percent, and it pairs exceptionally well with Protective Gang Qi against enemies.

More importantly, the armor is segmented into numerous layers, offering exceptional defense against internal force palm techniques, especially those from a distance like the ’Remote Punch.’"

The starting bid for this armor is fifty thousand ounces gold, with each increment no less than a thousand ounces of gold. Let the bidding begin."

"Fifty-five thousand ounces!"

"Sixty thousand!"

"Seventy thousand!"

As the auctioneer’s voice fell, bidding voices erupted incessantly, not just from the hall where the bidding was fierce, but also from the VIP rooms where frequent bids were being placed.

Defensive Low Grade Treasure Armor is more rare than offensive Low Grade Artifacts.

On the Battlefield of Demon Souls, Ye Zhen had slain Phantom Divine Sect disciples, each wielding a Low Grade Artifact, but none wearing Low Grade Treasure Armor, which showcases the preciousness of the armor.

In a short while, the bidding for this Low Grade Treasure Armor soared to 120,000 gold, and the bidding continued unabated.

Hai Luoshuang, with a curious gaze, looked at Ye Zhen, "Young Hero Zheng, many Martial Artists in the Spirit Transformation Realm don’t even possess Low Grade Treasure Armor, why aren’t you bidding?"

"Money should be spent where it’s most needed!"

Ye Zhen smiled. If he did not possess a Mid-grade Black Wind Armor, he would probably have joined in the bidding a long time ago. It would be strange if he didn’t.

Eventually, the Low Grade Treasure Armor was sold for 280,000 gold, equivalent to 2,800,000 silver. This amount could buy several Low Grade Weapons.

However, no matter how much wealth one has, one must live to spend it. Life-preserving items are worth every penny, no matter how expensive they may be.

And many times, you can’t buy them even if you have the silver.

While eating pastries served by a maid and sipping aromatic tea, this auction became a rare indulgence for Ye Zhen.

"The next treasure will surely make the hearts of all Martial Artists here flutter, especially those wielding blades!"

"Lower-grade Earth Level Blade Technique Secret Manual ’Flowing Light Slash,’ starting at 100,000 gold, with each increment no less than 5,000 gold!"

As an aged blade manual appeared on the auction platform, the auction house immediately erupted into excitement, especially among the swordsmen, whose eyes glowed red with eagerness.

Even those who did not wield blades, particularly some heads of clans and small families, were greatly tempted. A Lower-grade Earth Level Blade Technique Secret Manual could be a treasure to protect a clan or establish a sect.

"110,000 gold!"

"120,000 gold!"

"180,000 gold!"

"300,000 gold!"

In a few moments, the bidding for the Lower-grade Earth Level Blade Technique Secret Manual ’Flowing Light Slash’ exceeded 300,000 gold. If converted into Qiyun Sect’s Sect Contribution Points, it would be 300,000 points.

Now, Ye Zhen understood why many Martial Artists were desperate to join a Great Sect; the benefits inside were truly exceptional.

Like the Lower-grade Earth Level Flowing Cloud Sword Technique Ye Zhen had used to defeat powerful enemies, it was worth only about 100,000 Sect Contribution Points, which in terms of gold, was merely around 100,000.

At an auction house, it would definitely fetch an astronomical price.

Last, the Lower-grade Earth Level Blade Technique Secret Manual ’Flowing Light Slash’ was sold to a Mid-stage Spirit Summoning Realm Swordsman for the sky-high price of 670,000 gold!

This was five to six times the contribution points of a corresponding manual within the Qiyun Sect.

"It’s a bit high; in our Stars Tower, a Lower-grade Earth Level manual would only be around 3,000 star points!" Hai Luoshuang seemed to be talking to herself.

"3,000 star points?"

"In our Stars Tower, one star point can be exchanged for a Low Grade Spirit Crystal. Judge its value yourself!" Hai Luoshuang said.

"Next, we will proceed with the forty-seventh auction item. I believe that one-third or even more of our esteemed guests came specifically for this!

Of course, our Heavenly Treasure Auction has also collected enough remnants squirted from Spirit Sword Grave Mountain, so I believe no one will leave empty-handed!"

With a swift movement, a beautiful maid presented a tray, and on the tray, ten uniquely shaped Green Fragmented Swords lay quietly.

"First, we will auction the Green Fragmented Swords, ten in a group, starting at 200,000 gold, with each increment not less than 10,000 gold. We have seven groups of these Green Fragmented Swords, let’s start the bidding!"

"250,000 gold!"

"300,000 gold!"

The bidding continued non-stop, but Ye Zhen did not participate.

He was not interested in the Green Fragmented Swords.

The reason was simple, Ye Zhen had spent half a year at Spirit Sword Grave Mountain and had accumulated many Green Fragmented Swords. After comprehending them, Ye Zhen realized that many of them contained repetitive Sword Dao.

The more he understood the Green Fragmented Swords, the more the pattern appeared, and the less effective his comprehension became, which was one of the reasons Ye Zhen left the Spirit Sword Grave Mountain.

Soon, all seven groups of Green Fragmented Swords were auctioned off. The highest group went for 530,000 gold, while the lowest went for 490,000 gold, with not a significant price fluctuation.

"This Red Broken Sword, too, is a highlight of this auction. This time, we managed to collect eight Red Broken Swords, divided into two groups for auction, with each group starting at 800,000 gold, and each increment no less than 10,000 gold. Now let’s start the bidding, group one..."

"1,000,000 gold!"

"1,100,000 gold!"

....

"1,500,000 gold"

As soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, the bids skyrocketed, drowning out the auctioneer’s voice, rapidly pushing the price to 1,500,000 gold.

"The bidding for these Red Broken Swords is really fierce!" A hint of surprise appeared on Ye Zhen’s face. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote and support on Qidian.com. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)