"If any Daoist friends are interested, you certainly canât miss this opportunity."
The voice of Venerable Zhenbao rang out once again.
In his words, there was no lack of persuasive intent.
However, the crowd was not so easily swayed.
After all, according to his words, if the secret of the sphere cannot be deciphered, then this thing is of no use at all.
And even the sharp-eyed treasure appraisers of Tianshu City were unable to crack the mystery of this Silver Ball.
They did not believe that their abilities could surpass those of the treasure appraisers.
Of course, although no one wants to be taken for a fool, there are always those who like to stir things up.
Immediately, someone shouted, "Venerable, whatâs the starting price for this item?"
"The starting price for this treasure is not high, only a hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones, with each bid raising no less than a thousand spirit stones," Venerable Zhenbao chuckled.
A hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones!
As soon as this price was announced, the entire hall was in an uproar.
Simultaneously, some of those in the Golden Core Realm who were still hoping to snag a bargain immediately dismissed the idea.
A hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones could buy a treasure of high grade or above, perhaps even a top-grade treasure.
Why bother buying something with an unknown origin and potentially useless purpose?
"It seems Tianshu City indeed treats this item as a treasure; the starting price isnât low at all."
In the VIP rooms above, someone expressed surprise.
"What, Brother Zhao, do you have thoughts on this item?" someone nearby asked.
"I usually enjoy collecting oddities. If the price isnât too high, I might buy it for fun, but a hundred thousand spirit stones is a bit much."
"Just a hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones, and Brother Zhao, youâre hesitating? I presume you have your eyes on that high-grade Spiritual Artifact later."
"Isnât Brother Xing the same? You took out a Communication Jade Token just now, probably to contact your family elder?"
"Indeed, nothing gets past Brother Zhao," Brother Xing laughed, "But since youâre not bidding, Iâll start things off. If I manage to win it, Iâll give it to you as a favor."
With that, he shouted the price to the floor below: "I bid a hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones."
Below the hall, Venerable Zhenbao, seeing that no one had been bidding, feared it was going to be a failed auction.
He knew that many people in the VIP rooms above were probably conserving their strength to bid on the final high-grade spiritual artifact.
But he hadnât expected that just a mere hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones would cause them all to be so frugal.
Luckily, someone finally bid, and a smile appeared on his face.
"The Daoist in VIP Room Number One has bid a hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones. Is there anyone bidding higher?"
"Iâll bid a hundred thousand and one thousand low-grade spirit stones."
"Iâll bid a hundred thousand five thousand."
"Iâll bid a hundred and eleven thousand."
...
After someone placed a bid, the strong individuals in the VIP rooms became interested.
Not all of the strong individuals in the VIP rooms were focusing on bidding for the final high-grade spiritual artifact.
Especially those loose cultivator Primordial Spirit Great Powers, who knew they couldnât possibly compete with the major sect forces.
Therefore, those who were interested simply tried to see if they could acquire this Exotic Treasure whose origins Tianshu City couldnât decipher.
Although they placed bids, everyone was still very restrained, raising the price by only a few thousand low-grade spirit stones each time.
As a result, once a Primordial Spirit Realm bid reached a hundred and fifteen thousand spirit stones, it quieted down again.
But this scene already caused a stir among the cultivators below in the hall.
"There are really people bidding?"
"Itâs no wonder, those capable of sitting in the VIP rooms, tossing out a hundred thousand spirit stones without blinking, just to buy an item of unclear purpose."
"I thought it was going to be a failed auction; it seems these sect forces and noble families are indeed wealthy beyond our imagination, far beyond what us small loose cultivators can envision."
...
The cultivators in the hall were buzzing with discussion.
Their hearts filled with envy and jealousy.
These strong individuals from major sects and great families truly controlled resources and wealth far beyond what they could match.
"Itâs up to a hundred and fifteen thousand now..."
In VIP Room Nineteen, Lu Qing murmured to himself.
He had not participated in bidding all this time, wanting to see the situation and assess how fierce the bidding would be.
It now seemed that most of the forces wanted to save their spirit stones for bidding on that final high-grade spiritual stone.
Therefore, they werenât so aggressive about the Silver Ball.
This was an excellent opportunity for him.
Seeing Venerable Zhenbao below already starting to inquire if there were any higher bids.
Lu Qing did not hesitate, and slowly called out a price.
"One hundred sixteen thousand low-grade spirit stones."
When Lu Qing called out this price, quite a few people were surprised.
It wasnât just because they hadnât expected someone to continue bidding.
More so because they realized the bid came from a VIP room that had never called out a price before, VIP Room Nineteen.
Unfortunately, the voice from the VIP room was concealed by an array, so they couldnât hear who was making the bid.
"Mr. Chen?"
Lu Qingâs sudden bid not only surprised the cultivators outside but also greatly shocked the Five Treasure Taoist.
He looked at Lu Qing in disbelief.
"Didnât I mention before? I like to collect some odd and rare things. This Silver Ball, with its mysterious origin, suits my fancy," Lu Qing smiled.
The Five Treasure Taoist was at a loss, recalling that Lu Qing had indeed mentioned this before in the market square.
He even spent a high price on two ordinary magic artifacts for it.
But he hadnât expected Lu Qingâs tastes to be so flamboyant.
Willing to spend more than ten thousand spirit stones to buy an item of unknown purpose.
"Interesting, someone dares to compete with me?"
In a certain Heaven Character Room, a man in a black robe raised his eyebrows upon hearing Lu Qingâs bid.
Immediately, he shouted out a price: "Twelve thousand spirit stones."
Adding four thousand low-grade spirit stones in one breath.
But Lu Qing was undeterred, immediately raising his bid: "Twelve thousand five hundred."
"Thirteen thousand."
"Fourteen thousand."
"Fourteen thousand five hundred."
"Fifteen thousand."
When Lu Qing shouted fifteen thousand spirit stones, the Five Treasure Taoistâs heart pounded with shock.
Unable to hold back, he called out, "Mr. Chen..."
However, Lu Qing waved his hand to stop him from continuing.
His face still calm and composed.
Fifteen thousand low-grade spirit stones, though substantial, was far from reaching a level that would cause him distress.
After all, he had made a fortune in the Little Cang Realm, plus what Mo Hongyun and Nangong Yuanwu had given him.
It amounted to over eleven thousand middle-grade spirit stones.
Converted to low-grade spirit stones, thatâs over one hundred and ten thousand.
Although he spent some after arriving in the Heavenly Origin Great World,
He still had thousands of middle-grade spirit stones on hand.
The expenditure of a portion to acquire the power core of the Void Flying Boat seemed well worth it to him.
As Lu Qing shouted the figure of fifteen thousand, the entire auction hall fell silent.
The cultivators below were naturally shocked by this figure.
The strong individuals in the numerous VIP rooms above were also somewhat surprised.
"He actually shouted fifteen thousand; could it be this Silver Ball truly holds some mystery?"
"Who is the bidder? To bid so confidently, perhaps he knows the origin of the Silver Ball?"
For a moment, discussing the frenzy between Lu Qing and the man in a black robe sparked many speculations among the strong.
Some even considered trying to bid as well.
However, they hesitated.
Fifteen thousand spirit stones were nothing to scoff at, even for the strong individuals in the VIP rooms.
Especially when they wanted to save their spirit stones for the later bidding on the top-grade spirit artifact, it wasnât worth it to waste on this enigmatic Silver Ball.
So, eventually, the strong individuals in the VIP rooms did not continue to bid.
Even that man in the Black Robe, after a moment of struggle, also decided not to bid further.
Finally, with the decisive word from Venerable Zhenbao, the Silver Ball was won by Lu Qing.