Yan Pei grabbed the twin daggers out of the jade box and pushed his Saint Qi through them to examine them, raising his brow in the next moment as he liberally praised, âExcellent... Excellent! this artefact has almost reached the Origin Grade Mid-Rank! The Grandmaster who refined it was incredibly attentive and the craftsmanship is simply exquisite. Whatâs more, these daggers are perfectly suited for women, hahaha, this time, those Young Lords will bleed profusely!â
Yan Peiâs eyes were simply aglow. How could he not see the great value of these twin daggers? Without even mentioning their grade, their beautiful appearance meant specifically for women was enough to make all the Young Masters present break their heads while bidding to gift them to their favourite woman.
Qian Tong opened his mouth, wishing he could take back this artefact, but he knew that since it was already in Yan Peiâs hands, that was impossible, so he simply let out a long sigh and resigned himself, wondering if he should try to win back these twin daggers in the auction. Shadow Moon Hall had a number of female disciples with extremely good aptitude, so giving them this artefact would definitely increase their strength.
Just as this sigh of helplessness finished though, another of the appraisal masters suddenly shouted, this time sounding even more excited than before.
âThis, this... this is...â
âWhat?â Yan Pei flew over and pushed his way through the crowd gathered around the other jade box, and upon seeing what lay inside it, his eyes narrowed, immediately reaching out and picking up a long red whip before pushing his Saint Qi through it, calling out in alarm, âAn Origin Grade Mid-Rank artefact?â
âAh?â Qian Tong was thoroughly shocked, his old face distorting noticeably.
âHahaha! Excellent! This auction finally has something good for the finale! This old master was originally a little worried about this, after all this auction was put together in a bit of a hurry so Treasure Trove Pavilion wasnât able to collect too many good treasures. This long whip will more than make up for that though. Hahaha, itâs really the blessings of Heaven!â Yan Pei laughed and happily while turning to Qian Tong and saying, âBrother Qian, this time youâve helped me greatly! Brother will not forget this favour!â
Qian Tongâs mouth was filled with bitterness as he somehow forced out a smile and said, âBrother Yan Pei is too polite, you and I have known each other for many years and worked together on many occasions, helping out is only natural, haha â...â
Even while saying so, Qian Tong was cursing out Luo Qing in his heart. A single Origin Grade Low-Rank artefact alone had nearly caused him to spit blood, but now an Origin Grade Mid-Rank artefact had actually appeared. Why hadnât that damned Luo Qing explained everything carefully to him? If Qian Tong had known that Yang Kai was going to auction off two Origin Grade artefacts, he wouldnât have brought these items anywhere near Yan Pei. No matter how much it would cost, Qian Tong would have bought these two artefacts for Shadow Moon Hallâs disciples.
But now, it was far too late to say anything. If Qian Tong wanted to obtain these precious treasures, he could only participate in the auction. How many Saint Crystals would he have to spend? He was worried he wouldnât have enough.
Poor Luo Qing didnât know that he was being blamed for all this by Elder Qian. How was he supposed to know Yang Kai would suddenly bring out two Origin Grade artefacts, one of them even Mid-Rank?
The twin daggers were one thing; after all, with the level of the Artifact Refiners on Shadowed Star, such artefacts could still be forged, but the grade of the long red whip had already surpassed the level of Shadowed Starâs Artifact Refiners. Artefacts of this grade could only be obtained through special means.
This reality had led to the price of high-grade pills and artefacts reaching sky-high prices on Shadowed Star.
âHahaha! Excellent!â Yan Peiâs black face blossomed like a field of spring flowers, without the slightest trace of its former sullenness. Once again, praise flowed out from his lips, âItâs another artefact very suitable for women. This time the auction will be very exciting. This old master canât wait to see the scenes of those people scrambling to bid for these treasures!â
âAh... ah... Elder Yan...â A trembling voice suddenly called out, âPlease look at this...â
The man said haltingly while handing a jade bottle to Yan Pei.
Yan Pei accepted and opened the bottle, glancing inside only to have his eyes bulge, his hands also shaking, nearly causing him to drop the jade bottle while shouting, âOrigin Condensing Pill!â
These three words were like a sledgehammer hitting the heart of Qian Tong, and without even thinking he rushed forward and grabbed towards the jade bottle.
Yan Peiâs response was equally swift, sending out a palm strike to intercept the incoming hand, the resulting clash forcing both Yan Pei and Qian Tong back a few steps.
âWhatâs the meaning of this?!â Yan Pei shouted furiously as he glared towards Qian Tong menacingly.
Qian Tongâs expression was incredibly solemn as he quickly said, âBrother Yan Pei, Iâve thought about it carefully and decided I wonât be participating in this auction. Please return my items to me.â
If he hadnât seen the Origin Condensing Pill inside the jade bottle, Qian Tong would have opened one eye while closing the other, but from the quick glance he got, he immediately understood that this Origin Condensing Pill was far more valuable than a simple Origin Grade Mid-Rank artefact.
âYou want to back out now? Too late!â Yan Pei coldly snorted, âDo you want me to spit out the foods Iâve already eaten? Brother Qian, this isnât the first time youâve met this Yan, is it?â
âNonsense Brother Yan, didnât you just say that no matter how valuable the items were, if they broke the rules, you wouldnât enter them into the auction?â Qian Tong spat this line without any consideration for his own face; for those two Origin Grade artefacts and that Origin Condensing Pill, what did face matter?
âThis Yan clearly said that if I donât see the items within half an incense stick of time I wouldnât allow them to be sold, are you deaf?â Yan Pei humphed, seeing Qian Tong still wearing a shamelessly determined look, just waiting for an opening to pounce, Yang Pei quickly backed away while stuffing the two jade boxes and jade bottle into his Space Ring before waving his hand, âAll of you stare at Elder Qian. If he dares take one step forward, beat him ruthlessly!â
âYes!â Five Origin Returning Realm masters all shouted as they began eying Qian Tong, meticulously following Yan Peiâs order. Once Qian Tong moved, they would surely launch an all-out attack.
âDamn it...â Qian Tong couldnât help cursing. Since hard methods had failed, he could only try soft ones now, âOld Yan, out of consideration for our many years of friendship, canât you return my items to me? Canât you just pretend you didnât see these things? This grace will be remembered by this Qian Tong for the rest of his life...â
âThe rest of your life? Your neck is already half-buried in the ground! Youâve got a few good years left at best, thereâs no need for you to remember my affection,â Yan Pei smiled and waved.
âCan you not speak with such a poisonous tongue!? This old master is hale and hearty, living a few hundred more years wonât be a problem!â Qian Tong rolled his eyes.
Yan Pei snorted, âIf I were you, Iâd send someone out immediately to begin collecting Saint Crystals, but instead you actually choose to stay here and grumble with this old master, impressive indeed! Only you and I know such treasures have appeared now, so you still have the advantage.â
As soon as Qian Tong heard this, his eyes lit up and he quickly cupped his fists to Yan Pei before turning around and rushing off. Qian Tong knew better than anyone that no matter what kind of extravagant and colourful words he spoke, it was impossible to get those things back.
âOld Qian, who brought these things to auction?â Yan Pei shouted out, but naturally received no response. Of course, Yan Pei knew his old friend was holding a grudge but he didnât care one bit and just grinned happily, âWhoever it is has shockingly good luck. Not only did they manage to find two Origin Grade artefacts but also two Origin Condensing Pills.â
Qian Tong came out from the underground secret room and Luo Qing quickly went up to greet him, but before Luo Qing could say a word, Qian Tong slapped him across the face twice.
Although he hadnât used any Saint Qi, Qian Tongâs two slaps werenât weak by any means, causing Luo Qing to grimace in pain.
Qian Tongâs expression was gloomy, like a volcano that was ready to erupt, causing Luo Qing to exclaim, âElder, what mistake did disciple make?â
âYou scoundrel, why did you move so quickly? Couldnât you have been just half an incense stick later?!â Qian Tong reprimanded.
âYes... no... ah?â Luo Qing was dumbfounded.
Obviously, it had been the Elderâs own orders to immediately bring the items Yang Kai brought to auction to him, and that was exactly what Luo Qing had done, so why was Elder Qian suddenly blaming him for doing just that? Elder Qian Tong was normally kind and treated others temperately, never giving out such contradictory orders and never beating a disciple for no reason. It was because of his personality and demeanour that Elder Qian commanded high prestige and admiration from Shadow Moon hallâs disciples.
Although there was doubt in his heart, Luo Qing did not dare to speak. Even a blind man could see that Elder Qian was in a terrible mood, so at this time silence was Luo Qingâs best option, lest he make another mistake without realizing it.
âIâll let you make up for your crimes through good work,â Qian Tong stared at him coldly.
âDisciple will obey Elderâs commands!â Luo Qing hurriedly wore a sincere expression and shouted loudly.
âWithin one hour, go to all the stores in Heavenly Fate City under our control and raise twenty million... No, no, raise fifty million Saint Crystals!â
âFifty... fifty million?â Luo Qing was startled.
âYes!â
âUnderstood!â Luo Qing responded quickly, disappearing like lightning. Collecting fifty million Saint Crystals in an hour would be no easy task.
Seeing Luo Qingâs figure disappeared, Qian Tong secretly exhaled. Fortunately, this time the auction was being held in Heavenly Fate City. Heavenly Fate City basically belonged to Shadow Moon Hall, so he could still freely raise Saint Crystals.
If this auction was being held at one of the other great forceâs sites, Qian Tong would only be able to helplessly watch from the sidelines.
At the same time, in the basement of Treasure Trove Pavilion, Yan Pei sat in his chair for a moment to think, a strange grin soon creeping onto his face. Beckoning to one of the Origin Realm masters who was involved in the appraisal just now, he whispered a few instructions.
This man quickly nodded and left.
A short time later, a number of people left the A-Block Private Rooms, their expression dignified. These people quickly left Treasure Trove Pavilion and headed straight to the hall where the Space Array of Heavenly Fate City was located.
Soon after, people from the B-Block Private Rooms also began leaving.
The reason why Treasure Trove Pavilion chose to hold this auction in Heavenly Fate City this time was because its Space Array was connected to many other cities on Shadowed Star, helping to facilitate the attendance of the various great forces.
Space Arrays were extremely precious and not open to ordinary people, but these people all belonged to great forces, so the Shadow Moon Hall disciples who were responsible for guarding the Space Array didnât dare to stop them, simply collecting the required fee before allowing them to pass.