The Lord of Void and Real
Chapter 412

Chapter 412: Chapter 408: The Conflict of the Spirit Fire Chapter 412: Chapter 408: The Conflict of the Spirit Fire Upon hearing this, Shen Luo couldn't help but grimace. The Xuan Turtle Shell was indeed shockingly expensive, the starting price was set at the value of a top-grade magical artifact.

When the audience heard this, most of those keen to make a move backed off. There were not a few people who could come up with three hundred Xianyu, but that was only the starting price. The final transaction price was clearly far more than this amount.

Although the price was steep for some, others were unfazed. Immediately, some high-rolling individuals started bidding. After a few rounds, the price of the Xuan Turtle Shell quickly escalated to five hundred Xianyu.

The bidder was a short, portly man attired in luxurious clothing, effectively silencing the rest of the bidders.

The short, fat man seemed to be gritting his teeth, seemingly having put all his fortune on the line.

“Five hundred and fifty Xianyu!” called out a new voice.

It was General Jin Kui who had finally made a move, increasing the price by fifty Xianyu, a clear display of his extravagant wealth.

The portly man shivered, deflating like a punctured balloon and collapsing onto his seat.

“Hehe, Brother Jin is also interested in this Xuan Turtle Shell. In that case, let me join in the fun, five hundred and eighty Xianyu,” chuckled the Sleeping Moon Scholar nearby, casually raising his hand to make his bid.

“Six hundred Xianyu!” General Jin Kui, seemingly valuing the Xuan Turtle Shell greatly, increased the bid immediately.

“The Great Tang Dynasty Government's wealth is indeed powerful, but I also have some savings at my disposal, six hundred and fifty Xianyu,” Sleeping Moon Scholar unfolded his fan, speaking with a faint smile on his face.

At this moment, the rest of the auction hall fell silent. No one else made a move, merely watching the dispute between the two quietly.

“Eight hundred Xianyu!” General Jin Kui retorted without hesitation, surprising everyone with an increase of a full one hundred and fifty Xianyu.

The scholarly visage of the Sleeping Moon went slightly morose.

“I must have this Xuan Turtle Shell. Brother Sleeping Moon, if you wish to bid further, feel free to do so. Just try to avoid going bankrupt,” spoke General Jin Kui in a seemingly nonchalant manner.

“Bankrupt me? It's still a long way off. Nine hundred Xianyu.” The Sleeping Moon Scholar laughed heartily, seeming somewhat agitated.

“One thousand Xianyu!” Seeing General Jin Kui's bid didn't deter the Sleeping Moon Scholar, his brows furrowed as he again increased the bid.

“One thousand five hundred Xianyu!” A cold voice called out. It was Immortal Qinghua who had remained silent until now, straight away upping the bid, outdoing General Jin Kui.

The audience gasped collectively upon hearing the new bid. Even Red Hands Master on the auction stage looked taken aback. The auction hall fell silent. Only after a while did some people start whispering among themselves.

“One thousand five hundred Xianyu? Daoist Qinghua, that's a grand gesture. The Xuan Turtle Shell is indeed precious, but it's not that substantial. Is it really worth this much?” spoke the General in a frosty tone.

“Whether it's worth it depends on the individual's perspective. Brother Jin Kui, if you desire this item, continue to bid,” replied Immortal Qinghua calmly.

“Hehe, I am not a fool. Since Daoist Qinghua wants this item and has bid such a high price of one thousand five hundred Xianyu, how can I not oblige you,” said General Jin Kui with a sly grin, choosing not to increase his bid any further.

Sleeping Moon Scholar's brows twitched a few times, but he too remained silent.

On the high platform, a flicker of joy flashed across Red Hands Master's eyes. Xuanyuan Pavilion's predetermined price for the Xuan Turtle Shell was somewhere around a thousand Xianyu. Now, they had managed to fetch a high price of one thousand five hundred Xianyu.

According to the rules of the Xuanyuan Pavilion, the auctioneer gets a 10% commission of the amount exceeding the predetermined price, a total of fifty Xianyu.

This was indeed quite a fortune.

Seeing as no one else in the auction hall was bidding, Red Hands Master was about to announce the winner of the Xuan Turtle Shell.

“Two thousand Xianyu!” A voice suddenly rang out. It came from neither General Jin Kui nor the Sleeping Moon Scholar, but from a corner of the auction hall.

The entire auction hall fell silent, soon followed by everyone collectively turning to look in the direction of the sound.

The person speaking was a monk wearing a large black robe, completely covered up so you couldn't see their face or tell whether they were male or female from their muffled voice.

Speculations started swirling amongst the attendees about the origins of the black-robed person.

After making his bid, the black-robed figure calmly sat there, seemingly oblivious to the attention he was drawing from the crowd.

Immortal Qinghua's eyebrows twitched as she shot the black-robed figure a deep glance, then closed her eyes, refraining from raising her bid.

On the high platform, Red Hands Master could hardly conceal the joy on his face. His normally flushed face was even redder due to excitement. He pinched his fingers hard and forced himself to calm down, repeating the price twice as per the rules.

As expected, no one else in the auction hall made a bid.

Seeing no one responding, Red Hands Master announced the ownership of the treasure.

This round of auction was extremely thrilling, and the people in the auction hall found it wonderfully satisfying. Even though the auction had ended, hushed discussions continued.

Red Hands Master waited a while before proceeding to the next round of the auction. He took out a flaming red wooden box about a foot high and placed it on the auction stand.

When the wooden box was opened, there was a transparent white crystal ball inside. It was not clear what it was made of, but in the center of the crystal ball was a burning golden flame.

Despite being separated by the white crystal ball, a sweltering breath still transmitted out.

“Spirit Fire!” Someone immediately recognized the origin of the golden flame.

Shen Luo suddenly straightened up, his eyes glued to the object on the stage.

“The next item is also a treasure. As a Daoist friend has already identified, yes, this golden flame is indeed a spirit fire, the Golden Yang Profound Fire,” said Red Hands Master.

“The information from Treasure Hall is indeed accurate, thank you, Miss Ma,” Shen Luo nodded to Ma Xiuxiu in thanks.

“Our Treasure Hall has some influence in Chang'an City after all. Getting a bit of information isn't too difficult. Next, it will all depend on Master Shen's resources,” Ma Xiuxiu chuckled lightly.

Shen Luo nodded silently, adjusting his breath inwardly, calming his mind in preparation for the upcoming bidding battle.

“Golden Yang Profound Fire ranks thirty-seven on the human fire list. It is a Pure Yang Spiritual Fire, especially effective in counteracting the Yin Qi of ghosts. It's also very suitable for alchemy and refining. The starting price is 200 Immortal jade,” announced Red Hands Master.

“210 Immortal jade!”

“220!”

“235 Immortal jade!”

The reputation of the Golden Yang Profound Fire was not small. Before Shen Luo could make a move, there was already a continuous bidding war, raising the price to 270 Immortal jade.

Shen Luo was feeling anxious. If it continued like this, he didn't know how far the price would rise.

“300 Immortal jade!” He immediately raised his jade card.

Shen Luo once added thirty pieces of Immortal Jade, causing several people to retreat from the bidding process.

“310 Immortal jade!”

“320!”

However, two monks still followed up. One was a gray-haired man, and the other was a red-clothed young woman. It seemed that both of them genuinely needed the Golden Yang Profound Fire.

“350 Immortal jade!” Shen Luo made an aggressive bid.

The gray-haired man sighed and did not make another bid.

“360 Immortal jade!” The red-clothed young woman gritted her silver teeth and held on.

“400 Immortal jade!” Shen Luo, with an expressionless face, upped the bid by forty Immortal jade.

The red-dressed young woman glared fiercely at Shen Luo, snorted once, and didn't make any further bids.

Shen Luo, relieved at this sight, cast a secretive glance at the other people in the auction hall.

On the high platform, Red Hands Master's gaze was somewhat gloomy.

Truthfully, selling the Golden Yang Profound Fire for four hundred Immortal Jade was a bit low, but Shen Luo's bidding tactics were brilliant, suppressing all others. He had no choice but to follow the rules.

“Guest number 309 has bid 400 Immortal jade. Does anyone have a higher bid?” Red Hands Master asked aloud.