Chapter Twenty: Twenty Thousand

Inside the private room, Mu Feng sat upright in an exquisite leather chair, quietly observing the crowd below. A hint of curiosity flickered in his eyes.

“Now that I think about it, this private room is quite peculiar. You can see outside from within, but from outside, you can’t see in,” he remarked.

“It’s just a basic illusion formation. What’s so special about it?” the fairy yawned, leaning against Mu Feng’s side.

It was strange how she always appeared next to him in her spiritual form, almost like a lingering ghost.

“You understand formations?” Mu Feng asked with some curiosity.

“A little. I had a younger brother who was really good at formations, so I learned a bit from him.”

“And I...” Mu Feng began.

“Don’t even think about it. Focus on mastering martial arts and alchemy first,” the fairy snapped, reading his unspoken thoughts.

Mu Feng was undoubtedly a genius, but no matter how gifted one was, it was impossible to excel at everything.

At that moment, the guests below had all taken their seats.

A graceful figure slowly ascended the stage. Her red skirt swayed with the breeze, and her fiery beauty stirred the blood of countless male warriors below.

Her mesmerizing presence made it impossible for even Mu Feng to look away.

“Is she really that captivating? I’m not bad-looking myself,” the fairy muttered, glancing down at her own toes.

Bang!

A small wooden hammer struck the table.

“Welcome, everyone, to the Baibao Pavilion Auction. I am your auctioneer for this event, Yu Linglong,” she announced.

The moment her voice rang out, a wave of enthusiastic cheers erupted from below.

Even before the treasures were revealed, the auction’s atmosphere had already reached a fever pitch, thanks to Yu Linglong.

Mu Feng felt something odd.

Yu Linglong was young and had reached the Spiritual Realm, yet here she was, in this small dusty town of Huangsha.

But her next words snapped Mu Feng out of his thoughts.

“Up next is the first item of this auction: the Seven Profound Sword!”

“This sword is imbued with spiritual energy. While it’s not a top-grade spiritual weapon, it is incredibly sharp. The starting price is one thousand taels!”

“Each bid must increase by at least fifty taels.”

As she finished, an attendant stepped onto the stage holding a wooden box with both hands.

Inside lay a simple yet ancient sword, its scabbard embedded with seven dazzling gemstones.

Under the lights, it sparkled brilliantly.

Moreover, the sword continuously emitted waves of spiritual energy, sharp and fierce.

“A spiritual sword!”

“This auction was worth coming to after all. To see such a treasure here!”

“If I had this sword, even as a tenth-level Qi Condensation cultivator, I could hold my own!”

The sword’s appearance immediately sparked a flurry of whispers.

In Huangsha Town, decent pills were rare, let alone powerful weapons.

Mu Feng’s eyes flickered with a hint of excitement as well.

Had it been before, he would have tried every means to acquire this sword.

But now, having already refined a long sword and grown stronger, his weapon was no weaker than this Seven Profound Sword.

Buying it now would be of little use.

“I bid one thousand one hundred taels!” a voice called from below.

“One thousand two hundred!”

“One thousand three!”

“One thousand four!”

As the bidding war grew louder, Xiao Quan Jia couldn’t help but show a look of disdain.

“A worthless sword causing such a commotion—typical of this backwater.”

“They’ve never seen anything good here, so they’re doomed to be beasts of burden in Huangsha Town for life.”

He then turned his gaze toward Mu Feng’s box, anger flashing in his eyes.

The earlier scene had humiliated him; he was determined to reclaim his pride.

Soon, the sword was auctioned off for two thousand taels.

Two thousand wasn’t exorbitant, but for many forces in Huangsha Town, it was a substantial sum.

Those who could casually part with such an amount naturally weren’t lacking in weapons.

“Next, we have the second item: the Sword Technique from the Mysterious Ruins — the Rotating Sword Method!”

“This sword technique was originally a mid-grade Earth Rank technique, but unfortunately, it’s incomplete, with only the first level remaining. Our appraisers have classified it as a high Yellow Rank technique.”

“The starting price is three thousand taels, with each increase no less than one hundred taels!”

Compared to the previous item, this Rotating Sword Method stirred much less discussion.

Not only was it expensive, but it was also incomplete.

Though classified as a high Yellow Rank, anyone with insight knew that even mastering it fully wouldn’t guarantee the power of a true mid-level Yellow Rank martial skill.

Only techniques reaching mid-level were truly valuable.

“Three thousand five hundred taels,” Mu Feng quietly offered from the second floor.

It wasn’t that this technique was particularly exquisite; rather, Mu Feng felt his offensive methods were too limited.

Apart from the sword technique he had acquired after breaking through the first level — Sword One — he had no other approaches.

Although not top-tier, the Rotating Sword Method could temporarily fill this gap.

“As expected of the Young Master of the Mu family, casually throwing out thousands of taels like it’s nothing.”

“Alas, I was interested in this sword technique, but three thousand five hundred taels is simply beyond my means.”

While others sighed, Xiao Quan Jia laughed.

Wasn’t this exactly the moment he had waited for to embarrass Mu Feng?

“Four thousand taels.”

With that, all eyes turned to Xiao Quan Jia.

The young master of the Xiao family was clearly challenging Mu Feng, the Mu family’s young master.

This duel promised to be a spectacle.

“Four thousand five hundred.”

“Five thousand!”

As Mu Feng raised his bid, Xiao Quan Jia followed closely, his face full of defiance.

“Master, we only brought ten thousand taels tonight. If we keep raising the bids, it’ll be hard to secure the Blood Stone later,” a guard whispered to Xiao Quan Jia.

But Xiao Quan Jia wasn’t listening.

He only wanted to trample Mu Feng!

“Five thousand five hundred.”

Mu Feng’s calm voice sounded again, as if indifferent to the price.

“Six thousand!” Xiao Quan Jia shouted angrily, as if determined to die if he failed to win the technique.

Yet the crowd looked on in surprise.

Six thousand for a Yellow Rank technique?

Wasn’t that extravagantly wasteful?

“Six thousand five hundred.”

“I bid seven—”

Xiao Quan Jia tried to raise his hand again but was stopped by a guard.

“Master, if you keep bidding, we’ll run out of money! It’s more important to break into the Spiritual Realm—that’s crucial for the upcoming Martial Mansion assessment!”

“Let’s just endure him for now.”

Hearing this, Xiao Quan Jia reluctantly lowered his hand, glaring venomously in Mu Feng’s direction.

Onlookers secretly rejoiced.

“So much talk, but he’s just a branch family young master. How can he compare with the main family’s heir?”

“Just empty bluster. Look at him—no different from a hooligan.”

Xiao Quan Jia was furious, clenching his fists tightly.

“A bunch of fools. When that Blood Stone comes out, I’ll show you all what true family strength and wealth mean! Hope you don’t faint from fear then!”

Imagining himself spending lavishly, Xiao Quan Jia was secretly thrilled.

At that moment, a stone pulsing with red veins was placed on the table.

“This is the third auction item: the Blood Stone.”

“A precious treasure containing strange life-blood energy that can enhance a warrior’s physique.”

“The starting price is eight thousand taels, with each bid increasing by at least five hundred.”

The appearance of the Blood Stone instantly captured numerous eager eyes.

In the martial path, two things mattered most: the body and combat techniques.

The latter could be enhanced through training in martial skills and techniques.

The former was not so easily improved.

This Blood Stone was a treasure every warrior dreamed of.

Unfortunately, the starting price was so high that even the big families found it difficult to muster such funds.

“Ten thousand taels!” Xiao Quan Jia proudly declared, noticing the hesitant expressions around him.

That ten thousand was his strongest confidence this evening.

“Wow, as expected of the Xiao family—rich and powerful, immediately raising the price to ten thousand.”

“Mu Feng probably doesn’t have that much capital. Although the Mu family’s alchemy hall is doing well, it hasn’t been for long. Ten thousand taels is likely beyond his reach.”

“Indeed, not long ago, they were so down and out they had to sell off assets. If he can buy that Rotating Sword Method, that’s probably his limit.”

The crowd murmured, eyes filled with envy and longing for the great families’ wealth.

Xiao Quan Jia grinned from ear to ear, basking in the attention.

“Mu Feng? A cast-off useless young master. What can he possibly compete with me?”

Just then, a casual voice cut through the room, wiping away Xiao Quan Jia’s smug expression.

“Twenty thousand taels.”