Chapter 113: The Auction Turmoil

The auctioneer, naturally unaware that Lin Xiaobao was staring at the nameless scrap of iron in his hand with eyes glowing with greed, began his presentation: "The purpose and material of this nameless iron piece are unknown. However, even the spiritual sense of an expert in the Dao-Melding Realm from the Xiaoyao Pavilion cannot penetrate it. Whether or not it is a treasure depends entirely on your own judgment. The starting price is five million gold coins, with a minimum increment of one million per bid!"

When the auctioneer announced the opening price, most of the participants in the hall looked up in unison, clearly waiting to gauge the reaction from the VIP boxes. Although convention dictated that the four major families in the VIP boxes would only enter the fray for the final three grand items, the price of this nameless piece seemed already to exceed what ordinary people could afford.

While some second or third-rate families could scrape together the funds, they wondered: if this scrap were truly a treasure, would the Xiaoyao Pavilion really put it up for sale? Perhaps the auctioneer was merely using it as a gimmick. Without knowing the item's true nature, no family would lightly commit such a significant amount of capital.

Lin Xiaobao, however, knew exactly what it was. His heart hammered wildly against his ribs—it was a fragment of the Chaos Mirror. The moment the scrap appeared, he felt the fragment already in his dantian pulse with a gentle throb. The shape and the markings on the surface of this piece were identical to the one he possessed.

"Does anyone care to guess if the runes on this iron piece are some sort of cultivation technique or perhaps a treasure map?" Seeing the silence, the auctioneer attempted to stir the greed in the hearts of those present.

"Six million!" Lin Xiaobao took a deep breath and called out a modest price.

It was not that he lacked the gold, but rather that Box No. 1 was occupied by people from the Xuanyang Temple. Famous throughout the world for their mastery of arrays, he feared they might have divined the extraordinary nature of the Chaos Mirror fragment. If he drew their attention, it would be much harder to secure the item. He had calculated his bid carefully: waiting until no one else was bidding to offer the bare minimum. This way, others would assume he was just trying his luck. While six million was a tidy sum, it was not enough to drain the coffers of anyone sitting in a VIP box.

But, as luck would have it, his worst fears were realized. No sooner had his voice faded than a deep, resonant voice echoed from Box No. 1: "Twenty million!"

As the two boxes traded bids, the way the crowd looked at the fragment changed. Could this really be a treasure? Even the Xuanyang Temple had begun to compete for it.

Though curious about the nature of the fragment, the moment the voice from Box No. 1 rang out, everyone else abandoned any thought of bidding, including the three major families upstairs. In the auctions of the Xiaoyao Pavilion, the Xuanyang Temple rarely bid; but once they did, they would name a price high enough to ensure the Pavilion suffered no loss. Once they joined the bidding, no one else dared to participate—after all, the Xuesheng Empire had to answer to the Xuanyang Temple.

When Lin Xiaobao had first placed his bid, the Yun family had been intrigued, believing that if he took an interest, the item must have some hidden value. But as the Xuanyang Temple jumped in, their hopes sank. Even though Wen Hongcai treated Lin Xiaobao with great courtesy, they doubted his background was strong enough to challenge the Xuanyang Temple.

The auctioneer, seeing the Xuanyang Temple bid, did not wait. His experience told him there was no point. "Since there are no higher bids, this nameless iron piece shall be—"

"Thirty million!" Lin Xiaobao’s voice cut through the hall like a thunderclap.

After a moment of stunned silence, the entire venue erupted. People began whispering, wondering who on earth occupied Box No. 2 to dare show such disrespect to the Xuanyang Temple. Even within the entire Longxiang Continent, few dared to slight them.

A cold snort emanated from Box No. 1, drowning out the commotion. Clearly dissatisfied with the provocation, the occupant replied, "Fifty million!"

"Sixty million!" Lin Xiaobao was already mentally planning his escape. He had come to the Xuesheng Empire to evade the Fengxue Pavilion, and now he was locking horns with the Xuanyang Temple. Yet, faced with the temptation of the Chaos Mirror fragment, he knew he could not back down.

"One hundred million!"

The voice from Box No. 1 now carried a clear trace of anger. Simultaneously, Lin Xiaobao felt three powerful spiritual senses scanning him. With the sensitivity of his own Mental Wave, he could tell that the owners of those senses were at least in the Dao-Embryo Realm.

Wen Hongcai, as the organizer, should have been overjoyed by the astronomical price, but he could not bring himself to be happy. Both parties were titans he could not afford to offend. He was baffled: Lin Xiaobao was supposedly Chen Zhong’s brother—Chen Zhong had even given him the Star Peak Ring—was the Xuanyang Temple unaware of this? And Lin Xiaobao, knowing Chen Zhong was a high-ranking elder of the Temple, why couldn't he yield?

Wen Hongcai regretted not having simply brought the item to Lin Xiaobao privately to trade for high-level materials. But he had no time for regrets; he had to consider how to manage the aftermath. If a conflict broke out, he did not know where Chen Zhong would stand, and that would determine his own fate.

Lin Xiaobao frowned. Did the Xuanyang Temple know the origin of the fragment? If so, he had to worry not only about winning the auction but also about how to escape afterward. Though the Temple had an excellent reputation, he did not doubt for a second that they would kill to seize such a legendary treasure.

"Two hundred million!" Suddenly, a gloomy voice drifted from a corner of the auction hall.