"Alright, let's continue with the auction. The second Spirit Guide, starting price is still one thousand taels of gold," Gu Qingfeng said with a smile.
Everyone looked at each other, exchanging glances, and after a moment of silence, someone suddenly spoke up, "You just said you were going to auction off all one hundred Spirit Guides. Don’t you want to advance to the next stage?"
"Hmm, no, I don’t," Gu Qingfeng declared confidently.
"As your senior, it’s only natural that I leave the opportunity for the younger generation. So rest assured, all one hundred Spirit Guides will be auctioned off—not a single one will be kept."
Suspicion flickered in the eyes of the crowd, but no one said anything further. After a few breaths, someone finally raised their hand.
"I bid one thousand taels of gold."
Gu Qingfeng looked at the bidder with a pleased expression, speaking slowly, "Very well, one thousand taels of gold, going once. One thousand taels of gold, going twice. One thousand taels of gold... A friendly reminder—don’t you want to be the first to enter the next stage? The earlier you go in, the more time you’ll have to clear the stage, and the easier it will be to obtain the inheritance."
"One thousand taels of gold, going for the third—"
"I bid one thousand one hundred taels!"
"Excellent!" Gu Qingfeng smiled. "Any other bids? The Ageless Pill, the Divine Refining Technique, the title of Equal King—they are all right before your eyes. Don’t hesitate over wealth now. Once you obtain the inheritance, riches, power, and beauty will be within your grasp!
What are you waiting for? Don’t just think about it—act now and place your bids!"
Gu Qingfeng’s enticing words stirred the hearts of everyone present.
They all had their own calculations. Everyone knew that the earlier they entered the next stage, the more time they would have. Who could say that the difference between victory and defeat might hinge on these few seconds?
With this in mind, people stopped hesitating.
"One thousand two hundred taels!"
"One thousand three hundred taels!"
"One thousand five hundred taels!"
"I bid two thousand taels!"
In the end, it was the prodigy from the Spirit Medicine Mountain who was the most extravagant. After all, they were in the business of selling medicine—they had money to spare.
The bid of two thousand taels silenced all other voices.
Just as he thought the deal was about to be sealed, a voice suddenly interrupted.
It was someone from the Gu family, one of the four great families of the imperial capital.
"May I ask, Elder, can spirit weapons and pills be used as currency?"
"Of course," Gu Qingfeng replied, smiling at his distant relative.
"Good. I bid one mid-grade Profound-tier spirit weapon!"
The crowd gasped at this offer. A mid-grade Profound-tier spirit weapon was worth around five thousand taels of gold on the market. Who would bid so recklessly? The Gu family, usually ranked last among the four great families of the imperial capital, had never been known for such extravagance.
The Gu family prodigy looked at the stunned crowd, feeling secretly pleased. A bunch of paupers, trying to compete with the descendants of a god?
In truth, the Gu family hadn’t always been so extravagant. It was only a few days ago that a god had emerged from their family. Riding on the god’s reputation, the family’s status had soared.
Although the god had left, the incident where the god had spared the Pu Demon to protect the Gu family had already spread far and wide. What did this mean?
It meant that the god still cared for the Gu family.
In recent days, many astute individuals had sought to curry favor with the Gu family, and the family had naturally received many gifts, allowing them to act so boldly.
Moreover, the Gu family prodigy was willing to spend such a large sum to quickly obtain the Spirit Guide, ensuring he could enter the third stage ahead of everyone else and gain an advantage.
Just as he thought victory was assured, a voice suddenly rang out.
"I bid one bottle of Mysterious Essence Pills!"
"Mysterious... Essence Pills!? Mysterious Essence Pills worth eight thousand taels of gold! Who? Who is so wealthy?"
The crowd exclaimed, turning to see that it was the prodigy from the Spirit Medicine Mountain.
"Ah, it’s the Spirit Medicine Mountain. No wonder, no wonder..."
No one found it strange that someone from the Spirit Medicine Mountain could produce Mysterious Essence Pills.
The Gu family prodigy’s face darkened instantly, and he glared fiercely at the Spirit Medicine Mountain prodigy. "Two mid-grade Profound-tier spirit weapons!"
The Spirit Medicine Mountain prodigy’s expression changed slightly, a hint of pain flashing in his eyes. He was about to raise his bid again when the Gu family prodigy suddenly issued a threat.
"My Gu family are descendants of a god! I will have this second Spirit Guide no matter what. I hope everyone will give the Gu family some face."
The moment the words "descendants of a god" were spoken, the Spirit Medicine Mountain prodigy’s hand, which had been about to raise, froze. After a moment of hesitation, he finally gave up.
Everyone knew that a true god had emerged from the Gu family, and their influence was at its peak. It was unwise to make an enemy of them.
Gu Qingfeng, standing nearby, was furious when he saw this. Using his name to interfere with his money-making? Did they have a death wish?
The Gu family prodigy, seeing that no one dared to compete, smiled triumphantly and was about to step forward to claim the Spirit Guide when Gu Qingfeng suddenly stopped him.
"Wait a moment. I just said that this auction adheres to the principles of fairness and justice. You dare to use your influence to intimidate others? This bid is invalid. Spirit Medicine Mountain kid, you can continue bidding. Don’t worry, I’ll ensure justice is served and no one is favored."
The Gu family prodigy was stunned. Was there really someone in this world who dared to disrespect a god? Did they have a death wish?
His face darkened. "Elder, my Gu family are descendants of a god. Although we are currently in a secret realm, can you guarantee that you’ll never leave? Think carefully about the consequences of offending a god..."
Boom!
A sonic explosion rang out.
The Gu family prodigy, who had been speaking, was instantly sent flying like a shadow, crashing through a large patch of flowers and trees.
"Alright, let’s continue," Gu Qingfeng said calmly, as if nothing had happened.
At that moment, the sound of gulping and gasping filled the air.
A descendant of a god... just sent flying like that?!
This person didn’t even care about gods? Was he insane?
"Bid! Why are you all looking at me? Spirit Medicine Mountain kid, I’m talking to you. Hurry up and raise your bid," Gu Qingfeng said impatiently.
"Oh, uh, I bid two bottles of Mysterious Essence Pills," the Spirit Medicine Mountain prodigy said timidly. The man before him was clearly a lunatic, acting without regard for consequences. It was better to spend money and avoid disaster.
"Any higher bids?"
Gu Qingfeng glanced around and, seeing no one else speak up, happily accepted the Mysterious Essence Pills and handed a Spirit Guide to the Spirit Medicine Mountain prodigy.
"Go on in."
"Th-thank you, Elder."
The young man took the Spirit Guide and fled into the light gate as if his life depended on it.
Seeing that Gu Qingfeng had indeed kept his word and handed over the Spirit Guide, the crowd relaxed slightly. This man might be a lunatic, but at least he was a principled one.
"Alright, let’s continue with the third Spirit Guide."
With the precedent set, everyone felt more at ease and began bidding enthusiastically.
Half an hour later, all one hundred Spirit Guides had been auctioned off, and Gu Qingfeng was swimming in wealth. From the first and second stages combined, he had earned at least several million taels of gold, along with countless spirit weapons, pills, and rare treasures. It was the biggest windfall of his life so far!
It couldn’t be helped—today’s gathering included prodigies from the top sects and families of the Great Yan Dynasty. The forces behind these individuals represented the very pinnacle of the dynasty’s elite.
They had money to burn!