In the auction world, there’s an old saying: “No bidding, no competition; no competition, no bidding.” However, for auctioneers, the most enjoyable scenario is when two bidders compete fiercely for the same item.
Oliver East’s gaze started scanning the first three rows, but the second and first-rate martial sects maintained an unmoving stance, seemingly disinterested in the Ice Demon Lizard’s Elemental Core.
Helpless, Oliver East’s gaze could only return to Leo in the end, hoping to hear him call out a higher price.
Leo raised his bidding card, about to call out the price when a deep voice rang out, “Fifteen thousand Essence-Building Pills!”
Directly increasing by three thousand Essence-Building Pills from the base price of twelve thousand-bold!
Identifying the speaker, Jane was surprised to find it was a rare bidding from someone from the Ghost Carving Sect.
Since Ghost Carving Sect had joined the bidding, Leo decided not to mess with Joe anymore and was prepared to watch the show.
Joe glanced at the person who bid from Ghost Carving Sect, and his brows furrowed. He said to the old woman, Ursula, “Ursula, Gavin Louis from Ghost Carving Sect has bid. What should we do?”
After some thought, the old woman said, “Eighteen thousand Essence-Building Pills is our limit. If it goes beyond that, we’ll give up.”
Although Ghost Carving Sect’s strength had weakened due to the deaths of two martial monarch-level experts, but still stronger than an average sect. If Ghost Carving Sect won the bid for the Ice Demon Lizard’s Elemental Core, it wouldn’t be realistic to try to snatch it from them. So, giving up was the only option.
“Alright, Ursula, I’ll follow your advice.” Joe nodded, raised his bidding card, and declared, “Sixteen thousand Essence-Building Pills!”
“Seventeen thousand!” Gavin from Ghost Carving Sect immediately raised his bidding card.
Joe gritted his teeth and raised his card again, “Eighteen thousand Essence-Building Pills!”
Gavin glanced at Joe, a cold light flashing in his eyes. He intended to bid again, but was stopped by an old man next to him.
The old man said in a deep voice, “Gavin, don’t compete. Our goal in this auction is that piece of jade and the final item. The rest is not important.”
Gavin sighed with some reluctance, then nodded slightly.
If it were the peak period of Ghost Carving Sect, not to mention an Ice Demon Lizard’s Elemental Core, even snatching all three remaining items would be a piece of cake.
“Seems like no one else is bidding…” Oliver East swept his gaze across the room and then announced loudly, “Eighteen thousand Essence-Building Pills going once! Eighteen thousand Essence-Building Pills going twice! Eighteen thousand Essence-Building Pills going thrice! Congratulations, Miss Number 28, you’ve successfully won the bid for the Ice Demon Lizard’s Elemental Core!”
“Now, let’s invite our lovely hostess to present the penultimate auction item today!”
The beautiful hostess took the Ice Demon Lizard’s Elemental Core away, and another hostess appeared, carrying a tray covered with a yellow cloth.
Leo knew that the Fragrance-Sensing Divine Jade, seen on the promotional materials, was most likely in the tray.
Oliver East uncovered the yellow cloth, revealing the dark green Fragrance-Sensing Divine Jade, the same as the one in the promotional images.
Oliver East scanned the entire room and introduced loudly, “This item, I’m sure everyone has heard of it. Yes, it’s the Fragrance-Sensing Divine Jade.”
“It earned its name due to the peculiar fragrance it emits. Feng Shui practitioners believe that the Fragrance-Sensing Divine Jade is an auspicious symbol. Wearing it as an amulet is believed to turn misfortune into fortune, bringing unexpected good luck.”
“The Fragrance-Sensing Divine Jade possesses the essence of all things, the quintessence of nature. It is said to dispel loneliness, alleviate sorrow, calm anger, and enrich the spirit.”
“In a world where flowers don’t speak, now we can smell the fragrance from jade. The mysteries of creation in the heavenly realm are truly profound. The Fragrant Divine Jade that appears today can be said to be the coveted treasure of martial practitioners.”
“After practical testing, this Fragrant Divine Jade not only stabilizes the mind and prevents demonic intrusions but also enhances cultivation speed. Placing this jade nearby during cultivation can increase the speed by more than double!”
Oliver East’s introduction elicited gasps and commotion from many martial practitioners. Some wore expressions of astonishment.
Except for Leo, everyone attending the auction was a martial practitioner, so they understood the concept of doubling cultivation speed. For martial practitioners, whose lives are limited, cultivation is a race against time. Even a twofold increase in cultivation speed is equivalent to saving half the time.
For example, if a person could only cultivate to the martial monarch realm in their lifetime, with the aid of this Fragrant Divine Jade, reaching the martial sage or even martial king realm would no longer be a dream.
“My goodness, I never thought the legend of the Fragrant Divine Jade was true!”
“If I could get this Fragrant Divine Jade, I might wake up laughing in the middle of the night.”
“Ah, forget it. The price of this Fragrant Divine Jade must be outrageous. We can only watch.”
The martial practitioners in the auction hall, one by one, widened their eyes, their faces filled with desire as they stared at the Fragrance-Sensing Divine Jade on the auction platform. Lance Eliot, the junior leader of the Flying Dragon Gang, also widened his eyes, staring fixedly at the Fragrance-Sensing Divine Jade on the platform. The gleam in his eyes was intense and fervent.
The expressions on the faces of those from Ghost Carving Sect, Hundred Flowers Sect, and the Lynd family were similar to Lance Eliot’s. Each person harbored the desire to claim the Fragrance-Sensing Divine Jade for themselves. All these expressions on the faces of the crowd were carefully observed by Oliver East, leaving him thoroughly satisfied. His smile resembled a ripe persimmon.
Feeling the atmosphere had been stirred up enough, Oliver East straightened his chest and exclaimed, “This Fragrant Divine Jade, starting bid, twenty thousand Essence-Building Pills! Each bid must not be less than one thousand Essence-Building Pills. Now… the bidding begins!”
“Damn, twenty thousand Essence-Building Pills! Am I hearing this right!?” A martial practitioner couldn’t help but exclaim.
His companion immediately responded, “You heard right. It’s terrifying.”
Upon hearing the starting bid, most martial practitioners were not only shocked but also discouraged. If the starting bid was this terrifying, the final price would be even scarier. Only top-notch martial sects like Ghost Carving Sect, Flying Dragon Gang, and elite second-rate sects like Hundred Flowers Sect might participate in the bidding.
“Twenty-one thousand Essence-Building Pills!” Henry waved his folding fan, taking the lead with a bid.
“Twenty-two thousand Essence-Building Pills!” Gavin from Ghost Carving Sect glanced at Henry and raised his bidding card.
“Twenty-five thousand Essence-Building Pills!” Lance Eliot raised his card, his tone carrying a hint of dominance, and a confident expression on his face.
Although Leo also coveted this Fragrant Divine Jade, after several previous bids, and with all of the Vitality Pills in hand converted to Essence-Building Pills, the probability of winning against the dominant factions seemed slim.