One billion dollars!
All eyes turned toward the source of the bid, landing on a young stranger no one had seen before. He looked to be in his twenties, his face calm and composed. He didn’t even spare Cyrus Nightbane a glance.
“Who is this guy? A rich kid attending the auction for the first time?” someone muttered in confusion.
“Doesn’t matter. He’s clearly courting death.”
“What a waste of such a bold bid. He’ll be dead soon enough.”
On stage, Liam Rocco appeared surprised as he glanced toward Kayden but quickly recovered, speaking into the microphone with professionalism. “One billion! This young friend has bid one billion! Do we have any higher offers?”
“Two billion,” Cyrus Nightbane said, raising his hand with a calm demeanor. He glanced briefly at Kayden, a faint smirk playing on his lips. He knew the real battle had begun, and this was precisely why he was here.
“Two billion! Cyrus Nightbane bids two billion!” Liam Rocco announced, his voice building momentum. “Any higher bids? Who will offer more than two billion?”
“Five billion,” Kayden said without hesitation, his voice steady and firm. The bid stunned the room. Five billion dollars!
Kayden’s posture made his intent clear-this Blood Fox was his, no matter the cost. Nobody could take it from him.
The crowd, filled with cultivators, couldn’t suppress their shock. Their eyes turned toward Kayden, their expressions a mix of bewilderment and pity. To them, Kayden’s fate was sealed. He was as good as dead.
“Five billion! This young friend has bid five billion!” Liam Rocco’s tone grew more animated. This was exactly the kind of bidding war they had hoped for. For years, Cyrus Nightbane had dominated these auctions, making them dull and predictable. But now, finally, someone had dared to challenge him.
“Five billion, going once! Five billion, going twice!”
Liam paused deliberately, creating suspense. Then he asked, “Is there anyone willing to bid higher? This Blood Fox is an extraordinary treasure! Don’t you want it?”
Suddenly, Cyrus Nightbane laughed. “Congratulations, my young friend!” he said, cupping his hands toward Kayden in mock respect. “My sincerest congratulations.”
He had surrendered. Or rather, he hadn’t. To those who understood Cyrus, his withdrawal wasn’t a sign of defeat-it was a death sentence for his opponent.
When Cyrus fought for something, there was a slim chance his rival might survive. But when he stopped competing, it meant the rival’s demise was imminent. The crowd understood this unspoken truth. Some wanted to warn Kayden, but none dared to speak up.
“Five billion, going thrice! Sold! Congratulations to this young friend for winning the Blood Fox!” Liam Rocco declared grandly, his voice ringing through the hall.
There was no applause, no cheers-just a heavy, unsettling silence. Everyone watched Kayden, the man they believed was already halfway to his grave.
Kayden, unfazed, glanced at the Blood Fox. His face betrayed no emotion, and he said nothing as the creature was removed from the stage.
Moments later, Kayden’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out and saw Zack Alfredson’s name on the screen.
“Mr. Scott, was it you who just won the Blood Fox?” Zack asked after a brief pause.
“Yes, it was me. Why?” Kayden replied curtly.
Zack hesitated for a moment before saying, “No reason, really. Just calling to congratulate you.”
Kayden had expected Zack to caution him against provoking Cyrus Nightbane, but this wasn’t the case. Finding the call uninteresting, he ended it without further comment.
The Blood Fox was now his. But two more items remained to be auctioned. Kayden wondered what they might be.
A graceful woman walked onto the stage, carrying a small box. After placing it on the display table, she turned and left. The box was closed, concealing its contents.
Liam Rocco wasted no time. He opened the box, revealing a bottle filled with liquid. The bottle was transparent, and the liquid inside gleamed green, resembling jade.
The crowd murmured in confusion, exchanging puzzled glances.
“What is that? It looks like water!”
“No idea, but if the Rocco family is auctioning it, it must be extraordinary,” someone speculated.
Wood Faulkner leaned toward Kayden and whispered, “Mr. Scott, do you know what that is?”
Kayden felt the Ninefold Dragon-Chi within him stir violently. This was no ordinary item-its potency rivaled that of the Blood Fox. For it to be placed second in the auction, and for it to provoke such a reaction from his Dragon-Chi, it had to be something remarkable.
Shaking his head slightly, Kayden replied, “I don’t know, but it’s definitely extraordinary.”
On stage, Liam Rocco chuckled, addressing the crowd. “Does anyone here know what this is?”
Nobody answered.
Liam Rocco didn’t keep them in suspense for long. “This,” he announced, his voice rising, “is an extremely rare divine item! It is invaluable to advanced cultivators. While it offers limited benefits to those at the Grand level, for advanced cultivators, drinking this will allow them to break through their bottleneck and ascend to the Grand level!”
He raised his hands as though embracing the heavens. “This is Dragon Blood!”
The crowd erupted. Eyes widened in disbelief. Dragon Blood! A single bottle of this liquid could elevate an advanced cultivator to the Grand level, a feat most could only dream of.
For many, the Grand level was an insurmountable barrier. Some spent their entire lives stuck at the advanced level, their dreams of advancement crushed. This was the kind of treasure that could change lives.
If not for the Rocco family’s strict auction rules, chaos would have already broken out as people scrambled to seize it.
The Rocco family’s reputation was formidable, bolstered by the presence of a mysterious figure of unparalleled power. Years ago, five of the strongest warriors had banded together to challenge the Rocco family. The night they arrived, the skies above the Rocco estate turned black, lightning splitting the heavens, thunder roaring like a divine wrath.
By the next day, the five warriors had vanished without a trace, and the Rocco family remained unscathed.
That level of power and influence ensured that no one dared disrupt the auction, no matter how tempting the item.
The allure of Dragon Blood was undeniable. It promised not just power but longevity-an additional fifty years of life. This was a treasure no cultivator could resist.
Liam Rocco, basking in the crowd’s awestruck silence, grinned. “This Dragon Blood was drawn from the legendary dragon of Aspen Heights. It is, without question, the purest Dragon Blood!”