Blackgold Wood.

Deep in the universe, there is a special star system where every celestial body is made of metal. When these bodies break apart for various reasons, they transform into Blackgold Trees. The piece of wood before them was a small section of a branch from such a tree. A complete Blackgold Tree could fetch an extremely high price at auctions in the Immortal Domain. It was a supreme material for forging weapons or array setting, so rare that it was often priceless and simply unavailable for purchase. When forging, adding a segment the size of a fingernail could increase a weapon's durability and sharpness by thirty percent.

Xu Lai hadn't expected that such a large section of Blackgold Wood could actually fall to the ground. Was it an accident? He didn't dwell on it and immediately raised his bid. "Ten million."

WHOA! The entire first floor of the teahouse erupted in shock. They had all been suspecting that this black metallic cylinder was just some junk the Niu Family of Hua City was trying to swindle them with, yet someone had actually placed a bid!

Everyone looked up and saw that the bid came from the private room in the very center, flanked by the rooms of the Su and Jiang Families. The first floor was instantly abuzz with discussion.

"Who's in the central room? Could it be one of the great families from Jiangbei?"

"The Lin Family of Jiangbei might be gone, but the other families there are just as formidable. It's very possible."

"You idiots. The Longyun Tea Gathering is hosted by families from the Jiangnan region. Why would they invite a family from Jiangbei?"

"That thing must be a real treasure. Otherwise, the big shots on the second floor wouldn't be bidding on it."

Onstage, Su Daiyi was slightly surprised. She clearly recognized the voice as Xu Lai's. She truly hadn't expected him to be interested in this "meteorite," an item of unknown origin and purpose—much less to double the price instantly!

"Please be quiet." Su Daiyi tapped the table lightly with her gavel and smiled. "Is there anyone who wishes to continue bidding? If not, then we have ten million, going once... ten million, going twice... and ten million, going..."

Just as the gavel was about to fall, a hoarse voice cried out from the main hall, "Eleven million!"

As soon as the voice rang out, a collective gasp was heard from the second floor. The Family Heads of the various Leading Families stood up, craning their necks to see who it was. When they got a clear look at the bidder's face, a chill ran down their spines. The owner of the voice was—Dongfang Xun!

He was a renowned Feng Shui Taoist from Harbour City, said to be able to communicate with spirits and foretell futures. His mastery of Formations had once knocked over a hundred Martial Artists unconscious in an instant. His power was unfathomable!

"Isn't Taoist Dongfang resting at his hotel? What is he doing here?" Old Jiang Ba was stunned. Dongfang Xun never attended these charity auctions. In fact, any trade of Magic Artifacts had to be conducted in the conference hall of his hotel. He put on quite the airs, but no one dared to utter a single word of criticism. After all, his status and power were plain to see. His sudden appearance now had shaken every Family Head to their core.

"It's the Feng Shui Taoist from Harbour City, Dongfang Xun!"

"He never comes to the auction. Why break tradition today?"

"You only know of Dongfang Xun, but you don't know that his master is Li Sanbai, the number one Taoist in all of Southeast Asia!"

The commotion on the first floor grew as many recognized the name. Those who didn't know hurriedly asked their neighbors what was going on.

Soon, all eyes were on him, filled with immense respect. One by one, people began to call out, "Taoist Dongfang."

Dongfang Xun was an old man with white hair and a white beard more than ten centimeters long, giving him an ethereal, sage-like appearance. He chuckled, greeting everyone without a hint of arrogance. "Good evening, everyone."

"Taoist Dongfang, what brings you here!" Su Daiyi exclaimed in surprise, quickly walking over to greet him.

Stroking his beard, Dongfang Xun replied, "I grew bored staying in the hotel, so I came to have a look. It's a good thing I did, or I would have missed out on this treasure." His eyes gleamed with fervent excitement as he looked at the item.

His primary fields of study were Feng Shui, Array Setting, and divination. He had once discovered an ancient tome on Formations that was at least two thousand years old. It described a type of spiritual treasure that was identical to the 'black metallic cylinder' on the stage. It was called Blackgold Wood! If used to set up a Formation, the effects would be absolutely astonishing. He could sell it to someone else for a fortune or present it to his master as a sign of filial piety. A treasure like this... I absolutely cannot miss out on it!

"This..." Su Daiyi hesitated. Both Xu Lai and Dongfang Xun want this meteorite. Whoever wins, the other is bound to be displeased. The Su Family can't afford to offend either of them. Inwardly, however, she was still rooting for Xu Lai. After all, he was the man she admired, the man of her dreams.

She lowered her voice and asked, "Taoist Dongfang, are you interested in this item?"

"Hm, I am. But let's just follow the proper procedure. Highest bidder wins." Dongfang Xun waved his hand dismissively. He mistakenly thought Su Daiyi was trying to curry favor, perhaps hoping to let him have the item under the table. I am Dongfang Xun. Over the years, I've traveled far and wide and earned more money than I can count. Besides, there's no one else here who recognizes what this is. This Blackgold Wood... I can get it for a few tens of millions at most. That's a paltry sum to me.

Xu Lai's gaze swept over the old man. Although the quality of the Spiritual Energy within him is incredibly poor, I suppose he barely qualifies as a Cultivator.

Seeing his daughter Yiyi and Qian Xiao looking bored, Xu Lai couldn't help but smile. "I want that item. You two can bid for me."

"One hundred million!" Qian Xiao yelled, poking his small head out from the private room.

Xu Lai's mouth twitched. I ought to slap you silly, you little brat. The bid was eleven million one second ago, and you jump straight to one hundred million? Do you have any idea how an auction works? You're supposed to bid incrementally, to probe your opponent's price limit and engage in a battle of wits!

"You little spendthrift," Xu Lai said, smacking Qian Xiao on the back of the head.

Although he felt wronged by the smack, Qian Xiao didn't make another sound. To a child, one hundred million was just a number; he had no real concept of its value. In the wake of his bid, the entire venue fell silent. The prominent figures from the thirteen cities were so stunned they barely dared to breathe. It wasn't that they'd never seen such a sum, but to spend it on an item of unknown purpose was simply too extravagant and insane.

Dongfang Xun's expression turned ugly. He had said the highest bidder would win, but he had also announced who he was. For the other party to bid so recklessly was a blatant show of disrespect! It was as if they didn't care about the name Dongfang Xun at all. His gaze turned ice-cold as he stared up at the second floor, his eyes like he was looking at a dead man.

"One hundred and... ten million!" Dongfang Xun had planned to add just one million, but feeling that would be a loss of face, he added ten million instead.

In the second-floor private room, Qian Xiao leaned forward, looking like he was about to shout another bid. Xu Lai quickly covered the boy's mouth and turned to his precious daughter. "Yiyi, you bid."

"Two hundred million."

Yiyi's soft, sweet voice rang out, plunging the entire teahouse back into stunned silence.

The mysterious big shot in the central private room was a perfect example of the saying: either stay silent or be completely astonishing.

"Very well." Dongfang Xun hadn't been this furious in many years. A smile that didn't reach his eyes played on his lips as he said in an icy tone, "I bid three hundred million. Let's see if you have the guts to follow!"

Back in the private room, Xu Lai spoke with delighted surprise. "Yiyi is truly worthy of being the future Empress of the Immortal Domain! That confidence, that domineering spirit in her bidding... you've got your father's style from back in the day."

Qian Xiao's eyes widened, filling with tears. Is Uncle Xu even making sense? We both raised the price by a hundred million, so how come Yiyi is confident and has a domineering spirit, while I'm just a spendthrift...

Hearing the "three hundred million" bid from outside, the aggrieved Kid Qian yelled down to the first floor, "You win! We're not bidding anymore!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.