The grand amphitheater of the Star River Merchant Hall was charged with a heavy, electric stillness. Thousands of eyes were locked onto the central high stage, where the *Volcanic Annihilation* rested on its stone pedestal. The faint crimson ripples pulsing from the obsidian mace seemed to heartbeat in unison with the heavy breathing of the crowd.
Standing at the front of the auction stage, the senior auctioneer raised a glowing silver mallet, her voice ringing out through the defensive formations of the hall:
"One thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones! The opening bid for this Domain-grade masterpiece has been set! Do I hear one thousand one hundred?"
"One thousand five hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones!"
The first bid shattered the quiet like a thunderclap. It came from the eastern VIP balcony. Jian Wuchen, the legacy disciple of Heavenly Sword Lake, stood at the railing, surrounded by a sharp aura of raw sword intent that caused the surrounding air to hum faintly. Behind him, sat a tall, white-haired elder whose calm, piercing gaze rested on the auction stage.
"One thousand five hundred from Heavenly Sword Lake!" the auctioneer announced immediately, her voice echoing across the amphitheater. "One thousand five hundred going once—"
"Two thousand!"
A fiery voice cut her off from the southern balcony block. Chi Yao, the legacy female genius of the Scarlet Sun Palace, stepped forward. Her red-gold robes glowed faintly under her surging fire Qi, and a flame ribbon circled her wrist. "A mace infused with the Laws of Destruction is forged through supreme heat! It belongs in the hands of fire refiners! Two thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones!"
Behind Chi Yao, an elder enveloped in a dense crimson aura nodded slowly, his formidable Domain Forging presence adding weight to her words.
"Two thousand five hundred!"
From the central balcony, Kong Mingyuan of the Demon Suppression Temple spoke in a solemn, resonant tone. A golden Sanskrit seal glowed faintly on his forehead, backed by a gold-armored Domain Forging monk who stood impassively behind him. "The temple seeks this weapon to comprehend the balance between destruction and suppression."
"Three thousand!" shouted a broad-shouldered legacy disciple from the Ancient Beast Hall, slamming his broad palm onto the marble railing as a wild, beast-like Qi flared around him.
"Three thousand five hundred," whispered a shrouded female disciple from Moon Reflection Valley, her face veiled behind silver moonlight.
"Four thousand!" shouted Ye Qinglan, the green-robed legacy disciple from Thousand Leaf Immortal Sect.
"Four thousand five hundred," rasped a dark voice from the shadowy alcove of Silent Night Pavilion.
All ten major sects were actively engaged. Disciples from every faction shouted bids across the central void, while the auctioneer moved rapidly, her silver mallet gleaming as she tracked the soaring numbers.
"Four thousand five hundred to Silent Night Pavilion!" the auctioneer called out, her voice rising with the swelling energy of the hall. "Do I hear five thousand? Five thousand!"
"Six thousand!" Chi Yao called out without hesitation, her eyes burning with fierce ambition.
"Seven thousand!" Jian Wuchen countered instantly, his fingers resting lightly on the hilt of his flying sword as his sword intent flared sharper.
"Eight thousand!" Chi Yao shot back, her flame ribbon swirling with heat.
The numbers jumped in terrifying leaps. In the third-tier seating, Elder Huo sat rigidly, wiping a thin layer of cold sweat from his forehead. Senior Brother Ma Teng leaned forward, his knuckles white as he watched the prices escalate far beyond anything normal auctions ever witnessed.
Beside them, sitting quietly in a simple grey robe with his hands tucked into his sleeves, was "Mu Tie"—Fang Lin.
On the outside, Fang Lin maintained the humble, wide-eyed posture of an Early Core Formation junior, looking appropriately awed by the grand confrontation between major sects.
Internally, however, his eyes were glistening with shameless, unadulterated delight.
*Eight thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones... Ten thousand...* Fang Lin counted every jump in price, his heart beating with the playful, greedy satisfaction of a cultivator about to receive a mind-boggling windfall. Even though he possessed the vast inheritance of Master Ou Yezi, watching the continent's major sects compete fiercely to shower High-Grade Spirit Stones upon his work filled him with immense internal joy.
*Look at you, grinning like a cat that swallowed a spiritual carp,* the Dark Flame Spirit's sneering voice echoed in his soul sea, cackling with amusement. *They are throwing fortunes across the hall for a weapon you forged inside the Ashen Crucible Spatial Realm! If these proud elders knew the master they are chasing is sitting right here in a dusty grey robe, half of them would lose their composure on the spot!*
*Let them bid,* Fang Lin thought back with a small, suppressed smirk beneath his calm mask. *Every single High-Grade Spirit Stone goes directly to my Merchant Alliance payout.*
"Twelve thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones!" Chi Yao's voice echoed across the hall, setting a staggering new benchmark that caused many smaller sect leaders to draw in sharp breaths.
Jian Wuchen's brows furrowed. He glanced back at his white-haired elder, who gave a subtle shake of his head. Twelve thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones was reaching the limit of what Heavenly Sword Lake intended to allocate for a single weapon.
"Twelve thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones from Scarlet Sun Palace!" the auctioneer declared, her voice ringing clearly through the hall as she raised her silver mallet. "Twelve thousand going once!"
The hall went still.
"Twelve thousand going twice!"
"Fifteen thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones."
A steady, calm voice resounded from the central host balcony.
Every head turned. Standing at the balcony railing was Xuan Beihai, the premier legacy disciple of Black Tortoise Mountain. Beside him sat Sect Master Xuan Yuan, accompanied by senior elders from both the Pill Dawn Sect and the Hundred Formation Tower.
Chi Yao's eyes widened slightly as she looked toward the central balcony.
Xuan Beihai met her gaze with quiet composure. The three pillars—Black Tortoise Mountain, Pill Dawn Sect, and Hundred Formation Tower—had agreed to pool their resources for this auction. By combining their bidding power, they could secure the *Volcanic Annihilation* for joint research without any single sect bearing an unreasonable financial burden.
"Fifteen thousand from Black Tortoise Mountain!" the auctioneer announced, her voice trembling with excitement as the energy in the hall reached a fever pitch. "Fifteen thousand going once!"
"Sixteen thousand!" Chi Yao called out, pushing her sect's bid to its absolute limit.
"Twenty thousand," Xuan Beihai replied smoothly, backed by the calm authority of Sect Master Xuan Yuan.
Chi Yao gritted her teeth. Her elder touched her shoulder lightly, indicating that Scarlet Sun Palace would not push further.
"Twenty thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones."
Xuan Beihai's bid resounded through the grand hall like a heavy gong.
"Twenty thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones from Black Tortoise Mountain!" the auctioneer called out, her voice reaching the peak of excitement. "Twenty thousand going once!"
She paused, scanning the silent VIP booths.
"Twenty thousand going twice!"
*BANG!*
The silver mallet struck the stone block with a decisive ring.
"SOLD! To Black Tortoise Mountain, the regional crafting sect for twenty thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones!"
A wave of murmurs swept through the lower tiers. Beside Fang Lin, Elder Huo let out a long breath, a look of profound relief and emotional pride filling his face. "We kept it in our mountains... The Ironblood lineage's name will be known across the continent."
Fang Lin lowered his head, hiding a broad, satisfied grin behind his raised sleeve. *Twenty thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones...*
Inside his soul sea, the Dark Flame Spirit was rolling with laughter. *Twenty thousand! Your own sect and its allies just spent a king's ransom on your creation!*
However, as the auctioneer prepared to hand over the container, the atmosphere in the hall shifted.
The Domain Forging elders of Scarlet Sun Palace, Heavenly Sword Lake, and Demon Suppression Temple did not launch ant mindless attacks—this was Black Tortoise City, the core territory of Black Tortoise Mountain. But their presence grew noticeably heavier.
The crimson-robed elder of Scarlet Sun Palace leaned slightly forward over his balcony railing, his voice carrying a measured, diplomatic weight that echoed clearly across the central hall:
"Sect Master Xuan Yuan, Black Tortoise Mountain has secured a weapon of extraordinary Law insight today. However, a technique that commands the Laws of Destruction affects the balance of the entire continent. Our sects expect Black Tortoise Mountain to open formal diplomatic talks for a joint research treaty in the coming days."
The elder of Heavenly Sword Lake and the monk of Demon Suppression Temple gave faint, silent nods of assent.
The threat was clear, veiled, and entirely political: Black Tortoise Mountain had won the weapon, but keeping its secrets exclusive would invite severe diplomatic and trade pressure from the continent's major powers.
Sect Master Xuan Yuan remained seated, his expression calm as he met their glances with unyielding dignity. "Black Tortoise Mountain welcomes all formal diplomatic exchanges through proper sect channels."
With the auction officially concluded under heavy diplomatic tension, Fang Lin sat quietly beside Elder Huo, already anticipating the massive payout awaiting him.
-