Martial Peak

Inside the auction hall, a middle-aged man dressed in scholarly robes walked onto the high platform. The light beams emitted by the lighting stones gave him a clean appearance, and with the paper fan in his hands, he seemed like a free and unrestrained spirit.

This middle-aged scholarly man was quite good looking and had a few sharp edges to his eyes, which did not make him appear old, but rather added a refined flair to his face. Many of the young girls and women in the hall were instantly drawn to him and many even revealed infatuated looks while they hid more unspeakable desires in their hearts.

There were many other cultivators who also recognized this middle-aged man and could not help showing bitter and gloomy expressions when he appeared.

Many began whispering in the hall and private rooms.

“Damn, it’s Little Black Face presiding over this auction, what the hell is Treasure Trove Pavilion thinking.”

“It’s all over, this time we’ve all fallen into a pit again.”

“I knew Treasure Trove Pavilion didn’t have any good intentions hosting this auction, but I never expected this guy to suddenly run out. Hasn’t it been more than ten years since the last time he played host?”

…..

There were various opinions and comments, and although no one spoke loudly, everyone who was participating in this auction had fairly strong cultivation, so it wasn’t difficult to hear what was being said. This was also true of the middle-aged scholarly man called Little Black Face, but upon hearing all this not only did he not look upset, but he smiled more brilliantly instead, as if he didn’t care one bit about the harsh words being said about him. Seeing this, the young girls and young women who were infatuated with this man began sweeping their beautiful eyes around angrily, as if they were rebuking others for their indiscreet words.

“Little Black Face?” In private room B-13, Yang Kai frowned before thoughtfully asking, “Is this person related to Senior Yan?”

Yan Pei’s nickname was Old Black Face, so this person clearly had something to do with Yan Pei as he was called Little Black Face; however, Yang Kai didn’t understand why all the cultivators around him were treating this middle-aged man like some kind of plague to be avoided.

Yang Yan shot a look of inquiry at Qing’er, expecting her to give an explanation.

Qing’er pursed his lips, seemingly wanting to laugh but not daring to act so inappropriately, taking a moment to compose herself to just smiling before explaining, “Two Seniors, this is Ren Tian Rui, one of our pavilion’s lead auctioneers. Senior Yan Pei is his master, so everyone calls him…”

Qing’er did not dare say anymore. It was alright for outsiders to use the nicknames Old Black Face and Little Black Face as Yan Pei and Ren Tian Rui had clearly earned such reputations, but as a junior member of Treasure Trove Pavilion, Qing’er obviously couldn’t take such liberties, otherwise, if others were to hear of it, she would definitely be punished.

Yang Kai failed to stifle his laughter though and nodded, “So that’s how it is, I understand.”

It seemed that this auctioneer named Ren Tian Rui was Yan Pei’s disciple and followed his master’s practices quite religiously. Otherwise, he would not have such infamy. It seemed that Yang Kai would have to be a bit careful while participating in this auction.

Atop the high platform, Ren Tian Rui smiled as warmly as ever and waved his hand before saying loudly, “To all of the Honoured Guests who have travelled from afar to participate in my Treasure Trove Pavilion’s auction, Treasure Trove Pavilion offers its sincere thanks. This auction will be presided over by this Ren. Please forgive me if you find that I have made a mistake.”

These opening remarks were so polite and inviting that no one was able to find any fault with them. No matter who saw him, they would think this Ren Tian Rui was the perfect host for an auction and he instantly earned the favour of many who were none the wiser.

Ren Tian Rui quickly followed up, “In fact, this auction was originally going to be presided over by my Master…”

As soon as these words were spoken, many people’s expressions became aghast and they subconsciously covered their Space Rings while staring towards the centre platform with vigilance, afraid that Yan Pei would suddenly slink out from the shadows.

Fortunately, Ren Tian Rui smiled and said, “But this Junior felt that, at Master’s age, he should stay behind the scenes and allow the younger generation to have a chance in the spotlight.”

“Good!” A cry of applause rang out.

“Brother Ren is a man of boldness with a great breadth of spirit!”

“Just let Old Black Face stay behind the scenes forever!”

Laughter quickly filled the hall.

Ren Tian Rui also smiled and nodded to the guests in the hall, “This Ren also had such intentions. En, after the auction is over, he will certainly work hard to persuade his Master to spend his remaining days in relaxation.”

Although these words carried a faint implication of betrayal and treason, it undeniably garnered a great amount of goodwill from many in the audience. At once, everyone’s vigilance towards Ren Tian Rui disappeared and was replaced with gratitude that he was the host of this auction.

“He’s not simple!” Yang Kai narrowed his eyes as he stared towards Ren Tian Rui. With just a few words, he had managed to bring the audience around to his side, and although this was nothing but a simple prologue, it had given him an advantageous position to host the following auction from. When the bidding began in earnest, even if this Ren Tian Rui continued raising prices, most people wouldn’t feel anything wrong with it.

This Ren Tian Rui’s comprehension of people’s mentality was extremely profound; it was no wonder he was called Little Black Face. His style of auction hosting was quite different from Yan Pei’s, but it was equally interesting.

“Good, I’m certain these friends are anxious to get started so this Ren won’t waste any more time on idle gossip. The auction will begin now!” Ren Tian Rui closed his folding fan with a snap and motioned to the curtains behind him.

A beautiful woman wearing an exquisite dress quickly walked out with an enchanting smile on her face. Holding a jade plate in her jade white hands, she soon arrived to stand in front of Ren Tian Rui.

Although this woman was an extraordinary beauty and her slightly wet eyes were capable of drawing in any man’s soul, at this moment, very few people were looking at her. Since these people had come here to attend the auction, naturally their attention was focused on the jade plate this woman was holding.

Needless to say, the object which was placed atop the jade plate was the first auction item. Unfortunately, this object was covered in a special red cloth making it impossible to see what it was. Many of the participating cultivators craned their necks anxiously as they waited for an explanation to be given.

Ren Tian Rui carefully read the mood of the hall and after pausing just enough to add some suspense to the atmosphere, he shouted, “In accordance with tradition, the first item auctioned, while not comparable to those of the finale, is not trivial either. If any of you find it of interest, please make a bid, otherwise, if you miss this opportunity you will certainly regret it for the rest of your life!”

Saying so, he reached out, grabbed the red cloth, and pulled it away to reveal a colourless round bead roughly the size of a goose egg. At first, this round bead appeared completely transparent, but if one looked carefully, they would see some thin filaments swimming about inside it. What was odd though, was that this bead gave off no energy fluctuations at all, as if it were just a common ornament without any real value.

“What is this?”

“I’ve never seen anything like it before!”

“Since Treasure Trove Pavilion dared to use it as the first auction item, there must certainly be something unique about it. En, just let Brother Ren explain.”

…..

“Spirit Storage Bead?” Inside private room B-13, Yang Yan’s eyes lit up as she instantly identified this first auction item.

Yang Kai glanced over at her lightly, really beginning to suspect that there was nothing in this world she did not recognize. If not for her seemingly boundless knowledge, Yang Kai would not have brought Yang Yan to this auction.

However, Yang Kai did not ask her what the purpose of this Spirit Storage Bead was, because he knew Ren Tian Rui would explain carefully.

Atop the centre high platform, Ren Tian Rui reached out and silently picked up the Spirit Storage Bead, holding it in his hand before quickly circulating his Saint Qi and infusing it into the bead. In front of everyone’s eyes, the colourless round bead began acting like a bottomless pit as it continuously absorbed Ren Tian Rui’s Saint Qi.

After a short time passed, the round bead began radiating a faint light and giving off a Saint Qi fluctuation identical to Ren Tian Rui’s.

Moments later, Ren Tian Rui stopped his actions and while smiling meaningfully he began circulating his Secret Art.

A surprising thing happened next. The Saint Qi which had been absorbed by this Spirit Storage Bead once again returned to Ren Tian Rui’s body in a smooth manner, without the slightest signs of incompatibility.

At the same time, the Spirit Storage Bead’s original appearance was rapidly restored, and its internal energy fluctuation also quickly disappeared.

The entire process was clearly witnessed by everyone in the hall, and by now, ninety-nine percent of the cultivators who were participating in the auction had at least a vague awareness about what this Spirit Storage Bead’s function was, causing them to stare excitedly towards the platform.

Ren Tian Rui chuckled and declared loudly, “I’m certain everyone must now understand the purpose of this Spirit Storage Bead. Indeed, it can store a cultivator’s Saint Qi and then rapidly return it to them, providing them with an immediate boost in the middle of a battle. Many friends, all of you must know that in the midst of a battle, the only way to supplement one’s Saint Qi is to take pills or absorb the energy from Saint Crystals, but regardless of which method one uses, the effect is far too slow. This Spirit Storage Bead is different! It can restore a cultivator’s Saint Qi reserves from empty to their peak state in an extremely short amount of time! Of course, one must store enough Saint Qi inside it beforehand.”

As soon as this description came out, the audience broke into a stir. Although everyone had their speculations just now, when Ren Tian Rui explained it in detail, they all found that they had greatly underestimated the value of this Spirit Storage Bead.

If this Spirit Storage Bead worked exactly as described, possessing it would be was nothing short of possessing a second life!

Many cultivators had fallen because their Saint Qi reserves had dried up in the middle of a fight, but if they could use this Spirit Storage Bead to supplement their Saint Qi, turning certain defeat into victory was not impossible.

For a time, countless hot eyes stared towards the centre platform, full of greed and desire. If not for having scruples about this being Treasure Trove Pavilion’s auction, countless masters here would have raced to snatch this life-saving treasure.

Even Yang Kai in room B-13 was moved by this Spirit Storage Bead.

This kind of treasure was truly Heaven defying, and even with his net worth and assets, Yang Kai was unable to ignore it, let alone others.

However, this thing was useless to Yang Kai because he never lacked Saint Qi, so soon after the idea of acquiring it occurred to him, he dismissed it and sat back to observe quietly. After all, such a good thing would certainly sell for an extremely high price. Although he brought 70 million Saint Crystals with him, Yang Kai was not completely confident he could win the item he had come here for. If he were to use his Saint Crystals now, causing him to be short of funds later, the gains would not equal the losses.