"Eight thousand one hundred gold coins!"
Although many had already backed out after hearing the starting price, a few wealthy young cultivators still joined the bidding, their voices cutting through the room. The numbers began climbing steadily, pushing past nine thousand and inching toward ten thousand gold coins.
But once the price reached that five-figure mark, the pace slowed noticeably, hesitation starting to creep in.
"I'll offer eleven thousand five hundred gold coins," Zhao Xiaotian's voice rang out again, calm but carrying an air of pride. He didn't yet own a storage ring, and for someone like him, who loved to flaunt wealth and status, such an item was irresistible. Not only was it useful, but wearing it in public would be the ultimate show of prestige.
"Twelve thousand gold coins," Li Yun called immediately after Zhao Xiaotian, his voice casual yet deliberate, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he looked directly at him.
Zhao Xiaotian's body stiffened at the sound. His jaw clenched. He wanted to raise his offer, but the memory of being played and humiliated by Li Yun earlier still burned in his mind. This felt like the start of another trap.
Besides, he had already judged that twelve thousand was the absolute upper limit for this storage ring. Any higher, and the purchase wouldn't be worth it.
Still, he gritted his teeth and pushed once more. "Twelve thousand one hundred gold coins."
Li Yun didn't flinch. "Thirteen thousand gold coins," he announced smoothly, adding a full thousand in one go without a second thought.
The room stirred, most people increased their bids in small increments, but Li Yun's leap was the move of someone who was either immensely wealthy or utterly confident.
Zhao Xiaotian's eyes twitched. He took several deep breaths to calm the irritation bubbling inside him. In the end, he backed down. If he pushed the price higher and Li Yun suddenly dropped out, he'd be forced to buy the ring for more than thirteen thousand, taking a loss of at least a thousand gold coins.
Normally, that wouldn't have been a big deal for him, but after the massive hit he'd taken over the cold sword earlier, even a thousand gold coins felt like a wound he didn't want reopened.
"Hmph. I'm not bidding this time," he muttered, shooting Li Yun a sharp look. "I'll just wait and see how you manage to pay thirteen thousand gold coins."
In his mind, there was no way Li Yun could afford it. If Li Yun failed to pay, the Treasure Pavilion wouldn't let it slide, they'd drag him out in disgrace, and Zhao Xiaotian would savor every second of it.
Li Yun only smiled faintly and didn't bother responding. With Zhao Xiaotian out, no one else in the hall showed any interest in continuing the contest.
The auctioneer's voice soon confirmed it, Li Yun had successfully claimed the storage ring for thirteen thousand gold coins. He was satisfied with the result, though he knew that if Zhao Xiaotian hadn't meddled, he could have secured it for far less.
The staff member stepped forward and respectfully handed the storage ring to Li Yun. Without the slightest hesitation, Li Yun counted out thirteen thousand gold coins and passed them to the Treasure Pavilion staff.
The transaction was swift and clean, and once the payment was confirmed, he calmly tucked the ring away.
The surrounding guests, who had been quietly watching, suddenly widened their eyes in surprise. Many of them, just like Zhao Xiaotian, had been certain that Li Yun wouldn't be able to produce such a large sum.
They had assumed he was simply acting arrogant, raising the price beyond his means. Yet here he was, handing over the full amount without so much as a crease in his brow, as though thirteen thousand gold coins were nothing more than spare change.
It was a revelation, Li Yun's wealth was clearly far greater than anyone had expected.
"How… how is this possible?" Zhao Xiaotian's voice slipped out in disbelief. In his mind, it was inconceivable that Li Yun could afford such an amount. Even Li Hua, with her status, might have struggled to take out so many gold coins on the spot.
His expression darkened, eyes narrowing in resentment. "Where did this bastard get so many gold coins?" he thought bitterly. To him, Li Yun had always been nothing but the disgrace of the Li Family, yet now he had paid this sum with ease, it was an insult he couldn't swallow.
The bidding for the storage ring concluded, and the auction moved on.
"The next item up for auction," Lan Yueli's clear voice rang out, "is a set of five purple fruits. The reserve price is twelve thousand gold coins. I know many of you are here specifically for these, and I believe you've been waiting long enough. The bidding starts now, with each increase no less than one thousand gold coins."
In her hands rested the prize, five plump, fist-sized purple fruits, their smooth skins shimmering faintly as they released a sweet, refreshing fragrance into the air.
Previously, bids for items like the Dark Light Sword or the storage ring had only required increments of one hundred gold coins. But the purple fruits demanded thousand-gold jumps, a sign of just how confident the Treasure Pavilion was in their value.
At twelve thousand for the starting price, each fruit was worth nearly two thousand five hundred gold coins, a staggering amount for something so small.
The fruits were being auctioned in a set, and Li Yun didn't know how many such sets there would be, perhaps three or four, or maybe just this single batch. If it was the latter, then missing this chance could mean losing it forever.
As soon as the fruits were unveiled, the energy in the auction hall shifted. A subtle tension gripped the air. It was clear that almost every cultivator present, apart from Chen Xiao, had their eyes fixed on the purple fruits.
But wanting them was one thing; having the financial means to compete was another entirely.
"Li Yun, the purple fruits are here," Li Hua whispered, lightly tugging his sleeve. "I brought about ten thousand gold coins. You should keep a close watch on the bidding. And… put that storage ring away for now."
She was worried, if Li Yun didn't have enough funds left, he might lose this rare opportunity. Even with her ten thousand, it wasn't certain they could secure the fruits. The reserve price alone was already two thousand higher.
Li Yun smiled faintly. "Sister Li Hua, don't worry. I know exactly what I'm doing."
He had come to this auction for one reason above all, the purple fruits. And now that they were finally here, there was no way he was going to let them slip away.
"Fifteen thousand gold coins!"
The base price for the purple fruit had been set at twelve thousand gold coins, with each bid required to rise by no less than one thousand. But as soon as Lan Yueli's voice faded, a cultivator from the crowd jumped in with a bold increase of three thousand in one go.
Li Yun recognized the bidder, a member of a fairly influential family in Azure Wind City. While not as prestigious as the city's three great families, they still ranked just below them in power. The man's gaze burned with hunger as he stared at the five purple fruits laid out before them, unable to mask his greed.
For practitioners below the Body Tempering Realm, these fruits were treasures beyond compare. A single purple fruit could push someone from the middle stage of Marrow Cleansing straight into the late stage. For those already in the late stage, it could shorten the gap to the Body Tempering Realm itself, something that might otherwise take years of effort.
"Sixteen thousand gold coins!" another voice rang out, undeterred by the high opening bid.
"Eighteen thousand gold coins," Zhao Xiaotian called next, his tone heavy with determination. Currently at the middle stage of Marrow Cleansing himself, the lure of a swift breakthrough to the late stage was irresistible.
"Twenty thousand gold coins."
The voice this time was smooth and clear, belonging to none other than Zhen Mayo, seated beside Chen Xiao. It was obvious she had come to the auction with the sole purpose of securing these fruits. With Chen Xiao by her side, her backing was formidable, financial limitations were hardly her concern. But how far Chen Xiao was willing to go for her remained uncertain.
Unlike fixed-value treasures such as weapons or armor, the price of rare spiritual medicines like purple fruit could soar without limit. If a wealthy cultivator was determined enough, and had rivals pushing against them, the final sum could easily skyrocket.
"Twenty-one thousand gold coins!"
"Twenty-two thousand gold coins!"
The bidding climbed rapidly, and the hall's atmosphere turned heavy. Gone were the playful smirks and mocking tones from earlier. Now, every bidder spoke with the solemn focus of someone fighting for something truly valuable.
"Twenty-three thousand gold coins," Zhao Xiaotian pressed forward again.
"Twenty-five thousand gold coins," Zhen Mayo countered without a moment's hesitation, her voice steady and resolute. She clearly intended to claim the fruits no matter the cost.
Li Yun's lips curled into a faint, cold smile. Of all the people here, he disliked Zhen Mayo even more than Zhao Xiaotian. If she wanted the purple fruit this badly, then he would make certain she didn't get it. He also wanted to remind her, publicly, of the cost of offending Sister Hua.
Still, Li Yun wasn't blind to reality. If Chen Xiao decided to back Zhen Mayo with everything he had, Li Yun might not win. Chen Xiao had been in the Body Tempering Realm for years and was the son of the Chen family patriarch, the most powerful man in Azure Wind City. His resources were on an entirely different level.
But Li Yun suspected Chen Xiao's generosity toward Zhen Mayo had limits. If Chen Xiao truly valued her that much, she wouldn't still be chasing his approval to this day.
"Young Master, the Patriarch said you must bid with everything you have for the Marrow Cleansing Potion."
Zhao Xiaotian's eyes, already tense from the bidding war, flushed with frustration. He had been ready to raise the offer again after Zhen Mayo's bid, but before he could speak, a Zhao family guard leaned close and whispered the message in his ear. The moment the words registered, his expression shifted sharply.
For all his arrogance in public, Zhao Xiaotian knew better than to defy his father, the head of the Zhao family. And now, with his father's explicit order to focus entirely on securing the Marrow Cleansing Potion, there was no room for argument. He couldn't afford to disobey.
His face went through several changes as he weighed his options, but in the end, the choice was clear, he had to give up. Spending over twenty-five thousand gold coins on a set of purple fruits was simply too steep, especially now.
The guards had brought him additional funds from the clan specifically because the auction was offering an excellent-grade Marrow Cleansing Potion, but if he blew that money on the purple fruit and failed to win the potion later, he didn't even want to imagine the punishment awaiting him back home.
That was a risk he wasn't willing to take.
"The current bid for this set of purple fruits is twenty-five thousand gold coins," Lan Yueli announced, her eyes sweeping the hall as she gave the crowd a moment to respond. "Does anyone wish to offer a higher price?"
Zhen Mayo's lips curved faintly as she glanced around, trying to appear composed. But her eyes, sharp and restless, betrayed the truth, she was anxious.
"Director Lan, I'll offer thirty thousand gold coins," Li Yun's voice cut in smoothly.
He didn't just edge the price up, he leapt from twenty-five thousand to thirty thousand in one move, adding five thousand gold coins at once. There was no hesitation in his tone. He clearly had no interest in dragging the fight out; he wanted to end it decisively, overwhelming his competition and forcing certain people to back down.
A ripple of shock moved through the crowd.
Zhen Mayo's head snapped toward Li Yun, her gaze a mix of surprise and fury. Thirty thousand gold coins, such a jump was hard to stomach, but she didn't want to let go. She had worked too hard, flattering and positioning herself to secure these fruits with Chen Xiao's help. To lose them now would be humiliating.
Her lips parted, ready to bid again—
"Zhen Mayo, let this set go," Chen Xiao said, frowning slightly as he leaned toward her. His tone was calm, but the shake of his head left no room for discussion. "The price is getting too high."
If the excellent-grade Marrow Cleansing Potion hadn't been up for auction later, Chen Xiao might have encouraged her to fight for the fruit. But now his priorities had shifted. The potion, while unnecessary for his own cultivation, was far more valuable to the Chen family than a set of purple fruits could ever be.