Days of relentless and harsh cultivation had exhausted both Abhimanyu's body and mind. For the first time in a long while, he decided to grant himself some rest.
That night, he neither ventured into the forest nor practiced martial arts. Instead, he returned to his room and lay down upon a soft mattress. The bed seemed to wrap his weary body in a gentle embrace. For days, he had been sleeping on the uneven, rugged ground of the forest, where every turn sent sharp pain through his back. Tonight, after a long time, he finally slept in peace.
The calm of the morning was abruptly shattered by a loud knock at the door.
Abhimanyu's eyes flew open. He rose and stepped outside.
Standing at the doorway was a household servant, who bowed respectfully and said,
"Young Master, the clan head has summoned you to the assembly hall."
A question surfaced in Abhimanyu's mind—
So early in the morning… why am I being called?
Still, without saying a word, he headed toward the assembly hall.
The moment he entered, his steps paused for an instant.
Seated upon the elevated chair of authority was his father—Mahendra Pratap Saini. Beside him sat the elder members of the family. On one side of the hall stood several members of the younger generation—and at the front stood Karan.
Then Mahendra spoke in a grave voice,
"We are all going to attend the auction held by the Vivan Merchant House. If you wish, you may come along with us."
Abhimanyu was just about to respond when Karan interrupted,
"Clan Head, what's the need to take Abhimanyu along? It's not like he'll buy anything. He has no martial arts, and frankly, he's of no use."
His words echoed through the hall.
For a fleeting moment, fire flared in Abhimanyu's eyes. Mahendra's expression hardened as well. Fixing Karan with a sharp gaze, he said coldly,
"Do not speak unless you are spoken to. Elders are discussing matters here—children have no place interrupting."
Karan's grandfather wanted to say something, but he lacked the courage to oppose the clan head. In the end, he spoke calmly,
"Karan, sit down. It is improper to speak out of turn in front of elders."
Then, turning toward Mahendra, he added,
"Still, Clan Head… Karan isn't entirely wrong. I'm not taking his side, but what would Abhimanyu even do by going there?"
Anger surged within Mahendra, but he restrained himself.
At that moment, Abhimanyu stepped forward and spoke calmly,
"The elder is right. I shouldn't attend the auction. I'm not even practicing martial arts properly at the moment."
He looked toward his father.
"Father, I have some personal matters to attend to. Please grant me permission to leave."
Mahendra wished to tell everyone that Abhimanyu had recovered—that he was no longer the same as before… but he chose to respect his son's decision.
The assembly came to an end.
The first and second elders of the Saini family, Clan Head Mahendra, Karan, and two members of the younger generation departed toward the auction house.
Abhimanyu returned to his room and prepared himself with a calm mind.
After some time…
He too set out for the Vivan Merchant House.
Upon reaching the auction house, he donned black robes and concealed his face—an act of caution on his part.
Special arrangements had already been made for him. A private seat, the token for which Kalyani had handed him earlier.
The moment he showed the token, a maid escorted him inside with utmost respect, without asking a single question, and guided him to his seat. By then, most of the attendees had already arrived.
He observed carefully.
His father and the members of the Saini family were present. The clan head of the Solanki family, Jai Singh Solanki, was seated nearby. From the Sisodia family, Bhanu Pratap Sisodia and his people had also arrived.
(The Sisodia family was Shivangi's family.)
In addition, powerful families from five neighboring cities were present—altogether nearly twelve influential clans had gathered for the auction.
They laughed and conversed with one another. To an outsider, they appeared like close friends—but everyone knew the truth… each family would go to any lengths to bring the others down.
At that moment, the auction began.
Kalyani stepped onto the stage.
In a melodious voice, she said,
"Greetings to you all. My name is Shivangi. You are already familiar with me, yet a formal introduction is still necessary."
Her smile—gentle, confident, and captivating. The hearts of the young men seemed to forget how to beat. Even several seasoned clan heads were momentarily entranced.
Abhimanyu thought to himself,
It seems she's personally hosting the auction to raise the prices with that smile of hers.
That smile was truly powerful. At first glance, even Abhimanyu nearly slipped under its spell.
He glanced around at the families.
Karan's eyes looked as though the entire world resided within them. The elders maintained their composure, but the younger generation—none of them could take their eyes off Kalyani.
Abhimanyu's gaze drifted instinctively toward Shivangi.
At first, a faint smile appeared on his face—but slowly, it transformed into a strange kind of anger. There was passion burning in his eyes.
Today, Shivangi seemed different. She was beautiful—yet before Kalyani's mature charm, she appeared almost childlike.
Jealousy flared within Shivangi's heart.
People even admire women who come on stage just to put on a show…
At that moment, Kalyani announced,
"Now then—let us begin the auction."
At her signal, a large tray was brought forth. It was heavy and mysterious, as if it carried something of immense value. The tray was placed upon the stage.
A maid handed Kalyani a letter. She opened it discreetly, shielding it from everyone's view.
'I do not wish to reveal my identity. Please keep my name confidential.'
— Abhimanyu
She calmly set the letter aside, as though nothing unusual had occurred.
Then Kalyani declared in a clear, resonant voice,
"The first item of the auction—a Magic Shield."
"This shield cannot defend from all directions, but it is capable of blocking the full force of any primary-level Nova-stage warrior. It can even withstand attacks from warriors at the Martial Disciple level."
"For the younger generation, this is an extremely valuable item."
A ripple of excitement spread through the auction hall.
Even Abhimanyu paused for a moment upon seeing the shield—though he felt no particular desire for it. Still, he understood its significance. For young warriors, such a shield represented the first stepping stone toward future power.
The bidding began at ten thousand silver coins.
Slowly, the price climbed—twenty thousand… thirty thousand… forty thousand.
The entire auction hall watched the fierce competition with bated breath.
In the end, the bid surpassed fifty thousand silver coins and finally settled at fifty-two thousand—equivalent to five thousand two hundred gold coins.
After that, item after item was brought onto the stage.
Each was rare. Each was powerful.
Yet none of them sparked any particular interest in Abhimanyu's eyes. The items that truly caught his attention were priced so high that even entertaining the thought of buying them felt like a burden.
Just then, Kalyani's gentle yet solemn voice echoed through the hall once more.
"The next item… is a famous sword."
Instantly, the auction hall fell silent.
"This sword is known as the Flame Rain Sword. At present, it is a dormant object—but once wielded by a warrior possessing a Fire Martial Spirit, it almost comes alive."
A faint gleam appeared in Kalyani's eyes.
"It has perfect compatibility with the fire element. When empowered by fire energy, the force of its strikes nearly doubles. It is not merely a weapon—it amplifies the warrior's strength itself."
As her words ended, a fierce desire ignited in the hearts of every fire-element martial warrior present. The hall erupted into murmurs.
The head of the Solanki family stood up.
"This Flame Sword would be perfect for my son, Anas. After all, he possesses a Fire Martial Spirit."
Immediately, a sharp voice rang out from the opposite side.
"Leader Solanki, what are you saying? My grandson Karan also possesses a Fire Martial Spirit. This sword is best suited for him."
The tension between the two was unmistakable.
The other families watched in silence. Everyone knew the truth— the Solanki family and the Saini family had long been locked in a struggle for dominance over Indore City.
They had clashed many times before. Warriors had died. Blood had been spilled. Yet neither side had ever emerged as the absolute victor.
Even the leaders of other cities and clans felt their hearts stir, each wishing to claim the sword for their own fire warriors.
At that moment, Kalyani raised her hammer and announced,
"The starting price for the Flame Rain Sword—thirty-two thousand silver coins, equivalent to three thousand gold coins."
The moment they heard the price, smaller families and independent warriors quietly shook their heads.
It was far beyond their means.
But for the great families—this was only the beginning.
"Three thousand five hundred!" the Solanki patriarch called out.
"Three thousand six hundred!" Abhimanyu's father immediately countered.
From there, the bidding exploded.
Four thousand… five thousand… seven thousand…
In the blink of an eye, the price soared to ten thousand gold coins.
Most families withdrew at this point.
Only a handful remained—the Solanki family, the Saini family, the Sisodia family, and a few powerful clans from other cities.
Then the head of the Patel family stood up.
"Eleven thousand gold coins."
The Patel family was a major power from Ujjaini City, with a rivalry against Indore spanning many years.
"Twelve thousand!" the Solanki family raised the bid again.
The numbers continued to climb—fourteen thousand… fifteen thousand…
Finally, the Saini family delivered a decisive strike.
"Seventeen thousand gold coins!"
The auction hall went deathly silent.
The hammer fell.
The Flame Rain Sword was awarded to the Saini family.
Abhimanyu had briefly considered bidding—but stopped himself.
He did not want to bring new trouble upon his family.
Even if the sword ended up in Karan's hands… he forced himself to accept it.
On the stage, a faint smile appeared on Kalyani's face. She turned and glanced once toward Abhimanyu—as if she had understood something.
Then the next item was presented.
"This is a fruit—a Rank 4 magical fruit."
Excitement returned instantly.
"It is said that this fruit enhances the power of one's Martial Spirit and aids in realm advancement. For a primary-level Nova-stage warrior, it can reduce the time needed to reach the Martial Disciple realm by half."
The bidding began.
Though it was not as expensive as the sword, competition was still fierce.
In the end, the Solanki family offered the highest bid.
"Eight thousand gold coins."
Kalyani was just about to bring down the hammer when—
"Ten thousand gold coins."
A deep, heavy voice echoed through the hall.
Raising the price by two thousand gold coins in a single move was no small matter.
All eyes turned toward the source.
A man cloaked in black robes.
It was Abhimanyu.
Feeling countless gazes upon him, his heart pounded violently. He feared that his father might recognize him.
But no one did.
Everyone understood—this man was deliberately hiding his identity, and he was certainly not from a small family.
Even his martial level was impossible to discern.
Kalyani calmed the hall and declared,
"This fruit… goes to this honorable guest."
The hammer fell.
The Solanki family was furious, but they said nothing.
They knew better than to provoke unknown powers.
Originally, Abhimanyu had not planned to buy the fruit.
But the mysterious voice had stopped him.
According to it, no one here knew the fruit's true value.
It was not only effective for martial cultivation—it was even more powerful for magic.
It could rapidly strengthen Abhimanyu's lightning element and elevate his lightning techniques to an entirely new level.
By now, Abhimanyu trusted that voice completely.
So he purchased the fruit.
The auction continued.
One item after another appeared, each family striving to strengthen itself.
On the mysterious voice's advice, Abhimanyu purchased two medicinal herbs as well.
He also bought a bead—though he had no idea what it was.
Yet once again, he chose to trust the voice.
In the end, all items combined, Abhimanyu spent nearly twenty-five thousand gold coins.
So how will this auction conclude?
And for how much will Abhimanyu's Level 2 Earth-element Martial Art be sold?