The auction continued without pause.
After purchasing the bead, Abhimanyu did not place a single bid on any other item. The reason was clear—every item's price was rising far faster than he had expected. The Saini family, along with all the major clans and influential merchant groups, were bidding without hesitation. In such an atmosphere, Abhimanyu understood that silence was the wisest choice for now.
Just then, another item was brought onto the stage.
It was neither a dazzling weapon nor a mysterious ancient tome—
it was a fragment of bone.
At first glance, the bone looked extremely strange. It appeared as though it had been struck again and again, as if someone had tried desperately to break it—yet it had endured. Its surface was covered in scratches, and faint cracks were visible, but despite all that, it was still intact. The bone had a dull, dusty hue, as though it had been buried beneath time and sand for countless centuries.
The moment Abhimanyu's eyes fell upon it—
That mysterious voice echoed once more inside his mind.
"Abhimanyu… you must buy this, no matter what it takes.
I can sense a different kind of power flowing from it.
It feels as if… I recognize it.
This will become extremely helpful to you in the future."
Never before had Abhimanyu heard such excitement in that voice.
Not even when the ancient book had first merged with him.
At that instant, Abhimanyu understood—
this bone was anything but ordinary.
From the stage, Kalyani's calm yet clear voice rang out.
"I do not know what this bone truly is, nor where it originally came from," she said. "However, my associates obtained it from the deep and dangerous regions of Ajanta. One of our Martial Grand Masters attempted to break it—yet even after using his full strength… he could not leave behind more than a single scratch."
A wave of commotion spread through the auction hall.
"We tested it in many different ways," Kalyani continued, "but we were unable to determine its use. That is why I decided to place it up for auction."
Then, emphasizing her words, she added,
"However, an object that cannot be damaged even after a Grand Master-level martial warrior exerts his full power—cannot possibly be something ordinary."
Many people nodded in agreement. Everyone knew that a Martial Grand Master was no trivial existence.
Kalyani took a deep breath and said,
"I do not know what the correct price of this bone should be. Therefore, there is no starting bid. Whoever offers the highest price—will take it."
The entire hall fell silent.
All eyes were fixed on the bone, yet no one dared to make the first move.
The reason was simple—two more major items were yet to appear in the auction, items for which most people had come here. Moreover, no one knew what this bone was actually used for. There was a very real possibility that it was completely worthless.
Finally, the City Lord of Devas broke the silence.
"1,000 gold coins."
A flicker of disappointment passed through Kalyani's eyes. She did not wish to sell such a mysterious item at such a low price.
Soon, the head of another major family spoke up.
"2,000 gold coins."
Then a merchant group leader called out,
"5,000 gold coins."
Silence descended once more.
No one wished to go beyond 5,000 gold coins. Who would take such a risk on an item whose purpose was completely unknown?
Just as Kalyani raised her hammer—
A heavy, cold voice echoed from the back of the hall.
"Ten thousand gold coins."
The entire auction hall turned at once.
All eyes fell upon the man dressed in black.
It was none other than—Abhimanyu.
He had thought long and hard before making this bid. But under the repeated insistence of the mysterious voice, he finally chose to take the risk. The moment the bid doubled in a single leap, everyone was stunned. Some even began to wonder—perhaps this truly was a priceless treasure.
Yet still… no one placed another bid.
A faint smile appeared on Kalyani's face. Ten thousand gold coins was no small amount—and moreover, the bone was of no use to them anyway. It had been lying in their possession for over a year without purpose.
Finally, the hammer fell.
Abhimanyu had acquired the mysterious bone.
The auction then picked up speed once again. At last, the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived—the bidding for a martial technique.
Kalyani announced,
"This is an Earth-level, Second-Grade martial art. Its primary focus is defense. Through this technique, a warrior can enter the earth itself and escape in times of crisis. The stronger the warrior, the farther the distance they can travel underground."
Looking around the hall, she continued,
"You all know this well—defensive martial arts are far more valuable than offensive ones. And this technique even includes an escape ability."
The atmosphere in the auction hall instantly grew intense once more.
"The starting bid for this martial art is—50,000 gold coins."
The entire hall was stunned into silence.
Then, like a sudden storm, bids began to rain down—
"55,000!"
"60,000!"
"65,000!"
"70,000!"
"80,000!"
"90,000!"
Abhimanyu stood frozen, watching the numbers climb. Inside his heart, shock surged.
A single martial art… and such a price?
Just then, the head of the Solanki family spoke in a deep, commanding voice,
"One hundred thousand gold coins."
The atmosphere instantly grew heavier.
After a brief pause, the bidding continued to rise—
"105,000!"
"110,000!"
"120,000!"
This was far beyond anything Abhimanyu had ever imagined. After months of relentless effort, he had barely managed to earn 5,200 gold coins—and here, people were spending over a hundred thousand on a single martial art without hesitation.
At last, the head of the Sisodia family stood up.
"130,000 gold coins."
The auction house fell completely silent.
One hundred and thirty thousand gold coins…
That was no small sum.
But the Sisodia family lacked a proper Earth-element martial art, and their daughter had recently awakened an Earth-element Gorilla spirit. For them, this technique was not a luxury—it was a necessity.
In the end, no one dared to bid higher.
The hammer fell.
That powerful Earth-element martial art was sold to the Sisodia family for 130,000 gold coins.
The auction's martial art segment came to an end.
Now came the item that could be called the greatest, most mysterious, and most expensive treasure of the entire auction.
Slowly, the curtain on the stage was drawn aside.
Everyone present felt their breathing stop.
Kalyani spoke calmly, yet each word struck like thunder.
"This… is a Level-Three Martial Art."
This was no ordinary matter.
In the entire city—no, even when counting several neighboring cities together—most people possessed at most one Level-Three martial art. Only the exceptionally fortunate had two. There were a few great families who owned Level-Four martial arts, but their number could be counted on one hand.
Yet whenever a Level-Three martial art appeared at an auction, powerful families from all surrounding cities would rush in like a tide.
Because a Level-Three martial art did not merely grant strength—
It became a family's status, the foundation of its future, and the power of generations to come.
Demand was everywhere…
Supply was almost nonexistent.
Standing at the front of the stage, Kalyani raised her hand with a faint smile as she observed the rising commotion. Her voice remained calm, yet it carried such authority that the entire hall gradually fell silent.
"This is a Level-Three martial art," she said clearly. "I know that most of you have saved your wealth specifically for this item."
She paused, allowing the weight of her words to sink into everyone's hearts.
"And that is only natural," Kalyani continued. "After all, this is the finest item of today's auction."
Greed, anticipation, and anxiety flickered together in the eyes of many present.
"So then," she said,
"let us begin the bidding for this Level-Three martial art."
Just as excitement reached its peak, she added another crucial detail—
"I will also make this clear," Kalyani said. "This martial art is not tied to any element. That means anyone can cultivate it."
At those words, many hearts began to race.
"However," her tone turned grave, "mastering it is extremely difficult. And as you all know—martial arts without elemental affinity are far more valuable than elemental ones."
It was like a bolt of lightning striking the hall.
Then, without delay, she announced,
"The starting bid for this martial art is—five hundred thousand gold coins."
At those words, Abhimanyu felt his heart rise to his throat.
Five hundred thousand…
It was an amount far beyond his imagination.
He knew he could never compete in this bidding war—yet his eyes remained locked on the stage. Even the representatives of the great families fell silent for a moment after hearing the opening price.
But the silence did not last long.
The head of the Patel family was the first to stand.
"Five hundred ten thousand gold coins."
That single bid shattered the stillness of the hall.
A flood of bids erupted.
The amount climbed at terrifying speed—
Five hundred thousand…
Six hundred thousand…
Seven hundred thousand…
And in the blink of an eye, the price reached eight hundred thousand gold coins.
By the time it reached eight hundred thousand, many families had already withdrawn. Some had reached their limits; others no longer dared to take the risk.
An eerie silence spread across the hall once more.
Then, tearing through that silence, a calm, cold, and confident voice echoed from the back—
"Eight hundred ten thousand gold coins."
What price will the Level-Three martial art finally reach?
The answer awaits in the next chapter.