The Auction
"Eight hundred and ten thousand gold coins!"
The heavy, authoritative voice belonged to the head of the Saini family.
For a moment, the entire auction hall fell into stunned silence. Every gaze locked onto the stage—onto the Level-3 Torch Martial Art placed there with solemn reverence.
This was no ordinary martial technique.
It was a legacy—one capable of multiplying a family's power severalfold.
Abhimanyu's father had placed that bid after taking a deep breath.
He wanted this art—no matter the cost.
Eight hundred and ten thousand gold coins…
At the sound of that number, most people went quiet. Faces fell. Many families knew they simply did not possess the strength—or wealth—to compete at this level.
But then—
"Eight hundred and twenty thousand gold coins!"
The voice belonged to Jai Singh Solanki, head of the Solanki family.
He glanced toward the Sainis and smiled faintly, arrogance dripping from his expression.
"Mahendra," he said calmly, "do you really think I'd back down?
Your Saini family… has never been able to defeat the Solanki family."
The pride in his smile was unmistakable.
In response, Mahendra Saini smiled as well.
Confidence gleamed in his eyes.
"Jai Singh," he replied in a calm yet razor-sharp tone,
"Have you forgotten what happened last time?"
He paused briefly before continuing,
"Last year's competition—do you remember how our warriors defeated yours?"
"Yes, it was a contest among the younger generation," he added,
"but that alone was enough to reveal the true strength of a family."
Jai Singh's expression darkened instantly.
That defeat was still an open wound.
After a moment of silence, he scoffed.
"Why dig up old stories? Let's talk about the present."
A cruel glint flashed in his eyes.
"I've heard…" he said slowly, tilting his head in feigned sympathy,
"that your son's martial spirit never awakened."
He shook his head as if grieving.
"How unfortunate. The heir of the Saini family… turned out to be nothing more than an ordinary man."
Then, with a low chuckle, he added,
"Though, honestly… you aren't anything special either."
Those words struck Mahendra Saini straight in the heart.
They pierced his deepest weakness—his son.
For a moment, he couldn't even find a reply.
Then—
An elderly man stood up.
He was a senior of the Saini family, his posture filled with dignity, pride, and experience.
"What nonsense are you speaking, Jai Singh?" he thundered.
"Our clan leader's son doesn't even need to step forward."
He puffed out his chest proudly.
"My grandson—Karan—is more than enough for your Solanki family.
You must have heard… his Fire Martial Spirit has already awakened."
A ripple of murmurs swept through the hall.
Jai Singh opened his mouth to speak—but before he could—
Kalyani, standing on the stage, announced clearly,
"If there are no further bids, then this martial art—"
She hadn't finished when—
"Eight hundred and thirty thousand gold coins!"
Mahendra Saini's voice rang out.
The battle reignited instantly.
The numbers climbed relentlessly—
850,000…
880,000…
900,000 gold coins.
Finally, the hall held its breath.
Then—
"Nine hundred and ten thousand." — Saini family.
"Nine hundred and twenty thousand." — Solanki family.
"Nine hundred and thirty thousand."
Mahendra Saini spoke firmly,
"The Saini family is prepared to fight the Solanki family to the very end.
We will not place a lower bid than them."
Jai Singh's temper finally snapped.
"Nine hundred and fifty thousand!"
An instant jump of twenty thousand.
Mahendra laughed.
"What are you saying, Jai Singh?" he mocked lightly.
"You think you can buy a Level-3 Torch Martial Art with such a small bid?"
"That's impossible."
Then, calmly—
"Nine hundred and sixty thousand gold coins."
Jai Singh had reached his limit.
Roaring in fury, he shouted—
"One million gold coins!"
The auction hall went completely silent.
Everyone wondered the same thing—
Was this martial art truly worth such a price?
But Jai Singh didn't care.
There was only one thing on his mind—
Crushing the Saini family.
He waited, certain the Sainis would raise the bid again.
But—
Mahendra Saini remained silent.
Kalyani raised the hammer.
Thak—Thak—Thak!
"The Level-3 Torch Martial Art… goes to the Solanki family."
Jai Singh lifted his chin proudly and looked toward the Sainis.
But the very next moment—
His smile froze.
Because Mahendra Saini was smiling.
A smile that said—
My work is done.
Calmly, Mahendra spoke,
"Congratulations, Jai Singh. You finally managed to claim this martial art."
Then, with gentle sarcasm,
"I wanted to bid more… but then I thought, why bother?
After all, we should think about you too."
Locking eyes with him, he continued,
"You don't have capable warriors.
You don't have decent martial arts."
"So at the very least…" he smiled,
"you should own one good Torch Art."
Soft laughter spread through the hall.
Everyone understood—
The Saini family had deliberately forced the Solanki family to overspend by a hundred thousand gold coins.
Jai Singh couldn't show his humiliation in public.
He shouted loudly,
"We lack no money!
We are the wealthiest family in Indore!
Ten million gold coins are nothing to us!"
But everyone knew—
It was nothing but empty bravado.
With that clash, the auction finally ended.
People slowly departed with their purchases.
But Abhimanyu did not leave with the crowd.
He exited the auction house alone…
and walked toward the forest.
The Next Morning
The following day, Abhimanyu returned to the auction house.
This time, he had not changed his appearance.
This time…
he came as Abhimanyu himself.
Once again, he sat in the same chamber.
The atmosphere was calm, yet a faint tension lingered in the air.
Before him stood the same middle-aged man, his face etched with experience and cunning.
A short distance away, Kalyani sat gracefully on a chair, her expression composed.
At her signal, servants brought out the items Abhimanyu had purchased—one by one.
Finally, she placed a pouch before him and said calmly,
"Your martial art was sold for 130,000 gold coins.
According to trade regulations, the Commercial Union has taken 10%—13,000 coins—as commission."
Her gaze was fixed directly on Abhimanyu.
"Out of the remaining 117,000 gold coins, you spent 35,000 on various items," she said calmly. "And here are the remaining 82,000 gold coins."
As she spoke, she slid a small pouch toward him.
Abhimanyu picked up the 35,000 coins he had set aside earlier and secured them. His eyes then fell upon the pouch.
It was astonishingly small—so small that it seemed impossible for it to contain more than four or five kilograms at most. And yet, inside it lay 82,000 gold coins.
This, too, was a type of storage pouch.
However, its quality was mediocre at best. Its storage capacity was limited, it could deteriorate over time, and most importantly—it was difficult to conceal. Anyone with even a little experience could sense something suspicious about it.
In contrast, the storage stone Abhimanyu possessed looked like nothing more than an ordinary pebble that could fit in one's palm. Yet its storage capacity far surpassed that of this pouch.
He lifted the pouch and peered inside. The dazzling glow of gold coins momentarily blinded him.
Soon after, Kalyani handed over the five items Abhimanyu had purchased at the auction.
Abhimanyu then took out a list and passed it to her.
"Please arrange for these items as well."
The total cost of those items came to around 12,000 gold coins. After all expenditures, Abhimanyu was left with 70,000 gold coins in total.
With everything collected, he left the place calmly, without drawing any attention.
As soon as he reached home, Abhimanyu carefully transferred 17,000 gold coins from the storage pouch into his storage stone. The pouch was too conspicuous—keeping it around would only invite suspicion.
He then stored the five purchased items safely as well.
Night fell slowly.
Once darkness fully enveloped the land, Abhimanyu slipped out of the house without alerting anyone and headed straight toward the forest.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside the family court was completely different.
Abhimanyu's father, Mahendra Ji, sat at the head, surrounded by the First Elder and the other elders of the Saini family.
The First Elder spoke with evident satisfaction.
"Clan Head, purchasing the Flame Rain Sword for my grandson was an excellent decision. He needed a fire-element weapon. With this sword, his learning will accelerate, and his combat techniques will improve rapidly."
Mahendra Ji remained silent for a moment. Then he spoke in a deep, measured tone.
"Your words are correct. However, I believe all the youths of our family deserve an equal opportunity."
Every elder turned to look at him.
"In the competition to be held two months from now," Mahendra Ji continued, "whichever young member of the Saini family performs the best shall be the rightful owner of this sword."
The First Elder's expression hardened instantly. He was clearly displeased.
Yet the other elders exchanged glances—and slowly nodded in agreement. After all, they too had sons, grandsons, and nephews who had completed their Martial Awakening this very year, none of whom had even turned fifteen yet.
Mahendra Ji delivered the final verdict.
"It is decided. Two months from now, the winner of the competition will claim the Flame Rain Sword."
With that, he took the sword back into his possession.
At the same time, Abhimanyu had already reached the forest.
He sat inside the same cave where he had once fought a life-and-death battle.
He laid out all five items he had purchased.
Suddenly, the mysterious voice echoed once more.
"Leave all of that aside. Take out the bone first."
Abhimanyu picked up the bone. At first glance, it looked utterly ordinary.
"Hold it carefully," the voice instructed.
Suddenly, Abhimanyu felt as if the voice was emerging from within the bone itself.
"So I was right…"
"This is a Green Dragon's bone."
Abhimanyu's eyes widened in shock.
"A Green Dragon? What kind of creature is that?"
The voice answered calmly:
"The Green Dragon is an ancient being. Even in our era, it was extremely rare. It was neither as majestic as a Fire Dragon nor as powerful as a Blue Dragon. However, Green Dragons favored magic over martial arts. It was said that magic flowed through their very blood."
After a brief pause, the voice continued:
"You are truly fortunate. Every time, your luck manages to astonish me. I was wondering how you would advance on the path of magic… and yet you found this Green Dragon bone."
Silence followed.
Abhimanyu sat motionless.
About five minutes later, the voice echoed again.
"If we can obtain even a single drop of its blood, your progress in magic will be extraordinary. In the future, you will face no major obstacles on the path of magic."
"When you reach the Grand Master level, you may replace one of your arm bones with this bone. At that moment, your power will explode exponentially, and you will become a lethal threat to anyone."
"But for now… you must wait."
Abhimanyu stored the bone back inside his storage stone.
Then he picked up the bead.
"This is a magical bead," the voice explained. "If a mage attacks you in the future, you can channel your power into it and form a defensive barrier around yourself. Even a mage one full level above you will fail to break it nearly twenty times."
"But remember—this bead can only be used once."
Abhimanyu carefully put the bead away.
The voice then indicated the fruit.
"This fruit will raise your martial art level by one stage. You will advance directly from Level 6 to Level 7. At the same time, your magic will rise from the Primary Stage to the Disciple Stage."
The voice fell silent again.
Abhimanyu set the fruit aside and turned his gaze toward the remaining two herbs.
The voice echoed for the final time:
"These two herbs are extremely beneficial for your martial arts. Extract their liquid and drink it every morning and evening."
"After about a week, your progress will be clearly visible. Continue training diligently for the next two months—without fail."
"You will certainly reach the peak of Level 8, and it is even possible that you may step into Level 9."
The voice vanished.
Deep silence returned to the cave.
Abhimanyu sat there, lost in thought.
The next two months…
were going to change the direction of his life forever.