Chapter Thirty: The Dragon's Roaring Bow

So this is what it means to be a Human Rank powerhouse! Yi Tian couldn’t help but marvel; just now, the mere aura of a Human Rank expert had almost crushed him to the point where his true energy nearly erupted out of control.

In essence, a Human Rank cultivator had already transcended the realm of ordinary mortals. They could walk on air, possessed lifespans of up to two hundred years, and their strength was so overwhelming that even Ninth Rank warriors were utterly powerless before them.

Across the entire Jingmu Prefecture, Human Rank powerhouses stood at the very pinnacle of this land.

“Ladies and gentlemen!”

At this moment, the auctioneer for the Black Dragon Auction finally appeared. He was an elder of about sixty years, his voice sonorous and carrying through the entire Gathering Moon Pavilion. In an instant, all other sounds in the hall faded away.

“Welcome, everyone, to the Black Dragon Auction held by our Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. This time, there are a total of six hundred and thirty-four lots, and we expect the auction to last for two hours. Now, let the auction officially begin!”

Following his announcement, the staff brought up a tray.

The auctioneer lifted the brocade cloth, revealing a jade bottle, and spoke excitedly, “Ladies and gentlemen, the first item up for auction is a bottle of low-grade Dans—Nine Luoxue Pills in total. These are true elixirs for healing; just one Luoxue Pill can swiftly restore a gravely injured person on the brink of death, saving their life. The starting bid is five hundred elemental stones!”

“Five hundred and fifty!”

Someone immediately called out an offer.

“Five hundred sixty!”

“Five hundred seventy!”

With the opening of the first lot, the majority of guests were drawn into fierce bidding, and the price soared rapidly.

Before long, the bottle of Luoxue Pills had already reached one thousand three hundred low-grade elemental stones.

“The price for these Luoxue Pills is simply astronomical!” Yi Tian and his companions couldn’t help but click their tongues in awe. A single Luoxue Pill required at least over a hundred low-grade elemental stones, an exorbitant price, even if it could save the life of someone gravely wounded.

Yet in a world rife with endless conflict, death and injury were commonplace.

No one would be so extravagant as to use a pill worth over a hundred elemental stones to save a single life—only the scions of great powers could afford such luxuries.

Even for some lone high-level warriors, a life-saving pill like this would be their most important possession, never to be wasted except in the direst of crises.

“One thousand five hundred!”

At that moment, a voice from a private box on the second floor called out a bid.

At once, the warriors on the first floor fell silent; the forces on the upper floors had joined in, and with a single bid raised the price by two hundred stones.

After that box made its move, no one else from the private boxes joined the bidding, and so the lot was easily won by them.

For those in the other boxes, while they too desired the Luoxue Pills, it was not a necessity—they needed to conserve their elemental stones for later auctions, for items they truly coveted.

“One thousand five hundred, first call. One thousand five hundred, second call. One thousand five hundred, third call—sold!” the auctioneer declared, bringing the sale to a close.

Next, the second and third lots were brought forth, each sparking eager competition among many warriors.

However, though these subsequent items were fine goods, none surpassed a thousand elemental stones in price; most hovered in the several hundreds, and one by one, they were auctioned off.

Yi Tian and his companions were dazzled by the spectacle.

In addition, Yi Tian and the others overheard a few vaguely familiar voices bidding frequently. Exchanging glances, the members of the Reincarnation Squad quickly understood—these must be the warriors arranged by the tribe, who were bidding often and acquiring many prized items.

“Next, we have storage treasures up for auction: three storage rings, each with a space of ten zhang, and ten storage pouches, each with a space of one zhang.”

With the elixirs now all sold, it was time for storage treasures to take the stage.

Yi Tian and the others instantly perked up.

“A storage pouch, one zhang in size, with a starting bid of one thousand low-grade elemental stones.”

As the auctioneer announced the lot, a wave of bids swept through the crowd, sending prices climbing higher and higher. Even the guests in the second and third floor boxes joined the fray.

“Three thousand five hundred!”

In the end, Yi Kuang placed the winning bid, securing the first storage pouch.

Soon after, a staff member delivered the pouch, and Yi Kuang paid thirty-five violet crystal banknotes to the auction house staff, completing the transaction.

Each violet crystal banknote was worth one hundred low-grade elemental stones and could be exchanged at any Tianfeng Bank branch in the major cities of the Tianfeng Empire. Just yesterday, all the elemental stones the group had brought had been converted into these notes at the Tianfeng Bank.

Tianfeng Bank was an institution run by the empire itself, spanning the entire country, and offered both storage and exchange services for elemental stones.

As such, many warriors kept their elemental stones in Tianfeng Bank. However, every deposit of one hundred low-grade elemental stones incurred a fee of one stone; there was no limit on the duration, so long as the bank did not close down.

Many noble families and powerful factions in the Tianfeng Empire kept their elemental stones in the bank for safekeeping, protecting their resources from being seized by powerful rivals.

Of course, there were two types of violet crystal banknotes: registered and bearer. Registered notes could not be transferred and could only be withdrawn by the owner, or by their heirs upon the owner’s death.

Even so, many powerful forces still chose not to deposit their stones, as they possessed deep foundations and formidable strength.

The notes Yi Tian and his companions had exchanged for were bearer notes, which could be freely transferred and used at a value of one hundred low-grade elemental stones each.

Each of Yi Tian’s group of six successfully bid for a storage pouch, paying roughly similar prices.

Having secured their new storage pouches, Yi Tian and his companions eagerly began to experiment with them.

Yi Tian infused his true energy into the pouch in his hand, and soon he could sense the entire space within, as if it were an extension of his own body.

Store!

In an instant, Yi Tian loaded his weapons, longbow, quiver, and other belongings into the pouch.

Yi Feng, Yi Shan, and the others were also curiously playing with their own storage pouches.

As for the heated and sometimes hostile gazes cast their way, Yi Tian and his companions paid them no mind.

Before attending the auction, they had already disguised themselves. Most of the warriors present had done likewise, wearing makeup, cloaks, or veils.

Of course, some openly showed their faces, confident in their own strength or the power backing them.

In the subsequent auctions, Yi Feng, Yi Shan, Yi Li, Yi Kuang, and Yi Hong each set their sights on items they fancied and joined the bidding, successfully acquiring their favored spirit weapons.

Yi Tian too won a Golden Scale Sword.

The Golden Scale Sword was a high-grade spirit weapon, a type of spiritual artifact with excellent conductivity for true energy—over ninety percent efficiency—and tremendous lethality. Yi Tian paid eight thousand nine hundred low-grade elemental stones to secure it.

The auction soon passed its halfway point, with only a few dozen lots remaining. At this stage, only the guests in the second and third floor boxes were still bidding, and competition was fierce. Prices soared, each item fetching over ten thousand low-grade elemental stones—sheer madness.

Yi Tian and his companions couldn’t help but sigh in amazement. So these clans and factions possessed such deep foundations, able to bring out tens of thousands of elemental stones at a time—they had truly underestimated them.

Of course, Yi Tian did not realize that for those forces, bringing out such sums all at once was a heavy blow to their resources. If not for the fact that the grand auction was held only once every decade, and certain items were truly rare opportunities, they would never be so reckless, bidding for every item they coveted.

After all, these represented the accumulations of decades or even centuries.

“Next up is a supreme-grade spirit bow, the Dragon’s Roar Bow. Only those with a strength of ten thousand catties can draw it, and only with a hundred thousand catties can it be drawn fully. It comes with twenty Demon-Breaking Arrows, capable of piercing even the defenses of mid-tier vicious beasts. The starting bid is fifteen thousand low-grade elemental stones!”

When the auctioneer introduced the fifth lot, Yi Tian's eyes lit up.

A supreme-grade spirit bow!

Yi Tian’s breathing quickened—he was determined to win it.

With this supreme-grade spirit bow, Yi Tian’s strength would increase by severalfold, allowing him to unleash his full power.