"This map was unexpectedly obtained by a guest of my Mitre Family. Even Master Gu Ni cannot determine its origin. The only thing that can be confirmed is that it is an incomplete map. It could be a quarter of the complete map, or an eighth, or even a smaller fragment. Without seeing the complete map, no one knows the specifics."
"Enough with the pleasantries. The bidding starts now. The starting price is ten thousand gold coins."
As Ya Fei's words fell, the hall immediately erupted in whispers.
A starting price of ten thousand gold coins was already quite high for the various families whose wealth was nearly depleted.
Therefore, even those interested in the incomplete map had to carefully consider whether to bid.
This resulted in sparse and unenthusiastic bidding. When the price reached thirty thousand gold coins, several breaths passed without anyone raising the price further.
Seeing this, 'Xiao Yan' in the corner couldn't help but curl his lips slightly.
A bunch of ignorant fools!
However, for him, this wasn't bad. Getting his hands on it would become very simple.
Thinking this, Yao Chen immediately spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Thirty-one thousand gold coins!"
The price climbed again. The person who had just spoken shook his head slightly and stopped bidding.
However, just as Ya Fei was about to bring down the hammer, and Yao Chen thought he had secured it, suddenly, the black-robed figure who had previously attracted much attention spoke again.
"Forty thousand gold coins!"
Yao Chen frowned slightly. He wasn't sure if this Dou Ling expert was acting on a whim or had truly seen the value of the incomplete map.
Immediately, Yao Chen spoke directly.
"Sixty thousand!"
"One hundred thousand gold coins!"
Almost at the same time as Yao Chen's voice fell, the black-robed figure immediately followed up, adding forty thousand gold coins in one go. His determination to win the incomplete map was already evident.
Noticing this, the smile on Yao Chen's face gradually faded.
In his lifetime, competition from a Dou Ling would naturally be insignificant. But now that he was down and out, although he had many valuable items in his Storage Ring, he had no gold coins.
The only usable funds were the roughly three hundred thousand gold coins from the auction of the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid just now, and the Mitre Auction House would still deduct some from that.
With such a small amount of gold coins, competing with a Dou Ling didn't offer much chance of winning.
Could it be that I have to use other methods?
"This gentleman has bid one hundred thousand. Is there anyone else willing to raise the price..."
"Two hundred and fifty thousand gold coins!"
Before Ya Fei could finish speaking, Yao Chen spoke again.
He had no interest in raising the price little by little with that Dou Ling. He directly stated the highest price he could offer.
As soon as these words were spoken, the auction house was instantly in an uproar. Even Xiao Zhan and others turned to look, not understanding why such a useless incomplete map could cause such competition.
This price was even higher than the Profound Middle-Rank Dou Skill and the Soul Scattering Sand that had appeared earlier, second only to that Profound Middle-Rank Cultivation Method.
Could it be that this incomplete map is really a good item?
For a moment, gazes turned towards the incomplete map, but no matter how they pondered, they still couldn't see any value in it.
Some people had already realized that the problem wasn't with the incomplete map, but with their own lack of knowledge. But at this price, even if they wanted to compete, they were powerless.
"Bid three hundred and fifty thousand."
A familiar voice transmission sounded in the ears of the black-robed Dou Ling in the front row.
Without the slightest hesitation, he raised the price as instructed.
In the corner, 'Yao Chen's' expression turned slightly cold.
He stared intently at the Dou Ling expert for a long time before turning to ask Ya Fei.
"Can I trade items?"
The value of gold coins as currency on the Dou Qi Continent could probably only be maintained up to the Dou Huang and Dou Zong levels.
In higher-level places, or when stronger experts traded, it was almost always in the form of item exchange. This was why Yao Chen, with his high status in his lifetime, was now troubled by a few hundred thousand gold coins.
"Please wait a moment, sir. There is no precedent for item exchange at the Mitre Auction House. Ya Fei needs to ask for the opinion of the incomplete map's owner regarding this matter."
Ya Fei smiled and bowed slightly, then left for the backstage to drink tea under the pretense of asking.
Hai Bo Dong and the other two stood on the second floor. Most of the people below could see them. A Dou Huang expert, for the current Yao Chen, was not someone he feared, but there was no need to offend him either.
After all, he himself didn't care, but now that he wanted to cultivate Xiao Yan, he had to consider Xiao Yan to some extent.
Therefore, he did not release his soul power to sense the communication between Ya Fei and the incomplete map's owner, nor did he know that Ya Fei was currently drinking tea.
"Is he the person you said knows the value?" From above, Hai Bo Dong looked at Chen Xiao.
"That's right. This person has many trump cards and a very special identity. You need to be careful when dealing with him. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered putting so much effort into him."
"Are the things on him very important to you?"
"Extremely important. It concerns the life of a friend of mine."
After some deliberation, Chen Xiao decided what he would "borrow" using this opportunity.
Immediately, he summoned Gu Ni, gave him some items, and had Gu Ni go set things up first.
In just a few minutes, Gu Ni had everything quickly arranged.
At the same time, Chen Xiao also sent a message to Ya Fei, instructing her to take the stage again.
"Apologies for the wait, everyone. After discussions between Ya Fei and the owner of the incomplete map, the other party has agreed to an item-for-item auction method."
"However, the owner of the incomplete map has stated clearly that the item offered by this gentleman must be of greater value than the price offered by the previous gentleman, and it must satisfy him. To facilitate communication between the three of you, please, both gentlemen, move to the leftmost room on the second floor to bid in person."
"Coincidentally, our Mitre Family's Grand Elder, Lord Ice Emperor Hai Bo Dong, and two distinguished guests are also at the auction house today. They will ensure the absolute secrecy of your transaction and your personal safety."
Hearing Ya Fei's words, the Black Robe Dou Ling didn't hesitate and immediately left the hall, heading towards the second floor, giving off a feeling of boldness due to his skill.
Yao Chen frowned slightly. Having a strong expert supervise the transaction was naturally a good thing for the weaker party.
But he himself was a strong expert. With this method of transaction, everyone thought he was the one benefiting, but in reality, it restricted some of the ideas that had flashed through his mind.
"Old Yao, are we going?" Xiao Yan asked in his mind.
"Fine, let's go. Even with normal competition, we have an absolute advantage."
Unless absolutely necessary, Yao Chen didn't want to easily make a move.
Responding to Xiao Yan, Yao Chen immediately controlled Xiao Yan's body and headed to the second floor.
...
Arriving at the agreed-upon room, the Xiao Yan master and disciple pair took a brief look around.
The room was very spacious, as if someone had lived there. They could see many bottles and jars on the table, as well as some stacked ancient books.
Yao Chen could tell at a glance that the bottles and jars contained nothing but poison!
Among the stacked ancient books, the one on top was titled Records of Poisonous Materials.
At this moment, the Black Robe Dou Ling was already sitting on a chair nearby, waiting.
Opposite this Dou Ling sat Chen Xiao, Zi Yan, and Hai Bo Dong, whom Xiao Yan was familiar with.
The so-called owner of the incomplete map was not present.
However, behind Chen Xiao and the other two, there was a hidden door leading to the adjacent room.
Seeing this arrangement, Yao Chen guessed the process of this transaction.
Immediately, he controlled Xiao Yan's body, slightly cupped his hands in greeting towards Chen Xiao and the other two, and sat down silently not far from the Black Robe Dou Ling.
With both bidders present, Hai Bo Dong stood up with a smile.
"I won't introduce myself. The following bidding will be personally handled by me. You will bid against each other. If this gentleman wishes to exchange items, just tell me what you are willing to offer, and I will relay it to the owner of the incomplete map in the next room. This is also for his safety."
"Furthermore, I must remind you, just compete fairly. Do not make any unnecessary small moves."
"Otherwise, you will bear the consequences!"
Hai Bo Dong said this while looking at the Black Robe Dou Ling, the warning couldn't be more obvious.
The Black Robe Dou Ling nodded silently.
Yao Chen was quite helpless. This Mitre Auction House was really trying to be helpful but causing trouble...
After sternly warning the Black Robe Dou Ling, Hai Bo Dong then looked at Yao Chen and waved his hand, setting up a soundproof barrier.
"Sir, you can now confidently state your price. If the owner of the incomplete map is interested, I will convert your price into Gold Coins and inform this Dou Ling expert. If he does not increase his bid, then the incomplete map will be yours. Conversely, the competition will continue. Is that clear?"
"A Profound Middle-Rank Cultivation Method."
Yao Chen nodded, without hesitation, and spoke in a hoarse voice.
A Profound Middle-Rank Cultivation Method had just been auctioned for a high price of over 400,000, far exceeding the Black Robe Dou Ling's bid of 350,000.
Hai Bo Dong nodded slightly, pretending to open the hidden door behind Chen Xiao and Zi Yan, and whispered to another black-robed person waiting in the adjacent room.
Soon, Hai Bo Dong returned.
"I regret to inform you, although the value of the Profound Middle-Rank Cultivation Method exceeds this Dou Ling's bid, the owner of the incomplete map does not need it. Sir, would you like to change your offer, or should I convert the price and continue the bidding?"
Yao Chen shook his head, "No need for such trouble. I would like to ask Ice Emperor, is this room where the owner of the incomplete map resides?"
"That's right, he is a guest of our Mitre Family. Many of the items in this auction were provided by him. I cannot reveal anything further."
Hearing this, Yao Chen chuckled inwardly.
He glanced at the bottles and jars on the table and already knew how to handle the owner of the incomplete map.
"Then please ask Ice Emperor to relay this: I can concoct a poison potent enough to threaten a Dou Ling expert for him!"
"Please wait."
Hai Bo Dong went in and out again.
Not long after, he returned with a reply.
"I am very sorry, he said that no one understands how to concoct poison better than him, because he has a friend who can even eat poison as food."
Hai Bo Dong relayed, and couldn't help but chuckle lightly, as if even he thought the owner of the incomplete map was joking.
The speaker had no intention, but the listener took it to heart.
Yao Chen's heart stirred. He took out a scroll from his Storage Ring and handed it to Hai Bo Dong.
"I think this time, he won't be able to refuse."
Yao Chen's tone was incredibly confident, so confident that it greatly puzzled Hai Bo Dong.
Without saying more, Hai Bo Dong continued his errand.
In less than a minute, he returned again.
"The fragment owner is very satisfied with your price. This fragment is yours, sir."
Removing the soundproof barrier, Hai Bo Dong announced directly.
Yao Chen smiled with satisfaction, stood up, and was about to leave to collect the fragment. He was already impatient to study it.
In contrast, the Black Robe Dou Ling sitting not far away suddenly stood up.
"Lord Ice Emperor, this doesn't follow the procedure, I haven't made a bid yet!"
His voice was low, as if suppressing anger, but due to his apprehension towards Hai Bo Dong, he dared not speak his mind.
Hai Bo Dong ignored him, looked at Yao Chen, and said, "You can go directly to the handover. The Mitre Auction House will handle this small matter."
Yao Chen nodded and strode away, his impression of the Mitre Auction House improving significantly.
After leaving the room, Xiao Yan dared to ask in his heart.
"Old Yao, what was that scroll you gave him?"
"A useless item, but for some people, it's something they would struggle their entire lives to obtain."
"That precious?"
"No, I said it's a useless item. Because even if the fragment owner gets the scroll, it won't change anything. For them, this scroll is just a distant, unattainable hope. Even during my peak years, I couldn't achieve it, let alone them."
Xiao Yan was completely confused by these words.
"Hehe, actually, in the end, it's nothing more than an information gap. Some information we possess, some useless information, is of unimaginable value to those who need it. This is the fundamental reason we can easily obtain the fragment. When you go out in the future, if you don't want to suffer this kind of loss, you need to broaden your horizons, see more, learn more, remember more. Perhaps one day it will be of great use."
Xiao Yan nodded silently, engraving it in his heart.
...
On the other side.
The fragment owner, who Yao Chen claimed had suffered a 'great loss', was beaming with joy at this moment, looking very satisfied with the scroll in his hand.
This time, to prevent Yao Chen from sensing with his soul power, he had specifically arranged a fake fragment owner in the adjacent room. Every time Hai Bo Dong went over in a pretense, he was actually communicating with him via sound transmission.
Unexpectedly, Yao Chen, feeling confident of victory, was quite rule-abiding and didn't cross the line from beginning to end.
"It seems this is what you wanted," Hai Bo Dong said with a light smile.
Chen Xiao nodded. It was indeed something he wanted.
However, he had to add 'one of'.
Relatively speaking, this method of condensing Poison Pills was the easiest to obtain.
After all, to Yao Chen, this item was completely useless.
"Old Hai, these two..."
"Don't worry, they won't be mistreated. It's their honor to be able to work for a Dou Wang expert."
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