Chapter 23: Room No. 1

"Thirty thousand!" Another bid came from one of the private rooms, this time from the Chu family.

Since the disappearance of the Chu family's patriarch, Chu Xiangtian, the Chu family had gradually fallen into a disadvantage in the competition among the four major families in Tianshui City. They could no longer compete with the other three major families in many areas, yet they were now making such a strong move to compete.

The Great Elder of the Chu family sat in one of the private rooms, his face expressionless as he looked at the Flash Escape Talisman on the auction stage. He was determined to obtain this spirit talisman no matter what.

His strength was far inferior to Chu Xiangtian and was also weaker compared to the patriarchs of the other three major families. If he ever had a conflict with these powerful figures, having this Flash Escape Talisman would provide an additional means of self-preservation.

"Thirty-five thousand!" Another bid came from the Liu family's private room.

"Forty-five thousand!" The Great Elder of the Chu family continued to bid without hesitation.

Seeing the Great Elder bid so aggressively, Chu Jianqiu's eyes narrowed. This old man was clearly using public resources for personal gain!

After this bid, a long while passed without anyone else raising the price. After all, forty-five thousand first-grade spirit stones were almost a year's income for even the four major families.

Although these large families had substantial income, their expenses were also high. Spending nearly a year's income would have a significant impact on a large family. Paying such a high price for a second-grade spirit talisman was not worth it.

"The Great Elder of the Chu family has bid forty-five thousand. Is there anyone willing to raise the price?" The charming woman's gaze swept across the calm audience, and she smiled.

"Since no one is raising the price, the Flash Escape Talisman will be sold to the Great Elder of the Chu family!" Seeing no one respond, the charming woman lightly tapped the small hammer on the table, finalizing the sale.

"The next item for auction is a second-grade lower-grade magical treasure." The charming young woman waved her hand, and a servant immediately brought up a tray. On the tray was a long sword with a deep blue body, emitting a cold, sharp light.

"This sword is named Qing Shuang, forged from a thousand-year-old cold iron. It can cut through iron like butter and is incredibly sharp. If used by a martial artist who practices water-based cultivation techniques, its effectiveness will be even better. The starting price is three thousand. Please start bidding."

As soon as the charming woman finished speaking, bidding voices began to rise one after another, mostly from martial artists at the True Qi realm.

Three thousand first-grade spirit stones were far beyond the financial capabilities of martial artists at the Body Tempering realm.

"Twenty thousand!" When the price of the Qing Shuang sword had just reached ten thousand, the Liu family's private room suddenly doubled the price.

Chu Jianqiu was not particularly interested in the Qing Shuang sword, but seeing the Liu family bid, he immediately remembered that Liu Tianyao had awakened the Three Yin Absolute Pulse. He guessed that the Liu family was likely buying this sword for Liu Tianyao.

"Thirty thousand!" Chu Jianqiu immediately added ten thousand, even though he did not want the Qing Shuang sword himself. Making the Liu family uncomfortable would also be a way to vent his own frustration.

Liu Shuxi had thought that after his bid, no one would compete with him. After all, a second-grade lower-grade magical treasure for twenty thousand spirit stones was already quite high, and with the Liu family's reputation, no one would dare to bid further.

However, he never expected that not only did someone raise the price, but they added a full ten thousand spirit stones.

Liu Shuxi's face turned dark as he looked in the direction of the voice, determined to make whoever dared to oppose the Liu family regret it.

But when he saw that it was Room No. 1, Liu Shuxi immediately abandoned the idea of settling accounts later.

Room No. 1 was a place even the patriarch of the Liu family did not have the right to enter. Most of the time, this room was empty, and if someone was inside, it was usually the president of the Ten Thousand Martial Trade Association's Tianshui County branch, Su Yanxiang.

Anyone who could sit in Room No. 1 was someone even the Liu family had to consider carefully before provoking.

"Thirty-five thousand!" Liu Shuxi could only grit his teeth and continue to bid. If it weren't for the fact that the Qing Shuang sword's attributes were extremely suitable for Liu Tianyao, he would not have bid again. Thirty thousand spirit stones were already far beyond the sword's actual value.

Even so, thirty-five thousand was his limit. If anyone bid higher, he would not follow. At most, he would buy another sword for Liu Tianyao later, even if it was slightly less suitable, it would be better than being overcharged here.

Liu Tianyao was also furious, her face turning yellow. Who was this person who was deliberately opposing the Liu family?

The moment she saw the Qing Shuang sword, she had fallen in love with it and asked Liu Shuxi to bid for it. She had come to the Ten Thousand Martial Trade Association yesterday mainly to get a preview of today's auction items.

Chu Jianqiu only bid once and then remained silent, afraid that if he bid too high, the Liu family might suddenly stop, and he would end up losing a lot.

Seeing Chu Jianqiu's actions, Su Yanxiang couldn't help but smile inwardly. This young man was actually quite adorable.

She found nothing wrong with Chu Jianqiu's actions.

She had heard about the relationship between Chu Jianqiu and Liu Tianyao. With the Ten Thousand Martial Trade Association's intelligence capabilities, she knew much more than the average person.

A man who could continuously offer his own life essence to the woman he loved for three years was something Su Yanxiang had only seen in Chu Jianqiu.

In the world of martial artists, for the sake of strength and treasures, even couples and spouses could turn against each other, drawing swords on each other.

The world of martial artists was even more ruthless and cruel than that of ordinary people.

The reason Su Yanxiang treated Chu Jianqiu differently was partly due to Xia Youhuang, but also partly because of Chu Jianqiu's own character and charm.

If Chu Jianqiu were someone like Ouyang Yuan or Liu Gaoyang, even if he had high talent and Xia Youhuang valued him highly, Su Yanxiang would not treat him so warmly. At most, she would avoid offending him and give him a little extra care.

As for Liu Tianyao's ungrateful and treacherous behavior, Su Yanxiang found it extremely despicable, which made her have no good feelings towards the entire Liu family. She was quite happy to see the Liu family being overcharged.

In the end, the Qing Shuang sword was sold to the Liu family for thirty-five thousand first-grade spirit stones.

Several more items were auctioned afterward, but none of them caught Chu Jianqiu's interest until a rusty, broken sword was brought to the auction stage.

"The next magical treasure for auction is somewhat peculiar. After our appraisal, although it is a second-grade lower-grade magical treasure, it is extremely ancient. Despite its apparent damage, it seems to hide some extraordinary secrets," the charming woman introduced the seemingly broken and rusty long sword with a smile.

"Boo!" Seeing the pitiful state of the broken sword, the auction hall fell silent for a moment before bursting into a chorus of boos.

Hearing the boos, the charming woman's face showed a hint of embarrassment. After the Ten Thousand Martial Trade Association's appraisers studied the broken sword, they found that it was not as simple as it appeared, but they could not figure out its true nature after a long period of research.

When Chu Jianqiu saw the broken sword, his eyes involuntarily changed. When he sensed the broken sword, the black tower in his mind actually moved slightly.