Starting as the heir of a marquis's mansion, I gained access to a summoning system.

The opening lots flowed one after another, with the pace controlled with great skill.

The first twenty items were mainly elixirs and magical artifacts, with prices ranging from tens to hundreds of spirit stones. The independent cultivators in the seating area were actively bidding, and the atmosphere gradually heated up.

The middle section of the auction featured some truly exceptional items—a fist-sized crystal core from a mythical beast containing both wind and thunder attributes sold for two thousand spirit stones.

A longsword forged by an Undying Realm expert sold for 3,500 spirit stones; a thousand-year-old nine-leaf Ganoderma lucidum sparked a bidding war that lasted for twenty rounds, and was finally acquired by Wanqifeng of Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain for 4,800 spirit stones.

Wan Qifeng's bidding voice came from the No. 2 VIP box. He was young, arrogant, and had a natural air of using spirit stones to throw at people.

When the final three lots were auctioned, the atmosphere in the room suddenly changed.

The whispers in the seating area disappeared, replaced by an oppressive silence.

The final auction item is not something that independent cultivators can get their hands on; it's the battleground for the major forces in the private rooms.

The first and final item to be auctioned is a fragment of a bone tablet beneath the Wangchuan Bridge in the Immortal Palace, with a starting bid of three thousand spirit stones.

The struggle for this item is mainly between the Yin Sha Sect and several powerful but unseen rogue cultivators.

In the end, the Yin Sha Sect acquired it for six thousand spirit stones, which was not an outrageous price, because although the ancient runes on the fragment of the bone tablet were precious, they were incomplete and had limited practical value.

Dongfang Wei did not make a bid, nor did Bai Wuchen and Ya Jiu—their goals were the same: the second item.

As the chief auctioneer retrieved the second, most coveted item from the lift mechanism of the white glass display stand, the restrictive runes throughout the entire underground hall lit up for a moment.

It was a transparent crystal box sealed with meteorite iron, with a layer of anti-corrosion dark green velvet cloth inside, and a neatly folded piece of parchment lying on the cloth.

The parchment was made of the same material as the first half of the map that Grandmother Lin had given to Dongfang Weiwo. There were obvious tear marks on the edges, and dark gold patterns could be faintly seen moving slowly on the paper.

The moment the crystal box was placed on the display stand, the dark gold patterns on the parchment seemed to be activated by some force, suddenly brightening and projecting a very faint phantom image three inches above the parchment—a bridge, seven bone pillars, and a specially marked hidden location below the seventh bone pillar.

The audience was silent.

The second half of Lu Moshen's map.

The treasure map was torn open by the man who fell from Tianxuan thirty years ago, before his left arm was shattered by the Lord of the Undying Palace.

What is the treasure? It's something that, according to legend, can move even a Supreme Being.

For thirty years, this map has been passed from one independent cultivator to another and among countless merchant guilds, finally falling into the hands of the Black Scale Merchant Guild and appearing on the auction stage tonight.

Everyone knows its value, but everyone also knows that the real winner is the one who can bring it out of Ironfeather City alive.

"The lower half of the map was drawn by the Demon God Lü thirty years ago. It is made of high-grade animal hide paper and is well-preserved. The locations of the hidden items are clearly marked. When combined with the upper half of the map, a complete route can be obtained."

Starting price—

The chief auctioneer paused, the jade earring swaying gently at the corners of her slightly upturned lips. "Ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones. Each bid must be at least one thousand spirit stones higher."

The entire audience gasped.

The starting bid of 10,000 mid-grade spirit stones has already exceeded the highest record of all auction items sold tonight.

The casual seating area fell into complete silence, and even the representatives of the smaller sects in the private boxes shook their heads.

This means that the bidding threshold directly eliminated more than 90% of the buyers present.

"Fifteen thousand spirit stones."

In the No. 2 VIP box, Wan Qifeng's voice broke the silence first.

The youthful tone carried a confident arrogance, as if he were auctioning not a map, but prey that he could crush with a flick of his wrist.

He then added, his voice low but audible in every corner of the silent underground hall:

"We are determined to take Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain. You all should weigh the options carefully."

Threat. Openly threatening someone on Blackscale Merchant Guild territory.

The chief auctioneer frowned slightly but remained silent—the power of the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain in the southeast region was too great, and as long as there was no direct interference with the bidding process, the Black Scale Merchant Guild could only turn a blind eye.

"Eighteen thousand spirit stones."

An old woman's voice came from the No. 1 VIP box. Her voice was hoarse and sharp, like the grinding sound of fingernails scratching the surface of bone.

Blood Infant Granny. She didn't add any extra words, but the voice alone was enough to send chills down the spines of all the rogue cultivators in the seating area.

Late stage of the Life and Death Realm, the Bone Transformation Technique, and at least three spare skeletons in hand—these keywords combined carry more weight than any threat.

"Twenty thousand spirit stones."

Dongfang Weiwo spoke.

The voices coming from the No. 7 VIP box were not loud.

But the air in the entire underground hall froze for a moment the instant he opened his mouth.

The voice was so young that the rogue cultivators in the seating area looked at each other in bewilderment—a mid-stage Yin-Yang Realm cultivator asking for 20,000 spirit stones, where did he get the money?

Wan Qifeng sneered. "Twenty-five thousand."

"Twenty-eight thousand." Blood Infant Granny's voice was still hoarse, but with a hint of impatience.

"Thirty thousand." Dongfang Weiwo's tone remained unchanged.

Some people in the front row of the casual seating area couldn't help but turn around and look towards the direction of the No. 7 VIP box.

They couldn't see the people inside, but they could see the jade screen in front of the private room displaying the bidding numbers constantly changing.

Thirty thousand spirit stones—this figure exceeds the entire expenditure of a small sect in the southeastern region for three years.

When this young man from the Yin-Yang Realm shouted it out, his breathing rhythm didn't even change.

Wan Qifeng didn't immediately raise the price. A murmur rippled through the private room, clearly as they were estimating the maximum financial resources available to Dongfang Weiwo. A moment later, he raised the price again:

Thirty-two thousand.

The Blood Infant Granny quickly followed suit, raising the amount to 35,000.

Dongfang Weiwo directly pushed the number to 40,000.

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

The chief auctioneer's meteorite hammer tapped lightly on the edge of the display stand, the crisp sound drowning out the noise in the room.

Her gaze fell on the No. 7 VIP box, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes—she had been standing in this auction house for twenty years.

I've seen too many big spenders, but this is the first time I've seen a Yin-Yang Realm cultivator calmly bid up to 40,000 spirit stones while being attacked from both the Blood Bone Sect and the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain.

Ten breaths passed in silence in Wanqifeng's private room.

Then the door to Box No. 2 was suddenly pushed open, and Wan Qifeng stepped out.

He was twenty-three or twenty-four years old, wearing a brocade robe with gold trim, and a jade pendant engraved with the emblem of Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain hung at his waist. His face was handsome, but the contemptuous smile at the corner of his mouth made him appear mean.

He leaned on the railing of the second-floor private room, looking down at the tightly closed door of room number seven on the third floor. His voice was filled with suppressed anger, but he was still trying his best to maintain his composure.

"I am the only one in the East, as I have said before—I am determined to get that map."

I have thoroughly investigated your background. You are a Heavenly Profound Ascension Guest. The Lin family took you in for three days, and the Black Scale Merchant Guild opened a VIP room for you. Do you think these things are enough for you to compete with my Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain for spirit stones?

Don't humiliate yourself.

He turned to the chief auctioneer and waved his hand.

"Fifty thousand spirit stones. Adding the four thousand eight hundred from the Nine-Leaf Spirit Mushroom, that's a total of fifty-four thousand eight hundred spirit stones. The settlement will be made on the spot after the auction. Don't you trust the Black Scale Merchant Guild with the accounts of the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain?"

The chief auctioneer did not respond to his gaze, but instead scanned the entire room as per protocol:

"Fifty thousand spirit stones for the first time."

"Fifty-two thousand."

The Blood Infant Granny's hoarse voice drifted out from the No. 1 VIP room, unhurried and gentle, like an old cat licking its paws in the shadows.

She didn't care about Wanqifeng's threat. The Blood Bone Sect and the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain were mortal enemies. Their temporary alliance to hunt down Dongfang Weiwo was as fragile as a thin layer of ice, and it shattered completely as soon as it touched the interests of spirit stones.

Wan Qifeng's face turned pale for a moment, then he gritted his teeth and increased the amount to 55,000.

Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate, the door to the No. 7 VIP box opened.

Dongfang Weiwo walked out leaning on a bamboo cane, stood in front of the railing on the third floor, and looked down at the whole scene.

His figure appeared slender and straight under the glow of the luminous stone, his bamboo cane resting on the edge of the railing, the cane still trembling slightly.

He raised his left hand, and a dark golden light shone from his palm, from which the phantom of a three-inch short sword condensed—the Key Seal materialized.

The short sword remained in his palm for a full three breaths before dissipating, which was almost twice as long as it had been at Shattered Bone Ridge.

"I've offered 40,000 spirit stones."

His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

"If you keep calling higher, I can too. Brother Bai Wuchen and Brother Ya Jiu can each lend me some money. With the combined wealth of Life and Death Valley and Reincarnation Palace, your Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain can't compete with me."

Wan Qifeng's eye twitched slightly.

Of course he knew who was sitting in the No. 8 seat next door—Bai Wuchen and Ya Jiu, one a steward of the Outer Valley of Life and Death, and the other a servant of the Samsara Palace. Although their forces were not comparable to those of the Supreme Realm sects, in terms of financial resources and foundation, the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain might not necessarily be able to win.

Moreover, that old hag, Granny Blood Infant, was also watching closely from the sidelines. A three-way battle was costing real money. He gritted his teeth and said coldly:

"You said yourself it's borrowed. How many rounds can you last with borrowed money in the bidding?"

Dongfang Wei did not respond to his sarcasm.

He switched the bamboo staff to his left hand and slowly took something out of his pocket with his right hand—an iron plate covered with ancient runes, its edges worn and its surface half-thinner.

The iron plate gleamed with a dark metallic sheen under the glow of the luminous stone, and most of the runes on it were already broken.

But next to the name of the first guardian, Lin Pogu, the inscription "Lu Pogu Gift" is still shockingly clear.

He turned the metal plaque face up toward the chief auctioneer.

"I don't need to bid anymore. It's the rule of the Blackscale Merchant Guild, the rule of Ironfeather City, and the ancient rule of the Tianwu Continent Auction House—for items related to the Broken Bone Ridge relics, the Broken Bone Ridge guardian and his descendants have the right of first refusal."

As long as the person holding the bidding paddle remains in place, all items related to Broken Bones Ridge will automatically belong to that person under equal bidding conditions.

The entire place was deathly silent. So silent that the faint humming of spiritual energy flowing within the protective runes of the dome could be heard.

The chief auctioneer's hand, holding the meteorite hammer, froze in mid-air.

Her expression changed three times in an instant—from surprise to scrutiny, and from scrutiny to awe. As the chief auctioneer of the Blackscale Merchant Guild, she was certainly aware of this rule.

The Guardian of Shattered Bone Ridge is one of the oldest bloodline contract guardians in the southeastern region of the Tianwu Continent.

The first lord of Ironfeather City wrote this rule into the commercial code of Ironfeather City at the beginning of the city's establishment: any relic unearthed from Broken Bone Ridge, if claimed by the descendants of the guardian of the token with an iron token during the auction process, shall have priority in ownership under the same bidding price, and the guardian of the token shall enjoy the "exemption from bidding in the final round".

In other words, after all bidders have submitted their highest bids, the defending bidder can submit their final bid at the same price, and the auction must end.

This is an ancient law of Iron Feather City, which has never been used in the past three hundred years, because the Lin family's guardian has never set foot in Iron Feather City in the past three hundred years.

But the law has never been repealed.

Tonight, the Lin family's iron plaque arrived.

The chief auctioneer took a deep breath and slowly placed the meteorite hammer on the edge of the display stand.

She turned to face the entire audience, her voice trembling slightly—not from fear, but because for an auctioneer to experience such a historic moment in their career was an honor in itself.

"Young Master Dongfang, holding the Iron Token of the Guardian of Broken Bones Ridge in Box No. 7, has had his identity confirmed. In accordance with Article 37, Paragraph 12 of the Iron Feather City Commercial Code and Article 8 of the Black Scale Merchant Guild Auction Rules Appendix, he is confirmed to exercise his right of first refusal."

The current highest bid is 55,000 spirit stones, submitted by Young Master Wanqifeng from Box No. 2.

As the representative of the bidding team, Young Master Dongfang enjoyed the exemption from bidding in the final round and completed the final bid at the same price—fifty-five thousand spirit stones.

The meteorite hammer fell, striking the edge of the white glass display stand with a crisp yet heavy sound.

"Deal. The lower half of the map belongs to Box No. 7."

Wan Qifeng's face contorted in that instant.

His right hand gripped the railing of the private room tightly, and beneath the gold-trimmed brocade robe sleeves, the veins on his arm bulged out one by one.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately swallowed it back.

He wasn't stupid; he knew that challenging Ironfeather City's three-hundred-year-old commercial code on Blackscale Merchant Guild's territory was tantamount to making enemies of both Blackscale Merchant Guild and Ironfeather City simultaneously.

Although Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain is powerful, it is not powerful enough to offend two neutral forces at the same time.