Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

After hearing Yan’Er’s account, Tang Yu’s face turned livid. He was born lacking Yang Qi, so his constitution had always been relatively poor. The excess Yin Qi also made his voice rather soft and effeminate. However, his other bodily functions were completely normal, so the one thing he couldn’t stand was people saying he wasn’t a man!

"Heh... Kong Ye Ming!" Hatred flashed in Tang Yu’s eyes. "You really think I wouldn’t dare touch you just because your father is the Left Minister? Do you know who that kid with him was?"

"He was dressed very ordinarily, probably one of Kong Ye Ming’s attendants," Yan’Er said with a nod.

Tang Yu sneered, "Excellent. Even an attendant dares to be so arrogant. Men!"

At Tang Yu’s command, the dozen or so guards behind him shot to their feet. Tang Yu said, "You four, go watch the side exit. The moment you see Kong Ye Ming, stop them. With your cultivation at the Martial Spirit realm, don’t tell me you can’t even handle a single Three-Ring Martial Spirit."

"Of course we can!" the four replied before immediately heading out the side door and concealing themselves in a nearby alley.

"You six!" Tang Yu commanded again. "Go and watch the main entrance. Tell me the moment they come out! The remaining four, with me. Today, I am going to make a point of dealing with you, Kong Ye Ming! Hmph!" After speaking, Tang Yu turned and walked toward the VIP room.

Yan’Er stood her ground, an insidious smile spreading across her face as she watched Tang Yu walk away. ’You little brat. I told you I’d make you pay. You brought all of this on yourself.’

The thought had barely crossed her mind when the woman named Yan’Er swayed her slender waist and hurried after Tang Yu, grabbing hold of his arm...

Meanwhile, Mu Chen and Kong Ye Ming were seated in their prepared VIP room, looking toward the front of the hall. The design of the Shanjin Auction House was exquisite. The audience seating formed a crescent, encircling the display stage, with the seats arranged in tiers. A hundred VIP rooms were distributed across the second floor in locations offering the widest views. The room Mu Chen and Kong Ye Ming occupied was Number Three.

It was one of the ten best rooms in the house. From there, Mu Chen could clearly see all the activity below. A clamor of voices rose from the floor, but the VIP room was exceptionally quiet.

Kong Ye Ming smiled, "Mu Chen, what do you think? This spot is decent enough, right?"

Mu Chen smiled faintly. "It’s alright."

"Oh! Right. You called me over so early this morning, I almost forgot our business." Kong Ye Ming suddenly slapped his forehead and took out three Storage Rings. "These three rings contain the Medicinal Herbs you need. Six thousand portions of each."

Mu Chen was taken aback. "Wasn’t it five thousand portions of each? Why the extra thousand?"

Kong Ye Ming explained, "Well, my father already knows you’re a Cauldron Master. When he heard you needed a large quantity of Medicinal Herbs to study the Alchemy Skill, he instructed me to prepare an extra thousand portions of each for you. These herbs aren’t used much in the stores anyway, so I just grabbed an extra thousand of each. Here, they’re all yours."

With that, Kong Ye Ming pressed the three Storage Rings into Mu Chen’s hand. Mu Chen looked at the rings in his palm and thought, ’Looks like Xuan Yin didn’t tell Kong Ru I was planning to refine Gathering Essence Pills. Until he can confirm the pill actually exists, I doubt he’d tell anyone I have the Pill Formula for it.’

"Thanks," Mu Chen said, putting away the three Storage Rings.

Kong Ye Ming laughed heartily. "Don’t thank me. Ever since I lost to you, I, Kong Ye Ming, have genuinely wanted to be your friend. It’s just that with you at the Demon Castle and me at the Holy Hall, our factions were opposed, so we never got the chance. I’m just happy I finally get an opportunity to help you. Anyway, enough of that. The auction’s about to start."

Mu Chen wanted to say something, but Kong Ye Ming clearly didn’t want to dwell on it and pulled him to look down below. Just then, a mature, graceful woman walked onto the stage. She was exceptionally tall; Mu Chen mentally compared her to himself and realized she wasn’t the slightest bit shorter than him. After his recent breakthroughs, Mu Chen was now a good six-foot-one. While not exactly hulking, he was certainly impressively tall. For a woman to reach such a height was truly rare.

The woman wore a red formal gown, her pale hands resting naturally on the display platform. She exuded a captivating beauty just by standing there, though Mu Chen, for his part, was merely an appreciative observer.

The guests below had already started cheering. "Linglong! Linglong! Linglong!"

The woman called Linglong gestured for quiet and spoke in an incredibly alluring voice, "Esteemed guests, valued patrons, please quiet down. Welcome, once again, to the Shanjin Auction House. I, Linglong, am here with you all once more. I won’t waste time with pleasantries; the auction house rules have been repeated countless times, but as is tradition, I must go over them one last time."

"The Shanjin Auction House has operated in the Xuanling Empire for several hundred years, and every auction has left our buyers satisfied. However, the auctions in each region are adapted to their respective cities and empires. As of today, the rules for the Shanjin Auction in the Xuanling Empire are well-established. What follows are the general principles of the auction." As she finished speaking, Linglong’s expression suddenly turned sharp. In the next instant, an immense wave of Primordial Power suppressed the entire auction hall.

From the VIP room, Mu Chen watched in shock. ’I can’t even fathom this level of Primordial Power. Her Martial Artist Realm is clearly far beyond mine.’

"First, an auction is a fair, just, and open method of transaction. The Shanjin Auction House considers this an absolute principle. Here, there is only bidding. The highest bidder wins. Money is the sole means by which you win your prize." Linglong’s red lips parted. Her voice seemed soft, but it carried throughout the entire hall.

"Second, within the Shanjin Auction House, no matter how prominent your status or how powerful you are in the Outer Realm, you are strictly forbidden from using it to intimidate other buyers. Otherwise, you will be blacklisted by the Shanjin Auction House, permanently stripped of your right to participate in any auction, in any town, any country, or any region. Here, everyone is equal. You are all our esteemed guests, our valued patrons of the Shanjin Auction House."

"Third, if fighting or killing breaks out within the Shanjin Auction House over bidding and disrupts the order of the auction, then I’m afraid the Shanjin Commerce Association headquarters will issue a permanent expulsion order against you. You will be expelled from any city where a Shanjin Auction is held. Any resistance will be met with immediate execution! We are obligated to ensure the personal safety of every esteemed guest who enters our auction house."

"Believe me, the Shanjin Commerce Association has the power to enforce this. I advise you not to test us." No one below dared to speak. They knew that the Shanjin Commerce Association meant every word it said.

Linglong’s sharp gaze swept over the crowd. Seeing that everyone had gotten the message, she broke into a charming smile, as if she were a different person entirely, her captivating demeanor returning. "Finally done with that. My sincerest apologies for having to repeat those principles every time, but as you all know, it’s for everyone’s benefit. Now, let’s move on to more pleasant things," Linglong said, sticking her tongue out playfully.

"Today’s auction will be run a little differently than usual. All items today will start at a minimum bid of ten thousand Purple Elemental Crystals, with a minimum bid increment of five thousand Purple Elemental Crystals. I can also reveal a little secret: today’s final item is something rarely seen even in a Middle-level Kingdom. So look forward to it."

"ROAR! ROAR!"

Hearing this, the guests below roared in excitement. Mu Chen murmured to himself, ’Something rarely seen even in a Middle-level Kingdom... What could it be?’

Linglong again gestured for silence. "Then I declare the one thousand and first Xuanling Empire Shanjin Auction officially open! Now, let’s bring out our first item."

As Linglong’s voice fell, all eyes shifted to the display platform. On it rested a piece of black silk armor. However, this armor only covered the area from the chest to the abdomen, leaving the stomach and neck exposed. But Mu Chen knew this piece was definitely not as simple as it looked.

Linglong’s finger traced lightly over the armor as a small smile played on her lips. "The Black Obsidian Armor, forged from thirty-six pieces of Black Obsidian Iron. It possesses immense Defense Power. Wearing this armor allows one to completely ignore the attacks of a Martial Spirit expert. Even against the attacks of a Martial King expert, it can negate half the damage! Due to the extreme rarity and limited quantity of Black Obsidian Iron, only a breastplate could be forged. In terms of grade, this armor is comparable to Upper-grade Profound Tier Armor! The starting bid is ten thousand Purple Elemental Crystals, with minimum increments of five thousand Purple Elemental Crystals! Let the bidding begin!"

"Black Obsidian Iron! It’s actually forged from Black Obsidian Iron! Thirty-six pieces! Heavens, what kind of madman was this? If they had used that iron to make weapons, that would be thirty-six Profound Tier Weapons! I bid five hundred thousand Purple Elemental Crystals!" an astonished guest exclaimed.

"Five hundred thousand? You’re underestimating this breastplate! I bid one million six hundred thousand!" another guest called out.

"One million seven hundred thousand!"

"One million eight hundred thousand!"

...

"Two million three hundred thousand!"

The price continued to climb. The only thing on Mu Chen’s mind was the phrase "negate half the damage from a Martial King expert." ’This breastplate would be perfect for Qing Lei. Dark Attribute Martial Artists have incredible Explosive Power, but their defense is too poor. Since it’s a breastplate, it would protect his heart, lungs, and other vital organs.’

"Two million five hundred thousand!" Kong Ye Ming’s eyes were sharp. He had noticed Mu Chen’s interest in the breastplate. When it came to judging character, his ability was in no way inferior to Kong Ru’s—this was the very reason Di Cang admired Kong Ye Ming so much.

Linglong looked toward the VIP room the voice came from and smiled faintly. "The guest in VIP room number three bids two million five hundred thousand! Do I hear any higher bids?"

This price had basically reached the Black Obsidian Armor’s maximum value, perhaps even exceeding its intrinsic worth. After all, it wasn’t a Combat Skill or a Cultivation Technique, nor was it a pill that could directly increase one’s own strength. It was just a breastplate. If you were unlucky, a powerful expert could just slit the wearer’s throat, rendering the breastplate completely useless.

"No higher bids?" Linglong asked. "Two million five hundred thousand, going once! Two million five hundred thousand, going twice! Two million five hundred thou—"

"Two million, five hundred and five thousand..."

Just as Linglong was about to call it for the third time, a soft, effeminate voice drifted from VIP room number seven...