Liu Yue stood beside the pedestal, her expression unusually solemn.
Liu Ning raised her hand, and the lights dimmed once more.
A long, narrow case was placed before them. Unlike the previous treasures, it was not made from gold, jade, or any recognizable spiritual material.
It was an ordinary-looking wooden box with no visible formations, no protective barrier and no aura.
Nothing about it seemed out of the ordinary or particularly special. Yet the moment the box appeared, Xiao Chen sat upright.
Meng Lan's expression changed, seeing this.
Jin Huang sighed and reached into his spatial ring for the last bit of food he had prior to the auction starting. He had hoped to save these cakes for later, but now he had no choice.
Sitting back absently, he ate cake after cake, finishing them in singular bites.
Liu Yue looked across the hall at each of the watchful gazes. Most of them were already resigned to be nothing but spectators, but they were just as eager and excited as those who were still in the game.
The enjoyment, for them, came from seeing these items in person.
"Our next item is a treasure that even the Obsidian Treasury has been unable to fully identify."
A murmur spread through the crowd as Liu Ning placed her hand upon the box.
"However, we can confirm one thing."
The lid began to open. Inside lay a small, unassuming silver ring with slender band and an intricate, twisting pattern.
Upon its crown was a circular medallion bearing an ancient symbol. Yin and Yang.
Jin Huang's eyes widened. For a moment, the entire world seemed to grow quiet. His hand moved instinctively toward the black-gold spatial ring he wore.
Something deep within him stirred.
A strange sensation rose from the depths of his being, as though a forgotten memory had just brushed against the edge of his consciousness.
Luo Ran noticed immediately. "Jin Huang?"
The young man did not respond. His pale, silvery-blue eyes were fixed upon the silver ring below. For the first time that day, he had completely forgotten about food.
Liu Ning's voice rang throughout the auction hall. "Distinguished guests, our next item is a mysterious one!"
"All we at the Obsidian Treasury know for sure is that it came from a separate space-time, and is made of a material that not even the esteemed Forge Masters could identify!"
The hearts of the wealthy thumped with excitement. Not even the world's foremost authority on item forging could identify what it was made of?
That alone meant that it's value could very well be immense! What kind of usage could such a treasure possibly have?
"We have taken the liberty of dubbing it... the Yin-Yang Ring!" Liu Ning accounced.
"Our experts have done various tests, and proved that not even an Empyrean level existence can have any effect on this ring!"
This was yet another shocking piece of news, that intrigued the masses.
"Due to that," Liu Yue stepped forward, "the bidding shall start at eight million dao stones!"
Instantly, the VVIP room where the Forge Masters were lit up. Following the bright yellow light, Xia Yuyue's voice was heard.
"Fifteen million dao stones!"
Just like that, the price had almost doubled! Envious gazes were directed at the Forge Masters' room, but they soon withdrew.
"Only the real bigwigs here can bid on that item," someone in the crowd said.
"Yeah. There's no people like us can ever even dream of acquiring such a thing. We're all just broke losers to them," said another.
"Makes me wonder just what supremely badass and rich person will win that ring in the end," an elderly man sighed with emotion.
Back on the top floor... Jin Huang took a sniff at the air. Deep, full breaths through the nose quickly followed, then the sound of a ravenous stomach.
Jin Huang's eyes lit up, and golden light flashed by imperceptibly. He licked his lips, and locked onto the visage of the Yin-Yang Ring as though it were a piece of meat in his sights.
He stood up and walked over to Xiao Chen, standing on his right side. Meng Lan and Luo Ran eyed him curiously, waiting for him to speak.
"Xiao Chen," Jin Huang started, licking his lips. "I don't care what you have to do, nor what I will have to do to repay you."
Jin Huang turned, staring straight into Xiao Chen's soul. His eyes were fierce, giving Xiao Chen pause. The man had never seen Jin Huang like this.
"I need that ring."
Xiao Chen held Jin Huang's gaze for quite a while before he sighed and waved his hand.
"Alright, alright. You're lucky I need your alchemy skills. Given that you have some pills going to be auctioned off soon, I'll put the cost of this ring on your tab."
Jin Huang nodded firmly, and turned back to gaze upon the ring. He took another sniff and licked his lips once again.
"However," Xiao Chen started. "You'll have to do the bidding yourself. Step outside and head down to the floor beneath this one. There should be an extra room."
Jin Huang immediately turned and started leaving.
"Hey, boss? What's with the sudden interest in this ring?" Luo Ran followed, looking a bit unsure. "Is everything okay?"
Jin Huang gave an amused chuckle and waved him off, "Don't worry, Luo Ran. I'll be back once I have the ring. Stay here and chat some more with Meng Lan."
With that, Jin Huang left the room, leaving a blushing Luo Ran twiddling his thumbs. Meng Lan folded her strong arms and said nothing, but there was a smile on her face that seemed to have taken up permanent residence.
Jin Huang was quick to arrive on the middle floor, and he entered the empty room without any difficulty. Xiao Chen had long alerted his employees to the change.
Once he entered the room, he quickly deactivated the silencing rune, standing directly in front of the transparent window. If he cared enough about it, he could have activated the window's special mechanism, thus preventing people outside from seeing him.
However, Jin Huang had no such thoughts in his mind. All he could think of was how delicious that ring smelled... and how badly he needed it.
By now, the bidding had reached a fever pitch.
"Two hundred million dao stones!" Someone from one of the VIP rooms shouted.
It was shocking enough that someone other than the VVIP guests was bidding for this item, and even more so that they had this many dao stones to play with.
There truly were crouching tigers and hidden dragons in all walks of life.
"Hey, Old Ragu. Any idea who's inside that room?" A random spectator asked an elder beside him.
The elder was clean shaven and grey, but had a bearing of wisdom and patience, as well as remarkably deep eyes. "I think it was that old fogey from the Cloud-Piercing Mountain Sect of Lastfall Province in the Northern Region."
"Two hundred and fifty million dao stones," came Xia Yuyue's voice in between.
"Ah. That makes sense. Thanks, Old Ragu."
The elderly man nodded sagely, and then started practicing a breathing technique.
"Wow," started another person sitting in the same area. "Those fluctuations. I can tell that Old Ragu's cultivation is immeasurably deep. Perhaps he's long crossed into the Empyrean Realm, just like those old sect monsters."
"Indeed. Old Ragu trampled upon so many of those prodigies back then. Surely he's up there with those ancient monster cultivators in the Central Region."
"Three hundred million dao stones!" Another voice from the top floor sounded.
Old Ragu simply kept breathing, with his eyes closed and his spirit calm.
"Five hundred million dao stones!" An unfamiliar voice entered the fray.
Surprised, the onlookers looked toward the source of that voice, finding a VIP room with it's window deactivated and a young, yellow-haired fellow standing in it.
This was likely the only one of such rooms that was like this, since most guests who rented these rooms did so for privacy's sake.
Whoever this youngster was, he obviously did not care about being seen.
"Master Huang, would you be so kind as to allow us to have this one?" came Xia Yuyue's desperate plea from the top floor.
Jaws hit the ground and eyes widened until they could widen no further.
One of the Forge Masters was kindly asking this unknown young man to give her face? Just who was he?
Those who were more well-informed instantly started recognizing Jin Huang, and pretty soon there was a chaotic clamor.
Liu Yue and Liu Ning soon had everything under control, only for Jin Huang's voice to throw everything out of balance once again.
"Sorry, whoever you are, but this ring will be mine. Better luck with some other item." Jin Huang shook his head firmly.
This kid didn't even place the Forge Masters in his eyes!