Chapter 971: Blind Bidding? The Seven-Colored Gem

Tang San's smile widened, but deep within him, there wasn't even a trace of amusement. Not even the Sunborne Nymph Emperor could have discerned his true feelings at this moment.

With the second night over, the auction entered its final day. Undoubtedly, it would also be the most crucial.

When the Emperor presiding over the auction appeared on the stage today, all the bidders couldn't help but gasp. It wasn't just anyone—it was the Sunborne Nymph Emperor!

His face remained somewhat indistinct, impossible to see clearly, but that unmistakable solar aura dominated the entire hall.

Standing on the auction stage, the Sunborne Nymph Emperor spoke lightly, "Today's auction will be split into two halves. I will preside over the first half, and the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor will take over for the second. This alone should tell you how seriously we take this event. Yesterday, there was an attempted ambush on a bidder; we're well aware of it. I very much hope that whoever it was dares to show themself again today.

"Today's auction won't be as long as the previous days. Each half will only feature ten items. But I can assure you that all twenty of today's items are either top-tier divine items or at least on par with one in some aspect. They are the finest treasures the Ancestral Court has accumulated over the years."

The moment he took the stage, he had already captured the attention of every bidder present. There was nothing more exhilarating than having the strongest Nymph Emperor as the auctioneer.

Twenty items, each a top-tier divine item or equivalent? In the entire history of the Ancestral Court, or even of the entire Daemon Continent, such a feat had never been seen! And yet, it was happening today. It spoke volumes about the level of this auction.

"Bring up today's first auction item," the Sunborne Nymph Emperor commanded in a low voice, at the same time casting a covert glance toward the VIP rooms

At that moment, in Room Eight, Tang San felt the gentle brush of divine consciousness, and the corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.

The first item slowly rose up, a soft, seven-colored radiance emanating from it, creating a truly enchanting sight.

It was a gem about the size of a fist. Yes—a gemstone. The gemstone gave off a strange glow; though it wasn't especially bright, those seven-colored hues seemed like a condensed rainbow.

The soft seven-colored light seemed entirely contained within and didn't radiate outward in the slightest, so the bidders actually couldn't sense its aura at all. All they could see was that dazzling, multicolored light.

The Sunborne Nymph Emperor chuckled. "The first item of today's auction will be conducted in a rather... interesting manner. You've spent two days here already and I believe you're rather tired, so for this item, we'll do something new: a blind bid. Its aura is fully contained and there will be no introduction, so you'll bid purely on your intuition. The starting price is one amethystine coin, the increment is also one coin. Highest bidder wins. As for its use? You'll have to guess. The auction begins now. Bid as you please."

For a moment, everyone was stunned.

The fuck? Why is this so random?

A blind bid?

In such an important auction, where the Sunborne Nymph Emperor had just stated that today's items were all some hot shit, he suddenly announced a blind auction with no introduction or aura to sense?

How were they supposed to bid? Even a single amethystine coin was no small sum; a countryside clan like the Wind Wolf clan had likely never seen an amethystine coin in their entire history. And what if this item, which could allegedly rival a peak divine item, was merely beautiful but useless? That would be a major setback.

Even some of the veteran powerhouses had no idea what this gemstone was or what it could do. For a moment, the entire hall erupted in a flurry of discussion.

To everyone's surprise, it took mere moments before the first bid suddenly rang out.

"Five thousand amethystine coins from VIP Room Eight!"

The bidder, of course, was none other than Tang San.

Before the bidding began, the Sunborne Nymph Emperor had sent him a divine consciousness message, simply saying,

"You must give me face."

Tang San had almost rolled his eyes.

You could just say "you must give me money" and be done with it.

This blind bid clearly needed an inside man, or rather an outside man, to prop it up.

Tang San didn't hesitate for a second. Yesterday, the Sunborne Nymph Emperor had supported him, and now he was directly calling in that favor. What could Tang San do? He was just a young Blue Gold Tree.

So he bid right away.

And the moment this price was called out, the entire hall erupted.

Five thousand?! Did that kid eat his own poisonberries?!

All eyes turned to the eighth VIP box. Even the Sunborne Nymph Emperor hadn't expected Tang San to respond so decisively.

After all, it was a complete mystery. And while he had said it was at least on par with a divine item, that didn't mean it

was

a divine item. And even assuming it was, who could guarantee it wasn't the weakest of them all? If there was any certainty in that respect, why would it be blind-auctioned?

A normal divine item had thus far gone for about one thousand amethystine coins, more or less. A high-level one, two or three thousand. Five thousand? That was already the absolute cream of the crop, like the Radiant Dragon Spear. And that was only with the inflated prices of this special auction; otherwise, the price would be even lower.

Tang San's opening bid of five thousand instantly set the tone for the mysterious seven-colored gem. At that moment, his role as the auction's "plant" seemed undeniable.

Even the Sunborne Nymph Emperor was speechless. Truly, to be young, rich and capricious... The money Jin Miaolin had gotten from selling the Blue Gold Fruits was spent by now, every single coin. This young sapling really was a wonder.

"Five thousand amethystine coins. Any higher?" the Sunborne Nymph Emperor asked, though he really wasn't hoping for anything.

Why was this seven-colored gem up for blind bidding? Why no introduction? The reason was simple: the Emperors themselves didn't know what it was.

This seven-colored gem had been in the Ancestral Court for a very long time. The Emperors could sense that its internal energy was indeed up to par for divine items, but as for its use, no one could tell. Being near it gave one a slight feeling of calmness and peace, but it was no help for cultivating either bloodline power or divine consciousness. It was a bit like the Spacetime Beacon that Tang San had won before. But at least that had an obvious time-slowing effect, whereas this seven-colored gem didn't show any function at all.

Damn, I really put that kid in a tight spot. Oh well, I'll make up for it later....

Though he was the instigator, the Sunborne Nymph Emperor felt a twinge of guilt. Five thousand amethystine coins was no trivial sum.

And of course, no one else was willing to "pay the fool's tax."

"Five thousand amethystine coins, going once."

"Five thousand amethystine coins, going twice."

"Five thousand amethystine coins, sold. Congratulations to VIP Room Eight," the Sunborne Nymph Emperor declared. He could almost see the Blue Gold Tree elders scolding their young leader.

But what he couldn't see was the look in Tang San's eyes.

Tang San's expression was calm, and he was explaining to the Blue Gold Tree elders in a low voice that the Sunborne Nymph Emperor had asked him to do this. But in complete contrast with his plain expression, in Tang San's eyes burned an irrepressible excitement.

What had he come to this auction for? Not the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's blood essence, not the Radiant Dragon Spear, not the Throne of Frost. Those were fine, but none of them could change his destiny. He had hoped to find something truly special, like the Spacetime Beacon back in the day. Something that would be precious even to a God King, yet unrecognized by this realm's powerhouses.

And this thing... might just be it.