Chapter 324: It's Impossible

When faced with wealth that could be quantified within their understanding, a person would usually feel that it's a lot. However, if the quantified amount was so great that they could not understand its true value, then they would become calm instead.

At this moment, the people watching the auction in the Pavilion of Celestial Fate were thinking similar things.

So what if you bid eight thousand Azure-Dragon coins?

Is there any difference between that and seven thousand to me?

As an ordinary cultivator at the Spiritual Awareness Realm, I might just be able to accumulate such a huge amount with around eight hundred years of hard work.

Haaa...

Nevertheless, most of the observers were still very curious about the wealthy person who had made a bid of eight thousand Azure-Dragon coins. Who exactly were they?

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

If it were someone from the second floor where visitors from sects in the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten were seated, the observers would have still found the bid shocking, but it would have been easier to accept. Instead, it had been someone on the first floor who made the bid, so it inevitably made the observers curious.

Countless intense gazes fell on Chu Liang. Nonetheless, he remained calm and continued holding up his paddle as he gazed at the manager on the stage.

After all, a person would get used to it after being the center of attention a couple of times.

It was quite a while before the manager finally showed a reaction.

Despite the Pavilion of Celestial Fate's extensive business operations, this was actually their first time holding an auction with top-tier legendary artifacts. They had anticipated that they might be able to sell the Demon-Subduing Pestle at a sky-high price, but they were quite shocked when that number actually appeared.

After all, the development of commerce in the world of immortality cultivators was still at quite a relatively early stage. Taotie City was thriving, but that was just one trading hub.

Most immortal sects were still in a fairly primitive stage of commerce, where they acquired resources by slaying monsters and obliterating devils. They might trade off items they couldn't use, but that was the extent of it. Any usable items were kept to enhance their own strength. After all, in the world of immortality cultivators, strength was always more important than wealth.

Likewise, the Demon-Subduing Pestle was only put up for auction because the Pavilion of Celestial Fate and the forces backing it didn't have someone who could use the Demon-Subduing Pestle. Additionally, they just so happened to need large quantities of other resources, which required funds to acquire.

The manager was astonished that someone on the first floor had bid eight thousand Azure-Dragon coins. Nevertheless, he continued with the auction like a true professional.

The manager yelled, "The fellow Daoist in seat number 88 of the tenth section has bid eight thousand Azure-Dragon coins. Are there any higher bids?"

The people on the first floor weren't the only ones astonished; the representatives of sects in the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten on the second floor were just as surprised.

Daoist Chi Niu's face had turned purple with rage. He scanned the first floor with his divine sense, and it stopped at Chu Liang, shrouding him.

Daoist Chi Niu muttered, "Where did this kid appear from?"

"I have no idea which sect or faction this young disciple belongs to," Daoist Xuan Lu commented.

That was because all the sects in the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten, the three aristocratic family clans, and the imperial court had private rooms on the second floor... Whenever representatives of a major power in the world of immortality cultivators showed up, the Pavilion of Celestial Fate would arrange a private room for them. There was no favoritism.

That was why this young man's identity... was a big mystery.

With a trembling voice, the manager on the stage asked again if anyone else still wanted to bid for the item.

"Should we keep bidding?" Daoist Chi Niu asked Daoist Xuan Lu.

Daoist Chi Niu had actually asked that question through gritted teeth. He knew that if they continued, it would undoubtedly be very challenging for the Fanghu faction to afford the winning bid.

If they were to borrow a large amount of spirit-stone coins from the Yingzhou faction, there would certainly be a great price to pay for that. It would very likely cause Fanghu to become the lowest-ranking among the three island factions. In that case, the Fanghu faction's losses would outweigh the gains.

If Daoist Huang Long or Daoist Bai Lin were there, they would tell Daoist Chi Niu and the others that the handsome young man below was Chu Liang—the new champion of the Mount Shu Flying-Sword Race, the runner-up of the Mount Shu Summit, the master of the Violet and Azure Twin Swords, the owner of the berry garden that produces Mount Shu's specialty fruits, and the eldest senior brother of Silver Sword Peak![1]

This guy was from the Mount Shu Sect!

If Daoist Chi Niu and the others were to know that the mysterious bidder was from the Mount Shu Sect, they would definitely bid more desperately. They had investigated the Mount Shu Sect and knew roughly how much they had in their budget to buy the Demon-Subduing Pestle. The Mount Shu Sect's last bid of seven thousand Azure-Dragon coins had been made with the decision that they were going to have to sell their homes and lands to pay for it. They couldn't bid any higher than that.

However, at this moment, Daoist Chi Niu and Daoist Xuan Lu couldn't see through this young man's intentions. They didn’t have enough time to figure out which major force he belonged to and how many cards they had up their sleeves...

Daoist Xuan Lu pondered for a moment before finally saying, "Don't bid anymore... If we bid too little, it would be meaningless at such high stakes. We'd just be causing each other to cough up larger amounts of money and increase the mutual animosity. If we bid too much and the other party suddenly stops bidding, it would not be worth it for us."

Daoist Chi Niu nodded. "Okay."

Despite losing the bid, he inwardly let out a sigh of relief.

Daoist Chi Niu had strongly advocated on Fanghu Island that they should take part in the bidding war for the Demon-Subduing Pestle. If they acquired it, it would complement his Demon-Cutting Saber and produce great benefits.

Nonetheless, the price of the bid had exceeded their budget too much. So, the decision of whether they should even continue fighting for the Demon-Subduing Pestle had actually weighed heavily on Daoist Chi Niu.

The manager announced, "It seems there are no more bids. In that case, congratulations to this fellow Daoist for obtaining the Demon-Subduing Pestle—a legendary artifact that's ranked in the top hundred in the Catalog of the Mortal World's Ten Thousand Treasures!"

When he made the announcement, he felt that this situation was rather surreal. He'd initially thought this legendary artifact would surely go to one of the sects in the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten.

"But, everyone, please do not leave your seats," the manager continued. "We did not verify the funds of those attending this auction upon entry, so we will first conduct a brief verification process for this fellow Daoist to ensure he has the funds for to cover the winning bid. After that, we will announce the end of the auction."

Chu Liang gave a slight nod.

This was understandable. In such a large crowd, there were surely crooks mixed in with honest folk. If someone wanted to cause trouble, they could randomly shout a high price, shrug, and then say they had no money. What should Pavilion of Celestial Fate do then?

For the other treasures, it would be fine to auction them again next time. However, for a legendary artifact like the Demon-Subduing Pestle, could they sell it for as many Azure-Dragon coins next time? They might not be able to.

So, if Chu Liang were to fail the fund verification process, the Pavilion of Celestial Fate might detain him and hand him over to Taotie City for his punishment. Then they would restart the auction from the second last bid of seven thousand five hundred Azure Dragon coins.

...

Upon hearing about the fund verification process, the Weapons Master became anxious.

Earlier, when he heard someone bid eight thousand Azure-Dragon coins for the Demon-Subduing Pestle, the Weapons Master had fallen into despair. However, he then saw that the person who had made the bid was Chu Liang.

The Weapons Master and Tantai Jing were taken aback.

How could this kid have so many Azure-Dragon coins? It was impossible.

They knew Chu Liang had been doing all sorts of things on Mount Shu lately, but he could only have accumulated five or six thousand sword coins at most, which would be five or six hundred Azure-Dragon coins. Even that was a fantasy for disciples at the Golden Core Realm.

So, what exactly was Chu Liang doing now?

"Could it be that he's trying to ruin this auction?" the Weapons Master speculated.

He thought Chu Liang might have shouted a high bid to ruin the auction and give the Mount Shu Sect some time to raise more funds.

"But the auction house doesn't know who he is, so they'll definitely verify his funds before ending the auction. They won't just let him leave," Tantai Jing said, shaking his head. "Instead, Taotie City will punish him."

As expected, the manager then announced that the Pavilion of Celestial Fate would be verifying Chu Liang's funds.

The Weapons Master couldn't sit still anymore. "This won't do. I have to go help him. He's the master of the Violet and Azure Twin Swords. That's more important to our sect than the Demon-Subduing Pestle."

At this moment, an attendant had already invited Chu Liang to the backstage area.

The manager was surprised when he saw the young man's calm expression. It appeared that the young man knew what he was doing and that his bid had been a serious one.

However, there was one problem remaining; the Pavilion of Celestial Fate did not know which major force was backing him.

The Weapons Master, the representative of the major force backing Chu Liang, hurriedly flew from the second floor to the backstage area.

Meanwhile, the manager smiled at Chu Liang and said, "Young noble, please understand. Eight thousand Azure-Dragon coins is a huge amount. We cannot afford to be careless. So, you see—"

"I understand." Chu Liang smiled. "I am a disciple of the Mount Shu Sect."

"

Ah

, so you're a young hero from Mount Shu!" the manager exclaimed, breathing a sigh of relief.

He felt at ease now that he knew the young man did indeed have a major force backing him.

Right then, a tall old man barged in while shouting, "He is a disciple of my sect, the Mount Shu Sect! Do not make things difficult for him!"

When the manager saw the Weapons Master, he smiled brightly. "Oh! It's the Weapons Master from Mount Shu! Are you here to claim the Demon-Subduing Pestle? This young hero has already identified himself. How could we make things difficult for him?"

Hearing that, the Weapons Master stopped in his tracks.

Then he looked at Chu Liang and asked, "Why did you act so rashly?"

"Seeing that the Demon-Subduing Pestle was about to fall into the hands of outsiders, I felt anxious, so I decided to put in a bid," Chu Liang answered.

"In that case, do you have the eight thousand Azure-Dragon coins?" the Weapons Master questioned grumpily.

He was rather reproachful because he knew Chu Liang didn't have eight thousand Azure-Dragon coins. That meant the Demon-Subduing Pestle would ultimately still fall into the hands of outsiders. Furthermore, the Mount Shu Sect would gain a reputation for being sore losers and become the laughingstock of the world of immortality cultivators.

"

Eh?

" Chu Liang eyes widened in shock. "Does our sect not plan to contribute anything at all?"

1. Lol. This sentence is ridiculously long, but oh, well. Chu Liang has way too many titles. ☜