Chapter 742: Afternoon Session (I)

    Almost everyone left the Grand Auction House, leaving it quite empty. To facilitate a fair afternoon session, the remaining twenty-four people were gathered on the ground floor instead of their private boxes. As for what items would come out during the afternoon session, many had some ideas but not completely.

    The afternoon session would only have six items in keeping with the spirit of the Liu Wu Festival and the six kings that fought in the eastern wilderness. Each item was submitted to the Grand Auction House which would analyze it and make an estimate on the market price. Many people could submit items but only six were chosen, the six best and most expensive. Therefore, one would know if their item was picked but they couldn’t be sure of the other items.

    The only person who knew was the chief auctioneer Hong Ling but she would never reveal it. After all, this was one of the many ploys she used to maintain her influence within the city.

    Of the twenty-four people, the two Spirit Kings were not included. It was customary for them to merely observe. But the roster did include the Spirit Lords. Immortal Lion of Fortune He Xinghan and Immortal Tempest Badger Qiu Chuyi led the lion faction. Immortal Wolf Hunter Nan Lang and Immortal Sky Monkey Gu Lan led the eagle faction. These four constantly shot dirty looks at the other side even as they ate and drank.

    Gu Lan was particularly angry. He had also wanted the obtain the Joy Luck Pill but the price turned out to be too high. Even Chen Wentian only expected to go for three hundred fifty thousand taels or so. However, he promised Gu Lan that the other could also obtain a Joy Luck Pill himself if he took a trip to the Martial Brilliance Continent.

    As for the remaining twenty people, there were seven people from the lion faction and ten people from the eagle faction. They were all executive elders or the heads of large clans. The last group consisted of Chen Wentian, Zhou Ziyun, and Li Yuechan. The lion faction spared no effort to glare at the three of them as they had upended the balance of the auction. Because of their interference, the lion faction had lost an enormous amount of face.

    The place was filled with fighting spirit. Just a spark and it would blow up like fireworks. This was exactly what Chen Wentian wanted.

    At the end of the meal, the tables were cleared as the afternoon auction would soon commence. As the people readied their wallets, a pair of powerful spiritual auras arrived. Immortal Lion of Fortitude He Zicheng and Immortal Crimson Eagle Qu Shen landed and took their seats. They were a little out of breath and their clothes were in slight disarray. It was obvious that they had fought with each other. Although it didn’t look serious, this situation only served to heighten the tension between the two sides.

    Both of them received their reports from their subordinates, causing He Zicheng to look towards Chen Wentian with furrowed brows.

    “Little Brother Chen has been very busy since arriving at Beast God City. I didn’t expect it.” He said, “I suppose you can muster this little wealth after robbing Glacier Palace, Divine Blazing Mountain, and now the Tower of Swords. But you will soon realize the wealth of three Spirit Lord sects doesn’t compare to a fraction of my Beast God Sanctum!”

    Chen Wentian smiled without a whiff of friendliness, “Old lion, you don’t have to worry about me. Whether one is rich or poor, everyone will soon know during the auction.”

    “Impudent.” He Zicheng snorted, “I see you still haven’t changed your ways. When you leaped out to attack me during the Immortal Sect Competition, I thought you were an idiot. It seems my assumptions weren’t inaccurate.”

    Chen Wentian’s lips curled up in a sneer. He was about to retort when he received a spiritual voice transmission from Qu Shen.

    The seven immortals present were keenly aware of each other. The other mortals were merely a formality. The true competitors were the seven of them and them alone.

    “Well then,” Hong Ling said as the first item was brought up front, “This item hails from the Great Hui Desert to the south. It was found by chance by executive elder Qu Dawei during a mission to that region. Please take a look.”

    She pulled back the cloth, revealing a small oblong object the size of a chicken egg. It was a pinecone. This caused many people to react with derision and disbelief. Just in the nearby forests, such a pinecone would be as abundant as grains of sand on a beach.

    “Everyone, do not look down on this thing. This pinecone came from a strange pine tree within the desert, the only one that was still alive. The tree produced a single pinecone which just happened to be ripe when executive elder Qu encountered it.”

    “The Grand Auction House has used its connections across the subcontinent and beyond to identify it. It is the pinecone of a silver bristle pine which is known to have tremendous vitality and long lifespans. It is not uncommon for these trees to live for ten or twenty thousand years. An expert deduced that this tree could be the remnant of an ancient forest before the land turned into a desert. And this pinecone, the pine nuts within it have just ripened.”

    “Here is where things get good. It is known that the pine nuts of the silver bristle pine can naturally provide a person with longevity. A mortal may be able to obtain ten years of additional lifespan with a single nut. For an immortal, they will have to consume all of the nuts within this pinecone to also gain ten years of additional lifespan!”

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