All the guests present heard Wang Zihao's words, and there wasn't much shock.

This was an inevitable result! With Xu Hao's strength being so formidable, and having Liu Tianxiong as his backing, Wang Zihao definitely had to submit. If he didn't, he might have actually been beaten to a pulp.

However, the previous confrontations between the Wang Family and the Liu Family had been carried out in secret, but after this episode, it was all laid out in the open!

Wang Zihao directly gave up the auction, and the auctioneer felt somewhat regretful. The Ancient Sword had started at a bidding price of 20,000, and the price had surged to 8 million—that's a 400-fold premium. If the deal had gone through, the auctioneer alone would have made several hundred thousand from the commission.

But now, with Wang Zihao suddenly dropping out of the bidding for the Ancient Sword, the breach-of-contract fee would only be several hundred thousand, and the auctioneer wouldn't get a cent of it.

"Young Master Wang, are you... sure you don't want this fine sword?" The auctioneer, somewhat tactless, still tried to salvage the situation.

Wang Zihao, already extremely annoyed inside, snapped at the auctioneer's inquiry, "Are you deaf or something? I said I don't want it—quit your yapping!"

Wang Zihao didn't dare lash out at Xu Hao, but he wasn't the least bit scared of the auctioneer. After scolding him, the auctioneer didn't even dare to let out a peep.

"Alright then. Ladies and gentlemen, the previous auction is void. We will restart with the initial bid of 20,000—does anyone else want to bid?"

After the recent commotion, the entire venue was silent, with everyone's eyes uniformly turning towards Liu Tianxiong and Xu Hao.

Wang Zihao going up against Liu Tianxiong had resulted in a beating that left him looking like a pig's head. This was Young Master Wang from the Wang Family—one of the two dominating powers—and even he wasn't spared by Xu Hao, let alone other families.

The auctioneer asked three or four times in a row, but no one dared to respond.

Eventually, Liu Tianxiong nonchalantly raised his bid card, "Since none of you want this Ancient Sword, I'll offer 20,000 then!" This chapter's true source is My Virtual Library Empire (*).

A typical case of playing coy after getting a windfall, Liu Tianxiong's lips curled up in a smirk, feeling secretly thrilled. He gave a challenging glance towards Box No. 8.

Once Liu Tianxiong himself had spoken, naturally no one below dared to make another bid.

In Box No. 8, Li Dong clenched and unclenched his fists, glanced at Wang Zihao, and said, "Young Master Wang, what do you think? Shall we raise the bid and compete for it once more?"

Wang Zihao felt a ferocious anger boiling inside, but he dared not show it on his face. His head shook like a rattle-drum, "No need... no need! That Ancient Sword... was originally Young Master Xu's..."

"If that's the case, then why don't you scram?"

The muscles on Wang Zihao's face twitched a few times as he left the box with a look of suppressed humiliation, meeting up with Elder Chen and a few bodyguards outside, and quickly departing the auction hall, heading towards the exit.

The auctioneer continued to call out, "20,000 for the first time, is there anyone with a higher bid?"

"20,000 for the second time, is there anyone with a higher bid?"

"20,000 for the third time, no more bids! Alright, sold! This Ancient Sword goes to Mr. Liu Tianxiong of the Liu Family!"

The auctioneer's words echoed in Wang Zihao's ears, repeatedly provoking him. Wang Zihao felt like he was going to explode, "Dammit!"

Although the Ancient Sword had gone through some twists and turns, in the end, it still ended up in the hands of Xu Hao.

In a corner on the first floor, an old man and a young girl gazed at Xu Hao. The stunningly beautiful girl blinked and said, "Grandfather, this big brother's methods are quite extraordinary!"

The old man stroked his beard, "Yes, indeed. It seems our Tuoba Family's divination techniques are truly accurate. Xu Hao will certainly be a remarkable figure in the future. Just a day after not seeing him, Xu Hao's strength seems to have climbed to a new level. At this rate of progress, it won't take long for him to break through to the Grandmaster Level!"

In the path of martial cultivation, one starts with mastering Internal Energy Transformation, wherein having control signifies a master, and Grandmaster is considered great achievement. Across the Huaya System, there aren't many who have reached the Grandmaster Level, and they are mostly supreme authorities of their domains.

And above the Grandmaster Level, Martial Honor experts are even rarer.

After Liu Tianxiong's side had made the payment at the transaction desk, the Yun Family's bodyguards brought the Ancient Sword to Box No. 7.

Xu Hao held the Ancient Sword in his hands, feeling its thick aura of Floating Light, with a smile emerging on his face. The Floating Light on this sword seemed different from what Xu Hao had encountered on the porcelain vase before. The sword's body was adorned with some ancient patterns, which made it impossible for Xu Hao to absorb the Floating Light from the sword.

Yet, Xu Hao could sense that the Floating Light within the sword was incredibly powerful, entirely beyond his expectations, and it seemed to have sentience, as if it could resonate with him. It sounded mystical, but Xu Hao genuinely had the illusion that the sword was meant for him.

Twirling the sword, creating several "flowers", Xu Hao suddenly noticed two delicate characters engraved on the hilt, "Feng Yi".

It seemed like the name of a girl, and Liu Ruyan also noticed the characters, her brows slightly furrowing.

While Xu Hao was still pondering, the Yun Family's bodyguard who hadn't left spoke to Xu Hao, "Young Master Xu, the donor of this Ancient Sword said to make sure you take good care of it, for as long as the person lives, so does the sword! If you lose it, she's going to... pinch your ears! She said this is her first gift to you!"

Hmm?

A gift?

Xu Hao was baffled, "A gift for me?"

Xu Hao's gaze swiftly swept across the entire hall, but he didn't spot anyone with the aura of Floating Light. The person who had given the Ancient Sword as a gift surely knew of the existence of the Floating Light on it, which meant they must also be a martial arts expert.

This Ancient Sword was clearly an extraordinary treasure, but why was it given as a gift to him? What did it mean?