Chen Tian looked at the spiritual fire before him, a sense of awe washing over him. To actually procure a spiritual fire, the Sea Dragon Auction House’s influence was immense!
Chen Tian mused whether he should acquire this spiritual fire. From a private room, a voice boomed, "I offer one hundred million Era Coins. Our Hu Yuan clan wants this spiritual fire. The human race cannot fully utilize its power; only within our Hu Yuan clan can this spiritual fire reach its peak potential."
"You claim it’s yours just because you say so? I offer one hundred fifty million. I won't let the Hu Yuan clan enhance their combat power."
"You Shui Yuan clan fellows, you're courting death. I offer two hundred thirty million."
"Who's afraid of whom? I offer three hundred ten million."
For a moment, only the bidding voices of two races echoed throughout the grand hall. Soon, a third voice emerged, directly calling out five hundred million. Everyone turned their gaze to that private room, from which a voice declared, "This spiritual fire, our Hu Long Guild is determined to obtain it. We ask everyone to give us face."
"It's the Hu Long Guild. I didn't expect them to be after this spiritual fire too."
"It seems this spiritual fire will go to the Hu Long Guild. But I reckon the Hu Yuan clan and the Shui Yuan clan might also be able to acquire it."
"Others should stop dreaming. These three are overlord-level powers on the fourth level. If they remember you after you bid, it will be more loss than gain."
Chen Tian murmured, "Interesting."
On the fourth level, there were several overlord powers: the three major guilds, the four major races, and the three major rogue cultivators. The four major guilds were: Hu Long Guild, Ling Tian Guild, Mie Yun Guild, and Shan He Guild.
The four major races were: Shui Yuan Clan, Hu Yuan Clan, Tu Yuan Clan, and Kuang Feng Ling Clan.
The three major rogue cultivators were: Tian Yun Ling Yun, Xuan Yuan Ling Feng, and Shen Ling Feng Yun.
It could be said that these individuals were untouchable by any player on the fourth level. With the Hu Long Guild’s declaration, no one dared to bid. No one was willing to offend the Hu Long Guild, and players from other regions were not here for this spiritual fire.
While spiritual fire was precious, ordinary players couldn't wield it. Spiritual fire required players to possess the skill "Fire Element Mastery" to fuse and control it; otherwise, a mere touch would engulf them in flames.
"Is anyone else bidding?"
"Five hundred fifty million. I want this spiritual fire!"
Chen Tian’s voice, calm yet resounding throughout the auction hall, instantly silenced the crowd. Good heavens, what kind of power resided in this King's Invitation? The items purchased so far were close to several hundred million, and with further bidding, it could reach a billion. How could they be so wealthy?
"Your Excellency, do you not give face to our Hu Long Guild?"
In the Hu Long Guild's private room, a young man roared. Chen Tian heard it and replied indifferently, "Hu Long Guild, are they very strong? I've never heard of them, nor encountered them. The highest bidder wins; that is the rule."
Chen Tian hadn't intended to bid. After all, offending these major powers would bring considerable trouble. Who knew that the 'Ghost System' would issue a mission at this moment, compelling him to contend for this spiritual fire.
"Our Hu Long Guild offers seven hundred million Era Coins."
"Nine hundred million Era Coins!"
Chen Tian paid no mind to these Era Coins. His total holdings amounted to tens of billions, all accumulated by him. From leveling up to completing missions and defeating boss monsters, the rewards and Era Coins dropped were enough to make Chen Tian comparable to a noble family's fortune.
"Damn it, damn it! Go and investigate what kind of player power is in that private room, quickly." The young man’s eyes flashed with a cold glint. If he couldn't obtain it, he would resort to snatching it.
"Your Excellency, you have yielded. I wonder if you can keep it warm."
"Then you don't need to worry about it."
"Nine hundred million, is there anyone bidding higher? No one?"
*Dong dong dong!* Three consecutive hammer strikes from Bi Lan Xin. Chen Tian entered the figures and swiped his card. Soon, the balance decreased, and the spiritual fire appeared before Chen Tian, who then stored it in his backpack.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the mission. Do you wish to fuse all the flames?"
"Fuse!"
"Ding! Flames are fusing. During the fusion, the host cannot use the Fire Element Mastery ability. Fusion time: three months."
"Ding! Congratulations to the player for obtaining the flame fusion skill: Ten Thousand Fires, Ten Thousand Lotuses!"
Chen Tian ignored the system's voice. This skill required flames to be cast, and his Fire Element Mastery ability was sealed for three months. He would wait. He only hoped this skill wouldn't disappoint him, as he had offended three major forces. Chen Tian could feel that all three forces had intentions towards him. After this auction, his journey would likely become more arduous.
"The next item is the finale. I believe everyone is here for it."
"The next item is a pet egg. It can hatch a pet, which can be raised into a battle pet. Pets can be raised to level 99 of the Blue Ling grade. This pet only requires items for feeding to level up, without any experience sharing."
"The pet egg is: Savage Dragon Egg, a dragon-type pet."
"Starting bid: three thousand Space-Time Coins."
"I bid five thousand!"
"Six thousand!"
"Eight thousand!"
With the appearance of the pet egg, the auction hall erupted with shouts, and the prices continued to climb. Chen Tian, however, showed no interest in the pet egg in the center. He already had his own pet, and his Si Si was no inferior to other pets. The Savage Dragon was, in essence, an亞龍 (Ya Long - sub-dragon), not a pure-blooded dragon. His Si Si, on the other hand, was from the Sacred Tiger clan, with 100% pure bloodline. As long as Chen Tian had sufficient experience, her level could grow indefinitely. The experience he had accumulated now was enough to raise Si Si to level seventy or eighty of the Blue Ling grade. However, the price reaching ten thousand Space-Time Coins somewhat surprised him. A single pet egg required considerable wealth to obtain.
Space-Time Coins were a currency above Era Coins. Space-Time Coins could only be obtained through missions or conversion from Era Coins. One Space-Time Coin required one hundred Era Coins to exchange. The conversion rate was one to one hundred. As long as there were enough Era Coins, there would be no shortage of Space-Time Coins. In the worlds beyond the tenth level, players used Space-Time Coins. Space-Time Era, Space-Time Coins, and Era Coins represented the name and symbol of this game. Soon, the pet egg was purchased by a private room for three hundred million Space-Time Coins. Chen Tian quietly awaited the remaining items. He had only one purpose for this trip: a fragment of a broken map.
"The next item is a Seven Fiery grade weapon: Yang Tian Gourd. Players can store their power within the gourd. The gourd can purify and compress the stored power, unleashing an attack exceeding 300% of the player's attack. The higher the player's level, the greater the power generated. However, nurturing it is also more arduous. Starting bid: five thousand Space-Time Coins!"
Chen Tian had no interest in this gourd. His own power far surpassed this gourd; it would likely not withstand his strength. The power of his Chaos Origin was too immense; it would explode instantly upon entering the gourd.
"The next item: a mysterious broken map fragment. I believe everyone is here for this fragment, so I won't waste words. Most of you know the secret of this fragment, and some of you even possess fragments. This fragment starts at three hundred million Space-Time Coins, with an increment of no less than one hundred million!"
"Two hundred million."
"Three hundred million."
"Five hundred million."
The auction hall erupted into a frenzy of bidding, with voices echoing from the private rooms. Chen Tian was a bit bewildered. What was going on? Did everyone know the secret of this fragment? He thought no one did. Now, it seemed acquiring it would be difficult. Furthermore, he heard Bi Lan Xin say that some people already possessed fragments, meaning he wasn't the only one collecting them.
"System, System, what's going on? Why do so many people know about this mission?"
"Ding! The mission the host has triggered is a general mission. All players can trigger it. The host should find the fragments and complete the mission as soon as possible."
"Right, the map the host possesses and the mission the host triggered are unique among all players. Other players need to collect fragments and clear the stages to obtain rewards. The host will directly receive rewards by collecting the fragments and completing the map. In another sense, the host's method is much better than other players."
"Then, System, how many fragments are there currently?"
"Ding! Analyzing fragments... Returning to host, there are a total of twelve fragments. Based on the sequence, the one being auctioned is fragment number ten."
"I bid one billion!" Chen Tian roared. This time, he knew he would offend many people, but so what? He would never give up on the fragments.
"Fifteen hundred million!"
"Three billion!"
"Your Excellency, are you sure you want to contend with our Ling Hai Guild for this fragment?"
"Ling Hai Guild, I don't know them, nor do I recognize them. At an auction, the highest bidder wins; that is the rule. Miss Bi Lan Xin, am I correct?"
"Indeed, at an auction, only price matters. Whoever offers the highest price obtains it." Bi Lan Xin stood tall and unwavering. She was from the Sea Dragon Auction House and remained impartial, as these powers dared not act rashly.
"Good, kid. I remember you. Don't let me find you. We'll leave this item with you for now." Chen Tian swiped his card, and his balance instantly dropped to a single digit. Chen Tian's mouth twitched. His money, all gone! Space-Time Coins were indeed much more expensive.
"Brother, if it's not enough, I still have some here. It's okay." Chen Ling produced a card. Chen Tian's eyes widened. "Sister, this is from Sister Ming Tian, isn't it?"
"Yes!"
"Oh my, I'm leaving! Sister, you guys have fun." Chen Tian, sensing the aura of the card, instantly teleported out of the private room. He couldn't stay here any longer. Run!
"Sister Qing Ling, is Sister Ming Tian that terrifying? Why is Brother so scared?"
"Heh heh, you don't understand Sister Ming Tian's intentions. Your brother is just scared."
"Let's go, Sister Qing Ling will take you to play."
"Yay! Si Si and Sister Qing Ling are going back to the second level." Qing Ling and Chen Ling’s figures vanished from the private room. The auction had just concluded, and outside Chen Tian's private room door, a crowd of players waited, eager to see what power, or which player, had offended them. Of course, they likely didn't know that Chen Tian, Qing Ling, and Chen Ling had all departed.