The moment everyone had been waiting for had finally arrived. "Please welcome our final auction item!" the auctioneer's voice boomed as the lights brightened and music filled the hall.
All eyes turned towards the stand being wheeled out. An unusual sensation, a powerful fluctuation, seemed to emanate from it. This final item had captured the curiosity of everyone present, with many speculating about its nature.
The auctioneer was direct and efficient, pulling off the red cloth without any unnecessary preamble.
A silver-white spear was revealed. It was pure white, exquisitely crafted with an ancient elegance, looking both handsome and strangely unique.
"As you can see, this is a weapon, a spear. And not just any spear, but a Sacred artifact-level spear!" the auctioneer announced with grandeur. No embellishments were needed; the mere mention of "Sacred artifact" was enough to command everyone's attention and respect.
Sacred artifact!
Spiritual artifacts were already incredibly precious, with ordinary individuals rarely able to acquire one. The price for each Spiritual artifact was at least five billion spiritual coins. A Sacred artifact, being more valuable and powerful than a Spiritual artifact, was immeasurably rare and precious. In Zhou Yan's entire territory, he himself was the only one possessing a Sacred artifact-level weapon. It wasn't for lack of desire to acquire more, but rather that he had never encountered them. Even Spiritual artifacts were difficult to come by; the chance of encountering a Sacred artifact was practically zero.
The appearance of the Sacred artifact reignited the atmosphere of the previously quiet auction.
"I never expected the final item to be a Sacred artifact. It's a shame such treasures are far beyond our reach."
"The value of a Sacred artifact will surely fetch over a hundred billion spiritual coins. Only a select few present have the means to compete for it."
"This is a Sacred artifact! Acquiring it would undoubtedly boost one's combat power significantly."
"I wonder if the occupants of private box number six still have sufficient funds to contend for this Sacred artifact."
Everyone's anticipation was fixed on the occupants of private box number six. As for the others, unless they could somehow prevent Zhou Yan from successfully bidding, they were unlikely to be remembered.
"A Sacred artifact!" exclaimed the City Lord of Shangyang from private box number one, equally surprised.
"Even you, Uncle, didn't know a Sacred artifact would be auctioned today?" Du Xun voiced his doubt, questioning if his uncle, the City Lord, truly had no knowledge of the items being auctioned in his own city.
"The monthly auctions are handled directly by personnel dispatched from headquarters, including the auctioneer. Apart from those from headquarters, no one knows what items will be presented. What's so strange about that?"
"This is the Soul Continent, not your Du family's overseas territory. Don't always apply your external thinking to matters here. The circumstances are different everywhere. If you're unclear about the situation, it's best not to speak."
"I..." Du Xun felt a surge of anger at being reprimanded. His face turned ashen, and he clenched his fists. He decided to vent his frustration on his cousin's wife, Du Mei, resolving to engage in more strenuous activities with her that night to release his pent-up emotions.
"There is no reserve price for Sacred artifacts, so please bid with confidence!" the auctioneer finally announced.
"One spiritual coin." A voice from the floor drew uproarious laughter from the crowd. Someone even joined in the jest: "Two spiritual coins!"
"Three spiritual coins." It wasn't until a truly qualified bidder announced, "Fifty billion spiritual coins," that the competition began to heat up.
"Sixty billion spiritual coins!"
"Seventy billion spiritual coins."
Then, Zhou Yan stated, "One hundred and fifty billion spiritual coins."
The crowd erupted in fury. As expected, the occupant of private box number six had more than doubled the price with their opening bid. This caused many to hesitate. While many possessed hundreds of billions of spiritual coins in liquid assets, their territories required constant expenditure. Bidding too aggressively might lead to their territories going bankrupt. Who could bear the consequence of halting their hard-won territorial development due to a lack of funds? Ninety-nine percent of the attendees withdrew from the bidding.
"This is a Sacred artifact! You won't be so arrogant," Du Xun declared from private box number one. "Two hundred billion spiritual coins!"
"Two hundred and fifty billion spiritual coins!" Zhou Yan immediately countered.
"Holy hell!" Du Xun cursed aloud! He had at most two hundred and fifty billion spiritual coins, and his bid was immediately shut down. The feeling was agonizing. Those who had still considered bidding heard the price jump by another hundred billion spiritual coins and fell silent.
"Two hundred and fifty billion spiritual coins, first call!"
"Two hundred and fifty billion spiritual coins, second call!"
*Ding!* The auctioneer struck the bidding bell and declared, "Let us offer our warmest applause to our friend in private box number six for successfully acquiring this final auction item at two hundred and fifty billion spiritual coins! Furthermore, congratulations to the friend in private box number six for purchasing all the auction items single-handedly, creating a miracle, a legend!"
*Clap, clap, clap!* Regardless of their personal feelings, everyone present was awestruck by Zhou Yan's financial power and offered their sincere congratulations. He had indeed purchased all the items, becoming the first person in auction history to do so.
When the items were delivered to Zhou Yan's private box, he tested the spiritual spear. It felt perfectly balanced and exuded an imposing aura. The spear was named the "Armor-Piercing Divine Wind Spear," a magnificent title that matched its silver-white, handsome appearance. Its armor-piercing damage bonus made it ideal for swift, agile generals like Zhao Yun. Zhou Yan immediately thought of Zhao Yun for this weapon. The spear Zhao Yun currently wielded could be given to Zhang Xiu or Yang Zaixing. After some thought, he reasoned that Zhang Xiu, being Zhao Yun's senior brother, might feel slighted if both received top-tier weapons. Therefore, Zhou Yan decided to give Zhao Yun's current spear to Yang Zaixing.
Zhou Yan settled the payment, receiving a 10% discount for purchasing so many items, cementing his status as a VIP of the auction house.
"It's finally over. Let's leave," Zhou Yan said, standing up.
"They all said the Lord created a miracle in auction history, showing everyone what true 'wealth' looks like." Diao Chan also stood, looking delighted.
"Comparing wealth with our Lord is simply incomparable. Another ten thousand such auctions wouldn't be a problem," Zhen Mi remarked, looking at the territory's funds. If their spiritual coins stopped increasing, she wondered how many years it would take to spend them all.