"Very well, then please send your disciples to the stage," the auctioneer said with a smile and invited the candidates on the stage. Xu Ao and a young master covered in bruises entered the stage. Giving the bruised guy a sharp look, Seth actually recognized him.
It was the young master who had disturbed the sword dance show the other day. The guy who took over Yi Mo's body apparently gave him a good beating. This guy was lv. 48, also at the peak of Qi Gathering. Despite being young masters, both fell short of the average level for their realm.
Even the nobles of the countryside had it hard...
"Who would like to begin?" the auctioneer asked politely.
"I, Yi Ma of the Yi Family, would like to try first," he cupped his hands and gave a bow, giving Xu Ao a condescending glance.
~This is almost like a real drama unfolding right before our eyes,- Fin commented with a chuckle.
~By the way, did they communicate this with you?- Mina asked Seth whether the auction house had told him about this play,
~Oh, yeah. They mentioned they might organize a demonstration; I just told them to do whatever it takes to raise the price.- The blacksmith answered confidently in his work. Even if he just added a simple version of the
"Then please go ahead. Do not worry, in case something goes wrong, our assistance will make sure it does not escalate," the auctioneer assured him and the audience, before stepping aside, giving Yi Ma access to the blade.
The young master grasped the simple hilt, lifting it from the cushion it was displayed on. His whole body immediately quivered; his eyes were focused on the sword in his hand. After a moment of silence, he moved. He swung the sword, going through a couple of sword forms; sweat was appearing on his forehead. The sword strikes were quick and powerful.
"The power is coursing through my body like a raging river. I can feel every aspect of my vessel being strengthened to a certain extent. It feels like I broke through a small realm by simply carrying the sword, " he described, sweating profusely now.
Finally, he moved to place the sword back on the cushion. However, he suddenly hesitated, as if unwilling to let go of the artifact. Focusing his full willpower, he managed to pry open his fingers and put down the sword in the end.
These were already the early signs of mental corruption. The sword made the wielder unwilling to let it go, so its influence could grow even stronger. Who knew, had Yi Ma held onto it a couple of minutes longer, the bulky auction assistants may have had to subdue him to reclaim the weapon.
"I have not seen a weapon of the divine surge, but what I felt fits some descriptions I heard. It takes a lot of concentration to resist the seduction of the blade, but the increase in power is real. I would say this is at least a low spirit grade weapon," the young master gave his verdict.
His assumption drew a murmur from the crowd. The weapons sold in the auction so far, ranging between common and uncommon according to system standards, were all mortal grade weapon from the perspective of the cultivation world.
Even a low spirit grade weapon was a huge step up, especially price-wise. Xu Ao stared at him in doubt. He didn't believe that assessment. He was probably exaggerating to raise the price.
"We will see about that," young master Xu said, eager to try it himself. At the invitation of the auctioneer, Xu Ao also picked up the sword. The shiver going through his body was visibly stronger, and he was sweating before making a move.
Despite the apparent struggle, a creepy smile appeared on his face. "Phenomenal," he commented, making a slow move. "It really is a spirit weapon," the confirmed Yi Ma's words; his eyes widened, staring at the weapon with a crazed look.
"Damn, he's a goner..." Seth whispered under his breath. Mental Corruption usually took a while to really affect the target, even people on the weaker side, but it was like this guy started at a disadvantage and snapped almost immediately. There was no way he would voluntarily return the weapon.
"Young Master?" the auctioneer asked him carefully when Xu Ao didn't return the sword after several minutes. When he approached, the sword was pointed at him, the weapon shaking.
"It's mine, you can't have it! I won't give it back!" he exclaimed, exuding murderous intent. The sword in his hand no longer shook. Xu Ao wielded it with the conviction that it was his and he would not allow anyone to steal it from him.
However, Xu Ao's opinion didn't matter. The moment he held the sword with the intent to fight, the old man's benign expression vanished. In one quick moment, he grabbed the blade of the sword, pulling it toward him, and struck the young master in the chest with a palm strike.
The air audibly left his lungs, stumbling back. The auctioneer had easily disarmed him. As expected from someone over 20 levels stronger. The auctioneer was actually at the peak of Foundation Establishment, so there was never any danger on the stage, except for Xu Ao.
Where the old man struck, his chest seemed to have caved in. He was struggling to breathe, and he fell to his knees on stage. His attendants quickly rushed to the stage.
"Bring them to the back and give him a 2nd grade Bone-Knitting Pill," the old man instructed the auction assistants on the stage to guide the people of the Xu Family off stage, then he turned to the audience with an apologetic bow.
"Everyone has seen it; the effects are real and unfortunately not fit for the weak-minded," he gave a simple summary of the test with a biting remark concerning Xu Ao. When the young men instantly fell, Seth worried it could lower the interest in the weapon, but looking around, he only saw eyes burning with desire.
Obviously, none of them would count themselves as weak-minded, or accept being called such. If anything, they were even more interested in buying the sword and proving themselves.
"Considering the blade's strong hunger, the starting minimum bid is 500 Low-grade Spirit Stones," the auctioneer finally proclaimed. It was a high starting price compared to the other weapons sold, but it was quite low for a spirit weapon. The price instantly started rising, shooting straight up to 1550 spirit stones; only then did it slow down. It had already surpassed the Foundation Establishment Pill, which had the highest price until now.
At this point, it was a battle between the VIP booths that held the representatives of powerful families, clans, or sects in the region. It kept climbing until-
"210 Medium Grade Spirit Stones!" was called from VIP booth 5. 210 Medium Grade Spirit Stones equaled 2100 Low Grade Spirit Stones, raising the price by several hundred in an instant. It was a bold move Seth liked to pull, too, and it was successful.
The Wrathful Sword was sold for a whopping 2100 Low Grade Spirit Stones to Elder Xin of the North Mountain Wind Sect, who won the auction. Apparently it was a smaller sect in the vicinity of Konan, but Seth had never heard of them. The crowd applauded for the record price.
"Dear guests, don't be disheartened about missing the chance to buy the Wrathful Sword. Instead, look forward to our next item. Lot 132, the Wrathful Spear, unearthed from the same location as the sword, holds the same power," the auctioneer revealed. The crowd was in shock.
While some were eager for their chance to still get their hands on a spirit weapon, Elder Xin, standing in his booth, looked visibly disgruntled that there was actually another weapon with this effect. Had he known it, he probably wouldn't have paid this much.
Which was probably also the reason why the auctioneer had not said so beforehand.
"This spear is also the last weapon of its kind we can offer today," he added, so people would try holding back, thinking there might be a third weapon. This was truly their last chance. Starting with the same 500 minimum price, it drove people into a bidding frenzy. Somehow, the price climbed even higher than what Elder Xin had paid.
"What an excellent use of FOMO," the blacksmith thought to himself, impressed by the auctioneer's strategy. Ultimately, the spear was not claimed by any of the VIPs, but by the cloaked figure that had vied with the blacksmith for the bronze coin.
Bidder Number 94 offered a staggering 340 Medium Grade Spirit Stones. Seth didn't know why he left the bronze coin to him, when he obviously had the money for a bidding war, but the blacksmith was glad.
With the sale of two simple weapons, Seth had easily reclaimed the money he had spent earlier, and more. Overall, he had made a profit of roughly 5100 Low-Grade Spirit Stones before fees.