Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Obtaining the Ice Jade Marrow

Watching the feverish bidding from the crowd below, Shen Haoran couldn’t help but click his tongue. A single Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact had caused such a frenzy. ’These people are all loaded!’

"What’s wrong, Younger Brother Shen? Not planning on bidding?" Luo Wenqing said with a smile. "I’ve appraised this Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact myself. It’s not bad, quite suitable for a Martial Artist with Fire Attribute Spiritual Power! I noticed you don’t have a weapon, so why not take this one? It would be perfect for you at your current stage!"

Hearing this, Shen Haoran shook his head with a smile and said, "I think I’ll pass. Although it’s a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact, it has a major flaw. Spiritual Artifacts generally have an Array inscribed within them to store Spiritual Power, which can then be unleashed in a powerful burst to injure enemies during combat. However, the Array inside this artifact isn’t complete. If handled improperly in a fight, it’s likely to injure the user before the enemy. I won’t make such a losing deal."

"Younger Brother Shen, a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact like this actually has such a flaw?" Luo Wenqing was skeptical. He had personally appraised this Spiritual Artifact. As the chief appraiser for the Celestial Martial Auction House, if he didn’t even have that much discernment, his career would have been for nothing!

"Oh? Don’t you believe me, Brother Luo?" Shen Haoran chuckled.

"In a typical Spiritual Artifact, the flow of Spiritual Power is very smooth—the higher the grade, the smoother the flow. Now, Brother Luo, take a closer look at this Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact. At the joint where the hilt and the blade connect, there’s no Spiritual Power flowing at all! You have to understand, that’s where the core of the artifact’s internal Array is located. This means it’s a failed Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact!"

At Shen Haoran’s words, Luo Wenqing focused his attention on the joint between the hilt and the blade. He found that it was just as Shen Haoran had said; there wasn’t the slightest flow of Spiritual Power there. This flaw, however, was masked by the rest of the blade, so Luo Wenqing hadn’t noticed it at the time!

"This... Younger Brother Shen, how do you know all this?" Luo Wenqing was astonished. A problem that even he, the chief appraiser, had missed was seen through by Shen Haoran at a glance. ’Could it be that Shen Haoran is also an Artifact Refining Master?’

"Haha, just lucky, I guess. Just lucky..." Shen Haoran said, laughing it off.

In truth, Shen Haoran didn’t know the first thing about Artifact Refining. It was just that he possessed the Alchemy Inheritance in his mind. All the knowledge and experience related to Artifact Refining had been forcefully crammed into his head. Although he couldn’t refine artifacts himself, the experience he possessed was in no way inferior to that of an Artifact Refining Grandmaster!

Seeing that Shen Haoran didn’t want to elaborate, Luo Wenqing didn’t press the matter. After all, everyone had their secrets.

While the two were talking, the Middle Grade Fire-Attribute Spiritual Artifact below was sold for a price of 80,000 Gold Coins. The guy who won it seemed oblivious that it was a faulty Spiritual Artifact and was still gloating over his purchase. However, Shen Haoran was no Saint. He had never met the man, so there was no need to go out of his way to warn him.

The first item was just a warm-up. As more and more lots were presented, the atmosphere in the auction house grew increasingly heated. Shen Haoran couldn’t resist joining the bidding a few times himself, eventually winning an Ancient Cauldron.

Although the Alchemy Inheritance contained the Six Alchemy Paths, Shen Haoran didn’t plan to delve into too many of them at the moment. Elder Yan was a master of the Alchemy Dao, so he planned to start with Alchemy first. After all, with a teacher and the experience of the ancients, he figured his learning would be much faster. Of course, more importantly, being an Alchemist was the easiest way to make money!

Time passed bit by bit, and the auction items became increasingly precious. Finally, only the last two finale items remained. The Ice Jade Marrow that Shen Haoran needed had yet to appear; it had to be one of these two finale pieces!

"Alright, our auction is now reaching its climax! The next item up for auction is a Heavenly and Earthly Treasure rarely seen even once in a hundred years—the Ice Jade Marrow! It’s said that this Jade Marrow can only form in a Land of Extreme Cold or a Land of Ultimate Yang! If a Water Attribute Martial Artist consumes it, there’s a chance their attribute will evolve into the Ice Attribute!" Cheng Xiang announced, hyping up the crowd as she introduced the Ice Jade Marrow.

With Cheng Xiang’s introduction, all the Water Attribute Martial Artists in the audience grew excited. The Water Attribute was considered the most useless of the Five Elements because of its low Attack Power, which was a huge disadvantage in battle. However, its mutated form—the Ice Attribute—not only had powerful attacks but also excellent control. Therefore, the Ice Attribute was something all Water Attribute Martial Artists dreamed of obtaining!

Looking at the feverish atmosphere in the auction hall, Shen Haoran’s head started to ache. After Cheng Xiang’s speech, the price of the Ice Jade Marrow was probably going to skyrocket.

"Ahem... Younger Brother Shen, this is a normal part of the auction process. I hope you can understand, I hope you understand!" Luo Wenqing said, looking at Shen Haoran’s dark expression.

"I know. The auction house is in it for the money, after all," Shen Haoran said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

"As long as you understand, Younger Brother Shen, haha!"

"The auction will now begin! The starting price for the Ice Jade Marrow is 500,000, and each bid must be an increment of no less than 50,000! Bidding starts now!"

"Five hundred fifty thousand!" The moment Cheng Xiang’s voice fell, someone placed a bid.

"Six hundred thousand!"

"Six hundred fifty thousand!"

More and more people joined the bidding, but Shen Haoran had no intention of making a move yet. He was determined to get this Ice Jade Marrow no matter what; Ji Lingxuan’s life depended on it, so he naturally wouldn’t give up. He was waiting. The current bidders were just small fry; the real show was yet to come.

"One million! The Wu Family will take it!" Just as everyone was fiercely competing, a gruff voice echoed through the auction hall. The one who bid was Second Master Wu of the Wu Family!

Hearing Second Master Wu of the Wu Family speak, the crowd fell silent, daring not to bid any further. The Wu Family was the hegemon of Celestial Martial City. Few people dared to oppose them, unless they felt they had lived for too long.

Seeing the auction hall fall instantly silent, the corners of Second Master Wu’s mouth curled up. He stared intently at the Ice Jade Marrow on the stage, as if it were already in his pocket.

At that moment, in Shen Haoran’s private box, Luo Wenqing stared at the Wu Family’s box with a cold expression, inwardly furious. The Wu Family was using their influence to intimidate everyone into not bidding. This was a serious blow to the auction house’s profits. Luo Wenqing felt the urge to revoke the Wu Family’s VIP status right then and there.

"Brother Luo, don’t be angry just yet. I haven’t even bid, have I?" Shen Haoran chuckled, then called out loudly to the hall, "One million, fifty thousand, and one!"

Shen Haoran’s voice was jarring in the silent auction hall. Everyone turned their gaze toward his private box. Fortunately, the glass of the box was made of a special material that prevented anyone outside from seeing in.

Hearing someone else bid, Second Master Wu’s expression turned cold. When he saw that the bid came from Shen Haoran’s box, a surge of killing intent rose within him once more.

"One million, one hundred thousand!" Second Master Wu called out coldly. However, after he made his bid, Cheng Xiang ignored him.

"What? Didn’t you hear my bid?" Second Master Wu yelled.

"I’m sorry, but as I said earlier, each bid must be an increment of no less than fifty thousand Gold Coins. Your bid is invalid, so naturally, I don’t need to announce it," Cheng Xiang replied with a smile.

"Didn’t I just bid one million, one hundred thousand?" Second Master Wu said with a frown.

"Second Master Wu, was your math teacher a gym teacher? My bid was one million, fifty thousand, and *one* Gold Coin. Your bid was only an increase of forty-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine. You’re short by one Gold Coin!" Shen Haoran shouted toward Second Master Wu’s box.

"HAHAHA..." The moment Shen Haoran’s words fell, the auction hall erupted in laughter. Second Master Wu’s face turned beet red; he wished he could rush over and tear Shen Haoran to pieces.

"One million, fifty thousand, and one Gold Coin, going once! Any higher bids?" Cheng Xiang announced from below.

"One million, two hundred thousand!" Just as Second Master Wu was about to raise his bid again, a clear, cold voice rang out, quashing his intention.

’That guy finally made his move. Fine, I’ll let the two of you fight to the death. I’m determined to get the final item!’ Second Master Wu thought with a sinister smile.

Hearing this voice, Shen Haoran was also taken aback. He hadn’t expected someone else to bid, and to raise the price by 150,000 all at once. ’It seems their determination is no small matter!’

"The bidder is from the other hegemon of Celestial Martial City, the Yang Family! Everyone in the Yang Family is a Water Attribute Martial Artist, so they must be determined to win this," Luo Wenqing revealed to Shen Haoran.

"Oh?" Hearing this, Shen Haoran’s brow furrowed slightly. He absolutely could not let the Ice Jade Marrow go. ’Looks like I’ll have to fight for it!’

"One million, three hundred thousand!" Shen Haoran called out.

"One million, four hundred thousand!"

...

"Two million!" As the two competed, Shen Haoran directly bid his bottom line. This was all the wealth he had, including the one million he could overdraft with his Purple Gold VIP Card. If this wasn’t enough, he would have no choice but to sell the Soul Infant Fruit he had risked his life to obtain. But unless it was absolutely necessary, Shen Haoran didn’t want to reveal the Soul Infant Fruit; it was a Top Grade Spiritual Medicine, after all. At this thought, a few beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

After the two million bid was called, the Yang Family member hesitated. After a long moment, they finally called out a price, "Two million and fifty thousand!" This time, the Yang Family only added 50,000. It seemed that even with their resources, they were reaching their limit.

"Sigh..." Hearing the Yang Family’s bid, Shen Haoran let out a long sigh and thought to himself, ’Looks like I have no choice but to bring out the Soul Infant Fruit.’

"Two million, one hundred thousand!" Just as Shen Haoran was about to take out the Soul Infant Fruit, Luo Wenqing, who was beside him, called out the price, leaving Shen Haoran stunned.

"Younger Brother Shen, this Ice Jade Marrow seems very important to you. Let this old brother help you out today!" Luo Wenqing said with a smile.

Hearing this, Shen Haoran was touched. He nodded and said, "Brother Luo, I will remember this favor." Originally, his relationship with Luo Wenqing was just a cooperative one where both sides got what they needed. But with Luo Wenqing helping him time and time again, Shen Haoran had to commit this debt of gratitude to memory.

"Haha, your words are enough, Younger Brother!" Luo Wenqing said with a loud laugh. He was indeed waiting for Shen Haoran to say this. He was an excellent judge of character, and from the first moment he saw Shen Haoran, he knew this young man was no ordinary person. He was destined for greatness. Therefore, he was making a long-term investment.

After Luo Wenqing’s bid, the auction hall fell silent once more. Two million, one hundred thousand Gold Coins had already exceeded the original value of the Ice Jade Marrow. It could be considered a sky-high price.

"Two million, one hundred thousand, going once!"

"Two million, one hundred thousand, going twice!"

"Two million, one hundred thousand, going three times! Sold! The Ice Jade Marrow has been won by the guest in VIP Box Number Three!" As Cheng Xiang’s voice fell, Shen Haoran finally let out a sigh of relief. He had been genuinely afraid the Yang Family would jump back in at the last second.

With the Ice Jade Marrow secured, Shen Haoran’s mood relaxed. He once again turned his gaze to the auction stage. There, only the final item remained—the last finale piece.

"Alright! The item we are auctioning now is the grand finale of tonight’s auction! A scroll containing an Earth Tier Martial Skill—Heaven-Dominating Tribulation!"