Ashes Of Heaven Book 1 : Solar Calamity

"Now, for the second item of this auction, we have here a sword forged by the master of the Heaven Searing Steel peak, elder Lu Yue himself.

"This sword was made with steel produced from..."

As the elder in charge of the auction conducted his business smoothly, Han Xuhan finally understood how this auction event worked.

The auction was divided into two levels– ordinary items, and extraordinary items. Accordingly, the audience of the auction was also divided into two types– ordinary mortals and cultivators.

The gates of the sect had been opened again today, and hundreds of mortals, rogue cultivators, and even cultivators from small sects nearby had come to attend the auction.

Of course, just because some of these items were tagged as ordinary, it didn't mean such items could be found and bought anywhere. They were merely ordinary compared to the extraordinary items sold here, imbued with magical powers by expert cultivators.

For example, the first item sold here was a set of bow and arrows. The 50 arrows which had been a part of the set were forged from the highest quality of steel in the seven regions, via techniques so sophisticated and risky that only someone as powerful as the elder of the Heaven Searing Steel peak could create such weaponry here. It might not be as magical as the second item, the sword imbued with enchantments, but it was still enough to put any common steel weapon to shame.

For the ordinary items, anyone could bid freely. But to bid for the extraordinary items, one either had to be a disciple of the sect, or a rich unaffiliated cultivator, or a mortal with deep connections and deeper pockets.

Each extraordinary item displayed in the auction had at least one speciality. After the auction was officially over, many similar products would be sold outside the auction hall, except they would be normal products made specifically for those who'd buy such cheap alternatives.

At times, this auction was more of a showcasing event where senior disciples or those with more money than necessary would buy something a tad too fancy than the rest of the ordinary disciples.

The older disciples and some elders were already preparing a few temporary shops for the after-auction marketing campaign outside, on the plateau. The poor disciples who would be left feeling envious after seeing the items sold in the auction were bound to be attracted to similar-looking items sold outside at a cheaper rate, albeit the items' less impressive functions.

This was another psychological tactic to dupe the simple-minded disciples into buying these knockoffs from within the sect...

Han Xuhan couldn't help feeling that whoever established these tactics in this sect was a black-hearted merchant.

The sword that was being showcased right now was made personally by elder Lu Yue. It was of a much higher quality compared to the swords that would be sold outside, with two special enchantments cast on it that could probably save the wielder's life in some specific situations.

Proportionate to its enhanced functionality, the sword sold in the auction was much more expensive than those sold outside.

Han Xuhan wasn't very interested in the auction itself. He didn't have some heaven-defying knowledge library or discerning eyes that could identify rare materials or artifacts that were being displayed; that was Mu Ran's forte.

And it didn't take much time for this fact to take effect. After half a dozen items had been sold, Mu Ran finally started competing for an "ordinary looking piece of rock" with some random senior disciple who looked pissed about the fact that an outer court disciple dared to go against him. The elder had presented the rock as a frozen egg of a mysterious spirited beast.

"Boss, why are you drooling over that piece of rock that no one except that scary-looking senior wants to buy?"

Although Xuhan could guess that the rock was probably a treasure, he couldn't help poking fun at Mu Ran. It didn’t help that his fuming opposition was bidding for that rock like his life depended on it.

"Xuhan, you must understand, not everything is what it seems from outside. I have a hunch that the egg is...special!"

"...Just a hunch? You're willing to make an enemy out of that senior over there just over a hunch?"

Han Xuhan knew it wouldn’t bear much fruit, but he still tried to dissuade his idiot friend.

"Hmph! What I, Mu Ran, want to possess, will be mine one way or another. How dare that villain dare to covet my treasure?! Courting death!"

"Erm...boss, that's not YOUR treasure yet, right? The auction hasn't ended. And why are you calling him a villain when he just wants to buy the egg legitimately?"

"Hah, what a joke! I was the one who bid first. Why would someone try to snatch it from me unless they have got a malicious intention? It's mine! Whoever dares to oppose me deserves death by a thousand cuts."

"...Hmm, I'm pretty certain that's how an auction works. Someone indeed bids first, but that doesn’t automatically make it his property," Han Xuhan said helplessly.

But at this moment, the senior disciple stood up and yelled, "200 spirit stones!"

His eyes flashed at the two of them, seeming satisfied with Mu Ran's thunderstruck expression.

Mu Ran's last bid had been only 120 spirit stones, which was the entirety of his wealth. Seeing the senior's move, Han Xuhan took a relieved breath.

Finally! The danger was gone. Had Mu Ran outbid that guy...

"220 spirit stones!" Mu Ran shouted, jumping to his feet as well, stunning Han Xuhan and the senior disciple.

Han Xuhan took a second look at Mu Ran's moneybag. It didn’t have extra pockets...wait...

"250!" The senior yelled.

"300!" Mu Ran replied.

"Fuck!" Han Xuhan gasped.

The senior disciple gave up with a venomous look at the two of them. The egg was sold to Mu Ran smoothly.

The worker who came over to hand the egg to him smiled gently, demanding payment.

Mu Ran handed his pouch over. "That's 120."

Then under Han Xuhan's gloomy countenance, Mu Ran patted him on the back and gestured at the worker, saying, "he'll pay the rest."

Han Xuhan was forced to take out 180 more spirit stones from his emergency stash.

"Don't worry, underling. I usually turn a blind eye towards the small expenses you make on behalf of me. But 180 spirit stones is a pretty large amount. I'll pay you back...someday."

Mu Ran's consolation went mostly ignored by Han Xuhan. Because from the corner of his eyes, he noticed a chilling gaze locked on him, the source of which was none other than that loser senior.