"What the hell is that? My tooth!"
A shriek of pain rang out. For an alchemist whose teeth could normally crunch through metal and stone, having one knocked out by a mere token was unthinkable. The toughness of the token was beyond belief.
"Mysterious Auction House. Attend the auction."
The alchemist let out a cold laugh. "Fine, I'll go check it out. But if this so-called mysterious auction disappoints me, I swear I'll raise hell. They even knocked out my tooth!"
Though the lost tooth could quickly regenerate, the humiliation remained. It was a matter of pride.
...
It wasn't just the new members who received the call—those who had previously obtained tokens from the mysterious auction also felt the message transmitted from their tokens: The third auction was about to begin. Anyone intending to attend could now head over. Of course, participation wasn't mandatory.
Whether or not everyone would show up, Yi Tianxing wasn't sure. But it would certainly be more crowded than the first time.
Not long after, in the void where the auction house existed, multicolored light channels began appearing one after another. With a flash of brilliance, thrones began materializing—some had always been there, merely hidden; others were newly formed. All of them took shape from the void itself.
These thrones were naturally set slightly lower than Yi Tianxing's own, clearly signifying his position as the host.
Soon, beams of divine light flickered, and figure after figure appeared upon the thrones. However, the divine brilliance enveloping each one rendered them completely obscured—no one could see their true forms from the outside. Only Yi Tianxing could perceive their true identities.
They were a bizarre and varied lot.
The Lucky Cat from the first auction had returned. It never missed a session. The first two auctions had earned it incredible profits, with Eternal Coins piling up by the billions. Over the past two years, it had scoured the world for rare treasures, trading with frenzied enthusiasm. It was so enamored with Eternal Coins that it couldn't even sleep without laying on a pile of them.
One!
Two!
Three!
...
Twenty-five thrones.
Yi Tianxing swept his gaze and counted twenty-five participants. Every single one bore the mark of their identity on their throne.
"This is interesting. So this is the Mysterious Auction House... A space that exists outside the Eternal World itself. Other than these thrones, there's no way to sense the outside world. Truly mysterious."
A cheerful laugh echoed through the air. All eyes turned toward the source, but the divine radiance veiled the speaker from their view. Only Yi Tianxing saw clearly.
It was a young man in white robes with the unmistakable presence of a sword cultivator, though he clutched a wine gourd and drank liberally. His carefree demeanor gave him the air of a wandering drunk swordsman—unrestrained and untamed.
The emblem on his throne was a wine gourd—suggesting he valued wine more than even the sword.
"What a peerless sword cultivator... His depth is unfathomable," Yi Tianxing thought, his eyes narrowing. The sense of threat this man gave off was profound. And yet, he had never heard of him before. Proof, once again, of how deep the waters of the Eternal World ran.
"The Mysterious Auction House gathers the strong from across the myriad realms of the Eternal World. No matter the race, no matter your strength, all who come are guests. If you wish to leave, you may do so at any time. The token merely serves as a medium of entry. No violence is permitted here. Even I, as host, must follow the rules. You may rest assured—this is a safe space," Yi Tianxing said calmly.
"Here, guests may use a pseudonym—or share their real names if they wish. I go by Emperor Sovereign."
"This is the third session of the Mysterious Auction House. Each time, ten new participants are invited. There should have been thirty, but only twenty-five arrived. The remaining five likely won't come. We begin now."
Yi Tianxing continued: "As before, the auction is divided into four segments: Opening with a Token Treasure, Seeking Desired Items, Information Exchange, and Currency Exchange."
The currency exchange, of course, was handled by Yi Tianxing himself—trading Eternal Coins for various treasures. Since Eternal Coins could be generated infinitely for him, any materials obtained in return were pure profit.
"If anyone is unsure of the value of the item they're offering, they can place it on the Treasure Appraisal Platform, which will assess its quality based on its treasure light. The stronger the light, the higher the value. Seven-colored treasure light is the peak."
That said, this was a barter system—equality of value wasn't necessary. If both parties agreed, a trade could proceed regardless.
"Before we begin, would the ten new guests care to introduce themselves?"
Yi Tianxing smiled and invited them to speak.
"Pure Yang," said the white-robed youth calmly.
"Dharma," said a robed monk.
"Alchemist."
"Potion Master."
"Whirlwind."
"Ghostcar."
"Titan."
"Disciple."
"Dragon."
"Eight-Arms."
Voices echoed one by one.
Here, race and language posed no barrier—communication occurred directly in the mind.
"Pure Yang. Dharma." Yi Tianxing's eyes lingered on those two a bit longer, a thoughtful gleam in his gaze.
"As always, I'll begin with the token treasure. Just like before, I offer Dukang Immortal Brew. But this time, it is aged for one thousand years."
Dukang Immortal Brew was a crowd favorite. Across all races and cultivators, it was wildly coveted. As an opening item, it never failed to ignite interest.
With a wave of his hand, fifteen beautifully sealed wine jars appeared, each bearing the ancient runic characters for "Dukang." Each jar contained ten jin, for a total of 150 jin of immortal wine.
"These were personally brewed by Dukang himself, aged in a secret realm for a thousand years. Now, let the bidding begin. No money—only treasures. Trade me what you're willing to offer. Fifteen jars will be split into three groups of five. All kinds of treasures are accepted. Each bidder may only offer once. I will choose the three offers I like best."
A sealed-bid auction.
Everyone began offering their best.
"What?! Thousand-year Dukang Immortal Brew?!"Pure Yang's eyes lit up like torches. He froze mid-swig, staring at the jars with such intensity that drool nearly escaped him. A desire burned in him—not just of taste, but of the soul.
"I must win at least one group. If I miss this, the heavens may strike me down!" he vowed, frantically considering what he could trade. To him, the wine was beyond price.
The veterans already knew how valuable this was, and didn't hesitate to bid.
"Very well. The three groups go to: Pure Yang, Ghostcar, and Drunkard."
Yi Tianxing smiled, clearly impressed by the offers. With a flick of his sleeves, the jars of wine shot off toward the winners. In return, each victor handed over their item.
Pure Yang's offering?A treasure gourd.
But the gourd itself wasn't the key—the true treasure was what it contained: a Pure Yang Sword Orbs.