Ning Shaohong looked at Ning Fa and introduced, "That woman just now is Xue Danping, someone from the Xue Family. She's a formidable person with ruthless methods. You'll need to be careful if you encounter her in the future."
Ning Fa nodded.
Just as he was about to enter the venue with everyone else.
Suddenly, his expression shifted, and he turned to look behind him.
About ten feet away, someone was staring directly at him.
This person was dressed in a white robe, and peculiarly, wore a black iron mask.
The mask revealed a pair of eyes, like a deep, cold pool, fixed on Ning Fa.
Ning Fa swept his spiritual sense over the person, only to find their aura incredibly obscure, making it impossible for him to sense their specific cultivation level.
This made Ning Fa's heart tighten.
Although he was at the fourth level of Qi Condensation, his spiritual sense strength was already at the late Qi Refining stage. Yet, he couldn't perceive this person's situation.
In such a case, it was either that the person possessed a special magic tool, or they were a Foundation Establishment expert.
This person was looking at him like this, seemingly very interested in him.
But Ning Fa couldn't recall knowing anyone like this, especially one wearing a mask.
"Little Fa, what are you standing around for? Hurry up and go in."
Ning Zonglie, standing beside him, grumbled.
Ning Fa's brow furrowed slightly.
Just as he was hesitating whether to speak up, his vision blurred.
The person wearing the black iron mask flickered, then vanished from Ning Fa's sight, their presence undetectable by his spiritual sense.
Ning Fa inwardly felt a chill. After a moment of hesitation, he still didn't say anything more and entered the venue.
He hadn't sensed any ill intent from this person.
The interior space of Lingguang Pavilion was much larger than it appeared from the outside. It was divided into three floors, arranged in a circular shape.
In the center was a stage about tens of feet wide, clearly the place where the auction would be held.
The first-floor hall had seats for five to six hundred people, while the second and third floors consisted of private booths.
Ning Fa glanced around and saw that many cultivators had come to attend this auction. The seats in the first-floor hall were already more than half full.
These cultivators were all Qi Refining cultivators, and most of them were low-level cultivators in the early to middle stages of Qi Refining.
This was also why Tongbao Pavilion had not set an entry fee for the auction, aiming to build popularity.
As a result, many low-level cultivators came to broaden their horizons.
The private booths on the second and third floors also showed many flashes of light, indicating that people had entered and activated the restrictions.
Ning Fa's spiritual sense swept over them slightly, but the restrictive power repelled it unceremoniously.
After Ning Shaohong presented the VIP invitation previously given by Wei Shiqin, they were led by a beautiful maid directly to a private booth on the second floor.
After waiting for about half an hour, the doors of Lingguang Pavilion closed.
A pearl the size of a head at the center of the ceiling suddenly emitted bright and soft light, illuminating the entire venue.
Wei Shiqin appeared on the stage.
Today, she was wearing a lotus-green smoke-yarn dress. Her skin was like ice and jade, her curves were exquisite, and her demeanor was captivating.
She had clearly applied a light touch of makeup today. Already incredibly beautiful, she now appeared like a lotus emerging from water, drawing all eyes.
The previously somewhat noisy venue immediately fell silent.
Numerous cultivators stared at Wei Shiqin, their eyes unblinking.
They thought to themselves that even if they didn't bid on anything today, it wouldn't have been a wasted trip.
Wei Shiqin smiled gracefully, showing no signs of stage fright. She spoke in a clear, crisp voice, "Thank you, fellow Daoists, for gracing our pavilion's auction. I hope everyone can bid on the items they desire."
"I will reiterate the auction rules here. All auction items go to the highest bidder. I hope no Daoist will resort to bullying with their status. If you lack sufficient Spirit Stones, other spiritual items can be used for exchange, and our pavilion will offer a fair price."
As soon as Wei Shiqin finished speaking, a gruff voice from the audience called out, "Miss Wei, rest assured. Who would dare cause trouble in front of your Xudong Merchant Guild?"
A burst of laughter echoed through the venue.
Wei Shiqin chuckled lightly, then said, "Next is the first auction item. Everyone, please take a look."
With that, Wei Shiqin gently lifted her delicate hand.
As spiritual light flashed, a miniature black spear hovered in her palm.
It then flew upwards, quickly growing to three feet in length.
The entire spear was dark, emitting a faint black mist that seemed to draw one's gaze into it.
On the spear, two blood-red threads were intertwined, extending from the tail to the head.
The spearhead, however, was shaped like a dragon's head.
The endpoints of those two blood-colored threads were the eyes of the flood dragon's head.
An extremely powerful spiritual pressure emanated from this black long spear, far exceeding the level of a high-grade magic artifact.
It was clearly a top-grade offensive magic artifact.
Furthermore, it carried a dark, corrosive aura, which was shocking to behold.
Upon seeing this spear, the eyes of the many cultivators below the stage immediately lit up.
Wei Shiqin surveyed the crowd and said with a smile, "This spear is named the [Dark Flood Dragon Spear]. Its main materials are the head of a young black flood dragon and two flood dragon tendons, along with the second-grade spiritual material [Black Cloud Crystal Stone], and eighteen other auxiliary materials."
"It was forged by our pavilion's artifact refining master, Master Wu, over forty-nine days. Not only has its grade reached the top-grade magic artifact level, but its power even surpasses that of ordinary top-grade magic artifacts."
Hearing Wei Shiqin's introduction, an uproar immediately arose from the audience.
"The main material is actually a black flood dragon! What a grand gesture! But it's a pity it's only a young flood dragon!"
One person exclaimed.
But another person immediately sneered, "An adult black flood dragon is more powerful than an ordinary Golden Core cultivator. That could be a top-tier main material for refining a Golden Core cultivator's magic treasure. Even its scraps could be used to refine top-grade spirit artifacts. Where would you ever find such a treasure?"
The discussions below the stage continued, clearly showing a strong reaction to the first auction item.
This was also intentional on Wei Shiqin's part, as she specifically brought out a good item at the beginning to liven up the auction's atmosphere.
The effect was indeed good.
Someone below the stage impatiently shouted, "Miss Wei, please state the bidding price so I can give up hope."
Wei Shiqin, however, smiled and flicked her finger.
A point of white light flew into the air.
As the colorful rays flashed, it revealed a gray stone block about the size of a head, with black splotches on it.
"This is the second-grade low-rank spiritual material [Gray Speckled Cloud Stone]. Although its spiritual essence is insufficient, it is extremely hard. Could it be..."
Someone knowledgeable below the stage recognized the origin of this gray stone.
Wei Shiqin smiled slightly.
As she activated her spiritual sense, the black long spear in the air immediately emitted a dark radiance.
A faint flood dragon roar could even be heard.
The black long spear merely flickered and then suddenly disappeared from its original position.
The next moment.
With a loud boom, the Gray Speckled Cloud Stone in the air exploded into a cloud of gray mist.
Then, the black long spear reappeared.
The dark light was dazzling. The flood dragon head on the spear tip seemed to come alive, its dragon eyes glowing red, exuding an astonishing might.
Seeing the spear's powerful performance, a wave of clamor swept through the audience.
Many late-stage Qi Refining cultivators with substantial wealth were now looking at the spear with gleaming eyes.