The moment the protective covering was removed, the atmosphere within the auction hall changed completely, because the people who had been staring at the painting with greed and longing were practically salivating, their eyes burning with desire as they attempted to suppress their emotions, and for the Xuan Gang and Marrow Cleansing experts present, this painting was far more than an expensive piece of art, it was a possible opportunity to comprehend a profound Martial Will and obtain the qualifications needed to assault the next major realm.
Among them were representatives from several powerful families and martial halls, and they understood exactly what obtaining a Grade A painting could mean, because a treasure capable of assisting in the comprehension of Martial Will could become a strategic resource passed down through generations, allowing one genius after another to study it and perhaps produce another powerful expert for their faction.
Unfortunately, there was an unspoken rule surrounding treasures of this level, obtaining the painting was one matter, but being capable of walking out of the Heavenly Dragon Auction House with it was another.
The auction house naturally had its own rules, yet the martial world had rules of its own, and everyone present understood that a treasure worth tens of thousands of Spirit Jades would inevitably attract covetous eyes, meaning that anyone who successfully purchased it needed enough strength to protect it and enough wealth to prevent themselves from being forced into surrendering it afterward.
The representatives began glancing toward the VIP rooms, quietly judging the experts hidden behind each formation, trying to determine which factions possessed enough wealth and, more importantly, which factions possessed enough strength to defend themselves after leaving the auction house.
Unfortunately for them, one person possessed both.
Lin Sheng sat quietly within his room, his expression calm as he watched the commotion below, and there wasn't even the slightest trace of nervousness in his eyes.
Lady Fei waited until the atmosphere had settled before raising her voice.
"The starting bid is fifty thousand Spirit Jades."
The hall immediately became quiet.
The number struck everyone like a hammer.
Fifty thousand Spirit Jades.
Even the people who had been preparing to bid were momentarily stunned, while several representatives who had been calculating their available resources silently abandoned their plans.
The currency itself was already extremely valuable.
One thousand taels of silver equaled one gold coin, ten gold coins equaled one gold ingot, and ten gold ingots were equivalent to a single Spirit Jade, meaning that fifty thousand Spirit Jades represented an astronomical amount of wealth when converted into ordinary currency.
Yet Spirit Jade wasn't valuable merely because of its exchange value.
It contained spiritual energy that could be directly absorbed for cultivation, although only the truly wealthy would waste such a precious resource by using it in that manner, because most cultivators preferred pills, medicinal herbs, and other resources that could convert spiritual energy more efficiently.
Spirit Jade had become something more important than a simple cultivation resource.
It was a strategic resource.
Powerful factions used it for large-scale transactions, major trading agreements, and exchanges between dynasties, and because of its stable value, Spirit Jade had gradually become the preferred currency among the stronger martial forces.
Xuan Gang and Marrow Cleansing martial artists might possess some Spirit Jades, but their reserves were generally limited, while Astral Gang and Blood Exchange experts and the forces supporting them were the ones who truly used Spirit Jades as a major currency.
Therefore, when the Heavenly Dragon Auction House demanded fifty thousand Spirit Jades as the starting price, everyone immediately understood something.
The auction house wasn't merely trying to obtain wealth.
It wanted Spirit Jades.
Several representatives exchanged glances.
Usually, an item worth this much would allow equivalent treasures to be offered as payment, particularly when dealing with major factions, because few organizations would willingly drain enormous quantities of their Spirit Jade reserves for a single item.
Yet the Heavenly Dragon Auction House had directly demanded Spirit Jades.
No alternatives had been announced.
No exchange of equivalent resources had been mentioned.
A faint uneasiness spread among the representatives.
Could it be connected to the increasingly chaotic situation throughout the Qian Dynasty?
The thought silently appeared within the minds of several people.
They were naturally aware that the political situation within the dynasty had become increasingly unstable, and although the matter hadn't yet erupted into full-scale war, the signs were already there, powerful factions were beginning to move, resources were being accumulated, information was being exchanged more cautiously, and some organizations had already begun preparing for situations that ordinary martial artists hadn't even noticed.
But they hadn't expected the instability to affect an organization as powerful and influential as the Heavenly Dragon Auction House.
If the auction house was deliberately demanding Spirit Jades instead of accepting equivalent treasures, then perhaps it was preparing for something.
The representatives became more cautious.
They needed to reconsider their plans.
"Fifty-one thousand."
A voice finally sounded from one of the VIP rooms.
"Fifty-five thousand."
Another representative immediately followed.
The competition slowly intensified.
"Fifty-eight thousand."
"Sixty thousand."
"Sixty-three thousand."
The numbers continued climbing until the price finally reached seventy thousand Spirit Jades.
Then the atmosphere changed.
Silence gradually spread through the auction hall.
Seventy thousand was already approaching the financial limit of many Rank 3 powers, and although some could technically gather more, doing so would mean exhausting a significant portion of their reserves.
Going higher would no longer be a simple purchase.
It would become a gamble.
The representatives began hesitating.
Some clenched their fists beneath their sleeves, while others quietly calculated how much wealth their factions could mobilize without affecting their cultivation resources, and after several breaths, the bidding finally slowed to a crawl.
Lady Fei waited patiently.
"Seventy thousand Spirit Jades."
No one immediately responded.
The old appraiser remained silent, his fan slowly moving in front of his chest as he watched the VIP rooms.
Then a calm voice emerged.
"Eighty thousand."
The entire auction hall froze.
Lin Sheng leaned back slightly within his room, his expression relaxed.
He hadn't shouted.
He hadn't displayed any overwhelming aura.
He had simply raised his bidding token.
Eighty thousand Spirit Jades.
The representatives who had been preparing to continue bidding suddenly swallowed the words that had reached their throats.
Their expressions changed.
They looked toward Lin Sheng's room.
Who was this person?
Eighty thousand wasn't an insignificant increase.
It was a clear declaration.
He had the wealth.
And if he was sitting within the VIP section, then he almost certainly possessed the strength to match it.
The representatives exchanged complicated looks.
None of them wanted to surrender the painting, but they also understood that continuing to bid would be foolish unless they were prepared to spend an enormous portion of their faction's reserves.
Lin Sheng remained completely indifferent to their thoughts.
He had begun trading years ago.
After refining Rank 3 medicinal pills, he had exchanged them with numerous powers throughout Dongtai Prefecture, and the Su family had been one of the factions with which he had traded most frequently.
The transactions had accumulated over the years.
He had never lacked resources.
And now, with the Rank 4 Golden Body breakthrough complete, there was even less reason for him to worry about wealth.
Below, Lady Fei's eyes briefly widened when she heard the bid.
Even she hadn't expected someone to increase the price so decisively.
However, her professional composure quickly returned.
"Eighty thousand Spirit Jades."
She looked around the auction hall.
"Going once."
Silence.
No response came.
"Going twice."
Still nothing.
Lady Fei smiled.
"Congratulations to our distinguished VIP for winning the Grade A Martial Concept Painting at eighty thousand Spirit Jades."
The hammer fell.
The sound echoed throughout the auction hall.
Bang!
The lower section immediately erupted into whispers.
"Eighty thousand!"
"Who is that person?"
"He bought it just like that?"
"That's a Grade A painting!"
"That was only the beginning of the main event!"
The shock was genuine.
The auction had barely reached its most important section, yet someone had already spent eighty thousand Spirit Jades on a single painting.
The representatives within the VIP section remained silent, their expressions far more complicated than those of the ordinary martial artists below.
They had lost.
More importantly, they had just learned that someone else in the auction house possessed wealth far beyond what they had expected.
And none of them knew exactly who Lin Sheng was. But they would like to especially know.