Silence.
A strange silence.
After hours of fierce competition—
the atmosphere inside the auction hall had become completely different.
The major factions no longer appeared relaxed.
The wealthy merchants no longer smiled casually.
Even the mysterious black-robed figure sat motionless.
Everyone understood the same thing.
The final treasures had arrived.
Upon the golden stage—
Yun Ruoshi slowly stepped forward.
Her beautiful eyes swept across the enormous hall.
A mysterious smile appeared on her face.
"Honored guests..."
"The next treasure is one of the three final treasures of tonight's auction."
The moment those words fell—
the entire hall straightened.
Even Lin Shuan narrowed his eyes.
Then—
a gigantic crystal platform emerged.
Resting upon it—
was a black-gold halberd.
The weapon was nearly three meters long.
Ancient runes covered its surface.
A terrifying aura spread throughout the hall.
Many cultivators immediately felt pressure upon their souls.
Yun Ruoshi smiled.
"Heaven Grade Weapon."
"Black Heaven Dragon Halberd."
BOOOOM!
The hall exploded.
Countless people stood up.
Heaven Grade Weapon!
Such weapons were rarely seen even by major sects.
Yun Ruoshi continued,
"The starting price..."
"Forty million gold coins."
The bidding began instantly.
"Forty-five million!"
"Fifty million!"
"Fifty-five million!"
The hall erupted into chaos.
Even Lin Shuan's eyes brightened.
A Heaven Grade Halberd.
Unfortunately—
before he could think further—
Tian Wuchen's voice echoed.
"Forget it."
Lin Shuan frowned.
"Why?"
Tian Wuchen snorted.
"That weapon is good."
"But only for ordinary cultivators."
"If you activate the Frost Divine Heart in the future..."
"That halberd won't survive."
Lin Shuan immediately understood.
The Frost Divine Heart was too powerful.
Eventually—
the bidding reached terrifying heights.
"Seventy-five million!"
"Eighty million!"
"Eighty-three million!"
"Eighty-seven million!"
The hall shook.
Finally—
the white-haired elder from LinJian Sect calmly spoke.
"Eighty-nine million."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
No one continued.
Yun Ruoshi raised her hammer.
"Eighty-nine million."
"First call."
"Second call."
"Third call."
BANG!
"The Black Heaven Dragon Halberd is sold!"
The elder casually tossed over a storage pouch.
Moments later—
the Heaven Grade Halberd entered his hands.
Many people sighed.
A Heaven Grade weapon had found its master.
Yet—
everyone knew.
The truly shocking treasures had yet to appear.
Soon—
another crystal platform emerged.
This time—
two jade scrolls rested upon it.
The moment Lin Shuan saw them—
his eyes froze.
Yun Ruoshi spoke.
"The second treasure."
"Two Heaven Rank Second-Class cultivation techniques."
The hall immediately became excited.
"Heaven Burning Solar Art."
"And..."
She paused.
Then opened the second scroll.
"Sky Dragon Smash."
BOOOOOM!
Lin Shuan instantly stood.
His heartbeat accelerated.
Sky Dragon Smash.
The forbidden technique of the current Lin Clan.
A technique that should have vanished with the destruction of the clan.
Yet now—
it had appeared here.
How?
Why?
His eyes became cold.
Inside his mind—
countless memories surfaced.
At the same time—
the white-haired elder from LinJian Sect suddenly became serious.
His gaze locked onto the technique.
A terrifying light flashed within his eyes.
"Sky Dragon Smash..."
Not far away—
the mysterious black-robed merchant quietly watched everything.
A strange thought appeared.
Master Hei Wu's words surfaced in his memory.
"A surviving Lin Clan descendant may still exist..."
The black-robed figure slowly looked toward Lin Shuan.
Then—
his eyes narrowed.
Meanwhile—
the auction began.
"Starting bid."
Yun Ruoshi slowly raised one finger.
"These are Heaven Rank Second-Class Techniques."
"The starting price for each technique..."
"One hundred million gold coins."
BOOOOOM!
The entire auction hall exploded.
Countless cultivators nearly jumped from their seats.
One hundred million!
For a single technique!
Yun Ruoshi continued calmly.
"The two techniques will be auctioned together."
"Therefore..."
"The starting bid is two hundred million gold coins."
Absolute silence descended.
Even many major factions felt their scalps go numb.
Two hundred million gold coins.
Such wealth could support several large sects for generations.
Yet now—
it was merely the starting price.
The hall erupted.
Many factions immediately withdrew.
The price was simply too terrifying.
Yet—
LinJian Sect acted instantly.
"One hundred and five million."
Xuan Yun Sect immediately followed.
"One hundred and ten million."
The battle began.
Lin Shuan clenched his fists.
He could not lose Sky Dragon Smash.
Absolutely not.
"One hundred and fifteen million."
His voice echoed across the hall.
Countless people turned.
The white-haired elder looked directly at him.
Their eyes met.
For several moments—
silence filled the space between them.
Then—
the elder smiled.
A very strange smile.
A smile filled with emotion.
Softly—
so softly that only Lin Shuan could hear—
he spoke.
"So..."
"It truly is you."
"Young Master."
Lin Shuan's pupils contracted.
Young Master.
Only someone connected to the Lin Clan would call him that.
Immediately—
he understood.
This elder was related to his clan.
The elder slowly leaned back.
Then—
he stopped bidding.
Completely.
Xuan Yun Sect became startled.
The Sect Leader frowned.
Why had LinJian Sect withdrawn?
After a moment—
his gaze shifted toward Lin Shuan.
Then toward the elder.
Suddenly—
he seemed to understand something.
A faint smile appeared.
"Withdraw."
Mo Xiao Lan looked surprised.
"Sect Leader?"
The elder shook his head.
"There is no need."
"The future Empire Protector wants it."
"We will not compete."
Thus—
the path before Lin Shuan suddenly became clear.
Yet—
he still lacked enough gold.
His previous purchases had consumed much of his funds.
Then—
Lin Shuan suddenly raised his hand.
A jade box appeared in his palm.
The moment it opened—
a rich spiritual aura flooded the entire auction hall.
Countless cultivators stood up in shock.
Inside the jade box—
rested a dark-golden spiritual herb.
Ancient runes covered its surface.
The herb appeared almost alive.
Yun Ruoshi's beautiful face changed immediately.
Elder Wu, who had been silently observing from backstage, suddenly appeared.
His expression was unprecedentedly serious.
He personally received the jade box.
Several moments later—
his hands began trembling.
"This..."
"This is impossible..."
The hall instantly became silent.
Elder Wu slowly raised his head.
His voice trembled.
"Ninety thousand years..."
"This herb is at least ninety thousand years old."
BOOOOOOOOM!
The entire auction hall exploded.
Some cultivators nearly fainted.
Others stared at Lin Shuan as though looking at a monster.
Ninety thousand years!
What kind of concept was that?
Even many great sects did not possess treasures of such age.
Elder Wu took a deep breath.
Then announced solemnly:
"Its value is sufficient."
"More than sufficient."
"This herb alone can compensate for the remaining one hundred million gold coins."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Jin Yu Chen's smile completely disappeared.
Jian Xue Ning's eyes narrowed sharply.
Mo Xiao Lan stared blankly at the herb.
Even the mysterious black-robed figure's gaze became much deeper.
Nobody had expected this.
Nobody.
The masked youth had actually taken out a ninety-thousand-year-old spiritual herb as casually as if it were an ordinary commodity.
At that moment—
countless thoughts appeared within everyone's minds.
Just how terrifying was the background behind Shuan Hao?
Lin Shuan calmly said,
"Two hundred million."
Lin Shuan's calm voice echoed throughout the hall.
One hundred million gold coins from his previous auction earnings.
One ninety-thousand-year-old spiritual herb worth another hundred million.
Together—
exactly two hundred million.
Silence.
No one competed.
Yun Ruoshi raised her hammer.
"The techniques are sold!"
BANG!
Moments later—
the two jade scrolls arrived.
Lin Shuan immediately stored Sky Dragon Smash.
Then—
he turned toward Yan Feng Luo.
Without warning—
he handed over Heaven Burning Solar Art.
Yan Feng Luo froze.
His entire body trembled.
"W-What..."
Lin Shuan smiled.
"You wanted a fire treasure."
Yan Feng Luo stood speechless.
For several moments—
he could not even speak.
Then he laughed loudly.
"Brother Shuan..."
"You really are crazy."
The group burst into laughter.
Yet—
deep inside—
all of them understood.
A Heaven Rank Second-Class Technique.
Such a gift was priceless.
Finally—
the auction hall became silent.
Because the final treasure had arrived.
The attendants appeared nervous.
Even Yun Ruoshi's expression had become solemn.
Slowly—
she opened the final crystal container.
Inside—
rested two golden fruits.
Golden light filled the entire hall.
Many cultivators stood instinctively.
Even the mysterious black-robed figure moved.
For the first time tonight.
Yun Ruoshi inhaled deeply.
Then spoke.
"Elder Wu personally examined these treasures."
"Unfortunately..."
"He could not identify them completely."
The hall instantly erupted.
Even Elder Wu?
Unable to identify them?
Yun Ruoshi continued.
"According to his estimate..."
"These fruits are over one hundred thousand years old."
Absolute silence.
Everyone froze.
One hundred thousand years.
What kind of concept was that?
Yun Ruoshi's voice echoed.
"Their effects are equally astonishing."
"An Immortal Seed cultivator can increase their cultivation by one star within a month."
"Furthermore..."
"A cultivator at the Third Stage of Consciousness Realm can directly advance to the Fourth Stage."
BOOOOOM!
The hall exploded.
Many elders nearly stood.
Some people forgot how to breathe.
Even the mysterious black-robed figure's aura fluctuated.
The final treasure had appeared.
"Their name..."
"Golden Spirit Fruit."
Yun Ruoshi continued.
"Because their value cannot be measured by gold..."
"Payment must be made with treasures of equal worth."
Immediately—
all major powers acted.
Golden Jade Pavilion offered ancient treasures.
Sword River Sect offered inheritance tokens.
Several merchant companies presented rare artifacts.
Yet—
none were enough.
Golden Jade Pavilion came closest.
Jin Yu Chen's expression became serious.
Unfortunately—
he only possessed one item of sufficient value.
Not enough.
Then—
the mysterious black-robed figure stood.
For the first time.
The entire hall stared.
He raised one hand.
A jade scroll appeared.
"Heaven Rank Third-Class Technique."
Gasps echoed.
Then—
a crimson droplet appeared.
The moment it emerged—
dragon pressure filled the hall.
"A drop of Dragon Blood."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
No one could surpass such an offer.
Yun Ruoshi immediately nodded.
"The offer is accepted."
The black-robed figure obtained both Golden Spirit Fruits.
However—
the moment the transaction ended—
someone suddenly shouted.
"Black Swamp City Merchant Company!"
The hall froze.
Another merchant stood.
"It is them!"
"They swallowed the merchant company of that city!"
A third merchant sneered.
"They seize influence wherever they go!"
"And now they want the Merchant Organization too?"
"We will never allow it!"
The hall immediately erupted into argument.
Merchant after merchant joined.
Accusations flew from every direction.
Yet—
throughout everything—
the black-robed figure remained calm.
Completely calm.
As though none of it concerned him.
Only once—
did his gaze shift toward Lin Shuan.
For a brief moment—
their eyes met.
The black-robed figure thought silently:
"So..."
"You truly are the surviving Lin Clan heir Master Hei Wu mentioned."
Then—
he looked away.
The auction was over.
The treasures had found their owners.
The storm of gold had ended.
Yet everyone present understood one thing.
The consequences of tonight's auction—
had only just begun.