Having completed his task, Kuntu felt considerably refreshed and slipped right back into his earlier talkative demeanor.
"Brother Han Li, the Sangsong fruits from the Sangsong Secret Realm are great for strengthening the soul. If you ever need any in the future, just come to me. I'll definitely give you a generous discount..."
"Strengthen the soul?"
Lu Qingshan's eyes lit up.
Wasn't that precisely the sort of treasure he needed?
"Could these Sangsong fruits strengthen a Domain Master's soul?" Lu Qingshan asked.
The chubby young man's eyes widened, and he shook his head. "Are you kidding? If Sangsong fruits could do that, the price of this secret realm would have to jump a hundredfold! They only work on those below the Cosmic Level. Usually, major clans buy them for Star Level disciples to give them a slightly better shot at breaking through to the Cosmic Level."
"Oh, I see!" Lu Qingshan was not disappointed; he merely had another option to consider. Sangsong fruits strengthened a Star Level soul, but what if they were paired with the System's hundredfold or thousandfold return? Would they work on a Domain Master then?
Lu Qingshan was not certain, so he still had to wait and see what came up at the auction. If he could buy a natural treasure directly that would allow his soul to transform quickly, that would naturally be best. It would save a lot of trouble and let him break through to the World Master realm as soon as possible!
After the Sangsong Secret Realm, which had served to liven up the atmosphere, concluded its sale, the auction officially began.
Batuo's booming voice carried to every corner of the grand hall.
"Next is the very first lot of our auction—or rather, a lot of one hundred items."
With a wave of his hand, a massive cluster of spaceships appeared across the three-dimensional projection, packed so densely they looked like an entire cosmic fleet.
"Our first lot consists of E5-model standard spaceships manufactured by the Virtual Universe Company. Each is outfitted with five E3-model laser cannons and can accelerate up to ten times the speed of light. They are the ideal companions for World Master experts embarking on interstellar voyages and exploring secret realms... The starting bid is... 800 billion Cosmic Currency. There are one hundred ships in total, so the top one hundred bidders will each secure one. Bidding starts now!!"
As the sound of the gavel struck the podium, the price of the E5 spaceships climbed steadily.
"1 Hunyuan."
"1.5 Hunyuan."
"3..."
The prices kept rising, quickly surpassing 5 Hunyuan.
Beside him, Kuntu chimed in, "Although spaceships from the Virtual Universe Company can't match those of the Machine Race, they're still exceptionally valuable. Their acceleration and build quality are several tiers above anything produced by smaller companies. Besides, you won't see them at every auction. Sometimes they don't even appear once in several hundred auctions, which is why the competition is so fierce..."
They were essential gear for World Masters, after all, so fierce bidding was only natural—especially considering that over a million World Masters had gathered here.
The price quickly climbed to 8 Hunyuan before the pace gradually slowed.
In the end, the lowest winning price settled at 8.24 Hunyuan units.
The countdown ended.
The host, Batuo, spoke once more.
"Congratulations to the top one hundred bidders. The spaceships will be delivered within thirty business days following the conclusion of the auction. Please record your detailed delivery addresses on your tokens.
"Now for our second lot: D5 Machine Race battle suits. Not many—only ten suits in total, with a starting bid of 300 billion Cosmic Currency."
Watching the description on the 3D projection, Kuntu curled his lip. "Low-grade Machine Race battle suits are really just flashy, useless toys. Generally, experts only buy them as gifts for their juniors or disciples. If you're going to spend that kind of money, you'd be better off raising a plant lifeform. At least that would give you some actual combat strength..."
Just as Kuntu had said, not many among the million World Masters showed much interest in the Machine Race battle suits. In the end, they sold for 3.2 Hunyuan each.
Once the first two lots concluded, Kuntu sighed. "There are quite a few technological items today. The next one won't be another tech piece, will it?"
He had barely finished speaking when Batuo took the stage again.
"Our next lot is one of the legendary Nine Divine Controller Weapons—the Cosmic Divine Weapon! Among the nine, the Cosmic Divine Weapon possesses the greatest power and is the most difficult to master. Only geniuses who have comprehended the origin laws of both time and space can wield it... The starting bid is one Hunyuan unit."
The moment the words left his mouth, bids began pouring in from below.
"Damn, it's actually that thing!"
Kuntu looked at the exquisitely crafted divine weapon on the stage and scoffed disdainfully, "That thing is purely for show. It looks incredible, but practically no one can use it. What genius could grasp the origin laws of both time and space at the same time? You probably wouldn't see one in a hundred million years. The creator of that divine weapon must have been out of his mind!"
Lu Qingshan shifted slightly in his seat, moving a little further away from Kuntu.
This guy really dared to say anything. Anyone capable of forging one of the Nine Divine Controller Weapons was an overwhelmingly powerful figure, let alone the creator of the mightiest among them, the Cosmic Divine Weapon. If that creator heard Kuntu calling him insane, wouldn't he split the fellow in two on the spot?
Lu Qingshan leaned to the side to avoid getting splattered with blood.
While the Cosmic Divine Weapon was indeed practically useless to most, its true value lay in its rarity. One could buy it as an antique collection piece or treat it as an auspicious token. What if, after purchasing it, a peerless genius who comprehended both the laws of time and space actually emerged in the clan someday?
Consequently, the price was by no means low, ultimately closing at 5.3 Hunyuan.
That was even pricier than some of the other weapons among the Nine Divine Controller Weapons.
The auction moved at a brisk pace; as soon as one item sold, the next immediately took the stage. All the participants present could check their black tokens to see upcoming lots, allowing them to prepare in advance and allocate their funds wisely.
Scanning through the auction catalog, Lu Qingshan did not find any treasures that could transform a Domain Master's soul, though he did notice quite a few Lanke Fruits.
After waiting for over an hour, the Lanke Fruits finally came up.
The starting price was 100 billion per batch, with one hundred fruits per batch.
Lu Qingshan joined the bidding and took ten batches, spending 1.8 Hunyuan units.
He had prepared these Lanke Fruits for Lei Ming and Paris. The Luoke God Water returned to him last time had kept him thrilled for quite a while.
Their Cloud Contact Vines had only just been nurtured to the Universe Level First Stage, and further upgrades remained well within the System's permissible bounds. Since Lu Qingshan did not yet know where the upper limit lay, he bought extra.
"Looks like you're planning to cultivate plant lifeforms, Brother Han Li. Still, Lanke Fruits are a bit underwhelming in their effects. You really should have grabbed that Life Fruit earlier!"
Seeing Lu Qingshan place a bid for the first time, the chubby Kuntu naturally had to chime in with his thoughts.
"My funds are limited. I can't compare to your wealth."
"Heh, anyone who can shell out nearly two Hunyuan just to cultivate plant lifeforms has no business crying poor."
The auction continued for two straight days. Countless rare treasures were unveiled one after another—Machine Race spaceships, natural treasures harvested from secret realms—all fetching staggering prices.
Aside from the Lanke Fruits, Lu Qingshan did not make another move. He was mainly holding back to see if the treasure he needed would appear at the end, not daring to spend his money recklessly.
Yet even as the auction reached the grand finale stage, nothing of the sort had shown up. Lu Qingshan knew his chances had grown slim.
Now only two options remained: either trade for points with mentors in the Qianwu Secret Realm, such as Yang or White Eyebrows, and use those points to exchange for what he needed...
Or rely on the Sangsong fruits...
"Our next grand finale item is something very few likely know about..." Batuo's booming voice resounded once more. "The next lot: the horn of the One-Horned Ghost King!"
"What? It's actually the horn of a One-Horned Ghost King?!"
Lu Qingshan's gaze locked tight onto the displayed item on the screen.
Chapter 54