Chapter 148: Chapter 134: The Pingyuan Liu Clan Is Willing to Vouch for Junior Brother Xiao

"I can guarantee everyone here."

"Nowhere else in all of Li State will you find two such precious Flying Swords at the same time."

With that, the auctioneer took the tray and once again made a full circle around the third floor.

He made sure every guest had a clear look.

Finally, he announced in a loud voice, "The starting bid for this item is thirty thousand Spirit Stones, and each increment must be no less than one thousand Spirit Stones."

The starting price left many of the cultivators stunned for a moment.

Although they had long known that Top Grade Magical Artifacts were incredibly valuable,

hearing such a high price still left them in awe.

However, at this price point, even those who couldn’t afford to participate were buzzing with excitement. They eagerly glanced between the patriarchs of the various great families, wondering who would ultimately claim the prize.

Just being able to witness who acquired the Wind and Thunder Dual Swords would be a great story to tell in the future.

Cheng Qihong, the Sect Leader of the Azure Flame Sect, was the first to make an offer. "I bid thirty-three thousand Spirit Stones."

Mei Yong immediately followed. "I bid thirty-five thousand Spirit Stones."

Yun Jingxing chimed in, "Gentlemen, why be so reserved? It’s just a few of us here. Why don’t we just reveal our final offers?" 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"The Yunfan Commerce Association has forty-five thousand Spirit Stones left, so I’ll bid forty-five thousand."

"If no one offers a higher price, then I’ll gladly take them."

His sudden jump of ten thousand Spirit Stones immediately drew gasps from the crowd.

Many of the Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivators felt their breath quicken.

But of course, the bidding was far from over.

Cheng Qihong laughed. "What Yun says makes sense, but I also want these Dual Swords. The Azure Flame Sect bids forty-six thousand Spirit Stones."

Yun Jingxing wasn’t annoyed to hear this.

Instead, he simply smiled, raised the Wine Glass at his side, and settled in to watch the show, effectively withdrawing from the competition.

The Yunfan Commerce Association had already bid on several other items, and this was truly all the Spirit Stones he had left. Since he couldn’t win, he simply let it go.

Then, Xiao Chen saw it.

After his last bid for the Five-Colored Golden Lotus, Zhang Ruihao finally spoke up again. "I bid forty-nine thousand!"

"My apologies, Cheng, but this set of Dual Swords is extremely important to me."

And he was telling the truth.

For public matters, the Ruibao Commerce Association had previously acquired a Three Talents Locking Array, which required Magical Artifacts with the Wind-Thunder Attribute to set up.

For his own private reasons, he had spent the last two years secretly cultivating a Wind-Thunder Secret Technique and was now in desperate need of a corresponding Treasure to aid his comprehension.

On top of that, the Zhang Family was preparing to nurture a promising young Sword Cultivator, and a Top Grade Magic Sword would be an excellent reward to keep within the family.

For all these reasons, Zhang Ruihao was determined to acquire the Donghua Wind and Thunder Dual Swords.

However, before the auctioneer could even call out the current bid, Xiao Chen raised his hand. "Fifty thousand!"

At Xiao Chen’s bid, every eye in the room instantly snapped toward him.

’Wait a minute... for a Treasure of this caliber, the bidders are supposed to be big shots like sect leaders, patriarchs, or association presidents. Which one are you?’

If the ten thousand Spirit Stones Xiao Chen spent earlier merely put him in the category of a wealthy Cultivator,

then this bid of fifty thousand was on another level entirely.

"Hmph, what a posturing buffoon!"

Zhang Ruihao snorted and looked at Mei Yong. "Sect Leader Mei, since when does the Li Huo Sect nurture such contemptible characters?"

Mei Yong immediately shot back, "Zhang Ruihao, you can’t just say things like that. Watch your tongue, lest you invite disaster."

"Hahaha!"

Zhang Ruihao, however, calmly pointed a finger at Xiao Chen. "It was one thing for a certain someone to make a scene over the Six Harmonies Divine Water earlier. I couldn’t be bothered to stoop to the level of some greenhorn."

"But an item as important as the Wind and Thunder Dual Swords isn’t something a resentful clown can maliciously drive up the price on."

"Does he even have fifty thousand Spirit Stones to back up that bid? Does he really think this is just a game of words?"

With that, he turned to the auctioneer. "I demand a verification of his funds. We can’t have someone making fraudulent bids and trying to pass for what they’re not."

As soon as he said this, most of the other cultivators were convinced.

’That explains why Xiao Chen seemed to have so much money,’ they thought. ’He’s just driving up the price maliciously.’

Although Xiao Chen had already shown he had plenty of Spirit Stones, the figure of fifty thousand was simply too outrageous.

After all, even the Yunfan Commerce Association could only muster forty-five thousand. How could he, by himself, possibly have fifty thousand?

Some people even immediately recalled the incident with the Five-Colored Golden Lotus.

They assumed Xiao Chen was retaliating for Zhang Ruihao’s earlier actions by maliciously driving up the price.

The auctioneer’s brow furrowed instantly.

He was caught in the middle, unsure of what to do.

If he didn’t verify the funds, he too felt that Xiao Chen was likely driving up the price maliciously.

But if he did perform the verification, it would be fine if the accusation was true. But if it turned into a farce, the reputation of the Thousand Bamboo Tower would be ruined.

He couldn’t afford for such a fiasco to happen at a grand event like this.

Even though Zhang Ruihao was the one who started it, if he went along with him to cause trouble for Xiao Chen, he would absolutely be the one to take the fall if it backfired.

The problem was, even if he did nothing, the atmosphere in the room was already growing awkward.

The auctioneer cursed Zhang Ruihao in his mind, but his forehead was already slick with anxious sweat.

"The Pingyuan Liu Clan is willing to vouch for Junior Brother Xiao."

Elder Liu’s voice rang out just in time. "No matter how many Spirit Stones Junior Brother Xiao bids today, my Liu Family guarantees payment in full. There will be no defaults."

He looked at Zhang Ruihao. "Zhang, the Liu Family has some small reputation in Li State. Surely there’s no need to verify our assets, is there?"

Zhang Ruihao was left speechless.