Chapter 736: Crazy, Cheap, Low-Quality Full-Time Auctioneer — Xu Xiaoshou

On the high platform, Xu Xiaoshou wore a beast mask that did nothing to conceal his identity, standing there with a cheerful smile.

The spectators below were buzzing with excitement.

The auction was nearing its end, and those appearing now were the big players who could no longer hold back.

As a rising semi-saint force, Tian Shang First Tower had already stirred up quite a scene at the event...

A semi-saint heir who flaunted himself everywhere—appearing right before the finale, what kind of treasure would he unveil?

The crowd was truly on the edge of their seats.

"Under scrutiny, passive value: 462."

"Under anticipation, passive value: 433."

Xu Xiaoshou pressed down on the already quiet crowd as usual, looking at the people below, and said seriously:

"Everyone,

next, this young master is going to present a treasure that's worth a fortune.

No need for chit-chat—let's get straight to the good part.

Take a look!"

The crowd craned their necks.

They saw Xu Xiaoshou on the platform pull out a black handkerchief from his ring and slowly unwrap the object inside.

—It was an ancient, dark token!

"Uh?"

Everyone stared in stunned silence.

This token looked familiar...

"That's right, no need to doubt your eyes..."

Beneath the beast mask, Xu Xiaoshou smirked and said, "This is the 'Xu Kong Ling,' the very same thing that Ye Mao brought out earlier. Coincidentally, this young master has one too."

"Damn!"

Someone in the crowd jumped to their feet right away.

Xu Kong Ling?

The treasure from Tian Shang First Tower's auction was also a Xu Kong Ling?

Wasn't this thing supposed to be monopolized by Sheng Shen Hall?

Ye Mao getting one made sense as the local boss.

But how did Tian Shang First Tower, a newcomer to Wang Cheng, get their hands on it?

"Fake, right?"

"Where did you get this Xu Kong Ling from?"

"Is this stuff everywhere now? How come Tian Shang First Tower has one too?"

The scene erupted into chaos.

If the earlier Xu Kong Ling from Ye Mao had left everyone sweating and hesitant to bid for fear of Sheng Shen Hall's repercussions...

Then the appearance of a second Xu Kong Ling completely changed the game.

The tacit approval from Box 1, Box 13's bold acquisition of the first Xu Kong Ling, and the allure of the "Feng Sheng Dao Ji" in the sacred secret land...

Before this, with only one Xu Kong Ling, no one dared to fight over it.

But now, with a second one...

"Box 13 can go for it and seize the opportunity, so why can't other forces?"

People in the crowd started getting jealous.

In Box 1,

Cheng Ji stared in astonishment at the second Xu Kong Ling on the platform, completely baffled about where it had come from.

Chu Lisheng was even more dazed, murmuring, "This is bad..."

Both of them instantly realized that the emergence of two Xu Kong Ling tokens would spark a frenzy.

Because if there was only one, Sheng Shen Hall could just negotiate or deal with Da Xian Tian Zong, who had taken it.

But now...

Those unaware of the full story could use Da Xian Tian Zong's acquisition as justification to make their move!

"Why can they trade for it and not me?"

That single reason was enough!

In Box 13,

Da Xian Tian Zong's sect master, Leng Qi, stared dumbstruck at the second token on the platform.

He even pulled out his own to compare...

They were identical!

"A real Xu Kong Ling?" Leng Qi was flabbergasted.

The intel he received was that Ye Mao's Xu Kong Ling lead might not just be a lead—it could be the one and only.

That's why he had come fully prepared and even made prior arrangements with other sects.

This time, Da Xian Tian Zong was willing to pass on many treasures, as long as they got the Xu Kong Ling lead.

The deal went through.

Gui Yin Ge had backed off after raising the bid once.

But...

Leng Qi never imagined that another force at the auction would have a Xu Kong Ling!

In that case, all the treasures his sect had given up earlier—weren't they just handed over for nothing?

And more importantly...

"Tian Shang First Tower clearly has a Xu Kong Ling, so why did they bid on it before?"

At that moment, even Leng Qi, who wasn't the quickest, figured it out.

The people from Tian Shang First Tower were just driving up the price!

"You sneaky bastards..."

Leng Qi's face darkened in an instant, his fists clenched tight.

Even the great elder, Ding Kui, beside him caught on.

Tian Shang First Tower's scheme went far beyond just inflating the Xu Kong Ling's price.

It included all the treasures Da Xian Tian Zong had sacrificed for it.

"We have to take it!" Ding Kui suddenly spoke up.

Leng Qi nodded—that was exactly what he was thinking.

The major forces had already spent a lot on other treasures, so their funds were running low.

Da Xian Tian Zong had held back, making them the strongest contender for the Xu Kong Ling now.

"After we get it, we'll trade for treasures from Gui Yin Ge," Leng Qi said coldly. "Otherwise, we've lost everything on this!"

On the high platform,

Xu Xiaoshou waited for the crowd to verify it was genuine, and with Ye Mao's confirmation as the organizer, he finally assured everyone that this "Xu Kong Ling" was the real deal.

He smiled brightly, raised his hand, and slammed the gavel, not wanting to drag things out.

"The starting price..."

"Hold on!"

Just then, a voice from Box 1 interrupted.

Everyone turned to look, hearing a voice altered by a beast mask drift from the box: "How did Tian Shang First Tower end up with a Xu Kong Ling?"

Sheng Shen Hall was asking!

The crowd's enthusiasm cooled slightly as they suddenly remembered.

The Xu Kong Ling, even with a second one, was still a forbidden item under Sheng Shen Hall's control.

The risk of bidding was lower now, but it wasn't gone entirely!

However, Xu Xiaoshou was already prepared with his response, saying calmly: "We dug it up."

The crowd was shocked.

"Under suspicion, passive value: 444."

Box 1 fell silent.

To outsiders, this answer sounded like a joke.

But only the forces involved in the Pi Xiu Mountain struggle, including Sheng Shen Hall, knew that Xu Kong Ling could indeed only be obtained by digging.

"How exactly did you dig it up?" Box 1 pressed.

Sheng Shen Hall knew the origin of Ye Mao's Xu Kong Ling.

But no one knew where Tian Shang First Tower's came from.

So Cheng Ji had to get to the bottom of it.

Xu Xiaoshou responded smoothly: "Before entering Wang Cheng, this young master climbed several nearby mountains in search of opportunities. Unexpectedly, in one of them, I just dug this thing up out of nowhere."

He weighed the Xu Kong Ling in his hand, his tone laced with mockery:

"Maybe to outsiders, Feng Sheng Dao Ji is out of reach and can only be accessed through Xu Kong Ling.

But for this young master, the value of Xu Kong Ling isn't that high!

Besides, I know a thing or two about the legends of the sacred secret land, so I plan to let this one go."

Xu Xiaoshou drew out his words, full of implication.

He knew ordinary forces wouldn't catch the nuance, but Sheng Shen Hall certainly would.

Sure enough, while most people were still marveling at how a semi-saint force had such confidence,

As Xu Xiaoshou expected, in Box 1, Cheng Ji and Chu Lisheng exchanged glances and felt somewhat relieved.

A semi-saint heir!

They knew some truths about Xu Kong Island, so it wasn't surprising.

And because of that, it made sense for Xu Xiaoshou to sell the Xu Kong Ling and stay out of the mess.

What's more...

Xu Xiaoshou's explanation of its origin sounded so authentic, like something from someone under Sheng Shen Hall's own ranks.

"Dug it up..."

This explanation immediately dispelled Cheng Ji's doubts.

After all, if this Xu Kong Ling had been obtained through some other means and not digging, outsiders—especially those who hadn't been to the mountains near Wang Cheng—couldn't possibly come up with such an absurdly truthful story.

Box 1 went silent.

The crowd's excitement reignited, buzzing with discussion.

Xu Xiaoshou took it all in, knowing the stage was set.

Even the cleverest mind wouldn't suspect that he, Xu Xiaoshou, had Xiao Wanfeng as his ace in the hole.

A person who had genuinely dug up a "Xu Kong Ling" and was an ordinary mortal not registered by Sheng Shen Hall like the spirit refiners.

This divine sleight of hand let Xu Xiaoshou explain the origin perfectly.

And it was so flawless that even Sheng Shen Hall couldn't question it!

"Everyone."

Xu Xiaoshou snapped back and pressed down on the crowd again, saying calmly:

"Opportunity knocks but once. This young master doesn't crave 'Feng Sheng Dao Ji'—you all know why.

But for you here, miss this chance, and you might never see another in your lifetime.

This Xu Kong Ling will be sold through a straightforward auction process. Who ends up with it, I don't care, and I don't give a damn..."

Xu Xiaoshou glanced at Box 1.

At that moment, everyone could hear in his tone that

Xu Xiaoshou didn't fear Sheng Shen Hall at all and didn't care if they bought his Xu Kong Ling.

He wanted nothing to do with the sacred secret land's fight and was dead set on selling this token to get out of the whirlwind.

"This young master just wants the money!"

He paused, lifted the Xu Kong Ling high, and declared firmly: "Starting price: sixty billion!"

The crowd was fired up.

Some were even ready to bid right after the starting price.

But Xu Xiaoshou's "sixty billion" stunned them.

"Huh?" Someone was confused.

"Are you kidding? What's wrong with you!" Someone cursed out loud.

"The last Xu Kong Ling only went for sixty billion, and you're setting that as the starting price now? That's insane!" Even more people compared the prices and lost their cool.

"Under scrutiny, passive value: 331."

Xu Xiaoshou ignored it all.

He knew everyone was eyeing his treasure.

Xu Kong Ling wasn't like unique world treasures where having two devalues them—you'd have to destroy one to keep the price up.

On the contrary,

With only one, people were scared, so its value was low.

But with two...

With someone else leading the way, anyone could feel entitled to covet and bid!

So...

"Sixty billion—take it or leave it."

Xu Xiaoshou casually tucked the Xu Kong Ling away. "If it doesn't sell, I won't drop the price by even a single Ling Jing!"

In the background, Nangong Yin was baffled.

He never imagined Xu Xiaoshou could stir the atmosphere like this and maximize the Xu Kong Ling's profit after Ye Mao's opening act.

Looking back...

Wasn't that earlier sixty-billion sale a massive loss?

"This guy is a genius!" Nangong Yin sighed.

In Box 13, Da Xian Tian Zong's sect master, Leng Qi, was thrown off by Xu Xiaoshou's move on the platform.

He thought at most another sixty billion would secure the last Xu Kong Ling.

Now, the starting price was sixty billion?

" Sect master, are we bidding?" Great elder Ding Kui asked beside him.

He sensed the bidding war for this Xu Kong Ling was about to get fierce.

But before Leng Qi could respond, amid the crowd still mocking "that junk for sixty billion, who wants it," a voice from Box 7 cut in decisively:

" Seventy billion!"

The room went dead silent.

In Box 13, Leng Qi clenched his fist, making the air crackle with a bang.

He was furious!

Gui Yin Ge...

This Gui Yin Ge had shown interest in the Xu Kong Ling early on, and with a second one, they clearly weren't letting go!

"Sect master?" Ding Kui turned his head.

Leng Qi stood up, flicked his sleeve, and said coldly, "Raise the bid!"

" Eighty billion!"

As soon as Box 13 bid, Xu Xiaoshou's eyes lit up.

He remembered that Box 7 (Gui Yin Ge) and Box 13 (Da Xian Tian Zong) had been competing earlier.

Let them go at it, let them go at it...

He screamed inwardly.

But on the surface, he stayed composed: "Alright, Box 13 raises to eighty billion... Eighty billion, anyone? Just eighty billion, and you're all backing down?"

His speech sped up.

" Ninety billion!"

Box 7 spoke again.

This time, without any prior agreements, Gui Yin Ge was determined to win the Xu Kong Ling.

"Wow!"

"Ninety billion!"

Xu Xiaoshou nearly jumped, exclaiming.

He just gave a token shout, and the price jumped ten billion.

Who could resist that?

He was fully immersed in his role as the auctioneer.

"Ninety billion!"

"Anyone for ninety billion?"

"Are you serious? You were fighting tooth and nail over those minor treasures earlier, and now for 'Feng Sheng Dao Ji,' it's only ninety billion?"

Xu Xiaoshou waved his hand and yelled, "Have you all lost your minds? Bid already!"

The crowd exchanged uneasy glances, feeling that the auction's tone had dropped several notches since Xu Xiaoshou took the stage.

But some were spurred on, nearly bidding out of impulse.

Reason held them back—this bidding war was between the big players; outsiders probably couldn't join.

Box 7 and Box 13.

These two were locked in battle.

" One hundred billion!"

From Box 13, Leng Qi gritted his teeth and shouted the number.

The previous Xu Kong Ling was only sixty billion, and this one...

He felt sick to his stomach.

On the platform, Xu Xiaoshou's excited scream followed: "Whoa! One hundred billion, Box 13 bids one hundred billion. Box 7, do you dare to match?"

"Do they dare?"

"Do they dare?!"

Xu Xiaoshou's voice grew more frantic: "Let's wait and see!!"

The crowd was driven wild by his shouts.

That high-pitched scream nearly pierced everyone's ear drums.

Everyone stared blankly at Xu Xiaoshou on the platform.

This guy...

Was he really a full-time auctioneer from some backwater event?

Was he truly a semi-saint force's heir?

In Box 13, Leng Qi was so furious he almost spat blood. Since when did Ling Que Auction have bidding like this?

It was like he was egging them on!

Absolutely degrading!

But at that moment, including Leng Qi and the entire crowd,

Amid Xu Xiaoshou's manic calls, everyone's eyes turned to Box 7, and their minds were unanimously washed with one thought:

" Do they dare? Will Box 7 really bid higher?"