87: Chapter 87 The Vast Ocean Token, One Hundred Million

As President Ximen He's voice fell, the hall fell silent for a moment before erupting into a chorus of discussions.

"A token? What kind of token could be worth ten million Spirit Stones?"

"President Ximen He said its rank is no lower than Earth Rank; this is no joke."

"But no matter how you look at it, it's just a token, not a Magical Artifact or Cultivation Technique. Spending ten million Spirit Stones on something with an unknown purpose is just too risky."

Amidst the discussions, many people had already begun to shake their heads.

For a Cultivator in a frontier city like Xihai City, ten million Spirit Stones was already an astronomical figure.

Spending such a large sum of Spirit Stones to buy a token with an unknown purpose truly required immense courage.

However, there were also people staring intently at the dark gold token, lost in thought.

No one who could sit in this auction hall was a fool.

The fact that President Ximen He dared to set a starting bid of ten million meant that the value of this token definitely exceeded that amount.

President Ximen He stood behind the auction platform, his gaze sweeping across the room, a faint smile still hanging on his face as if he had long anticipated the crowd's reaction.

"Everyone."

He spoke, his voice not loud, yet carrying a composure that compelled one to believe him.

"I know that ten million Spirit Stones is not a small sum. But I can guarantee to all of you that the origin of this token is by no means simple."

He paused, his gaze falling upon the dark gold token, a flicker of complexity passing through his cloudy eyes.

"I have been immersed in the art of appraising treasures for thousands of years and consider myself to have a discerning eye. Yet, I have scoured all the records and still cannot determine the exact origin of this token."

"But one thing is certain: the ancient level of the runes carved on this token far surpasses any ancient relic I have ever seen."

Once these words were spoken, the discussions in the hall grew even louder.

A token whose origin even President Ximen He couldn't determine? Then was this thing a treasure or trash?

President Ximen He raised his hand in a pressing motion, signaling for everyone to be quiet.

"I dare not make wild claims about the value of this token, but based on my experience in appraising treasures, its rank is definitely no lower than Earth Rank."

"The starting bid is ten million Spirit Stones. Each increment must not be less than one million."

As his voice fell, the hall fell silent for a moment.

A low voice came first from a private room on the second floor: "Eleven million."

The voice was flat, devoid of emotion, clearly just a tentative bid.

"Twelve million." Another private room followed closely behind.

"Thirteen million."

The price climbed slowly. There were not many bidders, and each increment was not high, as everyone was clearly watching and weighing their options.

With the token's purpose and origin unknown, no one dared to throw away a large sum of money lightly.

In the corner of the hall, Lu Jinghan's gaze landed on the dark gold token, his pupils slightly constricting.

The character 'Heaven' carved on the token was written with vigorous strokes, as if carved by a knife or chiseled by an axe, with an indescribable, mysterious dao rhyme faintly circulating.

Even from such a distance, he could feel the ancient Aura contained within the token.

A moment later, he withdrew his gaze, a hint of a smile appearing on his face.

He thought to himself: "I didn't expect this thing to appear in Xihai City."

Qin Muchuan noticed the change in Lu Jinghan's expression and asked via voice transmission: "Senior Brother, do you recognize that token?"

Lu Jinghan nodded slightly and replied via voice transmission: "I do."

He paused, his gaze falling back onto the token, his tone carrying a trace of reminiscence and emotion.

"This token is called the hanhai token."

Qin Muchuan was slightly stunned. hanhai token? He had never heard of this name before.

"The hanhai token comes from the East Sea, and there are fifty in total."

Lu Jinghan's voice sounded in both Qin Muchuan's and Su Fuguang's minds simultaneously.

"There are four types of tokens, inscribed with the characters 'Heaven, Earth, Profound, Yellow' respectively; they are the keys to one of the three great underwater Secret Realms of the East Sea—Fish Dragon Bay."

Qin Muchuan and Su Fuguang exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in the other's eyes.

East Sea? Fish Dragon Bay?

They had never even heard of these names.

"Fish Dragon Bay is the oldest and most mysterious of the East Sea's three great Secret Realms."

Lu Jinghan continued the voice transmission, his tone calm yet carrying a hint of solemnity.

"Without a hanhai token, it is impossible to enter. Two-thirds of the hanhai tokens are controlled by the Sea Clan forces of the East Sea, and very few have drifted to the Outer Four Regions."

"Therefore, among the Four Regions, there are very few people who know about this token."

Qin Muchuan couldn't help but ask via voice transmission: "Senior Brother, what is inside this Fish Dragon Bay Secret Realm?"

Lu Jinghan was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

"I don't know."

His gaze fell on that hanhai token, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

In his past life, by some Opportunity, he had once obtained a hanhai token, but at that time, he was preparing to go into seclusion to advance to Undergoing Tribulation.

Moreover, the East Sea region was vast and its forces complex; not only were there various Human Race factions, but also the Sea Clan and the East Sea overlord, the Dragon Clan!

In the end, Lu Jinghan did not go to explore it.

"Senior Brother, should we bid for it?"

Su Fuguang's voice sounded in their minds, sounding a bit eager.

Lu Jinghan pondered for a moment and replied via voice transmission: "No rush, let's wait and see."

The bidding had just begun; the real buyers had not yet revealed their trump cards.

He wanted to see who else in this Xihai City knew the origin of the hanhai token.

On the auction platform, President Ximen He watched as the bidding slowly climbed, his expression remaining calm, though he was slightly disappointed inside.

Fifteen million, sixteen million, seventeen million!

By the time the price reached this point, there were fewer and fewer bidders, with only three private rooms on the second floor still competing.

Each increment was only the minimum of one million Spirit Stones, clearly indicating a lack of confidence.

"Twenty million."

A voice came from the central private room on the second floor, low and steady, carrying an unquestionable Aura.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Twenty million; this price had far exceeded the psychological expectations of most people.

"Twenty million one hundred thousand." The private room on the left was silent for a moment before following up.

"Twenty million two hundred thousand." The private room on the right was not to be outdone either.

"Twenty-five million."

The low voice from the central private room sounded again, this time increasing the bid by nearly five million, the tone still flat, as if twenty-five million Spirit Stones were nothing more than a drop in the bucket to him.

A low murmur of surprise erupted in the hall.

"Twenty-five million! Who is this, to have such confidence?"

"Judging by the voice, it sounds like someone from the Zhao family. The Zhao family has operated in Xihai City for thousands of years; their foundation is indeed profound."

"Spending twenty-five million to buy a token with an unknown purpose—is the Zhao family just burning money from having too much?"

The private rooms on the left and right fell silent simultaneously.

Twenty-five million had already exceeded their capacity to pay.

President Ximen He stood behind the auction platform, his gaze sweeping across the room.

"Twenty-five million, is there any higher bid?"

The hall was completely silent.

President Ximen He nodded slightly and was about to bring down the gavel.

The low voice from the central private room sounded again, carrying a hint of faint impatience: "President Ximen He, you may bring down the gavel."

President Ximen He smiled and raised the auction gavel.

Just at this moment, a calm voice sounded from the leftmost private room.

"One hundred million."

When this "one hundred million" rang out, the entire room fell into a dead silence.