63: Auction in progress

Chu Jingyu stopped, his gaze fixed on the group of people who had just spoken.

The group consisted mostly of youths around sixteen or seventeen, all dressed in fine silk and satin. Moreover, the young man surrounded in the center wore brocade robes likely made from silk spun by a Source Beast.

A faint spiritual aura occasionally adhered to and flowed around the fabric, adding an air of transcendence to his presence.

The one who spoke was a young man pushed to the edge of the crowd. He was also dressed in luxurious attire, but his sharp, mean-spirited face made it difficult to feel favorably towards him.

Before Chu Jingyu could speak, the maid responsible for guiding that group of youths immediately interjected, "Young Masters, your private room is D-rank A. It's just ahead. The auction is about to start, so please take your seats quickly."

As she spoke, that maid winked at the maid responsible for guiding Chu Jingyu and his son.

The maid on this side also immediately spoke, "Two honored guests, please enter."

Clearly, as maids of the Treasure Pavilion, they desperately wished to prevent conflict between the two parties.

The young man who had just spoken seemed to have been angered elsewhere and insisted on taking it out on Chu Jingyu and his son.

He took a step forward, arriving directly in front of Chu Jingyu, arms wide open. "The direct line Second Young Master Fu is present! Not only do you fail to step forward and pay respects, but you also intend to enter your private room first? How utterly rude!"

Chu Jingyu paused, looking with interest at the young man blocking his path. The youth before him was only a mid-level Mortal Rank, yet his actions seemed more arrogant than those Uncommon Rank Contract Masters. Chu Jingyu wondered if his confidence came from his Family or from that so-called Second Young Master Fu.

Before Chu Jingyu could speak, the maid nervously spoke first: "Young Master Qi, Mr. Chu is an honored guest of our Treasure Pavilion. Please treat him with courtesy."

"Courtesy? Did he show courtesy to my Second Young Master Fu? If both are honored guests, it would be best if your Treasure Pavilion didn't show favoritism."

Dissatisfaction flashed across the eyes of the blocking Young Master Qi. He then looked toward Second Young Master Fu and cried out pitifully, "Second Young Master Fu, this bumpkin is too rude! He actually claimed he hasn't heard of the Fu Family's name!"

Before he could finish, Chu Jingyu, noting the cunning flash in his eyes and unsure of his intentions, interrupted him:

"We come from a small Family in a town; it's quite normal not to have heard the name of a Noble Family from the county seat. Moreover, in our county seat, there is no custom requiring people to bow to Noble Family members. I wonder what kind of custom this is in your county seat? Would this Young Master kindly introduce and popularize it for us?"

A trace of astonishment flashed in Young Master Qi's eyes. He hadn't expected the old man to react so quickly. However, he had gone to great lengths to get close to Second Young Master Fu, and he couldn't miss this rare opportunity to ruin his reputation.

He secretly glanced at the hall below. Some private rooms on the second floor were already open, and the gazes of many commoner Contract Masters and Noble Family dignitaries were focused on this spot.

"Our Second Young Master Fu comes from the Eighth Rank prestigious Fu Family of the county seat. It's normal for bumpkins like you not to have heard of him. Now hurry up and move aside! Don't block the way here and dirty my Young Master's eyes."

Chu Jingyu was utterly confused. You were the one who blocked the path moments ago, and now you are the one claiming the blockage is dirtying eyes—in short, you want to have the final say on everything.

However, in an instant, Chu Jingyu vaguely perceived the young man surnamed Qi's true intention.

He cupped his hands toward Second Young Master Fu, who had remained silent in the crowd. "Greetings, Second Young Master Fu. Making many friends is good, but one needs to carefully filter them and keep only those who are truly sincere."

Second Young Master Fu had been continuously pulled into conversation by the people around him and seemed not to have noticed what was happening here. He looked momentarily bewildered by Chu Jingyu's direct advice,

but still cupped his hands and replied, "Thank you for the advice, Elder. This junior understands. Hey, Qi Hongyu, why are you blocking the Elder? Our private room is next door."

Chu Jingyu shook his head slightly. This Second Young Master Fu did not seem arrogant or overbearing; his current situation was likely a setup orchestrated by someone else.

Chu Jingyu raised his eyes to look at Qi Hongyu and said with a smile, "Your master has spoken. Why aren't you moving aside?"

Seeing Second Young Master Fu's gaze fall upon him, Qi Hongyu had no choice but to step aside.

Chu Jingyu calmly walked toward the private room. As he passed Qi Hongyu, he quietly said, "Without strength, no matter how many tricks you play, you are nothing more than a clown."

Hearing Chu Jingyu's words, astonishment flashed in Qi Hongyu's eyes. He was surprised that in such a short time, the old man had managed to perceive his true goal and didn't simply dismiss him as a lackey relying on the power of others.

Chu Jingyu entered the private room and looked around. The room was spacious, with two chairs placed near the window, allowing guests a clear view of the platform in the main hall.

The incident outside the private room was just a minor interlude for Chu Jingyu. After drinking a cup of tea, a figure appeared on the high platform.

With the sound of a gong and drums, the auction was officially declared open.

First came a rather uninspired opening speech, followed by the presentation of the auction items one by one.

The first few items were mostly the young of Different Rank Species Source Beasts, which were fiercely contested by the guests in the hall.

The Spirit Opening quota originating from the Chu Family was the third item presented. This Spirit Opening quota was nothing special in the eyes of Noble Family members.

However, it was extremely popular among the people in the hall, as the Spirit Opening quotas released by even the county seat Noble Families and the prefecture government were very limited and couldn't satisfy the vast market demand.

In the end, it was auctioned for three hundred and twenty-five Origin Rune Stone.

Chu Jingyu rubbed his chin. It seemed this Spirit Opening quota was more valuable than he had imagined, far exceeding the worth of most mid-to-high level Mortal Rank Source Beasts.

While observing the lively auction scene, Chu Qinhui was simultaneously paying attention to whether the rare Spirit Materials mentioned by Ancestor Chu would appear. Since this concerned Xiao Han's Cuiyin Bird's evolution, he could not afford to be careless.

Fortunately, two of the Materials did appear and were successfully bid on by him, costing a total of six hundred and seventy-two Origin Rune Stone.

With the two hardest-to-find Materials purchased at the auction, the remaining, relatively common ones could be bought directly downstairs. Chu Qinhui breathed a huge sigh of relief, as if a major task had been completed.

As the auction progressed, the items appearing on stage became increasingly rare, including Spirit Rank Materials and some extremely rare Source Beasts of the Mortal Rank and Uncommon Rank.

The appearance of a "Jade-Eyed Spirit Tiger" cub brought the atmosphere of the entire venue to a climax. A Spirit Rank Species Source Beast, if properly nurtured, meant the Family would likely produce a Spirit Rank Contract Master in the future, prompting the dignitaries in the private rooms to eagerly bid against each other.

Ultimately, it was purchased by the Li Family of Zhiyao County for nine thousand three hundred Origin Rune Stone.

A few more items appeared afterward. Finally, during the second-to-last auction item, a scale from a Golden Scaled Dragon Fish was presented on the platform.

The item the Chu father and son had been waiting for had appeared, allowing them both to quietly sigh in relief. If this scale had not appeared at today's auction, they would not have had the Origin Rune Stone to pay for the Materials they had purchased earlier.

"This item is an Origin scale from a Golden Scaled Dragon Fish. Assimilating Dragon Qi adheres to it, which can induce fish-type Source Beasts that absorb it to potentially evolve toward the Dragon species.

The rarity of Dragon species Source Beasts needs no further explanation from this old man. This item is truly priceless and hard to come by. The starting bid is one thousand Origin Rune Stone, and each subsequent bid must not be less than five hundred Origin Rune Stone. Please place your bids."