167: Run away with the money

While the executives were astonished and ecstatic, the auction proceeded methodically on the stage.

The audience below the stage was passionate; if the knowledge about Spirit Materials wasn't so valuable, they would have already interrupted Xie Ning.

Finally, after the first auction item was introduced, Xie Ning said, "Starting bid: 10 yuan."

As his voice fell, the audience went silent.

Everyone knew the highest bidder wins, but rarely did anyone dare to announce such a low starting price on an auction stage—it wasn't even enough to cover the ticket fee.

A few seconds later, someone began to bid.

"I bid 10 yuan."

"Damn it! Someone actually dared to bid 10 yuan, have you no shame? I bid 11 yuan."

"I bid 500 yuan."

"10,000 yuan!"

In less than ten seconds, the price soared to 150,000 yuan, already exceeding the estimated price when they thought it was Sub-Dragon Poisonous Blood, and it was still climbing.

The private rooms on the second floor also joined the bidding.

"The Ning Family bids 200,000 yuan."

"My Li Family bids 300,000 yuan."

"The Tie Family bids 500,000 yuan..."

Various powers in the region City of Jingzhou raised the price to an extremely high level.

As for the shills placed around the venue by the auction house to bid, they were already dumbfounded.

Compared to these prices, Xie Ning found it stranger that even though every seat had a bidding machine, people still insisted on having someone shout out the bid after using it.

Were they afraid others wouldn't know they were rich?

Distracted thoughts did not delay the work Xie Ning had in hand.

"500,000 once, 500,000 twice, 500,000 thrice! Sold!" Xie Ning brought down the wooden Gavel. "Congratulations to Private Room Eight for acquiring the Poisonous Dragon Blood Plasma."

"Bring up the second auction item~"

Subsequently, the second item came onto the stage. Xie Ning glanced at it and let out a sound of surprise, attracting the attention of many. Someone quickly asked, "Hey! Auctioneer, why are you surprised? Isn't that just a piece of Gloomy Still Iron used for Artifact Refining?"

Xie Ning replied, "The name Gloomy Still Iron is correct, but in cultivation, we call this Still Wind Striker. As the name suggests, it invades like the wind, swift and silent. When cultivating speed-type Demon Tamers Beasts, adding a little Still Wind Striker can increase the sharpness of their attacks after evolution and reduce the sound they produce. Besides that..."

Another batch of solid knowledge was delivered, leaving the audience stunned. Some smart individuals had already started copying it down with pen and paper, while the smarter ones chose to record it.

Two minutes later, Xie Ning grinned and said, "To be honest, if I weren't wearing this uniform, I'd want to bid myself."

As soon as he said this, the audience burst into laughter.

In the executive area, the Steward smiled wryly and said, "I really don't know where this Prodigy came from; he talks about cultivation as if it's everyday fare."

"Exactly. If this weren't an auction, he could just bring a small stool and open an outdoor Dao Field."

"It seems like this time, we won't lose money."

While the executives were chatting, the bidding below the stage was progressing fiercely.

Yan Ruyu looked at Xie Ning on the stage, who was composed and engaging in lively conversation, and her eyes seemed to shine.

The auction continued.

The third auction item sold for 200,000 yuan above the estimated price.

The fourth auction item sold for 500,000 yuan above the estimated price.

The fifth item... one after another, items were sold by Xie Ning at prices far exceeding their estimates.

Thanks to Xie Ning's popular science explanations, the auction slowly went off track, eventually turning into a Demon Tamers Beast Cultivation Class. Only occasionally were auction items interspersed, and due to Xie Ning's profound knowledge, every item was discussed thoroughly, causing prices to soar, sometimes exceeding the estimate by several times.

The audience below filled dozens of pages in their notebooks, and the private rooms on the second floor dispatched dedicated personnel to inquire about cultivation knowledge.

As for the executive area, the Steward and various Managers were already numb to these changes and had joined the queue for consultation.

Everyone realized that the Auctioneer standing before them was likely an Intermediate or even Advanced Breeder.

In a small town like the City of Jingzhou, Intermediate Cultivators were rare, and the price for a single consultation had to be calculated in the tens of thousands.

Regardless of why the person appeared on the auction stage, just this Demon Tamers Beast Cultivation Class alone meant that everyone attending the auction had already profited.

No matter how long the time felt, six hours had passed.

The water prepared for Xie Ning on stage was refilled again and again.

Until 11:30 at night.

Xie Ning chugged another large glass of water to soothe his hoarse throat and said, "Today's cultivation lecture ends here. We'll continue if there's a chance in the future."

As soon as he finished speaking, the audience immediately erupted.

"Don't stop, Auctioneer! We still have so many questions unanswered."

"Also, the Light Element! Please talk about the Light Element."

"Why do you know so much? How did you do it? Are you still accepting disciples? PY Transactions are fine too!"

"And about the Dark Element..."

Xie Ning pressed his hands down lightly, and the entire venue fell silent.

"Thank you, everyone, but don't forget the main event. Please welcome the final auction item!"

Xie Ning shouted loudly, and then a beautiful Etiquette Lady pushed a small cart onto the stage. On the cart were 30 long, rectangular, golden bricks, looking like gold at first glance.

The crowd below and on the second floor suddenly realized the situation and began rubbing their hands together in anticipation.

Although most people couldn't afford that much money, it didn't stop them from joining the excitement, and they all started discussing animatedly.

"It's finally the true martial gold's turn."

"Thanks to the Auctioneer's reminder, otherwise missing the true martial gold auction today would be a lifelong regret."

"Damn it, if I had the money to buy true martial gold, would I need to sit on the first floor?"

"This is definitely going to be a sky-high price!"

"In my opinion, 3 million is the minimum, 5 million is certain, and it might even exceed 10 million. It depends on whether those great Families are willing to spend the money."

While everyone was discussing and watching, the small cart arrived next to Xie Ning, easily within reach.

Xie Ning first chatted briefly with the Etiquette Lady, then looked around, glanced at the second floor, and finally looked at the Monitoring Area, grinning as he said:

"As everyone can see, this is a pile of iron bricks that look like gold. The auction officially begins, starting bid: 3 million yuan."

This sudden introduction stunned everyone upstairs and downstairs, leaving them unable to react. Xie Ning seized the opportunity, picked up the Gavel, and struck it three times consecutively.

"3 million once, 3 million twice, 3 million thrice! Sold!"

As his voice fell, Xie Ning collected the true martial gold and dashed off, disappearing back into the interior area under the stunned gaze of the entire audience.

A few seconds later.

"Holy crap!"

"What is going on? Did the Auctioneer just abscond with the funds himself?"

"We've been fooled! This guy isn't an Auctioneer at all!"

"Where is the Organizer? Come out and explain!"

Immediately, the entire venue erupted into chaos. People were shouting and protesting. As for how many were genuinely protesting and how many were excitedly joining the commotion, that remained unknown.

The executives were also dumbfounded. The Steward quickly sent staff to search backstage and ran onto the stage himself, pressing the Etiquette Lady:

"Did he say anything to you just now?"

The Etiquette Lady nodded and, with a strange expression, pulled out a piece of paper and a card.

A sentence was written on the paper:

"The 3 million yuan in the card is for the purchase price of the true martial gold. No refunds for overage, no compensation for shortage. The auction commission is distributed among the etiquette ladies and all staff present. Don't be angry, after all, I saved your Old Auctioneer."

Below was the signature: Little Leopard Zhao of the Zhao Family in Lingnan City.