Chapter 196: Returning Origin Sword Sect Using Sabers?

The higher the price of the Invincible Golden Body, the more likely it indicates that subsequent martial arts techniques will command even greater sums.

Eight hundred thousand taels.

It wasn’t guaranteed to secure even one of the techniques.

One must remember.

To scrape together eight hundred thousand taels of silver, the Returning Origin Sword Sect had to sell off numerous assets at bargain-basement prices. If they failed to acquire any martial arts, they would effectively lose one or two hundred thousand taels for nothing.

Such a loss.

Even a relatively powerful sect would struggle to bear the burden.

However.

As things stood.

Returning Origin Master had no other choice but to take things one step at a time.

"Eight hundred thousand taels!"

"Eight hundred and ten thousand taels!"

"Eight hundred and twenty thousand taels!"

"My Heavenly Saber Sect is willing to offer eight hundred and fifty thousand taels. I wonder if anyone would be so kind as to give us some face?"

After declaring his price, Wu Que added that one extra line.

It could be interpreted as a threat.

Or perhaps not.

Warden No. 2’s eyes flickered momentarily, but he refrained from intervening.

The Heavenly Saber Sect was no ordinary small-time sect. While Yuanyang Auction House possessed greater power, it still had to show some deference to its peers.

A hearty voice soon boomed out.

"Of course, we must give the Heavenly Saber Sect face, but Brother Wu, this Invincible Golden Body is precisely what my Seven Luminaries Sect requires. Forgive Ji for being unable to yield. Eight hundred and sixty thousand taels!"

Upon hearing this.

Inside his wing-room, Wu Que calmly took a sip of water, his expression unchanged.

"Since Brother Ji has spoken so plainly, then Wu can only oblige. The Heavenly Saber Sect offers nine hundred thousand taels!"

"Heh, the Heavenly Saber Sect’s financial resources are truly impressive. Nine hundred thousand taels spoken so casually. My Purple Jade Tower refuses to be outdone. Nine hundred and twenty thousand taels!"

Purple Jade Tower.

Many faces shifted slightly upon hearing the name of this faction.

Like the Heavenly Saber Sect, the Purple Jade Tower was also a prominent sect with a Grandmaster at its helm.

Normally speaking.

Auction houses rarely revealed their affiliations, especially in black market auctions where anonymity was paramount, lest they be robbed of their valuable acquisitions.

However.

Hiding one’s identity was conditional.

For major sects with Grandmasters overseeing them, there was often little need for such concerns.

Because—

A major sect not only boasted Grandmaster-level experts but also possessed a multitude of subordinates beneath that rank.

Offending one individual.

Could potentially trigger a chain reaction with far-reaching consequences.

"More than nine hundred thousand taels!"

A clear smile adorned Shen Changqing’s face as he mused to himself.

The rich truly are abundant.

Over nine hundred thousand taels.

The price had completely exceeded his expectations.

Based on the amount of silver required to purchase merit points, one Invincible Golden Body was more than sufficient.

He had mistakenly believed that he would need two or three martial arts techniques to amass that sum.

On the other side.

Ji Qu was speechless.

He was discovering that the wealthy in the Jianghu truly grew on trees.

They were willing to spend over nine hundred thousand taels to contend for a single Grandmaster-level martial arts technique.

Upon further reflection.

Ji Qu could understand somewhat.

Those who entered the Demon Suppression Division never had to fret over martial arts. Regardless of how profound they were, they could learn them for free within the Division.

But in the Jianghu.

A profound martial arts technique was often synonymous with a sect’s foundation and lifeline.

"One million taels!"

Wu Que wasted no further time, declaring the highest price he could offer.

RUMBLE!

His words triggered a new surge of excitement within the auction house.

One million taels!

For the first time since the auction began, such an exorbitant price had emerged.

Even the earlier black banner had only reached seven hundred thousand taels, a staggering three hundred thousand taels behind the million mark.

Immediately.

All the bidding ceased.

One million taels!

It was both the Heavenly Saber Sect’s limit and close to theirs.

No matter how exceptional a Grandmaster-level external martial arts technique might be, spending a million taels to acquire it might not be worthwhile.

Entering the Body Forging Realm was notoriously difficult, so much so that one could spend an entire lifetime without achieving it.

The scarcity of Grandmaster Late Stage experts in the Jianghu spoke volumes.

This was partly due to a lack of martial arts techniques, but also due to the inherent difficulty of entering the Body Forging Realm.

For any major sect, producing one million taels would hurt the muscles and bones.

Subsequent sect operations would be hampered.

Remember.

Any sect’s operations were inseparable from silver.

After a long pause.

The Seven Luminaries Sect Master’s eyes flashed for a moment before he spoke slowly.

"One million and one thousand taels!"

Wu Que said nothing further. He had abandoned his bid for the Invincible Golden Body.

The Heavenly Saber Sect could only muster one million taels at this time.

Exceeding that price was simply impossible.

Even if he were to force it, he would damage the sect’s foundations. It was not worth it for a single Grandmaster-level martial arts technique.

Subsequently.

Someone else made an offer.

"One million and two thousand taels!"

"One million and three thousand taels!"

The price continued to rise steadily.

Ji Cang added to the price at a leisurely pace, seemingly unhurried.

Eventually.

The price settled at one million and five thousand taels, and no one else competed.

After Warden No. 2 struck the gavel, the Seven Luminaries Sect Master’s face was beaming.

"Got it!"

To compete for the Grandmaster-level martial arts technique, the Seven Luminaries Sect had prepared a total of one million and one hundred thousand taels.

He had already planned accordingly.

If the price exceeded that figure, he would give up on the Invincible Golden Body.

As it turned out.

The price settled at one million and five thousand taels, and the Seven Luminaries Sect acquired the Grandmaster-level martial arts technique.

The price was almost at the very limit.

Ming Zhengyang, sitting beside him, was completely dumbfounded.

One million and five thousand taels.

Not only did it shock others, but it also shocked this outstanding disciple of the Seven Luminaries Sect.

He knew very well.

What that number represented.

Despite the Seven Luminaries Sect’s vast holdings, its annual net profit was only a few tens of thousands of taels of silver.

One million and five thousand taels.

It had almost drained the Seven Luminaries Sect’s foundations of twenty years.

Before long.

A maid knocked on the door, and after entering, handed the Invincible Golden Body to Ji Cang.

Leafing through the Invincible Golden Body.

He was immediately captivated by the contents.

After a long time.

Ji Cang closed the book, a look of respect on his face.

"The Invincible Golden Body lives up to its name. If I can reach great accomplishment in it, I will definitely be able to join the Grandmaster Late Stage, and this martial arts technique is extremely profound, incomparable to ordinary external martial arts.

If the expert who created this martial arts technique is still alive, I would really like to meet him."

Unfortunately.

In Ji Cang’s opinion, the founder of the Invincible Golden Body should have already passed away.

Although the book in his hands was brand new.

It was likely copied by Shen Changqing from the original.

After all, even if Grandmasters were powerful, they had not escaped the category of mortals, and their lifespans were, at most, only a hundred years.

When the time came.

Even a Grandmaster could only die regretfully.

After putting away the Invincible Golden Body, Ji Cang looked towards the auction stage.

There.

Warden No. 2 began to auction the second item.

Hundred Battle Saber Technique!

"The Hundred Battle Saber Technique is also a martial arts technique auctioned by Lord Shen of the Demon Suppression Division. If this saber technique is at great accomplishment, one will be able to comprehend the True Intent and enter the Grandmaster realm. For any sect without a Grandmaster, it is enough to be considered a sect-defining treasure.

At the same time, the book contains a trace of True Intent, which can be used for people to comprehend!"

"The Hundred Battle Saber Technique has a starting price of fifty thousand taels of silver, with a minimum bid of one thousand taels each time. The auction now begins!"

Warden No. 2 didn’t waste any time and went straight to the point.

Soon.

A new round of bidding began.

Occasionally, a few major sects would bid, but they were not as crazy as when they were competing for the Invincible Golden Body.

As for Ji Cang, he watched from the sidelines.

There was no way.

The Seven Luminaries Sect didn’t have any money left, so they couldn’t even bid, so they could only watch.

Otherwise, he would also want to participate.

Having one more martial arts technique that pointed directly at the Martial Arts True Intent would give the disciples in the sect one more choice.

Although it was said that any martial arts technique could comprehend the True Intent.

But strictly speaking, the probability difference between the two was not a star and a half.

The probability of comprehending the True Intent from ordinary martial arts techniques was likely one in ten thousand, or even one in one hundred thousand or one million.

And the probability of comprehending the True Intent from martial arts techniques that could be at great accomplishment was one in a thousand, or even one in a hundred.

The difference between them.

Normal people could tell the difference.

This was also the reason why.

Very few sects were able to produce Grandmasters.

In the end.

The True Intent was too difficult to comprehend.

If one wanted to comprehend the True Intent from ordinary martial arts techniques, it was not certain that one could succeed even among hundreds of Innate Limit martial artists.

After the Hundred Battle Saber Technique came out, the price skyrocketed to six hundred thousand taels.

It seemed that the transaction price of the Invincible Golden Body had stimulated them, causing the current bidding prices to increase rapidly.

"Hundred Battle Saber Technique!"

Returning Origin Master’s expression was strange.

He didn’t expect that the martial arts technique being auctioned would actually be a saber technique.

Returning Origin Sword Sect!

As the name implied, it focused on swordsmanship.

It was hard to imagine, if the Returning Origin Sword Sect obtained the Hundred Battle Saber Technique and a Grandmaster was really born, how embarrassing it would be.

A dignified sect that focused on swordsmanship, but the Grandmaster who came out actually learned saber techniques. It would be a slap in the face.

However.

Despite the embarrassment, the martial arts technique still had to be competed for.

Returning Origin Master thought for a while and still gave a price.

"Seven hundred and fifty thousand taels!"

He didn’t directly bid eight hundred thousand taels, leaving some room for maneuver.

After this price was announced, the scene was also silent for a few moments.

When Warden No. 2 confirmed for the second time, someone slowly offered a price.

"Eight hundred and thirty thousand taels for the first time!"

"Eight hundred and thirty thousand taels for the second time!"

"Eight hundred and thirty thousand taels for the third time, sold!"

Warden No. 2 struck the gavel.

This result surprised many people.

The transaction price of the Hundred Battle Saber Technique, which pointed directly at the Martial Arts True Intent, was twenty-two thousand taels less than the Invincible Golden Body.

But even so.

This price was also very high.

Someone silently calculated and found that Shen Changqing had sold these two martial arts techniques alone for one million eight hundred and eighty thousand taels.

And behind him, there was still a Grandmaster martial arts technique waiting.

In other words.

If all three martial arts techniques were auctioned off, the other party’s revenue this time might even approach three million taels.

Under the spotlight, Yuanyang Auction House began a new round of auction.

End of Chapter