"Hehe, I never thought a mere half-piece of Xuan Tian treasure would attract so many esteemed guests vying for it. If each of you is confident in finding that Yang Flag, wouldn't you rather risk not only failing to gain fortune, but also bringing great misfortune upon your own clans?" A hoarse female voice suddenly echoed coldly across the plaza. "Then, why should Lady Guu also bid for this treasure? She might as well simply hand it over to us without any fuss." A sharp, direct voice replied. "Hand it over? Does the Shí Xiāo clan really have such a large appetite for this Xuan Tian treasure, or will it burst its belly trying to swallow it?" The hoarse woman said with utter disdain. "The Shí Xiāo clan may not have such a large appetite. Perhaps the Fú Yóu clan, in Lady Guu's eyes, won't even be able to claim this treasure." A solemn, grave voice suddenly rose from a floating pavilion. "Fú Yóu clan—" Upon hearing this voice, most of the senior cultivators at the peak level instantly grew pale. "The Fú Yóu clan is indeed one of the foremost noble houses on the Tian If anything else comes up, perhaps the nobles will yield, but as for this celestial treasure—today, I intend to secure it." The hoarse woman remained silent for a while, then replied with utterly neutral tone. "Very well. Very well. Since none of you seem willing to let go, now it's a matter of who offers the highest price. After all, this is the Helian Merchant Alliance's auction hall, where victory is measured by one's wealth. I've already reached the current price. Should no one else raise their bid, this half of the Sky-Reversing Banner will remain in my hands." The elder chuckled warmly. "Fifteen billion spirit stones." This time, the hoarse woman announced the figure without hesitation, a remarkably high one. "Fifteen billion, Ancient Friend—do you truly possess that many spirit stones? Haven't you already accounted for your precious possessions by converting them into spirit stones?" The elder of the Evolving Clan said, his tone grave. "What's the matter if I've converted my treasures? Though my spirit stones are not abundant, I have accumulated quite a number of useless treasures—exactly the kind that can now be put to good use." The woman with a hoarse voice chuckled coldly. "Then, allow me to join in as well—eight billion lian stones." The great cultivator from the Stone Xiang clan spoke up again. "Eight billion five million." "Nineteen billion." ...Such a high price caused the other great cultivators who had initially shown interest to furrow their brows and eventually fall silent. Some of the wealthier elder beings, even after securing half of this precious Xuan Tian artifact, found themselves unable to hold onto it, and thus reluctantly stepped aside as well. For a while, only these three prominent great cultivators remained actively bidding. Hu Yuzhu, standing calmly on the stone platform, smiled pleasantly, waiting patiently for the final outcome. "Master Han, you no longer wish to take this Fentian Banner, do you?" Xue Po couldn't help but ask. Since the beginning, Han had only spoken once to offer a price, and then remained silent—something that surprised both women. "The treasure is indeed good, but if we truly spend such a great effort to bring it back, it might not necessarily be a good thing. After all, an incomplete piece of Xuan Tian treasure won't immediately strengthen our human race's strength when returned to our clan. Instead, it may draw unnecessary attention from the larger clans. With our human and elven clans still lacking in depth, we should try to avoid becoming the spotlight just now." Han Li replied slowly, his expression calm and free of any tension. To him, the treasure seemed truly optional. "Indeed, if our human race ends up bringing back a renowned but utterly impractical treasure, it would be a case of not getting much value for the effort. What a pity—this Fentian Banner is incomplete. Otherwise, the elder would have certainly fought for it." Xue Po expressed her regret. "Heh, if it were a complete Xuan Tian treasure, we could directly communicate with one of the ancient true spirits and summon it to protect our human race." The human race could immediately rise to a mid-tier power, with both population size and territory significantly enhanced. Given such substantial advantages, even if Han were to take on some risks, it would not be much of a sacrifice. Now, however, such risks were clearly unwarranted. Han added a few more explanations before finally falling silent. Xue Po and Zhu Guo'er, knowing that Han would not compete for this half-piece of Xuan Tian treasure, naturally lost much of their interest in the current contest. Ultimately, the half-piece of Xuan Tian treasure was secured by an elder of the Fu Yong clan at a sky-high price of twenty-five billion spiritual stones. Though the other senior cultivators of the Great Transcendence stage were eager, they could only watch helplessly as a senior cultivator of the Merchant Alliance entered the great dwelling of the Fu Yong clan's Great Transcendence elders, bearing the banner of the Heavenly Turning. It took no less than a full cup of tea's worth of time before this merchant alliance elder returned, this time with a satisfied expression. Clearly, although the Fuqi lineage had secured this half-piece of Xuan Tian treasure, they had nearly exhausted their own precious possessions, thus had to step back from the competition for the lower-tier treasures. Moreover, their return journey would have to be carefully managed—surely not a smooth one. At this moment, the woman on the stone platform lifted the seal from the silver tray held by another court-dressed lady, withdrawing a jade box about the size of a palm. With a gentle hand, she held it aloft. A sharp "shush" sound echoed, and the crowd on the plaza instantly turned their attention to the jade box, awaiting the graceful woman's introduction. Hú Yùshuāng carefully observed the expressions of the gathered audience, then smiled slightly before opening her mouth to speak: "This Golden Hall Jade Scroll is a renowned item among the immortals. I'm sure many of you are already familiar with it. What is now being auctioned is one complete page from the scroll. Our alliance guarantees that this page is one of the original thirty-six pages—not a reproduced version stamped with an imprint—and that the immortal techniques recorded on it are absolutely capable of being practiced and mastered. As for the specific names and functions, the Alliance will remain silent. Whether or not you wish to purchase this treasure is entirely up to each of you, the esteemed guests and elders. Immediately after finishing her explanation, Hu Yushuang raised her hand and struck the jade box. A thunderous sound erupted within, and a golden beam of light, as thick as a serving bowl, surged upward. A flash of shimmering light followed, and a golden sheet of parchment materialized instantly. On the surface of the parchment, countless golden characters glowed subtly, each one evoking a profound sense of awe upon closer inspection. These were the distinctive Jin Zhuan characters unique to the Immortal Realm. "Indeed, this is one of the inner pages of the Jin Qu and Yu Shu—the very treasure we had thought the He Lan Shang Alliance could only dream of acquiring." "I've long heard that the inner pages of the Jin Qu and Yu Shu contain the genuine, authentic secret techniques of the Immortal Sects. To see such original manuscripts today is truly remarkable." ... Although the excitement generated by this auction item did not quite match that of the Fan Tian Flag, clearly more guests and elders had taken a keen interest. "Hu, you must have some deficiency or limitation in practicing the secret technique recorded in the pages, if you're not willing to reveal its name, right? Otherwise, how could you explain it so vaguely?" The senior master of the Tianming Clan, in a calm tone, said this one sentence. Instantly, the excitement on many faces in the square faded. "Senior, please don't mind. I've chosen not to reveal the name of this technique precisely for the benefit of the eventual winner. After all, such a rare celestial secret would surely not be something the owner wishes to see everyone know. As for any limitations—besides the fact that it takes slightly longer to cultivate than ordinary techniques—there are absolutely none." Hu Yuzhu spoke without hesitation. "Given your esteemed reputation, that makes perfect sense," smiled the senior master of the Tianming Clan, and then said no more. After others had asked a few questions, Hu Yuzhu immediately announced the auction would begin at the base price of one hundred million spirit stones. "150 million" "170 thousand" "200 million" This time, before the great masters even stepped forward, several figures on the plaza couldn't help but begin bidding eagerly. "Hmph. Want to secure just one page from the Golden Hall Jade Scroll with only this much spirit stone? You're dreaming. I'm offering 300 million!" A great master residing in a floating pavilion raised his bid without hesitation. "Quite coincidentally, I've also been deeply interested in the Golden Hall Jade Scroll. 600 million! If anyone can offer even one more million, please go ahead and take it. However, I'd like to gently remind all of you—since the young lady mentioned this celestial secret technique requires an exceptionally long period of cultivation, I suspect we'll likely only gain a reference-level understanding. Perhaps it's worth such a substantial investment of spirit stone. I'd suggest you all reconsider carefully." The great master from the Shiqiao clan doubled his bid and added a few measured remarks. As a result, all the other great masters who were interested in the Golden Hall Jade Scroll now hesitated. For a technique whose very efficacy was still uncertain, this price indeed seemed rather high. "Since you've stated that, then I'll offer six hundred and ten million." A man's voice suddenly rang out above the plaza. It was Han Li's voice. Xue Po and Zhu Guo'er, standing by, exchanged glances, both looking somewhat astonished. "Hmph. Since this guest is truly willing to pay such a substantial sum, I won't fail to keep my word—I'll yield this to you." The Shishi Xiang's cultivator, though clearly displeased, gracefully and promptly withdrew from the bidding. "Then I'm truly grateful for your generosity, Master," Han Li replied with equal courtesy, calm and unhurried. "Very well. This senior has now offered six hundred and ten million. I'll count to three. If no one else bids, this item shall be secured by him. One…" Hu Yuzhu smiled brightly, visibly pleased. Though this Golden Hall Jade Scroll is rare, it was originally expected to fetch no more than three to four billion spiritual stones. Now that it has sold for so much, it is truly a pleasant surprise. This time, however, no one competed with Han Li for it—instead, a senior elder from the merchant alliance personally delivered the scroll. After paying the full amount in spiritual stones, Han Li glanced neither at the scroll nor at the surrounding area, immediately storing it in his storage bracelet and then settled back in his chair, calmly awaiting the final, most prestigious auction item to be unveiled. By convention, the final auction item should be the most valuable treasure of the entire gathering. This was one of the reasons why several senior cultivators of the Great Transcendence stage had carefully considered their options and ultimately decided not to compete with Han Li for the Golden Hall Jade Scroll. After all, no one wanted to risk missing out on the final bidding opportunity simply because of insufficient spiritual stones. At this moment, at the center of the plaza, the beautiful woman took a deep breath and stepped forward to the third lady in imperial robes. With a finger sweeping through the silver screen in the air, a crack gradually unfolded on the screen.