Everyone present was a master, and only Qin Feng was the weakest among them. Others could see through him at a glance, while he saw others as if through a layer of mist, unable to discern them clearly.
His current strength was at the middle stage of Golden Core. Everyone present knew this, but no one was willing to believe it. They all thought Qin Feng had used some special concealment technique to hide his strength, giving the impression of being in the late stage of Golden Core. As for the little girl beside him, no one believed she was the Sect Master of the Qing Xuan Sect, as they couldn't feel any energy fluctuations from her; she looked like an ordinary child.
Facing such a situation, Qin Feng did not want to dwell on it. Since the little girl did not reply, he had no choice but to state his purpose.
So, he said directly, "When does the auction start? I hope to purchase some useful items at this auction."
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man looked somewhat embarrassed, as if the other party no longer recognized him.
He then followed Qin Feng's words and said, "The auction will begin soon. According to your usual practice, we have prepared 1,000 pills for Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, 200 pills for Golden Core stage cultivators, and 10 pills for Nascent Soul stage cultivators. The price is the same as before, 2,000 spirit stones. These pills will all be sold to you as a package."
Before Qin Feng could reply, the little girl nodded and said, "Excellent, this will save a lot of trouble."
After she finished speaking, the middle-aged man nodded kindly at the little girl and made an inviting gesture. He then said to Qin Feng, "Please take a seat. You might not remember me, Sect Master. My name is Wang Daniu, and I am the president of the auction house. Although you don't remember me, I am very familiar with your customs. These arrangements were made to save you time, as you always come here to buy these pills. Skipping the auction process and delivering these pills to you directly is more convenient."
Hearing this, a masked man in the grand hall sneered and said, "You are conducting business, not following the rules of the auction house! According to the rules of previous auctions, any item entering this auction house must go through an auction process to determine ownership. Pills that enhance strength are needed by all sects, and I need them too. Only the highest bidder should win; that is fair."
Upon hearing this, another person chimed in, "That's right. Our Tian Yan Sect also needs pills to improve strength at various levels. We don't interfere with your business, but the items in this auction house were obtained by the elite disciples of various sects at the cost of their lives in the Extreme Desert! The rules cannot be changed just because of your words. We elected you as the president of the auction house, but we can also choose someone else!"
At this moment, a woman in the grand hall also nodded and said, "We must follow the rules, or we will turn hostile."
Hearing that everyone had objections to his decision, the president of the auction house quickly stood up to explain, "Everyone, you've misunderstood. The pills I mentioned just now did not come from the Extreme Desert. I spent a year collecting these pills from all over the world. They are my personal property and do not belong to the auction house. Besides, how would I dare to break the rules of the auction house? The items here are for everyone present, including those on the lower floors. How could I possibly hoard them?"
Hearing this, the crowd nodded and no longer pursued the matter. Qin Feng, listening from the side, was completely bewildered, but he did grasp a bit of the context from their conversation. This auction house was not a simple auction house. The items here were not put up for consignment by sellers but originated from a place called the Extreme Desert, which seemed to be very dangerous. Various sects had sent people there to search for treasures.
However, he still didn't understand what the Extreme Desert truly was. He would have to find someone to ask about it when he had the chance to clarify.
But one thing was certain: the items in this auction house went to the highest bidder. With this in mind, he had a significant advantage because he had a lot of money. The infinite money-farming ability from his Red Alert Talent was his best guarantee. Whatever treasure he fancied, he believed no one would be able to bid higher than him.
After Qin Feng took his seat, a server immediately brought him a cup of tea. Qin Feng took a sniff and sensed its uniqueness.
He took a sip, and a warm energy entered his abdomen, then flowed throughout his body, giving him an indescribable sense of comfort. At the same time, his strength seemed to have increased slightly. Although the increase was not significant and couldn't compare to Battle Pills, this tea indeed had the effect of strengthening the body and was a rare treasure.
If an ordinary person drank it, it would prolong their life.
Qin Feng was very satisfied with the tea and decided to buy some after the auction. He believed that items here should also be available in the markets outside.
This kind of tea did not greatly improve his current strength, but it would be very helpful for Ye Shen or cultivators in the Foundation Establishment stage.
Before long, the auction finally began. With the sound of a deafening bell, the entire auction house fell silent. Even the people on the lower floors stopped talking, quietly waiting for the president of the auction house to introduce the treasures.
At this moment, the middle-aged man stood up. As the president of the auction house, he had always presided over it. He walked to the center of the grand hall, then placed his hands on the ground and injected his power into it.
White light rose from within the grand hall, followed by a faint mist that enveloped the entire building.
Qin Feng could feel a complex formation carved into the ground. As power was injected, the rising white mist was a迷幻阵 (Míhuàn Zhèn - Illusion Array).
It was just the most basic type of Illusion Array, which could transform the mist into any shape one desired according to their will.
He surmised that this was a way to introduce treasures, equivalent to the large screens in his previous world.
The president cleared his throat and then said, "Thank you all for attending the annual auction. As everyone knows, all items in the auction house originate from the Extreme Desert. Your presence here at the auction proves that you are all top figures in the current world and representatives of major sects. I believe everyone knows the rules, which is that the highest bidder wins. The auction's revenue will be used to provide for the families of disciples who died in the Extreme Desert, and also to fairly distribute this wealth according to the performance of each sect in the Extreme Desert."
Hearing this, Qin Feng understood the uniqueness of this auction house!
He also became somewhat interested in the Extreme Desert.
At this time, the president began to introduce the treasures.
"Now, I present the first treasure, originating from the north of the Extreme Desert: the fire-attribute Great Dragon's Tooth. This treasure is a rare material for artifact refiners. Today, all you artifact refiners are in luck. According to our elders' valuation, the starting bid is 1,000 spirit stones, with each bid increasing by 100 spirit stones. Those interested, please tap the formation on your table and inject power to successfully bid! I will report the bidding status in real-time. Let's begin!"