Hearing the auction president's words, Qin Feng suddenly remembered that his storage ring contained many treasures. He only needed to hand over the treasures he didn't need to the auction elder for appraisal to get enough spirit stones. There was no need to spend his own money. Those treasures were useless to him, but they might be useful to others in this world.
With that thought, Qin Feng nodded in agreement.
Then, the auction president continued to introduce the next treasure.
He cleared his throat and said, "This is the last treasure at the auction, and it is also the most precious and rare. It also originated from the Extreme Desert. To obtain this treasure, we suffered more than 100 casualties, many of whom had reached the Nascent Soul stage, and even a Divine Transformation stage expert died in this battle. We paid a great price to get it. This treasure is a stone with the metal attribute! After careful appraisal by our elders, this stone has the metal attribute and contains no impurities. Its hardness exceeds all materials. It can be said that no one can split this stone, nor can any weapon change its shape. Even the scorching flames of a refiner cannot alter the form of this stone. Its purpose is unknown, but it is a rare treasure. It might contain the secret of the world's origin, because such a highly concentrated metal-attribute stone is simply non-existent in this world. Given the stone's uniqueness and the great price we paid, the low price is set at 50,000 spirit stones. Each subsequent bid must increase by 1,000 spirit stones. The bidding starts now."
Upon hearing the auction president's words, everyone was stunned for half a second, then they started whispering and discussing. No one was willing to bid because they all felt it was not worth it. A metal-attribute stone was indeed precious, but if no power in this world could change its form, what use would it have? Even if a master refiner couldn't turn it into a weapon, spending 50,000 spirit stones on such an item would be a complete waste.
Even if this metal-attribute stone came from the beginning of the world, it wouldn't matter. A useless stone, no matter how precious, would not be purchased by anyone.
However, at this moment, someone tapped the table and made a bid. The auction president immediately announced, "The Sect Master of the Joyful Union Sect bids 50,000 spirit stones!"
As soon as this was said, everyone in the hall looked at one person. They all expressed surprise. One person said, "Sect Master Liu, why are you so interested in this stone? As far as I know, the cultivation techniques of your Joyful Union Sect do not require metal-attribute items. What is the use of bidding such a high price for such a stone?"
Another person also said, "That's right, Sect Master Liu. Your Joyful Union Sect has always been famous for dual cultivation, hasn't it? Are you planning to dual cultivate with a stone? Hahaha..."
Hearing these two people's words, Qin Feng looked up at Sect Master Liu. This person was the one who had spoken for him earlier, with a kind demeanor. So, he was the Sect Master of the Joyful Union Sect.
Sect Master Liu, hearing their questions, also stood up and explained, "The cultivation techniques of our Joyful Union Sect certainly do not require metal-attribute items, but this stone was not easily obtained, and it is considered a treasure. Collecting it might be useful in the future."
Hearing this perfunctory explanation, no one asked further questions, nor did anyone compete with him. One person shook his head and said, "To die for such a useless stone, with over 100 people dead, including a Divine Transformation expert, it's truly not worth it."
"Yes! I think when they were fighting, they didn't expect that the precious treasure guarded by the monster would be a useless stone! Otherwise, everyone wouldn't have risked so much to exchange for such an unworthy item."
Hearing this, Sect Master Liu nodded and said, "Yes, a stone like this is indeed of little use. I am bidding such a price to console the fallen cultivators. This useless stone can be kept as a memento for our Joyful Union Sect, as there were people from our sect among the deceased."
After he finished speaking, no one else bid. Everyone thought the stone was useless and was willing to let Sect Master Liu of the Joyful Union Sect have it.
However, Qin Feng felt that this stone was unusual.
He didn't know what kind of place that mysterious Extreme Desert was, but since a powerful monster was guarding this stone there, it indicated that it was a rare treasure. Even if he didn't know its purpose, it certainly couldn't be compared to 50,000 spirit stones. If he could uncover the secret of this stone one day, the profit could be immense. This Sect Master of the Joyful Union Sect might know some secrets about the stone, otherwise, he wouldn't have bid 50,000 spirit stones for no reason.
With that thought, Qin Feng decisively tapped the table and bid 51,000 spirit stones. Money was not important to him. It was very worthwhile to exchange a treasure for his infinitely replicable money.
The auction president was also stunned for a moment, then said, "The Sect Master of the Clear Profound Sect bids 51,000 spirit stones!"
As soon as this was said, everyone was surprised. The Sect Master of the Joyful Union Sect was also taken aback for a moment, then he looked at Qin Feng and stood up, saying, "Are you also interested in this stone, esteemed sir? Does the Clear Profound Sect need metal-attribute stones?"
Qin Feng shook his head and said, "Perhaps there will be a need in the future. This stone is a treasure, and I want to buy it and study it slowly."
Hearing this, Sect Master Liu of the Joyful Union Sect showed an awkward smile on his kind face. He nodded and said, "In that case, it's the old rule, the highest bidder wins. I am also a little interested in this stone."
After speaking, the Sect Master of the Joyful Union Sect tapped the table again, and Qin Feng was not to be outdone. No matter how much the other party increased the price, he would continue to compete. After all, he had just spent 120,000 spirit stones to buy an ordinary treasure that no one present cared about. Now, for such a metal-attribute stone, which everyone knew was a treasure, he naturally had no reason to give up easily.
He wouldn't hesitate at all within 200,000 spirit stones.
As the price kept rising, Sect Master Liu's expression became more and more grim. His smile had disappeared. With each bid, the ferocity on his face increased.
The auction president, announcing the latest price, also seemed a bit surprised.
A metal-attribute stone with a low price of 50,000 spirit stones had now soared to 150,000, three times the base price. Moreover, it seemed that neither the Sect Master of the Clear Profound Sect nor the Sect Master of the Joyful Union Sect had any intention of giving up, and the price might go even higher.
At this moment, the Sect Master of the Joyful Union Sect angrily stood up and said to Qin Feng, "You don't have enough spirit stones. You are only using your treasures as collateral to obtain spirit stones. Do you have that many treasures? Won't you have to take out all the hidden treasures of the Clear Profound Sect? Is it really worth spending such a large sum for such a stone of unknown use? Why not give up and let me have it, so as not to offend each other?"