Chapter 16: VIP Seats

The auction house was located in the southern part of Gushan County, and thus it was called the Southern Auction House. Along with the one in the western city, it was the largest auction house in the county.

The organizer was the county governor, a cultivator at the early stage of Core Formation, and the only one at that level in the entire county. His power surpassed that of the Li family's cultivation clan, and even their ancestors had to show him respect. Therefore, his auctions were usually conducted without issue.

However, if bidders were robbed after leaving Gushan County, it was no longer under the governor's jurisdiction.

Since Lu An and his companions were locals, they didn't face the risk of being attacked while leaving, making it much safer for them to attend.

The three of them arrived at the entrance, where a servant stopped them.

"Do you have entry tickets?"

Ying Chang shook his head. "No, we just arrived and don't know how to get them."

The servant didn't seem surprised, as most loose cultivators bought their tickets upon arrival.

"It's simple," the servant explained. "There are three types of entry tickets. The golden ones offer better seating and cost ten spirit stones each. The silver ones are farther back and cost five spirit stones."

Lu An frowned inwardly at having to pay spirit stones just for entry. With the scale of this auction, potentially attended by tens of thousands, the entry fees alone could bring in a massive amount. Astonished by this realization, he pushed the thought aside and asked, "You mentioned three types of tickets. Why did you only introduce two?"

The servant shot him a disdainful glance. "The third type is a VIP invitation, which can only be obtained through a personal invite from the county governor. Do you think you have that kind of status?"

Ying Chang grew irritated, but Lu An held him back. "Forget it. No need to argue with him."

"It seems the only difference between the tickets is the seating arrangement," Lu An remarked. "Let's just get the silver tickets."

Ying Chang nodded in agreement. Just as they prepared to pay, a voice called out from a distance.

"Brother Lu, are you here for the auction as well?"

It was Li Ziyou from the Li family, dressed in black instead of his usual blue, though the prominent "Li" character still adorned his chest. A few disciples from the Li family accompanied him, treating him as their leader.

The servant was startled and thought to himself, Could these poor-looking loose cultivators actually have ties to the Li family? He broke into a cold sweat, remembering his earlier attitude.

Lu An stepped forward and gave a slight bow. "Greetings, Daoist Li. We were just about to buy tickets for the auction."

"That's perfect! No need to buy tickets—come with me," Li Ziyou said, delighted. He pulled out a purple invitation from his robe and handed it to the servant.

"A VIP ticket!" the servant exclaimed, hurriedly summoning another attendant to guide them to the VIP section.

Lu An smiled. "It seems we've benefited from Brother Li's kindness." He gestured to Ying Chang and Fang Ling, and they followed Li Ziyou inside.

Once they were out of sight, the servant at the door let out a sigh of relief, as if he had narrowly avoided disaster. People can't be judged by appearances. I need to stay humble, he reminded himself, adopting a more polite demeanor toward other loose cultivators, leaving them puzzled by his sudden change in attitude.

Meanwhile, the attendant led Lu An and his group to the VIP box on the second floor. This area was very close to the stage, and with their cultivator-enhanced vision, they could see even the fine details of the objects on display.

The spacious room could comfortably hold seven or eight people without feeling crowded. Several well-dressed maidservants stood by, ready to attend to any request from the guests. Rumor had it they were prepared to cater to all needs.

In the center of the box was a window covered with transparent azure silk, which allowed a clear view of the auction while preventing outsiders from seeing in.

After showing them to the room, the attendant stood by the door and said, "The auction will begin shortly. If you need anything, please call for me." He then closed the door, leaving the group inside with the maidservants.

Li Ziyou pulled one of the maidservants into his arms and grinned at Lu An. "Brother Lu, feel free to choose one as well. If you like someone, you can take them after the auction, and the redemption fee will be on me."

Lu An smiled and politely declined.

Feeling bored, Li Ziyou turned his gaze toward Ying Chang, but just as he was about to speak, he felt a sharp wave of murderous intent. He glanced at Fang Ling, who was glaring at him with an icy stare that needed no explanation.

Li Ziyou shivered and quickly swallowed his words.

While waiting for the auction to begin, Lu An drifted into deep thought, mentally practicing his talisman techniques. Over the past few days, he had grown skilled at multitasking—practicing talismans in his mind while engaging in conversation. The techniques he had acquired from the Divine Talisman Pavilion were extraordinary, allowing him to identify the shortcomings in his talismans by examining the patterns. He continuously refined his techniques mentally, and his skills were rapidly improving.

After a while, the lights in the auction house brightened, and a massive stone platform rose from the center of the room. An elderly man appeared out of nowhere, landing gracefully on the platform.

"Thank you all for attending," he said. "I will be hosting today's auction, and I hope everyone finds something valuable."

Cheers erupted from the audience.

"With Elder Mu overseeing things, this auction is bound to be a success!"

"No one will dare cause trouble with Elder Mu here."

Lu An turned to Li Ziyou, puzzled. "Who is this man?"

Li Ziyou's expression grew serious. "He's the strongest cultivator under the county governor, at the peak of Foundation Establishment. It's said he's on the verge of reaching Core Formation."

Even Li Ziyou's own family head wouldn't dare show any disrespect to Elder Mu.

Lu An nodded, realizing that the county governor's influence was even greater than he had imagined.

"Now, I declare the auction officially open!" Elder Mu announced as servants wheeled a glass display stand onto the stage.

"The first item up for auction is a cultivation technique practiced by the county governor many years ago," Elder Mu continued. "It's called the Azure Sea Tide Technique, a water-attribute cultivation method. Once mastered, it provides a continuous flow of spiritual power and is extremely powerful."

"The county governor practiced this technique until he reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment before switching to a Core Formation method. That alone shows its strength."

The crowd buzzed with excitement. In Gushan County, the county governor was a legendary figure, and anything associated with him carried a significant reputation.

Elder Mu, seeing the crowd's enthusiasm, finally declared, "The starting bid is one hundred spirit stones, with increments of at least ten spirit stones. Let the bidding begin!"

Immediately, voices rose from the floor.

"One hundred and ten spirit stones!"

"Hmph, you think you can get the county governor's technique for so little? I bid one hundred fifty!"

"One hundred sixty spirit stones!"

Watching the fierce bidding war, Lu An felt tempted. His Changchun Art could only be cultivated up to the ninth layer of Qi Refining, and he lacked a technique for the Foundation Establishment stage. The Azure Sea Tide Technique seemed like a perfect fit for him.

"Two hundred spirit stones!" he called out, joining the fray.