The morning sun bathed Hanlong City in golden light, but the real heat was building inside the Imperial Auction House.
Li Qing and I arrived early, escorted by her royal guards. The massive pavilion could seat thousands, its walls inlaid with spirit jade that glowed softly. Private VIP boxes lined the upper levels for nobles and powerful clans. We were led to the royal box — the best in the house — where servants immediately offered spirit wine and rare fruits.
Before we settled in, I turned to Li Qing. "I need funds. The God Rock may crave that Time Dao fragment, but I won't rely on your royal treasury forever."
She smiled knowingly and waved a hand. "The Ye Clan treasury you seized should be more than enough for today."
I shook my head. "I already took most of it for clan resources and our journey. What remains is modest. But I have another way."
I leaned closer, voice low. "Before we left Qinghe Town, I ordered the elders to liquidate every asset that once belonged to my enemies — Ye Kun's, Ye Feng's, and the old patriarch's private collections. Storage rings, spirit weapons, rare herbs, even their personal spirit stone hoards. All of it was sold quietly in the town markets over the past week. The proceeds were delivered to me this morning."
I opened my new mid-grade storage ring (looted from the old patriarch) and showed her a neat stack of glittering crystals. "Three hundred high-grade spirit crystals, plus two thousand mid-grade spirit stones. More than enough to compete with most bidders here."
Li Qing's eyes sparkled with approval. "Ruthless and efficient. You turned your clan's betrayal into your war chest. I like that."
I kissed her lightly. "Everything I take from now on will fuel our rise."
The auction bell rang, and the hall fell silent as the auctioneer — a sharp-eyed Nascent Soul elder — stepped onto the central platform.
"Welcome, honored guests, to the Imperial Auction! Today we offer treasures that can change destinies. We begin with lesser items and build to the grand finale."
Bidding started briskly. Low-grade spirit pills, weapons, and cultivation manuals flew off the stage for tens of thousands of spirit stones. I stayed silent, conserving funds.
Then came better items.
A set of defensive armor that could block a Core Formation strike went for one hundred high-grade spirit crystals. A rare sword art manual fetched two hundred.
I bid selectively, winning a few supplementary pills that could accelerate qi recovery and a spatial folding talisman useful for short-range escapes. Each win drew curious glances toward the royal box.
Midway through, the atmosphere shifted.
"The next item is extraordinary," the auctioneer announced, voice rising. "A genuine Spatial Storage Ring — capacity large enough to hold an entire small mountain! Starting bid: fifty high-grade spirit crystals!"
Bidding exploded. Rich young masters from major clans shouted numbers rapidly. The price climbed past two hundred crystals.
I raised my hand calmly. "Three hundred high-grade spirit crystals."
Gasps rippled through the hall. The royal box bidding so aggressively was unexpected.
A arrogant voice rang out from a nearby VIP box — a purple-robed young man from the prestigious Thundercloud Sect. "Three hundred fifty!"
I didn't hesitate. "Four hundred."
The young master's face twisted. "Four hundred fifty! Do you dare compete with the Thundercloud Sect, boy?"
I met his gaze coldly across the distance. "The ring is mine."
"Five hundred!" he snarled.
I raised my paddle again. "Six hundred high-grade spirit crystals."
Silence.
The Thundercloud young master glared murderously but finally sat down, muttering curses.
The ring was mine.
Li Qing squeezed my hand under the table, eyes shining with pride and heat. "Well done, husband."
I slipped the Spatial Storage Ring onto my finger immediately. Far superior to the crude pouch I had been using. The God Rock now had endless room to hide.
The auction continued. I won several more useful items — a set of high-grade healing pills, a bottle of qi-condensing elixirs, and a manual on basic array formation.
Then the real prize appeared.
"The final item of today's auction," the auctioneer declared dramatically, "a mysterious black fragment said to contain faint traces of the ancient Dao of Time! Its origin is unknown, but experts confirm it radiates pure Time energy. Starting bid: two hundred high-grade spirit crystals!"
My eyes locked onto the small, dark shard floating on the stage. The God Rock in my storage ring pulsed violently, almost hungrily.
Bidding erupted instantly. Major clans and hidden experts pushed the price past five hundred crystals in moments.
The Thundercloud young master sneered in my direction. "This treasure is destined for my sect. One thousand high-grade spirit crystals!"
I stood up in the royal box so the entire hall could see me clearly.
"Two thousand high-grade spirit crystals."
Dead silence.
The auctioneer's hammer trembled. "Two… two thousand? Going once—"
"Two thousand five hundred!" the Thundercloud young master roared, face red with fury.
I didn't blink. "Three thousand."
Li Qing leaned in, whispering, "That's almost everything we have."
I kissed her temple. "It's worth it. The God Rock wants it."
The Thundercloud youth looked ready to explode. "Three thousand five hundred! If you bid again, consider yourself an enemy of the Thundercloud Sect!"
I raised my paddle one final time, voice calm and cold.
"Five thousand high-grade spirit crystals."
The hall erupted in chaos. Even the auctioneer looked stunned.
The Thundercloud young master slammed his fist on the railing, drawing blood, but he could not match the number.
"Sold!" the auctioneer shouted. "To the royal box for five thousand high-grade spirit crystals!"
Servants delivered the Time Dao fragment to our box immediately. The moment it entered my storage ring, the God Rock reacted violently. A surge of pure Time energy flooded into me. My perception of the world slowed for a heartbeat — I could see dust motes hanging in the air, the subtle flow of qi in every cultivator around me.
I smiled savagely.
With this fragment, my mastery over Time Dao would leap forward dramatically.
As the auction ended and cultivators began to disperse, the Thundercloud young master stood at the exit, surrounded by his sect elders, staring daggers at me.
Li Qing noticed and tightened her grip on my arm.
"Trouble?" she asked.
I leaned down, kissing her possessively in front of everyone.
"Let him come," I murmured against her lips. "Anyone who stands in my way will lose more than an arm."
Hand in hand with my royal wife, the Spatial Storage Ring now heavy with new treasures and the Time Dao fragment secured, I walked out of the Imperial Auction House.
The capital had just witnessed the rise of a new force.