Chapter 309: Why Does This Sound Somewhat Off?! (Bonus Chapter 11 for Average Subscriptions)

"Manager Jin, slaughter this chicken first!"

"Leveled up! Leveled up!"

Inside the Half-City shop, a large crowd of players gathered behind a middle-aged man clad in gold attire, watching intently.

"To think such things actually exist?!" Jin Wu, as an inner-city auction house manager, even if only a minor one, had never thought much of the shops in the outer city.

Yet at this moment, his mind was flooded with shock, bewilderment, and countless fleeting thoughts.

To think such a place had been hidden right under his nose!

Glancing down at his own basic cloth shirt and then at the domineering, aura-leaking equipment worn by the other players in the game, he realized the stark contrast. Even if such gear wouldn't have impressed him in reality, wearing nothing but a cloth shirt made the difference painfully obvious.

"Where did you guys get everything you're wearing?!" Jin Wu asked, his eyes burning with envy.

A set of good equipment meant killing monsters faster to raise one's power, venturing into more perilous regions to slay mightier beasts, and securing far better treasures.

"Hahaha!" Hei Mo, draped in a demonic long robe and wielding a top-tier magic wand, felt an overwhelming surge of accomplishment. "These items cost this venerable master immense, Herculean effort to obtain!"

"Come! This venerable master shall let you witness the power of the Magic Shield!"

"..."

After some time passed, Jin Wu finally understood: a Daoist with a dog was equivalent to having a boss monster by their side, a Mage with a shield was sturdier than a Warrior, and the Light of Seduction was a formidable spell capable of summoning seven demonic beasts of the same tier...

By now, Jin Wu’s attitude had completely shifted: "Rest assured, everyone, Jin will certainly not let such treasures remain hidden. I will make sure they fetch an excellent price!"

Because... these items were appealing to far more than just the players inside the shop!

Summoning a Divine Beast—even if its growth potential remained undefined, and even if it held absolutely no value for high-level cultivators—could still be bestowed upon the talented youths of a clan. It amounted to an incredibly potent trump card. At the current level, a Daoist with a Divine Beast was essentially invincible; placing them aboard a dharma boat turned them into a mobile turret that could both tank and deal immense damage!

The Magic Shield required no explanation. Even if it could only withstand a single blow against an overwhelmingly powerful strike, it still provided an extra life-saving measure.

The other secret manuals each possessed their own unique benefits.

Jin Wu grew somewhat excited, already eager to see the auction begin!

...

"Senior Sister, have you heard? Two disciples went missing last night... and they still haven't been found...!" Liu Ningyun was currently cultivating in seclusion within the sect, feeling rather helpless. Aside from her training, she could only pass the time by listening to the strange rumors circulating within the sect.

"Perhaps two playful disciples simply sneaked down the mountain..." Liu Ningyun said with a graceful, charming smile. "Junior Sister, don't be so easily startled. In the thousands of years of our Nanhua Sect, no rogue has ever dared to cause trouble on this mountain!"

Just then, Liu Ningyun suddenly heard a chorus of voices approaching from outside the door:

"Master, I told you so! Junior Sister Liu is definitely not the type of disciple who neglects her progress. Look how diligently she has been cultivating these past few days!"

"Junior Sister Liu will surely amend her ways. Among us sisters, she has always been the one who worries you the least!"

"Junior Sister Liu..."

Several female disciples bustled around Daoist Master Xi Chi like a flock of chirping birds, to the point where even Daoist Master Xi Chi could hardly bear it any longer: "Alright, alright!"

Though she felt somewhat baffled, Daoist Master Xi Chi was still very pleased. Her disciples had finally cast aside their past grievances, though she had no idea whom to thank for it.

Consequently, a rare, faint smile graced her face today.

However, she had another purpose for coming today—a powerful spiritual treasure, suspected to have been left behind by an ancestor of the Nanhua Sect, had surfaced in Half-City. Naturally, the Nanhua Sect intended to reclaim it.

Since the Nanhua Sect had no immediate plans to go to war with Half-City, the only method was to participate in Half-City’s grand auction.

Not just the Nanhua Sect, but several other major sects from the Morning Star Sea region, such as the Haoran Sect and the Yimu Dao Palace, had also arrived in Half-City for their own distinct purposes.

There were also massive aristocratic clans, such as the Feng family.

Yet, despite its vastness, Half-City did not become crowded due to the influx of these outsiders. Perhaps their arrival merely added a splash of color to one small corner of the city.

...

The auction venue in Half-City was known as the Heaven-Hiding Pavilion. It was the core establishment of the entire city. The widespread rumor that anything could be acquired through purchase in Half-City referred precisely to this Heaven-Hiding Pavilion.

That being said, an auction for virtual items was still an unprecedented first!

"What on earth are these?!" With the auction about to commence, a woman with skin as white as snow, auburn hair, and emerald eyes clutched the auction item list in her hands, looking utterly dazed. "Bring Jin Wu to me!"

...

Ruan Ning was currently attired in an extremely formal red silk dress, appearing considerably more dignified than usual.

Watching Fang Qi look around at everything, she still couldn't break her habit of poking fun at Boss Fang whenever she had the chance: "Guild Leader, this isn't your first time attending an auction, is it?"

Nearby, Xi Yue and several other girls covered their mouths as they giggled.

Only Mo Tianxing strode ahead, coughing twice: "I'll go check the seating for our Defying Heaven Online Gaming Guild."

Why speak such harsh truths?! Although he had been in this world for several years, he had been penniless in the past. What capital did he have to attend any auctions?

Boss Fang snorted coldly, instantly appearing much more composed: "Is this boss the kind of person who hasn't seen the world? It's just that the auctions back where I come from are different from this one."

"Guild Leader Fang, what are the auctions like where you come from?" Xi Chenzhou inquired from the side.

At this time, almost the entire internet cafe legion had arrived as a group, so the major factions were basically walking alongside Boss Fang.

"The auction houses where I come from...?" Boss Fang chuckled, adopting an aura of profound mystery. "Let me tell you a short story about the auction houses back there."

"There's even a story?" Ruan Ning didn't believe him at all.

Fang Qi began his tale: "At that time, what was being auctioned was a celestial egg found by a fellow Daoist in an ancient, preserved celestial palace. It was called a Tea Egg."

"An ancient celestial palace?!" Hearing this, several of the girls gasped in astonishment.

"A Tea Egg?!" Xi Chenzhou knitted his brows. "What kind of celestial egg is that?"

Boss Fang chuckled: "You must not know the miraculous effects of the Tea Egg yet. If one is heavily wounded and on the verge of death during a fierce battle against an enemy, consuming it immediately will heal the wounds and instantly restore vitality, practically granting an extra life. Such a divine item cannot be measured by ordinary crystals."

"That powerful?" Ruan Ning covered her vermilion lips in astonishment.

As Boss Fang continued his narrative all the way from Lanxiang Academy to New Oriental, everyone listened until they were completely dumbfounded: "..."

Why does this sound increasingly bizarre...?!

And what on earth was this excavator Boss Fang was talking about?! It could actually crush an entire major orthodox sect?!

"Guild Leader, over here!" Just as they were still pondering the question, the crowd had already entered the venue, and this auction was finally about to begin!