Chapter 344 - Sacred Lotus Auction (2/2)

”Perhaps they really needed the Thunderfire Armour?” Young Master Xuan Hao tried to rationalise.

”Bidding Card #7 belongs to Captain Icethorn of the Sacred Cliff City Guards,” Grandmaster Tiequan explained when he overheard their conversation. ”As a captain of the Sacred Cliff City Guards, he reports directly to the Burning Titan Overlord, and can be considered one of the most influential men within Sacred Cliff City. He naturally has the resources to spare.”

There were some bidding cards that were reserved for specific people every auction, just like how Grandmaster Tiequan had been given the same private room from previous years.

This was how he knew the owner of Bidding Card #7.

”Captain Icethorn?” Lu Tianzi rubbed his chin in contemplation.

Icethorn was most likely an alias, and aliases were usually named after a martial artists' abilities.

Because of that, Lu Tianzi guessed that Captain Icethorn was probably a user of the ice element.

That would explain why he was willing to spend this much wealth on something that could mitigate attacks of the lightning and fire elements, both of which were relatively effective against the ice element.

Lu Tianzi could not help considering things from his own perspective as well.

Thankfully, he was not just a user of the water element.

On top of that, he still had his sword techniques, his Limitless Mirror Eye, and even his Palm of Thousand Venoms that he had yet to use in actual combat. He also had his sabre techniques to rely on, though it was slowly starting to fall behind his other abilities.

Having a wide range of techniques meant that he would not be easily countered in battle.

However, Lu Tianzi was still rather dissatisfied with the number of cards in his hand, thinking that perhaps he should start focusing on improving his weaker aspects.

While he was contemplating over the matter, the Thunderfire Armour had been sold to the owner of Bidding Card #7, and the second item was already being pushed on stage.

This time when Juekang pulled off the curtain, Lu Tianzi could not help but frown.

Within a cage was a small bed, on which a young girl around the age of six lay.

Her eyes were closed as she lay there unmovingly, but her signs of life were strong. It was obvious that she was only unconscious for the time being.

She was dressed in a clean set of clothes, and her long hair was sprawled on the bed.

”The Sacred Lotus Auction sells slaves as well?” Young Master Xuan Hao blurted out in disbelief.

”Anything and everything can be obtained at the Sacred Lotus Auction,” Grandmaster Tiequan replied, indirectly answering his question.

”The young girl here is a royal descendant of the old Xinling Empire, and bears the imperial beastial bloodline of a Violet Eye Night Cat. As long as it is cultivated properly, she would become a valuable asset to any force. While she is still young at the moment, this only means that it would be easier to mould her mind accordingly,” Juekang introduced the girl as though she was just another regular item. ”The starting bid price is ten mid ranked beast cores, and each raise has to be by at least one mid ranked beast core.”

This time, the response was not as enthusiastic.

So what if the young girl possessed a beastial bloodline?

Not everyone needed a young slave by their side.

Not only would they have to raise her, they also had to provide her with cultivation resources if they wanted her to realise the potential of her beastial bloodline.

After all, a weakling with a beastial bloodline would just make her a slightly stronger weakling.

Unless they had a specific need for a subordinate like that, no one was going to bid for her.

But even though there were a few moments of silence, Juekang remained unfazed. The young host continued to stand on the stage as he waited patiently for the first bid.

He did not have to wait long either.

Weng-!

[Bidding Card #146: Ten mid ranked beast cores]

”That Weiwo...” Grandmaster Tiequan sighed. ”Even after so long, he just doesn't change.”

”Is Grandmaster Weiwo the one who made the bid?” Ruan Ling asked.

”Indeed it is,” Grandmaster Tiequan nodded.

He had known Grandmaster Weiwo for a long time now, and naturally remembered the bidding card number that was usually assigned to the latter.

”Does that mean...?” Ruan Ling revealed a look of disgust as she thought back to Grandmaster Weiwo's earlier actions. ”Brother Xuan Hao, we need to save her! We can't let such an innocent young girl fall into the hands of that lecherous old man!”

Young Master Xuan Hao frowned, having fallen into a dilemma.

Just like Ruan Ling, he very much wanted to help the young girl as well.

However, his resources were limited.

With his current wealth, Young Master Xuan Hao might be able to barely contend against a Grandmaster Artificer if he went all out, but this could essentially mean giving up on the rest of the auction.

Even so, if he could save the life of someone because of that, perhaps it might be worth it after all?

”Don't bother,” Grandmaster Tiequan said with a tone of disapproval. ”You can save one person, but what if the next item is yet another young girl? There will always be more of these captives out there, and the current you is simply unable to make much of a difference. If you really want to help, I'd rather you save your resources for something more important – something that will help you build the foundation to actually do something significant in the future.”

Young Master Xuan Hao looked at Grandmaster Tiequan in indignance.

How could he not understand what Grandmaster Tiequan was trying to say?

Right now, he was an heir candidate to the Timeless Flame Sect.

Whether he could successfully inherit the sect leader position would highly depend on how well he fare during this period of time, and the best way to increase his chances would be to gain power in terms of individual strength, acc.u.mulating resources, as well as garnering support from others.

That being the case, he really could not afford to be wasting his resources.

The Sacred Lotus Auction was a rare opportunity for him to obtain things that he needed, and the rational side of him told him that he should be spending his resources wisely.

This was also why he had held back from buying any items in Sacred Cliff City during the week that led up to the Sacred Lotus Auction.

As long as he managed to claim the seat at the helm of the Timeless Flame Sect, the resources at his disposal would be astronomical, and he would be able to save as many people as he wished.

Young Master Xuan Hao was not an idiot. He naturally understood all of that even without Grandmaster Tiequan's reminder.

However, people often acted against their rationality because of a single word – emotions.

Looking at the innocent young girl lying in the cage, Young Master Xuan Hao felt an uncontrollable ache in his chest.

Young Master Xuan Hao gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on his bidding card. As he did, a new row of words appeared within the large crystal above the stage.

[Bidding Card #4132: Eleven mid ranked beast cores]