The Rise of the Fallen Prodigy

Just then, two middle-aged men brandishing broadswords suddenly entered from outside the door.

Both of them had long scars on their faces, and from a distance, they looked rather intimidating. One could tell at a glance that they were the kind of people who made a living by taking risks.

Glancing at Easton White on the auction stage, one of the tall men sneered, "Elder White, is there no one else in your auction house? Why are you the one presiding over it again?"

Easton White's face changed slightly, and he said coldly, "I was wondering who it was. It turns out to be you two."

"Elder White, are you looking down on us brothers with those words?"

"What are you talking about? The whole Silvermoon Valley knows the great names of you two. How dare I look down on you, old as I am?"

"Hmph, I don't want to waste time talking to you." The two men carried their broadswords and found an empty seat to sit down.

Ignoring the two men, Easton White continued, "Let's cut to the chase without any more nonsense. Now, let's start with the first item up for auction today."

Everyone widened their eyes.

A pupil from the auction house came up, carrying a tray covered with a red cloth. After placing it on the long table in front of Easton White, the pupil respectfully stepped back.

Seeing everyone's eager expressions, Easton White seemed rather satisfied. He suddenly raised his voice a bit and said, "The first item up for auction - the medium level Mortal Rank Martial arts 'Broken Empty Hand'. Once cultivated to its full completion, one can possess a powerful qi energy, and within ten steps, breaking gold and shattering stones is no problem at all."

Easton White's words were seven parts true and three parts false, but many people in the audience had already stretched their necks, looking expectant.

As he spoke, Easton White lifted the red cloth covering the tray in one swift motion. An antique-looking book was revealed before everyone's eyes.

Liam Smith was slightly startled. He hadn't expected that the first item up for auction would be a medium level Mortal Rank Martial arts. Presumably, the items would get better and better as the auction went on. No wonder everyone was so eager for them.

"I want this medium level Mortal Rank Martial arts." A young man said forcefully as soon as Easton White finished speaking.

"Get lost! If you take it, where am I supposed to find another one?" Another young man raised his neck and showed no mercy.

"Damn it! Are you deliberately picking a fight with me?" The young man seemed rather angry.

"So what if I am? Don't let me meet you outside the Silvermoon Valley, or I'll definitely beat you half to death." The young man also started to throw out harsh words.

The young man couldn't hold back any longer and stood up from his seat. He said, "Do you think I was born to be scared? If you have the guts, come at me."

"Stop arguing. The Martial arts won't go to whoever wins the argument. It will go to whoever has more Soul crystals." Another gloomy young man in a snow-white robe sneered.

"It seems that this fellow has great confidence in his Soul crystals." A cold snort sounded from another direction.

"Hehe, I'm not talented, but I have managed to save up a bit over the years. If you also have your eye on this Martial arts, feel free to make an offer."

"Alright then, I'll also join in the fun."

"..."

At first, many people in the audience started to argue fiercely. If it weren't for the fact that they understood the rules of the auction house and the powerful strength of the auction house, they probably would have started fighting right then and there.

Of course, those who were speaking were mostly warriors at the fourth level or below of the Refined gas Realm.

High-level warriors wouldn't be tempted by a medium level Mortal Rank Martial arts.

Easton White watched the argument among the people and was secretly delighted.

Instead of stopping them, he just sat back and watched the fight, letting everyone argue.

He understood that only by making everyone feel unwilling to back down or accept defeat could the item be sold well and at a high price.

The argument lasted for a while. When Easton White thought the timing was right, he finally spoke up to stop the people who were arguing in the audience.

"Please be patient, everyone. I haven't even announced the start of the bidding yet."

Although everyone was full of spirit and unwilling to back down, they still had to give Easton White from the auction house some face. They sat back down with a hint of dissatisfaction.

Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Easton White continued, "For 'Broken Empty Hand', the starting bid is twenty Soul crystals, and each increment must be no less than one Soul crystal."

The price of twenty Soul crystals for a medium level Mortal Rank Martial arts was obviously quite low. According to the general market price, it should at least be sold for twenty-seven or twenty-eight Soul crystals.

However, this was also a bidding strategy of the auction house. By slightly lowering the price, they could ensure that no one would be too afraid to make an offer and that there wouldn't be a situation where the item failed to sell.

And this so-called "each increment" actually had a certain meaning. Generally speaking, the auctioneer would set different increment amounts according to different items.

Otherwise, if for every item, the price was increased by one Soul crystal at a time, the auctioneer would probably be exhausted. Moreover, for some valuable items, it might take a whole day or even longer just to increase the price.

So, the "each increment" for different levels of auction items was different. The increments could be as small as one Soul crystal, two Soul crystals, or five Soul crystals. And they could be as large as ten Soul crystals, twenty Soul crystals, or even a hundred Soul crystals, and in some cases, thousands or tens of thousands of Soul crystals.

"I bid twenty-four Soul crystals!" As soon as Easton White finished speaking, someone in the audience couldn't wait to make an offer.

"Go to hell! I bid twenty-six Soul crystals!"

"Twenty-seven Soul crystals."

"Twenty-eight..."

The price kept rising, and finally, a young man bought it for thirty-five Soul crystals.

This price was undoubtedly a bit higher than the general market price, which also showed the auction house's clever strategy.

The young man immediately got up and followed a pupil from the auction house towards the small door. Presumably, they were going to make the transaction.

According to what Alistair said, there were two ways to make transactions during an auction at the auction house: one was to go to the backstage and make the transaction right after the auction was over, and the other was to make the transaction after the entire auction was finished.

When participating in an auction at the auction house, one must pay special attention to one thing: never shout out a price that one can't afford. Otherwise, if one can't produce the money later, getting beaten up is the least of one's worries. In serious cases, one will be blacklisted by the auction house, and from then on, the auction house will not do any business with one.

Next was the second item.

Easton White continued with a smile, "The second item - a first-level lightness elixir. This elixir was carefully refined by our in-house pharmacist. It is of the highest quality among lightness elixirs. After taking it, it can make one's body and steps faster, making it the perfect choice for escaping or chasing. The starting bid is also thirty Soul crystals, and each increment must be no less than one Soul crystal."

After saying that, Easton White still lifted the red cloth. Inside was a snow-white elixir about the size of a longan. Just looking at its appearance made one's mouth water.

"I bid thirty-three Soul crystals."

"I want this lightness elixir. I bid thirty-five Soul crystals."

"Get the hell out of here! This Lightness Elixir now belongs to the Jones family. I'm bidding thirty-eight Soul Crystals for it!"

"Nonsense! I came here today specifically for this lightness elixir. I bid forty Soul crystals."

"Shut up, all of you! You people won't be able to bring out the true power of this lightness elixir. I bid forty-four Soul crystals."

"It seems that you're not going to give me any face?" Someone said coldly.

"Who are you? Why should I give you face? Do you think you're a pupil from one of the three great families?"

As soon as these words were spoken, there was a burst of laughter in the audience.

In the Silvermoon Valley, only the people from the three great families could truly be called young masters. No one paid much attention to the people from other small forces.

"Hmph! I must get this lightness elixir today. I bid fifty Soul crystals."

"It's already fifty Soul crystals. That's fifteen Soul crystals higher than the market price."

"Sigh, we don't understand the world of the rich."

Obviously, fifty Soul crystals had become a bottleneck. For a moment, no one dared to continue bidding.

Easton White above saw this and said, "Fifty Soul crystals once. Fifty Soul crystals twice..."

This was the rule of the auction. When the auctioneer calls out a price for the third time, it means that the item for auction is sold. After that, even if someone offers a higher price, it won't be valid.

This was also one of the auction house's clever tricks.

For an item up for auction, there would definitely be many people who wanted to get it. When the price reached a certain level, everyone would start to consider whether it was worth it or not before deciding whether to make another bid.

But the auctioneer's call was enough to disrupt the thoughts of many people who were having a hard time making a decision. Usually, they would continue to bid because if they missed out, it would be too late to regret. So, many people would rather suffer a bit and pay a higher price to buy it.

After all, the items at the auction usually only appear once, and it's hard to say when they will appear again.

Sure enough, after Easton White's two calls, someone in the audience finally couldn't hold back and made a bid, "I bid fifty-two Soul crystals."

Easton White still had a smile on his face, as if he wasn't surprised by this at all. He continued, "Fifty-two Soul crystals once. Fifty-two Soul crystals twice..."

This time, no one dared to continue bidding. After all, everyone had a maximum price in mind for an item. People weren't fools who would go all out and risk everything just because they wanted something.

In the end, this lightness elixir was bought by the person who made the last bid for fifty-two Soul crystals.

Next, the items up for auction were still some first-level elixirs, medium level Mortal Rank Martial arts, and Methods of exercises.

There were several more rounds of fierce competition in the audience. After all, in the Silvermoon Valley, there were mostly low-level warriors, and these items were like treasures to them.

Especially for the "lone rangers" who had no backing from any forces, it was already difficult for them to survive in this place where the forces in the Silvermoon Valley were intertwined. It was obviously not easy for them to obtain a high-level Method of exercises. And now, these medium level Mortal Rank Martial arts were exactly what they were aiming for. If they took a fancy to one, they would definitely do their best to get it.

Although there were many good items among them, and even many pupils from the families participated in the bidding. But for Liam Smith at the moment, they had no attraction at all.

He didn't know if it was because he had been with Alistair for a long time and his vision had unconsciously improved. Or he had truly grown up and no longer cared about these ordinary items that only low-level warriors would be interested in.

Sitting on the big armchair, Liam Smith was bored and nibbling on a Magic fruit. Gradually, he felt a bit sleepy and almost leaned against the chair and fell asleep.

Just then, the item that appeared on the auction stage made Liam Smith's mind suddenly clear up, and he felt a bit interested.