Naked Sword Art-Chapter 368: Auction

The auction had begun.

A hush fell over the crowd as the curtain was drawn back, revealing the first item of the night—a pair of crimson silk gloves, embroidered with ancient runes that pulsed faintly with Qi.

"First on tonight's list," the auctioneer's voice rang out smoothly, "A pair of Flameweaver Gloves—crafted by the Fire Temple's long-lost artisan sect. These gloves amplify fire-based cultivation techniques, granting their wearer flame output rivaling that of a true Fire Spirit Attribute user. They refine Qi control and allow bare-handed channeling of flame arts without harm to the wearer. When worn, they can imbue any weapon or technique with blazing fire, turning every strike into a force of elemental destruction."

A small demonstration followed as a robed assistant onstage donned the gloves and conjured a dancing fireball between their palms, the crowd murmuring with interest.

"The bidding will start at five hundred and 500 silver coins," the auctioneer announced.

In the viewing box, Xiao Fang sat back with a calm expression. He had no use for fire-based gear, and although he had to admit, it did sound impressive.

Xiao Hei, on the other hand, had her nose pressed to the glass, wide-eyed. "Wow… they're so shiny. Can I get them, Fang?"

"No."

"Aww…"

As the bidding war below intensified, Xiao Fang's focus shifted. His ears twitched slightly—someone was walking down the corridor and had entered the viewing box next to his. He couldn't see them once they were inside, but had gotten a good look at them before they entered.

'I wonder what he wants with me,' Xiao Fang thought, recognizing one of the two to be the burly man that had picked to stay in a room next to his the other day.

Item after item passed—enchanted fans, a beast-summoning flute, even a living Spirit Vine sealed within a crystal. Yet none stirred Xiao Fang's interest enough to bid. That is, until a painting was unveiled—one that radiated a strong Heavenly aura, capable of heightening one's sense of comprehension. Just being in its presence made Xiao Fang feel the urge to sit down and cultivate. Unfortunately, the auctioneer didn't allow the audience more than a fleeting glimpse before the bidding began. The painting eventually sold for 275 gold teals—far more than Xiao Fang would've been willing to spend.

As the auction continued, Xiao Fang started to see some of the items he looted from the Scavenger sect be presented on stage, whenever they did, he would notice that his casket would close as if prohibiting him from making a bid on the item he gave them to sell. However, whenever they got sold, he would see 80% of the money it was sold for appear in his chest after it opened again.

'That's convenient,' Xiao Fang thought.

Eventually he accumulated over 260 gold teals.

'It appeared the appraiser only told me what the starting bids for my items would be, I suppose not even he could guess how much people would pay for them,' Xiao Fang thought.

Finally, after nearly a dozen rounds, the lights dimmed again.

"Our next item is a relic of exceptional rarity. Please welcome—the Twin Blades: Yin-Yang Celestial Fangs."

The room stilled.

A pair of twin swords floated above a pedestal as the velvet cloth was lifted. One blade glowed with an silver-white light, while the other pulsed with a dark hue. Both were slender, long, and curved like fangs from a beast.

"These weapons were recovered from a tomb believed to belong to a practitioner of the Ancient Heavenly Realm. They are believed to be capable of storing and channeling two separate spirit attributes Qi at the same time."

Murmurs erupted from the audience. Very few people were swordsmen, even fewer were dual wielders, and even fewer people possessed two Spirit Attributes. As impressive as it sounded, many of the people in the audience assumed there wouldn't be many people bidding for it.

Xiao Fang sat upright, eyes narrowing.

"These blades are attuned to dual-spirit attribute cultivators—particularly those with light and dark type spirit attributes. A rare find, and possibly one of a kind. We'll begin with the Yang blade. The starting bid is 15 gold teals," the auctioneer said while presenting the White Blade.

Xiao Hei turned to him with a grin. "Those are the ones Yu Lan told us about, right?"

Xiao Fang nodded slowly. His heart was calm, but inside, a flame began to stir.

'Yin-Yang Celestial Fangs… so this is what fate had in store.'

He took the small jade slab in front of him, placing his token inside the casket. With a press of his hand, the panel glowed softly and the casket closed—his first bid was locked in.

From another booth, a second bid followed. Xiao Fang casually put in a 3rd, and increased it gradually, keeping up with whoever was trying to out bid him. Before people knew it, the bid had already risen up from 15 to 40 gold teals.

The battle for the twin blades had begun.

"Forty-two gold teals! Do I hear forty-five?"

Xiao Fang made it a point to increase the bid by exactly 2 teals the moment his competitor increased it.

A pause. Then ding—another jade slab glowed.

"Forty-Eig—Fifty! The bid for this one sword has already increased by more than triple its starting price, incredible!" the auctioneer shouted in awe."

Xiao Fang remained expressionless, but his hand hovered over the panel again. He waited… watching. Calculating. Although he couldn't see who he was competing against, he imagined he must've been a bit annoyed at this point. Even for Xiao Fang, the price for the sword didn't seem worth it, but he had no need for money, so it didn't bother him.

Even if he was only bidding for the Yang sword at the moment, he understood how useful it was to have an artifact that could store his spirit attribute Qi, especially after watching Li Lian fight with one.

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"Six—! Sixty-two!"

The crowd couldn't help but wonder who would be so interested in such an item to bet so much for it. Xiao Fang was also curious to find out who he was in a bidding war with.

"Going once, going twice… Sold for sixty-two gold teals!" the auctioneer announced.

Moments later, the casket beside Xiao Fang opened once more. But instead of gold teals, what sat inside was the white sword that had just been on stage.

He reached in and took hold of it.

The moment his fingers wrapped around the hilt, a sense of satisfaction washed over him. The balance, the weight, the subtle hum of Qi—it all felt right.

The blade itself was forged from a rare alloy, perfectly suited for both body and spirit cultivators alike. Xiao Fang gave it a few practice swings. It sliced through the air with graceful ease.

'Good,' he thought.

The craftsmanship was exceptional. The edge was sharp, the structure solid, and its flow neither sluggish nor brittle.

From just a few movements, he could already tell—this weapon wouldn't shatter under the pressure of a Divine Sword technique. More importantly, his Qi flowed into it without resistance, as if the blade was an extension of himself.

But the real reason he'd chosen this sword was for its hidden feature: the ability to store spirit attribute Qi, just like Li Lian's earrings.

First he focused, channeling his Qi.

Tsszz~

Xiao Fang's aura flared.

Faint sparks of lightning began to dance around his body. His hair gradually shifted to a stark white, crackling with electric energy. Blue and white pulses radiated from him in waves, casting flickering shadows across the booth.

Unexpectedly, the sword responded in kind—absorbing and amplifying his lightning Qi with flawless synergy.

Xiao Fang looked at his sword in subtle fascination as it began to radiate with the same energy his body did.

He tightened his grip around the hilt. Then began to flow his Spirit attribute Qi through it intentionally—watching it get absorbed.

In only a matter of seconds, all the Qi and might Xiao Fang was releasing was gone, and pulsing dimly within his new sword. From the looks of it, it was still far from being full.

'This will do.' Xiao Fang thought before putting it away.

'I paid a bit more than I wanted to for it, but considering that I now possess the Yang blade, nobody should be interested in obtaining the Yin,' Xiao Fang thought confidently.

However, the moment the bid for the Yin sword began, someone had immediately placed a bid for 62 gold teals.

Xiao Fang frowned.

However, it only got worse, before Xiao Fang could put in a higher bid, another player joined the bidding war, increasing the bid to 75 gold teals.

"What!? Why are they bidding so much for it?" Xiao Hei said.

Xiao Fang also didn't know, but he decided to wait it out and see how far the 2 people bidding for it would go.

The number steadily climbed, almost to the point where Xiao Fang was convinced it wouldn't be worth it anymore.

"This…