After nightfall, the Crystal Palace auction officially began.

    As soon as the time arrived, a servant led Han Zheng and the others into the backyard of the shop, walking down an underground passage.

    Not until they reached the underground did Han Zheng understand why this place was called the Crystal Palace.

    The entire underground was hollowed out, and at the lowest part of the dark river, a massive space was upheld directly by an array. The surrounding water flow and swimming fish could even be clearly seen, as if it were truly that crystal palace under the sea.

    Although Han Zheng did not understand arrays, he had seen plenty of them in the Demon Cleansing Bureau, even if he didn''t know much about them.

    The array inside this Crystal Palace couldn''t compare to those at the headquarters of the Demon Cleansing Bureau, and even paled in comparison to those in the Southern Mountain Demon Cleansing Department.

    It merely seemed quite mysterious and somewhat attention-grabbing because it was built in this underground dark river.

    At this moment, the entire Crystal Palace was already filled with quite a few people, probably around four to five hundred, all wearing masks to conceal their identities.

    The servant took Han Zheng and Liu Yuan to seats with a good view before leaving.

    About a quarter of an hour later, the auction formally began.

    A short and plump middle-aged man, dressed in a luxurious robe embroidered with golden ingots, stepped onto the stage, smilingly saying, "Good evening, everyone, I''m Qian Duoduo.

    Although this isn''t everyone''s first time at my Crystal Palace auction house, there must be some friends here for the first time, so I still have to state the rules.

    Everyone has a number card on the table, raise the card to bid when the auction starts. Each increment must be no less than a hundred Elemental Crystals, and the auction ends after three successive bids with no increase.

    After the entire auction concludes, sellers can settle the Elemental Crystals backstage, paying with one hand and delivering with the other. Of course, bartering is also possible.

    Our Crystal Palace auction house does not deceive anyone, and we absolutely won''t suppress the prices.

    However, everyone must first evaluate their own wallets and avoid not having enough Elemental Crystals at the time of the transaction, as that would break the rules.

    Alright, I''ll stop talking now, let the auction officially begin!"

    As his words fell, several masked people in black brought up the auction items for Qian Duoduo to explain and auction.

    Elemental Crystals are essential for cultivation, so the exchange rate with silver is not fixed.

    In small places, Elemental Crystals are less used, valued at roughly three hundred taels per crystal. S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    However, in the Capital City, Elemental Crystals are hard currency, so one crystal might cost as much as four hundred taels.

    This time, the starting bid was a hundred Elemental Crystals, equivalent to a base of four thousand taels, an extravagance indeed.

    Moreover, those here are wealthy, every bid raising the stakes significantly, some even reaching over a thousand Elemental Crystals.

    Han Zheng waited for a long time but didn''t see the Xuan Pin Pearl begin auction, indicating that it must be of high grade, an item kept for the end.

    During this time, Han Zheng saw a young lady from a Family being brought up for auction. Her appearance was beautiful and graceful, with Xuan Gang Realm cultivation, marking her as a young talent anywhere. Yet now, she was treated as a plaything in the auction.

    However, Han Zheng never thought of rescuing her.

    Perhaps it was like Zhou Qiaonian''s assessment of Han Zheng, that he indeed had a heart of stone.

    Seeing too much in the Martial World turns even the softest heart hard.

    Matters of the Martial World are settled in the Martial World; even the kindest Martial Arts Family has blood on their hands. How many are truly innocent in this world?

    Perhaps the family she belonged to had previously wiped out other families, exterminating the male members and selling the women into brothels.

    This entanglement of cause and effect is complex, and Han Zheng neither wanted to understand nor intervene.

    He preferred to slay those vicious criminals and demons, to nip potential dangers in the bud.

    Between cause and effect, Han Zheng chose to resolve the cause rather than rescue the effect.

    After about two hours, Qian Duoduo came up with a delicate White Jade Box.

    Upon opening it, there was a pearl the size of a baby''s fist emanating a unique aura. A closer look revealed countless colors swirling inside, exceptionally gorgeous.

    "This item is called the Xuan Pin Pearl, the essence of all things, which can connect different attributes of Heaven and Earth Power, allowing Martial Artists not yet in the Yang God Realm to sense the presence of Heaven and Earth Power.

    If an Array Master uses this item to arrange an array, it can accelerate the cultivation of Yang God Realm Martial Artists and even help True Pill Realm Martial Artists understand Heaven and Earth Power faster to enter the Yang God Realm.

    This Xuan Pin Pearl could enable a faction to significantly increase its number of Yang God Realm Martial Artists in the future, and its power could sustain an array for over a hundred years!

    Ladies and gentlemen, this is a treasured item in today''s Crystal Palace auction, seen only once in a great while.

    The starting price is a hundred thousand Elemental Crystals!"

    Prior to this, Wei Tianqi had only briefly mentioned the usage of Elemental Crystals, without detailed explanations.

    After listening to Qian Duoduo, Han Zheng now realized how useful this item was.

    Of course, Qian Duoduo might be exaggerating a bit.

    The Xuan Pin Pearl can indeed connect to the power of Heaven and Earth, making cultivation within an array centered on it faster when stepping into the Yang God Realm.

    But the prerequisite for faster entry into the Yang God Realm is that you already have the insight and opportunity to step into that realm.

    If it''s used by a mediocre talent, even if they cultivate until their lifespan is exhausted, they might not be able to enter the Yang God Realm.

    But regardless, the Xuan Pin Pearl is a treasure of immeasurable value, quickly driving people into a bidding frenzy.

    Beside him, Liu Yuan asked in surprise, "Master, why aren''t you bidding?"

    Han Zheng replied calmly, "Don''t rush, let''s see how far they can compete, bidding early only makes you cannon fodder."

    Elder Wei Tianqi had only given Han Zheng a month to find the Xuan Pin Pearl, making it almost inevitable for Han Zheng to win it.

    So, no matter the final price they bid, Han Zheng would outbid them.

    Thus, it was better to wait until they were nearly done fighting amongst themselves before stepping in.

    The starting price of a hundred thousand for the Xuan Pin Pearl saw fierce competition, quickly doubling in just moments, reaching up to three hundred thousand Elemental Crystals.

    By this time, there were fewer people following along, and it finally stopped at a price of three hundred sixty thousand.

    Qian Duoduo smiled and asked, "Three hundred sixty thousand, first time, is anyone else continuing?"

    The Xuan Pin Pearl fetched a price over three times the starting bid; just this commission alone made the auction house big money!

    At this moment, Han Zheng slowly raised his number card, "Four hundred thousand!"

    Everyone turned their eyes to Han Zheng''s direction, filled with astonishment.

    Even precious treasures like the Xuan Pin Pearl saw price increases by only a few thousand at a time before.

    But then Han Zheng here raised it by forty thousand all at once, which was quite startling.

    "Four hundred thousand five hundred!"

    The person who had bid three hundred sixty thousand followed closely with a higher bid.

    "Four hundred fifty thousand."

    Han Zheng continued to raise the bid calmly.

    He certainly didn''t have that many Elemental Crystals in hand, but he gained a lot of cultivation techniques and various elixirs worth millions of Elemental Crystals after wiping out the Blood Demon Sect and Heaven Net Martial Sect, with tens of thousands not being a problem at all.

    This time, the opponent hesitated until Qian Duoduo asked again and replied, "Four hundred sixty thousand!"

    "Five hundred thousand."

    Without hesitating, Han Zheng directly raised it to a round number.

    This time, the opponent finally decided not to follow.

    The opponent likely realized that Han Zheng was determined to obtain the Xuan Pin Pearl, outbidding whatever price they called.

    That price of five hundred thousand was already insane; if they bid and Han Zheng didn''t follow, they''d suffer a huge loss.

    "Five hundred thousand, first time, is there any other customer bidding? Five hundred thousand, second time, five hundred thousand, third time! Congratulations to this guest!"

    Qian Duoduo was smiling so broadly his eyes almost disappeared.

    With the transaction closed at five hundred thousand, each party took two percent, earning the auction house forty thousand!

    At this point, Han Zheng noticed that the person who competed with him for the Xuan Pin Pearl was glaring at him, seemingly discontented.

    Liu Yuan whispered softly beside him, "Master, don''t worry, in the Crystal Palace everyone conceals their identity, and exits through different passages, so it''s not possible for them to rob you."

    Han Zheng nodded. He wasn''t afraid of the opponent; he just felt that being robbed after an auction sounded somewhat dramatic if it truly happened.