"Four million one hundred thousand!"

As this voice resonated in the auction hall, the entire place fell silent. Everyone stared blankly at the young man in plain clothes who made the offer, as if their minds couldn't comprehend it.

This young man had already offended the Kong brothers and Chu Nian from the Chu Family. Is he determined to offend all three major factions participating in today's auction?

The crowd in the hall was well aware of Xiao Qiming's reputation for being a cunning genius. Often when you wronged him, he might greet you with a smile, only to stab you in the back without you even realizing it. You might even feel grateful for his kindness until your dying breath.

Therefore, in the minds of everyone, offending the hot-tempered Kong Sihai wasn't terrifying, nor was offending Chu Nian, who focused on cultivating physical strength, a big deal. But being resented by Xiao Qiming from the Xiao Family, renowned for his cunning nature, meant that one might as well give up trying to make a living in the Southern Domain of the Tenglong Continent.

"Heh... heh heh..."

Xiao Qiming, the person in question, momentarily froze before an odd smile appeared on his face, even letting out a laugh. However, deep within, a streak of anger was nearly uncontrollable.

Earlier, Xiao Qiming had made Chu Nian compromise, with the main goal being that when he fancied something, those two would refrain from competing for it. After all, given their similar backgrounds, none could claim absolute financial superiority, and the outcome could very well be mutual destruction.

Although Yun Xiao had broken that agreement earlier, during subsequent biddings, it seemed the Kong brothers and Chu Nian were still adhering to it, which comforted Xiao Qiming greatly.

But this unknown young man not only snatched the items desired by the Kong brothers and Chu Nian, but now even wanted to grab his. Even with Xiao Qiming's deep scheming, his mood turned gloomy, though he kept it hidden.

"Tsk tsk, is this young man fearless because of backing, or is it just ignorance?"

At this moment, many regarded Yun Xiao as a naive, hotheaded newcomer. Did he not realize the consequences of offending the three major forces in the Southern Domain of the Tenglong Continent?

Yet, if these cultivators knew that besides these three forces, Yun Xiao had also offended the Killing Heart Sect and the Douling Commerce, one wonders how colorful their expressions would be?

Truth be told, Yun Xiao didn't want to be in the spotlight, but the items at the start of the auction piqued his interest, and while he didn't want trouble, he wasn't afraid of it. If the geniuses from those forces really wanted to cause trouble, he'd show them just how observant he truly was.

"Haha, Brother Xiao, it seems you and we truly share the same misfortune!"

Seeing Xiao Qiming's expression, Kong Qianshan suddenly laughed heartily and, with a deliberate tone, said, "Who would've thought that our Sky Thunder Valley and your Xiao Chu clans would ever join forces!"

Kong Qianshan's latter two sentences bore no disguise in meaning. The so-called "joining forces" obviously referred to taking actions against that young man in plain clothes after this matter, dealing with him, and each party taking what they need—a delightful endeavor.

Such straightforward words made everyone understand Kong Qianshan's implication, and they cast sympathetic glances at the young man, thinking that while he might be in the limelight now, the outcome could be quite tragic.

"In that case, we'll let this young brother have the Beast Spirit Banner first!"

With Xiao Qiming's mind, he instantly caught Kong Qianshan's drift. With a smile, he turned his gaze to Yun Xiao, and his words carried an underlying meaning.

Especially the word "first", which symbolized his determination to eventually claim the Beast Spirit Banner. Moreover, this way, he wouldn't have to spend four million gold coins, greatly improving his mood.

"Sigh, I really don't know whether you're truly foolish or just pretending to be!"

As the situation escalated, Mei Qian, an elder from the Spirit Fighting Branch, could only shake her head with a bitter smile. For an unfamiliar young man with whom she had no ties, she naturally wouldn't meddle but foresaw what kind of fate awaited him after the auction.

"Congratulations once again to this young brother for obtaining the Earth Rank Middle Level Beast Spirit Banner!"

This was the fourth time Mei Qian repeated similar words, but after uttering them this time, everyone had different feelings, as if the word "congratulations" carried more of a sarcastic tone.

"Now, let's proceed to the sixth auction item..."

The auction, after all, had to continue. It is worth noting that in the subsequent bids, whenever Yun Xiao offered a price, everyone tacitly chose to withdraw from bidding. Undeniably, it was quite an odd phenomenon.

Perhaps everyone knows that reckless youth won't compromise in the slightest, and he seems extremely wealthy. Since they can't compete, why bother doing anything unnecessary?

Or perhaps these people are aware that once the auction ends, that rough-clothed young man is likely to be besieged by the geniuses of several major forces. After it's over, might they get a share of the spoils?

It's precisely these strange thoughts that made this auction peculiar, with several items that could have sold for two or three million gold coins ending up with a transaction price of just over a million.

This scene naturally left Mei Qian, the elder hosting the auction, almost in tears, her resentful gaze nearly drowning Yun Xiao. Now she increasingly dislikes the look of this nameless young man.

"Next is the last item of this auction!"

In this eerie atmosphere, Mei Qian's voice left everyone with a feeling of unfinished business. How has it already come to the final item?

"This item is somewhat peculiar. Even our Thunder City Douling Commerce branch couldn't figure out its use!"

Mei Qian took the tray handed over by the maid, but her delicate hand pressed down on the red cloth. Always straightforward, she decided to keep this final secret, arousing extreme curiosity about the item covered beneath the red cloth.

However, as everyone swept their gaze over the tray, they wore strange expressions because the red cloth was pressed down to the bottom by Mei Qian's right hand, as if there were nothing underneath at all.

"All of you present are well-informed. If anyone who acquires this item can figure out its use, please inform Douling Commerce. I would be most grateful!"

As the auction neared its end, Mei Qian suddenly became somewhat verbose, making everyone even more itching with curiosity. Some even thought this might be an opportunity to get closer to Mei Qian.

"Elder Mei Qian, stop keeping us in suspense. What exactly is that?"

Kong Sihai, the second son of the Kong Family, was a bit impatient, and his loud voice echoed everyone's thoughts. After his words fell, Mei Qian finally lifted the red cloth, revealing a torn and worn cloth piece on the tray.

"This item..."

When Yun Xiao first laid eyes on that worn cloth piece, he almost jumped out of his seat. Although he tried hard to suppress his inner excitement, if someone noticed his eyes, they'd see the spark of excitement dancing within.

Because not long ago, Yun Xiao had gone to the Shenxiao Sect to identify a worn cloth piece he had unintentionally obtained from Liu Family Master Liu Qiguang.

And this worn cloth piece had quite the origin. Its true name was Wuyan Cloth. According to Shenxiao Sect's information, it's said that this Wuyan Cloth was originally a whole, divided into four pieces for some reason, related to a big secret of Wuyan Palace.

If it were the past life of the Long Xiao Battle God, naturally he wouldn't care for a small secret of Wuyan Palace on the Tenglong Continent. But now, having been reincarnated with cultivation only at the peak of the Qi Seeking Realm, top-tier forces like Wuyan Palace are colossal to him.

Yun Xiao understands the principle of taking one step at a time. Now he knows he is no longer the Long Xiao Battle God from his past life, so he must seize some opportunities to quickly enhance his strength.

Originally, upon learning that the Wuyan Cloth fragments consisted of four pieces and not knowing where they scattered, Yun Xiao had almost regarded that worn cloth as a worthless piece.

But he never imagined that just by attending an auction, he'd encounter another fragment of the Wuyan Cloth. It seems fate is giving him an opportunity.

Yun Xiao can imagine that the Thunder City Douling Commerce branch, not knowing the details of the worn cloth, likely didn't consult with the well-informed Shenxiao Sect. Otherwise, they wouldn't have put up for auction something related to a significant secret of Wuyan Palace.

This, in turn, provided Yun Xiao with an opportunity. Since Douling Commerce doesn't know the true details of the Wuyan Cloth, other cultivators certainly wouldn't know either.

Not knowing the use of that worn cloth piece, likely not many cultivators will compete in the auction. After all, they're not fools and won't easily believe Mei Qian's earlier words.

Clearly, in the minds of these cultivators attending the auction, Mei Qian's earlier words were just an auctioneer's instinct to dress up a piece of cloth as a rare item. For these professional auctioneers, it's no difficult task.

Yet Mei Qian also mentioned that even the Douling Commerce branch couldn't figure it out, let alone these ordinary cultivators. Spending millions of gold coins to bring back a useless cloth piece would be truly unfortunate.