102: Chapter 102 Broken Wood?

Today was the most bustling auction Tianshu City had seen in nearly a hundred years. The number of powerful Cultivators who had come for it was too many to count, far exceeding any previous occasion.

There was only one reason: the enlightenment tree!

Tianshu City had released the news as early as a year ago. After a year of fermentation, experts from several surrounding sea regions had come to participate today.

At this moment, Ning Yuan and the other were already seated in the auction hall. Looking at the densely packed venue, filled with an unknown number of people, Ning Yuan couldn't help but marvel inwardly. The attraction of the enlightenment tree was truly no joke.

To win the enlightenment tree today, people would probably fight until their brains were scrambled like dog food!

Inside the auction hall, various voices converged into a noisy din, but Ning Yuan could still distinguish some of it.

By listening to talk of which powerhouse had arrived today and whose reputation was greater, the two of them gained a general understanding of the experts present.

After synthesizing all the information, Ning Yuan concluded that not many Void Refining Cultivators had come today, which greatly surprised him.

Even for a Void Refining Cultivator, the enlightenment tree was useful. Why were there so few of them here?

After thinking for a moment, Ning Yuan sent a voice transmission: "Could there be some problem with this?"

"Let's wait and see! We've just arrived; it's better to watch for changes!" Tao Yao replied via voice transmission.

Ning Yuan nodded silently in agreement. Such a strange scene forced him to be extra cautious, lest he die without even knowing how.

Ding!

While Ning Yuan was lost in thought, a black-robed old man suddenly appeared in the center of the auction hall. He shook a small bell on the auction stage, and the crisp ringing instantly spread throughout the entire venue.

Upon hearing the bell, the hall immediately fell silent. Everyone sharpened their focus, their eyes burning as they stared at the auction stage.

After the bell chime faded, a Formation immediately rose in front of the auction stage, separating it from the crowd to protect the stage and prevent anyone with ill intentions from interfering.

"Hehe, I am the City Lord of Tianshu City, Steward Shi Zixing. Greetings, Fellow Daoists!" Steward Shi Zixing said with a smile, cupping his hands to the surroundings. His Qi was restrained to the extreme, making him look like an ordinary old man.

Ning Yuan sent another voice transmission: "What is this old man's cultivation level?"

"Half-step Void Refining!" Tao Yao said, though his actual strength remained unknown.

Ning Yuan nodded inwardly. Having someone of such cultivation host the auction was reasonable, as the items to be auctioned later were extraordinary.

As soon as Steward Shi Zixing finished speaking, clamoring broke out in the auction hall, everyone impatient to obtain the enlightenment tree.

"Less nonsense, hurry up and bring out the enlightenment tree!"

"Exactly! This old man traveled ten thousand miles; I don't have time to listen to your rambling!"

"..."

"Since you Fellow Daoists are so eager, I shall say no more!" Facing the shouting, Steward Shi Zixing wasn't annoyed and continued slowly:

"Then we shall begin the auction for the enlightenment tree fragment. There is no reserve price, and each bid must be no less than one hundred thousand Spirit Stones!"

With a flick of his hand, Steward Shi Zixing produced a wooden box, then slowly opened it to show everyone.

Upon seeing the contents of the box, everyone was visibly stunned. Then, their expressions shifted violently to gloom, becoming exceptionally ugly as curses began to ring out one after another.

"This piece of junk is an enlightenment tree? You must be trying to fool a ghost!"

"Dammit, I've made this trip for nothing!"

"Isn't this a total scam!"

"..."

Looking at the so-called enlightenment tree, Ning Yuan couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle. No wonder so many people were swearing; even he felt like shouting a few curses.

No wonder few Void Refining Cultivators had come. It turned out they had known all along, which was why they stayed away!

When Tao Yao saw it, she was even more caught between laughter and tears. It turned out her previous worries were entirely for nothing. Only a ghost would buy this piece of junk.

This so-called enlightenment tree was nothing more than a piece of rotten wood. Using the name of the enlightenment tree for this was purely playing everyone for fools.

And it seemed he was one of those fools, having traveled for three months to reach Tianshu Island, I'm... "Ahem, everyone, please don't be in such a hurry to curse! This truly is an enlightenment tree. I can swear on my Heart Demon. It's just, well, it's not very complete!"

Steward Shi Zixing actually had the heart to explain cheerfully, looking unhurried. Clearly, he had anticipated this scene.

The Formation that rose earlier was probably to block the enraged Cultivators, lest someone get too angry and go up to beat him.

Ning Yuan guessed maliciously that if it were him, he would certainly do the same to avoid being beaten to death.

But the crowd wasn't buying Steward Shi Zixing's words. They continued to curse Yi Ran relentlessly. Ning Yuan even saw a few people preparing to take action, but after seeing the Formation, they could only sit back down dejectedly.

As expected, his guess was right. The Formation was indeed set up to prevent a beating!

If he weren't unable to win the fight, he would have gone up to give him a few kicks too!

This farce lasted for half an hour before ending. Despite being cursed so heavily, Steward Shi Zixing's expression remained normal. Either his composure was incredible, or he had prepared in advance, perhaps by blocking his ears... Ning Yuan maliciously guessed it was the latter!

"Alright, everyone has had their say! The auction must continue. Any Fellow Daoist interested can place a bid. I guarantee you won't lose out or be deceived!" Steward Shi Zixing continued to hawk the item vigorously, showing no embarrassment from the verbal abuse.

Naturally, there was no response. The fact that people hadn't walked out immediately was already giving him Face; wanting them to spend money was just a pipe dream!

Even if it were a real enlightenment tree fragment, it would be useless to buy it. It would just be a heavy piece of junk in one's hand!

Steward Shi Zixing also smiled bitterly at this scene. The gimmick of the enlightenment tree had indeed attracted people, and the item was real, but people weren't buying it. How could the auction proceed?

At that moment, a voice rang out like heavenly music, making him feel as if rain had finally fallen during a drought!

"I bid one hundred thousand Spirit Stones!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present looked toward the source of the voice. Their gazes were like they were looking at an idiot, all wanting to see which big fool would buy such a piece of rotten wood.

They only saw a Middle-aged Man with an ordinary appearance and a cultivation of only Nascent Soul. The crowd instantly lost interest and looked away, no longer paying attention.

"Congratulations to this Fellow Daoist for winning the enlightenment tree! After the auction, please come to the back to collect it!" Steward Shi Zixing didn't dare hesitate and immediately dropped the gavel to confirm the successful sale, as if afraid the person would change their mind.

Immediately, he brought out the second item for auction... "Are you crazy? One hundred thousand Spirit Stones for a piece of rotten wood?" Tao Yao cursed via voice transmission, her tone full of disappointment.

"Otherwise, would you have me go back empty-handed? Just consider it buying a souvenir!" Ning Yuan replied helplessly via voice transmission.

Hearing this, Tao Yao was too exhausted to argue: "Sigh! Whatever you want!"

In truth, Ning Yuan still hoped that the wood was indeed from an enlightenment tree. That way, he might be able to have the System produce something good, making his hundred thousand Spirit Stones worth it.

But if it wasn't... Ning Yuan would truly have lost big time!