Chapter 64: Wealth and Magnificence

As soon as Lin Hao stepped inside, he was struck by the opulence—the Qiyi Pavilion seemed eager to showcase its wealth, as if fearing someone might not notice. The hall glittered as though it were drenched in gold, dazzling to the point of being almost blinding. Every displayed ornament was, in fact, a small defensive artifact or an offensive spiritual tool. Truly, their wealth knew no bounds!

A flash of awe flickered in Lin Hao's eyes. Qiyi Pavilion spared no expense, indeed. Gazing at the exquisite arrangements and the lavish array of magical implements, Lin Hao felt almost afraid to set foot forward. Standing there, he was suddenly at a loss, unsure where to go next—how ignorant and inexperienced he felt.

At this moment, an attendant-like figure appeared at his side and asked, “Young master, is this your first time visiting our Qiyi Pavilion?” The question snapped Lin Hao from his reverie; startled, he looked at the man, who wore golden robes and bore a Qiyi Pavilion badge at his waist, clearly a staff member.

With a friendly smile, Lin Hao replied, “Yes, I’ve heard much of Qiyi Pavilion’s reputation and came to see for myself.”

“I see,” the attendant responded, without any smugness, a gentle smile at his lips as he spoke respectfully, “Today is our annual auction. We assign a personal attendant to each organization, sect, and individual. If you have any questions or requests, whether you wish to auction or purchase something, please let me know—I am at your service.”

He even bowed deeply to Lin Hao, who was a bit overwhelmed by such courtesy. Despite the pavilion’s ostentatious display, their manners were impeccable. Lin Hao felt almost like a god being waited on, and the experience was thoroughly pleasant—no bullying for being an outsider, no flattery, just sincere respect.

Satisfied, Lin Hao nodded. “That’s wonderful, thank you. Please show me around first.”

The attendant smiled and gestured for him to follow. Beyond the golden main hall lay another world entirely, one that struck Lin Hao with awe. A rich spiritual energy filled the air—it was clear some formation here gathered spiritual qi.

Rows of tables carved from spiritual jade displayed treasures—true treasures! On the right, an entire row of top-grade artifacts, at least twenty, lined up in dazzling array. To the left, pills of the highest quality, brimming with spiritual energy, nearly overflowing from their containers.

Lin Hao closed his eyes and took a deep breath—the spiritual qi was invigorating, his mind instantly clear. Qiyi Pavilion’s prestige, he realized, was even greater than he’d thought. Each item was clearly tagged with a price—and the numbers left Lin Hao dumbstruck. Even the tiniest pill was far beyond his means.

He had thought himself rather well-off lately, perhaps able to buy one or two items that caught his interest. Now, seeing these prices, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. The attendant, noting his reaction, showed no trace of mockery; he merely stood calmly by Lin Hao’s side.

When Lin Hao finally regained his composure, he saw the attendant’s gentle smile and, feeling a bit embarrassed, scratched his head and asked, “Are these all the items up for auction tonight?”

“Yes,” the attendant replied, “these are for tonight’s outer auction. As for the inner auction, those items are not revealed until it begins. If you’re interested, you can write down your bids for the outer auction now, and claim them directly when the time comes.”

“Oh? There’s an inner auction as well?” Lin Hao asked, curiosity piqued.

“Yes,” the attendant explained, “the inner auction features unparalleled treasures, items brought by other guests for sale. Each year, the inner auction unveils sacred artifacts and many supreme spiritual pills. Should you be interested, you may participate. However, entry requires assets of no less than one hundred top-grade spirit stones.”

Lin Hao winced, astonished. His first thought: Good heavens, that’s expensive! But then relief washed over him—thankfully, he still had the one hundred top-grade spirit stones the system had compensated him with earlier. Now he was eager to see what kind of rare treasures warranted such a price.

Trying to appear calm, Lin Hao cleared his throat and said, “I see. I’d like to obtain an inner auction entry pass. Could you help me with that?”

“Of course,” the attendant replied, leading Lin Hao to the entrance of the inner chamber.

Surprisingly, the door was unadorned—plain wood—but the ancient, mysterious pressure emanating from it convinced Lin Hao this was no ordinary timber. Having spent some time in Qiyi Pavilion by now, he dared not underestimate anything here. That unassuming door even intimidated him; he sensed that attacking it would bring only disaster.

The attendant knocked on a small window beside the door. A face appeared inside. “What do you want?”

“One entry pass,” said the attendant.

“Proof of one hundred top-grade spirit stones,” came the reply.

Lin Hao quickly handed over his storage pouch containing the stones. The attendant passed it inside; after a careful count, the person nodded and handed Lin Hao a wooden token carved with the words “Entry Pass.”

The attendant explained, “Young master, this is your inner auction entry pass. In half an hour, the auction will begin, and you may enter.”

“Thank you,” Lin Hao replied, storing the token with utmost care—worth one hundred top-grade spirit stones, it represented not only a fortune but also his new status as someone qualified to enter the inner auction. He felt a small surge of pride.

The attendant took him around the outer hall once more. After that, Lin Hao lost interest in the displayed goods—they were fine indeed, but neither essential for his current strength nor affordable.

Now, impatience grew within him; he was eager to see what the inner auction was truly like. He also noticed that the imposing figures from various sects and clans he’d seen earlier at the entrance had vanished. Upon asking, he learned from the attendant that they had already entered the inner auction and were resting in private rooms.

With only a hundred top-grade spirit stones, Lin Hao couldn’t afford a private box (which required another hundred), so he could only wait in the outer area.

After half an hour, the door to the inner chamber finally opened.

Lin Hao entered, entry pass in hand. Inside, he found his assigned seat and settled in, looking around. There were surprisingly few people seated in the hall—around twenty or so. Looking up, he saw that the second through fourth floors consisted entirely of private boxes, their windows facing the hall. Lin Hao surmised that those were reserved for the wealthy and powerful of the various great sects. He couldn’t help but feel a tinge of envy and vowed that one day, he too would reach such heights.

On stage, five large black boxes were set on a table, each with a red card bearing the item’s name. Lin Hao’s gaze stopped at one labeled “Soul-Devouring Bell.” Suddenly, the system’s voice rang out in his mind: “Ding! Host, you have a mission: urgently acquire the Soul-Devouring Bell.”

Lin Hao was stunned, his thoughts racing. He mentally confirmed, “System, are you serious? You want me to obtain the Soul-Devouring Bell? Do you know how expensive that must be? How am I supposed to get it?”

No matter how he raged, the system gave no reply. Clearly, negotiation was futile.

Looking back at the stage, he noticed something odd: all the other boxes had starting bids marked, the lowest being ten thousand top-grade spirit stones. He hadn’t noticed at first, but now saw that the Soul-Devouring Bell had no price tag at all.

This surprised Lin Hao—he had thought he was doomed, that there was no way to complete the mission with such exorbitant starting prices. But unexpectedly, the Soul-Devouring Bell had no listed price.

He wondered if the auction organizers had made a mistake. He turned to his neighbor and asked, “Hey, brother, do you know why there’s no starting price for the Soul-Devouring Bell?”

The man glanced at Lin Hao, realized he was a newcomer, and replied matter-of-factly, “Oh, that? Haven’t you been here before? Qiyi Pavilion always has one item without a marked price at each annual auction.”