Modern World's Martial Dao Human Immortal

"500 million?!"

This Peak Master's words indeed stirred a reaction among the crowd.

A starting bid of 500 million meant that the lower the starting price, the more likely one could acquire the Dao Artifact at a lower bid.

Immediately, other Peak Masters chimed in, "Vein Master Xiang's point is well-taken. The performance of this Dao Artifact does indeed leave something to be desired, so 500 million is indeed a reasonable figure."

"Then let's start bidding at 500 million. Of course, we can't really let a Dao Artifact go for just 500 million Pure Yang Great Pills. I'll add another 10 million."

Heavenly Vein's Vein Master Xiang Zhenlong also smiled and nodded in agreement.

Alkaid glanced at Xiang Zhenlong and promptly retracted the Dragon Steed Flying Boat, "Before the auction, I stated that if the price of the Dragon Steed Flying Boat falls below 1 billion, it would be considered a failed auction. Since everyone is unable to meet the price, I might as well use the Dragon Steed Flying Boat myself."

"Wait!"

The Peak Master who first suggested the 500 million starting bid stood up, displeased, "I've been preparing for a month, even selling off many family assets at low prices, all for the sake of this auction. Now you're saying it's not for sale just like that? Who will bear our losses?"

"Exactly, Alkaid, Junior Sect Leader, you can't go back on your word. I was originally in pursuit of a Demon King, nearly killing it when I heard you were auctioning a Dao Artifact Flying Boat. I rushed back to the Sect from miles away, and now, you're saying it's not for sale?"

Another Peak Master took a step forward dissatisfied, with a hint of pressure in his expression.

The other people looked at the two Peak Masters and, although they knew which Vein Master these two were close to and could guess someone might be pulling strings from behind the scenes, they made no indication.

Offending Alkaid didn't concern them, why should it?

Moreover, if these two Peak Masters could cause a scene and ultimately let the Dragon Steed Flying Boat go for 5 or 6 billion, why not?

They were simply content to watch the drama unfold.

"Peak Masters Qian Ren and Mo You seem quite spirited, even in the mood to put on a little show here. Unfortunately, I have no interest in watching it go on."

Alkaid stated indifferently.

"What do you mean? Junior Sect Leader Alkaid, are you playing games with us? Do you think our time means nothing?"

The Peak Master who opened the bid at 500 million spoke harshly.

"Both of your times are precious, as is mine, not blown over by the wind. I'd rather spend my time in closed-door cultivation, striving for a breakthrough to Refining the Void in the next ten or eight years. Of course, if I'm short on resources, it might take a bit longer, but I might as well go out and slay demons for experience. With the capabilities of my Dragon Steed Flying Boat, not to mention Demon Kings of the Hollow Void Realm, even if a Demon Emperor from the Refining Void Realm comes after me, I'm confident of a full retreat even if I can't defeat them. As long as this Demon Emperor can't kill me, once I've achieved Refining the Void, one day I will find him, and with the speed advantage of the Dragon Steed Flying Boat, I'll eradicate his demon offspring, leaving none alive. If I'm fortunate enough to enter the Shattered Void Realm, even that Demon Emperor will not be spared."

He looked up slightly, glancing at both Peak Masters Qian Ren and Mo You, "What do you two think, will I have the day when I am capable of slaying a Demon Emperor-level foe?"

As soon as these words came out, the expressions of Peak Masters Qian Ren and Mo You instantly changed.

Alkaid talked about slaying Demon Emperors, but in essence, he was unreservedly confronting these two Refining Void Level Peak Masters head-on.

And yet...

His point was not without reason.

Given Alkaid's talent, breakthrough to Refining Void in ten to eight years might be an exaggeration, but it was quite likely within the next one hundred and eighty years.

Certainly, with the Dragon Steed Flying Boat by his side, unless an ordinary Refining Void has the capability to seal the Void, or possesses another Dao Artifact with the ability to traverse the Void, even if they could defeat him, they might not be able to kill him.

Under such circumstances, his chances of dying at the hands of a Refining Void were very slim.

And if he truly managed to grow and advance to the Refining Void Realm, and even to the Shattered Void Realm...

The aggressive behavior of these two would surely be remembered, and when the time came to settle scores, they would have to suffer greatly.

In their contemplation, both glanced at Heavenly Vein's Vein Master Xiang Zhenlong.

This Vein Master also shook his head slightly.

Right away, Peak Master Qian Ren broke into laughter, "Haha, just joking. We of course trust in the talent of Junior Sect Leader Alkaid."

"The Dragon Steed Flying Boat is your Dao Artifact, Junior Sect Leader Alkaid. You are free to set whatever price you want for it, as long as you're not purposely making a mockery of us."

Peak Master Mo You followed suit.

"It's indeed difficult to acquire a Dao Artifact for 500 million. Since Junior Sect Leader Alkaid has said that anything less than 1 billion won't be sold, allow me to open the bid at 1 billion Pure Yang Great Pills."

It was then that Vein Master Xiang Zhenlong timely stood up to mediate.

Seeing this Vein Master step back so easily, a hint of regret flashed in the eyes of several Vice Sect Leader representatives.

The probe was over.

Alkaid had shown sufficient strength.

The two Peak Masters responsible for probing had also maintained a certain level of restraint.

Understanding the attitudes of both parties during this tacit confrontation, the bidding then proceeded to a relatively normal pace.

However, because the three Peak Masters with the most purchasing power and desire to obtain the Dao Artifact were delayed by various outside strategies, in the end, the bid for this Dao Artifact reached only 1 billion and 30 million, and it went to another Peak Master, Yan Que.

The price couldn't be said to have plummeted, but it wasn't much better.

Since the price had already exceeded Alkaid's minimum price limit, in the end, he did sell off the Dao Artifact.

Ultimately, Alkaid successfully received 50,000 Void Dao Elixirs and 430 million Pure Yang Great Pills.

As the auction concluded, Alkaid glanced at Peak Masters Qian Ren and Mo You, saying, "Peak Masters are busy with numerous tasks. If I have another Dao Artifact for sale in the future, I will not disturb you."

Qian Ren and Mo You were somewhat surprised to hear this.

Alkaid...

Could there be a second Dao Artifact?

But even if there was another, setting aside whether that Dao Artifact was compatible with their Great Dao, whether they could afford it remained an unknown.

It doesn't matter.

…

The small-scale auction came to an end.

As various Peak Masters, Vein Masters, Vice Sect Leaders, and Supreme Elders representing the Hollow Void left, Nine Cauldrons Peak returned to its former quietness.

Not long after, Chi Yu came before Alkaid with some information, "Qian Ren Peak Master and Mo You Peak Master are both from the Heavenly Vein and have quite a good relationship with the Vein Master, but the Master of the Flame Sparrow Peak comes from the Immortal Vein…"

Alkaid took a glance at the information.

He had somewhat anticipated that this was likely a small probe from within the power hierarchy of the Heavenly Dao Sect.

Yet, how could selling a Dao Artifact at the Hollow Void level not stir up trouble?

The fact that they handled the trouble so easily meant that there was some restraint within the Heavenly Dao Sect itself.

Of course, this was also related to him displaying potential at the Refining Void Level and ultimately belonging to the same sect as the Heavenly Dao Sect, so they needed to consider the implications regarding the Great Dao Golden Book.

In any case, he had achieved his goal.

"Thirteen Peak Masters, and only the Master of Ziyang Peak can act relatively autonomously? Of the remaining twelve, five have good relations with three Vice Sect Leaders, and seven are basically on good terms with the Four Veins' Vein Masters?"

Alkaid looked it over.

The three Vice Sect Leaders and the five Peak Masters close to them essentially maintained a state of opposition with the Four Veins' Vein Masters and the other seven Peak Masters.

No!

To be precise, the three Vice Sect Leaders and Zong Wenxian, who was the Sect Leader, were locked in an open and covert struggle for power.

Everyone wanted more power, but the size of the cake was limited; if you ate more, others had less.

Just like the Vice Sect Leader of the Southern Region, Song Youque originally wanted to take more from the lineage headed by Zong Wenxian. However, it backfired, and Sect Leader Zong Wenxian seized the opportunity to destroy him completely.

To this day, the Southern Region is still under Zong Wenxian's control and has not been distributed.

Otherwise, without a Vice Sect Leader, handing it over to a Peak Master to manage the Southern Region would always be better than remote control.

"Everyone is helpless."

Alkaid voiced his thoughts. Stay connected through My Virtual Library Empire

"In our Heavenly Dao Sect, unless one can be as strong as the Master of Ziyang Peak, who is known as the strongest under the Shattered Void in the Heavenly Dao Sect, everyone else has to pick sides."

Chi Yu said with a bitter smile.

He then added, "But even if you join a faction, it doesn't guarantee peace of mind. Aren't the overt and covert struggles between the Four Veins' Vein Masters frequent? The Sect Leader seems to control them and handle the sect's affairs, but sometimes they also draw in the strength of several Vice Sect Leaders to check and balance the Sect Leader, getting the interests they want."

Alkaid looked at Chi Yu and smiled, "Which lineage did the Chi Family originally belong to?"

"Originally, I was more aligned with the Heavenly Vein… but the demands from Vein Master Xiang on our Chi Family have become increasingly stringent, and the Chi Family is finding it difficult to keep up…"

Chi Yu did not hide anything.

Having heard this, Alkaid nodded but didn't show any further reaction.

Seeing this, Chi Yu understood the principle of knowing when to stop and tactfully left.

Following his departure, Alkaid waved his hand and reactivated the formation on the main peak, causing the Daoist training ground at the summit to vanish amid the swirling clouds.

After completing these tasks, Alkaid focused his mind on the Spiritual World.@@novelbin@@

Looking at the various Experience Points now listed under the [Businessman] branch…

"I wonder if it's possible to elevate my Realm to the Shattered Void level in one go."

With that thought, the Experience Points listed under the [Businessman] branch were all poured into the [Immortal Path - Refining the Void] branch.

As the Experience flowed in, the branch began to grow rapidly.

Also accompanying this were torrents of information so vast, they were difficult to measure.

However, Alkaid didn't immediately digest this influx of information but continued to focus on the growth of the [Immortal Path - Refining the Void] branch.

After a moment, he concluded.

"Not enough!"

Something had gone awry. The sale of a Dao Artifact was supposed to result in profits equivalent to 1 billion Elixirs, but the [Businessman] Experience obtained was less than he had predicted, making it insufficient to reach the Shattered Void Realm.

The progress halted at 92%.

This result was somewhat disappointing to him.

"So it seems, a single Dao Artifact only contributes just over half the progress? Moving from Refining Void to Shattered Void is equivalent to needing the profits from two Dao Artifacts?"

This was unexpected.

Yet it also made sense.

It's just unclear whether it was because the selling price of his Dragon Steed Flying Boat was too low, which led to a low profit evaluation and, therefore, fewer [Businessman] Experience Points.

"Selling one Dragon Steed Flying Boat within the Heavenly Dao Sect has already provoked various probes. If I sell another Dao Artifact…"

Alkaid shook his head.

Deals involving Dao Artifacts at the Hollow Void Realm inherently carry too much risk.

And with his behind-the-scenes manpower cost as a Fifteenth Level Artifact Refiner, transactions not counted in the billions wouldn't really yield much [Businessman] Experience.

"It looks like I'll have to take the Heavenly Casualty War Hall to hunt Demons to make up for the 8% progress gap from Refining Void to Shattered Void."