Chapter 274: The Black Hengjing War Bow

Chapter 274: The Black Hengjing War Bow

Ji Xinghuo found a seat in the auction hall of the Qizhen Auction House and kept glancing up at the screens.

The bidding for the Fungal Giant Incarnate continued to rise.

Although the increments were small, with each new bid only increasing by one Aether Water Crystal, after several bids, it had reached 50 crystals.

"Fifty crystals!"

Even Ji Xinghuo found this a little unbelievable.

On Earth, this would be equivalent to one billion Asia Dollars. Back then, the total value of what he had paid his teammates to obtain the Starfall Exotic gene-recombination wouldn't even amount to ten billion, yet now, a single Incarnate Exotic was already worth much more.

It seemed that this Fungal Giant Incarnate Exotic was as good as a Starfall Exotic to those who needed it.

At that moment, he overheard the discussions of those around him.

"The quality of the Exotic is exceptional!"

"Indeed!"

"I haven't seen such a fine Fungal Giant Incarnate in many years. All five abilities are useful, and it even includes two Transcendent Exotics."

"It must be from a Disaster-level Fungal Giant."

"I wonder who it is that's willing to put this up for auction? It's a pity I don't have enough Aether Crystals, or I would've taken a chance as well."

Ji Xinghuo listened to the chatter, most of which revolved around the Fungal Giant Incarnate.

Everyone was astonished.

A high-quality Transcendent Exotic like this was almost as rare as a Starfall Exotic, and even at the Qizhen Auction House, one would only appear once every few years.

If handled well, it could sell for several times its current price.

Of course, not everyone agreed, as the success rate of fusing with an Incarnate Exotic was extremely low, far lower than that of regular Exotics, and thus, some believed it wasn't worth such a high price.

Ji Xinghuo listened quietly without joining in.

Although selling this Incarnate Exotic seemed a bit hasty, he wouldn't regret it as long as he could exchange something useless to him for enough Aether Crystals.

On the screen, the current bid stopped at 55 Aether Crystals, and it remained unchanged for a long while.

The auction countdown continued.

Ji Xinghuo wasn't anxious at all. There was a pattern to the Qizhen Auction House—for highly sought-after treasures, the price would definitely surge just before the auction's end. The true bidders were merely testing the waters with their initial offers.

There would undoubtedly be fierce competition in the final moments before the auction ended.

There might even be a last-minute bid to snatch the victory!

Ji Xinghuo returned to the hotel for a nap. When he woke up, he took out the Everday Badge to check the auction information. There were still five stellar hours left, and the current price for the Incarnate Exotic was 58 Aether Crystals, which hadn't increased much.

He calmly washed up and had his meal before heading to the cultivation room in the hotel.

Having barely cultivated in the half-star realm month on Diyu Star, his stellar power had barely increased. Now that he was back in the City of Everday, he couldn't slack off.

Several hours later, as he was immersed in his cultivation, the auction entered its final ten minutes.

Only then did Ji Xinghuo return to the Qizhen Auction House.

Looking up at the screen, he saw: "Current Price: 63 Aether Crystals. Time Remaining: 8 Stellar Marks 46 Stellar Breaths."

In the auction hall, most people were staring at the screen, their gazes fixed on the line of information about the Incarnate Exotic.

As the time ticked down, the auction atmosphere grew more fervent.

"One stellar mark left!"

Someone shouted, and almost simultaneously, the price for the Incarnate Exotic refreshed. It soared from 63 Aether Crystals to 75 Aether Crystals!

This bidder had increased the price by 12 Aether Crystals in one go, a larger increment than the past seven or eight hours combined.

However, the highest bid changed again immediately.

"80 Aether Crystals."

It only held for two or three seconds before someone else bid, changing it to 81 Aether Crystals.

"83, 85, 88..."

Every few seconds, the current price would increase, and when there were only 30 stellar breaths left, the price reached 90 Aether Crystals!

Then, the bidding stopped.

However, everyone in the hall knew that this wasn't the end. The vast auction hall fell silent as all eyes remained glued to the screen, breaths held in anticipation. As the countdown entered the final 10 stellar breaths, 10, 9, 8... with only 3 stellar breaths left, the price changed suddenly.

Moreover, within these last two or three seconds, the current price changed several times.

Finally, the auction time ended.

"Current Price: 120 Aether Crystals!"

The auction hall erupted in exclamations, and people began discussing animatedly. Some envied the seller for getting a sky-high price for a single Transcendent Exotic, while others thought it wasn't worth it, creating a ruckus akin to a vegetable market.

Ji Xinghuo stood in the crowd, his expression neutral, looking like an ordinary person from the highlands.

However, he was just as surprised as everyone else on the inside.

120 Aether Crystals!

This price far exceeded his expectations, surpassing them by several times.

In the last two or three seconds of the auction, he had clearly seen the price changes. The second-to-last price was 100 Aether Crystals, and the final winner had directly increased the bid by 20 Aether Crystals, showing how determined they were to obtain the Incarnate Exotic.

If only one person wanted it, the final selling price wouldn't be so high, but with two fierce competitors, he would profit handsomely.

"I've struck gold!" Ji Xinghuo exclaimed. He took out his Everday Badge to check, and indeed, the Aether Crystals had been transferred to his account.

After deducting the service fee, he now had 108 Aether Crystals in his account at the Qizhen Auction House. He could either withdraw them or use them to bid for other treasures.

As for the Incarnate Exotic, the winner of the auction would have to collect it themselves.

The seller and buyer wouldn't need to interact, maximizing the safety and anonymity of both parties, which was one of the reasons why the Qizhen Auction House was trusted by so many.

Ji Xinghuo went to the auction house's bank and deposited 52 Aether Crystals into his personal account, accumulating a total of 160 crystals, which he planned to use to bid for the Heaven Treasure Diamond.

He kept the remaining 15 Aether Crystals on hand as a reserve.

Then, he took a seat in the auction hall.

In another two or three stellar hours, the Jingying Clan would release a new batch of auction items, and for now, most of the screens in the hall were blank.

"One hundred and sixty Aether Crystals isn't quite enough," Ji Xinghuo mused to himself. Based on past auctions, the starting bid for the Heaven Treasure Diamond set by the Jingying Clan was typically 55 Aether Crystals plus 100 Everday Merit Points, but the final selling price could reach as high as 200 Aether Crystals or even 500 Merit Points.

If one were to win the bid using Everday Merit Points, the price could soar to over 1,400 points.

Ji Xinghuo's plan was not to compete in terms of Aether Crystals but to outbid others with Merit Points, offering an astronomical price that would instantly defeat his competitors.

If he had any surplus, he could also bid on other treasures.

Gradually, more and more Everday Guardians arrived at the Qizhen Auction House, filling the hall to capacity, and even the square outside was bustling with people.

Bang!

A sound rang out from above the auction hall, signaling that the auction was about to begin.

Simultaneously, the screens inside and outside the hall refreshed to display a new batch of treasures, filling up the previously blank screens.

"Heaven Treasure Diamond!"

"Three of them!"

Most people immediately noticed the top few lines of information, which all read: "Heaven Treasure Diamond, Quantity: 1, Starting Bid: 55 Aether Crystals + 100 Everday Merit Points, Current Bid: None, Time Remaining: 50 Stellar Hours."

Each line represented a single Heaven Treasure Diamond.

Without bothering to look at the other auction items, Ji Xinghuo had already selected the third line using his Everday Badge and placed his bid.

Many Everday Guardians in the hall were busy placing their bids.

On the screens, the current prices for the three Heaven Treasure Diamonds kept changing, but after a few seconds, people noticed that the information on the third line remained unchanged.

Current Bid: 60 Aether Crystals + 1500 Everday Merit Points.

"Wow..."

The entire auction house erupted in a frenzy. Those who were in the middle of placing bids or checking information stared at the screens in shock.

"Who is that?"

"Which Everday Guardian has gone crazy, offering so many merit points all at once? Are they insane?"

"Damn it!"

"I can't compete with that. No one can outbid 1,500 merit points."

Many people couldn't help but exclaim in various languages, while others stomped their feet in frustration or cursed aloud. However, there was no way to know who had placed the bid, so they could only give up on that particular Heaven Treasure Diamond and compete for the remaining two instead. Instantly, the bidding for the other two diamonds became even more intense.

Ji Xinghuo waited for a few minutes, and his bid remained untouched, still displayed at the top.

Only then did he feel relieved.

Among all the Everday Guardians, there probably weren't more than ten people who could offer 1,500 merit points or more. And those who could afford this price most likely already had Heaven Treasure Diamonds, so even if they were bidding to give it to someone else or to resell it elsewhere, they wouldn't compete with him.

With such a substantial amount of Everday Merit Points, there was no need to vie for the same treasure; bidding for the other two diamonds would be a wiser choice.

Otherwise, they might end up with mutual losses.

The prices of the other two Heaven Treasure Diamonds were already quite high, with the bids exceeding 100 Aether Crystals + 150 Everday Merit Points.

Moreover, they might have been spurred on by Ji Xinghuo's bold move, as the bids kept rising.

As for the third diamond, the price remained unwavering.

"Hehe..."

Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but smile to himself, feeling proud of his strategy. Only then did he turn his attention to the other auction items.

Besides the Heaven Treasure Diamonds, the Jingying Clan had also put up various Exotics, weapons, equipment, and technological knowledge for auction. Ji Xinghuo had initially been interested in the technological knowledge, but upon closer inspection, he realized that it wasn't much more advanced than what they had on Earth. Most likely, some Earthlings had already purchased and applied this knowledge.

"It seems the Jingying Clan's technology isn't that far ahead of Earth's. I wonder if they're holding back or if they truly haven't delved deeper into their research and development?"

Ji Xinghuo recalled his encounters with the Jingying Clan and realized that this silicon-based life form seemed to excel more in aether technology.

Unfortunately, the Jingying Clan did not sell their aether technological knowledge.

There were multiple Exotics displayed on the screens, but this time, there were no Clone Twins, nor the Permanent Magnet Superconductor and Super Overload that he needed for his professional template.

"Spirit Energy!"

Ji Xinghuo recognized one of the Exotics.

The starting price for Spirit Energy was 30 Aether Crystals + 80 Everday Merit Points, and after several rounds of bidding, the current price was 40 Aether Crystals + 120 Merit Points.

He considered it for a moment but decided not to bid.

He had plenty of Everday Merit Points, which would easily outbid any competitors, but he wanted to conserve his Aether Crystals. Moreover, if the price reached 50 Aether Crystals, it wouldn't be worth participating in the auction, and he could simply purchase it directly from the Virtual Spirit Guests.

As he continued browsing the other auction items, Ji Xinghuo's eyes lit up.

"Black Hengjing War Bow."

With his Everday Badge, he could access more detailed information about the auction items. The Black Hengjing War Bow was one of the top weapons crafted by the Jingying Clan, made from a unique composite material called "Black Hengjing." Despite not being a metal, it possessed superior performance to alloys and was combined with aether technology in its creation.

The Black Hengjing War Bow was a Super-Ability Three-Star weapon.

Its poundage, when converted to Earth units, could exceed 4,200 kilograms, and this immense poundage gave it an effective lethal range of 3,000 meters! In addition to its killing power and range, the bow's greatest advantage was its arrow speed.

It could fire supersonic arrows in the Star Realm! In other words, the arrow's flight speed exceeded 1,021 meters per second, making it extremely difficult to dodge, and a guaranteed fatal strike for anyone below the Legendary realm.

Just the astounding range and arrow speed were enough to qualify the Black Hengjing War Bow as a Super-Ability Three-Star weapon. Furthermore, the bow itself had a specific dimensional space for storing arrows, capable of holding 150 arrows. While this additional space was useless to Ji Xinghuo, it was a highly sought-after feature for other archers.

Of course, a bow with such high poundage would be challenging for a typical archer to master.

Even a Legendary being might not be able to guarantee accuracy with the Black Hengjing War Bow, but Ji Xinghuo was confident he could handle it without issue.

The starting price for the Black Hengjing War Bow was 40 Aether Crystals + 60 Everday Merit Points.

There had been bids, but they hadn't increased significantly, only reaching 45 Aether Crystals + 70 Merit Points, and for a long while, no one had raised the bid further, indicating minimal competition.

"I wonder why no one seems interested in this bow?" Ji Xinghuo mused.

He guessed that while the Black Hengjing War Bow was powerful, there probably weren't many who could afford it and make use of it, hence the lack of bidders.

After some thought, he placed a bid of 45 Aether Crystals + 300 Everday Merit Points.

Most people's attention was focused on the Heaven Treasure Diamond, and the slight change in the bow's price didn't attract much notice.

300 Merit Points were a significant amount, and with a bit of luck, one could even compete for the Heaven Treasure Diamond. It was unlikely that anyone would offer a higher amount of Merit Points just for a bow.

Ji Xinghuo participated in the bidding for two treasures and then stopped.

He had no interest in the other items.

He sat in the auction hall for over an hour, and as no one outbid him, he left the Qizhen Auction House feeling relieved. Back in the cultivation room at the hotel, he continued his cultivation, checking the bidding situation on his Everday Badge every one or two hours.

As expected, the bids remained unchanged.

The auction duration for the Black Hengjing War Bow was only 25 stellar hours, and Ji Xinghuo returned to the auction hall in the final few minutes.

The screen displayed the current price for the bow, which still showed 45 Aether Crystals + 300 Everday Merit Points.

"I wonder if anyone will swoop in at the last moment?" Ji Xinghuo thought to himself.

As the time entered the last stellar mark, he contemplated whether to increase his bid just before the auction ended, adding a few hundred more Merit Points to prevent being outbid.

However, after careful consideration, he abandoned the idea.

The Black Hengjing War Bow had a low production rate, but missing out on this opportunity didn't mean he wouldn't have another chance. The Jingying Clan released one every few months, and sometimes, it even failed to find a buyer.

"If I don't win this auction, I'll just try again next time. There's no need to compete too fiercely," Ji Xinghuo decided.

So, he remained patient and watched as the time on the screen ticked down without anyone making a last-minute bid.

"I won," Ji Xinghuo said to himself as he checked his Everday Badge and received the notification. He headed to the secret room behind the auction house and received the auction item from a King-level Jingying Clan member. It was a long box, which he opened on the spot, revealing a pitch-black war bow.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end