BTTH: Starting With Auctioning Green Lotus Core Flame

Bing Shuang shifted her gaze to Bai Ling, and after a brief exchange of looks, they decided to report the situation to the Pavilion Master.

Li Xiao didn't object. If Gu Qing Yang was coming with more wealth to give, why would he stop him? Although the auction had already started, Gu Qing Yang was representing Gu Xun'er, not himself, so it wasn't technically against the rules.

In a hurry, Gu Qing Yang reached the back entrance of the Heaven Ascending Pavilion. The auction was already at its peak, with the bidding price for the God Seal Technique climbing to four million Spirit Coins.

Gu Xun'e nearly exhausted her Spirit Coins reserve. If she couldn't secure additional funds, the secret technique of her clan might slip through her fingers.

Led by Niu Meng, Gu Qing Yang rushed into the private room, bringing out all the Dou Techniques and Methods he had brought with him. "Xun'er, quickly, continue bidding."

Seeing Gu Qing Yang's arrival, Gu Xun'er sighed in relief. It was a timely rescue, pulling them out of a dire situation.

Ling Ying quickly bowed deeply. In the presence of Gu Qing Yang, he was nothing more than a minor character; with a mere flick of a finger, Gu Qing Yang could crush him.

However, Gu Qing Yang didn't bother responding to Ling Ying. He wasn't worth his time.

Meanwhile, in another private room, Protector Wu of the Hall of Souls was grinning from ear to ear. He had been the one to offer the current bid of four million Spirit Coins, fully confident that the God Seal Technique would soon be in their hands!

It seemed that no one could rival them now, and his laughter filled the room.

"Jie jie jie, once the Hall of Souls obtains the God Seal Technique, the Gu Clan's dominance will be finished. Jie jie..."

Guardian Wu flattered Zhai Xing, "Congratulations, Heavenly Venerate! Once we have this, the Hun Clan will surely unify the entire Dou Qi Continent."

"Haha, Protector Wu, no need for such formalities. I will definitely report today's success to the Hall Master, and you will be handsomely rewarded."

Zhai Xing was elated. With the God Seal Technique, they could uncover the weaknesses in the Gu Clan's techniques and exploit them to defeat their enemies.

In battles between top experts, even a slight miscalculation could lead to death.

Now, with the God Seal Technique, the Soul Hall would be able to devise strategies to counter the Gu Clan's powerhouses.

Gu Yuan, the Gu Clan's leader? He would be nothing to fear.

Ya Fei, the auctioneer, was about to strike her hammer to finalize the sale. She glanced around the room and asked softly, "Is there any further bidding?"

"If not, four million Spirit Coins, going once, going twice—"

"Five million Spirit Coins!"

Just as Ya Fei was about to announce the final sale, Gu Xun'er's voice rang out from the private room on the third floor, raising the bid.

All at once, the atmosphere in the hall filled with tension. The smug smiles on the faces of the Hall of Souls' experts vanished, replaced by expressions of shock and anger.

"Who do you think you are, daring to snatch away what belongs to us? Are you looking to die?!" Zhai Xing could no longer contain his fury. He had been so close to acquiring the God Seal Technique, only for someone to swoop in and shatter his dreams!

Gu Qing Yang snorted in response, "And who do you think you are? In an auction, the highest bidder wins. Do you think you can stop others from raising their bids?"

Zhai Xing's face twisted with rage. If it weren't for the strict no-fighting rules of the Heaven Ascending Pavilion, he would have rushed over and beaten this insolent whelp to death!

Gu Qing Yang had already endured enough frustration today, and now he was being threatened by Zhai Xing from the Soul Hall. Anger that had been simmering within him boiled over, and he unleashed it all in his retort.

Gu Xun'er turned to Gu Qing Yang, her expression curious. "Uncle Yang, why is your internal energy so chaotic? I remember you have broken through to 2-Stars Dou Saint, but… You seem to be only at 1-Star Dou Saint realm and might drop even lower at any moment."

As the eldest daughter of the Gu Clan, with her awakened God-grade bloodline, Gu Xun'er had little difficulty seeing through people's cultivation realm. She could sense the remnants of a sacred, inviolable energy lingering within Gu Qing Yang's body—an energy that was stubbornly difficult to expel. 

Had Pavilion Master Li Xiao not retracted a significant portion of that energy in time, Gu Qing Yang would have already fallen back to the Dou Venerate realm.

"It's a long story," Gu Qing Yang said, gently rubbing his forehead, his face showing signs of exhaustion and deep frustration.

The bitterness in his heart was palpable—he had sacrificed so much to break through to the Two-Stars Dou Saint realm, and now he had to start over again.

Still, he didn't put the blame on Li Xiao. After all he was the one who was reckless and conceited. Having his cultivation regressed one level might look harsh, however he knew that Pavilion Master Li had been merciful toward him aplenty.

At least he hadn't fallen back to the Dou Venerate realm; otherwise, reclaiming his former strength would have been a nearly impossible task, one that might have taken a lifetime without any guarantees of success.

All this seemed like karmic retribution—something he had no choice but to accept.

Meanwhile, Zhai Xing was fuming with anger. His eyes burned red with rage as he glared at the private room where Gu Xun'er and Gu Qing Yang were.

"Wu Ying! Find out who dared to go against the Hall of Souls and snatch what we had our eyes on! I want them to pay a heavy price!!!"

"Yes, Heavenly Venerate!" Protector Wu immediately stood up and hurried out of the room, eager to discover who had the audacity to oppose the Hall of Souls.

"Five million Spirit Coins, going once!" Ya Fei announced gracefully. "Are there any higher bids?"

Zhai Xing's breathing became erratic. He had no more funds to continue bidding, whether for the God Seal Technique or the final item in the auction. He was completely tapped out.

"Five million Spirit Coins, going twice?"

"Five million Spirit Coins, going three times!" 

With a firm strike of her auction hammer, Ya Fei declared, "Congratulations to the guest in Room no. 1 for successfully winning the high-level Earth-Class Dou Technique, the God Seal Technique, for five million Spirit Coins!"

"Now, we will take a short break before the auction of our final item. The auction for the last item will begin in half an hour. We appreciate your patience."

With a graceful exit, Ya Fei left the auction stage, leaving the gathered powerful figures to mingle freely.

Zhai Xing sat in his chair, seething with frustration. He wanted to find out who had won the God Seal Technique, but he realized that anyone capable of casually bidding five million Spirit Coins must be a formidable opponent.

If the bidder turned out to be stronger than him, leaving the Northwest Region unscathed could prove difficult.

Realizing this, Zhai Xing decided to call back Protector Wu and wait until the auction was over. They would follow the bidder quietly, assess their strength, and decide on the next course of action.

If the bidder was weaker, the plan was simple: kill them and take all their treasures, including the God Seal Technique.

If the bidder was stronger, they would instead meticulously record the person's appearance and report it back to the Hall of Soul's main headquarters. Then, they would request that the Hall Master dispatch even more powerful forces to crush the opponent. It was a win-win situation for him.

"Wu Ying, gather all the Soul Hall's guardians stationed in the Northwest Region and have them wait outside the valley. After the auction ends, we will act according to my orders. Make sure to eradicate every trace of our target!"