Chapter 279 – The Inheritance of Ancient Blade Arts

Wanbao Auction House, Third Floor.

There was only one auction hall here.

Within Wanbao Auction House, there were eleven auction halls in total. The first floor contained seven, the second floor had three, and the third floor only had this single one.

This was because there were too few treasures worthy of being auctioned on this level, making just one auction hall sufficient.

Yet this particular auction hall was the largest in the entire Wanbao Auction House. While its capacity of 888 guest seats might not seem extravagant—even fewer than other auction halls—it also featured 111 private suites. Each suite was equivalent in size and specifications to a presidential suite. Having them all concentrated in one auction hall was truly remarkable.

These suites were mostly reserved, each permanently booked by major Families or powerful factions, serving as their designated spots whenever they attended auctions.

Of course, a few suites remained unclaimed, usually left vacant and only prepared when necessary to accommodate special distinguished guests, ensuring they received proper treatment.

Su Ming was assigned one of these typically unused suites. He sat before the floor-to-ceiling window facing the auction hall, leaning back against the sofa with a quite attractive attendant ready to serve him at any moment—the treatment was almost too good to be true.

“This window must be specially made, right? People outside can’t see in here?”

Su Ming asked with interest while eating grapes from the fruit platter the attendant had placed before him.

“Yes,” the attractive attendant replied with a warm smile. “From inside, you can see everyone in the auction hall, but those outside cannot see in. If Young Master Wang is interested in bidding later, you can directly use the alchemical device beside you—it’s specially designed for placing bids.”

“This one?” Su Ming picked up an alchemical device from the small table nearby.

It was about palm-sized, oval-shaped, resembling a small microphone.

“You don’t need to hold it. Just press the switch, and Young Master Wang’s voice will be transmitted through it, heard by the auctioneer and everyone in the auction hall.”

The attendant pointed her slender finger at a small switch on the alchemical device, reminding Su Ming.

Whether intentional or not, the attendant leaned in particularly close, bending so low that a generous expanse of snowy white skin became dazzlingly visible from her collar.

Unfortunately, Su Ming didn’t even glance at it.

“Alright, I’ll try it if there’s an opportunity later.”

As if having lost interest in the alchemical device in his hand, Su Ming casually set it aside, his gaze remaining fixed outside.

A trace of disappointment inevitably surfaced in the attendant’s eyes.

Clearly, she had some particular intentions.

After all, those who could come to the third floor to participate in auctions were either wealthy, noble, or powerful—essentially the cream of the crop among eligible bachelors, the diamond-tier catches. Catching any one of them would ensure a lifetime free from want.

Su Ming appeared so young, yet noble like a prince, mysterious with a touch of audacity, elegant yet carrying a hint of recklessness. In the eyes of these young women, his appeal was absolutely overwhelming.This receptionist had gone through considerable effort and extensive preparation to secure the task of attending to Su Ming, trampling all the other flirtatious rivals beneath her.

Yet, Su Ming showed little interest in her, leaving the receptionist feeling quite disheartened.

In truth, Su Ming was not unaware of the receptionist’s subtle advances.

They were so obvious that she might as well have made a direct move. If Su Ming still hadn’t noticed, he might as well compete for the role of a light novel protagonist.

But Su Ming genuinely had no interest.

For one, he was rather averse to such purpose-driven advances.

For another, his standards had been raised by women like Xu Qianqian, An Zijin, and Yun Langyue, who were nearly perfect in his eyes. Though this receptionist was quite attractive, she was at best an 80 out of 100, slightly inferior even to Jiang Wanyu and Yao Beibei, who scored above 90, let alone those near-perfect enchantresses.

Even Bai Ruxiang, Wang Yihan, Bai Xuefei, Xu Xiayan, and Bai Xiaoyan were leagues ahead of her. As for someone like Little Hai’er, she was a peerless beauty not of this world—perfection wasn’t even enough to describe her. Spending his days surrounded by such exquisitely refined women, how could Su Ming possibly be captivated by someone of this caliber?

If her intentions had been pure, it might have been different.

After all, men being men, even with the best by their side, if a wildflower throws herself at them—as long as she isn’t hideous enough to traumatize society—they might entertain a few fleeting, mischievous thoughts.

But her motives were impure, and that alone was enough for Su Ming to dismiss her. He was a man firmly convinced that women would only hinder his growth, so the outcome was predictable.

Thus, Su Ming completely ignored the receptionist’s subtle hints and her resentful gaze, instead watching the auction hall outside with keen interest.

The auction was about to begin. Seats outside were gradually filling up, and he believed the private rooms were also being occupied.

Even the auctioneer had arrived and taken the stage early.

Almost everyone in the hall was watching the auctioneer, their eyes blazing with intensity.

Su Ming, too, had been captivated by her from the start, inwardly marveling.

“This Wanbao Auction House really knows how to put on a show.”

Why did he say that?

Simple.

The auctioneer standing on the stage was simply too eye-catching.

She was a woman so mature and alluring—more enchanting and captivating than women like Xu Xiayan, Bai Ruxiang, or Bai Xuefei, even more bewitching than Yun Langyue, with a charm so profound it seemed almost otherworldly.

Dressed in an elegant gown, she resembled a noble lady attending an upper-class ball. A faint smile graced her lips, and her beautiful eyes shimmered like autumn waters, as if perpetually sending flirtatious glances that made one’s heart itch.

As the hall filled and the auction’s start time arrived, this exquisitely mature beauty spoke with impeccable timing.

“Welcome, everyone, to the Wanbao Auction House. I am Qin Qing, the Chief Auctioneer here.”

The woman who introduced herself as Qin Qing smiled warmly as she made her introduction, causing many to feel their bones go weak.

And that was no exaggeration—they truly did.Because Qin Qing’s voice was exceptionally sweet and coquettish. Once it sounded, it felt as if she herself was whispering softly and delicately by your pillow, making your heart race, your blood boil, and even your consciousness momentarily unclear. The whole person would become dazed and confused, unable to distinguish day from night.

Listening to such a voice not only easily stirs excitement but also makes one prone to losing rationality.

Su Ming had reason to believe that if this woman pitifully called out something like “Is there anyone else?” then even those who originally intended to give up would instantly feel a surge of passion and subconsciously continue bidding.

“If she isn’t the Chief Auctioneer, then I don’t know who is.Su Ming couldn’t help but complain.

This Wanbao Auction House indeed had some tricks, being able to find such talent—no wonder they could grow their business so large.

In the auction hall, some wealthy young masters even seemed to have come specifically for Qin Qing. When they heard Qin Qing speak, they became extremely excited and exhilarated.

“Chief Qin! I’m here again!”

“Do you remember me? Chief Qin!”

“I haven’t missed a single auction you’ve hosted!”

“I love you! Chief Qin!”

A group of wealthy young masters excitedly shouted, with some even confessing their love on the spot, heating up the atmosphere to an extreme, much like a fan meet-up.

Strangely, the onlookers watching this scene seemed already accustomed to it, remaining expressionless, and even their own gazes toward Qin Qing were filled with infatuation.

In response, Qin Qing still wore an unwavering smile.

“Thank you all for your support. Since everyone is so enthusiastic and eager, let’s not delay any further and begin right away.”

Qin Qing’s voice was sweet and natural, effortlessly steering the heated atmosphere toward the main theme of the auction. She firmly controlled the mood of the venue, forcing even the somewhat frenzied wealthy young masters to suppress their excitement and sit down.

“Interesting.”

Su Ming watched all this and muttered to himself.

This Qin Qing really had something special.

As Su Ming admired her, the auction began.

Initially, Su Ming felt like he was just watching a show, completely detached from the atmosphere of the auction.

But the moment the auction started, Su Ming was caught off guard.

“Today’s first auction item is quite interesting.”

Qin Qing spoke as if chatting casually, reaching out to retrieve an item from the jade shelf beside her.

It was an ancient book.

“This is a combat technique book recording an Ancient Blade Art, suspected to have been passed down from a very ancient Family. It is recorded completely, without any omissions, and can be fully regarded as a complete Legacy.”

Qin Qing gently stroked the ancient book in her hand with her jade-like fingers, and with her opening words, she astonished the representatives of the major Families and factions present.

“It’s actually a complete Legacy of Ancient Blade Art?”

“If we buy it back, wouldn’t it serve as a future Legacy for the Family, enhancing the Family’s foundation?”

“What a treasure!”

Many people from major Families and factions, on another level, began to gaze with fervent eyes.

Even Su Ming in the private booth couldn’t help but blink in surprise.

“Really? Starting off with something this intense?”

What is most important to those Family factions?

First, Bloodline.

Second, Legacy.

The importance of Bloodline is self-evident and needs no further explanation.A sufficiently significant Legacy is also the foundation upon which a Family establishes itself.

Sorcerers rely on a variety of Spirit Arts in combat.

Hunters depend on flexible and versatile combat techniques.

If a profound, unique combat art is passed down within a Family as a Legacy, countless generations of descendants would benefit.

Combat techniques are inherently meant to directly enhance one’s strength.

Just imagine, if someone masters a powerful combat art from the very beginning, how could anyone else possibly compete with them?

If one’s combat skills are not as profound or powerful as another’s, they are bound to be overwhelmed.

Wasn’t it Gao Xu’s mastery of the Blade Art that earned him fame in Longyao City, even earning him the reputation of being able to hold his own against Five-Star Professionals?

However, Gao Xu’s Blade Art was something he developed on his own. Compared to the Legacies that have been studied, refined, and practiced for generations by the great Families and major factions in Tianfeng City, it pales in comparison.

If it weren’t for Longyao City’s remote location and the lack of substantial heritage among its Families, Gao Xu would never have been regarded as a so-called Great Master of the Blade Art.

The Demon Blade Art that Su Ming mastered was also highly regarded in Longyao City, but it was something that could be casually found in the Academy’s Archive. It was clear that it could only shine in Longyao City; in Tianfeng City, it would likely fall far behind the truly powerful Legacies held by the Family Hunters.

“A complete Ancient Blade Art Legacy?”

Su Ming felt a faint stirring of desire.

And naturally, he wasn’t the only one feeling this way.

Qin Qing, with her captivating eyes, glanced around the hall, observing the fervent gazes of the representatives from the great Families and major factions. With a graceful smile, she began the auction.

“The first item up for auction is an ancient book containing the Ancient Blade Art Legacy.”

“Starting bid: 10,000 Contribution Points.”

“You may now place your bids.”

Upon hearing this, Su Ming nearly cursed aloud in his private booth.

“Damn, the starting bid alone is higher than the price of any of the alchemical weapons we painstakingly collected and sold?”

Was this the level of items on the Third Floor?

He was speechless.

Those who could attend this auction were undoubtedly either wealthy or influential. Hearing the starting bid, they began placing offers without the slightest hesitation.

“11,000!”

“12,000!”

“14,000!”

“15,000!”

“18,000!”

“20,000!”

Bids rang out one after another.

Even the private booths joined in with their offers.

“25,000!”

“30,000!”

“35,000!”

Amidst the steady, authoritative, composed, and resolute voices, the price of the Ancient Blade Art Legacy soared, quickly surpassing 40,000 Contribution Points.

Su Ming had a few choice words in his mind but wasn’t sure if he should voice them.

Good grief, in less than a minute, the price of the item he had his eye on was already close to half the total value of the pile of alchemical weapons he had sold.

This made Su Ming, who had thought he’d made a fortune and wouldn’t have to worry about Contribution Points for a while, suddenly feel, “Ah, so I’m still quite poor after all.”

But he truly wanted this Ancient Blade Art.He was a hastily trained Hunter, having only become one recently. Combat techniques had always been his weak point, and it wasn’t until he mastered a Demon Blade Art that he managed to somewhat compensate for it.

Although the Demon Blade Art seemed highly regarded, in reality, during several high-level battles, Su Ming had never once gained an advantage by relying on this art.

When it came to combat skills, he was ultimately far weaker than those veteran Hunters who had trained for many years.

This weakness would be magnified infinitely now that he had arrived at Tianfeng City, a Human Sanctuary with numerous legacies and profound foundations.

Therefore, Su Ming urgently needed a truly advanced combat technique to fill his weakness and elevate his combat skills.

At the very least, he couldn’t lag too far behind those from the great Families.

Otherwise, his advantage of challenging opponents above his level with numerous special abilities might be overturned by the skills of the Great Masters of advanced combat techniques in Tianfeng City.

That simply wouldn’t do!

“50,000!”

Finally, Su Ming could hold back no longer.

Let the bidding begin!

He refused to believe that, with a Golden Finger capable of producing countless Extraordinary Items, he could still be stumped by Contribution Points!

(End of Chapter)