That kick was bold and completely unfeminine. In fact, it even astonished Hoffman and the others to the extent where even Yuehua Mavis looked askance at Qiong Xi'er.

“Haha, Xi'er, don’t be disrespectful,” Qiong Shanhai berated the girl.

Qiong Xi'er smiled as she apologized, and Zhu San very casually rearranged his clothes as if he was used to such treatment.

Lu Yin admired the youth, as this guy was certainly brazen.

“The next item to be auctioned is this ancient medicinal pill, which comes from 50,000 years ago. The starting bid is one star essence, and everyone can place your bids now,” Qiong Xi'er said.

“1,000.” Hoffman was the first to speak, as their Shamrock Enterprises needed all sorts of medical pills to research.

“2,000,” Lu Yin called out, as the more things like these medicinal pills that he had, the better.

Hoffman glanced over at Lu Yin. Normally, no one would bid against him. He shifted his attention over Lu Yin for the first time this evening. “3,000.”

“4,000,” Lu Yin indifferently continued.

Hoffman frowned, but he did not raise the bid any further. His company obtained too many of these pills to count on a daily basis, and it would be a long time before they even finished researching everything currently in their possession. Thus, they did not particularly need this one. “Great Eastern Alliance Leader Lu Yin, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

Lu Yin smiled. “Shamrock Enterprises’ Western Chairman, Mr. Hoffman, I’ve also looked forward to meeting you.”

Hoffman smiled slightly, but he did not reply.

Qiong Xi'er sent someone to deliver the pill over to Lu Yin. “The next item to be auctioned is a lockbreaking tool: White Sand.”

Every item that the Qiong family brought out for this auction was extremely valuable, so there was no meaning to the starting bid. The White Sand was eventually won by Wei Rong for 3,000 star essence, and after that, a horn from the Celestial Ice Phoenix clan was brought out. This horn was able to emit a tricolored light that could dissolve battle techniques.

The Ghost Monkey kicked up a fuss, begging Lu Yin to buy it, but it was eventually won by Blaze Engineer for 6,000 star essence, and the small man looked as if he had gained the most precious treasure.

“I wonder if anyone will be interested in the next auctioned item.” Qiong Xi'er clapped her hands, and a Spiritual Thread box was brought into view.

The crowd was astonished, as this was clearly a sourcebox.

Qiong Xi'er did not have anyone open the box. Instead, she activated the screen once again, which then displayed a video of the sourcebox with a rocketing flame. The extraordinary temperature was enough to scorch the void.

“This sourcebox was already mostly unlocked by the time we discovered it, and it only requires a light touch to be finished now. Also, this sourcebox contains an ancient tinder. The might of the blaze is unclear to us, but just the high temperature of the sourcebox is able to scorch the void. If there’s a powerhouse who cultivates fire battle techniques, then they can try to use this flame,” Qiong Xi'er introduced.

The crowd stared at the screen, as this sourcebox actually contained an ancient tinder. They first thought of the Blaze Realm, as their inherited battle technique, the Karmic Flame Sword, needed to be guided by the Karmic Flame. Not many within the universe knew this secret, but there were quite a few at this banquet who were privy to this information.

Even if the ancient tinder within this sourcebox was not able to reach the same level as the Karmic Flames, it would still be very beneficial when cultivating fire-based battle techniques.

But at this moment, there was no one else who was more excited than Lu Yin, as he had wanted to obtain a powerful flame more than anyone. Doing so would allow him to cultivate by burning natural treasures and absorbing their vaporized star energy, as he had found that this cultivation method allowed him to rapidly increase his cultivation. Even if the natural treasures on Bushtree Planet were severely lacking in star energy, he still wanted to find a powerful flame as it would still be a great shortcut for him.

Qiong Xi'er had not even started the bid, but the Blaze Engineer already spoke up. “10,000.”

Quite a few people who had initially wanted to compete for this flame were stunned, as the starting bid was already 10,000 star essence. But it was no wonder, as the bidder was the Aurora Enterprises’ Chief Engineer.

“15,000,” Hoffman offered, as it seemed as though he also wanted this sourcebox.

Starfox joined the bidding. “20,000.”

“30,000,” Villa Mistress Lian said.

“40,000,” Sall Phoenix spoke up.

“45,000.”

“50,000.”

…

“80,000,” Lu Yin called out, instantly raising the price to the highest of the night.

The crowd was astonished.

Hoffman’s eyes flashed. “The younger generation will certainly surpass us in the future.”

The Blaze Engineer was astonished. “Young fellow, do you have that much money?”

Villa Mistress Lian stared at Lu Yin, completely flabbergasted. 80,000 star essence was no small sum, and even she would have to seek approval before spending such an amount, even if she was representing the Nalan family.

Lu Yin smiled. “There’s no need for Senior to be troubled. Junior can afford just 80,000.”

“The Grand Lu Auction brought in a profit of tens of thousands of star essence during its first auction, so it’s not too difficult for Alliance Leader Lu to bring out 80,000.” Wei Rong smiled.

Qiong Shanhai looked at Lu Yin with a serious expression. This person was the Great Eastern Alliance Leader? He certainly was young.

Lu Yin was very nervous, as he had only brought 50,000 star essence with him while he had another 50,000 on Zenyu Star. 80,000 was truly the upper limit of what he could afford, and if these old people continued to bid, then he would not be able to win the sourcebox.

To these monsters, was 80,000 a lot? No. Hoffman, the Blaze Engineer, Villa Mistress Lian, Sall Phoenix, and any of the powers behind them could easily take out 100,000 to 200,000 star essence, not to mention Yuehua Mavis. She could probably effortlessly bring out 1,000,000 star essence.

Hence, Lu Yin was extremely nervous at this moment.

Fortunately, no one bid against him. These great powers all had immeasurable foundations, and this strange fire was not very precious to them. Otherwise, the Qiong family would not have taken it out to auction off, which naturally meant that they had better stuff of their own.

Only when Qiong Xi'er announced that the sourcebox belonged to Lu Yin was he able to relax, but he also felt exceptionally regretful. He had already spent 84,000 star essence in this auction, and he was broke once again. This sort of flame was not something that could be easily found, which had forced him to buy it, as there was nothing more important than raising his personal strength.

“The next item to be auctioned are the Cloud Boots, which everyone may have heard of.” Qiong Xi'er smiled.

The Blaze Engineer was amazed. “A part of the ancient Cloud Outfit?”

Qiong Xi'er nodded smilingly. “That’s right.”

“The Cloud Outfit?” Lu Yin was puzzled.

Starfox, who was beside him, explained, saying, “The Cloud Outfit was a set of equipment that was discovered in some ancient sect’s ruins, and the full set included weapons as well as protective gear. According to the sect’s records, if an ordinary person puts it on, they will be able to survive attacks from any powerhouse whose power levels are below 300,000, which means it’s incredibly valuable. It’s a pity that it’s parts have been scattered.”

Lu Yin instantly understood. It was no wonder why this thing was so famous. For something to be able to defend against attacks from experts whose power levels were at 300,000, it meant that it was on the same level as his universal armor. To the majority of cultivators, a power level of 300,000 was already the peak, which meant that they would be able to preserve their lives under almost any circumstances if they obtained this Cloud Outfit.

Quite a few started to bid for the boots, and once again, it was the young aristocrats who raised the price, as they were the only ones present who needed such equipment. Finally, the Cloud Boots were purchased by Zhu San for 50,000 star essence. Unsurprisingly, the scene from before repeated itself with Qiong Xi'er viciously kicking him away once again. However, the Cloud Boots remained behind, which rendered the crowd speechless.

Lu Yin rather admired Zhu San, as it must not have been easy for this person to survive up till now.

“The next item to be auctioned is a little more special, as it’s not something physical. Instead, it’s a promise. This is the qualification to receive a divination from the Starsibyl Sect,” Qiong Xi'er introduced.

The crowd’s expressions changed: a divination from the Starsibyl Sect?

Yuehua Mavis’s eyes went wide, and she turned to look at Qiong Shanhai in astonishment.

The Blaze Engineer and Hoffman were also stunned.

The Starsibyl Sect was the most mysterious sect in the entire Human Domain. Although it might not be considered powerful, it was a sect that even ordinary people had heard of before, as the name of Starsibyl was known throughout the universe. Also, the top geniuses of the younger generation had all met one of the Starsibyls before, including the Ten Arbiters.

The transformation of the universe and the Top 100 Rankings were both related to the Starsibyl Sect. Even when the Sea King had stolen all of the pyrolyte, his actions had been uncovered by the Starsibyl Sect.

It was widely accepted that this sect could understand the past and also look into the future.

Anyone who wished to know their own future would want to ask the Starsibyl Sect for a divination. However, not even a handful were able to truly enter the Starsibyl Sect and obtain the qualification for a divination.

However, the Qiong family actually wanted to sell off something like this.

Even if the Innerverse and Outerverse were currently separated, one day, the connection between the two would be restored. Additionally, a qualification to receive a divination from the Starsibyl Sect would definitely be able to be passed down to subsequent generations, so why did these people wish to sell this?

“100,000,” Yuehua Mavis said softly.

Everyone was thrilled, as this was the highest price that had been called out during the day’s auction so far, and it was just the starting bid! Everyone looked at Yuehua Mavis with complex expressions. To this woman, money was just a number!

It was fated that nobody would bid after Yuehua Mavis spoke, as nobody dared to compete with the Mavis family when it came to money.

Qiong Xi'er smiled and passed the qualification for a divination over to Yuehua Mavis. With this, the Qiong Banquet’s auction ended, and the feast formally began.

Gorgeous and fragrant dishes were served to all the guests, and each dish was something that was difficult to find anywhere else. Even if Madam Nalan had served sumptuous and luxurious dishes to Lu Yin, he was still stunned by the dishes that were present at this banquet because this food actually had rune lines.

The raw ingredients for the food had all come from living organisms or plants that had gained their own rune lines, which was extraordinarily extravagant.

***

In Millions City, the Zhu family was second only to the powerful Qiong family. Although this top family was not very large, they had still managed to stand tall in Millions City without ever falling.

The Zhu family owned a mountain, and the region within a 10,000 mile radius of the mountain was the family’s gardens.

When the Qiong's Banquet began under the moonlight, there was a man who requested an audience with the Zhu family patriarch claiming to be—Deng Pu.

“You are Deng Pu?” In the Zhu family’s salon, the patriarch Zhu Jie was sitting as he looked at an obviously panicking man.

The man trembled and bowed in a panic. “No, I’m not.”

“Are you trying to deceive me?” Zhu Jie’s gaze became fierce.

The man instantly became even more terrified. “It- it was that person called Deng Pu who had me request to see Lord Zhu, and he said that he wanted to sell you something.”

Zhu Jie’s eyes flashed. “What thing?”

The man continued despite his terror, “He- he says you already know.”

Zhu Jie stared at the man. “The price and method of trade.”

“Two- two million star essence, to be transferred into ten Mavis Bank accounts,” the man said in a quivering voice as his entire body trembled. He had never seen two million star crystals in his entire life, let alone two million star essence. He felt terrified to even mention such a price.

But Zhu Jie remained completely calm. “Very well, my Zhu family will buy his item. You can report back to Deng Pu, but do not fool around with me! Otherwise, my Zhu family will make him understand what it means to enter truly desperate straits.”

“Yes, your humble servant understands.”

Beneath the silvery moonlight’s illumination, Millions City looked very beautiful, and it even resembled a pearl that shone through the dark heavens of the universe.

Within Millions City, Cai Jianqiang continued to search for Deng Pu, but to no avail.

Countless other people also shuttled through the dark, looking for Deng Pu.

But none of them would have thought that Deng Pu had already struck a deal with the Zhu family.

Two million star essence was not a high price. When considering a priceless treasure like True Insight, such a treasure would normally be considered priceless. However, Deng Pu was only able to ask for so much, as he was afraid that the Zhu family would do something to him if he asked for anything more.

Saul had also arrived at Millions City, but he had not gone to the Qiong's Banquet despite receiving an invitation.

He only wanted to find Deng Pu and personally eradicate that disloyal disciple of his. His hatred for Deng Pu had become irrepressible, and it even surpassed what he felt for that group of people who had attacked Sourcepeak Planet.

Twin Daemon had also arrived in Millions City, and they similarly did not participate in the Qiong's Banquet. On this night, Millions City was exceptionally sinister.