Chapter Ten: Auctioning the Ring

It turned out that with the hundred storage rings he'd acquired from Old Lu, plus some materials from the stipend, Tang Yi had spent over a decade—though, thanks to his supernatural abilities, to outsiders it might have seemed as if only a single night had passed—refining twenty storage rings like the one he’d sent to auction. In the end, he used a significant amount of materials to craft a pair of Lover’s Rings. One of them was the very ring Tang Yi now wore on his hand. Not only did its storage space outsize the ones worn by Zhang Qiang and the others by a factor of ten, but it also contained five more array formations than theirs. Tang Yi had inscribed these based on the principles of the five elemental talismans—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—thus endowing the ring with five elemental spell formations. In other words, simply by wearing this ring, one could unleash the power of the five elements without using elemental talismans, no longer limited by the number of talisman papers at hand; as long as one had spiritual energy, the five elements could be summoned at will.

"Um... Brother Tang... I have a presumptuous request!" After the excitement of binding the ring had subsided, Hua Shaojie addressed Tang Yi.

"Speak plainly, no need to beat around the bush with me," Tang Yi replied, somewhat impatient.

"Do you have another ring like this? I... I’d like one more. I’ll buy it, whatever the price in spirit stones..." Hua Shaojie’s voice grew softer as he spoke.

"Another one? And why is that? Unless you give me a good reason, I won’t sell it, no matter how many spirit stones you offer," Tang Yi answered with a smile.

"Hahaha, I know why!" Ding Pengfei burst out laughing. "Brother Shaojie has been getting on famously with Gu Zhenzhen from the Ancient Spirit Sect lately. I’d wager he wants this ring to win her favor!"

"Is that true, Pengfei?" Tang Yi turned and asked Lü Zhengyang.

Lü Zhengyang nodded with a grin, leaving Hua Shaojie’s face flushed red, and he wished he could sink into the ground.

"Haha, so it’s true! That’s a good thing. Here, consider this my gift to my future sister-in-law!" Tang Yi laughed heartily and handed another ring to Hua Shaojie.

"This... Is it really alright to accept it for free? How many spirit stones do you want?" Hua Shaojie took the ring but hesitated, wanting to pay for it.

"What?" Tang Yi’s face changed. "Are you saying we aren’t brothers? If you really think that, then give me eighty or a hundred thousand top-grade spirit stones. Remember, only top-grade!"

"Uh... then I’ll accept it gratefully." Hua Shaojie put away the ring, deeply grateful to Tang Yi. The other four felt the same. Clearly, Tang Yi’s plan to win their loyalty was beginning to work.

"Alright, all the dishes are here. Let’s eat! Tomorrow we’ll head to the auction together and see what treasures we might find," Tang Yi said, seeing that the meal had been served.

The next day, the clock in the main hall of Moonview Tower pointed exactly to nine in the morning.

No one knew how Tang Yi had managed to procure a pair of sunglasses, but paired with his Song-style attire, he looked bizarrely out of place.

"Let’s go!" With a grand gesture, Tang Yi led Zhang Qiang, Liu Mingde, and Hua Shaojie, along with their newest addition, Gu Zhenzhen, making a party of seven as they set off in high spirits for the "No Regrets" Auction House.

Upon reaching the entrance, the proprietor, Bu Bailai, spotted Tang Yi and at once greeted him with a beaming smile.

"Welcome, welcome! Team Leader Tang, your presence truly graces our humble establishment!" Bu Bailai flattered him enthusiastically.

"Enough with the flattery. Give me something useful. Do you have any VIP seats? Get us seven or eight, we’ll have a seat," Tang Yi replied, unimpressed.

"Of course, certainly, we have plenty! Please, follow me." Bu Bailai ushered Tang Yi and his group into the auction hall.

Under Bu Bailai’s guidance, they entered the largest VIP room in the hall, directly facing the auction platform. Tang Yi observed that the auction hall was constructed with a spatial array, allowing it to hold nearly five hundred people at once, not counting the VIP rooms. The VIP room itself also used a spatial array; from the outside, it looked as if it could only fit a dozen people, but upon entering, it could accommodate thirty without feeling crowded.

Facing the auction stage, the VIP room was fitted with a standard cultivators’ viewing mirror, which allowed the occupants to observe the proceedings on stage clearly, despite the distance, and to watch the entire hall if they wished.

After about half an hour, the viewing mirror revealed that most guests had arrived. During this time, Bu Bailai also welcomed several groups into other VIP rooms.

At Tang Yi’s request, the first items up for auction were his three rings. Payment was to be settled immediately, as Tang Yi himself was eager to hunt for treasures at this auction.

The auction began.

"Fellow Daoists, let’s keep this brief. The first lot today is this set of three rings," Bu Bailai himself took to the stage, presenting the three golden rings in a flawless jade box.

The audience buzzed with curiosity, speculating about the nature of the rings.

"These are all storage rings!" The moment Bu Bailai announced this, the hall erupted in commotion, including the occupants of the VIP rooms.

"Everyone, please quiet down and let me finish," Bu Bailai raised a hand to calm the crowd. "These three rings are not just ordinary storage rings. Please listen as I explain their features in detail, and you may ask questions afterward."

He then went over the specifications of the rings. The stir in the hall grew even greater.

"Please, one question at a time! Otherwise, I can’t answer properly," Bu Bailai called out, amplifying his voice with a sound-transmission stone. Someone from VIP Room Five spoke up.

"Manager Bu, can you vouch that the storage space is truly as large as you claim? What guarantees do you offer?" the guest asked.

"Rest assured, dear guest. The No Regrets Auction House has been in business for ten thousand years. Though we may not be the largest, our reputation is second to none. On the strength of our ten-thousand-year standing, I guarantee that these three rings perform exactly as described. If not, you will be refunded in full, and you may tear down our signboard," Bu Bailai replied confidently.

"Good!" Satisfied with Bu Bailai’s pledge, the crowd put their doubts aside for the moment.

"Very well, let the auction begin. At the consigner's request, the starting price for each ring is five hundred top-grade spirit stones. Please bid now!" Bu Bailai announced the official start.

Though the starting price was high, if the rings truly performed as described, they were well worth it.

Of course, there was some hesitation over the first ring, as not everyone was convinced such a ring would actually be sold. In the end, the first was won by the guest in VIP Room Five for two thousand top-grade spirit stones, paid on the spot, and the ring was delivered to him.

The rest of the hall waited eagerly for the guest’s appraisal. In the heavy silence of a few minutes, the entire auction was tense with anticipation. Finally, the guest spoke.

"It is indeed the real thing. The No Regrets Auction House truly lives up to its ancient reputation." After binding the ring, the guest confirmed that its capabilities matched Bu Bailai’s description. Everyone’s eyes lit up, and many regretted not bidding earlier, for the next two rings were sure to fetch sky-high prices.

"Now then, let’s proceed with the auction of the second ring," Bu Bailai announced, his face alight with excitement.