Chapter 18: The Bidding War

Gasps of surprise quickly grew into an angry uproar as the first three bid prices rang out from the crowd.

"Fifty-five thousand!" shouted the Verdant Lotus Clan representative, a man whose face was still flushed from his successes in the early rounds of the afternoon bidding session.

"Sixty thousand," came the cool reply from Bai Yue who took her turn to bid next.

"Sixty-five!" exclaimed the next competitor.

"Seventy," countered the representative of the Celestial Frost Sect before another independent cultivator threw in a bid of his own.

The excited chatter only grew as more cultivators entered the fray, the price rising steadily with each passing moment.

"Ninety!" shouted one of the representatives.

"Seventy-five," muttered Xu who had been watching the exchange with a bemused look on his face.

"One hundred thousand!" The Verdant Lotus Clan representative was visibly red with anger as he tried to bid once more but was met with several other cultivators all willing to outbid him.

Ao Kuiba remained still in his seat, his keen eyes locked onto the piece of bone but his heart beating faster with every rising bid.

"One hundred and twenty thousand!"

Ao Kuiba raised his hand and sent his own bid floating up towards the chamber.

"One hundred and thirty thousand."

There was a stunned hush that fell over the chamber as every single one of the bidders turned to stare at the young man in the uppermost balcony. Even Bai Yue herself looked taken aback as she took in the sight of the young man she barely knew.

"One hundred and forty thousand!"

"Good grief, now he bids more than me," muttered Xu to himself as the young man continued to raise his token with increasing bids.

"One hundred and fifty thousand!"

"One hundred and sixty thousand!"

"One hundred and seventy thousand!"

"One hundred and eighty thousand!"

"One hundred and ninety thousand!"

"Two hundred thousand!"

"Ao Kuiba raises his hand again." murmured the astonished crowd.

"Two hundred thousand!"

There was stunned silence as a single hand belonging to a certain hooded figure raised to make its mark on the auction. It was the first thing he had said or done in the entire session but the tone in which he spoke now sent shivers down the spines of the gathered cultivators who all realized at once that the mysterious figure hadn’t actually come to watch the proceedings after all.

Ao Kuiba turned to face this stranger who had joined the bidding war with startling ease and a look of amusement dancing across his golden eyes.

"Three hundred thousand."

There was stunned silence as the crowd turned to stare at the young Foundation Establishment cultivator who had just bid more than twice the amount any of them had.

The hooded figure looked him directly in the eyes. The moment had come. The moment when all this build-up would come crashing down, leaving the new competitor standing alone with no allies save for his own resources.

The murmuring began immediately as the startled cultivators took in just how much power the young man in the second story balcony had just shown with his single bid. He had the resources to throw around ridiculous sums of spirit stones with abandon and it was this fact that left many of them feeling giddy with excitement.

"You!" Bai Yue hissed as she turned to Ao Kuiba. "Who are you? Where are you from? How dare you--"

"I dare because I can," replied Ao Kuiba calmly as he turned to regard her with cool eyes. "...I think you’re angry because you lost. I think you’re upset that you can’t scare me. I think you’re afraid because you don’t know who I am."

Gasps of shock echoed around the chamber as Bai Yue recoiled from his words, momentarily stunned by the sheer audacity of them.

"You will regret this," she hissed. "...The Celestial Frost Sect does not forget its enemies."

"Good, then I don’t need to worry about being forgotten," replied Ao Kuiba.

Murmurs broke out all over the room as the gathered cultivators turned their gazes upon Ao Kuiba who now seemed to possess a strange mixture of confidence and arrogance.

"Who are you?" demanded the Verdant Lotus Clan representative, his face red with anger. "Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?"

"You’ve made enemies," replied Ao Kuiba. "I can promise you that not being memorable is not something I would ever want for anyone."

More murmuring broke out as the Verdant Lotus Clan representative began to move away in what little time was left before the bidding session was over. His disciple followed close behind, eyes wide in shock.

"You will regret this, Ao Kuiba," said Bai Yue as she rose to her feet as well. "The Celestial Frost Sect does not forget its enemies."

The murmuring continued and gradually grew louder as many of the independent cultivators rose and took their leave after realizing how absolutely outmatched they had been by the sudden arrival of this mysterious figure. Some had come just to watch while others had taken the bait and thrown their lives against a far more powerful opponent. Yet all of them had failed and none of them could leave without first acknowledging what had just transpired.

"It was quite an affair today, wasn’t it?" remarked Ao Kuiba to himself as he looked out over the clearing that surrounded the pavilliaons. The purple mist had begun to creep up the sides of the mountain as dusk approached.

The auction had finally concluded and it had all been such an amazing experience for a young Foundation Establishment cultivator to witness. He watched as his rivals left, their backs bent in what could only be described as submission. Not many would dare challenge Ao Kuiba again so soon after this fateful confrontation. He was a rising star after all, and no one wanted to be the one to take the mantle of Nascent Soul expert if they were going to face such a determined competitor.

"Master Ao Kuiba," said Madam Jiang in a composed voice as she approached him. "To the esteemed cultivator standing upon the highest balcony please come forward if you have decided to make a purchase."

Ao Kuiba rose from his seat and slowly made his way towards the main stage where the last of the treasures to be auctioned off lay. The bone fragment still shimmered with an aura of power from where it was placed atop the jade pedestal.

The fragment of ancient dragon bone was as beautiful as it was powerful. As Ao Kuiba drew closer the markings upon it pulsed in time with his heartbeat and sent a strange feeling of belonging rushing through his body.

"An impressive acquisition," remarked Madam Jiang as she observed the young man. "The Chamber humbly thanks you for your patronage."

Ao Kuiba reached into his ring and pulled out a pouch of spirit stones. He handed it over to the startled old woman.

"Three hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones?" exclaimed the bewildered Madam Jiang. "I thought you said you preferred not to carry around to much mid-grade ones..."

"I do, I just find those high-grade stones easier to store."

A smile graced Madam Jiang’s lips as she regarded the young man before her.

"Master Ao Kuiba, I suspect you will be very, very interesting in the coming years."

Ao Kuiba took the piece of ancient dragon bone from the pedestal and regarded it one last time before slipping it into his ring space. It was a strange feeling but the young man was sure that somewhere deep inside, he had found something that made life worth living.

"Interesting," he said with a smile.

---

Ao Kuiba returned to his pavilliaon, the fragment of ancient dragon bone inside his ring.

The violet mist was settling over the summit as evening drew near.

Ao Kuiba stood behind his balcony watching the other cultivators leave, some in groups and some alone. He realized that the affairs of the day had made him enemies among many of the independent cultivators but he was prepared to deal with whatever consequences arose from his bold actions.

"Good, then I don’t need to worry about being remembered," he remarked to himself as he looked over his shoulder. "Bai Yue of the Celestial Frost Sect, the Verdant Lotus Clan, the mysterious hooded figure and perhaps some others I have not yet encountered. All of you will remember me, too."

"Ah, well that certainly was quite an affair today," chuckled Ao Kuiba as he turned away from his balcony and entered his pavilliaon. "...I always thought myself very interesting but apparently no one else agrees."

Ling Xue sounded amused as she stepped up beside him.

"Well, you certainly know how to make an impression," she said with a grin.