Chapter 102: Auction Concludes, Hot Potato

Qin Xiao also knew that some words were inconvenient to speak publicly, so he didn’t dwell on it further and continued watching the auction.

Qin Xiao placed no bids on the lots that followed. Some were of no use to him; anything useful, Yun Man and Lin Shimeng already had. He saw no reason to bid.

However, the final auction item was quite good, a powerful sword technique manual, which Qin Xiao ultimately secured for four hundred fifty million.

Only the three major Sects competed for it. Once the price reached four hundred million, they no longer thought it worth the money. Their Sects already had similar techniques; they merely wanted to add to their collections, and four hundred million was their limit.

When the auction ended, the other factions left for the City Lord Manor’s banquet, another customary part of the event.

The two Luo sisters and Cang Chen also left to attend with their elders. At the banquet, everyone would flatter one another and praise the others’ disciples. Yet whenever those disciples fought the following day, no one held back. They beat one another within an inch of their lives.

Only Qin Xiao, Yun Man, and Ling Ruoxue remained in the fourth-floor room. Qin Xiao had sent Lin Shimeng to find Lin Tiancheng and tell him they might be late.

“Now that everyone here is one of us, can you tell us?”

Qin Xiao was curious too. Just what was this Black Tortoise Armor?

“No hurry. You haven’t settled the bill yet. Two billion in total—will you pay in Spirit Stones or trade items for it?”

Ling Ruoxue shook her head. He wanted information before he had even paid?

“Wait a moment, let me calculate first.”

Qin Xiao did not even have twenty million Spirit Stones on him, much less two billion. His first thought was to pay in Spirit Liquid. At thirty thousand per drop, that would take sixty-six thousand six hundred and sixty-seven drops. Far too much.

“Eldest Miss, could I pay with something else? It wouldn’t take that much Spirit Liquid, but it would be troublesome. And with so much appearing at once, wouldn’t it be hard to sell?”

Releasing that much Spirit Liquid at once might affect the market, Qin Xiao thought.

“Don’t worry about that. It’s not too much, not at all. We wouldn’t even need to sell it. Our Merchant Association could use it all ourselves.”

Ling Ruoxue had come specifically for Qin Xiao’s Spirit Liquid-how could she consider it too much? She wouldn’t even want Spirit Stones instead.

“What if there’s something better than Spirit Liquid?”

After saying this, Qin Xiao took out two Saint Origin Spirit Fruits.

“What? How do you have these things? If others knew about these, unless you hide in the Tianyuan Sect forever, you’d be captured as soon as you stepped out. You actually have two of them?”

The sight of the two Saint Origin Spirit Fruits in Qin Xiao’s hands startled Ling Ruoxue. She spoke in disbelief.

“Well, how should I put it? My master left these too. Perhaps he came across them by chance, or perhaps they were left over. I don’t know either. Would these two cover the bill?”

Qin Xiao made up an explanation. His master was dead, after all; no one could check it with him.

Qin Xiao had thought long and hard before deciding to do this. He trusted Ling Ruoxue. With her background, she probably would not rob him for two fruits. He had also saved her brother’s life, and there was her relationship with Yun Man. He decided to test the waters with these two fruits. New chapters come out on novelping . com first.

There was a risk, certainly, but not a great one. He would have more Saint Origin Spirit Fruits to sell in the future. If he could establish a connection with Ling Ruoxue, Manager Wu Li could serve as his backup contact.

“Are you sure you want to pay with these?”

Ling Ruoxue did not believe his made-up story, but she did not care. If Qin Xiao was willing to hand them over, she was willing to accept them.

“Of course. These fetch over a billion each at auction. Two for two billion is no loss to you. They would only fetch more if you put them up for auction.”

Qin Xiao handed her the two fruits.

“Fine. Since you’re being so sincere, I’ll be kind enough to tell you.”

Ling Ruoxue put the Saint Origin Spirit Fruits into her Storage Bag at once, afraid they might vanish if she hesitated. Only when she was sure they were safely stowed did she begin explaining the Black Tortoise Armor.

“This Black Tortoise Armor is one of the Four Sacred Set.”

She went straight into the explanation.

The Four Sacred Set consisted of four pieces. Legend said that activating all four together made them comparable to an Immortal Artifact. No one knew whether it was true: their last joint activation lay so far in the past that no one knew how many years had passed.

Besides the Black Tortoise Armor, the set included the Azure Dragon Crown, White Tiger Sword, and Vermilion Bird Boots. The other three had all been lost to history.

The Qilin Robe was on a par with the Four Sacred Set. It was rumored to be kept in the Supreme Heavenly Dynasty’s treasury, never bestowed on anyone.

Each piece of the Four Sacred Set was a Top Grade Dharma Treasure on its own, with auction prices starting at ten billion. Qin Xiao had picked up a bargain.

Combining the two damaged pieces into a complete Black Tortoise Armor would require a top master craftsman, whose fee alone would run into hundreds of millions. As one of the Four Sacred Set, it was exceptionally complicated to repair; an ordinary craftsman would be unable to restore it.

No one knew how the Black Tortoise Armor had been damaged. Judging by the fractures, someone seemed to have shattered it. In the present day, perhaps only the Celestial Emperor and Celestial Empress possessed such power.

An ordinary cultivator could not damage a Top Grade Dharma Treasure. With the complete Four Sacred Set, one could even trade blows with the Celestial Emperor, since the set could reach Immortal grade.

“Really? All this is leaving me stunned. If it’s so powerful, how did it end up in your hands?”

Qin Xiao was not convinced it was all that impressive. If it could trade blows with this Celestial Emperor, how had it been shattered?

“Believe it or don’t. That’s what the records say, and that’s all I’m telling you.”

Ling Ruoxue did not know the details either. That was what she had read in the records; he could believe it or not.

“Then where am I supposed to find a master craftsman like that? I can make do with the two damaged pieces, but they are still only a Middle Grade Dharma Treasure and a Low Grade Dharma Treasure. If they cannot be repaired, I do not see how I got a bargain.” Follow the newest chapters on novelping.com.

Qin Xiao said helplessly.

He had thought he could simply put the pieces together after buying them. Now they needed a craftsman to repair them? What nonsense. With his meager strength, if he handed over a treasure of this caliber for repair, would he ever get it back?

“You want it repaired? And afterward, are you sure you’d get it back?”

Ling Ruoxue naturally also thought of this point, thus teasing him.

“So we’re no better off than before. There’s nothing I can do for now. I’ll worry about it later.”

Qin Xiao knew that with his present strength, holding on to this was no blessing. Everyone would want a piece of it. He had better find the Sect Leader quickly, or he would not feel safe.

“There is a way, though. If our Immortal Dao Merchant Association sends it for repair, we can get it back. The service fee is a little steep, however.”

Ling Ruoxue said this intending to squeeze more from Qin Xiao.

“You mean you can get it repaired for me? How much?”

Qin Xiao caught her meaning. She wanted money.

“Not much. One billion, or one Saint Origin Spirit Fruit.”

Ling Ruoxue directly quoted the price.

“Why don’t you just rob me? The purchase only cost a few Spirit Stones, and now you want this much just for arranging the repair? Are you some crooked middleman?”

Qin Xiao could not accept the price. The intermediary fee alone was nearly two-thirds of what he had paid for the item, before the actual repair fee. Altogether, it would cost more than twice as much.

“Why rob you when asking is quicker? Just tell me whether you want it repaired. If not, keep it well hidden. Plenty of people know you won it. Once word spreads, even the Tianyuan Sect may not be able to protect you.”

Although Ling Ruoxue wanted to squeeze him, she was also speaking truthfully-this news would eventually leak.

“Damn. I thought I’d found a bargain. Turns out it’s a hot potato.”

Qin Xiao felt helpless. What a mess.

“So let us take it for repair. I’ll announce that the lot really is Black Tortoise Armor and that you’ve entrusted it to our Merchant Association for repairs. If it isn’t on you, you won’t be in danger, will you? Once it’s repaired, you’ll have its protection and won’t need to fear ordinary opponents. Black Tortoise Armor can even withstand Great Ascension stage attacks.”

Ling Ruoxue kept persuading him. Carrying it now did him no good. A Middle Grade Body-Protecting Dharma Treasure was useful, but it could not withstand attacks from the Soul Formation stage, let alone the Body Integration stage.

“Deal!”

In the end, Qin Xiao could only grit his teeth and agree. He gave Ling Ruoxue another Saint Origin Spirit Fruit along with both damaged pieces of the Black Tortoise Armor. He had no other choice.