If the bow worked, he’d just snagged the bargain of a lifetime; if it didn’t, he wouldn’t be out much. A piece that size held plenty of material either way.

The auctioneer exhaled in relief when someone finally bid. Only then did the rest of the room notice Ye Liuyun, and every gaze branded him a sucker.

No one contested him. The bow was his.

He ignored the snickers, passed the huge weapon to Tong Xin and Qiong Qi inside his spatial world, told them what was up, and left them to study or restore it while he kept his eyes on the auction block.

Next came several true-tier eight- and nine-star weapons and treasures; private-boxes erupted in frantic bidding.

Ye Liuyun had crates of such gear—none of it could scratch his current physique—so unless something truly odd appeared he stayed bored.

But the crowd was warmed up, so the auctioneer whipped out a nine-star marrow-blessing pill.

"Refined by Master Lin Feng of Void Pill Sect—nine-star true tier. Tempering soul, bloodline, flesh and core in one shot; one pill equals four..."

While the man sang its praises Ye Liuyun scanned the boxes with golden pupils to see who cared. After a circuit he realized almost everyone he’d marked earlier was shifting forward in their seats—even floor-level cultivators who couldn’t afford it looked ready to drool.

So when the opener was called at a hundred units of primal source energy Ye Liuyun jumped first:

"Three-fifty."

The room froze.

"Did he say three hundred fifty?"

"Who hikes several-fold in one go?"

None present had ever seen bidding like it.

The stunned auctioneer double-checked: "Young master—three hundred fifty?"

"Correct," Ye Li-yun answered flatly.

The man swallowed; incremental pushes rarely lifted this pill past three-thirty. Still, no rule broken—and with closing time near this novelty might even spice things slow—so he accepted it.

Complaints erupted instantly:

"Sabotage! Who jumps straight to top dollar?" barked an old unity-seventh elder from box seven.

"I haven’t broken any rule," Ye Liuyun shot back. "Pay up and it’s fair."

A woman icily added: "Bidding like that is just barring us out." Threat laced every syllable.

"Anyone who can pay is welcome," he shrugged.

She fell silent—but through golden eyes Ye Liuyun saw murder flash as she dispatched a retainer from her box; tailing him next, no doubt.

Then a He family scion chimed in: "You’ve already swept half our pills—why muscle in on marrow pills too? Overdose won’t help you; you’re just wrecking play!"

“You’re clearly not bidding in good faith,” Ye Liuyun drawled. “Why don’t you just drop out and let us start the Marrow Washing Pill over?”

Too lazy to waste breath on the idiot, Ye Liuyun turned straight to the auctioneer

“Is this auction continuing or not? Or are you afraid the price might climb too high and you’d rather not sell

These fools keep shouting and disrupting the sale—are you going to do something about it or not?”

The auctioneer, stung by the rebuke, knew Ye Liuyun was right. He immediately ratified the bid; it had already met his reserve, so there was no reason to refuse

Besides, he was fed up with these people trying to annul a price they didn’t like—the final say wasn’t theirs. He warned the hall once more not to interfere with the proceedings, then called for any higher offers.

The instant the hammer were confirmed, the entire floor erupted. Everyone started speculating about Ye Liuyun’s identity.

“Who is that guy? Loaded...”

“He’s already scooped up quite a few items tonight.”

In a heartbeat Ye Liuyun became the center of attention; every eye tracked his private booth.

Young Master He’s face was thunderous as he glared at that curtained window, eyes blazing. His name was He Lingwu, son of an inner-court elder of the main He branch; he’d skipped every earlier lot just for this pill

The Marrow-Cleansing Pellet was vital to him—it could accelerate his cultivation and give him an edge in the upcoming family trials.

The He clan would soon select disciples at early-to-mid Unity Realm for entry into their secret training realm. He Lingwu had aimed for first place and formal promotion to inner disciple—until Ye Liuyun ruined it.

“Kid—what family are you from?”

Though warned against disturbing the sale, he couldn’t hold back; he knew no auction house would dare touch a scion of House He.

Ye Liuyun couldn’t be bothered answering; he simply waited for the gavel.

Ignored again, He Lingwu smashed his teacup in rage and sent a bodyguard out of his box—clearly ordered to tail Ye Liuyun afterward.

“Hmph—courting death,” Ye Liuyun muttered inwardly, unconcerned; even if they all ganged up on him he could handle it.

Suddenly a brawny officer burst into laughter. “I’m Yu Wenqiang, commander of this city’s garrison—and I badly need that pill.”

He raised a palm-sized orb swirling with primal energy. “I’ll add one unit of source power on top of your bid. How about letting me have it... little brother?”

The hall fell silent at once; no one dared whisper anymore.

Looks like this commander carries serious weight here—plenty intimidating... thought Ye Liuyun with an inward sigh: Ahhh...

Everyone assumed fear had won and that he would yield—but instead he drawled lazily toward dais:

“You call yourself an auctioneer yet can’t keep order? If you can’t control your own stage then step aside and let someone who can! What kind of circus are you running here?”