Hearing "Fourth-Order, Fifth-Order," Tong He's breathing quickened slightly. He clenched his fists and said: "Alright, Grandson will do as Grandfather says." With that, he darted off in a flash.
Watching Tong He run off in the direction he'd gone, then glancing toward the Void Land's Open Heaven cultivators patrolling the area, Shopkeeper Tong stroked his grizzled beard, his eyes glinting with a sharp, calculating light as he weighed the potential gains and losses. Though he'd said what he did to his grandson, he was in truth somewhat worried — afraid that, just as the boy had said, the Void Land might arrange for their own people to drive up the bids and buy the Heavenly Origin Correct Seal Pill back themselves.
But as he'd also said, this was truly a once-in-a-millennium opportunity. If it succeeded, grandfather and grandson alike could soar to new heights and never again have to struggle at the very bottom of this world. In life, such chances were few and far between — and if one couldn't seize an opportunity sitting right in front of them, then poverty and wretchedness were all that awaited.
Yang Kai was followed by a large contingent of Open Heaven cultivators as he inspected the Star City. His identity quickly became known, and the remaining warriors still in the city all turned their gazes his way. Groups whispered among themselves from time to time, pointing in his direction. Many young cultivators regarded him with eyes full of admiration and reverence, a thought arising unbidden in their hearts: a true man should be like this.
They were all Emperors, yet here they were grinding away for mere Open Heaven Pills, while he already commanded a territory with no shortage of Open Heaven cultivators under his banner. There was simply no comparison.
"Sect Master, are you auctioning off that Heavenly Origin Correct Seal Pill to build up momentum?" Lu Xue walked alongside Yang Kai and asked in a soft voice.
Yang Kai nodded: "Right now, the Heavenly Origin Correct Seal Pill is all we have to rely on, so naturally we need to make the most of it."
He had mentioned this plan before, so no one was particularly surprised. However, putting the Heavenly Origin Correct Seal Pill up for auction came with both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage was that it would absolutely draw a crowd to the Star City in the shortest possible time. The disadvantage was that it might attract the covetous attention of certain powerful factions.
But compared to the potential rewards, this level of risk was worth taking. Even that Shopkeeper Tong had the nerve to stake his entire fortune on a gamble — how could Yang Kai not have the same resolve?
Moreover, the Void Land had already relocated its headquarters here, and with two Sacred Spirits holding the fort, they now possessed at least some measure of self-preservation.
"But three days isn't enough time for proper promotion. The only ones who'll attend the auction are the warriors currently still in the Star City," Lu Xue said with some worry. "We probably won't be able to drive the price up that high."
For a treasure as rare and long-lost as the Heavenly Origin Correct Seal Pill, any auction would normally require a lengthy promotional period well in advance, giving the major factions time to gather their funds — only then could maximum profit be realized. Back during the Danxia Auction, promotions had begun a full one or two years ahead of time, and they'd also ridden the wave of the Blood Demon Grotto-Heaven's imminent opening, which drew countless powerful cultivators to Thousand Bird Star City. As a result, they'd raked in a tremendous fortune.
For Yang Kai to arrive today and abruptly announce an auction in three days was indeed rather rushed.
Yang Kai smiled: "Whether the price is high or not doesn't really matter. The Heavenly Origin Correct Seal Pill is certainly precious, but that's from other people's perspective — to our Void Land, this pill isn't all that significant."
When over three hundred warriors from Dingfeng City had ascended to the Open Heaven Realm, Yang Kai had gifted each of them an Open Heaven Pill, including those who'd only reached Second-Order. What did it matter to put one up for auction now?
Sometimes, losing money to generate buzz wasn't a bad thing.
He could imagine that once this auction concluded, the news would spread like wings to every Great Domain beyond the Heavens and Earth — all without the Void Land needing to promote it deliberately. When that happened, the Void Land Star City's popularity would be the least of their worries.
Lu Xue thought it over and found the logic sound, so she said nothing more.
The Star City wasn't large, and the inspection was soon completed. The leaders of the seven Third-Class powers — Gold Light Dock, Flying Crane Gate, and the others — who maintained a presence here had heard that Yang Kai had arrived and hurried over to pay their respects. Yang Kai praised them generously, which let them breathe secret sighs of relief.
These seven organizations served as the Void Land's subordinate sects, coexisting within the same Great Domain and making their living under the Void Land's protection. In principle, when the Void Land had faced crisis, they should have sent their forces to help. In truth, however, they had done nothing.
But this was only human nature. The strongest among the seven factions was merely Third-Order Open Heaven — under the circumstances at the time, intervening would have been like throwing eggs against a stone, and a single misstep could have meant total annihilation. The Hundred Families Alliance had been overwhelmingly powerful; how could they possibly have been a match?
Yang Kai understood their predicament and naturally held no grudge over it.
Still, they were clearly terrified that the Void Land might settle scores later, which was why, upon receiving Yang Kai's orders, each of them had relocated large tracts of spiritual land from their own headquarters. Now, work was in full swing to expand the Star City's scale.
Yang Kai looked things over. After all this, the entire Star City had expanded to more than five times its original size! It still couldn't compare to Thousand Bird Star City, but it wasn't far off anymore. The area was vast, yet the population was dismal — which was why the Star City looked so empty at the moment. But that wasn't a major concern. As long as the overall framework was in place, the foundation would be there, and once the crowds caught up, every inch of land in the Void Land Star City would be worth its weight in gold.
Having spent some time at Thousand Bird Star City, Yang Kai knew this from experience. In a major Star City like that, a well-located shop commanded a yearly rent that was anything but cheap.
So despite the Void Land Star City's current emptiness, every inch of land here would one day bring steady revenue to the Void Land.
This place would become the Void Land's treasure basin, its money tree — providing a lasting and sustainable stream of funding for the Void Land's continued growth.