By the time Han Li emerged from the Chunxiang Pavilion once more, many people across the way had already begun filing through the main entrance of the auction hall, as though the auction was about to commence.
His expression shifted slightly at the sight, and without the slightest hesitation he made his way over.
The main entrance was easily three or four times the size of the side-hall doorways, and the number of blue-robed attendants standing guard far exceeded what the side halls had mustered. That said, the guards merely maintained order and showed no intention of interfering with anyone.
Han Li blended seamlessly into the crowd and walked in without drawing a single glance.
The moment he crossed the threshold, his eyes brightened.
Before him stretched a grand lobby with several parallel corridors branching out. At the entrance of each corridor hung a sign bearing a few deceptively simple characters in ancient script — "Appraisal," "Pawn," "Grand Hall," and the like. Beside each sign stood a neatly dressed young attendant, waiting with impeccable deference.
Han Li swept his gaze across the signs, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face. After a brief moment's thought, he strode decisively toward one of them.
"Appraisal? What exactly is this?" Han Li stood at the entrance to the corridor and pointed at the sign beside him, his voice even and measured.
"If it please the honored elder, this is where auction items are appraised. If the elder possesses any rare treasures, they may be appraised here and entered into the auction." The fresh-faced young attendant bowed respectfully.
"I see. Understood." Han Li nodded and stepped into the corridor without further delay.
Although Cai Liuying had agreed to cover nearly half the spirit-stone expenditure for the super teleportation array, the remaining portion was still an astronomical sum that he would have to resolve on his own. He therefore intended to follow through with his original plan: submit the items he had prepared and have them sold at the auction.
The corridor was not especially long. After only a few dozen zhang, it turned a corner, and Han Li found himself before a deep-red door.
The door stood wide open, yet a pale-green barrier of light sealed the passage. Before the barrier, seven or eight cultivators of various alien races had already formed a quiet line and were waiting patiently.
Han Li felt a brief flicker of surprise but calmly walked over and took his place at the end of the queue.
The green barrier shimmered and parted of its own accord. From within emerged a red-haired alien with a broad, gaping grin, as though something wonderful had just happened to him inside. The newcomer paid Han Li and the others no attention whatsoever, striding through the crowd and out of the corridor with irrepressible excitement.
The next person in line, the one nearest the barrier, stepped through without ceremony.
In this fashion, it took barely the time it takes to drink a cup of tea for every person ahead of Han Li to enter and emerge, the whole process remarkably swift. In the same span, four or five more people had gathered in the line behind him. It seemed that a good many cultivators shared his plan — arriving just as the auction was about to begin to submit their items.
After one more dejected-looking alien stepped out from behind the green barrier, Han Li raised his leg and passed through.
Beyond the barrier lay a vast chamber roughly thirty zhang across, bathed in a soft, milky radiance. The walls were constructed from a grayish-white stone, its surface densely inscribed with shimmering runes that ensured absolute privacy within.
The room held little besides a jade table, three wooden chairs, and, in one corner, a modest teleportation array.
Seated in each of the three chairs was a figure shrouded entirely in hazy white light. Beneath the concealment of the spiritual glow, all three were blurred beyond recognition — their features and builds impossible to discern.
Han Li instinctively sent a sweep of spiritual sense toward them.
The three figures bore some kind of treasure on their persons. Wherever his spiritual sense passed, not the faintest trace of aura could be detected; it was impossible to gauge the depth of their cultivation.
Han Li's mind stirred.
"If the fellow Daoist has something to offer for this auction, you may present it for the three of us to examine. However, let me state upfront — our four-clan auction deals exclusively in top-tier materials and treasures. If the items are of somewhat lesser quality, please take them to the side hall for separate sale. Furthermore, if you find our appraisal unsatisfactory, you are free to raise an objection on the spot. We will then have three different appraisers reassess the items for you." The figure in the center spoke first, the voice clear and melodious — unmistakably that of a young woman.
"Thank you for the reminder, fellow Daoist. Understood." Han Li's expression remained unchanged as he nodded. With a flick of his sleeve and a graceful turn of the wrist, an object appeared in each hand — a jade-green vial and a pristine white jade box.
Rather than walking forward, he gave both items a light toss. As if lifted by invisible hands, the two objects floated steadily toward the three figures and came to rest gently before them.
The other two figures, who had not yet spoken, wasted no time. Each extended a single hand and seized one item — the vial and the jade box respectively.
The moment the vial was opened, an extraordinarily rich medicinal fragrance rushed out, filling the air. Faintly, from within came something resembling a dragon's roar, and a sphere of luminous green light, brimming with spiritual vitality, shot forth from inside.
The figure let out a soft gasp, hastily capping the vial once more. A sleeve swept forward, enveloping the green light in a burst of white radiance and drawing it down into a waiting hand.
The figure focused its gaze upon it.
Within the green light lay a single azure pill, its surface smooth and full, engraved with a vivid silver dragon mark that seemed almost alive.