Chapter Ten: Not for Anyone Else!

It turned out to be a high-tier Mystical Martial Technique!
The vast auction hall suddenly fell silent; the whispers that had filled the air seemed to have been strangled by an invisible hand. Everyone stared, mouths agape and eyes wide, at the scroll in the center of the hall, its surface glowing with an eerie light.

On the continent of Battle Aura, medicinal herbs were important, as were weapons, but compared to martial techniques, they were almost insignificant. People's passion for martial techniques could only be described as frenzied!
In this era, where cultivation methods had been standardized and alchemists had vanished, martial techniques were what everyone sought. They pursued more techniques, pursued higher-level techniques!
To possess a martial technique was to possess a legacy. Not only could one practice it themselves, but it could be passed on to future generations. This was the origin of many great families. Over thousands and tens of thousands of years of inheritance, these families had grown and expanded, wielding unimaginable influence and power—
And those awe-inspiring high-tier martial techniques!
For the major families of Changling City, possessing a high-tier martial technique would guarantee their dominance among the city’s great powers within a few years. No one would be able to shake their position! With further generations of development, becoming a super clan was not out of the question!

Even the most powerful family in the city, the Lie Family, only possessed a mid-tier Mystical Martial Technique as their highest technique, yet what was before them now?
This was a high-tier Mystical Martial Technique, a whole rank above the mid-tier!
Do not underestimate just a single rank; the higher the tier, the more astonishing the increase in power. A high-tier Mystical Martial Technique was already the pinnacle of the mystical rank, and thus held extraordinary significance!
Such a technique meant that, upon mastery, one could potentially touch the threshold of Earth-tier martial techniques, and even compete with some entry-level Earth-tier techniques!
Though the strongest in Changling City were considered to be peak Fifth- or Sixth-Grade Battle Lords, mastering a high-tier Mystical Martial Technique could enable one to challenge Seventh- or even Eighth-Grade Battle Dragons! Of course, assuming the opponent did not possess an even more powerful technique...

The crowd’s gazes toward the scroll grew feverish, greed slowly surfacing on their faces. Even the allure of the beautiful Meiya standing nearby seemed to pale in comparison.

Meiya noticed that, for once, the audience’s eyes were not focused on her sensitive curves, but on the auctioned item. She smiled faintly, unconcerned, though a subtle hint of disdain lingered at the corner of her lips...

Meiya clapped her hands lightly, drawing everyone’s attention back. “High-tier Mystical Martial Technique: Heaven and Earth Reversal. Starting price, four hundred and twenty thousand gold coins!”

At this announcement, the auction hall, already quiet, became even more so!
Some whose eyes had been burning with desire had their flames extinguished at the price. Four hundred and twenty thousand gold coins—some could barely afford it, but it would require selling everything they owned, borrowing from friends and family, and risking utter ruin. With families and businesses to care for, how could they let their entire household starve for the sake of a technique?

After several rounds of bidding, only the three major powers left had the resources to acquire the scroll.
City Lord Chett’s expression shifted as he looked at the scroll, glancing at the two family patriarchs without speaking. Auben Mountain’s eye twitched uncontrollably, barely able to contain his excitement. If he could obtain this martial technique, he would no longer need to fear the Lie Family in the near future!

He must get it! Auben Mountain resolved fiercely, silently calculating his price limit.

Lie Chen’s pupils contracted sharply as he saw the martial technique scroll. His face darkened as he glanced at the elated Auben Mountain across the hall, then said slowly, “No matter the cost, this martial technique must not fall into another family’s hands!”

Lie Feifei, hearing her father’s low and icy tone, grew anxious. “Father, our losses this time have been considerable. I fear we don’t have enough funds to compete with the Auben Family…”

Lie Chen shook his head, interrupting his daughter. “Feifei, do you know why I came to the auction today?”

Lie Feifei paused, silent for a moment, then shook her head. Truth be told, she didn’t understand her father’s intentions. He had left important affairs at home and ignored the search for the culprit, just to attend the auction.
Yet he hadn’t bid on anything, not a single item purchased—a situation unprecedented in their previous auctions. As the Lie Family’s heiress, she had always enjoyed the limelight, attracting countless admiring and envious gazes, but now, empty-handed, she felt those same people were looking at her strangely.

A hint of gloom flashed in Lie Chen’s eyes. “The Lie Family will never allow anything that threatens us to exist! I didn’t bid earlier because those items posed no threat, but this high-tier Mystical Martial Technique is different! Even an ordinary Battle Dragon might not be able to acquire such a technique! If another family obtains it, the Lie Family will have a hard time in the future…”

Lie Feifei was startled by his words, nodding instinctively.

Lie Chen looked at the hall, his voice low and cold. “If the Lie Family cannot have it, no one else will…”

At the far end, Su Yi was also amazed by the staggering price of four hundred and twenty thousand gold coins. Good heavens, such a sum would surely cause a financial crisis for whichever family bought it!
But this martial technique was truly valuable. At this thought, Su Yi recalled his own cultivation method and martial technique. Setting aside the method, since everyone had the same, he was unsure of the level of his own martial technique, owing to limited memories of his “self.”
But judging from his experience and the power he could unleash, it was certainly not inferior to a low-tier Mystical Martial Technique. This was evident from his ability to suppress Di Yuan with ease, even when both were sixth-grade Battle Practitioners.

Could it be a mid-tier Mystical Martial Technique? Su Yi grew curious about his own background. A family possessing such a technique could not be insignificant—perhaps not even inferior to the Lie Family!
And that was a conservative estimate. If he were a core disciple of his family, it would be understandable, but if he were only a peripheral member, then the family’s power would be unimaginable!

Lost in speculation, Su Yi suddenly felt a jolt in his heart and couldn’t help but smile wryly. Why was he suddenly so concerned about this? Had his weakened strength made his heart weaker too, subconsciously seeking the security of great power?

After all, Su Yi had come from another world, possessed independent thoughts, and naturally didn’t want to live as someone else’s puppet. So, in these three years, he hadn’t bothered to investigate his own origins.

Meiya had occasionally asked Su Yi about this, but he always brushed her off, claiming memory loss.

Su Yi looked at Meiya, standing in the hall with her graceful curves, a hint of a smile on his lips. Though he never spoke of it, he was deeply grateful for Meiya’s care over the past three years.

Yet to repay someone’s kindness, to help them in times of trouble, one needed strength. Otherwise, one would only be a burden; this was why Su Yi had never stopped cultivating.

While Su Yi was deep in thought, Auben Mountain could no longer hold back. His eyes burned as he looked at the martial technique scroll and raised his hand high: “Four hundred and fifty thousand gold coins!”

As if determined to discourage others from bidding, to declare his absolute intent, Auben Mountain increased the price by thirty thousand in one go!

Lie Chen sat motionless, but his cold voice rang out: “Five hundred thousand gold coins!”

Auben Mountain was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Lie Chen, who hadn’t bid before, to be so decisive now. Suddenly, he understood Lie Chen’s true purpose for coming to the auction and couldn’t help but sneer inwardly—how naive!

“Five hundred and fifty thousand gold coins!” Auben Mountain called out.

Lie Chen countered without hesitation: “Six hundred thousand gold coins!”

For a moment, the other forces in the hall watched these two families bid as if gold coins meant nothing to them, both shocked and speechless. Did they think coins fell from the sky?

Auben Mountain was clearly surprised. He had expected Lie Chen to increase by only ten thousand each time after five hundred and fifty thousand, given the sum involved.

But Lie Chen had raised the price by fifty thousand at once!
Six hundred thousand gold coins—this was already a strain for the Auben Family. Their profits couldn’t compare to the Lie Family, and based on past earnings, this sum was nearly four years’ worth of profit. For the Lie Family, it was not a small amount either, especially after the recent robbery—

It seemed the Lie Family was ready to go all out this time.

Martial Peak, Chapter 10: Must Not Let Others Have It! Complete.