Pavilion Master Jin staggered back two steps from the silver tray, his face mottled with dark purple rage.
The glowing holographic projection of fifty billion Supreme Spirit Stones in liquid cash hovered over the dusty table behind the stone pillar. The sheer brilliance of the violet-gold light illuminated every cobweb and crack in the surrounding masonry.
Dozens of high-ranking cultivators from neighboring rows were craning their necks, whispering in hushed, awe-struck tones.
Elder Ye clutched his silk sleeves, his jaw clenched so tight that the veins on his temples pulsed.
Pavilion Master Jin leaned over to Chief Appraiser Ma, his voice trembling with furious embarrassment. “Find something. Anything. I will not have this backwater upstart mock our Continental Headquarters before the auction even starts.”
Chief Appraiser Ma, a thin, rat-faced man with narrow triangular eyes and a thin mustache, nodded obsequiously. His system rating glowed with a corrupt crimson score: Goodness: -29/100.
Ma straightened his silk lapels, his beady eyes darting across Lin Mo’s entourage.
Then, his gaze locked onto the young woman standing beside Su Wan.
