The Last Paragon in the Apocalypse

Chapter 1278: Dangerous Bidding War (1)

“1 billion”

“1.1 billion”

The price of the Thunder Jade Essence Ore quickly jumped to 1 billion Heavens Crystals in no time. However, while 1.1 billion in Heaven Crystals is a substantial amount of money, to the criminals bidding, it was nothing but a drop in their vast pool of wealth.

They had so much wealth that a billion Heaven Crystals out of their total wealth was nothing.

Not that it would be spent on waste. The Thunder Jade Essence Ore is a very valuable and sought-after elemental treasure.

It would be money well spent because the Thunder Jade Essence Ore is something every warrior would want to have in their hands.

It is rare and hard to find.

It is formed from the condensed lightning law. Mostly, during a lightning supernova, the Thunder Jade Essence Ore is condensed from the overlapping of the lightning law at its purest state.

The moment it forms, it undergoes a baptism of lightning so intense that the law captured and condensed is tempered to the point it becomes even more purified.

Once that is done, people with high lightning law comprehension and resistance seek them.

However, all that is just the preliminary phase of the long and mind-blowing uses of Thunder Jade Essence Ore.

To many, it can be used to reforge a cultivator’s core into a Thunder-Attribute Core. This is beneficial to both Lightning users and non-Lightning users.

To lightning users, reforging their cores using a Thunder Jade Essence Ore not only advances their understanding of the lightning law, but it also awakens innate talents such as Lightning Body, lightning abilities, lightning legacies, and many more.

It is essentially a cheat item that enables one to rapidly elevate their weak lightning abilities to the peak. It reshapes one’s understanding of the lightning law by several degrees and within a very short period.

As for non-lightning users, absorbing this ore not only enables them to wield lightning, but it also jumpstarts their law comprehension without having to start from scratch.

It is a god-grade treasure that many would kill for.

Aside from that, it also elevates lightning techniques by multiple realms. It can be used to refine divine weapons or armour and, lastly, serve as a breakthrough catalyst for Immortal ascension.

Many use it to move from Empyrean to Early Immortals, while Immortals use it to ascend through the minor realms and quickly break through to the next major realm.

Basically, its use is excessive, prompting people to make a fuss, such as raising the bid by several million Heavens Crystals every second.

If they get their hands on it, everything will be worth it.

Klaus, who needed it to forge his Heaven-defying body, was also ready to bid for it. However, as someone who loves to shatter people’s hopes and dreams, he decided to remain calm first and let the wolves fight over something they can’t have.

“2 Billion”

The Blood Poison Prince raised the bid to 2 billion Heavens Crystals, only for Jay (slave trader) to add a hundred million to it, making it 2.1 billion.

This time, there is nothing like giving face to anyone.

“Sorry, Blood Poison, but I gave you face during the bidding for the Calamity Core. This time, I need this, so I hope you see that and let the highest bidder win.”

Jay said, already making sure the most dangerous poison master he knew understood the current state of the bidding war, so he wouldn’t be shortsighted.

He isn’t that petty on the surface, at least.

“Don’t worry, Old Slaver. I know when to be petty and when to fight for what I want,” Blood Poison responded, as any criminal would.

Though deep down, they all knew that after the auction, there would be backstabbing from fellow criminals. There is no honour among criminals, as they say.

Even if they weren’t criminals, considering the nature of the items being auctioned, anyone would develop a desire for something they wanted but couldn’t obtain.

However, since they are criminals, instead of using diplomacy to achieve their goals, they will resort to any means necessary to regain what they want, even if it doesn’t belong to them.

As the saying goes, once a criminal, always a criminal.

“2.6 billion”

“2.7 billion”

[Master, aren’t you going to bid? Although the Thunder Jade Essence Ore is expensive, it is nearing the listed price I saw on a certain high-society marketplace.]

‘How much was it on there?’

[One Thunder Jade Essence Ore is 3.5 billion Heavens Crystals. However, to be able to access such a market, you must at least be an SS-class Hunter.

I tried to use backdoors, but it is just impossible to fake entry into such a place.]

‘Oh, I see. So you think this bidding war will go beyond 3.5 billion Heavens Crystals?’

[From the way things are going, it will surpass it. There is a chance it will even reach 5 billion. However, after calculating, I discovered that if the master were to enter the bid, there is a chance they will stop bidding for it.]

‘Oh, and why so?’ Klaus was a little taken aback by what Icon said.

He knew that at auctions, when the bid enters uncharted territory, many abandon it, since spending that much money can be considered a waste, regardless of how useful the thing is.

However, this is the Thunder Jade Essence Ore. It is something many will spend their life savings on. So no matter what, they would never stop bidding for it.

To think that if he enters the bidding war, it will trigger the others to stop bidding is just absurd. If anything, losing to a brat would be a motivation for them to continue their bidding.

[The master should already know that most of these people already have their eyes on you. In their eyes, you are just prey that they can easily get their hands on.

So, if you join the bid, win, and pay for the item, it will give them a reason to come after you and try their best to get it.

In a way, they would want you to win, pay for it, and then they will collect it from you. You are, in a way, their bank and on the surface, everybody would think that.]

‘Oh, that does make sense in a way. I mean, they would really like the idea of getting something this valuable free of charge simply by killing me.’

[The master should also know that by becoming the winner of the bid, the chance of getting attacked right when he steps out of the auction house is very high.]

‘I know. But who said I didn’t come prepared?’

Klaus grinned, and then he decided to test what Icon calculated. In a way, he wanted to see if he could win the bid at a much lower price.

“2.9 Billion.” Blood Poison raised the bid yet again. At the moment, only 6 out of the 14 were bidding, and from the look of things, Blood Poison had the upper hand.

Unfortunately for him, Blood Sword also had his eyes on the Thunder Jade Essence Ore. So Klaus made his bid known.

“3 Billion”

Eyes turned in his direction.