Return of the Celestial King

Master Ma’s expression instantly turned grim. Beside him, Zhu Guirong and the others felt deeply humiliated.

Faced with the crowd’s ridicule, Master Ma gritted his teeth, steeled himself, and said:

”I can give it a try!”

His voice clearly lacked conviction; he was just forcing himself to make an attempt.

Then, with a solemn expression, Master Ma formed a hand seal and pointed it at the Compass.

As everyone watched, the Compass soon began to react, letting out a faint tremor.

Seeing the Compass actually stir, the crowd gasped in amazement, showering it with praise. This was the real deal!

It truly contained an Array, a genuine Dharma Artifact!

Zhu Guirong was also incredibly excited, as if he was already preparing to fight tooth and nail to win this treasure.

Seeing that Master Ma had actually activated the Array within, the Liu Family’s appraisal master let out a cold snort, feeling he had lost a great deal of face.

Liu Zhenghai also felt a sense of regret, having missed the opportunity to utterly humiliate the Zhu Family.

But at least they had confirmed one thing: the Yellow Wood Compass was indeed a genuine Dharma Artifact and not a fake.

But after doing all this, Master Ma was panicking inside!

’With my abilities, how could I possibly activate the Array inside this Dharma Artifact?’

Just now, Master Ma had simply used a special technique. It looked like he had activated the Array, but in reality, it was just a Blinding Technique.

Fortunately, this unique trick of his could pass for the real thing at a critical moment, and no one present was able to see through it!

Just as Master Ma was finally starting to relax, Qin Tuo, who was standing beside him, suddenly chuckled and spoke:

”Master Ma, isn’t your little trick a bit too crude?”

Those casual words completely infuriated Master Ma.

Master Ma immediately demanded furiously:

”Boy, what’s the meaning of that?”

All eyes turned to them, filled with confusion, not understanding why Qin Tuo would suddenly say such a thing.

Qin Tuo replied calmly:

”If you can’t do it, then you can’t. There’s no need to pretend you’re some great expert just to save face. All you’re doing is setting up the Zhu Family to lose a fortune for nothing.”

Hearing Qin Tuo’s words, Zhu Guirong was startled. He faintly began to suspect that what he had just witnessed was not as simple as it seemed.

Master Ma was so enraged by Qin Tuo that his chest heaved, and for a long moment, he was left speechless!

He was absolutely reeling with shock. ’No one in the entire room saw through my Blinding Technique, not even the Liu Family’s senior appraisal master. And yet, this kid Qin Tuo saw through it in a single glance.’

Master Ma was completely baffled. ’How on earth did he do it? Was it just a lucky guess?’

’But looking at how confident he is... it doesn’t seem likely!’

Zhu Guirong fell silent for a moment, then asked with a hint of doubt:

”Mr. Qin, why do you say that?”

Qin Tuo shook his head and said nonchalantly:

”Elder Zhu, because this thing, just like that wooden fish from earlier, is just a rotten lump of wood. It’s utterly worthless!”

Qin Tuo’s casual tone sent a shock through the crowd.

No one could have ever imagined that the Yellow Wood Compass, a supreme treasure in everyone’s eyes, would be dismissed by Qin Tuo as a useless piece of junk.

But Master Ma, as if he had finally found Qin Tuo’s weak spot, laughed loudly and said:

”Boy, you’re just pretending to know what you’re talking about! You should know that this is a Dharma Artifact personally certified by Master Qi! Do you think he would deceive everyone?”

Master Ma wielded Qi Wuqi’s name like a Protective Talisman and began to mock loudly and desperately.

”Besides, if it’s really so worthless, how come not a single person here has questioned it? Only you! Don’t tell me you think you’re better than everyone else here!”

At this pointed questioning, many in the crowd couldn’t help but nod to themselves, admitting there was some truth to his words.

However, many people also had faith in Qin Tuo, so they were curious to see how he would respond.

Qin Tuo sneered inwardly and retorted:

”And how do you know that this so-called Master Qi wouldn’t betray his conscience for a bit of cash?”

This simple retort immediately left Master Ma tongue-tied and unable to respond.

Qin Tuo continued:

”As for why no one else has noticed, it’s because there are too many fools like you. Everyone just assumes the so-called Master Qi wouldn’t scam people, so you’ve all fallen into the same trap!”

”You...”

Master Ma was so infuriated by Qin Tuo’s mocking tone that his face, flushed from holding back his rage, turned as red as a monkey’s backside.

Qin Tuo snorted and added:

”On top of that, things like Dharma Artifacts are incredibly rare. Most people have never seen one, so everyone, just like you, is pretending to know more than they do. In reality, it’s nothing more than a useless lump of rotten wood. Have you ever heard the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes?”

Qin Tuo’s speech left Master Ma completely speechless, unable to utter a single word in response.

Nearby, Zhu Guirong and his group were also in turmoil, growing hesitant and uncertain.

Before, they would have bid without a moment’s hesitation.

But now, they were all cautious, afraid that it was just as Qin Tuo said—that they would spend a fortune on a rotten lump of wood. That would be a disastrous loss!

Master Ma, however, still believed Qin Tuo was spouting nonsense. He put on a stern face and said:

”Boy, that’s just your side of the story. No one knows what the truth really is!”

Clearly, Master Ma was utterly defiant and refused to accept what Qin Tuo said.

Qin Tuo, however, just shrugged and said nonchalantly:

”Fine. In that case, just sit back and enjoy the show.”

With that, Qin Tuo folded his arms, closed his eyes to rest, and fell silent.

He had said all he needed to say. How the others chose to act was up to them.

Just then, someone in the audience couldn’t wait any longer and shouted:

”Boss Wu, what are you waiting for? What’s the starting bid for this Dharma Artifact?”

Immediately, guests from all around chimed in, urging him to start.

Seeing the lively scene, Wu Qihao was quite satisfied. He nodded and said with a smile:

”The starting bid for this treasure is two hundred million, with each subsequent bid increasing by no less than ten million!”

This was a terrifyingly astronomical figure. It was rare to see a top-tier item of this caliber even at a major auction.

And yet, upon hearing Wu Qihao’s announcement, not a single person in the room thought the price was too high. On the contrary, they all felt it was more than worth it.

The instant Wu Qihao finished speaking, everyone was on the edge of their seats, ready to shout out their bids.