As her words fell, the people in the hall exchanged glances, their eyes filled with a flicker of interest, but no one stepped forward.
Most of the people present were Dou Zhe and Dou Shi who had been brought along by their family elders. A smaller portion consisted of the leaders of third-rate factions, possessing the cultivation of a Da Dou Shi. An even smaller, more exclusive group was made up of the heads of second-rate factions and elders from first-rate powers, all of whom wielded the strength of a Dou Ling.
If the Mittel Auction House hadn't exaggerated its claims, then the power of this fine sword was comparable to an attack from a high-level Da Dou Shi.
Aside from that handful of Dou Ling experts, who among them would dare to step forward and test it? Even for a Da Dou Shi, while death was unlikely, failing to block the strike would be a great loss of face. Thus, many of the Da Dou Shi experts hesitated, debating whether they should go up.
"Since no one is coming, allow this old man to give it a try."
Just then, a voice drifted down from one of the private rooms above.
The vast majority of the audience was curious as to who this person was. Anyone who could afford a private room was certainly no nameless figure.
Meanwhile, the few who were also in private rooms wore expressions of surprise and suspicion.
"That voice… why does it sound so familiar? It sounds like… that old fellow, Nalan Xun?"
Hearing the response, Ya Fei turned her gaze to the private room from which the voice had come and said with a beaming smile, "The guest is most welcome."
A short while later, a figure emerged from a passageway and walked toward the auction stage.
He was an elderly man with white hair, dressed in simple, elegant white robes, his face kind and amiable. Although he appeared old, his movements were nimble and vigorous. With each step, he covered a great distance, and in the blink of an eye, he crossed the seating area and arrived at the center of the hall. A powerful fluctuation of Dou Qi faintly radiated from his body.
Upon seeing the old man's face, a few people in the crowd instantly recognized him.
He was Nalan Xun, an elder of the Nalan Clan—one of the three great clans of the imperial capital and a first-rate power—and a high-level Dou Ling expert!
"Who is this old geezer? Hey, why did you suddenly move so far away from me?"
"Heh, I don't want to die, so of course I'm getting away from you. Do you know who that is? He's an elder of the Nalan Clan, a Dou Ling expert!"
"Wh-which Nalan Clan?"
"Which one do you think?"
Although the common seats were mostly filled with members of second and third-rate factions, a few still recognized Nalan Xun. His name quickly spread through the auction hall, and soon, even those who didn't know him understood that the old man rapidly approaching the stage was no simple character.
As he neared the stage, Nalan Xun tapped his toes lightly on the ground, and his entire body floated up, landing as gently as a falling leaf.
Ya Fei also recognized Nalan Xun and immediately curtsied in greeting. "Ya Fei pays her respects to Elder Xun."
"Hehe, no need for formalities, young lady. Let's get started. This old man is very eager to see just how sharp this sword's edge truly is." Nalan Xun stroked his beard and smiled, his gaze falling upon the longsword in the box with a look of anticipation.
Ya Fei smiled and nodded.
She reached out, took the sword, and twirled it with a flourish. Cupping her fist in a martial salute, she said, "Elder Xun, my strength is meager, only that of a five-star Dou Zhe. You will have to show mercy in a moment."
"Come at me with all you have. As if this old man would actually harm you."
"Then I won't hold back. Elder Xun, watch out!"
Done with the pleasantries, Ya Fei began to circulate her Dou Qi, channeling it from her palm into the hilt of the sword.
Instantly, her Gold-attribute Dou Qi activated the Wind-attribute Monster Core embedded within the sword. The wind-elemental energy inside the Monster Core surged violently, flowing through the engraved runes and spreading throughout the entire blade.
In a flash, the surface of the longsword, already glinting with a cold light, began to shimmer with an azure, misty radiance.
The next moment, Ya Fei thrust the sword forward.
A blade of light, condensed from wind-elemental energy, shot out from the tip of the sword, hurtling toward Nalan Xun. The beam was not large; on the contrary, it was small and incredibly concentrated, reaching Nalan Xun in the blink of an eye until it was less than a foot from his chest.
Nalan Xun's eyes lit up. He raised a hand, channeling his Dou Qi as an aqua-blue light glowed from his palm. He then pushed it forward.
*Hum!*
The two forces collided, instantly erupting with a humming sound and sending a powerful shockwave sweeping across the auction stage in a fierce gale.
The blade of light and Nalan Xun's palm were locked in a stalemate for a moment before his arm trembled. With a sharp crack, the beam of light was shattered by the overwhelming force of his Dou Qi.
"Not bad, not bad at all. It truly possesses the power of a Da Dou Shi. However, it doesn't quite seem to reach the level of a high-level Da Dou Shi. Why is that?" Nalan Xun's eyes flashed with surprise as he clicked his tongue in praise.
Ya Fei sheathed the sword, a charming smile on her face. "Elder Xun has a sharp eye. This sword is inlaid with a Wind-attribute Monster Core, whereas I am a Gold-attribute Dou Zhe. The attributes do not match, so I cannot unleash its true power."
"Oh? Is that so? Young lady, would you mind letting this old man have a look at the sword?" Nalan Xun's aged but clear eyes brightened further as he spoke.
"Of course."
Ya Fei, unafraid that he would simply take the weapon and run, stepped forward and presented the sword with both hands.
Taking the sword, Nalan Xun ran his hand along its body, a look of deep satisfaction in his eyes as he felt its cold touch. The material was exceedingly unique, though he was no expert in forging and couldn't identify it. However, based on the feel and his Dou Qi senses, Nalan Xun was certain that even a peak Da Dou Shi would have to expend a great deal of effort to damage it.
Without being imbued with Dou Qi or other energies, the blade's sharpness was, at best, capable of piercing the Dou Qi Armor of a low-level Da Dou Shi, but even that was remarkably impressive.
Zhou Changqing, the weapon's creator, understood this better than anyone. Once a weapon's sharpness reached a certain point, improving it further, even by a small amount, was incredibly difficult. A balance had to be struck between toughness and hardness, which meant the edge could not be made too thin. This was only possible if the forging materials were extraordinary, allowing for an extremely thin edge that still maintained both hardness and flexibility. Otherwise, the only way to increase its cutting power was to infuse it with Dou Qi.
This was why many experts, unless they acquired weapons forged from rare and extraordinary materials, often preferred not to use weapons at all, choosing instead to condense their Dou Qi into weapons, like Yun Yun's longsword or Xiao Yan's Heavy Xuan Ruler.
Even though Zhou Changqing could enhance the inherent strength of the materials, there were limits. The Iron-Slicing Blade was a prime example. Therefore, instead of getting hung up on sharpness, he had developed the engraved runes to integrate into his weapons, using Dou Qi to amplify their power. In a way, the Tier-2 Magic Weapon and the Iron-Slicing Blade were not significantly different in terms of raw blade sharpness.
After examining it for a moment, Nalan Xun returned the sword and sighed in admiration. "Truly a fine sword. Your Mittel Clan has great fortune to have met such a master. The title of Artificer is well and truly deserved."
"Having seen this sword, this old man has become quite curious about this Master Artificer. I wonder if you might be able to make an introduction for me?"
"You jest, Elder Xun. Ya Fei does not have the authority to make such a decision. You would have to ask our clan leader, and it would also depend on the wishes of the master himself," Ya Fei replied, smiling as she tactfully declined.
Nalan Xun shook his head with a hint of regret. "It was I who was presumptuous. Since the demonstration is over, you should continue, young lady. Though I may not have the honor of meeting such a master, I am still very interested in this sword."
With that, Nalan Xun turned and left, returning to his private room.
After he departed, Ya Fei's gaze once again swept across the hall, feeling the many fervent stares fixed upon her.
With a graceful smile, she placed the sword back in its box, then addressed the entire audience. "Honored guests, are there any further questions?"