An invasion from the Abyss? I, a demonic cultivator, laughed.

Chapter 246 Mysterious Anchor Point
Qin Yunrou's words left Chu Xiu speechless.

He knew perfectly well why the Xu family patriarch was stirring things up; it was simply a test of his strength and weakness.

Two hundred million Chinese yuan is nothing to Wang Jie, but if he is an imposter, the Qin family, which is declining, would most likely not be willing to spend so much money on a luxury item. He, an imposter, would not have the guts to make such a decision.

This young lady seems to be spoiled rotten. She has no idea about the situation in the clan and dares to make such a request.

"Brother Qin, this necklace is the work of the Jiang family. You know how capable the four great families of Kyoto are at creating stars. Even if the necklace itself is of average quality, its price will definitely be driven up in the future. Two hundred million is not expensive," the head of the He family said with a smile.

"Yes, Yun Rou is about to undergo the Fierce Rank Trial. Having this necklace will provide much-needed protection. Besides, the younger generation likes it, and it can be kept as part of her dowry in the future," the Xu family head said with a smile.

Hearing their words, Qin Yunrou's eyes shone even brighter with anticipation.

Since the former head of the Qin family died in the abyss, the expenses of all Qin family members have been greatly restricted, and Qin Yunrou, as the daughter of the head of the family, has seen her spending plummet.

She used to be spoiled by her father, a level 9 King, who could spend millions as if it were nothing, and even had several pieces of jewelry worth tens of millions. Now, she has to apply to the clan to buy even a bag worth tens of thousands! This makes her feel completely inferior in front of her sisters.

Although she wasn't excluded from the circle, she was no longer the center of attention among her friends and gradually became a marginal figure. This huge gap, coupled with the grief of losing her father, almost broke her down for a period of time.

She thought she had adapted and adjusted her mindset to accept reality, but at this moment, looking at the gorgeous, precious, and beautiful necklace that seemed to belong to another world, Qin Yunrou felt something that had been suppressed in her heart surge up again.

This was a treasure she had never possessed before! Not only her, but none of her sisters, who also came from wealthy families, had ever owned such a luxury item!

She was actually a very smart girl, so how could she not understand that the other two families were taking the opportunity to test her? But she had never considered Qin Yu as part of the Qin family. Now was the perfect time to go with the flow. If she could really get that necklace, then...
"Do not."

However, before Qin Yunrou could even enjoy her bright future, a cold "no" shattered all her fantasies.

Chu Xiu remained expressionless, not even bothering to glance at the two family heads or her: "I won't waste money on such useless things."

As soon as she finished speaking, Qin Yunrou was stunned for a moment, and then her eyes quickly reddened.

"This"

The two family heads exchanged a glance, unsure of what to say, their eyes revealing strange expressions.

Chu Xiu's behavior was far beyond their expectations. It wasn't that he didn't buy it, but the key was that he dared to show no mercy to the former head of the family's daughter.

"I won't waste money on something so useless." Is this referring to the necklace or Qin Yunrou?
Both of them knew how much this little princess was favored. Even after her father's death, her status did not decline much because several elders in the clan had received great favors from her father.

This actually reduced the chances that Qin Yu was an imposter.

On the other hand, it also seems to indicate that even if Qin Yu is the genuine article, he has no feelings for the Qin family at all, otherwise why would he be so indifferent to the feelings of the younger generation?

"But that's not necessarily true. It's possible that it's a fake that's bluffing like this."

Even though they had their doubts, the two did not continue to test each other.

Finally, the farce came to an end when the necklace was auctioned off for 2.25 million.

Qin Yunrou's eyes were still red. Qin Xiuwen and the old steward of the Qin family felt a little sorry for her, but the collateral descendant named Qin Chuan didn't show any expression.

After passing through several exhibits, they came to a [Legendary Upgrade Core] that Chu Xiu had submitted for auction in advance. It eventually sold for 137 billion, which made him quite satisfied.

With this money, we can almost buy all the necessary materials for our target.

After a dozen or so items were put up for sale, another piece of jewelry appeared. This time, it was a necklace with a starting bid of only 13 million, also crafted by jewelers from the four major families.

However, this necklace is more like a piece of equipment than a luxury item. It is also of the highest quality of the Warrior tier, but it lacks a large gemstone and has many more dazzling inscriptions. Although it is not as good as the previous "Mystery of the Ocean", it is still quite popular with girls.

The Qin family steward glanced at the silent Qin Yunrou, then cautiously probed Chu Xiu, "Patriarch, this equipment has good attributes. Miss is about to undergo her trial, and the family has also provided some funds for this auction. What do you think?"

"The funds entrusted to you by the elders are up to you to decide," Chu Xiu said calmly. "However, I would like to give you a piece of advice: the potential of an awakened person is not just about talent and profession. Attributes that cannot be quantified, such as temperament, perseverance, and decisiveness, are more important."

"Those who are mentally incapable, even if they are S-rank professionals or have [Legendary] equipment, will still die easily in the trial."

"The abyss is a paradise for the bold. For those who are not physically and mentally prepared and have not trained for a long time, their best option is to realize their mediocrity, never enter the abyss, and live a comfortable life as a rich kid. Otherwise, they are wasting their family's investment."

"Conversely, if a family cannot invest its funds in truly valuable people, then that family will inevitably decline."

As Chu Xiu finished speaking, the private room fell silent again. Qin Yunrou gritted her teeth, trying her best not to shed tears. How could she not understand that Chu Xiu was talking about her? The Qin family steward decisively shut his mouth and did not say another word.

On the contrary, the two heads of the aristocratic families looked at Chu Xiu with considerable surprise, and the suspicion in their eyes lessened considerably.

This is indeed the correct way to govern a clan. The Qin family could have developed much better, but because the previous patriarch spoiled his relatives and children too much, the family has run out of successors.

Otherwise, even if they suffered a series of great calamities, they wouldn't be without a single descendant to support them.

As for the other two members of the Qin family, Qin Xiuwen was somewhat indignant, feeling that Chu Xiu was also alluding to him. Qin Chuan's eyes lit up for a moment, then he quickly lowered his head to cover them up.

Of course, Chu Xiu didn't care about these people's reactions. He had already fulfilled his duty by saying one more word.

"The next item I'm going to show you is no ordinary item. It's an extremely rare, top-tier material with both lightning and water attributes, called the Lightning-Water Sword Bone, from the world of the [Ten Thousand Feet Water Curtain]! It possesses powerful attributes such as [Lightning], [Energy Storage], and [Heavy Water]! And its grade has reached an astonishing King-level [Perfect]!"

“The starting price is 5.7 million!”

As the host's voice faded, a murmur of conversation broke out again, but it was noticeably quieter than before, not even as lively as the discussion about the legendary King-rank equipment or the necklaces and jewels.

Unfortunately, there aren't many people who specialize in crafting; most Awakened prefer to buy ready-made equipment and items.

The people in Chu Xiu's private room didn't care at all. Although there were weapon refiners in both families, they didn't need such high-quality materials. So they just chatted and laughed without interrupting their conversation.

But then, a calm voice rang out from inside the private room.

"Private room number 27, 1 billion."

As Chu Xiu finished speaking, the private room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone stared at him in shock, even the two cunning and shrewd family heads were momentarily stunned.

"Private room number 54, 1 billion 10 million." A bid came from the opposite private room.

The head of the Xu family opened his mouth, about to say something, but before he could speak, Chu Xiu pressed the auction button again.

"Private room number 27, two billion."

This caused a stir not only in the private room, but also in the entire auction hall, and even the host was momentarily stunned.

Such aggressive price gouging is truly rare.

Chu Xiu's imposing presence clearly intimidated the other eager competitors, who all gave up.

Ten seconds later, the host brought down the gavel: "This [Thunder and Water Sword Bone] has been won by the distinguished guest in Box 27!"

Sparse applause rang out, and the two family heads in the private room both looked at each other with strange expressions.

They were previously suspicious that this Qin family head might be an imposter, but he just casually mentioned spending two billion without any hesitation?!
That's incredibly wealthy!

Moreover, why would he buy a material? Could he actually be a high-level weapon refiner?

This caused their expressions to change again. High-level weapon refiners are much rarer than ordinary combat professions, and their status is also much higher!
The younger generation also showed expressions of astonishment.

Chu Xiu, however, remained calm, which was all within his expectations.

He had a mental assessment of the value of each material. Once he decided to acquire it, he would set a high price all at once, which was better than haggling with others.

What happened next made everyone's eyes widen even more. After buying the Thunder Water Sword Bone, Chu Xiu did not stop. Instead, he launched another attack and acquired eight more materials in one go.

The total amount spent skyrocketed to over 15 billion!

At this moment, the two family heads had no more doubts. They were convinced that they had secured a powerful patron for the Qin family, and their attitude immediately became enthusiastic.

He had been very enthusiastic before, but this time, he genuinely wanted to build a good relationship with Chu Xiu.

The Qin family steward also had a big smile on his face.

Chu Xiu's performance far exceeded his expectations! He had only hoped that the other party would show a little bit of King-level strength, but it seemed that this distant cousin of the Qin family was definitely not an ordinary King-level! He was either a rare King-level support professional or a high-level King-level at the pinnacle of the King-level!

He was almost certain that after this incident, the pressure on the Qin family would be greatly relieved, and all industries would fully recover.

The only one who felt somewhat aggrieved was Qin Yunrou. She whispered, "Uncle Zhao, the patriarch has spent so much money on himself, yet he's unwilling to give us even tens of millions. Isn't some of the money he spent from the family?"

"Shut up."

The steward hissed, his eyes turning icy for the first time in Qin Yunrou's memory: "Miss, now is not the time to throw a tantrum. The head of the family has to agree to whatever amount of money he wants to spend. If the money is not enough, our Qin family will have to sell off all our assets to make up the difference!"

“Miss, you are already nineteen years old, it’s time you became more sensible.”

Qin Yunrou bit her lip and lowered her head silently. After a long while, she whispered, "Yes, Uncle Zhao, I know I was wrong."

Chu Xiu naturally sensed all of this. He nodded in approval at the manager's response. Although Qin Yunrou was just a pretty face, a well-behaved pretty face was tolerable.

It seems that although the Qin family has many minor problems, at least in terms of the general direction, they are on the right track and may be able to make a comeback in the future.

Without thinking further, Chu Xiu closed his eyes and quietly waited for the auction to end.

The auction went very smoothly, and he got all the materials he wanted. He will leave after seeing what the final ten items are.

Soon, they arrived at the final ten mysterious items.

As each item was unpacked, gasps of amazement rose from below. These ten items were indeed extraordinary, with even the least valuable item worth over 50 billion.

However, Chu Xiu was not very interested, because he knew that there was probably no surprise.

The reason is simple: no one would be foolish enough to exchange truly high-value items, such as equipment and items of the [Mythical] rank, for Chinese currency!
As he expected, he came all the way to the end and still found nothing he needed.

"Next up for you all is the highlight of this auction!" The host's loud voice rang out through the loudspeaker, and Chu Xiu shifted his thigh, preparing to get up and leave.

"This item is an anchor point for a world, and if nothing unexpected happens, it may be the most valuable anchor point in the last decade!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a rare look of astonishment appeared on Chu Xiu's face, and he sat down again.

An anchor point?
Generally speaking, the price of [anchor points] is not very high. For example, in Chu Xiu's world, which had a world level of 7, the [anchor point] was only worth three to five hundred million.

The reason is simple: the "anchor point" only provides a qualification for entry, which is equivalent to a ticket. You have to bear all other risks yourself.

How much is a ticket worth?

Let alone the world of Shiki, even in mature worlds where camps are well-established and dangerous areas have been explored, the cost is usually only a few billion, and it generally caps at around five billion.

Only extremely high-level "private worlds," meaning worlds discovered through "free exploration" rather than through Awakening Trials, can fetch high prices.

Because the "anchor points" of such worlds are usually very rare. For example, in a world obtained through the Awakening Trial, no matter how good the opportunity is, the total number of anchor points can reach hundreds in just a few years! And it will continue to grow! With so many awakened individuals competing together, even the best opportunity is greatly diminished.

However, even worlds obtained through freediving are rarely used as the grand finale item in an annual auction.

But coincidentally, Chu Xiu had a world in his mind that was worth that much money!
"It can't be such a coincidence."

Before coming here, he had seen a world that was very suitable for him, but the "anchor point" of that world was too difficult to obtain, so Chu Xiu did not include it in his goals at all, nor did he ever hope to obtain the "anchor point" of that world.

However, once acquired, it will greatly benefit Chu Xiu's future development!
"Let me introduce you to the world of [The Forge of a Hundred Demons]!"

As the host finished speaking, Chu Xiu sat up straight, his heart pounding uncontrollably!
What a coincidence!
(End of this chapter)