Jin looked up. He could not see anything thanks to the ceiling. It was effectively preventing anyone from spying from under... It might be obvious but he had to check because it also meant that the ones on top could not spy on him either. That was mattered the most. As he gazed from over the desk, he could not see anything within the other alcoves. There were some walls blocking him from looking at the adjacent booths as well, unless he bent forward. However, who would dare do so?

Basically, the only thing one could see from one's spot was the central platform all the way down there.

Jin was very satisfied and approved the way this auction was built. When it came to secrecy, they were truly at the top of their game. Be it the invitation, the location, the disguise and the hall of the event itself... He was impressed.

Hymin was far more impressed than he was and it showed on her face. She was having a hard time believing that such a place existed here. She lived in this city since she was born but had no idea... There were truly two worlds within the same. Mortals could never hope to ever imagine how cultivators lived.

Jin calmly took a seat and teasingly told her: "You can sit down if you want"

She snickered before grumbling and taking a seat. There were only two so, of course, she sat next to Jin. As the auction had yet to start due to all the guests not having arrived, it was quite boring. Not to Jin, of course, who used the time to meditate. But to Hymin.

After a few minutes, she was tired of seeing nothing from her spot except for the opposite alcoves. And there seemed to be some kind of weird veil preventing her from seeing within.

She ended up asking Jin: "So, it was this auction that you were so scared about?"

Jin opened one eye to glance at her then closed it back. He saw no reasons to humor her anymore. The less he talked with her, the less risks she would find herself in later on. Since this gathering was nothing more than a real auction and not something related to his true identity, he did not want to speak. While she herself was not dangerous, people might find her if they tracked him... He was, in fact, planning to lie to her after acting throughout the auction. He would keep his cold attitude and slowly open up, only to tell her lies.

Was it too much? Probably. But what if?

He was getting paranoid? In his shoes, it was understandable.

Hymin did not like that he did not answer her but understood his meaning. She snickered as she turned away from him and closed her eyes too. She knew that she was not considered as anything in his eyes. She was just a 'bait' he bought. It saddened her slightly. Even though she was used to such things, they never felt good. Especially tonight, as it might be the very last time she had to endure. It made it harder. She could and would do it though. If the customer wanted silence, then she would oblige.

Minutes went by in the half-darkness and silence.

Then, all lights went off. Jin opened his eyes while on guard while Hymin freaked out. She grabbed Jin's arm reflexively. He had not expected her to do so...If he was not on guard, sensing his surroundings, he might have thought of it as an attack...

Fortunately, nothing so dramatic happened.

Instead, just an instant later, lights appeared all over the center podium. Blue, green, yellow, red... They moved seemingly randomly, mixing within each other. Then, they flew away from the podium and began to circulate over the auction hall. The lights became colored smokes that took different shapes. A red dragon over there, a blue phoenix here...

The show went on for a few minutes, mesmerizing Hymin. Jin, on the other hand, had his secret eye technique activated and was learning the techniques being used. He could not use them himself at the moment since he could not yet make use of the elements but one day he would. At that time, he could always search back his memories and those techniques would be there.

What was the point of it? In battle? To confuse, to distract, to bait... There were many options and uses. Everything was useful, it only depended on who got their hands on it.

Here, they were used for a show. He'd find a way to use them to kill.

The show went on as myriads of divine and mystical beasts flew around all over the hall. Even though he appreciated the technique, Jin also appreciated the visual show. It was well-made and beautiful. A performance that not only showed the ability of the cultivator behind it but also his incredible aesthetics.

And finally, all smokes converged and turned to light once more in the center of the podium. The lights kept brightening as they fused with each other, slowly turning into pure white. And from within, one began to make out the shape of a man. From a shadow to silhouette to the real thing. As the lights completely faded, the lighting within the hall turned back on.

On the podium was a handsome bowing with one hand behind his back and the other hand over his chest.

Applause flooded the hall. Hymin clapped along. Jin did too.

It stopped a few seconds later, and the handsome man finally stopped his bow. Standing straight in the podium was a handsome man in a pure white battle robe. He had a chiseled face with brown eyes and dark hair flowing down his back.

He spoke in a calming tone, at a rather average tone yet, through a sound technique, spread evenly throughout the entire hall: "Welcome, dear guests, to our black auction!"