Shattering Truth

"I thank all the guests for taking time out of their daily schedules and gracing us with their presence at this auction! Let's officially start the 73rd round of the Golden Crown Auction Hall!!!" The auction host announced as people started to slowly take their seats and organize themselves. Zhao Jun pointed towards an old mustached man sitting in the 3rd row and explained.

"That's the guy messing up with the auction materials, replacing the real ones with fake ones, and now shamelessly trying to act like he's here to participate in the auction."

"Then shouldn't we just catch him now before he can replace the real with a fake?"

Fang Xiyue immediately suggested as she got into an attentive posture, but Zhao Jun pulled her back as his gaze flashed through the artifacts being carried over the stage.

"He has already replaced them... Change of plans, we aren't going to catch him; we are going to follow him..."

Zhao Jun sighed, and the host on the stage pointed towards a well-collected, beautiful porcelain vase covered in glass and explained.

"This is a 1000-year-old vase from the Qiang Royal Family Palace, a beautiful collection from the Blue Spirit Flower. It was found by the Branch Manager of the Auction Hall himself from a street seller whose ancestors apparently used to serve in the Qiang Royal Family Palace and got rewarded with the vase. For 1000 years, this vase has been collecting Qi from nature and has transformed into a High Mortal Grade Treasure that can help anyone reach up to the Foundation Building Realm within 3 years! The bidding will start from $100,000!"

"300,000!"

"350,000!"

"600,000!"

"750,000!"

The bidders immediately started to raise the price in a flash. The worth of this vase as a treasure was nothing great, but as a piece of collection for these millionaires of the country, it was a cheap price to pay.

'Hahaha! Guess I'm earning a few thousand bucks for myself too! This is it! Keep raising your price! Keep goin-'

"5 million!"

Suddenly, the place became extremely tense as all gazes fell towards Zhao Jun, who was casually walking down the stairs, wearing a black hoodie. The face of the host immediately brightened as he looked towards others and shouted.

"5 million! Going once! Twice!? Sold!!!! A mysterious young master has won this first round of the auction!!!"

Zhao Jun scoffed and jumped onto the stage. Moving his eyes over the glass-covered vase, he commented.

"Since I have decided to buy it, for the sake of my peace of mind, can I have a look at it myself for once? Of course, if it's the real thing and gets any damage, I will still pay for it."

"Real? Are you saying we at Gold River Auction Hall sell fake artifacts!? Please refrain from making such accusations!"

The host immediately shouted back in annoyance, and the guests also started to scoff and scold Zhao Jun, with looks of annoyance in their eyes.

"Indeed! How can you accuse others!?"

"This isn't right!"

"Really, young people these days know no manners in terms of words."

"Tsk! To think he dares assume things like this!? And what is he even wearing here..."

Zhao Jun didn't care about all the comments going around him and casually removed the glass cover from the vase. After flashing his eyes over it, he directly smashed the vase to the ground.

"You!? What do you think you are doing, sir!?"

The host was in full panic, but as he was about to confront Zhao Jun, thinking he had gone mad, Zhao Jun casually stopped in mid-air through his Qi and picked up a piece of the vase. He commented, "As I said before, I only pay for what is real. This is fake. It is indeed a vase from the Qiang Royal Family Palace, but not a 1000-year-old one. It's just a 200-year-old vase. Look here and pay attention: this flower design here is colored from the essence of the same blue flower called 'Blue Spring Spirit.' But the 'Blue Spring Spirit' was a flower made by us humans about 250 years ago to cure diseases that spread at those times.

The vases of the Qiang Royal Family Palace were designed with the essence of the flower called 'Blue Moon Spring' that bloomed once a year in the western region of the country. Unfortunately, it has gone extinct for more than 800 years. The person who made this vase did really well, replacing the essence of Blue Moon Spring with Blue Spring Spirit. They really give the same scene and sensation in color, but a fake can't ever surpass the real deal."

As Zhao Jun said that, the Branch Manager of the Auction Hall suddenly jumped onto the stage and snatched the piece of vase from Zhao Jun's hand.

"This! This isn't the vase I brought to the auction! This replica of the vase isn't even worth $10,000!!! Where is the real one?"

As he roared, the place turned extremely chaotic, and the culprit sitting in the third row was now in complete panic.

'Shit! This brat! I can't let him be! Can't let him be like this!? This shouldn't be happening! I need to escape??!'

Zhao Jun grinned as he noticed the man standing up, and suddenly, a loud explosion emerged from the back hall of the auction.

"It's an attack!?"

"Take back all the other artifacts!?!"

"Call security!!!"

"Kyaaa! Evacuate! Run away!!!"

The crowd of people became chaotic and immediately started to run away. Taking advantage of all the commotion, the culprit gave one long glare at Zhao Jun and clicked his tongue. He also left, vanishing into the crowd.

"I'm sorry for all the commotion, Branch Manager. I will bring the culprit back to you later. You can contact me if you need something later."

Zhao Jun scoffed, removed the cap from his head, and handed his card to the Branch Manager. He then flashed away from the hall along with Fang Xiyue.

"Zhao Jun... Pure Jade Academy?"

A shocked look appeared on the Branch Manager's face as he saw the card. Meanwhile, at the same time, Zhao Jun and Fang Xiyue were seen running across the roofs and wires of the buildings.

"I can't see that guy! We lost him!"

Fang Xiyue commented as they kept running, but Zhao Jun shook his head as a map panel appeared on his academy bracelet, and he replied.

"No, we didn't. I planted a tracking device on his neck before leaving. Though those trackers are used to prevent demonic beasts from escaping, I guess humans aren't different!"

As Zhao Jun said that, he suddenly pointed in a direction, and both noticed the guy they were following entering an enormous storage building in a quiet region of the city. Zhao Jun and Fang Xiyue both nodded and immediately followed. But just as they did that, the gates behind them closed off.

"What?!"

Fang Xiyue was completely surprised. The next moment, two giant stage lights suddenly moved over their faces, blinding them for a moment, and the guy they were following suddenly grinned, removing his suit and taking out a long sword in his hand with dozens of figures behind him.

"Hahaha! You think I wouldn't notice that tracker?! These dumb brats! To think you consider yourselves so smart! I have been in this business for decades already! And you walked right into my trap! Guys! Beat these brats!!!"

"Shit..."

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