RETURN OF THE DRAGON: Made 100 Trillon in A Day

Chapter 13: The Auction of Souls

The air in the Hidden Dragon Academy’s "Gilded Pavilion" was thick enough to choke a commoner. This wasn’t just an auction; it was a gathering of the vultures who ruled the province from the shadows. Incense made of crushed Spirit Stones burned in silver braziers, filling the room with a hazy, blue light that caught the gold embroidery on the robes of every "genius" and "Elder" present.

"Remember the rules, Chairman," Su Qinghe whispered, leaning into my ear. Her voice was taut with a fear she couldn't quite mask. "This is the 'Midnight Market.' No names, no ranks, only the weight of your purse. But even then... these people are the apex predators of the cultivation world."

"Predators?" I scanned the room, my golden eyes seeing through the silk masks of the bidders. I saw Lin Hao, still nursing his bruised ego from the Testing Plaza, and several cloaked figures radiating Rank-5 'Lord Realm' pressure. "They look like vultures waiting for a carcass to me, Secretary. They just don't realize the carcass is still breathing."

"Welcome, Excellencies, to the Auction of Souls," a masked man on the stage announced. His voice was a raspy, modulated growl that echoed through the amphitheater. "Tonight, we deal not in gold, but in destiny. Our final item for the evening is a relic of a fallen house. A record of debts, blood, and shadows."

Two guards brought out a small, iron-bound chest. When they opened it, a tattered, leather-bound book sat inside. Even from fifty feet away, I could feel the resonance. My heart hammered against my ribs—the 'God-Body' recognized its origin.

"The Qin Family Ledger," the auctioneer declared. "The complete record of the Qin Clan’s rise and fall. It contains the names of every collaborator, every betrayer, and every secret account used to dismantle the lineage three decades ago. The starting bid is 100 Billion Spirit Coins."

The room erupted in a low, hungry murmur.

"100 Billion?" Lin Hao laughed, leaning back in his velvet chair. He threw a mocking glance toward the back of the room where I stood. "That’s more than the entire net worth of most minor cities! Who would pay that for a book of dead names?"

"The names aren't dead, Young Master Lin," a voice hissed from a VIP box. "The people on those pages are the ones who currently sit in the high seats of the Three Great Sects. Whoever owns that book owns the leverage to destroy empires."

"110 Billion!" a voice called out.

"150 Billion!" another countered instantly.

"200 Billion!"

The numbers climbed with a sickening speed. This was the blood of my parents being traded like a commodity.

"Look at the 'Zero' standing there," a girl in a silver robe mocked, pointing at me. "He looks like he’s trying to calculate how many lifetimes he’d have to work as a janitor to afford a single page of that ledger."

"Quiet, Yue," Lin Hao sneered, his voice loud enough to carry across the hall. "He’s probably wondering if he can put it on a payment plan. Hey, Qin Ming! I heard the Hanhai Hotel is hiring dishwashers! If you start tonight, you might be able to afford the dust on the cover by the year 3000!"

The room erupted in laughter. The "geniuses" of the Academy turned their masked faces toward me, their eyes filled with the casual cruelty of the elite.

"He actually thinks he belongs here," another student jeered. "He moved a rock and thinks he’s a King. Look at him, he doesn't even have a bidding paddle!"

"Why would I need a paddle?" I asked, my voice cutting through the laughter like a cold blade. "I’m not here to play games with children."

The laughter died down, replaced by a tense, vibrating silence.

"Listen to the trash bark," Lin Hao said, standing up and flourishing his gold-plated paddle. "I’ll end this now. The Lin Family bids 500 Billion! This ledger belongs in our archives, if only to remind us how easy it was to crush your father!"

"500 Billion once!" the auctioneer shouted, his eyes scanning the room. "500 Billion twice! Do I hear—"

"One Trillion," I said.

The silence that followed wasn't just quiet; it was absolute. It was the sound of a thousand hearts skipping a beat at the same time.

Lin Hao’s paddle slipped from his hand, clattering onto the obsidian floor. "What did you say, you beggar?"

"I said One Trillion," I repeated, stepping into the light of the blue incense. The golden glow in my eyes was no longer a shimmer—it was a forest fire. "And I wasn't finished. I'll pay in cash. Right now. In full."

"One Trillion?!" the auctioneer stammered, his voice losing its modulated growl. "That’s... that’s the equivalent of the province’s entire treasury! No one has that kind of liquidity!"

"He's lying!" Lin Hao screamed, his face turning a blotchy, frantic red. "He’s a Rank-0 fraud! He’s trying to sabotage the auction! Security, kill him! Execute him for insulting the Midnight Market!"

The guards stepped forward, their Rank-4 auras flaring.

"Secretary Su," I said, not even looking at the guards. "Transfer the funds. Use the 'Sovereign Account'."

Su Qinghe’s fingers flew across her tablet. "Transferring now, Chairman. 1,000,000,000,000 Spirit Coins... Authenticating with the Global Spirit Bank... Done."

A massive holographic screen ignited above the stage.

[Global Spirit Bank: Transaction Confirmed.]

[Amount: 1,000,000,000,000 SC.]

[Sender: QIN MING.]

[Status: PAID IN FULL.]

The auctioneer fell back against the podium, his knees buckling. The elite students looked at the screen, then at me, then back at the screen. The reality of the number—the sheer, crushing weight of a trillion coins—was enough to make their heads spin.

I walked down the center aisle. The Rank-4 guards, the same ones who were supposed to execute me, stepped back instinctively. They didn't see a "Zero" anymore. They saw a god made of currency.

I reached the stage and picked up the iron-bound chest. I didn't treat it like a relic. I treated it like mine.

"You said money was dirt in here, Lin Hao," I said, looking down at him as he sat frozen in his chair. "But it seems your 'dirt' just wasn't deep enough."

"How?" Hao whispered, his voice cracking. "Who gave you that much? Who are you?"

"I'm the man who just bought the names of everyone who ever touched my family," I said, opening the ledger and looking at the first page. "And look at that... the Lin family is right at the top."

I looked at the auctioneer. "Is there anything else for sale tonight? Because I’m in the mood to buy the rest of this room, too."

"N-no, Excellency!" the auctioneer gasped. "The auction is concluded!"

"Good," I said, turning to the exit. "Because I have a lot of houses to visit tonight."

As I walked out of the Pavilion, Su Qinghe hurried to my side. "Chairman, you’ve just painted a target on your back the size of the moon. Every Sect within a thousand miles is going to be coming for that ledger—and your head."

"I know," I said, my hand tightening on the book.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated. A new notification from the System, but it wasn't golden. It was deep, pulsing purple.

[System: The 'True Owners' have tracked the Trillion-Coin transaction. 'Void-Reapers' have entered the Academy's airspace.]

[System: Survival Probability has dropped to 0.000001%. Would you like to spend 5 Trillion to 'Ascend' or 10 Trillion to 'Rewrite' the current reality?]

"Ascend?" I whispered.

"Young Master," a voice called from the shadows of the academy gates.

I stopped. It was the man in the grey suit again. But this time, his suit was torn, and blood was dripping from his fingertips.

"You shouldn't have spent it all in one place," he said, his eyes filled with a terrifying pity. "The people who gave you that System... they weren't giving you a gift. They were giving you bait."

"Bait for what?" I demanded.

"For the thing that eats Gods," he replied.

 A massive, obsidian-black ship, larger than the entire Academy, slowly descended through the clouds. It didn't use engines; it simply erased the space beneath it. A voice boomed from the sky, a sound so powerful it caused the marble pillars around us to turn to dust: "Qin Ming. The 100 Trillion was a loan. The interest is due. Give us the Ledger and your soul, or we will erase this timeline."

[System: Warning! Reality Collapses in 60 seconds. Choose: [SURRENDER] or [DEBT REBELLION].]

I looked at the Ledger, then at the ship in the sky. I felt the 80 Trillion remaining in my account.

"Debt Rebellion," I growled.