The "Special Talent" of a Lazy Fish

The opening auction of the Myriad Treasures Convention was held in a massive circular venue called the "Treasure Gathering Platform," which was transformed from the shell of an ancient giant turtle.

When Jiang Mian followed Ao Juan into their private box on the second floor, which had an excellent view, he was once again shocked by the extravagance of the wealthy from all over the Four Seas.

The entire venue presented a perfect circular structure, densely packed with thousands of independent boxes and seats from top to bottom. In the center of the venue was a huge circular exhibition stage carved from a single piece of luminous crystal. At that moment, countless soft beams of light shone down from the night pearls on the dome, illuminating the stage as bright as day.

"So many people..." Jiang Mian leaned on the railing of the box, looking at the bustling heads below, feeling as if his claustrophobia was about to act up.

"Quiet down." Ao Juan sat on a soft couch nearby, closing his eyes and resting, with a composed posture. "Conceal your aura and don't attract attention."

Jiang Mian pouted, had to withdraw, and sat down on the other side of the soft couch, imitating Ao Juan's demeanor, pretending to be profound.

Soon, the auction officially began.

A shapely and eloquent shark clan beauty auctioneer stepped onto the stage and, with a very captivating voice, introduced one rare auction item after another.

From a "peerless treasure sword forged from thousand-year mysterious iron," to an "ancient elixir that can temporarily enhance cultivation," to a "map fragment of some ancient great power's cave dwelling," each item sparked successive bidding from the hall below and various boxes.

At first, Jiang Mian watched with great interest, feeling like he was watching some kind of "treasure appraisal" show. But soon, his attention was drawn to a beautifully made "deep-sea fruit platter" that the inn had delivered to their box.

He nibbled on a fruit called "ice crystal grapes," which melted in his mouth, and listened listlessly to the people below bidding astronomical numbers for things he had never heard of.

He thought, these people are really rich and have so much energy. With this effort, wouldn't it be better to grill a few more fish?

Just as Jiang Mian was about to fall asleep after eating and drinking, Ao Juan beside him suddenly opened his eyes.

"It's coming," he said softly.

Jiang Mian snapped awake instantly: "What's coming?"

On the central stage, the rare treasures from before had been removed. In their place was something covered by a huge black cloth, resembling a cage.

"The next item is very special," the shark auctioneer said with a hint of mystery and excitement. "It is not a magical artifact or an elixir, but a living creature."

She pulled off the black cloth, revealing what was underneath.

It was a huge cage made of deep-sea cold iron, inside which crouched a... monster.

The monster was the size of a small mountain-like manatee, but its body was covered with hard, armor-like cyan scales. It had a ferocious head, a pair of blood-red eyes, and occasionally emitted irritable growls. Most striking were the rows of sharp, knife-like bone spurs on its back, extending from head to tail.

"This beast is called the 'Rage Thorn Beast,' a unique creature from the depths of the Misty Trench," the auctioneer introduced. "It has a violent temper and immense strength. The bone spurs on its back are excellent materials for refining top-grade attack artifacts. More importantly, its companion spirit crystal is a great tonic for cultivators practicing water-type techniques!"

As she finished speaking, the Rage Thorn Beast, as if provoked, suddenly slammed into the cage. With a loud bang, the entire stage shook.

Instantly, countless blue lightning runes burst out on the cage, forcefully repelling it back.

"Rest assured," the auctioneer explained with a smile, "this cage has been reinforced by the top formation masters of our Four Seas Chamber of Commerce. It is absolutely safe."

Despite her words, Jiang Mian could feel that many people in the venue grew tense due to the beast's ferocity.

"Starting bid: five hundred high-grade spirit stones!"

As this price was announced, the venue fell into a momentary silence.

Although the Rage Thorn Beast was valuable, its temperament was too violent and extremely hard to tame. Buying it meant that if one could not subdue it quickly and extract the bone spurs and spirit crystal, it would be like placing a "deep-sea mine" that could explode at any time in one's home.

"Five hundred ten!" After a moment of silence, someone finally started bidding.

"Five hundred twenty!"

"Five hundred fifty!"

The bidding was sparse, far less intense than for previous items. Clearly, most people were on the fence, unwilling to take the risk.

"Ao Juan," Jiang Mian asked quietly, "does this thing... have anything to do with the plan you mentioned?"

"Of course," Ao Juan's eyes flashed with confidence. "Now is the time."

He glanced at Jiang Mian and commanded, "Take out the sound transmission conch and sing."

"Huh? Now?" Jiang Mian was confused.

"Yes, now." Ao Juan's tone brooked no argument.

Though puzzled, Jiang Mian obediently took out the unremarkable sound transmission conch.

What to sing? He thought for a moment, and what came to mind was an ancient lullaby of the Jiaoren Clan that his mother used to hum when he was a child. The song had no real lyrics, just some simple and melodious syllables, said to have a calming effect.

He brought the conch to his lips, closed his eyes, infused a thread of Spiritual Energy into it, and began to hum softly.

"Ee... ya... na..."

His voice, amplified by the conch's enchantment, did not sound in their own box but echoed softly and ethereously throughout the entire "Treasure Gathering Platform" like a divine oracle from the heavens.

The singing was soft and gentle, yet carried an indescribable, soul-penetrating magical power.

The venue, which had been somewhat noisy and tense due to the Rage Thorn Beast, miraculously quieted down the moment the song began.

Everyone subconsciously stopped talking and bidding, looking up in confusion to find the source of the song.

Even the beautiful shark auctioneer on the central stage froze in place.

And the most incredible scene unfolded.

The Rage Thorn Beast, which had been rampaging and banging its head against the cage, gradually, slowly, stopped attacking upon hearing the song.

The ferocity in its blood-red eyes slowly faded, replaced by confusion... and calmness.

Its massive body slowly lowered.

Finally, under everyone's astonished gaze, this deep-sea beast, known for its "ferocity," curled up in a corner of the cage like a gentle kitten, closed its eyes, and emitted a slight, contented purr.

It... fell asleep.

The entire venue fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone was stunned speechless by this surreal sight.

The song also ceased at that moment.

After a full three seconds of silence, the entire venue exploded into an uproar!

"Heavens! What song was that? It even put the Rage Thorn Beast to sleep?"

"Which great power is here? Could this be the legendary ancient soothing tune?"

"This is no ordinary beast taming! This is divine skill!"

Those who had been uninterested in the Rage Thorn Beast now had their eyes burning with desire.

A docile, unresisting Rage Thorn Beast—its value was completely different! It meant that all its precious materials could be obtained without any risk!

"One thousand high-grade spirit stones!" A voice eagerly came from a certain box, directly doubling the price.

"One thousand two hundred!"

"One thousand five hundred! No one snatch it from me!"

The price began to skyrocket at a crazy pace.

And the instigator of all this, Jiang Mian, sat dazedly in the box, watching the mad scene below, then looking at the conch in his hand, feeling as if he were dreaming.

He... he had just casually sung a lullaby!

"See?" Ao Juan's voice sounded in his ear, with a hint of unsurprised amusement. "This is your 'special talent.' An 'assist' that can instantly calm fierce creatures is, in many situations, far more valuable than a powerful warrior."

Before Jiang Mian could recover from his shock, he saw Ao Juan unhurriedly press the bidding device in their box.

A clear and steady voice rang throughout the venue:

"Three thousand high-grade spirit stones."