Chapter 35

All of a sudden, the auction began.

A round platform rose in the center of the first floor. An old man in a black-and-white robe walked up onto the platform unhurriedly, looked around, and said in a sonorous voice, “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the auction.”

“I, Mo Tiannan, am honored to have been invited by the 36 guilds to preside over this rare auction event on Emerald Mountain.”

Mo Tiannan!

He was a prestigious freewheeling cultivator who traveled throughout the nine cities and who had long ago ascended into the Foundation Building Stage. With someone of his reputation presiding over this auction, there was a big chance that he would bring fame to the name of Snivel Town’s auction event.

If the auction went well today, it might become established and could be held forever. This was the wish of the 36 guilds in Snivel Town and Mountain Shade Town.

After all, the profits that an auction could generate were considerable.

“Today, all of you are here for the auction, so this old man will not waste your time. As this is the first auction that has ever been held here, I will explain the rules of the auction in advance.

“For all the items in this auction, a starting bid will be decided by the seller. Everyone can place bids at will, and the item will be sold to the highest bidder. In this auction, we will be using Spirit Stones as the bid unit. Those who have insufficient Spirit Stones can use other items of the same value to trade. The specific value of the items offered for trade will be determined by the appraisers of all 36 guilds.

“As this auction has been set up in a rather hasty manner, if you have any treasures that you haven’t had time to place on the auction block, you can let our master appraiser accompany you to see the items and evaluate them for you. If the appraiser deems the items eligible for bidding, they will be added to the auction.

“For my fellow friends who came here just to bid, this auction will become increasingly mysterious as it goes on because no one knows exactly what the auction will receive as treasures, which will be arriving while the auction is going on.”

Mo Tiannan’s loud, powerful voice reached the ears of every cultivator in the venue, successfully heating up the atmosphere.

Then, as his opening his pitch finished…

“Without further ado, let’s bring out our first item.”

As soon as his voice stopped speaking, someone brought out the first lot.

It was a model of a black-and-green small boat the size of a man’s palm.

Mo Tiannan held up the small boat and said loudly, “This treasure is called the Boat of the Divine Wind. It is a flying Magical Artifact crafted by the renowned Han Sanren from the fins and tail of an Ink Dragon that he slaughtered.

“I guess I don’t have to elaborate on the great Han Sanren. The Boat of the Divine Wind is a Tier 2 Magical Artifact, engraved with a total of 15 Nether Prohibition Runic Arrays. The starting bid is 220 Spirit Stones.”

Wow! The auction was starting out with a Tier 2 Magical Artifact! This item was awesome.

Many cultivators in the Foundation Building Stage didn’t even have Tier 1 Magical Artifacts in their possession, much less Tier 2 Magical Artifacts. They were still using top-level Runic Equipment.

The excellence of the item could also be deduced from its price. The starting bid for the Boat of the Divine Wind was already 220 Spirit Stones, enough to build more than 40 Pill Refining Chambers the size of the Emery Pill Refining Chamber!

It was unimaginable how precious Magical Artifacts were.

For many great cultivators in the Foundation Building Stage who had had no attainments on the path to wealth, even with all their assets combined, they might not have had very many Spirit Stones. They could only lament their lack of assets at this time.

“Han Sanren!”

“He’s one of the few Tier 2 Tool Refining Masters within the boundaries of Emerald Mountain. It is said that he has dedicated his whole life to Tool Refining, and is neither with the faction of the righteous or the evil. He is hailed as Old Demon Han, and, because he is most proficient in the art of escaping, he is also jokingly addressed as Han the Roadrunner. I’m sure people will go berserk for a flying Magical Artifact refined by him.”

As a top-level Tool Refining Apprentice, Zhang Zong was extremely attentive about any information regarding the Tool Refining profession.

Evidently, he had heard of this fellow, Han Sanren.

As obsessed as Lu Qingfeng was with cultivation, he had very little knowledge about it. He only felt sure that making this trip was the correct choice. Even if he couldn’t manage to purchase any suitable treasures, listening to these strange stories was well worth the journey.

Sure enough, as Zhang Zong had expected…

After the Boat of the Divine Wind was put up for bidding, its price swiftly surged all the way from the starting bid of 220 Spirit Stones to 300 Spirit Stones before gradually slowing down.

Generally speaking, the price of Tier 2 Magical Artifacts would range from 200 to 400 Spirit Stones.

With 15 Prohibition Runic Arrays, the Boat of the Divine Wind was considered in the middle classes among Tier 2 Magical Artifacts, which would value it at approximately 300 Spirit Stones. But as Han Sanren was the one who had refined it, it was considered more valuable. However, if the price got too high, bidders would have to consider if it was really worth the money.

“These people are real tycoons!”

Lu Qingfeng looked at these people whose eyes didn’t even blink when they were placing their enormous bids. He was utterly dumbfounded.

Before he’d gotten here, Zhang Zong and the rest had even teased him by saying that he could buy out the entire auction. Now that he had witnessed these real tycoons in action, he learned that his wealth was nothing in comparison.

Over the years, he had made extremely high profits off the low-level pills like the Yellow Dragon Pill. He was capable of reaching three times the net profit in the manufacture of these pills.

And, even after the guild took its 20 percent, he would still have 240 percent of the profit. After he’d mastered the refining of the Golden Pith Pellet, Chi Cycling Powder, Chi Infusing Pill, and the other intermediate- and advanced-level pills, the profits he was earning increased yet again.

By spending two hours per day in Pill Refining, Lu Qingfeng could earn more than two pieces of Spirit Stone fragments.

Besides, he also earned a commission for bringing up several apprentices.

Over time, excluding the costs of cultivating, mastering new pill recipes, and the resources he expended on Tool Refining, his net worth had arrived at a whopping 28 Spirit Stones.

However, compared to those here today who could casually spend 200 or 300 Spirit Stones, Lu Qingfeng might as well be placed among the ranks of the destitute.

Wang Tao heard Lu Qingfeng murmuring to himself, and he turned and said with a smile, “They’re all using their guild’s central fund. They are doing so in order to enhance the strength of their guilds. For lone cultivators, even for great cultivators in the Foundation Building Stage, only a very few could ever afford Magical Artifacts of such a caliber.”

After hearing what Wang Tao had said, Lu Qingfeng felt a lot better on the inside.

The wealth of a single individual and that of a guild were truly incomparable.

Singularity belonged to the middle reaches among the many guilds across the entire Luminous Spirit Realm. However, they were earning a lot of money courtesy of the many industries they were operating. Lu Qingfeng’s tiny bit of net worth was way too small to ever be comparable.

The bidding for the Boat of the Divine Wind was intense, but it soon came to an end.

Finally, the Heavenly River Guild acquired the Boat of the Divine Wind at the price of 327 Spirit Stones.

This first lot propelled the auction to high level of excitement. Although the subsequent lots were not as precious as the Boat of the Divine Wind, the items were also considered very rare.

There were all kinds of precious Magical Artifacts, Runic Equipment, materials from Demon Beasts, rare talismans, rare pills, and even incomplete techniques, spells, and so on.

It could be seen that the 36 guilds had put in a lot of effort this time to have gathered that many treasures.

Lu Qingfeng had no interest in Magical Artifacts and Runic Equipment, nor could he actually afford them.

He had no use for materials obtained from Demon Beasts either.

It was the incomplete techniques that intrigued him. But seeing that the incomplete technique was only of the Refined-grade and that it could only be cultivated until the Genuine Chi Phase, Lu Qingfeng lost interest in it.

He was now cultivating in the Authentic-grade technique Verdant Sword Art, upgraded from the Lateral-Grade. Only techniques of the Lateral-grade and above could possibly tempt him.

However, as things were at present, it was very unlikely that a technique of the Lateral grade would show up at an auction of this scale.

Halfway through the auction, the puppets Lu Qingfeng was waiting for finally arrived.

In front of Mo Tiannan, a humanoid puppet that was so battered that its internal structures could be seen clearly was lifted up. This humanoid puppet was about 30 feet tall. There was a hole that had been pierced all the way from its chest to its back.

In short, it was very damaged.

Mo Tiannan spoke passionately, completely ignoring the condition of the puppet. “This is the Combat Puppet of the guild of Novenary. In the beast tide a few days ago, it was inadvertently ambushed by a Demon Beast and thus was very damaged. However, 30 percent of this puppet is still intact. To whoever may acquire it, if you can get yourself a Tool Refiner to help you repair it a little, you will obtain a Level 3 puppet effortlessly!”

“The bidding starts now. The starting bid is five Spirit Stones!”

The combat prowess of a Level 3 puppet was equivalent to the first phase of the Foundation Building Stage, the Chi Drawing Phase. If it were a complete Level 3 puppet, its value would be above that of Tier 1 Magical Artifacts, even close to that of Tier 2 Magical Artifacts at approximately 180 Spirit Stones.

However, it was apparent that this Level 3 puppet was only 30 percent complete, and, without a doubt, most of its valuable parts would have already been taken out. At best, it was only left with an incomplete framework, a sketchy exoskeleton, and fragmentary Runic Arrays and joint connectors.

Such a Level 3 puppet that was almost ready for the scrap heap was actually set at a maddening low base price of five Spirit Stones. For an instant, all three floors of the auction venue were plunged into utter silence.

“I bet Novenary must’ve gone mad thinking about how much money they lost.”

Zhang Zong glanced at a place on the second floor and turned to look at Lu Qingfeng, “Qingfeng, this price is too high, do not bid on it. After the auction, I am confident that I can get it for you from Novenary for two Spirit Stones.”

The guild of Novenary was evidently trying to scam hot-headed youths who weren’t clear about market prices. Zhang Zong, as a veteran in the field, was worried that Lu Qingfeng would behave recklessly, and hence he couldn’t help but give him some advice.

“Thanks for that, Brother Zhang!”

Lu Qingfeng doesn’t really need large puppets. He truly wasn’t intending to acquire this 30-foot-tall puppet that was so broken yet expensive.

But since Zhang Zong had told him that he could obtain it with two Spirit Stones, that was very much within Lu Qingfeng’s acceptable price range.

In the latter half of the auction, several puppets appeared, all of which were severely damaged.

But in terms of price, they weren’t as expensive as that of Novenary’s.

Lu Qingfeng bought one of the puppets that was more than 20 feet high and only 20 percent complete at the price of only one Spirit Stone.

To his surprise, toward the end of the auction, two consecutive lots contained his desired items.

One of them was a miniature humanoid puppet that Lu Qingfeng had always wanted. It was 70 percent complete and, what’s more, could be remotely controlled. After refining its core, the Twin Stone, one would be able to control the activities of this humanoid puppet within a range of 50 feet.

The problem with it was that the combat power of this puppet was too low, only at a Level 2. Even in its complete state, its combat power was only equivalent to the Genuine Chi Phase, which to the many people present, was considered useless.

Lu Qingfeng was easily able to buy it with 30 Spirit Stone Fragments.

Another item that was placed on auction at the same time as this humanoid puppet was said to be the lifelong learnings of an advanced-level Tool Refining Apprentice on the ways of Tool Refining. He went by the name of Huang Tiangu.

Huang Tiangu wasn’t interested in the refining of regular Magical Artifacts. He had dedicated all his energy into Puppet Crafting.

His research philosophy was somewhat similar to that of Lu Qingfeng. They both want to develop puppets that could be remotely controlled or even fight autonomously.

For nearly 100 years of research, his results were mediocre.

The puppets he refined could only be remotely controlled within a range of 50 feet. Besides, the puppets’ capabilities were less than Level 2. They were of little value even for cultivators in the Genuine Chi Phase. Thus, the market for his items wasn’t large.

It was said that this person had disappeared for more than a decade. No one had expected that the Huang’s Puppet Handbook compiled by him would appear at this auction.

No one was interested in the humanoid puppet, but the Huang’s Puppet Handbook caught the interest of many.

Huang Tiangu had studied puppets for nearly 100 years, and he had also figured out some valuable knowledge. If one could proceed on the basis of his thoughts, perhaps one could really develop a puppet that could be manipulated from a long distance or even execute instructions on its own.

Hence, Huang’s Puppet Handbook had started with a minimum bid of 50 Spirit Stone Fragments and then soared all the way to eight Spirit Stones.

In the end, it was obtained by Lu Qingfeng.

Eight Spirit Stones!

In exchange for the knowledge of an advanced-level Pill Refining Apprentice, this price was more than just slightly high!

It was because many Tool Refining Apprentices and even Tool Refining Masters felt that they could gain some inspiration in Puppet Crafting from this handbook that the item was hiked up to such a high price.

But they were seriously lacking in confidence about being able to gain inspiration and breakthroughs from Huang’s Puppet Handbook. They only wanted to buy it as a possibility.

At seven and eight Spirit Stones, the price was already considered exorbitantly high.

They weren’t like Lu Qingfeng, who was determined to get this book and increased his bid unceasingly. With the Ability Upgrade property, Lu Qingfeng was far more confident than these other people.

After he acquired the miniature humanoid puppet and Huang’s Puppet Handbook, Lu Qingfeng won another bid for the recipe of another pill called the Spirit Breeding Pill. It was said that this elixir was especially used by ancient cultivators to raise and breed Spirit Beasts. It could promote the raising of Spirit Beasts.

Unfortunately, during the process of inheritance, the pill recipe had been damaged and flawed, and some medicinal herbs had become extinct over time. With this pill recipe, it was impossible to refine the Spirit Breeding Pill.

Lu Qingfeng purchased it as he wanted to try and see if the Ability Upgrade property could make up for the recipe’s imperfections.

After all, it would only cost him some 20 Spirit Stone Fragments.

Soon after the recipe for the Spirit Breeding Pill was sold, the auction drew to a close.

Following the auction of the last lot, the auction, which had been named the Mysterious Auction House, jointly organized by 36 guilds, came to a successful close.

During this auction, more than 200 items had been put up for bidding. The event itself could be considered as an auction extravaganza that had rarely happened in recent times.

By the looks of it, the Mysterious Auction House had received a great response and would probably go on forever.

But these were things that Mu Yuanyi and the leaders of the other top guilds would have to worry about. Lu Qingfeng didn’t really too care much about them.

After obtaining the items he’d wanted, he didn’t linger in Snivel Town. Along with Zhang Zong, Yue Ran, and the others who wanted no part of the bustling atmosphere, he returned to Singularity Mountain.

…