After the event, Lin Shiming followed Lin Yuzheng to a private room. There was a table in the room, where several people of the Shi generation were busy arranging some Spirit Fruits.
During the auction, they planned to emulate the auction in Qingxuan City: Foundation Establishment families would each be presented with some Second Rank Inferior Grade Spirit Fruits, while Qi Cultivation families and Loose Cultivators would be offered some First Rank Spirit Fruits infused with a portion of Spiritual Energy.
Next to the two Cultivators, another Daoist of the Hou generation was meticulously organizing the treasures for the auction, with a serious expression on his face.
"Hou Yuan, give me the estimated list of auction items, along with the alternative selections!" Lin Yuzheng said to a slightly plump Cultivator.
He then received two Jade Slips from the latter.
One of these Jade Slips contained the introduction and list of the primary auction items, while the other contained the introduction and list of the secondary auction items.
Lin Yuzheng handed both to Lin Shiming for his review.
These treasures had actually been inspected by all the Elders. If they encountered items they needed, they would communicate with the family and the owner of the auction items.
Sometimes, with a high enough offer, they could secure the items in advance, so no one found this strange.
"Thank you, Great Uncle Wu!" After thanking him, Lin Shiming also took the Jade Slips with both hands and began to examine them, and soon his eyes landed on a Second Rank Superior Grade Heart of Heavenly Wood.
What delighted Lin Shiming even more was that this Heart of Heavenly Wood also possessed Spirit Intelligence, from a wooden demon.
In this world, there were Spirit Beasts, and naturally, there were also wooden demons that had developed Spirit Intelligence by chance. These demons could also absorb and refine Spiritual Energy for cultivation.
Compared to Spirit Beasts, wooden demons were even rarer, and it was said that the hearts of wooden demons with Spirit Intelligence could be used to enhance the grade of Spirit Plants.
This made the hearts of wooden demons with Spirit Intelligence even more valuable. For example, the Lin Family could use one to attempt to upgrade a Second Rank Intermediate Grade or a Second Rank Superior Grade Spirit Peach Tree.
Of course, there was a possibility of failure in the upgrade, but the rarity of a wooden demon's heart was evident.
However, in the world of cultivation, encountering a wooden demon, most wouldn't kill it in its prime to harvest its heart, but would instead utilize it, helping the demon increase its grade, at the very least to the Third Rank.
A heart of a Second Rank Superior Grade wooden demon was considered quite rare.
The Heavenly Wood Spirit Cultivation Secret Technique also mentioned that a Spirit Seed of Heavenly Wood with Spirit Intelligence could even aid Cultivators in their cultivation, able to autonomously refine Spiritual Energy.
And one should know that the heart of a Second Rank Intermediate Grade Purple Cloak Wood could already triple his storage of Spiritual Energy.
Swith the Second Rank Superior Grade, at the very least, it could improve by another one or two times.
The next morning, Lin Shiming found his thirtieth uncle, Lin Houyuan, and followed the latter to the largest shop in Xing County Square Market, the Lin Family's commercial enterprise.
The two waited in a private room for a long time. During this period, many cultivators holding treasures, all eager to have their items auctioned, delivered them to the Lin Family.
Finally, around noon, a middle-aged cultivator with a spirit-sealing face veil walked in.
As soon as the cultivator entered, Lin Houyuan stood up to greet him:
"Daoist Wu, you have finally arrived."
"Wu is but a rough Loose Cultivator, unworthy of Deacon Lin's warm reception," the middle-aged man said, clearly skeptical of Lin Houyuan's enthusiasm.
Lin Shiming, however, felt an intense sense of familiarity with the middle-aged man before him.
And when the middle-aged cultivator caught Lin Shiming sizing him up, his body visibly tensed.
He clearly recognized Lin Shiming, a subtle movement that the fully attentive Lin Shiming naturally noticed.
Eventually, his gaze lingered on the middle-aged cultivator's hand, which kept touching the wrist area.
Lin Shiming finally remembered: this man was the middle-aged cultivator from Qingxuan City who had sold him the Beast Nurturing Pill recipe.
What Lin Shiming found unbelievable, however, was that this man no longer wore a Storage Bracelet and his cultivation level had changed to the Eighth Level of Qi Cultivation.
But his subconscious habit of touching the Storage Bracelet was caught by Lin Shiming.
And that tremor served as the best evidence.
"Daoist Wu, allow me to introduce myself, Lin Shiming of the Lin Family. You remember me, don't you?" Lin Shiming smiled faintly. Back in Qingxuan City, he had worn the Lin Family's clan attire, so naturally there was no need to hide his identity now.
Learning that this man was the same cultivator who had sold him the pill recipe only boosted Lin Shiming's confidence,
and lent a plausible explanation for the heart of the Heavenly Wood—the people from the Spirit Beast Sect raising a wooden demon was quite normal.
But it also indicated another issue: the disciple of the Spirit Beast Sect that this Daoist Wu had killed was probably not ordinary.
"Daoist Lin seems unfamiliar to me. I am not sure what you mean," the man who went by Daoist Wu continued to feign ignorance, seemingly gambling that Lin Shiming was trying to deceive him.
Even if Lin Shiming held some deceit in his tactic, piecing together the heart of the Heavenly Wood and the butcher shop owner, he had already confirmed his suspicion!