What Was Worth the Price

The night of the auction arrived, and Sea City, already bustling by nature, became even more lively.

Lanterns burned along the main streets. Light from shops, taverns, and restaurants blended together, casting a brilliant glow over the city. Carriages moved one after another toward the central district, threading between cultivators and merchants who had come from every direction.

The sound of wheels, the cries of demonic beasts pulling cargo, and an endless stream of conversation mixed with the sea wind, making the entire district seem to move to one common rhythm.

Tonight, most of that current was flowing toward the main auction hall of the Heavenly Spirit Merchant Association’s Sea City branch.

Hao Nhien, Lang Tuyet, and Lanh Hoa stopped before an enormous structure in the heart of the central district.

Unlike the refined elegance of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, this building had been constructed from massive blocks of black stone. The walls were thick. The pillars were tall. Ancient runic lines had been carved deep into the surface.

There was little flamboyant spiritual light.

But the concealed formation fluctuations within the structure gave Hao Nhien a clear sense of just how solid the entire building was.

“What do you think?” Lang Tuyet asked.

“It doesn’t look like the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.”

“Of course not.”

“The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion sells things people need.”

“Here, sometimes people pay a very high price just to fight for an opportunity they themselves don’t fully understand.”

Hao Nhien looked at her, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.

“That sounds like you’re encouraging people to spend spirit stones.”

“I’m only stating the truth.”

“How much they spend is the buyer’s problem.”

Lang Tuyet smiled and led the two men toward a separate entrance.

After her token was checked, an attendant respectfully guided them through a corridor behind the main hall and finally stopped before a private room on one of the upper floors.

The room was arranged for discretion.

There was a tea table, several chairs, and a wide balcony overlooking the auction floor.

Formation lines embedded in the partition walls prevented outside noise from becoming overwhelming while still allowing those inside to hear the auctioneer clearly.

Lanh Hoa chose a position near the door.

Hao Nhien sat beside the balcony.

From above, the hall was larger than he had expected.

Thousands of seats had been arranged in concentric sections around the central platform.

Higher up were private rooms reserved for clans, sects, and important merchant-association clients.

As the auction approached its beginning, the final empty seats were gradually filled.

Lang Tuyet poured tea for Hao Nhien.

“There are several interesting items tonight.”

“If you see something suitable, you can consider buying it.”

Hao Nhien accepted the cup and smiled.

“I don’t even know how many spirit stones the things I actually need will cost.”

“If I start buying things casually, I may end up borrowing another sum from you.”

“I don’t mind lending you money.”

“You say that as though you’re hoping I’ll owe you.”

“A customer who spends freely and keeps his word?”

“What merchant association wouldn’t want one?”

Hao Nhien laughed.

Before he could answer, the deep tone of a bronze bell rang through the hall.

Conversation quickly faded.

A silver-haired old man in dark blue-green robes stepped onto the platform.

He was slightly thin.

A friendly smile rested on his face.

But his bright, lively eyes constantly moved across the rows below.

He cupped his hands.

His voice carried clearly throughout the hall.

“Fellow Daoists, this old man is Lin Yun, representing the Heavenly Spirit Merchant Association’s Sea City branch.”

“I will be hosting tonight’s auction.”

“Before we begin, the rules are the same as always.”

“The highest bidder wins.”

“Transactions will be completed according to the conditions already announced.”

“And if your spirit stones are insufficient, please do not become excited in the moment and make things difficult for this old man afterward.”

A voice immediately rose from below.

“Old Lin, you said the exact same thing last time!”

Lin Yun looked toward the speaker without changing expression.

“Precisely because someone failed to listen last time, this old man must repeat it again.”

The entire hall laughed.

Lin Yun laughed as well.

Then he lightly clapped his hands.

A maid immediately carried a jade tray onto the stage.

“Very well.”

“This old man won’t waste any more of your time.”

“The first item!”

The covering cloth was removed.

A blue longsword appeared beneath the lights.

The blade was approximately three chi long.

Pale blue patterns moved through its interior like flowing water.

Its water-attribute spiritual energy was stable.

“Azure Water Sword.”

“Low-grade Profound-rank spiritual artifact.”

“Inscribed with a Water-Guiding Formation.”

“For cultivators practicing water-attribute arts, this sword can assist the transmission of spiritual power and improve stability when using techniques.”

“Starting price: three thousand mid-grade spirit stones.”

“Minimum increase: one hundred.”

The moment Lin Yun finished, a loud voice came from the middle of the hall.

“Three thousand!”

Hao Nhien looked down.

The bidder was a tall, broad-shouldered man with sun-darkened skin.

He wore an earth-yellow cloak.

A little sand still clung to one shoulder, making him resemble the cultivators who frequently traveled through the Western Wastes.

Lang Tuyet noticed him as well.

“A man from the Western Wastes coming all the way here to buy a water sword.”

“Interesting.”

Hao Nhien smiled.

“There are water-attribute cultivators in the Western Wastes too.”

“Of course.”

“I’m merely curious why he looks so eager.”

Below them, the price quickly rose.

Three thousand eight hundred.

Four thousand two hundred.

The Western Wastes cultivator raised his hand repeatedly.

Each time, he increased by a considerable amount.

But once the price passed four thousand five hundred, hesitation began to show on his face.

Finally, a female cultivator on the opposite side of the hall pushed the price to four thousand eight hundred.

The Western Wastes man looked at the sword.

For the genuine chapter, use the page where the author publishes it; this version was copied without permission.

Then at his storage pouch.

Regret was obvious on his face.

But in the end, he sat down.

“Four thousand eight hundred, first call.”

“Second call.”

“Third call.”

“Sold!”

Lin Yun struck the hammer and moved immediately to the next item.

It was a bottle containing ten mid-grade Qi Condensation Pills.

They could assist cultivators in the middle stages of Qi Condensation in accumulating True Qi and stabilizing their cultivation.

The starting price had only just been announced when the Western Wastes cultivator spoke again.

“Three thousand!”

Several people turned to look at him.

Lang Tuyet raised an eyebrow.

“He needs this too?”

“Maybe he’s buying it for someone else,” Hao Nhien said.

“That’s possible.”

This time, the man bid even more aggressively.

When the price passed four thousand, the person beside him began tugging at his sleeve, apparently trying to persuade him to stop.

He continued anyway.

At five thousand spirit stones, a cultivator dressed like a coastal merchant raised the price again.

The Western Wastes man stared at the bottle for a long time.

Eventually, he sat down once more, disappointment written across his face.

Lin Yun looked toward him.

His smile deepened slightly.

“Fellow Daoist over there, this old man greatly appreciates your enthusiasm.”

“But if you truly like an item, it may be best to prepare sufficient spirit stones before attending.”

The man raised his head.

“Old Lin, just keep selling.”

“I’m not out of money yet!”

Laughter swept across the hall.

Lin Yun nodded with complete seriousness.

“Then this old man is relieved.”

“As long as you still have money, we still have many opportunities to cooperate.”

Hao Nhien laughed as well.

The auction continued.

Defensive armor.

Offensive spiritual artifacts.

Spirit metals.

Rare medicinal pills.

Some items sold quickly.

Others triggered fierce bidding wars.

Twice, cultivators in the audience even released their auras toward competitors when the prices were pushed too high.

Lin Yun immediately spoke.

“Fellow Daoists, please remember.”

“We bid here with spirit stones, not with oppressive aura.”

“If pressure could be converted into money, this old man would have let all of you compete that way from the beginning.”

The tension eased.

Those who had released their auras withdrew them.

Hao Nhien watched Lin Yun manage the hall and found it interesting.

The old man knew how to control the atmosphere.

When an item was valuable, he explained it thoroughly so bidders could properly judge it.

When bidding became too heated, he used a joke to lower the tension.

Yet he never allowed anyone to forget the rules of the merchant association.

After some time, a maid brought up a small jade bottle.

This time, the conversations throughout the hall immediately quieted.

Lin Yun placed the bottle on a stand.

He looked over the rows below.

“A single mid-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.”

“It has been appraised and confirmed to meet the required quality.”

“For a cultivator preparing to break through into Foundation Establishment, it can increase the probability of success by roughly thirty percent.”

“However, the actual effect still depends on the user’s foundation and condition.”

Lin Yun smiled.

“So if you use it and still fail to break through, please do not come back demanding your spirit stones from this old man.”

A few people laughed.

But their attention quickly returned to the bottle.

For cultivators already at peak Qi Condensation, a Foundation Establishment Pill could determine whether they had a chance to enter an entirely different realm.

Even smaller clans were often willing to spend heavily to obtain one for a talented junior.

“Starting price: five thousand mid-grade spirit stones!”

“Five thousand!”

“Six thousand!”

“Seven thousand!”

The price climbed rapidly.

Within only a few rounds, it surpassed ten thousand.

When a voice came from a private room on the left, enthusiasm among the ordinary seats immediately dropped.

“Twelve thousand.”

Someone below was about to raise the price again.

The person beside him caught his arm.

“That room belongs to the Song Clan.”

The bidder looked upward for a moment.

Then slowly lowered his hand.

Hao Nhien also glanced toward the private room.

Lang Tuyet explained quietly,

“The Song Clan is fairly influential in Sea City.”

“They have many businesses connected to transport through the Sea Region.”

“There are also quite a few Foundation Establishment cultivators in the clan.”

Hao Nhien nodded.

He did not pay much attention.

Just as it seemed the bidding might end, the Western Wastes cultivator from earlier suddenly stood.

“Thirteen thousand!”

The hall immediately stirred.

Lin Yun looked toward him.

The corner of his mouth lifted.

“This fellow Daoist truly does still have spirit stones.”

A calm voice came from the Song Clan’s private room.

“Fifteen thousand.”

The Western Wastes cultivator clenched his teeth.

He stared at the jade bottle on the platform.

Then shouted,

“Seventeen thousand!”

The price made many people turn.

Even Lin Yun showed a hint of surprise.

Someone inside the Song Clan room seemed ready to increase the bid.

But a deeper voice stopped him.

“Enough.”

“A single mid-grade Foundation Establishment Pill is not worth pushing the price any higher.”

“We have other matters tonight.”

The person about to bid fell silent.

Below, the Western Wastes cultivator remained standing.

His eyes never left the bottle.

After a long silence, he became impatient.

“Old Lin, if no one is bidding anymore, announce the result!”

Lin Yun coughed lightly.

“This fellow Daoist seems even more anxious than the seller.”

The hall laughed again.

He raised his hand.

“Seventeen thousand, first call.”

“Second call…”

Lin Yun deliberately paused for one extra breath.

His gaze swept over the private rooms.

No one spoke.

“Third call.”

“Sold!”

The hammer had barely struck before the Western Wastes cultivator jumped up.

Both hands went into the air.

His expression looked as though he had just won a great battle.

“Good!”

“Finally got it!”

The person beside him hurried to pull him down.

But the man continued cupping his hands toward those around him.

“Thank you, thank you all for yielding!”

A nearby female cultivator could not help laughing.

“Who yielded to you?”

“The price was simply too high!”

The man was not offended.

He only laughed loudly.

Hao Nhien watched from above, a smile unconsciously appearing.

He had no idea who the man needed the Foundation Establishment Pill for.

But that joy clearly did not belong to someone who had merely purchased an ordinary item.

Lang Tuyet smiled as well.

“Looks like that pill was his real reason for coming.”

“Probably.”

“He was willing to abandon everything else.”

“But not this.”

“I hope whoever uses it doesn’t disappoint him.”

Hao Nhien nodded slightly.

For many cultivators, even one opportunity to reach Foundation Establishment was worth years of accumulated wealth.

The auction moved on.

A fourth-rank water-attribute sea-beast core was brought onto the stage.

Dark blue spiritual currents rotated continuously within it.

The item was quickly purchased by a large man from the Frozen North for twenty thousand mid-grade spirit stones.

When he received it, the man became so delighted that cold energy unconsciously spread from his body.

A thin layer of frost formed over the seat beside him.

The person sitting there immediately complained.

“Fellow Daoist, buying a beast core is certainly worth celebrating.”

“But there’s no need to freeze my seat as well.”

The northern cultivator looked down.

A little embarrassed, he withdrew his aura.

Lin Yun only smiled and moved on.

As the night progressed, the quality of the items steadily increased.

A set of formation flags rose from thirty thousand to nearly eighty thousand mid-grade spirit stones.

A three-hundred-year-old spiritual herb caused two private rooms to compete for nearly a quarter of an hour.

Eventually, one side withdrew because they still needed to preserve funds for something more important later.

The wealthier powers began bidding more frequently.

The atmosphere in the hall gradually became more serious.

Near the middle of the auction, a maid carried up a small tray.

Upon it sat a jade slip protected inside a jade case.

The moment Lin Yun looked at the item, his expression changed.

He slowly accepted the jade slip.

Then looked across the entire hall.

“Fellow Daoists, perhaps this next item requires little explanation from this old man.”

“Those familiar with alchemy have probably already heard the news.”

Lang Tuyet straightened slightly.

“It’s starting.”

Hao Nhien turned toward her.

“What is it?”

“If you’ve studied alchemy, listen.”

On the stage, Lin Yun raised the jade slip.

“Golden Core Realm Advancement Pill formula!”

His voice carried through the hall.

All nearby conversations stopped.

“According to verification by the Heavenly Spirit Merchant Association, pills refined according to this formula can assist Golden Core cultivators in stabilizing their realm when crossing minor bottlenecks.”

“They can reduce the risk of chaotic True Qi and improve the efficiency of regulating medicinal power during cultivation.”

Lin Yun began explaining each aspect.

The rare spiritual medicines required.

The demands placed upon the alchemist.

The long-term value of a pill formula that could be inherited across generations.

He carefully explained the benefits for clans, sects, and other powers seeking to cultivate Golden Core experts.

The longer he spoke, the more enthusiastic his tone became.

Occasionally, he even gave examples demonstrating why a pill formula could sometimes be worth far more than a single finished pill.

Hao Nhien listened.

He had to admit Lin Yun had clearly prepared extensively for this item.

Lang Tuyet lightly covered her mouth.

“Looks like the old man has high expectations.”

“I was thinking the same thing.”

At last, after explaining nearly everything worth mentioning, Lin Yun raised his voice.

“Starting price: one hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones.”

“Minimum increase: ten thousand!”

The moment he finished, an elderly voice came from one of the private rooms.

“One hundred thousand.”

It was not loud.

But everyone heard it.

Lin Yun paused almost imperceptibly.

Then smiled immediately.

“We already have a fellow Daoist offering one hundred thousand.”

“Does anyone else—”

“This old man is Xuan Mingzi, elder of the Medicine Sect.”

The same voice spoke again.

This time, slowly.

“This old man came to Sea City primarily for this formula.”

“If any of you also wish to research Golden Core alchemy, you are naturally free to compete with me.”

A silence appeared.

Xuan Mingzi continued.

“However, this old man would like to remind everyone of one thing.”

“A formula is not the same as a finished pill.”

“To refine it successfully requires an alchemist of sufficient skill.”

“Suitable ingredients.”

“And no small amount of time spent experimenting.”

“If you merely buy it and store it away, those one hundred thousand spirit stones may not prove particularly useful.”

The words sounded entirely reasonable.

Almost like sincere advice.

But everyone who had considered bidding understood the meaning.

The Medicine Sect did not merely possess highly skilled alchemists.

It also controlled many relationships involving medicinal supply throughout the continent.

Once Xuan Mingzi publicly declared he had come specifically for the formula, anyone competing had to decide whether one pill formula was worth displeasing the Medicine Sect.

Quiet discussions began in several private rooms.

A clan with its own alchemist could certainly make use of the formula.

But successful refinement would require further investment.

If the price climbed too high, the final benefit might no longer justify the expense.

Several people were genuinely tempted.

In the end, no one spoke.

On the platform, Lin Yun maintained his smile.

But after waiting several breaths without hearing a new bid, the corners of his mouth began to stiffen.

He looked toward the private rooms.

Then down toward the ordinary seats.

No one raised the price.

Lang Tuyet had already set down her teacup.

Her shoulders moved slightly.

Hao Nhien looked at her.

“What’s so funny?”

Lang Tuyet tried to remain serious.

“Did you not hear Old Lin talking for almost half a quarter hour?”

“He had barely gotten excited that someone opened the bidding before Xuan Mingzi silenced the entire hall.”

Hao Nhien looked down.

Lin Yun was still holding his professional smile.

A memory suddenly surfaced.

“I’ve seen something similar before.”

“The first time I brought the medicinal liquid Tieu Lan made to auction, people from the Medicine Sect used the same kind of bidding tactic.”

In his memory, Tieu Lan’s delighted face appeared when she had seen the pouch containing one thousand mid-grade spirit stones.

Back then, she had been so happy she had nearly jumped.

Hao Nhien had only thought the little girl was incredibly easy to please.

A sum that meant little to high-level cultivators had been enough to make her happy for a long time.

Thinking of that, Hao Nhien’s smile slowly softened.

Lang Tuyet noticed.

She did not ask.

She only rested a hand lightly on his shoulder.

“We’ll find a way.”

Hao Nhien looked at her.

Then nodded.

“Mm.”

“We will.”

Below, Lin Yun finally began the count.

“One hundred thousand, first call.”

He paused.

His eyes still swept hopefully across the hall.

“One hundred thousand, second call.”

A person below suddenly lifted a hand.

Lin Yun’s eyes brightened.

But the man merely turned and called for a maid to bring more tea.

Lin Yun nearly lost his smile.

Lang Tuyet immediately lowered her head, trying not to laugh.

“One hundred thousand, third call!”

The hammer struck.

“Sold!”

The maid carried the jade slip down.

Lin Yun’s expression remained perfectly proper.

Only a trace of regret could be seen in his eyes.

Lang Tuyet finally laughed aloud.

“He spent all that effort presenting it, and the price didn’t increase by even one spirit stone.”

Hao Nhien smiled as well.

“Xuan Mingzi probably waited specifically for this moment.”

“Probably?”

“That old man absolutely planned it.”

Lang Tuyet looked down at the platform.

“Lin Yun knows how to make people want an item.”

“Xuan Mingzi knows how to make everyone wonder whether buying it is worth the trouble.”

“So this time Lin Yun met the right opponent.”

“Exactly.”

“One man tried to raise the value of the item.”

“The other made everyone think owning it might not actually benefit them.”

Hao Nhien watched Lin Yun receive the next item.

The smile remained at the corner of his mouth.

On the platform, the old auctioneer had already recovered.

“The next item!”

His voice was slightly louder than usual.

Several people who knew him immediately laughed.

A maid walked onto the stage carrying a box covered in red cloth.