Chapter 451 - 406: Auction House, Purifying Spirit Pill

Chapter 451: Chapter 406: Auction House, Purifying Spirit Pill

Tian Daozhong sighed. "I don’t understand this either. We’ve used this method to ruin several cultivation geniuses from the Chenghua Sect. It’s never failed, but for some reason, it’s not working on him!"

Yangquan said hatefully, "We can’t just let him grow stronger. Since the Acupoint Opening Pill didn’t work, it’s time to use other methods."

Tian Daozhong waved his hand. "You can leave first. Let me think about it some more."

"Yes..."

After Yangquan left, Tian Daozhong shook a black pomegranate gourd out of his sleeve. He stared at it for a long time, muttering to himself, ’Could it be that the Acupoint Opening Pill actually worked?’

...

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Approaching noon, dark clouds gathered from all directions, vast and mighty, like a giant black curtain covering the sky and sun.

After a clap of thunder, a torrential downpour began.

The rain fell to a height of twenty zhang above the Dongfu District, where it seemed to strike an invisible, gigantic umbrella. It sent up a spray of water before cascading down on all sides.

The streets of the market district were sparsely populated. The few figures seen were mostly heading towards a tall, red-and-yellow building in the central area.

This was the market’s auction house. On the 5th, 15th, and 25th of every month, it auctioned various valuable items and rare medicinal pills.

Today was the fifth day of the ninth month, the day of the auction.

By now, more than two hundred people were seated in the great hall, and cultivators were still trickling in. Zhao Lin sat in a corner of the hall with a red plaque in front of him.

The red plaque signified eligibility to participate in the bidding, and one had to pay a deposit of one thousand Spirit Coins to receive one.

Zhao Lin had been to the auction house a few times before, but only to watch the excitement. After all, the items put up for auction were extremely expensive and mostly targeted at Late-stage Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators.

This time was different. According to the announcement released by the auction house, a Purifying Spirit Pill would appear at today’s auction.

The Purifying Spirit Pill was an excellent item for cultivating Divine Sense techniques and would be a great aid to his Nine Revolutions God Condensing Skill. That was why Zhao Lin had decided to participate in the bidding.

"I am Hong Bu’Er, and I will be hosting today’s auction. Next, I will present this auction’s treasures to all of you fellow Daoists one by one."

The auction had just begun. On the stage, a middle-aged cultivator in a red robe spoke eloquently, going over the auction rules as usual.

"Each treasure has a starting price, and each bid increment must be no less than five percent. For example, if a treasure’s starting price is one thousand Spirit Stones, then each bid increment must be no less than fifty Spirit Stones."

"Second, if a treasure requires Merit Points to be purchased, then the Merit Point cost will increase proportionally with the bid. For example, if a treasure’s starting price is three hundred Spirit Stones and one hundred Merit Points, and the final price is six hundred Spirit Stones, the Merit Point cost will correspondingly increase to two hundred..."

Although the common currency in the market district was Spirit Coins, the auction house was accustomed to pricing items in Spirit Stones.

Zhao Lin already knew this speech by heart. With nothing to do, he idly glanced around.

There were some familiar faces in the crowd. The two Shopkeepers, Liu Chaoyuan of Linglong Pavilion and Tian Daozhong of Harmony Hall, were also present.

To Zhao Lin’s surprise, there were actually three Purple Mansion Realm cultivators present, one of whom he recognized: Chu Hongtian, the Island Master of Red Tail Island.

Chu Hongtian also noticed Zhao Lin. He glanced over and gave a slight nod.

Zhao Lin quickly cupped his hands in greeting, thinking to himself, ’I wonder what kind of treasure is at this auction to attract Purple Mansion cultivators. This is a rare sight.’

The auction house usually announced the auction items three days in advance, but sometimes, sellers would choose not to list their items on the announcement, either to keep a low profile or for confidentiality.

Zhao Lin guessed that these three Purple Mansion cultivators must have heard a rumor and made a special trip here.

"If any of you fellow Daoists see a treasure you desire, you may participate in the bidding according to the rules. Once you have made a bid, it is considered valid, and you cannot go back on your word."

After explaining the auction rules, Hong Bu’Er’s tone softened. "Alright, let the auction begin!"

He picked up a jade box from the table, opened the lid, and took out a blue, egg-sized pearl. He held it in his palm and showed it to the crowd below.

"A Spirit Pearl!"

"A Second Grade Spirit Pearl!"

A cultivator in the audience exclaimed.

Hong Bu’Er smiled slightly. "That’s right. This is a Second Grade Spirit Pearl nurtured by an Eight-cornered Clam from Yongdeng Ansha. It contains a rich amount of water-element Spiritual Qi."

"Whether it’s used for personal cultivation, Arrays, Alchemy, Artifact Refining, or even healing and dispelling poison, it has excellent effects."

In truth, even without Hong Bu’Er’s introduction, the cultivators present could feel the dense water-element Spiritual Qi.

After the display, Hong Bu’Er placed the Spirit Pearl back into the jade box and said, "The starting price is four hundred Spirit Stones and sixty Merit Points."

The moment his voice fell, a cultivator below raised their plaque and called out a bid: "I bid six hundred Spirit Stones!"

"I bid six hundred and twenty."

"Six hundred and forty..."

Unlike Spirit Grass, medicinal pills, or magic treasures, the price of a Spirit Pearl was very transparent.

The market price for a Second Grade Spirit Pearl was around seven hundred Spirit Stones. Once the bidding reached that point, few people continued to call out prices.

The Spirit Pearl was finally sold for seven hundred and twenty Spirit Stones and one hundred and eight Merit Points.

Zhao Lin nodded to himself. Spirit Pearls were "hard currency." The auction house put it up first to avoid the risk of it not selling and to easily secure a successful opening.

Having sold the first treasure, Hong Bu’Er beamed and began to introduce the second item.

"A Jade Marrow Mushroom, from the snowy regions of Bingyi Mountain. It is the main ingredient for the Jade Marrow Pill. I believe I don’t need to explain the medicinal properties of the Jade Marrow Pill to all of you."

"After appraisal, this Jade Marrow Mushroom has been determined to be at least two hundred years old, enough to refine a full cauldron of Jade Marrow Pills. The starting price for this item is three hundred Spirit Stones and one hundred and fifty Merit Points."

The appearance of the Jade Marrow Mushroom immediately triggered a flurry of bids from many cultivators.

After nine rounds of bidding, the price settled at six hundred Spirit Stones.

The smooth sale of the second treasure gave the auctioneer another boost of confidence. He quickly brought out the third treasure: the egg of a Spiritual Red Fox.

The Spiritual Red Fox is a Tier One Demon Beast. It’s not known for its combat prowess but is an excellent runner, intelligent, and possesses an extremely keen sense of smell.

Many cultivators who often go out in search of medicinal ingredients raise a Spiritual Red Fox.

Zhao Lin had an extraordinary sense of smell, so he naturally had no use for this Spirit Beast. He watched from the sidelines until the final sale was made.

The fourth and fifth treasures were both magic artifacts, each fetching a price of over seven hundred Spirit Stones.

Seeing the prices of the auction items getting higher and higher, Zhao Lin began to grow faintly worried.

There was an unwritten rule at auctions: the more valuable the item, the later it appeared. The Purifying Spirit Pill had yet to show up, and he was afraid it wouldn’t be cheap.

The sixth treasure was a Tier Two Top Grade Talisman: a Hundred Blades Falling Leaves Talisman. It ultimately sold for the high price of one thousand two hundred Spirit Stones and six hundred Merit Points.

Talismans can only be used once, so their prices are generally not too high. Even a Tier Two Talisman would usually cost within two hundred Spirit Stones.

But a Top Grade Talisman was a different matter.

Talismans are divided into low, medium, and high grades, corresponding to the Proficiency, Minor Achievement, and Mastery levels of a magic.

When a Talisman Master draws the patterns, there is a minuscule chance they will experience a moment of perfect clarity, sensing the principles of heaven and earth, resulting in a "stroke of divine inspiration." This elevates the talisman’s quality to Top Grade, corresponding to a Grand Achievement level magic.

This situation is like a stroke of genius in writing—a fortunate, unrepeatable occurrence. That’s why the price of a Top Grade Talisman is astonishingly high.

The seventh treasure was finally the one Zhao Lin had been waiting for: the Purifying Spirit Pill.

Hong Bu’Er took out a jade bottle, carefully tipped out a crimson-red pill, and announced, "The Purifying Spirit Pill, a wondrous medicine for cultivating Divine Sense. It can be consumed by those in both the Qi Refining Realm and the Foundation Establishment Realm..."

The moment this pill appeared, it immediately captured everyone’s attention. Even many Foundation Establishment cultivators stared intently at the pill in Hong Bu’Er’s hand.

Divine Sense arises from thought. As it is cultivated and strengthened, it also gives rise to various resentful, hostile, and stagnant energies.

Over time, it can become chaotic, and the stronger the Divine Sense, the more likely one is to suffer a backlash.

The Purifying Spirit Pill can temper and repair the divine soul, completely washing away all kinds of malicious and wicked thoughts.

Zhao Lin had cultivated the Nine Revolutions God Condensing Skill to the Second Layer. While his progress was swift, he had also encountered this same problem and needed a Purifying Spirit Pill to eliminate this future worry.

He sat up straight and placed his hand on the plaque.