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The circular high platform rose layer upon layer, with a circular White Jade Auction Stage at its lowest point, measuring about ten zhang in diameter. The white jade surface emitted a warm glow, contrasting sharply with the darkened stands surrounding it. In the center of the empty white jade floor sat a figure in a white robe, the White-Haired Elder. The oppressive aura radiating from the surrounding cultivators dissipated within three zhang of the White-Haired Elder.
Xunuo stared for a while, secretly astonished: this elder's cultivation was unfathomable.
The cultivators around clearly recognized the elder and began to whisper among themselves, their attitudes extremely respectful. Xunuo gathered that this elder was named Jiude, a renowned Alchemist and the chief pill appraiser for the Six Major Merchant Alliances in this area. Having him preside over such a pill auction indeed commanded respect.
After about the time it took to finish a meal, the entire auction hall was filled to capacity, with cultivators surrounding Xunuo. A sound of a gong echoed from the entrance of the auction. Then a cultivator called out loudly, "Close the doors, let the auction begin."
With a creaking sound, the doors slammed shut. The elder in the center of the white jade floor opened his eyes and stood up. He stomped his foot on the white jade surface and shouted, "Rise."
The white jade floor rumbled and slowly elevated to a height of two zhang before coming to a stop.
The White-Haired Elder surveyed his surroundings and declared in a voice like thunder, "I am Jiude. I will conduct the final appraisal of all pills being auctioned today. If anyone has objections regarding any of the pills, I will appraise them on the spot. If there are still objections, then we can request a collective judgment from the Alchemists of the Six Major Merchant Alliances."
A deep voice suddenly rang out from outside: "Senior Jiude's alchemical skills are unparalleled; who dares to question him is at odds with me, Fish King."
"Indeed, I Qi Luozi will not tolerate anyone questioning Senior Jiude," another voice added.
"There will be no one who questions Senior Jiude," came various flattering voices in agreement, leaving Xunuo speechless and shaking his head.
Jiude nodded in satisfaction, pressing his hands outward to signal for silence. He then announced loudly, "In this auction, I will only conduct appraisals; presiding over the auction is Elder Yan Zongtan from Chengxin Alliance." After saying this, he moved to one side of the White Jade Platform and entered into meditation.
In the center of the White Jade Platform, a middle-aged man with a ruddy complexion, wearing a purple crown and blue robe, suddenly appeared. The attendees of the auction gasped in surprise.
Next to Xunuo, a cultivator murmured, "Another Foundation Establishment Stage expert. This auction is really willing to spend some resources."
Xunuo was secretly astonished upon hearing this. Both of them were Foundation Stage cultivators, and Xunuo could naturally sense that. However, determining the specific level within the Foundation Establishment Stage was beyond Xunuo's ability, as he was merely a Young Cultivator at the tenth layer of his cultivation method.
The difference between a fully realized Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator and one at the early stage was immense. Just how great that difference was, Xunuo couldn't articulate. But he knew one thing: against an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, he at least had a chance to escape—perhaps even a chance to fight for his life. But against a fully realized Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, he had no opportunity whatsoever.
The elder named Yan Zongtan stepped up and explained the auction rules before loudly announcing, "The auction begins."
Two female cultivators then brought forth two jade plates, each containing three Unity Pills. Yan Zongtan began to introduce the origin and grade of these Unity Pills. Despite the distance, Xunuo could roughly judge by sight and smell that both sets of Unity Pills were of lower mid-grade.
Once Yan Zongtan finished his introduction, he pointed to one of the jade plates and said, "These three Unity Pills are not to be separated. The starting bid is three hundred spirit stones, with increments of ten spirit stones. Let the bidding begin."
"Three hundred ten spirit stones."
"Three hundred twenty spirit stones."
"Three hundred fifty spirit stones."
In an instant, these three Unity Pills were bid up to six hundred spirit stones and ultimately sold for six hundred ninety spirit stones. This price greatly exceeded Xunuo's expectations.
Because these lower mid-grade Unity Pills had effects not much stronger than those of low-grade pills. For an Eleventh Layer Cultivator, their efficacy was far less significant than that of high-grade pills. The fact that such Unity Pills fetched such a sky-high price made Xunuo hopeful about his own ten high-grade pills that were yet to be auctioned.
The competition for the items being auctioned below grew increasingly fierce. Even low-grade pills were being sold for over two hundred spirit stones. Occasionally, there were some auctions for refining tools and alchemical materials, but the enthusiasm for bidding was nowhere near as intense as that for the pills. Finally, a high-grade pill made its appearance at the auction.
Xunuo nearly fainted upon seeing it. It was none other than the Unity Pill that he had entrusted for auction, now being sold separately by the auction house. As the price of this high-grade pill soared, it eventually sold for three hundred and fifty spirit stones. Xunuo couldn't help but admire the auction house's approach.
Xunuo attended the auction primarily to acquire materials for crafting Defensive Artifacts. Besides being concerned about how much his entrusted Unity Pill would fetch, he was particularly attentive to various Refining Materials.
After an hour of bidding, the Refining Materials Xunuo sought did not appear. Instead, a Metal Flying Sword artifact was presented. However, when Yan Zongtan announced a starting bid of twenty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, Xunuo lost all desire to even take a closer look.
This price far exceeded what Xunuo could afford. Moreover, even without inspecting it closely, he could tell that this Flying Sword was not much different from his own damaged Metal Flying Sword and certainly did not qualify as exceptional.
The appearance of such high-end goods caused quite a stir among the Loose Cultivators present, yet no one placed a bid. Xunuo secretly chuckled; twenty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones were out of reach even for him, a wealthy Loose Cultivator. Unless a Cultivation Family or Sect decided to bid, it was destined to go unsold.
Suddenly, Xunuo heard an elderly voice from above: "If no one bids, I will take it for twenty spirit stones."
Looking up, Xunuo noticed that there were more than ten tents suspended from the ceiling of the auction hall, each about the size of grain storage bins. These tents were made of special materials that could shield against Divine Sense and blended seamlessly into the dark environment; one would hardly notice them unless pointed out.
Xunuo knew these must be reserved booths for powerful cultivators or distinguished guests, but he was still taken aback by this unexpected situation.
Some cultivators in the auction hall seemed to have known about these booths beforehand and appeared calm and collected. Those who were unaware were left in shock.
At that moment, a voice from another tent called out: "Twenty-one spirit stones."
The elderly voice snorted coldly: "Twenty-two spirit stones."
Another tent immediately called out, "Twenty-five spirit stones."
The aged voice did not continue bidding, and the atmosphere fell into a moment of silence.
On the White Jade Platform, Yan Zongtan seemed dissatisfied with this price. He fanned the flames, saying, "This Metal Flying Sword is named Open Heaven. It is crafted from the finest Copper Sand refined deep within the Copper Sand Sea. Moreover, it has been infused with Purple Gold Essence and Azure Dragon Blood, making it incredibly sharp, comparable to a Supreme Magical Artifact. It is truly the best choice for gifting to juniors or close friends; if it aligns with their Spiritual Root, it would be like adding wings to a tiger."
Xunuo nearly fell backward upon hearing such merchant-like words.
The elderly voice hanging above slowly said, "Tian Lao Er, I am buying a magical artifact for my nephew; you should not obstruct me. If you still hold grievances against me, let us discuss them privately after the auction instead of letting others benefit."
Another voice chuckled and said, "Getting Sima the Old Monster to part with some blood is quite a delightful thing."
After the elderly voice begrudgingly called out twenty-six spirit stones, another voice inexplicably ceased to raise the bid. In the end, this Metal Flying Sword was acquired by the elderly Cultivator.
This was merely a small interlude in the auction; it continued on. Eventually, Xunuo's long-desired item appeared—a material called Thunderwood that could defend against Lightning Attribute Spells and could be combined with Ironclad Mountain Beast materials.
This piece of Thunderwood was not large; as an auxiliary material for refining an Armor Artifact, it was barely sufficient. However, what took Xunuo by surprise was that the opening bid for this Thunderwood was as high as one hundred spirit stones and was continuously raised to nearly two hundred spirit stones, still climbing.
Xunuo knew that materials with defensive capabilities against Thunder Law were quite valuable but did not expect the price to reach such an outrageous level.
In truth, Xunuo was simply uninformed and had high expectations for Defensive Artifacts. The reality was that even Defensive Artifacts for Foundation Stage Cultivators often lacked the ability to defend against Thunder Law due to the rarity of materials and difficulties in merging them with others.
Most High-Level Practitioners opted to refine a separate artifact specifically for defending against Thunder Law to compensate for its shortcomings. However, this piece of Thunderwood was too small to refine a standalone artifact for Thunder Law defense, which is why it had not attracted Foundation Stage Cultivators to participate in the bidding. Otherwise, it would have already drawn attention from the Loose Cultivators present.
However, this price was already unbearable for Xunuo. Feeling the spirit stones in her storage bag, she knew she lacked the capital to bid. In a moment of desperation, she turned her eyes and sent a message to Yan Zongtan on the Auction Stage, asking if she could use the spirit stones from previously auctioned items to place a bid.
Yan Zongtan replied, "Yes, but you must first submit the Certificate Jade Tablet for verification."
Upon hearing that there was still a chance to participate in the bidding, Xunuo raised her hand and tossed the Certificate Jade Tablet to Yan Zongtan.
Yan Zongtan took a moment to examine the Certificate Jade Tablet. Then he glanced meaningfully in Xunuo's direction before tossing the jade slip back to her. He did not answer her question directly but instead asked, "Are you an Alchemist?"
Xunuo quickly responded, "I have some rudimentary skills in Alchemy."
Yan Zongtan chuckled and continued, "So these ten Unity Pills were refined by you, Young Friend?"
"Indeed," Xunuo confirmed.
"Rest assured in your bidding, Young Friend. If your spirit stones are insufficient, our Chengxin Alliance can provide you with an interest-free loan," Yan Zongtan assured her.
Xunuo understood that he valued her identity as an Alchemist. However, she would not refuse such a favorable offer.
At this moment, the Thunderwood had already been bid up to over two hundred spirit stones. With Yan Zongtan's promise backing her, Xunuo confidently called out a bid of two hundred fifty spirit stones for the Thunderwood.
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