Divine Transcendence

Upon hearing the final bid for the auction item, Yuan Ming, seated among the audience, revealed a faint smile on his face as he slightly lifted his palm from the bidding token he had just used.

These bidding tokens were specially crafted treasures that, with a small infusion of magical power, could silently place a bid, thus protecting the bidder's privacy.

Three thousand spirit stones were neither exorbitant nor a small sum for a millennium-old piece of spiritual wood, nearly the entire fortune of an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, enough to exchange for at least two superior-grade treasures.

However, to most people, the Water Crown Tree's spiritual wood seemed somewhat superfluous, and after some consideration, most cultivators would refrain from bidding.

But for Yuan Ming, he didn't mind whether the spiritual energy contained within the Water Crown Tree conflicted with his own; as long as it was ancient enough, he could use it to make incense, significantly extending the duration of the spiritual incense's effects.

Yuan Ming estimated that if this piece of spiritual wood were of another wood attribute, it would be one of the top choices for a Nascent Soul cultivator to craft the embryo of a treasure. If it were up for auction, he would likely have to spend tens of thousands of spirit stones to have a chance of acquiring it, and it might even be priceless in the outside world.

At this price, it was merely a month or two's profit from his incense shop, so acquiring it was a win for him.

With his acquisition secured, Yuan Ming felt a surge of excitement and newfound anticipation for the upcoming auction items.

As the auction neared its end, Kui Jiu finally presented the first show-stopping item of the event.

"Speaking of formations, do you think first of the Dust Kun Sect of Kingdom Chu or the Red Lotus Isle of the Southern Border? The debate over which is the foremost in formations has never been settled. However, if we're talking about the most outstanding formation against Foundation Establishment cultivators, aside from Master Xiao Zhang's Whirling Wind Illusion Formation from Red Lotus Isle, there's hardly a second option."

"Today, our establishment is honored to receive a commission from Master Xiao Zhang to auction his latest masterpiece—the Molten Gold and Severing Water Formation."

"This formation integrates offense and defense. Once deployed, anyone without a formation token who wields a treasure will attract scorching flames, while casting spells will draw in the force of weak water, melting treasures and draining spiritual power, hence the name 'Molten Gold and Severing Water.'"

"After our testing, even a Nascent Soul cultivator would be hindered within this formation, requiring some effort to escape, let alone an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator. The value of this item speaks for itself. The bidding starts at three thousand spirit stones."

Before Kui Jiu could finish, eager cultivators began to bid, driving the price of the formation steadily higher, quickly surpassing five thousand and heading straight for eight thousand.

Yuan Ming was somewhat tempted after hearing the introduction, but upon reflection, he already possessed two sets of formations, and while he was wealthy, he had yet to secure a top-grade magical artifact. Purchasing this formation might affect his ability to buy top-grade magical artifacts later on.

In the end, the Molten Gold and Severing Water Formation was successfully auctioned for eleven thousand spirit stones, and the atmosphere in the venue grew even more fervent.

Seizing the moment, Kui Jiu presented another masterpiece.

"The next item up for auction is a top-grade magical artifact crafted by Master Xu Xinyang of Zhao Country, the Flowing Cloud Ruler, engraved with the runes of Speed, Stealth, Indestructibility, and Solidity. Once activated, it moves with incredible speed, appearing and disappearing without a trace, and its attacks are powerful enough to easily destroy treasures of superior grade or below, and even hold its own against other top-grade magical artifacts."

"Master Xu Xinyang's skill is well-known to all. To date, he has crafted eleven top-grade magical artifacts, each of exceptional quality, with eight of them having been elevated to the status of treasures. The starting bid for this Flowing Cloud Ruler is six thousand."

Below, Yuan Ming eyed the pristine white jade ruler in Kui Jiu's hand with a conflicted look.

The magical artifact was very much to his liking, but in practice, it was quite similar to his Black Needle, both employing the strategy of concealment and surprise.

Thus, if he were to purchase this top-grade magical artifact, and if he continued to refine his Black Needle, he would end up with two top-grade treasures.

However, while he was pondering, Kui Jiu's bidding climbed to ten thousand spirit stones, and it looked set to increase further. Suddenly, from a private room above the venue, a burly middle-aged man with a rough appearance stood up. Without using any magical power, his voice carried to every corner of the venue.

"Among those interested in this treasure, if anyone has millennium-old spiritual wood and is willing to trade, we can calculate the current bid of eight thousand six hundred spirit stones, deduct the value of the spiritual wood, and refund or supplement the difference in spirit stones. This magical artifact will be yours."

Yuan Ming looked up to see a man with a tiger-like face, round eyes wide as bells, a mouth as wide as a palm, and black hair standing on end, connected to the whiskers on his cheeks, giving him a fierce appearance.

From his words, it seemed that this man was the Xu Xinyang that Kui Jiu had mentioned.

Suddenly, Xu Xinyang's ears twitched as if someone was communicating with him through a secret message. After a moment, a satisfied smile spread across his face.

"Good, the offer is fair. You there, Kui Jiu, is it? No need to continue this auction. Hurry up and bring out the next item."

On the stage, Kui Jiu looked bewildered, as if such an abrupt interruption of the auction was not part of her plan, causing a stir among the cultivators present.

Kui Jiu stood still for a moment, as if waiting for instructions from the owner of the venue, before resuming her role as if nothing had happened, saying, "As Senior Xu has instructed, we shall duly comply. Let's continue with the next item."

With that, Kui Jiu stepped away from the podium to the center of the stage, and beside her, eight figures slowly rose.

As everyone was puzzled about what the final item might be, Kui Jiu continued:

"This penultimate item, as you can see, consists of spirit stone puppets. My siblings and I are all products of the Hundred Mechanisms Gate, nine in total, made from superior materials, each with the strength equivalent to the early stages of Qi refining."

"Importantly, each of us possesses a simple spirit intelligence. As long as there is a sufficient supply of spirit stones, we can perform various tasks under the control of our master."

"The starting bid for the nine spirit stone puppets is four thousand five hundred spirit stones. With us, you can assist your master in related work, have a certain ability to protect yourself, and ensure your master's secrets remain undisclosed." Kui Jiu said with a playful smile, winking at the audience, and added, "In the Southern Border, a Qi refining stage slave costs three thousand spirit stones, so we are indeed a bargain."

Kui Jiu's self-auctioning speech surprised everyone, and the atmosphere in the venue became somewhat eerie, as if they were witnessing the auction of cultivator slaves, despite knowing these were puppets from the Hundred Mechanisms Gate.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming was also somewhat tempted. With such rudimentary spirit intelligence, if he could buy them and teach them the art of incense making, he wouldn't have to worry about his shop's incense in the future.

However, he quickly abandoned the idea, mainly because the security of the small house he rented was not guaranteed. If someone took the puppets, his secret of incense making would be known to others, which would be a loss.

If necessary in the future, he could directly purchase from the Hundred Mechanisms Gate. His spirit stones were better spent on top-grade magical artifacts.

In the end, the nine spirit stone puppets were sold for prices ranging from five to six thousand spirit stones each.

After the auction, the other eight spirit stone puppets descended, leaving only Kui Jiu standing on the stage to fulfill her final duty as the auctioneer.

"Next, the last item is coming. It is a treasure collected at great expense for this auction—the Purple Star Nine Dragons Spear, a personal treasure of the Nascent Soul cultivator Long Xinghe, who once made a formidable name for himself in the Eastern Sea. Unfortunately, a genius was lost too soon, as he fell during a conflict, leaving only this treasure behind."

Rumors say that before his fall, Long Xinghe told his disciples that he had discovered an ancient secret based on this treasure, and that it was a clue to an Eastern Sea secret trove. However, years have passed, the Purple Star Nine Dragons Spear has changed hands several times, and his main technique, the "Plucking Stars Art," remains unaccounted for. The secret he spoke of has never surfaced.

"After our appraisal, this spear is indeed a relic of Long Xinghe, with its array of runes intact and the body of the treasure undamaged. It only needs a little consecration to be used again. The starting bid is twenty thousand."

The appearance of a famous Nascent Soul cultivator's treasure at the auction excited many cultivators, who eyed the purple spear behind Kui Jiu with great interest.

However, the starting bid of twenty thousand was beyond the reach of most cultivators, leaving only the distinguished guests in the private rooms to compete.

At this stage, the Nascent Soul cultivators and representatives of the major sects were no longer discreet, openly shouting their bids, each unwilling to yield to the others.

After a fierce round of bidding, Zuo Qinghui from Changchun Temple suddenly stood up, stroked his beard, and coldly surveyed the room, "Our Changchun Temple bids thirty-one thousand spirit stones. Does anyone wish to raise the bid?"

Beside him, Wang Chongshan whispered to Yuan Ming, "I knew it would come to this. Changchun Temple always uses its power to pressure others."

After Zuo Qinghui stood up, Kui Jiu waited a moment without seeing anyone else bid, and then turned to him, "Congratulations to Senior Zuo for acquiring this treasure. With that, all items in this auction have been sold. Please exit in an orderly manner, and those who have won items, please wait in the downstairs hall for someone to guide you to collect your items."

As the auction ended, the crowd gradually dispersed.

By the lakeside, in front of a vast window, Zuo Qinghui looked out over the water and instructed a disciple, "Go find out where Ha Gong comes from, which sect he belongs to, what treasure he uses, and especially the details of his fight with Pu Zhengqing."

"Yes," someone replied.

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