Chapter 78 : Do You Have Spirit Stones
It was an invitation from the auction house, and the auction was scheduled for today.
Xuanqing Sect had been unusually lively lately—first with the once-every-decade sect competition, and then with the Three Sect Martial Arts Competition held once every sixty years and hosted on rotation. It was truly a once-in-a-century spectacle. The sect disciples naturally gathered to enjoy the festivities, and the merchants in Xuanqing City were equally enthusiastic, organizing numerous events for the occasion. The arena matches the little white tiger had participated in were among these activities.
Besides these regular events, auctions were also essential, and seizing the opportunity, two auctions had been organized.
The first auction took place before the sect competition, targeting the competition itself. Since most participants in the competition were ordinary disciples, the valuable items offered were limited, and someone of Yun Qingyue's stature wouldn't even attend. The second auction was happening now, with the Martial Arts Competition imminent, and the treasures being placed up for auction were of an entirely different caliber. After all, those qualified to participate in the competition were the elite of the sect's younger generation.
These people had money and weren't reluctant to spend it to improve themselves. With the Three Sect Martial Arts Competition approaching such a critical moment, it was foreseeable that the auction held at this time would make a fortune, with premium prices guaranteed.
It wasn't surprising that Yun Qingyue received an invitation from the auction house at this time. The reason for the rushed timing was because she had been in seclusion. While she was secluded, a restriction had been placed around this area of the private residence, and only when she emerged did the invitation reach her hands. It was fortunate timing—had she come out of seclusion even half a day later, she would have missed this auction.
Opening the invitation, Yun Qingyue quickly scanned through it and made her decision. The little white tiger, nestled in her arms, was full of curiosity and peered over Senior Sister's arm—no, more like openly peeking.
Yun Qingyue didn't mind and graciously displayed the invitation for the little white tiger to see.
The little white tiger had now learned to recognize about seventy or eighty percent of the characters, and could understand the invitation, albeit with some difficulty. After reading it, her tiger eyes suddenly brightened, looking expectantly at Senior Sister—an auction, a staple of the cultivation world. More importantly, aside from television and novels, Jiang Mo, an ordinary person before her transmigration, had never had the opportunity to participate in such an event, and she really wanted to experience it.
Yun Qingyue understood the anticipation in the little white tiger's eyes. Her slender fingers casually scratched under the little white tiger's chin, asking, "Would you like to go?"
The little white tiger nodded without hesitation. Although she lacked for nothing, she truly wanted to join in the excitement. Then she heard Senior Sister seemingly chuckle lightly before asking, "Do you have spirit stones?"
The impoverished little white tiger was momentarily stunned. Her furry tiger paws curled inward, suddenly feeling the embarrassment and guilty conscience of being penniless. Then belatedly, a question occurred to her: Xuanqing Sect had indeed decided to support her, but besides cultivation resources, had they prepared a salary for her? Ordinary disciples all received monthly allowances; as the mighty Jianbing, she should... also have one, right?
The little white tiger pondered this uncertainly, thinking of this and that without reaching any conclusion. She hadn't planned to buy anything at the auction anyway. She just wanted to join in the excitement—what did that have to do with having spirit stones or not?
But Yun Qingyue was deliberately teasing her, and sure enough, seeing the little white tiger's conflicted expression, the amusement in her glassy eyes could no longer be concealed. She smiled faintly, not letting the little white tiger see, and stroked the tiger's head, saying, "Alright, it doesn't matter if you don't have spirit stones. I'll take you."
The little white tiger didn't detect anything amiss and was very happy to hear this, nuzzling Yun Qingyue's palm affectionately.
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Yun Qingyue was indeed planning to attend the auction, not just because the little white tiger wanted to tag along for the excitement. Having just advanced to the Nascent Soul realm, she needed to reconsecrate the Fuxue Sword before using it, making it more compatible with herself.
This process could be simple or complex. The simple consecration needn't be elaborated upon—it was merely about subduing a sword. The more complicated approach involved finding suitable materials to reforge the spiritual sword during consecration. With good luck, this could directly enhance the sword's level; at worst, it would at least improve its grade—a beneficial endeavor without drawbacks.
With the Three Sect Martial Arts Competition approaching, Yun Qingyue likely wouldn't have time to reforge the spiritual sword, but she wouldn't use the Fuxue Sword only during the competition. There would be plenty of time in the future, and regardless of how tight the schedule was, the sword still needed proper consecration.
The sect had many good materials available, but auctions often held surprises that shouldn't be missed.
Since Yun Qingyue had emerged from seclusion rather late and received the invitation late as well, she didn't delay after exchanging a few playful words with the little white tiger. After briefly informing Peak Master Qingyu of the situation, she took the little white tiger and departed from the sect on her flying sword.
After advancing to the Nascent Soul realm, Yun Qingyue's sword flight had become even faster. In about a quarter of an hour, they arrived outside Xuanqing City.
Even after a month's absence, the outskirts of Xuanqing City remained bustling, no different from their previous visit. In the cultivation world, the passage of time was often imperceptible—perhaps coming back in eight or ten years, everything would still appear the same. The little white tiger no longer felt the novelty of her first visit, and after Yun Qingyue carried her into the city, they didn't linger elsewhere but headed directly toward the auction house with clear purpose.
The auction house in Xuanqing City was located on the commercial street, which was lined with shops. There were shops selling talismans, formation disks, medicinal pills, spirit beast eggs, and countless other items. In front of the street, wandering cultivators had set up various stalls filled with all sorts of peculiar objects, pervading the entire street. Ultimately, if you could think of it, you could find it there.
However, Yun Qingyue, carrying the little white tiger, didn't stop at these shops or stalls, but went straight to an imposing pavilion. From a distance, one could see the large characters "Xuanqing Auction House" on the pavilion's signboard. As Yun Qingyue approached with the little white tiger, the auction house staff demonstrated excellent discernment—with just a glance at the jade tablet at Yun Qingyue's waist, they recognized her identity and politely welcomed her inside.
The auction house occupied considerable space, with three floors in total. The ground floor was the main hall, open to anyone with sufficient wealth to participate in the auction. The second and third floors consisted of private boxes, some for clients of special status and others for invited guests.
As the senior disciple of Mount Mingxia and a newly advanced Nascent Soul True Lord, Yun Qingyue commanded respect even without considering the divine beast Jianbing in her arms. The auction house staff were exceedingly courteous, directly escorting them to the third floor and into an elegant private box. The box had its own attendants, and was fully equipped with spirit fruits and fine wines—clearly the highest level of treatment.
Both attendants had only Foundation Establishment cultivation but possessed exceptional beauty, pleasing to the eye at first glance. Seeing guests arrive, they came forward to bow and presented the catalog for this auction.
Yun Qingyue was always more reserved in front of strangers. She didn't require the attendants' service, and after receiving the catalog, she dismissed them. Just as she was about to call the little white tiger over to ask if there was anything she wanted, she turned to find that the little white tiger had already started investigating the fruit plate on the table. Then she moved to the wine pot and sniffed it, seemingly interested in the contents.
Yun Qingyue laughed, walked over, and picked up the little white tiger, sternly admonishing, "You're still young, don't drink alcohol. If you're hungry, you can have some fruit, or I can have someone buy you some snacks?"
The greedy little tiger looked embarrassed, covering her face with her furry paws, pretending nothing had happened.
Yun Qingyue's lips curved slightly as she set her down. The little white tiger indeed didn't approach the wine again, but she also didn't stay obediently by Yun Qingyue's side to look at the catalog. Perhaps out of embarrassment, as soon as she was on the ground, she ran off, directly to the window of the private box overlooking the main hall, pulling aside the curtain to peek down at the activity below.
The auction was about to begin, and the main hall was already bustling with people—this auction was quite high-profile, primarily targeting the upcoming Three Sect Martial Arts Competition, but those attending far exceeded the few dozen participants of the competition. Many came for the excitement, and even more wanted to seize the opportunity to purchase good items, resulting in a lively and noisy atmosphere.
The little white tiger watched from the window for a while but lost interest after realizing she recognized few people. Coincidentally, she noticed that the curtain next door had also been opened, so she looked over and immediately spotted a shiny bald head.
It was someone from Buddha Sect, a young monk with features as delicate as a beautiful woman.
The young monk wore moon-white monk's robes, with gentle features that seemed to emit a soft light, making him immediately likable. He appeared somewhat surprised to see the little white tiger, then smiled gently and bowed to her: "Greetings, Jianbing."
Beautiful people are always more likable, especially when they have a gentle and harmless demeanor, and even more so to a divine beast who appreciated good looks.
The little white tiger raised her paw to greet the young monk, then looked back at the bustling crowd in the auction house, feeling that the monk seemed somewhat out of place. However, monks in the cultivation world weren't simply monks—they were also cultivators who needed celestial treasures to improve themselves. With this understanding, it no longer seemed inappropriate, though this young monk looked unfamiliar, as if she hadn't seen him among the Buddha Sect group before.
The young monk didn't say much more. After greeting Jianbing, he withdrew, moving out of the little white tiger's field of vision. After a while, another bald head appeared, and this time the little white tiger recognized him as Tanming, the leader of the Buddha Sect disciples.
Tanming wasn't as handsome as the young monk, and since there was nothing interesting outside apart from the noise, the little white tiger looked for a couple of seconds before going back inside.
Meanwhile, Yun Qingyue had already finished reviewing the auction catalog and had made her calculations. Seeing the little white tiger finally return, she beckoned to her: "Come and look, is there anything you like?"
The little white tiger had already forgotten the earlier incident and happily ran over, but then looked at the auction catalog with some hesitation—she had no money, so even if she liked something, she couldn't afford it. Moreover, as a tiger, she probably couldn't use many things. If she had money, though, she could buy some gifts for Senior Sister... but unfortunately, that was just wishful thinking.
With this thought, the little white tiger suddenly remembered the system's store, which seemed to offer a currency exchange function. Unfortunately, she had never needed spirit stones before and hadn't thought of exchanging any. Now that she needed them, there was no way to exchange them.
The little white tiger looked dejected. Yun Qingyue, recalling how she had teased her earlier, once again had amusement in her glassy eyes as she stroked the tiger's head and said gently, "Alright, I was just teasing you earlier. If you like anything, I'll buy it for you as a gift."