Chapter 80 : True Tycoon
The golden sphere Yun Qingyue had purchased was roughly the size of a tennis ball. At first glance, it appeared dazzlingly golden without any distinguishing features. But when it made contact with the little white tiger again, she once more felt that mysterious energy rushing toward her.
What exactly was this thing?
The little white tiger was somewhat apprehensive, but deep down she trusted that Senior Sister would never harm her. Therefore, despite her wariness, she didn't throw the golden ball away. She held it rigidly, and after failing to block the energy, she quietly experienced the unfamiliar power flowing into her body... Nothing strange happened; instead, it felt refreshing, similar to absorbing spiritual energy.
After cautiously testing it for a while and confirming the golden ball posed no danger, the little white tiger finally relaxed her vigilance. Since Senior Sister had told her to play with it, she didn't put the golden ball down but instead curiously played with it for quite some time.
Yun Qingyue observed the little white tiger's changing attitude closely, her expression softening slightly before returning her attention to the auction.
The auction continued, of course. The spirit beast core that Yun Qingyue had just purchased was merely an ordinary item in this auction. The auctioneer quickly had someone bring up a new item—three sword talismans sealed by a Void Crossing master, each containing the power of that master's full-strength attack, truly qualifying as life-saving treasures. Such items were typically bestowed upon juniors for protection and weren't commonly seen at auctions.
No one cared how these sword talismans had fallen into the auction house's possession, but everyone recognized their value. Thus, despite the opening price of one hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones, many were still tempted to bid.
However, the bidders still excluded those from the third-floor boxes, who remained largely uninterested in the sword talismans.
The reason was the same—the people in the third-floor boxes all had distinguished identities. Which one of them wouldn't have life-saving treasures bestowed by their masters or elders? Even without mentioning Yun Qingyue, even Zhong Heng wouldn't lack protective items from his master. Though Peak Master Qingyu wasn't the most reliable teacher, her cultivation was extraordinary. Even though she was hundreds or thousands of years younger than the other Peak Masters, her cultivation had also reached the Fusion realm.
Life-saving treasures bestowed by a Fusion realm master naturally couldn't be compared with those from the Void Crossing realm. Stepping back, if one bought the sword talismans not for protection but for attack, it would be too extravagant, and the Three Sect Martial Arts Competition wouldn't allow such items anyway.
Regardless, these sword talismans created another sensation at the auction, with bidding so intense that even the little white tiger, who had been playing with her ball, was disturbed. She curiously peeked over for a few moments. Though full of interest in these commonly seen life-saving treasures, her poverty kept her composed. Besides, Senior Sister had already reached the Nascent Soul realm and had comprehended sword intent early on. After she advanced to Void Crossing, asking her to condense a few sword talismans for herself shouldn't be a problem, right?
The three sword talismans finally sold for the high price of five hundred thousand—not excessively high, but certainly not low either. Such one-time life-saving items were worth the price, but the bidders were either ordinary sect disciples without elder protection or wandering cultivators, and this price was about their limit.
The auctioneer's smile remained unchanged as he had someone bring up the next item after the sword talismans were sold.
This auction had fewer than thirty items in total, and they had now gone through more than half. The upcoming items would be better and more expensive than the previous ones, and the little white tiger, watching for entertainment, became more attentive.
When the red cloth was lifted from the newly presented item, it revealed a jade bottle. After the auctioneer removed the stopper, an overwhelming wave of spiritual energy immediately enveloped the entire auction venue, even stirring the spiritual energy of those with lower cultivation in the main hall... Fortunately, the auctioneer only opened the bottle for an instant, allowing everyone to sense that spiritual energy before quickly resealing it.
This disturbance affected more than just the people in the main hall below; the third-floor boxes finally showed some activity. Before the auctioneer could introduce the item, the little white tiger heard a clear female voice from two boxes over asking, "Is that Azure Essence Spirit Liquid?"
Hearing this, the auctioneer immediately smiled and replied, "Indeed, it is high-grade Azure Essence Spirit Liquid. I'm sure you all know its benefits, so I needn't elaborate. The starting price is still one hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones. Please make your bids."
This time, before anyone in the main hall could start, someone from the normally composed third-floor boxes made the first bid: "Two hundred thousand."
The bid doubled immediately, shocking everyone in the main hall and even those in the second-floor boxes. After a brief silence, more bids arose, gradually pushing the price higher. However, the first person's doubling of the starting price effectively excluded those sitting in the main hall from the bidding. Most bidders now were from the third-floor boxes, with occasional bids from the second floor.
After more than ten rounds of bidding, the price of the Azure Essence Spirit Liquid quickly rose to four hundred thousand, with bidders showing no sign of diminishing enthusiasm—from initially increasing by ten thousand per bid, the competition had escalated to fifty-thousand increments. Who knew what astronomical price it would finally reach?
The impoverished little white tiger, holding her golden ball, trembled amidst the bidding war of the wealthy occupants of the third-floor boxes. She vaguely felt that the name "Azure Essence Spirit Liquid" sounded familiar, and later remembered that she had a bottle of Azure Essence Spirit Marrow in her storage ring.
Judging by the name, Azure Essence Spirit Marrow should be superior to Azure Essence Spirit Liquid, right?
Unfortunately, Senior Sister was also participating in this round of bidding, so the little white tiger didn't dare disturb her. Only after noticing that Senior Sister had bid twice without speaking again, seemingly having given up, did she approach and gesture her question on Senior Sister's palm.
Yun Qingyue had indeed given up, as the price of the Azure Essence Spirit Liquid had exceeded her psychological expectation and wasn't something she urgently needed. After the little white tiger's series of gestures, she explained: "Spirit liquid, as the name suggests, is spiritual energy condensed into liquid form. There are many types of spirit liquids, among which Azure Essence Spirit Liquid has the mildest properties, is most easily absorbed by humans, and also has the effects of cleansing meridians, tempering marrow, and healing injuries..."
The cleansing of meridians and tempering of marrow need no further explanation, and the path of cultivation has never been smooth—it involves struggling against oneself, against others, and against heaven. Anyone who has achieved success in cultivation couldn't possibly have done so behind closed doors; inevitably, they would sustain hidden injuries during conflicts.
These injuries might seem inconsequential under normal circumstances, but when advancing and facing tribulation, they could become the only flaw in an otherwise perfect state.
No one wants to go through all the effort of cultivation advancement only to be struck to ashes during tribulation because of a tiny flaw. Therefore, they often eagerly seek treasures that can repair these hidden injuries. Azure Essence Spirit Liquid is the best choice, even better than consuming high-grade medicinal pills, because it leaves no pill toxins and helps accumulate spiritual energy for those about to advance.
Yun Qingyue had just advanced, but many in the third-floor boxes were stuck at late Golden Core or even Perfect Golden Core stages. The allure of this Azure Essence Spirit Liquid was naturally immense for them. Even if not for immediate use, acquiring such a treasure for future use was an excellent choice.
The little white tiger nodded after hearing the explanation. No wonder she had heard Bai Xu of Mount Qionghua among the most enthusiastic bidders. He was precisely stuck at Perfect Golden Core and was also a pill refiner. Perhaps after purchasing the Azure Essence Spirit Liquid, besides using it for advancement, he could also use it for pill refining... She wondered what exactly her Azure Essence Spirit Marrow was.
With this thought, the little white tiger tugged at Senior Sister's sleeve and then took out that bottle of Azure Essence Spirit Marrow from her storage ring.
This Azure Essence Spirit Marrow was Divine Lord Zhiming's welcome gift to the little white tiger, and Yun Qingyue, having been present at the time, naturally recognized it. However, due to the system's warning about her insufficient level risking explosion, the little white tiger hadn't dared to use it in the several months since, let alone open it.
Seeing her suddenly produce this, Yun Qingyue quickly covered the bottle's mouth, fearing she might open it carelessly: "Keep this carefully. Don't take it out in public without good reason." After this warning, she explained: "Azure Essence Spirit Marrow is the essence of Azure Essence Spirit Liquid. A pool of Azure Essence Spirit Liquid can only condense one drop of Azure Essence Spirit Marrow over a hundred years. The bottle of spirit liquid on the auction platform doesn't even compare to half a drop of spirit marrow!"
As her words fell, the auction below happened to reach its conclusion, with Bai Xu ultimately winning the Azure Essence Spirit Liquid. The little white tiger also happened to hear the final transaction price—nine hundred eighty thousand mid-grade spirit stones for Azure Essence Spirit Liquid worth less than half a drop of the marrow in her possession.
This was quite shocking for the tiger; her paw trembled, nearly dropping the bottle.
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Before the auction had even ended, the little white tiger's sense of value had already been repeatedly shaken. She not only realized her own poverty but also Senior Sister's wealth, and moreover, that Divine Lord Zhiming was the true tycoon.
Carefully putting away the Azure Essence Spirit Marrow, the little white tiger solemnly told Senior Sister that she could ask for it if needed.
Yun Qingyue understood her gestures but merely smiled, clearly having no such intention. After all, this was food prepared by the Divine Lord for a young cub—how could she covet it? Moreover, she had only recently advanced to Nascent Soul, and her next advancement to Void Crossing was still far in the future. During that time, she would also venture out to gain experience, and it wasn't impossible that she might find similar celestial treasures as substitutes.
After this unsettling interlude, the auction proceeded for two more rounds. Each item was excellent, with considerable prices, reaching transaction prices similar to the Azure Essence Spirit Liquid, but causing far less commotion than the latter.
The little white tiger had become much calmer, holding a milk-scented spirit fruit while watching the excitement from the window.
As the auction progressed into its later stages, more people from the third-floor boxes were bidding, including the monks from the neighboring Buddha Sect box, who had already purchased a lotus magical device. A new round of auction was about to begin, and the little white tiger grew increasingly enthusiastic, curious to see what other treasures might continue to tempt the occupants of the third-floor boxes to bid.
When the red cloth was lifted, this time a fist-sized black stone was placed on the auction platform... Or perhaps it wasn't a stone, as the "black stone" surface gleamed with a metallic luster. And perhaps it wasn't just her imagination, but the little white tiger felt an indescribable sense of vitality looking at the "stone," as if what lay quietly on the auction platform wasn't an inanimate object but something containing living energy.
It was a very strange auction item. Although everyone could see its extraordinary nature, unlike previous treasures like the Azure Essence Spirit Liquid that were immediately recognized when they appeared, this time the auction hall remained silent for a long time, with no one identifying the origin of this "black stone."
The auction rarely encountered such a cold reception, but fortunately, the auctioneer didn't appear embarrassed. He continued to enthusiastically introduce: "This is a treasure accidentally obtained by a Nascent Soul cultivator in the Wind Spirit Secret Realm, a rare material that can be used to forge magical treasures. As you've all likely observed, this treasure contains inherent vitality. According to our auction house's appraisal, this treasure will most likely aid in condensing an artifact spirit..."
At these words, another commotion erupted throughout the venue, for an artifact spirit was something truly hard to come by.
The little white tiger grew curious and interested, but she quickly noticed that the previously animated third-floor boxes had quieted down again.
She didn't understand what was happening until she heard a female voice "quietly" muttering: "Talking about a treasure that can condense an artifact spirit, but the auction house doesn't even know what it's called. They can't identify it and are just making wild guesses."
Everyone present was a cultivator; even those in the main hall had at least reached Foundation Establishment, all with keen hearing and vision, naturally hearing this deliberately transmitted "mutter" clearly. The atmosphere suddenly cooled, and the auctioneer's smile finally stiffened, though he ultimately didn't dare to "argue" with the esteemed guests in the third-floor boxes.
The auctioneer cleared his throat, pretending not to have heard the criticism, and continued: "I'm sure you all recognize this treasure's extraordinary nature. Now let's begin the auction with a starting price of two hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones. Interested parties, please place your bids."
Due to the criticism from the third-floor box, this auction indeed met with a cold reception. After all, a starting price of two hundred thousand was not low—not everyone could afford it, especially for an auction item of unknown origin. Though it appeared to have vitality and spiritual qualities, the methods of counterfeiting in the cultivation world far exceeded those in the mortal realm. What if they bought an elaborate fake?
Even if it was genuine, this "black stone" was indeed a treasure, but how to use it remained a question. Even the auction house staff couldn't identify it. They suggested using it for forging, but what if that didn't work? Wouldn't it be a waste?
Given these many concerns, no one bid for quite some time, though there was much discussion in the main hall.
The auctioneer stood on the auction platform, attempting several times to guide the audience's emotions, but no one took the bait. He gradually frowned, concerned that the item might go unsold. Items saved for this late in the auction were those in which great hopes had been placed.
At this moment, a cool female voice finally came from a third-floor box: "Two hundred thousand."