Chapter 81 : Spirit Beast Egg
At last, someone had started bidding. The auctioneer on the platform secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then tried to stimulate competitive bidding with even greater enthusiasm. However, those with concerns remained cautious, and bidders were few. Eventually, that "black stone" of unknown authenticity and purpose was acquired by Yun Qingyue for less than three hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones.
Compared to the previous items that sold for millions, the final price of this auction item was practically a steal. But who could blame people when this item had an unclear origin and posed risks? No one was willing to spend three hundred thousand on a mere possibility.
After all, with the Three Sect Martial Arts Competition approaching, even the wealthy occupants of the third-floor boxes would presumably prefer to spend their money on sure bets.
The same attendant delivered the item. Yun Qingyue examined it briefly to confirm there were no issues, then once again took out a storage pouch to make payment. Once the attendant left, she picked up the "black stone" and carefully examined it—the vitality and spiritual energy in the "black stone" remained, but beyond that, nothing else could be discerned. Presumably, the Nascent Soul cultivator who found this "black stone" couldn't penetrate its mysteries either, which was why they chose to sell it.
While Yun Qingyue examined the "black stone," the little white tiger also had the opportunity to observe it up close. After her unsuccessful observation, she curiously placed her paw on the "black stone," pawing at it as felines habitually do.
However, the moment the little white tiger touched the "black stone," a peculiar sensation suddenly transmitted to her... Not like the abrupt surge of energy she felt when touching the golden ball, but an indescribable feeling. It seemed as if "thump-thump" sounds entered her heart, like a heartbeat or flowing blood.
She was momentarily dazed, realizing that it must be the sensation of life. This "black stone" wasn't some material for forging magical treasures but more like an egg of some unknown spirit beast—though admittedly, the egg's shape and color were quite strange.
The little white tiger's eyes flashed with understanding, and she quickly shared this discovery with Yun Qingyue.
Yun Qingyue frowned slightly, her gaze sweeping over the "black stone," but ultimately said nothing.
The auction continued, with each subsequent item more expensive than the last, and various celestial treasures appearing in abundance. Yun Qingyue didn't bid often, mainly focusing on forging materials, lavishly spending yet not necessarily getting everything she wanted.
The auction proceeded rapidly, but because there weren't any particularly special items, the little white tiger rarely focused her attention on the auction platform. She hugged the golden ball Senior Sister had bought for her and gnawed on several milk-scented spirit fruits, only glancing at the items on the auction platform when Yun Qingyue bid. Since those were mostly forging materials whose quality she couldn't discern, she remained largely uninterested.
By the time the little white tiger had eaten the eighth or ninth spirit fruit, the auction finally concluded. As people dispersed after the event, the audience below, still not fully satisfied, could visit the auction house's sales floor to see if they might find other items to their liking.
Yun Qingyue had only obtained three items today: the golden ball the little white tiger was holding, the "black stone" that was possibly a spirit beast egg, and a piece of Profound Ice Crystal. She had originally come to the auction to find materials for refining the Fuxue Sword, but of the items she purchased, only the Profound Ice Crystal could be used for refining the spiritual sword; the other two were unexpected acquisitions.
Yun Qingyue wasn't disappointed, though. After carefully putting away the Profound Ice Crystal, she picked up the "black stone" of unknown purpose. She held it, pondering for a moment, then tried to place it in her storage ring.
As is well known, living creatures cannot be stored in storage rings. Even unhatched spirit beast eggs, as long as they haven't completely "died" and still contain vitality, cannot be put into storage equipment. Special spirit beast pouches are needed, but since everything Yun Qingyue raised died—with Jianbing, whom she managed to keep alive, being the only exception—she naturally wouldn't put the divine beast into a spirit beast pouch, so she didn't even own such equipment.
Yun Qingyue never doubted the little white tiger's words, so although she tried to put the "black stone" into her storage ring, she didn't really expect success. She had already prepared to carry the "black stone" out, but to her surprise, she actually managed to store it.
Looking at her empty palm, Yun Qingyue fell into rare silence.
The little white tiger didn't understand what had happened. Seeing Senior Sister staring silently at her palm, she thought there might be something on her hand. She tilted her head in confusion, then stretched forward, placing her front paws on Yun Qingyue's palm. Curiously examining it carefully, she couldn't find anything amiss with Senior Sister's hand—it was still as slender and fair as ever, beautiful as if meticulously carved.
This touch brought Yun Qingyue back to her senses. She instinctively squeezed the little white tiger's soft paw pads, setting aside her earlier doubts—upon careful reflection, it was actually normal that the "black stone" could be stored.
The "black stone" was discovered by a cultivator in a secret realm. If it couldn't be placed in a storage pouch, how could it have been brought out? If the cultivator who initially found it couldn't put it in a storage pouch and had to use a spirit beast pouch to carry it, it probably wouldn't have been mistaken for some kind of forging material, but rather immediately recognized as a spirit beast egg.
Indeed, even now, Yun Qingyue hadn't doubted the little white tiger's judgment; she only thought the egg might already be dead.
In the short time they had been talking, most people upstairs and downstairs had already left. Yun Qingyue stopped pondering the matter. She skillfully picked up the little white tiger and cast a cleaning spell to remove the fruit juice stains from her fur.
Before leaving, Senior Sister seemed to remember something and suddenly looked back. The fruit plate on the table remained perpetually full, but the peels left by the little white tiger had formed a small pile. She smiled, squeezed the little white tiger's paw pads again, and asked, looking down, "Do you like these milk-scented fruits? Shall I buy some to take back as snacks for you?"
The greedy little tiger also saw the evidence of her indulgence. She hadn't paid attention while eating, but now couldn't help feeling a bit embarrassed. She hid her head in Senior Sister's embrace, but after a moment nodded, clearly willing to eat despite her shyness.
Yun Qingyue didn't mind spending these spirit stones. Leaving the private box, she planned to ask the auction house staff about purchasing some fruits.
She had thought everyone from the third-floor boxes had already left, but just as she stepped out of the box, the neighboring box also opened. Four or five bald-headed men emerged, led by Tanming and the handsome young monk the little white tiger had seen earlier.
The Buddha Sect members had also deliberately waited for others to leave before emerging, but unexpectedly ran into Yun Qingyue. Fortunately, this Xuanqing Auction House was located at the foot of Xuanqing Sect, and most auction participants were sect disciples, making robbery and murder extremely rare. There was no taboo in meeting face to face, so they merely exchanged courteous greetings without further conversation, then parted ways after exiting.
Yun Qingyue needed to buy milk-scented fruits, so she temporarily remained at the auction house, falling behind. Unusually for someone typically so aloof, today she behaved contrary to her normal manner, gazing several times at the departing Buddha Sect group.
The little white tiger noticed this and almost couldn't resist raising her paw to cover Yun Qingyue's eyes: Senior Sister, stop looking, that young monk isn't as good-looking as you!
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The auction house staff were exceptionally good at business. When Yun Qingyue asked to buy milk-scented fruits, the attendant's expression showed no change, her smile just as enthusiastic as when Yun Qingyue had been spending thousands.
After purchasing an entire storage pouch of milk-scented fruits, Yun Qingyue carried the little white tiger back to the sect.
The little white tiger had assumed the day's excitement was over and that Senior Sister would take her back to the private residence on Mount Tianyang. After all, with the Three Sect Martial Arts Competition only three days away, time was limited, and she still needed to use the Profound Ice Crystal to refine the Fuxue Sword. But that wasn't the case. After entering the sect, Yun Qingyue didn't rush back but instead took the little white tiger to a new location—the Mission Hall.
For any sect, the Mission Hall was an essential building, as it was both a place to earn money and a place to spend it. Hundreds of missions were posted daily; disciples accepted and completed them to earn contribution points, which they could then exchange for cultivation resources.
Yun Qingyue's reason for bringing the little white tiger to the Mission Hall at this time was certainly not to accept missions. Almost the moment she stepped through the door, the hall's manager spotted her and enthusiastically approached: "Congratulations on advancing to Nascent Soul, True Lord. May your immortal path be forever smooth." After these congratulatory words, he continued, "The sect's rewards for the True Lord have already been distributed. May I ask what brings the True Lord here today?"
This was Yun Qingyue's first visit to the Mission Hall since her advancement to Nascent Soul. Facing the manager's congratulations, she merely nodded with dignified restraint, as cold as ever: "I've come to exchange for some forging materials."
This was a common occurrence. When disciples advanced to Nascent Soul, their status rose, and the sect's expectations and investment in them increased accordingly. Besides the various treasures bestowed by masters and elders, the sect's rewards were quite direct—contribution points. With contribution points, newly advanced disciples could exchange for whatever they needed at the Mission Hall. Even if the Mission Hall didn't currently have what they wanted, missions could be posted for others to seek these items.
During the days when the little white tiger had been struck by tribulation lightning, Yun Qingyue had already received many gifts from elders and congratulatory presents from peers. Now, with the sect's rewards, a large number of contribution points had been added to her account, and she naturally wanted to exchange them for resources to strengthen herself.
The manager understood this perfectly. Hearing her request, he immediately led Yun Qingyue to the exchange area and presented her with a catalog.
Yun Qingyue accepted it and quickly scanned through, carefully selecting and calculating the materials needed to refine the Fuxue Sword. The little white tiger, not having learned all the characters yet and unfamiliar with cultivation world materials, lost interest after glancing at the catalog for a moment. She jumped down from Senior Sister's embrace, shook her fur, looked around, and found herself quite interested in this legendary Mission Hall.
Glancing at Senior Sister and confirming she still needed time to make her selections, the little white tiger began to stroll around the Mission Hall with confident steps. Everyone recognized Jianbing, so whether managers or disciples, all respectfully made way when they saw her.
The little white tiger proudly toured the Mission Hall for two rounds, and only after satisfying her curiosity did she return.
By then, Yun Qingyue had also finished her selection. Years of accumulated missions and the sect's rewards were spent completely, exchanged for an abundance of refining materials. Undoubtedly, after she returned and refined the Fuxue Sword, her combat power would see another significant increase.