After a few monts of clamor in the hall, a voice filled with uncontrollable excitent rang out. It belonged to a rogue cultivator.
"Five hundred spirit stones!"
"Eight hundred!"
"One thousand two hundred! I am from Dripdrop Cave, I hope fellow Daoists will show so face."
Paying 1,200 spirit stones for a rank-eight spiritual material seed incredibly strange no matter how one looked at it. Was Water Jade really that valuable?
Yulou blinked, and Wang Xianmao naturally knew what he wanted to ask.
"The region we live in is within the territory of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect," Wang Xianmao explained. "Their disciples primarily practice fire thods. Water Jade is expensive precisely because it is a water-attribute spiritual material. Treasures forged from it can counter fire thods."
Yulou finally understood. Water Jade was expensive not because spirit stones had lost value, nor because its inherent potential was extraordinary.
From the eager bidders in the crowd, Yulou saw their respect for the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, their gratitude, and their awe. They were afraid!
They hated!
They were... furious!
They wanted to buy Water Jade!
In the end, the rank-eight Water Jade brought out by Town Guardian Cultivator Jiang Baobian climbed all the way to 1,400 spirit stones before being claid by an anonymous rogue cultivator. What kind of concept was this price?
Ten tis! Compared to slightly inferior rank-eight spiritual materials, the price of Water Jade was ten tis higher!
The prestigious reputation of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect was formidable indeed! From the final transaction price, Yulou also understood Householder Redbrow's obsession with the Water Jade fragnts—this stuff was incredibly lucrative.
Or rather, within the jurisdiction of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect where fire thods dominated, it would always remain highly valuable.
The feast of the Ghost Market Auction was comnced by Jiang Baobian, but the true climax arrived after Householder Redbrow took the stage.
An extrely budget, low-end version of a treasure-hoarding master, perhaps?
"Fellow Daoists, it is fate that brings us together here, and Redbrow will certainly not be stingy," Householder Redbrow announced. "Today, I have brought four pieces of fine spiritual artifacts!"
Householder Redbrow drew three small flying daggers from his storage bag and introduced them.
"These are low-grade offensive artifacts that I personally forged, using rank-nine Cold Refined Iron as the base material. Although they only possess four layers of restrictions, if utilized well, their destructive power is not inferior to ordinary mid-grade artifacts."
If Jiang Baobian throwing out a rare piece of rank-eight Water Jade at the very start was a shock, then Redbrow brought everyone a completely different kind of shock—the exact opposite. He was truly extortionate!
"Redbrow, you actually have the nerve to bring out a low-grade artifact with only four layers of restrictions?"
"Exactly! Get off the stage!"
"A low-grade artifact? You couldn't give that away for free!"
"If I'm not mistaken, the hilt of your flying dagger is longer than the blade itself. Isn't that cutting corners a bit too much?"
The attendees below barked out complaints in unison. Redbrow did not waste words.
He imdiately activated a flying dagger, sending it straight toward the host, Lao Gui.
'I'll beat you to death, you cowardly lackey! How dare you sell a common rat to my daughter as a precious sable!'
Lao Gui was an information broker, and since he could secure a job like hosting the Ghost Market Auction, he was naturally no pushover. He raised his hand and conjured an Earth Wall Technique, blocking the flying dagger outright.
"Fellow Daoist, how is the destructive power of this flying dagger?" Redbrow retrieved the weapon and asked with a beaming smile.
"Not bad, it is indeed made of Cold Refined Iron, though it really is a bit too small..." Lao Gui naturally knew Redbrow. With a dark expression, he helped support Redbrow's sales pitch.
Despite just taking an attack from Redbrow's flying dagger, he turned around to flatter Redbrow in the next instant, doing so with such professional dedication. What a magnificent display of professional spirit.
"Three flying daggers, starting at fifty spirit stones each. The first one, does anyone want it?"
Fifty spirit stones for a low-grade artifact made of Cold Refined Iron! The surrounding cultivators looked at Redbrow with entirely different expressions now.
Brother, we were barking too loudly just now, our apologies. You just single-handedly forced down the market price of Cold Refined Iron artifacts!
"Sixty!"
Redbrow smiled. It worked!
"一百!"
One piece alone covered the costs! He was going to strike it rich!
Redbrow quickly forced down his laughter, keeping his expression taut. He was afraid that looking too smug would invite disaster upon himself.
After selling the three simplified low-grade artifacts, Redbrow brought out the real treasure he had prepared for today.
"The Mirror Silver Golden Thread Shield—an upper-grade defensive artifact with twenty-six layers of restrictions! It utilizes three pieces of rank-nine mirror silver as a base, with a piece of rank-nine spiritual gold refined into threads for the carving, and a core made of a piece of rank-eight dark steel. For damage caused by ordinary attacks, the mirror silver can repair itself. For damage from powerful attacks, the rank-eight dark steel can block it. Even if you went to the rit Hall of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, you might not be able to exchange for a better defensive artifact than this! Two thousand spirit stones, please bid according to your capabilities."
If the Redbrow who just tried to sell those three simplified artifacts looked like a clown, the current him was the dream partner in the hearts of all rogue cultivators. What did it matter if he weighed 150 kilograms?
Fellow Daoist Redbrow wasn't fat; every gram of that flesh represented his formidable strength! Too impressive, Fellow Daoist Redbrow!
"Two thousand two hundred!"
"Two thousand..."
The cultivators in the hall began calling out bids, while Wang Xianmao rely offered a gentle smile.
'Redbrow, oh Redbrow, you are even selling your ultimate defensive treasure. You truly are preparing for Foundation Establishnt!'
"Three thousand spirit stones. This mirror silver shield is quite good, my Gu Family will take it!"
No one expected that a Foundation Establishnt cultivator attending the auction to maintain order would actually speak up to vie for an item. Once the Second Elder of the Tea King Gu Family announced his price, naturally no one dared to continue competing.
However, paying 3,000 spirit stones for an upper-grade artifact was actually a relatively high price; it could not be considered a forced purchase. An ordinary upper-grade artifact could sotis be acquired for 1,000 spirit stones. It was only because this shield was a defensive treasure, utilized ample spiritual materials, and had a full twenty-six layers of restrictions refined into it that it was so expensive.
The Ghost Market Auction concluded. The Wang Clan naturally bought nothing, but they had sold a substantial amount of goods instead. A clan possessed its own industries and heritage. Many good items that rogue cultivators viewed as rare, once-in-a-lifeti opportunities could be produced internally by the Wang Family.
"Patriarch, I don't understand," Yulou said, filled with curiosity. "Why is it that Qi Refining cultivators can use dicinal pills to accelerate their cultivation speed, yet we in the Qi Induction realm cannot?"
According to his observations, the dicinal pill system of this world was remarkably complete, but cultivators in the Qi Induction realm could only use pills ant for breaking through bottlenecks or other auxiliary types. They could not use any pills that directly advanced cultivation progress. This was highly unusual.
"A long ti ago, the Qi Induction realm could use dicinal pills to advance cultivation progress," Wang Xianmao replied with a smile. "Once you reach the Qi Refining stage and read the secret records the family prepares for Qi Refining descendants, you will naturally understand."
Yulou nodded gently and pressed no further. He needed to reach Qi Refining first; the Patriarch's aning could not be clearer.
"Why is that, Patriarch?"
Yu'an was still Yu'an, always the outspoken one.
"Hahaha, fine, there is no harm in telling you both, but do not speak of it outside. The resources between heaven and earth are limited. If the cultivation speed of the Qi Induction realm isn't suppressed, too many resources would be consud by Qi Induction cultivators. If Qi Induction cultivation becos too fast, there would be too many Qi Refining and Foundation Establishnt cultivators, and many things would beco troubleso. Roughly a thousand years ago, the great cultivators of the world joined forces to alter the rules of heaven and earth, and it has remained so until now. Our Wang Clan's ancestors were already within the Red Lantern Illumination Sect back then, which is why this matter was recorded. Many of the families and small sects that have risen over the past few centuries are entirely unaware of these secrets."
The great cultivators of the world joined forces to alter the rules of heaven and earth. As if entranced, Yulou unconsciously chewed over this sentence repeatedly. He sensed an unfathomable majesty from it, an indescribable, grand ambition. Altering heaven and earth! A cultivator should aspire to nothing less!
A burst of harsh shouting interrupted Yulou's reverie and imagination.
"Get lost! Rogue cultivators? You're nothing but beggars! Even the cheap prostitutes of Clear Stream Market know the rules better than you! The rit Hall of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect is arriving soon, and you lot sleeping on the streets are deliberately ruining Clear Stream Market's grand event! Scram! If you don't scram right now, I'll whip you to death!"
In front of the Fortune Source Residence, Gao Jian was wielding his Spirit-Binding Rope, lashing out at the rogue cultivators huddled in the corner with loud cracks. Recently, too many rogue cultivators had flooded into Clear Stream Market, causing rents for every shop and residence to skyrocket. Many cash-strapped rogue cultivators chose to lie along the street corners and walls, enduring the wait for the rit Hall's arrival.
As a mber of the Clear Stream Market security patrol, Gao Jian naturally could not tolerate these paupers damaging the image of the market. That was why he was frantically swinging his whip here, to the point where sparks were almost flying.
If one were to ask why these rogue cultivators didn't just wait outside and enter once the rit Hall arrived...
"Sir, Sir, we paid the entry fee to get into the market!"
"Who knows if you paid or not! If you can't afford a room, then scram! Don't ruin the appearance of Clear Stream Market!"
Gao Jian was rely a patrolman; what did the entry fees collected by the gatekeepers have to do with him? If these impoverished rogue cultivators ruined his master Jiang Baobian's image in front of the Purple Palace Grand Cultivator, Gao Jian would have to take the bla!
Upon witnessing this scene, Wang Xianmao casually cast a concealnt spell, shrouding himself and the two youths. He led Yulou and Yu'an right up to Gao Jian's side, ensuring the two boys could clearly see the ugly display of this outer disciple of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect.
Afterward, the Patriarch asked,
"Yulou, Yu'an, how do you think this matter should be handled?"
Yulou frowned, realizing that this situation was far from simple. If complexity had levels, then the Patriarch's seemingly casual question was at the absolute peak. Because casualness was a specific posture, and under certain circumstances, it carried a profound weight.
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