https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-103-Perfecting-the-Way-of-Freedom/12831602/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-105-Alchemist-Dust-the-Four-Symbols-Cauldron/12831606/
Chapter 104: The Auction, Where Treasures Appear
Chapter 104: The Auction, Where Treasures Appear
Every winter, the Da He Market always faces its hardest times.
The Lancang River freezes over, and heavy snow blocks the mountains, cutting off the primary sources of income for most cultivators.
Furthermore, for scattered cultivators living in the outer city, the danger of hungry beasts from the mountains coming down to prey on humans becomes a real threat.
But this year, things seem different.
Walking through the inner city streets, Luo Chen noticed that the crowds were even more bustling than in the autumn.
Gu Caiyi, ever the thoughtful companion, explained, "It's because of the Luofeng Mountain Dao Debate Platform."
Luo Chen, being a quick thinker, grasped the gist of it with just a few hints.
The opening of the Luofeng Mountain Dao Debate Platform has sparked a wave of competition among cultivators.
On ordinary days, it's mostly late-stage Qi Refinement experts and family cultivators who spend their time there.
But as the weather grows colder and the mountains yield less, some cultivators who can no longer make ends meet have decided to challenge each other on the Dao Debate Platform.
Just by stepping onto the platform for a fight, they earn a participation fee, regardless of the outcome!
Moreover, with Foundation Establishment cultivators watching over, there's no risk of losing their lives.
And if they win, they can earn additional rewards, such as spirit stones, elixirs, and magical treasures.
Because of this, the Da He Market is far from desolate this winter, with everyone eager to show off their skills.
The Jade Peak Sword Pavilion is, of course, delighted by this.
They can select the most advanced and combat-skilled cultivators from the large number of applicants.
Then, they can publicize the highlights of each battle.
From the competition for the top mid-stage Qi Refinement expert, to resource disputes, or even intra-sect battles.
Even neighborhood conflicts that can't be resolved are brought to the Dao Debate Platform for a showdown.
If there's a "death match," it can spark a viewing frenzy.
Without even mentioning the ticket fees, the Jade Peak Sword Pavilion is already raking in profits.
"If I didn't have a special skill, I might have joined the Dao Debate Platform myself," Luo Chen chuckled, understanding the surge of scattered cultivators participating.
According to Gu Caiyi, even some cultivators from the three battle halls of the Broken Mountain Gang have signed up.
It's surprising how the Jade Peak Sword Pavilion's efforts to promote a culture of combat among cultivators have been significantly aided by the winter season.
It's likely that even after winter, those who have grown accustomed to earning a living through the Dao Debate Platform won't abandon this habit.
"Let's go watch a match sometime!" Luo Chen said casually.
The ticket prices for the Dao Debate Platform are no longer as expensive as they were initially.
After all, not every day features a death match or a battle between Foundation Establishment experts or second-stage beasts.
With ticket prices ranging from one to ten spirit stones, most people can afford to attend.
Gu Caiyi blinked and said sweetly, "Sure, but you have to buy the snacks!"
Luo Chen rolled his eyes, "How about some milk tea?"
"Milk tea? What's that?"
Gu Caiyi was puzzled.
Luo Chen was also taken aback for a moment, then he grinned.
"Chenyue Snack Stand will have a new offering!"
He already had the advertisement in mind: "The first cup of milk tea of winter, warming your icy dao heart!"
...
Braving the snowstorm, Luo Chen arrived at the Slanting Moon Valley, accompanied by his two ever-present bodyguards.
Upon entering the valley, he noticed some changes.
The herb fields were now covered with greenhouses.
Yuan Dongsheng, the spirit plant cultivator he knew, was walking among them, occasionally casting a spell.
Noticing Luo Chen's gaze, Yuan Dongsheng stopped his work.
"Curious about this spell?"
"Yes, I thought these herbs could only be grown in mild climates."
"You don't know, do you? With the Four Seasons Spring spell, you can grow seasonal herbs even in winter. Want to learn? I can teach you!"
Luo Chen quickly shook his head, muttering something about greenhouse cultivation as he left.
The longer he lived in the cultivation world, the more he realized that people here were not as primitive as he initially thought.
Major sects monopolize businesses and leverage their strengths to expand their operations.
Even small figures have their own clever ideas, with some scattered cultivators recently copying his concepts to create various snacks.
In terms of spells, there's also a lot of innovation.
Besides the usual protective spells, there are also well-developed life spells and professional spells.
"Perhaps I've underestimated the people of this world all along."
"Those top cultivators, who live for hundreds or even thousands of years, can't be any less wise than those from my previous world."
"Even the Cleaning Spell, which he initially mastered, shows how much spell improvement has been widespread for a long time. After all, many people know this spell, which doesn't directly benefit the Great Dao."
Thinking of the Cleaning Spell, Luo Chen remembered that its proficiency was almost at the Master level.
Maybe he should take the time to reach that level and see what changes it brings?
Even if it's not as good as the Free Roaming Spell, it can't be worse!
With these thoughts, Luo Chen arrived at the Alchemy Hall.
Today, it was another day of alchemy, a routine that everyone had grown accustomed to.
He lit the fire, opened the furnace, and placed the herbs, personally overseeing the alchemy process.
With only two alchemy rooms in operation, his workload was much lighter.
Luo Chen was also curious, hadn't Uncle Mi Hua been very interested in the Jade Marrow Pill?
Why hadn't he bought a new alchemy furnace after almost a month?
He wasn’t going to go bald from this, was he?
It wouldn’t be a problem. Buying a new low-grade alchemy furnace would only cost a few hundred spirit stones, which he could definitely afford.
Then why was he so worried?
"Collect the pills!"
Putting aside his distractions, Luo Chen opened the alchemy furnace.
Forty round, white jade marrow pills came into view.
Ten low-grade and thirty mid-grade.
As expected, without reaching Master-level proficiency, it wasn’t easy to hide his true level.
Luo Chen sighed, then secretly stashed away ten mid-grade jade marrow pills.
"Come in and collect the pills!"
He called out, and two pill cultivators walked in.
One carried a tray, while the other wore white gloves.
The one with the gloves couldn’t help but light up at the sight of the pills.
"Hall Master’s alchemy skills have improved again. This time, you’ve actually refined twenty mid-grade jade marrow pills!"
Luo Chen waved his hand; he couldn’t stand such heartfelt flattery.
He was already annoyed about how to hide his alchemy level.
Leaving the alchemy room, Luo Chen thought of something and grabbed Sikong Shoujia, who was passing by.
"Where’s last month’s dividend? Has the Virtue Hall not sent it over yet?"
He was about to attend an auction, and the more spirit stones he had, the better.
"No, they said it would be delayed this month, and everyone is in the same boat."
"Ah, it’s the middle of winter, and I’m counting on those spirit stones to buy rice for my pot," Luo Chen complained.
Sikong Shoujia rolled his eyes; among all the pill cultivators, Luo Chen was the one who earned the most, yet he still complained like this.
Only Luo Chen could say such shameless things so casually.
"Then, do you know how many spirit stones the Wondrous Pill and jade marrow pills sold for last month?"
"I know that!"
Sikong Shoujia gave a number, and Luo Chen did some calculations, estimating he should get around six hundred spirit stones.
Mostly from the Wondrous Pill.
But then, something didn’t add up.
"There were quite a few mid-grade jade marrow pills last month. The number shouldn’t be this low, right?"
Luo Chen was furious. Someone was embezzling his spirit stones!
During the low-grade jade marrow pill period, the Mountain Breakers Gang was definitely losing money.
There was no doubt about it; the cost was high, and low-grade pills didn’t sell for much.
But recently, Luo Chen had indeed refined over a hundred mid-grade jade marrow pills, and his proficiency had reached the Perfect level.
Even though he had secretly kept some, the hundred he had handed over should have fetched several thousand spirit stones.
He should have received a share of those spirit stones.
But when he did the rough calculations, those spirit stones were missing from the dividend.
"How dare they embezzle from me!"
Luo Chen stormed off to find Mi Junping.
However, when he arrived at the Virtue Hall, he not only saw Mi Junping but also Mi Shuhua.
"Are you talking about the jade marrow pill revenue?"
Mi Shuhua smiled and pointed to a row of shelves across the room.
Luo Chen glanced over and saw all the mid-grade jade marrow pills he had refined.
"Huh, they haven’t been sold yet?"
"These pills, which barely count as mainstream cultivation pills, aren’t that easy to sell."
Not easy to sell?
How could that be!
Luo Chen had great confidence in his alchemy skills.
Moreover, he was the first to experience the mid-grade jade marrow pills, and their effects were genuine and effective.
"I made a mistake initially. The profit from low-grade jade marrow pills is too low. In the future, we should focus on mid-grade jade marrow pills."
"So, we need to carefully consider how to sell them."
Mi Shuhua said this with a confident expression.
Luo Chen pondered his words and suddenly realized a key point.
Perhaps it wasn’t that no one was buying the pills, but that someone was preventing them from being sold!
The primary suspects were the Spirit Medicine Pavilion, which specialized in selling pills, and the Medicine King Sect behind it!
Ignoring Luo Chen’s thoughts, Mi Shuhua smiled and said,
"Go back for now. Don’t worry about the rest; just focus on refining pills."
"Your dividend won’t be short when it’s time."
"Oh, and the auction starts in the morning two days from now, at Phoenix Landing Mountain."
...
The auction was about to take place, and Luo Chen was eager to broaden his horizons.
But that didn’t mean he had no plans in mind.
The Dahe Trading Post held two types of auctions.
One was a large auction held every ten years, primarily for Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators.
The other was a small auction held annually, mainly for Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Technically, the Debate Platform opening six months ago already held one.
But that was a special case and didn’t cater to those who regularly attended auctions.
Therefore, according to tradition, a small auction was still held as winter approached.
Despite being a small auction, considering the growing number of independent cultivators at the Dahe Trading Post and the increasing number of nearby cultivation families, the scale wouldn’t be small at all.
This auction primarily targeted Qi Condensation cultivators, so it was possible Luo Chen might find what he needed.
To prepare for any potential bids, Luo Chen first took stock of his assets.
After the inventory, he sighed.
He was still a pauper!
His total assets amounted to only one thousand five hundred spirit stones.
That wasn’t even enough to buy a basic high-grade magical artifact.
In fact, before calculating his assets, Luo Chen had already made ample preparations.
Over the past few months, he had been buying large quantities of Calming Incense and Yuan Cultivation Elixir, and occasionally replenishing his Qi Nourishing Pills. His monthly expenses were around five hundred spirit stones.
The share of profits from the Broken Mountain Gang barely left him with a little extra each month.
The reason he still had some assets was thanks to Xiao Yue's snack stall.
Oh, the snack stall had now become a proper stand with a sign.
The name was simple: Chen Yue, taking one character from Luo Chen's and Xiao Yue's names.
To motivate Xiao Yue, Luo Chen gave her an additional five percent share of the profits on top of her fixed salary.
It wasn't out of kindness, but because Xiao Yue was indeed dedicated and managed to run the Chen Yue snack stall on her own.
In contrast, Luo Chen didn't handle sales or production; he just provided the snack recipes, delivered the goods every month, and counted his spirit stones.
This good fortune even made Luo Chen consider expanding the snack stall into a chain.
"Unfortunately, the alchemy hall's share hasn't come through. Otherwise, I could have gathered around two thousand spirit stones to buy a high-quality attack-type magical weapon. It would have been just enough."
Luo Chen sighed, realizing that in a couple of days, he would just be a spectator.
...
Time always passes slowly when you're looking forward to something.
But if you know you'll just be a spectator, time flies.
Two days later, it arrived in the blink of an eye.
Early in the morning, Luo Chen braved the snow and hurried out.
When he arrived at the Jade Peak Sword Pavilion, Uncle Mi Huahua and the others were already there.
At a glance, they were all familiar faces.
Mi Junping, Sikong Shoujia, Luo Wudi, and Wang Yuan.
If you included Luo Chen, they were all late-stage Qi Cultivators.
Seeing Luo Chen, Luo Wudi smiled and said, "You look great; we really don't match up to you."
Luo Chen was dressed in a snow-white fur coat, wearing Cloud-Treading Boots, and had a jade hairpin in his hair.
In his hand, he was playing with the folding fan Qin Liangchen had given him.
Anyone who saw him would think Luo Chen came from a prestigious family or a high-ranking sect.
Luo Chen cupped his hands and curiously asked, "What are you all doing?"
Sikong Shoujia explained, and Luo Chen learned that they were selling resources.
The auction was organized by the Jade Peak Sword Sect, and most of the items for auction came from the sect.
However, it didn't mean that others were only buyers.
Like Uncle Mi Huahua, these Foundation Establishment cultivators had already submitted the items they wanted to auction two days in advance.
They, the Qi Cultivators, didn't have that privilege.
So, they would sell their items before entering.
It was said that the auction house would evaluate these resources and set up a separate auction session.
Of course, if the auction was successful, the sword pavilion would receive a commission.
Luo Chen could only sigh at the "shrewd merchants."
Luo Chen had nothing to auction, so he just watched everyone submit their items.
He hadn't realized how much they all had.
Luo Wudi brought a large batch of monster materials, including some from near-second-stage monsters.
The old man Sikong Shoujia, who usually kept a low profile, actually pulled out a second-stage spirit herb, who knew where he had picked it from.
Mi Junping had nothing special, just a lot of ordinary goods collected by the gang, but the quantity was impressive.
It was Wang Yuan's items that caught everyone's attention.
Magic weapons! Magic weapons! More magic weapons!
One by one, the bloodstained or damaged magic weapons made Uncle Mi Huahua's eyes twitch.
Faced with everyone's shock, Wang Yuan simply explained, "The new waterway is full of bandits."
In other words, these magic weapons were mostly war trophies he and the Dragon Hall had obtained from the waterway.
Luo Chen watched with great interest. His own life in the alchemy hall was peaceful and uneventful.
But others' cultivation lives were clearly filled with danger and excitement.
"Alright, let's go in!"
After handling everything, Uncle Mi Huahua waved his sleeve and led the way into the main hall.
The auction venue was set up in the Phoenix Landing Mountain.
It wasn't the Dao Discussion Platform or the Red Pillar Prison, but a massive circular palace specifically built for the auction.
Almost as soon as they entered the palace, the five Qi Cultivators' expressions changed.
Spirits' senses swept through the area without restraint.
Normally, they wouldn't have noticed the presence of these senses.
But the owners of these senses were too blatant, and there were too many of them, so they naturally sensed them.
"Senior Mi, your private box is number eight. Please follow me."
Hearing the number "eight," Uncle Mi Huahua inadvertently frowned.
Led by a cultivator in the sword pavilion's attire, Uncle Mi Huahua and the others entered the private box.
Once inside, the discomfort from the sweeping spirits' senses finally disappeared.
Everyone's mood relaxed.
Luo Chen sighed, "Truly, the Jade Peak Sword Sect is impressive. Even the outer sect disciples here have reached the early late-stage Qi Cultivation realm."
Outside, the gang members were less guarded.
Mi Junping also sighed, "That's how disciples of major sects are. We late-stage Qi Cultivators are considered important figures in the Great River Market."
But within the sect, one is merely one of the countless probationary disciples. Without the hope of advancing to the Foundation Establishment realm, one can only end up as a miscellaneous disciple in the outer sect.”
“What if there is hope?” Luo Chen asked curiously.
Mijunping sighed, “Even with hope, that still means reaching the Foundation Establishment realm! Even then, one would only be a common inner sect disciple, and once they grow old, they would be assigned as an outer sect steward. Perhaps only by becoming a True Disciple and being listed as a Golden Core Seed can one stand out in the fierce competition.”
Probationary Disciple, Outer Sect Miscellaneous Disciple, Inner Sect Disciple, Foundation Establishment Steward, Foundation Establishment True Disciple, Golden Core Seed.
Hearing these clearly defined terms, Luo Chen felt a headache coming on.
It turns out that staying in a sect isn’t as easy as he thought!
He had always believed that independent cultivators had it tough, but he never imagined that sect cultivation was just as challenging.
Those who can stand out in such fierce competition must truly be worthy prodigies!
For some reason, he thought about the disciples on the Prodigy List.
Han Zheng, the top Qi Refinement cultivator, was likely being groomed as an inner sect disciple or even a Foundation Establishment True Disciple in the Falling Cloud Sect!
Lin Qinxuan, the top Foundation Establishment cultivator, was almost certainly a Golden Core Seed in the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect.
And Ren Pingsheng, the top Golden Core cultivator, could dominate the Jade Cauldron Region without reaching the Nascent Soul realm.
These were all outstanding figures of their generation!
As they were discussing, Miju Hua cleared his throat.
Noticing everyone’s attention, he nodded and began to introduce the private rooms outside.
“Eighteen private rooms, with six occupied by Foundation Establishment cultivators from the six major sects.”
“The remaining twelve are occupied by Foundation Establishment cultivators from various forces like the Great River Gang, the Linked Cloud Merchant Alliance, the Duan Family, the Nangong Family, and the Li Family.”
“While you are out on missions, be sure to keep your eyes open and avoid offending these Foundation Establishment cultivators.”
“Additionally, there are some hidden Foundation Establishment cultivators from other trading cities within the venue. If you notice them participating in the auction, remember their general appearance to avoid offending them in the future.”
“The auction will proceed in five stages. The Jade Cauldron Sword Sect will have two stages, followed by one stage for independent cultivators, one for local forces, and one for major sects.”
“If you have items to auction, raise the sign from Private Room Eight to bid.”
“If you encounter a deadlock during bidding, inform me of the item’s importance to you, and I will decide whether to continue bidding on your behalf.”
“If….”
Miju Hua spoke at length, like a chatty old man.
But everyone listened carefully.
Especially Luo Chen, who was participating in a formal auction for the first time. He knew nothing about the taboos and unwritten rules.
Miju Hua’s guidance was just what he needed to avoid being completely lost.
Even if today was just to broaden his horizons and be a spectator, what about the future?
One day, he would be wealthy and enter such auction venues with ease.
As the explanations continued, the auction finally began.
At the center of the circular hall, a prominent white jade platform stood out.
A man with a posture as straight as a sword walked onto the white jade platform.
“My name is Lu Tianhong, a Foundation Establishment True Disciple of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect. I will be overseeing this auction at the Great River Trading City. I hope everyone will give me the courtesy of a fair and harmonious bidding process!”
“Without further ado, the first item up for auction is the Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel!”
“A low-grade magical treasure, inscribed with five arrays: the third-grade Moon Spin Array, the second-grade Armor-Piercing Array, the second-grade Mystic Light Array, and another second-grade array….”
“Both its condition and power are intact. It can unleash 360 Moon Spin Wheel attacks and has a self-repair function. Additionally, it has other useful features, which I won’t go into detail about. The lucky bidder can explore them further.”
“Most importantly, this magical treasure comes from the Sky Sail City!”
“The starting bid is 10,000 lower-grade spirit stones.”
Almost as soon as Lu Tianhong mentioned “magical treasure,” the noisy auction hall fell silent.
Spirit senses eagerly converged on the flying wheel that Lu Tianhong had taken out.
“15,000 lower-grade spirit stones!”
Someone from the Nangong Family’s private room spoke up.
Lu Tianhong smiled slightly but remained silent, knowing that more bids would come.
“20,000!”
“30,000!”
“50,000!”
In Private Room Eight, Luo Chen was profoundly shaken.
In the past, he would haggle over a few dozen spirit stones.
Even with his recent increase in wealth, he would still argue with Mijunping over a few hundred spirit stones.
But in the blink of an eye, he found himself in a transaction starting at 10,000 spirit stones.
The impact on his worldview was immense.
He wasn’t the only one; almost all the Qi Refinement cultivators in the hall held their breath, watching the scene with reverence.
Suddenly, a sigh echoed in Luo Chen’s ears.
“A magical treasure, the only thing that can directly and significantly boost a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s strength. This should rightfully belong to me!”
Miju Hua’s usual friendly smile disappeared, his gaze stern as he softly spoke two words.
“80,000!”
(End of Chapter)
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