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Chapter 303: Mysterious and Heavy Water
Chapter 303: Mysterious and Heavy Water
Numerous talismans were pasted all over the surface of the water tank, and within the enclosed space floated a mermaid over five feet long.
The mermaid had features strikingly similar to humans, with perfect facial features. Just below her eyes were two natural tear grooves in a light blue color, adding a bewitching allure to her appearance.
Her figure was curvaceous, with a chest plate that extended from her ribs, covering her buxom chest. From the waist down, she had tiny scales in a blue and white pattern.
Despite the large size of the water tank, it still felt like a great constraint for the mermaid. She struggled to change her orientation within the confined space, keeping her head low as if trying to avoid the burning gazes of the many cultivators present.
This action elicited a surge of protective and empathetic emotions from the crowd, with many cultivators feeling a mix of desires to either protect or ravage her.
"A purebred mermaid! Starting bid, seven hundred and fifty spirit stones!" the middle-aged cultivator announced.
"I bid nine hundred spirit stones!" came a voice from the crowd.
"One thousand spirit stones!" shouted another.
...
The bids escalated rapidly, soon surpassing a thousand spirit stones.
Lu Chen observed with a detached gaze, having no intention to join the bidding.
If the mermaid had been in a younger state, he might have been interested, purely for the purpose of raising her to maturity and obtaining the white globes of light they produced.
However, judging by her figure and appearance, she was already close to full maturity, and investing a large number of spirit stones to cultivate her further didn't seem like a wise decision.
In the end, a Foundation Establishment cultivator won the bid at one thousand six hundred spirit stones, a price equivalent to that of a third-grade magical artifact.
The auction continued.
The appearance of the mermaid had stirred up a small frenzy, and the crowd's enthusiasm remained high. Various treasures were presented and quickly sold for high prices.
A new item caught Lu Chen's attention—a turtle egg the size of a face basin, covered with a layer of ashen-black rock, giving it a heavy and solid appearance.
"This is a third-grade turtle egg from a Rock-armored Turtle. The turtles are renowned for their defense, and their shells are difficult to breach even with third-grade magical artifacts," the auctioneer introduced.
"Starting bid, eight hundred spirit stones!"
"Eight hundred and fifty," someone called out.
Lu Chen casually added fifty spirit stones to the bid. It was a rare opportunity to come across a high-grade spirit beast egg, and he wasn't going to let it slip away.
The small lake within the Sky Sword Sect was currently home only to third-grade Fire Dragons, and adding a Rock-armored Turtle would make it more vibrant and lively.
"Eight hundred and seventy spirit stones," a hoarse voice piped up. Lu Chen recognized it as belonging to the Foundation Establishment cultivator who had come from a nearby sect to attend the auction, as introduced by Song Yun earlier.
For many cultivators, a spirit beast egg didn't hold much value. Only those like Lu Chen, who focused on raising spirit beasts, would be interested in bidding for it.
"One thousand spirit stones," Lu Chen said, raising the bid significantly to deter his competitor.
"One thousand and twenty," the hoarse voice replied after a moment's hesitation, but the tone lacked confidence.
"One thousand and one hundred spirit stones. I'm determined to win this turtle egg, fellow Daoist. If you truly desire it, feel free to increase your bid further," Lu Chen said calmly.
This price was still within his acceptable range, as the value of the Rock-armored Turtle egg went beyond its mere monetary worth. The real prize was the abundant globes of light it would produce upon maturity.
"The turtle egg goes to this Daoist here," the auctioneer declared, indicating Lu Chen. The cultivator with the hoarse voice had sensed Lu Chen's determination and, after much consideration, decided to back down. Although he knew the egg was valuable, further increasing the bid would exceed its worth, so he reluctantly gave up.
"Thank you, fellow Daoist, for your cooperation," Lu Chen said, bowing slightly in the direction of the hoarse voice.
Amidst the anticipation, a tall, slender cultivator at the Late Stage of Qi Refinement carefully climbed onto the stage, holding a pristine white jade bottle in both hands.
"This white jade bottle is forged from century-old icy jade and possesses extraordinary durability," the auctioneer introduced. "And within this bottle lies the third-to-last treasure of today—the Mystical Heavy Water."
The middle-aged cultivator's expression turned solemn as he spoke.
"Here it is," Lu Chen straightened in his seat, his eyes gleaming with anticipation as he fixed his gaze on the unassuming white jade bottle on the stage.
His primary purpose for attending this auction was to acquire this very item—the Mystical Heavy Water, a third-grade spirit liquid.
"Many fellow Daoists here have likely heard of the Mystical Heavy Water. It's a third-grade spirit liquid with an extremely high density; a single drop can pierce through stone."
"Don't be deceived by the small size of this bottle. It contains over a thousand pounds of Mystical Heavy Water. An ordinary Qi Refinement cultivator without a suitable body-tempering technique might very well be injured by the weight of this small bottle."
With utmost caution, the auctioneer carefully extracted a drop of pitch-black liquid from the white jade bottle. The droplet hovered in the air, sustained by his spiritual energy.
"Mystical Heavy Water is an exceptional material for body-tempering and forging magical artifacts. The starting bid is 1,300 spirit stones!"
"1,500 spirit stones!" A muscular cultivator at the Perfect Stage of Qi Refinement boldly raised the bid by 200 spirit stones.
"1,600 spirit stones!" Lu Chen quickly joined the bidding, determined not to fall behind. The Mystical Heavy Water was his primary objective, and he was not going to miss this opportunity.
After all, the Fifth-Grade Dragon Remains Grass in the small lake was awaiting his care and nourishment!
Bid after bid rapidly followed, and the price of the Mystical Heavy Water swiftly climbed to 1,800 spirit stones.
"1,900 spirit stones!" A female cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage with sharp features called out.
This price instantly deterred several Qi Refinement cultivators. One thousand nine hundred spirit stones could buy a rare third-grade magical artifact. Any further increase would be a significant burden for those who had not yet broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage.
"2,000!" Lu Chen didn't hesitate to add another hundred.
"2,100 spirit stones." A decrepit voice, laden with the scent of decay, rang out. It belonged to the sinister old man from Reclusive Island, whose lifespan was nearing its end.
Upon noticing Lu Chen's intention to vie for the Mystical Heavy Water, the old man decided to throw a wrench into the works.
"2,400 spirit stones!" Lu Chen declared decisively, as if without the slightest hesitation.
"2,500 spirit stones, Fellow Daoist Lu. I rather fancy this bottle of Mystical Heavy Water. How about you do me a favor and let me have it?" Ning Deshan spoke with a hint of coercion.
"2,700 spirit stones!" Lu Chen retorted, his tone mocking. "What good will it do you, Fellow Daoist Ning, even if you get your hands on it? Are you planning to use it to weigh down your coffin lid even further?"
Lu Chen could tell that Ning Deshan was deliberately causing trouble, and his expression turned scornful as he mocked the sinister old man.
With a net worth of over 8,000 spirit stones, plus the additional 1,000 he had earned from helping the Ning family deal with the sea beast attack, Lu Chen still had more than enough left after spending a good portion on the Rock-armored Turtle egg.
"Then the Mystical Heavy Water goes to Fellow Daoist Lu." Ning Deshan had been increasing his bids mainly to vex Lu Chen, and now that he had achieved his goal, he chose to back down.
"In that case, I must express my heartfelt gratitude, Fellow Daoist Ning." Lu Chen bowed slightly in Ning Deshan's direction, his tone conveying a hint of sarcasm.
Even the mildest of men would feel irritated when provoked, and Lu Chen was no exception. He silently vowed to make Ning Deshan pay for his mischief, jotting down a mental note alongside the one he had already made regarding the supply of invisible algae.
(End of Chapter)
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