Chapter 318: A Glance Reveals Unprofitable Codex Entries

Chapter 318: A Glance Reveals Unprofitable Codex Entries

"Hmm..."

The young master took a deep breath, his mind formulating a plan as this was the first time such a prominent figure had taken the initiative to befriend him.

Although he didn't know the reason.

Perhaps it was to curry favor with his father, or maybe there was something truly remarkable about him, or even... perhaps there was something special about his childhood friend that he had overlooked all this time.

He glanced thoughtfully at his childhood friend, who was equally puzzled by the situation.

He had read many storybooks.

Some of these books had similar plots, where a supporting character was favored by a powerful figure, and just as the supporting character expressed gratitude, they would discover that the powerful figure's true favor was directed at the supporting character's maid or servant. These storylines were quite common.

Regardless of the reason.

This was the first time a prominent figure had shown him kindness, so he decided to reciprocate, but a typical gesture might seem petty. Therefore, he devised an excellent strategy.

When the big shot in the private room made the first bid.

Regardless of the price, he would outbid them with an even higher offer.

Then, he would personally deliver the item to the big shot's private room.

This had three advantages.

First, it would leave a deep impression on the big shot.

Second, it would demonstrate the strength of their Chao Zong.

Third, such a gift would undoubtedly be a pleasant surprise for the recipient.

As he was lost in his thoughts.

An elderly man with white temples had already ascended the stage, and with the sound of the gavel, the entire hall fell silent, and the first item was presented!

"The first item is three Essence Entry Slips, namely—"

"Quadruple Spellcasting, Quintuple Spellcasting, and Sextuple Spellcasting!"

"In short, Four, Five, and Six."

"The three entries do not conflict and can be activated together!"

"Starting bid—"

"100,000 medium-grade Spirit Stones, with each subsequent bid increasing by no less than 10,000 medium-grade Spirit Stones."

After the announcement, there was a brief silence in the hall before bids started to come in gradually.

"200,000!"

"300,000!"

The price quickly escalated to 700,000 medium-grade Spirit Stones.

Chen Qiu, who was watching the proceedings from his private room, was momentarily stunned by this scene. He swore he had only come to observe, not expecting any item to capture his interest, but the first item had completely captivated him.

Logically speaking.

The first item was usually something of little value, primarily to prevent a no-bid situation and to create a lively atmosphere.

He currently possessed four entries related to multiple spellcasting.

Namely—

"Double Spellcasting," "Triple Spellcasting," "Nonuple Spellcasting," and "Decuple Spellcasting."

By collecting all the entries from Double to Decuple Spellcasting, he could activate the Heavenly Dao Entry Group "Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva," which could replace the Rainbow Entry "Thousand Layer Spell."

The three multiple spellcasting entries up for auction were precisely the ones he lacked.

If he could obtain these three entries, he would only need the "Septuple Spellcasting" and "Octuple Spellcasting" entries to activate the Heavenly Dao Entry Group "Thousand-Armed Bodhisattva."

"What a stroke of luck!"

Chen Qiu silently picked up a grape and popped it into his mouth, never expecting such an effortless acquisition. He pressed the green button on the armrest of his chair.

There were three buttons.

Green, blue, and red.

Pressing the green button once added the minimum bid amount.

Pressing the blue button increased the bid by ten times the minimum amount.

Pressing and holding the red button would automatically increase the bid by ten times the minimum amount, regardless of others' bids, but this red button could be canceled.

It was both convenient and a display of determination.

It conveyed to everyone that he was determined to win this item.

Although Chen Qiu thought this button was unnecessary, as he had already expressed his determination, others would still bid crazily, and the final price might far exceed the item's value.

Well...

If he couldn't win the bid, he could always try again after the auction.

After several rounds of bidding.

The price settled at 1,350,000 medium-grade Spirit Stones, a figure proposed by Chen Qiu, and no one else bid after that. This price was essentially the peak for these three entries.

In theory, these three items weren't worth 1,350,000 Spirit Stones, or the power enhancement they provided was quite limited.

After reaching the Immortal Human Realm, the primary source of power at each cultivation stage came from the cultivator's unique abilities. The increase in power from multiple spellcasting was relatively minor.

Just as Chen Qiu believed this item would quietly fall into his lap.

A group of people in the hall suddenly raised their bidding plates and shouted, "2,000,000!"

This voice drew everyone's attention, especially with such a significant increase in the bid. Many wondered who would pay 2,000,000 for these three entries?

Fat Dragon, in the private room, couldn't help but sigh, "This kid really doesn't want to live. Today, Brother Qiu is in a good mood, saving his life, and he's still so lively."

The reason Brother Qiu hadn't gotten angry today.

Was mainly due to two factors.

The first was that Brother Qiu was in a good mood, and when he was in a good mood, he often brushed off provocations with a smile.

The second reason was that times had changed. With Brother Qiu's current status, getting angry at a servant or a passerby would seem petty. As the saying goes, a general's sword doesn't slay flies!

He had even been in the mood to send over a fruit platter to tease them.

But.

All of this was based on his good mood at the time. He knew that Brother Qiu was determined to win these three entries, and each time the young master increased his bid, Brother Qiu had to pay more. This might sour Brother Qiu's mood.

In the end, there were only two possible outcomes.

The first, Chen Qiu spent a hefty sum to purchase the items, then with a gloomy expression, he brandished his knife and slaughtered the group.

The second, Chen Qiu withdrew his bid, and with a sullen look, he held his knife and watched as the group was slaughtered, seizing the auction items.

Chen Qiu calmly pressed the blue button ten times again, and as the light outside the box flickered, the auctioneer on stage shouted, "Hall Identifier 18 offers 3 million!"

Fat Dragon was a little perplexed.

"Brother Chen."

"Logically, since we're in a private box, that young master shouldn't know our identities, right? Why would he suddenly compete with me? Could it be that the servant just now leaked our identities?"

"I don't know."

Chen Qiu shook his head and casually said, "But that servant doesn't know our identities either, so it's hard for him to leak anything. Whatever he's trying to do, let him be. He's just a jumping jack, we'll deal with him later."

For him, in the Tide Immortal Plane, there was no one he dared not kill.

Not just the young master of Chao Zong, even if someone had a powerful background, he would dare to kill them! He had never feared backgrounds, and there was no one he wouldn't dare to kill. Could anyone's background surpass the Heavenly Dao?

He had confronted the Heavenly Dao, so why fear their so-called backgrounds?

The price soared rapidly! In the end, it even reached 1.5 million medium-grade Spirit Stones!

".

Chen Qiu stared expressionlessly at the young master in the hall who had placed the bid. He could tell that the young master was gritting his teeth and forcing himself to shout the price. In other words, this price was already pushing the limits of the young master's budget.

He could probably only bid a few more rounds before falling behind.

However, this price had already exceeded his expectations, and he didn't plan to bid anymore. Instead, he decided to wait for the zero-cost purchase later.

And so, after three gavel strikes, the item was sold to the young master for 1.5 million medium-grade Spirit Stones.

Amidst the auctioneer's enthusiastic congratulations, the audience below clapped while giving the young master strange looks. Many in the venue had already recognized the young master's identity.

He was the young master of Chao Zong.

Chao Zong was considered a relatively large power in the Tide Immortal Plane.

They really wanted to ask, "Do you know you just spent 1.5 million Spirit Stones on three useless Codex Entries? Isn't this just nonsense?"

Even though Chao Zong had a decent foundation, it wasn't an exceptionally powerful force. Spending 1.5 million Spirit Stones like this would cause them pain for a long time.

The father works hard to earn Spirit Stones, while the son spends them like water.

It was truly a disaster.

They all silently prayed that their descendants wouldn't include such a spendthrift, or else they might as well crash and die.

"Huff!"

The young master sitting below the stage was now covered in cold sweat, and he breathed a long sigh, his body trembling. The situation had completely deviated from his planned direction and was becoming increasingly uncontrollable.

When the first auction item was presented and he saw the bid from the prestigious box, he was excited.

The first item was usually used to warm up the crowd and wasn't very valuable. It wouldn't fetch a very high price. After the bid from the prestigious box, he didn't hesitate to add to it, intending to buy the item as a gift for the VIP.

He had planned to secure the item for around 2 to 3 million Spirit Stones, making it a profitable deal to curry favor with the VIP.

But the problem was, he hadn't expected the VIP to keep bidding, willing to spend over 10 million Spirit Stones on three useless Codex Entries. Was he crazy?

At this point, he was already in a difficult position.

It had deviated from his original intention.

If he withdrew now, it would change from buying the item to curry favor to malicious bidding. This would not only fail to impress the VIP but also offend them, possibly bringing disaster to Chao Zong.

He had no doubt about the VIP's wealth and power, having seen them casually offer 100 million Spirit Stones.

So he couldn't back down! He had to hold firm. He had only brought 20 million medium-grade Spirit Stones with him, and he didn't have any more. Fortunately, the outcome wasn't too bad, and he managed to secure the item for 1.5 million medium-grade Spirit Stones.

A loss of 1.5 million Spirit Stones!

The young master looked at the three Essence Entry Slips on the tray held by the staff member beside him, and his heart bled. If it weren't for this incident, who would waste 1.5 million Spirit Stones on this nonsense?

Now, he could only hope that by currying favor with this VIP, the VIP would bring greater benefits to Chao Zong.

Otherwise, it would be a complete loss.

Then, he gritted his teeth and turned to the servant beside him, "Send these items to that box and tell them that I'm grateful for the fruit platter. As a token of appreciation, I've purchased these three Codex Entries for the senior in the box, hoping they will like them."

"Yes."

The servant standing beside him quickly acknowledged and disappeared into the venue.

Normally, only private boxes had dedicated servants, and with so many people in the venue, it was unusual to have a personal attendant. But the young master had just spent 1.5 million Spirit Stones, so they immediately arranged a personal attendant for him.

If the boxes hadn't been full, they would have respectfully invited the young master to a box. Anyone who could spend 1.5 million Spirit Stones in one go was a VIP!

Not to mention...

The first item up for auction is a Fifth Rank item, and it belongs to the auction house itself.

Items featured in auctions typically come from two sources. The first is consignment, where other merchant associations, families, or individuals provide items for auction. Regardless of the final auction price, the auction house only charges a 10% handling fee, and the remaining spirit stones go directly to the consignor. Many top-tier items are acquired through this consignment method. If the item doesn't sell, it can be put up for auction again at the next event.

The second method is self-auction, where the auction house uses its own spirit stones to purchase rare and valuable treasures. Regardless of the final auction price, the proceeds go directly into the auction house's pockets.

Usually, some of the more peculiar and unique treasures, those that are difficult to appraise at first glance, are acquired by the auction house itself. After purchasing these items, they wait for a suitable bidder to come along. This process may take a long time, or it may happen quickly.

The three Essence Entry Slips were products of the auction house's self-auction.

In other words, the 1.5 million medium-grade spirit stones went directly into the auction house's coffers, and they didn't have to share the proceeds with anyone. The auction house couldn't be happier, and if not for the concern of negative impressions, they might have even offered to build a private box for the young master in the main hall.

Fat Dragon looked down at the young master who was whispering to his attendant, and heaved a sigh. At this moment, the young master seemed as good as dead in his eyes. Indeed, when one's fate is sealed, not even the Heavenly King could save them.

In Fat Dragon's eyes, this young master's fate was sealed.

Just as he was about to say something else, there was a series of knocks on the door.

"Bang, bang, bang."

The young master's attendant entered the room, carrying a tray. He approached Chen Qiu with a respectful expression and said, "Senior, the young master from the main hall just now has given me these three Essence Entry Slips and asked me to deliver a message."

"He said, 'Thank you for the fruit platter you offered earlier. Since you like these Essence Entry Slips, please accept them as a small token of gratitude.'"

"It's just a small token, not a proper show of respect."

". . ."

". . ."

As the words fell, everyone in the room fell silent, their faces expressionless. After a long pause, Fat Dragon, in particular, was completely baffled by the young master's thought process. He felt like the young master had some strange obsession, and he wondered why the young master had bid for the Essence Entry Slips in the first place. If he didn't want them, why not let someone else bid? He had gone through so much trouble and even spent 1500 medium-grade spirit stones.

All this just to say, "It's just a small token, not a proper show of respect"? Even Chen Qiu's mouth twitched slightly, as it was clear that the young master's thought process was beyond ordinary comprehension. He could guess the young master's general intention, but not the finer details. However, he didn't say anything more. Instead, he used his spirit energy to shatter the three Essence Entry Slips and embed them into his Dantian before casually waving his hand and saying, "I understand. You may leave now."

"Um... Senior, is there any message you'd like me to pass on?"

"No."

Just then, the second item was brought onto the stage. It was a green Essence Entry Slip, an old friend of his, the "Imperial Decree Regular"! This Essence Entry Slip had helped him greatly on his journey, but now it seemed a bit overshadowed, even on the verge of being passed over.

The starting bid was 100,000 spirit stones, with a minimum increment of 10,000 spirit stones.

Several breaths had passed, and not a single bid had been made.

It seemed like it would go unsold.

"110,000 spirit stones!"

Chen Qiu made another bid, even though this Essence Entry Slip was of no use to him. He already had one "Imperial Decree Regular," and having another would serve no purpose; the effects wouldn't double. He just couldn't bear to see his old friend go unsold, looking so lonely.

100,000 spirit stones!

To put it bluntly, as long as this Essence Entry Slip triggered once, even if it was the lowest-level Heavenly Dao Proclamation, with the doubled reward, it would still be a guaranteed break-even.

If it triggered twice, it would be a huge profit!

The more times it triggered, the lower the cost and the higher the profit! The problem was, how many people would never trigger a Heavenly Dao Proclamation in their lifetime? Such people weren't just one or two; they were as numerous as the common folk. However, this continent was never short of talents or those who considered themselves as such.

Just as Chen Qiu's bid was about to be accepted, the atmosphere in the venue suddenly became lively, with countless people shouting bids.

The price soared rapidly, reaching 1.2 million spirit stones in no time! And it was still climbing!

"Hey."

Chen Qiu, from his private box, watched this scene unfold and couldn't help but feel amused. It seemed like they had been toying with him earlier, and he had thought this item would go unsold. He had wanted to save face for his old friend, but it turned out that his old friend was quite popular.

Apparently, there were still many who had already ascended to the Heavenly Dao Proclamation and believed they would do so again, as well as those who hadn't ascended yet but were confident they would in the future.

As Chen Qiu had said, this was only the second item up for auction, and the auction house wouldn't arrange for an item to go unsold, affecting the overall atmosphere. Normally, it might have gone unsold, but today was the Ascension Assembly, and those present were mostly talents or even geniuses.

All these talents shared a common trait: they were extremely confident and had high expectations for their future.

While others might think it impossible to trigger a Heavenly Dao Proclamation in their lifetime, to these talents, it was just a milestone they were destined to reach!

In the end, the Essence Entry Slip, "Imperial Decree Regular," was sold for "1.8 million spirit stones."

As a green entry, the price is clearly too high. But considering the future benefits this entry could bring, it might be acceptable if it can be triggered multiple times, ensuring a return on investment.

The following items up for auction were all entries.

For example—

"Entry Name": Spirit Stone Supply.

"Entry Grade": Purple.

"Entry Effect": Every time you break through a minor realm, you will obtain 100,000 medium-grade spirit stones.

A decent entry.

In the end, someone bought it for 9 million. Chen Qiu couldn't quite understand why. Breaking through a minor realm to gain 100,000 medium-grade spirit stones meant that one would need to break through ten major realms to obtain 9 million medium-grade spirit stones.

Even starting from the first layer of Qi Condensation, one would have to go through Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Incarnation Transformation, Void Refinement, Body Merging, Great Vehicle, Tribulation Crossing, Immortal Human, and finally reach the early stage of Earth Immortal, breaking through ten major realms consecutively, to gain 9 million medium-grade spirit stones.

And that's starting from scratch.

Under these circumstances, what significance does this entry hold? It's clearly an entry that won't turn a profit.

Unless... Chen Qiu glanced at the dimming light in the opposite box, nodding thoughtfully. The light in the box suddenly went out, indicating that the bidder had left early.

This showed the importance of the item to the bidder, who didn't even wait to see the rest of the auction.

Usually, only when someone buys an item of great value and is satisfied, fearing that they might be targeted after the auction, would they leave early. The bidder's reaction confirmed Chen Qiu's guess.

Chen Qiu smiled and shook his head, not saying more. Everyone in this world had their own opportunities, and he wasn't too interested in these small ones. He couldn't help but marvel at the abundance of opportunities in this world.

"Quickly, let's go!"

At the back door of the auction, a group of people were trying to contain their excitement. After leaving the auction, they rushed towards the city gate at full speed, and as soon as they were outside, they flew into the sky, disappearing from sight without a moment's delay.

They were the ones who had just spent 9 million spirit stones to bid for the "Spirit Stone Supply" entry.

This entry was a standard, generic one.

Useful for various cultivation paths like spell cultivation, alchemy cultivation, and sword cultivation, it provided a small but free benefit. Normally, a price of two to three million spirit stones would be reasonable.

The entry was simple, with no obvious connections, just a lone entry. Two to three million spirit stones would be its final price.

But...

Their family's young master happened to possess an entry that perfectly complemented this one!

"Entry Name": Eternal Qi Condensation.

"Entry Grade": Gray.

"Entry Effect": You will permanently remain in the Qi Condensation stage, with no upper limit, and your cultivation speed will be enhanced. This entry cannot be removed.

A useless entry!

Their young master was already at the 368th layer of Qi Condensation, and he had never actively cultivated. Qi Condensation cultivation was already fast, and with the entry's speed boost and the rich spiritual energy of the Immortal Plane, his cultivation rose effortlessly.

Even at the 368th layer, his combat power was still weaker than a Golden Core Initial Stage cultivator, leaving him defenseless against a Golden Core cultivator. He could only bully Foundation Establishment cultivators.

This was because Foundation Establishment, unlike Golden Core, didn't have exclusive attack methods for its realm.

This greatly affected the young master's morale.

His luck was so bad that when he broke through the first layer of Qi Condensation, he automatically obtained this entry without any other choices. There was no three-choice option; he got what he got.

And so, he was given this entry.

The worst part was that this entry couldn't be removed, sealing his fate.

Until they saw the "Spirit Stone Supply" entry!

Their eyes lit up with excitement. They never expected to find such a great opportunity here. Once they took this entry home, their family would rise. The young master's "Eternal Qi Condensation" and "Spirit Stone Supply" entries would create a qualitative change.

The young master would become a spirit stone generator, producing a vast amount of spirit stones at all times.

Meanwhile, in the Heaven 17th box of the auction...

".

Jiang Buying sat on the sofa with Miss Bai, gazing thoughtfully at the dimming light in the opposite box. "I bet these people have an entry that allows them to stay in the Qi Condensation stage indefinitely."

"I've seen it all."

"I've encountered this entry combination before."

"There was once a person who cultivated to the 90,000th layer of Qi Condensation. Have you seen such a scene? Tsk."

"His supporting entry was a rainbow entry, and its effect was to strengthen his physical qualities with every minor realm breakthrough. He was quite famous then, and people said he couldn't die, that it was impossible for him to die."

"He was the first person I saw who could travel in the void without relying on any spiritual treasures, spells, or entries, but solely on his physical qualities."

"At that time, he was almost synonymous with invincibility."

"Later..."

Jiang Buying's expression became hazy as he murmured, "Later, the world fell into chaos, and his entry was taken away. He died very easily."

"In times of chaos, who dares claim true invincibility?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end