Chapter 34: "A Fortune in One Wave!"

Chapter 34: "A Fortune in One Wave!"

As an elderly man with a weathered face and deep wrinkles ascended the auction stage, the scene instantly fell silent.

"Bang."

The auctioneer's hammer struck the square table on the stage like a gavel, and soon, five women dressed in qipao and wearing veils emerged in single file from behind the stage, each holding a red wooden tray.

A red cloth covered each tray.

The old man walked to the first woman, lifted the red cloth with one hand, and casually waved his right hand. Strands of Spirit Energy formed several large characters in the air.

"First item for auction."

"Spirit Treasure, a Medium-grade Spirit Treasure Alchemy Furnace 'Bagua Cauldron,' which increases the success rate of refining medicinal pills."

"Starting bid: 20 Spirit Stones. Each bid must be at least 10 Spirit Stones higher."

His casual display of power was enough to prove his strength. The ability to manipulate Spirit Energy with such precision indicated at least a Qi Condensation Stage Level Seven cultivation, just a step away from Qi Condensation Grand Perfection.

Given enough time, he would almost certainly break through to the Golden Core Stage, becoming a Golden Core Grandmaster.

A Medium-grade Spirit Treasure Alchemy Furnace, known in Wulin slang as a Yellow Rank Medium-grade Spirit Treasure, was not worth much on its own. A typical Yellow Rank Medium-grade Spirit Treasure was only worth around 50 Spirit Stones, not enough to make it to an auction.

However, this was an alchemy furnace, and its value was a different matter. Alchemy furnaces are extremely difficult to craft, making their prices several times higher than those of other Spirit Treasures of the same grade.

Soon—

Several people began to bid.

"50!"

"60!"

"100!"

Eventually, a middle-aged man in the hall raised his hand and bid 200 Spirit Stones, securing the first item. This price was reasonable, as alchemists were like money trees, and alchemy furnaces were their tools of trade, naturally commanding a high price.

However, no one in the private suites bid. Those who could sit in the suites generally had their own forces. Cultivating alchemists was something they had already been doing, and a Medium-grade Spirit Treasure Alchemy Furnace did not quite meet their standards.

They were not there for the initial auction items; the main event was yet to come.

Chen Qiu, somewhat bored, glanced down at the auction stage. The first few items did not interest him much, being either for alchemy or talisman making, neither of which appealed to him.

Until—

When the fifth item was revealed, Chen Qiu straightened up, finally finding something he wanted.

"Fifth item for auction."

"Entry Scroll, Green Entry 'Self-Cutting Root.' Sacrificing an organ grants a random White or Green Entry. The more organs sacrificed, the more random Entries obtained."

"Starting bid: 50 Spirit Stones. Each bid must be at least 10 Spirit Stones higher."

"500!"

Chen Qiu picked up the Telecommunication Talisman from the table, input Spirit Energy, and spoke softly. His voice, automatically altered to sound like an elderly man, echoed in the hall.

This Entry was equivalent to a full-strength attack from a Golden Core Stage Level One cultivator, and 500 Spirit Stones was a fair price.

A talisman with the power of a full-strength attack from a Qi Condensation Stage Level Nine cultivator cost 300 Spirit Stones, and he was unsure about the price of a talisman with the power of a full-strength attack from a Golden Core Stage Level One cultivator, but it would certainly not be less than 1000 Spirit Stones.

After all, the gap between the Golden Core Stage and Qi Condensation Stage Level Nine was too vast, not even on the same level.

The old man looked up at the second floor, noting the red light flashing on the jade outside Room T7, and then lightly tapped the auction hammer on the table: "Room T7 bids 500 Spirit Stones."

He then scanned the audience, seeing no one raise their hand, and continued.

"500 Spirit Stones, first call!"

The crowd in the hall exchanged puzzled looks and began to murmur. They were not surprised that someone would spend 500 Spirit Stones on a Green Entry, as Entry Scrolls were extremely rare in the market. Any that appeared on the market, unless they were truly worthless, could easily fetch 2000 Spirit Stones.

But would someone with the status to sit in Room T7 use this Entry?

Or was it for someone else? That made more sense.

In the crowd, a young man anxiously looked at the middle-aged man beside him and urged, "Sir, why are you hesitating? Bid!"

"I'm telling you, this Entry is an invaluable treasure for you. Don't worry about 500 Spirit Stones, even 2000 Spirit Stones would be worth it!"

The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, still not raising his hand. The auctioneer had already started the first call at 500 Spirit Stones, and the middle-aged man looked worriedly at the young man.

"Master Liu, it's not that I don't trust you, but you know my initial Entry is 'Nine Bulls' Strength.'"

"This Entry can indeed grant me eight random Entries, but they would only be White or Green. Whether they would be useful to me is unknown. Even if they were, it would be very difficult for me to break through to the Golden Core Stage. If I can't break through, it would be hard to earn back so many Spirit Stones."

"His name was Wang Tiedan, a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator at the third layer with a bone age of fifty-six. He had built his own small Foundation Establishment Clan from scratch, located hundreds of Li away from Fufeng City. Although they didn't have any significant businesses, they still managed to bring in over two hundred Spirit Stones annually."

Life was relatively comfortable.

Until a year ago, he encountered the young man beside him, who was said to have escaped from his village after it was raided by bandits. Taking pity on him, Wang Tiedan took him in, only to later discover that this man, Liu Zide, was incredibly bright.

He often spoke of unfamiliar terms like 'stock market manipulation,' 'industry barriers,' 'omni-channel,' and 'endorsement harvesting.'

Liu Zide offered numerous suggestions, and with the young man's help, Wang Tiedan's business grew exponentially. As winter approached this year, he estimated that his annual income would double, reaching five hundred Spirit Stones.

Wang Tiedan officially hired the young man as a Gongfeng of his clan, serving as a strategist and advisor, and he rarely made mistakes.

This time, after Liu Gongfeng saw the list of items for the annual auction at the Ask Heaven Market, he urged Wang Tiedan to bring all the Spirit Stones the clan could spare and rushed to the market, arriving just in time for the auction. His sole purpose was to acquire the Green Entry, "Self-Cutting Root."

"Sir, you're being foolish!!!"

As the hammer fell for the second time, marking the sale of five hundred Spirit Stones, the young man's face turned anxious, and he said urgently, "Sir, can't you think differently? Who told you that acquiring this Entry is solely for enhancing your strength?"

"Let me ask you, if there's a person standing in the Ask Heaven Market claiming to possess the Entries 'Nine Bulls' Strength' and 'Self-Cutting Root,' and they're about to perform a live dissection right there, with everyone watching, do you think people would be eager to see what Entries they might randomly obtain?"

"Of course, they'd want to see it!"

"This is human nature. At its core, human nature is driven by the desire to gamble. Most people try to suppress this urge with rationality, but watching others gamble also provides a thrilling and tense enjoyment."

"Is it too much to charge one Spirit Stone for the ticket to such an exciting show?"

"We'll organize this grand spectacle, and with the annual auction at the Ask Heaven Market and the Celestial Path Secret Realm in Fufeng City, there will undoubtedly be a large gathering of cultivators in the city in the coming days. It's a perfect opportunity with heaven, earth, and man in harmony. For those from influential families and sects, it's a rare chance to witness such a spectacle for just one Spirit Stone!"

"One Spirit Stone is nothing to them, but if they miss this show, they might never get another chance."

"If we can attract three thousand spectators, that's three thousand Spirit Stones! And if we have five thousand viewers, it's five thousand Spirit Stones in revenue!"

"Leave it to me; I'm confident I can make a killing!"

"I'm going to start a groundbreaking live streaming event of cow butchering in Fufeng City!!!"

"Those with less money can watch through the 'Mother-Son Realm' from the outer perimeter for one tael of silver. Those with more means can get a better view from the rooftops nearby for ten taels of silver. For the sect and clan disciples, we'll offer the closest seats for a real-time viewing experience, charging one Spirit Stone!"

"The Great Xia Nation lacks entertainment, and with their innate curiosity, we'll surely attract a large crowd."

"Sir, trust me. If you acquire this Entry, I'll give you a brand-new tomorrow!"

"You don't have to worry about embarrassment, sir. We're eight hundred Li away from our base; once we make our profit, we'll return home, and no one will ever find out about this!"

Perhaps it was the young man's excited expression that influenced the middle-aged man, or maybe it was his past achievements that inspired trust. In the end, just before the hammer fell for the third time, the middle-aged man stood up, raised his bidding paddle, and shouted, his voice trembling: "One thousand Spirit Stones!!!"

"1200."

Chen Qiu, sitting in the private room, glanced at the middle-aged man in the hall below, thought for a moment, and raised the bid again. This was his bottom line; any higher, and it wouldn't be worth it. Buying an Entry for self-destruction at this price was a poor value.

"1500 Spirit Stones!!!"

Almost as soon as Chen Qiu's voice trailed off, the middle-aged man raised his paddle again and shouted with all his might, "I'll offer 1500 Spirit Stones!!!"

This was nearly his clan's entire wealth accumulated over the years. For him, it was a high-stakes gamble.

Perhaps he would become rich overnight, as Liu Gongfeng predicted, or he might lose everything in the blink of an eye.

Chen Qiu, sitting in the private room, shook his head slightly, finding the price a bit outrageous. He wouldn't bid any higher; 1500 Spirit Stones for a Green Entry was insane. He wondered if the bidder below also had the 'Nine Bulls' Strength' Entry.

However, he was curious about what Entries the man might obtain if he truly possessed the Nine Bulls' Strength and acquired the Self-Cutting Root. Unfortunately, each cultivator's Entries were kept secret and rarely disclosed to others.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end