Chapter 75: Repairing the Green Gourd · Starting the Auction

Chapter 75: Repairing the Green Gourd · Starting the Auction

As expected, Xiao Chen discovered two more Yunling Snow Lotuses inside the storage bag.

Alongside them were five vials of Green Wood Spirit Essence and a four-leaf golden peach.

This golden peach grew one leaf every century, meaning its four leaves signified four hundred years of potency.

Xiao Chen sighed slightly. "A pity. If this were a five-leaf golden peach, it could easily qualify as a Foundation-Building Spirit Herb."

Still, these items clearly showed that Du Yan had also been deliberately collecting Foundation-Building Spirit Herbs.

Perhaps to prepare for the upcoming auction of such treasures, the two storage bags contained very little else—just a few Spirit Herbs, three vials of Bigu Pills, a dagger for picking locks, a martial arts manual, a jade pendant, a wine gourd, a Night Infiltration Robe, leftover beef from lunch, and similar odds and ends.

In contrast, the two storage bags held a total of 2,123 spirit stones.

Flipping through the manual, Xiao Chen confirmed it was the Luotian Zhanpo Divine Saber technique Du Yan had used before—a Mystic-tier cultivation art.

"No wonder he could sever my thorned brambles so easily."

After pocketing the demonic manual, Xiao Chen picked up the jade pendant.

"What is this? Some kind of token?"

Curious, he examined it. Crafted from serpentine jade, it had a deep red hue. The front bore an unfamiliar strange pattern, while the back had a smooth, cleanly cut surface.

The pendant wasn’t a magic artifact—its material was actually quite brittle. Yet the cut was unnervingly precise. Judging by the size and patterns, this was likely only half of a complete pendant.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

A sudden series of knocks interrupted Xiao Chen’s thoughts.

He pocketed the pendant and opened the door to find the property Manager who had rented him the courtyard yesterday.

Seeing him open the door, the man visibly relaxed. "Cultivator Xiao, someone reported hearing a fight here last night. Did someone trouble you? Are you alright?"

Xiao Chen feigned surprise. "Huh? Really? I had no idea. I fell asleep early last night. I thought this place was safe."

"Of course it’s safe!" the Manager quickly reassured him with a smile. "We’ve established a night patrol specifically to ensure everyone’s peace."

"It must’ve been a mistake. Since you’re unharmed, I’ll take my leave now."

A night patrol? Xiao Chen watched the retreating figure, unimpressed.

Last night, he hadn’t seen a single patroller.

Closing the door, he returned to his room and retrieved the Green Gourd.

Since he’d obtained more Green Wood Spirit Essence from Du Yan, he could now repair the gourd.

Over six days, he infused three vials of Green Wood Spirit Essence into it.

The gourd, which had degraded to a low-grade magic artifact, finally regained its status as a mid-grade magic artifact. Its original Green Wood Spirit Energy also strengthened and split into two distinct strands.

"Two strands of Green Wood Spirit Energy?"

Xiao Chen tried channeling mana into it. This time, it consumed four mana strands to activate.

Two Green Wood Spirit Energies surged forth, manifesting as two nine-foot-tall Green Wood Spirit Generals.

Interestingly, one wielded a greatsword, while the other raised a round-headed warhammer in both hands.

"Different weapons? How intriguing."

Xiao Chen speculated that the Green Gourd might generate even more Spirit Generals. He tested this by adding another vial of Green Wood Spirit Essence. As expected, the existing two strands grew slightly stronger.

However, further advancement required more Green Wood Spirit Essence.

After a day of reviewing his cultivation manual, the day of the auction finally arrived.

Stepping outside, Xiao Chen found an elderly man and a young girl from the opposite courtyard exiting as well.

The elder had snow-white hair, while the girl appeared around sixteen. Their similar features marked them as grandfather and granddaughter.

The girl eyed Xiao Chen curiously. Shi Valley had gathered over two thousand cultivators for the event, and she’d spent six days shopping around, becoming familiar with several neighbors.

Yet she’d never seen anyone from the opposite courtyard until now, initially assuming it was empty.

Eager to greet her new neighbor, she reached out—only for the elder to yank her back with a stern glare.

"Why, Grandfather?" she asked, puzzled.

The elder watched Xiao Chen’s retreating figure vanish around the corner before turning to her.

"Stay away from that young man. He’s different from us—and from the other neighbors."

"But he doesn’t seem that strong", she countered. "He doesn’t even have a Flying Sword or Magic Robe. How’s he different?"

"He carries a storage bag", the elder said enviously. "Today’s the auction. He arrived early but only emerged today—clearly, he’s here for the treasures."

"Ooh, treasures!"

The girl gasped, then quickly covered her mouth.

The elder nodded. "Come. Let’s head to the valley. I’ll show you the sights."

"Fifty years ago, when the Xiong Clan’s patriarch was still alive, the trade fair was held here. I followed your great-grandfather…"

She interrupted playfully. "And claimed a good spot early. Grandfather, you’ve told me this eight times this week!"

…

Within Shi Valley, the Xiong Clan had erected a grand stage atop a high platform to facilitate the auction. This allowed distant cultivators to view the auctioned items clearly from all directions.

Since the Xiong Clan’s patriarch passed away forty years ago, the valley hadn’t seen such a bustling crowd.

By noon, clusters of cultivators dotted the valley, creating a sea of people stretching as far as the eye could see.

On the platform, Xiong Qiming, the current Xiong Clan head, surveyed the scene with satisfaction and anticipation. Today marks the revival of our clan’s glory.

He turned to his younger brother. "Qiliang, how many representatives from other clans have arrived?"

Xiong Qiliang reported, "The Ji, Du, and Guo clans sent their youths. The Hong clan hasn’t arrived yet."

"Also, Tian Jianing from the Tian clan came with two juniors. I heard he recently achieved Foundation-Building Third Layer and took over Hulu Lake."

Xiong Qiming paused, then said calmly, "No matter. If we restore the valley’s prosperity, we’ll reclaim Hulu Lake soon enough."

"Any troublemakers lately?"

"None yet. Three people dueled at the valley entrance two days ago, but our men have detained them."

"Keep watch", Xiong Qiming warned. "I won’t tolerate any banditry within twenty miles of the valley. Our reputation depends on it."

After finalizing arrangements, he stepped forward at noon.

"Esteemed cultivators, your presence honors us greatly. Let me reiterate: today’s auction operates on immediate payment and delivery. No delays, no excuses."

"You’ve waited long enough. Let’s begin!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end