“Of course there are other guests. However, VIPs like us who reserved private rooms were escorted through exclusive passageways, which is why we didn’t encounter anyone on the way.” As a Know-it-all, Baitong’s influence was not small, and getting a few VIP tokens was an easy task for him.
The others also shared their thoughts.
“Is the entire site covered with arrays? It’s pitch black, looking quite eerie and dark.” Unfortunately, none of them were array cultivators, so they couldn’t examine the mechanism even if they wanted to.
“It seems pretty easy to sneak in. We haven’t even seen a single guard—all you need to do is to find the entrance…”
“Why did they take our tokens? Don’t we need them?”
Baitong explained patiently, “It seems easy because we followed the rules all the way. If we didn’t have the tokens, we wouldn’t even be able to get on the flying carriage. Even if by luck we found our way here, you wouldn’t even be able to pass through the gate.”
They entered through the main gate, which seemed empty but was full of hidden security mechanisms. Without the tokens, they wouldn’t even be able to find the gate, let alone enter safely.
“As for why they took the tokens, it’s because, regardless of how you got in, as long as you aren’t discovered and chased out before the auction starts, you are considered their guest.” Baitong ended his explanation with a meaningful smile.
Lu Yaoyao blinked, amazed. “In short, as long as you’re strong enough, you are allowed to be here without a token?”
“That’s correct. No matter when or where, strength is the best pass.”
Yan Zihui glanced at her junior brothers and sisters and cautioned, “Before you reach the Golden Core stage, don’t you guys dare to come to an underground auction without a senior or someone with higher cultivation leading you, understood?”
“There are plenty of legitimate auctions. Just go to those if you need anything; they’re not much different.”
“Got it, Senior Brother~” The four replied in drawn-out voices, looking very well-behaved. After asking several questions and getting their curiosity satisfied, they turned their attention to observing their surroundings.
The private room for VIP guests they were in was spacious, not feeling cramped even with six people. The decor was simple, with several solid wood chairs and small square tables, which held a few plates of colorful spiritual fruits. There was also a small tea table with an exquisite tea set on it. Lu Yaoyao tried to push the panels but found no actual windows; the room was completely enclosed with only one door for entry and exit. “When the auction starts, how do we watch?” She was very curious.
“No rush, you’ll see soon.”
Turns out, their group had arrived just in time. Not long after, the auction they were eagerly awaiting began.
The closed wooden wall in front of them suddenly became blurry and soon transformed into an illuminated screen, from which a high platform resembling a display stage inside a spacious hall was reflected. Around the platform, a large number of cultivators, some seated and many standing, could be seen, covered in various masks. At a glance, most of the audience wore black or gray robes in subdued colors, many also wearing hoods and cloaks, completely covering themselves.
There were several similar screens on the upper part of the hall, which seemed to be VIP private rooms just like theirs, although the occupants were completely hidden from view. Next to each of the individual chairs they sat on was a button that lit up.
Yan Zihui explained, “This is the button used to place bids. If we win an item, it will be delivered to us.”
The four juniors were filled with curiosity, taking in their surroundings with amazement, and Lu Yaoyao, in particular, was bursting with excitement. Were arrays used to achieve all these effects? How incredible! She had learned basic arrays from her Father before, but she couldn’t figure out the principles here.
Before Lu Yaoyao could explore further, there was static noise, and an indistinct male voice came into the room. “Welcome, honorable guests. I hope today’s auction allows everyone to get what they desire and leave satisfied.”
Lu Yaoyao looked up to see a middle-aged man in a gray robe standing in the center of the platform on the screen. His appearance was ordinary, and like his voice, he had no distinguishing features, almost like a passerby without any presence.
He must be the auctioneer for this event.
Lu Yaoyao observed his face for a moment but soon realized she couldn’t remember what he looked like. “I can’t remember his appearance!” She exclaimed with some amazement.
“Really? Let me try, let me try!”
“It’s true!” Wen Zixing, Chao Muxue, and Du Qianshan all leaned forward, craning their necks to look closely through the screen. What a curious effect!
Yan Zihui covered his face, feeling he couldn’t bear to watch.
Next to him, Baitong chuckled twice, “Your junior brothers and sisters are really adorable.” Lively and amusing, much more entertaining than the overly serious types.
Yan Zihui raised an eyebrow, “My junior brothers and sisters are all the best.” He then proceeded to explain their curiosity, “That person’s wearing an artifact that interferes with the five senses.” This type of artifact could lower the wearer’s presence, making people unconsciously ignore them. Even if noticed, one wouldn’t see the wearer’s true face clearly, only getting the impression of an unremarkable person and quickly forgetting what they saw.
His junior brothers and sisters nodded in understanding. They had learned something new today! And the artifact seemed pretty handy—they would also like to have one if possible.
Of course, such an artifact was not something that could be obtained just because they wanted it. Yan Zihui remarked they shouldn’t pester their poor and pitiable senior brother for it.
Lu Yaoyao and the others could only regretfully accept this. After satisfying their curiosity, they all sat back down and continued watching the proceeding auction through the screen.
The auctioneer didn’t waste any words and quickly got down to business, directly opening the auction and presenting the first lot. The screen was quite reactive, zooming in on the auction item automatically, displaying every detail clearly.
Being the opening lot, this item was very impressive—a spiritual weapon of excellent quality, categorized at the immortal level. However, it was in the shape of a giant axe, which, while powerful, wasn’t as popular as more commonly used weapons like swords. For sword-wielding cultivators, it was something that would be unappealing to use, yet too valuable to discard.
Given that immortal-level artifacts were extremely valuable, no one wanted to spend a large amount of spirit stones or other precious resources to acquire a weapon that wasn’t particularly useful to them. So, even though Lu Yaoyao and her friends were astonished that the first item was such a rare immortal-level, they had no desire to bid on it.
However, while the weapon didn’t appeal much to them, it certainly attracted others. After the lot was unveiled, it caused quite a stir among the crowd. The VIPs in the other private rooms and those attending on the ground floor all began to place bids.
The starting bid was one million high-grade spirit stones, which doubled in no time.
Lu Yaoyao and her friends listened to the continuous bidding and soon realized that, alongside spirit stones, there were also valuable spiritual materials and pills being included. “You don’t have to use spirit stones?”
Baitong responded, “Of course. As long as the items have sufficient value, you can offer anything to bid.”
Lu Yaoyao, who had been worried that the spirit stones she brought wouldn’t be enough, now felt reassured. She patted her small pouch—she wasn’t poor after all and could bid on anything she desired!
As the bidding continued, only five or six distinct voices kept bidding back and forth, and the number steadily decreased as the price climbed higher and higher. Finally, a VIP from one of the private rooms won the bid for seven and a half million high-grade spirit stones, and the item was to be delivered to the winner.
Lu Yaoyao watched the entire process while nibbling on a spiritual fruit. Compared to the two other realms, the Cultivation Realm seemed to be more wealthy overall. Spending millions of high-quality spirit stones in one transaction was no easy feat, indicating that this individual likely is in possession of several top-grade spirit veins. But while spirit stones were common, immortal-level artifacts were very rare, so the price more or less reflected the value.
The second lot was soon presented: a top-grade Longevity Pill, which could extend the lifespan of a Nascent Soul stage cultivator by at least three hundred years or a Soul Projection cultivator by at least one hundred years.
The bidding war for this pill was even fiercer than the immortal-level artifact. Longevity Pills have always been in high demand, and the higher the grade, the more desirable they become. Particularly for those whose cultivation had hit a bottleneck and was nearing the end of their lifespan, these pills were of immeasurable value. Quite a few guests had come specifically to bid for this pill, and from the very beginning, they placed absurdly high bids, trying to intimidate competitors.
“A stalk of Glazed Illusion Herb, five million high-grade spirit stones!” A cultivator with bloodshot eyes under his mask croaked his bid, sweeping a sinister gaze over the crowd.
Lu Yaoyao’s eyes lit up, “Senior Brother, Glazed Illusion Herb!”
The South Fifth Peak where she belonged was full of talented alchemists who produced all kinds of pills day in and day out. The Longevity Pill, while precious, did not impress her much, since her own master was a genius capable of producing divine-level pills. On the other hand, she was very interested in the Glazed Illusion Herb offered by the bidder.
As an alchemist, Lu Yaoyao was more fascinated by rare spiritual materials and the like. She had read about the Glazed Illusion Herb in books, but its uses were far beyond that. Her master had once told her and her senior brothers that he managed to refine the divine-level pill largely because of the Glazed Illusion Herb, which was essential for the process. Unfortunately, the only stalk in the Guiyuan Sect’s possession had been completely used.
The cultivator who offered the Glazed Illusion Herb in exchange for the Longevity Pill likely didn’t know its full potential. Otherwise, he could have directly traded it with the Guiyuan Sect. Let alone one, her master would be more than happy to offer two Longevity Pills for the herb.
“But that’s not an auction item, so I can’t help you,” said Yan Zihui.
This bid was not the highest, as others soon outbid him. The cultivator’s eyes turned even redder as he barely managed to place two more bids. However, even after putting up everything he had, he couldn’t outbid the others.
In the end, the Longevity Pill was won by another VIP in a private room.
Lu Yaoyao sighed in disappointment, “They didn’t win the bid.” If the other party had won, she could go directly to the auction house to trade for the Glazed Illusion Herb. But now, she didn’t know who the bidder was, let alone how to find them!
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Translator’s Note:
Happy 200th chapter! We have an extra release on Sunday. Enjoy~
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Happy 200th🎉
🥳🥳🥳
I wonder if Lu Yaoyao will be able to contact the person who owns the Glazed Illusion Herb because it could be a vital herb for her future alchemy attempts.
Thanks for the chapter! 😀