Chapter 138: The Auction
Chapter 138: Chapter 138: The Auction
On the day the auction was set to begin.
Gumu Sheng arrived at Immortal Peach Mountain early to wait for Li Ping, so they could head to the auction together.
After entering the auction house, Li Ping, as usual, led Gumu Sheng to a VIP private room to wait quietly for the auction to start.
While they waited, Gumu Sheng couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.
Seeing his expression, Li Ping smiled faintly and handed him a Storage Bag containing 2,660 Spirit Stones. "According to the Immortal City auction’s rules, you’ll be doing the bidding yourself later."
Gumu Sheng quickly took the Storage Bag and agreed, "Alright, Big Brother."
However, 2,660 Spirit Stones were not enough to win a Foundation Establishment Pill. Gumu Sheng would have to make up the difference himself.
The two of them didn’t have to wait long before the auction officially began.
The auction was once again hosted by the white-haired Elder Cultivator with the surname Mu. However, the one overseeing the event had changed from Ye Chen to another Foundation Establishment Cultivator with the surname Liu.
As the Foundation Establishment Cultivator Liu walked backstage, the Elder Cultivator Mu smiled and began to pull an auction item from his Storage Bag, starting his detailed introduction.
"This Dharma Artifact is called the ’Cold Wind Halberd.’ It is a Tier Two Middle Grade Dharma Artifact, but its power is considerably greater than that of an ordinary Middle Grade artifact—one could even call it an Upper Grade among Tier Two Middle Grade Dharma Artifacts. Friends who are interested shouldn’t miss out. The starting bid is 650 Spirit Stones, with each increment no less than ten Spirit Stones..."
Listening to his enthusiastic sales pitch, Li Ping shook his head and looked away. After obtaining the Dharma Artifacts from Yan Liming’s Storage Bag, he no longer even gave Upper Grade Dharma Artifacts a second glance.
Although Elder Mu spoke with the eloquence of a rushing river, his words blooming like lotuses, Li Ping had not the slightest interest in a mere Tier Two Middle Grade Dharma Artifact.
However, that didn’t mean Li Ping was uninterested in every item up for auction.
As items were sold one after another, the auction soon reached its midpoint.
Elder Mu let out a smile, pulled a head-sized Jade Box from his Storage Bag, and then, holding it in his palm, opened it to reveal a fist-sized, red, oval-shaped, irregular crystal inside.
His introductory voice echoed through the auction hall.
"A Demon Core extracted from a Tier Two Upper Grade Fire Element Demon Beast. The Demonic Power within is perfectly preserved, making it an excellent Spiritual Material for Alchemy, Artifact Refining, and more. A Demon Core of this quality is a rare sight even in the Immortal City and can be considered one of the most precious items in this auction..."
After a round of lavish praise that captured the attention of every Cultivator present, Elder Mu finally smiled and said, "Friends in need, don’t miss this opportunity. The starting bid for the Demon Core is 1,200 Spirit Stones, with each increment no less than fifty Spirit Stones. You may begin bidding now."
’A Tier Two Upper Grade Fire Element Demon Core? To think I’d encounter such an item at this auction.’ Upon hearing this, Li Ping couldn’t help but sit up straight, a look of delight in his eyes.
His Spiritual Bird, the Desolate Fire Sparrow, possessed an extraordinary bloodline. Coupled with the fact that he had been feeding it Beast Feeding Pills ever since it hatched, its strength was increasing at a rapid pace.
Li Ping estimated that the bird could attempt to break through to Tier Two within ten years.
And as a type of celestial Spirit Bird, the Desolate Fire Sparrow’s Vermilion Bird bloodline would awaken further during its advancement.
The stronger it became, the closer its bloodline would get to that of a True Spirit Vermilion Bird.
If it continued to advance, perhaps one day it would completely transform into a Vermilion Bird!
If he could prepare a large amount of High-tier Fire Element Spiritual Materials for the Desolate Fire Sparrow when it was time to advance, it would undoubtedly be a great help in awakening its innate bloodline.
Therefore, Li Ping had long been collecting High-tier Fire Element Spiritual Materials to aid the Desolate Fire Sparrow’s advancement.
This Tier Two Upper Grade Fire Element Demon Core before him was undoubtedly a Spiritual Material that suited his needs perfectly.
’I have to get it.’
As Li Ping pondered, he looked up at the auction stage.
A Tier Two Upper Grade Demon Core was immensely useful for both Alchemy and Artifact Refining; Li Ping wasn’t the only one who wanted it.
In the brief moment he was thinking, two Cultivators had already placed bids, raising the price to 1,300 Spirit Stones.
Seeing this, Li Ping didn’t hesitate at all and called out directly, "One thousand four hundred Spirit Stones!"
After Li Ping called out his price, the entire auction hall fell silent.
The actual value of a Tier Two Upper Grade Demon Core was between 1,200 and 1,300 Spirit Stones. Li Ping’s bid was already a hundred Spirit Stones higher than the normal price, so others naturally had to reconsider.
Seeing the lull in bidding, Elder Cultivator Mu quickly added more fuel to the fire, lavishing the Demon Core with praise and describing it as a treasure rarely seen on earth, unparalleled in the world.
Finally, spurred on by his encouragement, a hesitant voice came from a private room on the second floor: "One thousand four hundred and fifty Spirit Stones."
Seeing that someone had actually bid against him, Li Ping immediately raised the price: "One thousand five hundred Spirit Stones."
Having acquired Yan Liming’s Storage Bag, and being a Tier Three Pill Master himself, he had an abundance of Spirit Stones. He didn’t care about the price when it came to Spiritual Materials he needed.
The moment Li Ping stated this price, the auction hall fell silent once more, aside from the voice of Elder Mu.
One thousand five hundred Spirit Stones was enough to buy a decent Tier Two Upper Grade Dharma Artifact and had far exceeded the normal price of this Demon Core.
Next, Elder Mu went on another round of extravagant claims. Seeing that no one else was going to bid, he finally smiled slightly. "Congratulations to this honored guest for winning the Tier Two Upper Grade Fire Element Demon Core."
Afterward, he took out ten Jade Bottles from his Storage Bag. "These ten Jade Bottles contain Peiyuan Pills, crafted by the hands of an Alchemy Master. Bidding will be per bottle..."
Li Ping glanced over but paid no further attention, because he was the one who had refined and sold those Peiyuan Pills.
Soon, a staff member from the auction house knocked respectfully and entered the VIP room.
Li Ping poured out 1,500 Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag and gestured for the staff member to inspect them.
After murmuring an apology, the staff member patiently inspected the stones. Once he confirmed the amount was correct, he quickly presented the Tier Two Upper Grade Fire Element Demon Core that Li Ping had won, then respectfully took his leave.
In the second half of the auction, many good items appeared, and the competition for them was exceptionally fierce.
Two Foundation Establishment Cultivators even nearly came to blows over an Upper Grade Dharma Artifact.
But the auction was hosted by the Immortal City, which naturally wouldn’t tolerate such insolence. In the end, they could only give up their confrontation and compete with their financial might for the Dharma Artifact.
...
As items were sold one after another, time passed bit by bit.
Soon, the auction reached its final stage, and it was finally time for the main event of every auction: the ’Foundation Establishment Pill.’
Elder Mu, smiling, recited the auction rules for the Foundation Establishment Pill as usual. Just as he finished, when everyone thought he was about to announce the start of the bidding...
He swept his gaze across the auction hall and suddenly announced, "The True Master has taken into consideration the increasing number of fellow Loose Cultivators who have come to the Immortal City to strive in recent years. Therefore, to give more fellow cultivators a chance at Foundation Establishment, this auction will feature two Foundation Establishment Pills for everyone to bid on."
"Two Pills!"
"There are actually two of them!"
"Excellent! My chances of winning a Foundation Establishment Pill have just increased dramatically!"
...
Hearing this good news, the entire auction hall erupted. The Cultivators who were determined to win a Foundation Establishment Pill were especially, and uncontrollably, overjoyed.
"I’m sure I don’t need to explain what a Foundation Establishment Pill is," Elder Mu said with a smile. "We will now auction the first Foundation Establishment Pill. The starting price is 3,000 Spirit Stones, with each increment no less than one hundred Spirit Stones. Fellow Daoists in need may begin bidding."
The moment Elder Mu’s words fell, someone immediately placed a bid.
"Three thousand Spirit Stones."
"Thirty-one hundred!"
"Thirty-two hundred!"
Because there was still another Foundation Establishment Pill to come, many people hesitated after the price reached thirty-two hundred, and for a good while, no one else bid.
At this moment, Gumu Sheng could no longer hold back and quickly bid, "Thirty-three hundred!"
Li Ping had thought that Gumu Sheng’s bid was practically a sure thing.
After all, Zhang Tie had only spent thirty-four hundred to win his Foundation Establishment Pill last time, and back then, there was only one Pill, making the auction even more intense.
But to his surprise, after a pause following Gumu Sheng’s bid of thirty-three hundred, another Cultivator called out a price: "Thirty-four hundred!"
Now it was Gumu Sheng’s turn to hesitate.
After all, there was still another Foundation Establishment Pill. He didn’t absolutely have to fight for this one; he could just wait for the next.
But after hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and bid, "Thirty-five hundred!"
’Who knows what the situation will be for the next Foundation Establishment Pill? Better to secure this one first!’
As Gumu Sheng called out the price of thirty-five hundred, the other Cultivators stopped bidding, and he successfully won the first Foundation Establishment Pill.
Only after an auction staff member came to the private room, verified Gumu Sheng’s bidding eligibility, and took the 3,500 Spirit Stones did Gumu Sheng finally collapse onto the sofa as if a huge weight had been lifted.
Although he had Four Spirit Roots, this gave him two opportunities to attempt Foundation Establishment.
With two opportunities, and the assistance of the Spiritual Object ’Jade Heart Liquid,’ his chances of successfully reaching Foundation Establishment were even greater than Zhang Tie’s.
Next, Elder Mu announced the start of the auction for the second Foundation Establishment Pill.
Cultivators immediately began bidding, and the price of this pill climbed steadily.
In the end, it reached a staggering 3,700 Spirit Stones before it was finally won by a Cultivator in a private room on the second floor.
Seeing that the second Foundation Establishment Pill sold for two hundred Spirit Stones more than he had paid, Gumu Sheng finally broke into a smile.
He knew that his second brother, Zhang Tie, had only spent 3,400 Spirit Stones to acquire a Foundation Establishment Pill, while he had spent 3,500.
Because of this, he had been feeling like he’d gotten a bad deal.
But now, seeing that someone else had paid two hundred Spirit Stones more than he did, his mood improved considerably.
Li Ping said flatly, "Let’s go."
"Alright, Big Brother!"
...
In another private room not far from Li Ping’s, Cheng Yao took out her identity Token and handed it to an auction staff member to verify her eligibility. After confirmation, she magnanimously poured out 3,700 Spirit Stones from her Storage Bag for the staff member to count.
Meanwhile, Wang Xingwei sat to the side, watching all of this with a smile.
"Your eligibility and Spirit Stones are all in order. Congratulations, fellow Daoist, on winning the Foundation Establishment Pill!" the staff member said with a smile. "If you wish to attempt Foundation Establishment, you just need to take the Token to Cyan Dragon Mountain."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Yao couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, her eyes filled with joy.
She was quite confident in her ability to succeed in Foundation Establishment.
Even if she failed this time, she could try again in five years using the Foundation Establishment Fund.
’I have Three Spirit Roots and two chances to try. I’ll definitely succeed.’