Han Li arrived at the market just before noon. After waiting briefly, he used a secret technique to transform into a burly man with a thick beard and headed toward the Tai Xuan Hall.
At the entrance, people were already lining up to hand over spirit stones in exchange for a light-shielding jade pendant before entering the hall.
Every single one of them was at least a Deity Transformation-stage cultivator.
Han Li even witnessed two or three Void Refinement-stage cultivators entering as well.
After a brief consideration, he stepped forward and tossed an ordinary leather pouch filled with spirit stones to the guard.
The guard swept his spiritual sense over the pouch, nodded, and handed Han Li a jade pendant before stepping aside. In a flat tone, he said, “Once inside, turn left.”
Han Li was momentarily taken aback but walked in without further hesitation.
As soon as he entered the passageway, he was stunned to find that the once-straight corridor had now twisted unnaturally, splitting into two narrow paths leading into the darkness on either side.
It was as if the Tai Xuan Hall he had entered before was completely different from this one.
Clearly, the hall’s restrictions had been altered.
However, since the guard had already given him directions, Han Li didn’t hesitate and took the left path.
Moments later, his figure gradually faded into the darkness and vanished without a trace.
After the time it took to finish a meal, Han Li found himself inside a solitary dark stone chamber.
The room was only about ten feet wide, with three solid walls and one open side. Inside, there was nothing but a jade table, a bamboo chair, and a faintly glowing red formation disk on the table.
Such stone chambers were densely packed and suspended in midair, forming a vast array of floating rooms.
The entire hall was nearly a thousand feet wide, easily accommodating nearly a thousand of these floating chambers.
The surfaces of these chambers flickered with faint cyan runes, each spaced far apart, resembling mysterious green lanterns hanging in the air.
Seated in his chamber, Han Li looked down at the auction platform in the distance with great curiosity.
The moment he had stepped into the hall, he had been teleported here by a peculiar formation at the entrance. He had already tested and confirmed that these floating chambers not only hovered in midair but also blocked spiritual sense detection. Combined with the light-shielding pendant concealing his figure, it ensured complete anonymity for the bidders.
It seemed the auction house’s owner was well aware of cultivators’ fear of attracting unwanted attention and had gone to great lengths to protect their identities.
Leaning back in his chair, Han Li closed his eyes to rest for a while. Soon, hundreds more cultivators entered the hall, filling nearly all the floating chambers.
When Han Li reopened his eyes, he exhaled softly.
Every single person who could enter this auction was at least a Deity Transformation-stage cultivator. This meant that this seemingly small auction had effortlessly gathered nearly a thousand such experts.
In the human realm, such a gathering would have been unimaginable.
But this was only possible because they were in Tian Yuan City. In any other human cultivation city across the three regions—unless it was one of the three major capitals—such a gathering would remain a fantasy.
Suddenly, a few melodious bell chimes rang out, and the massive hall doors, which had been wide open, slowly creaked shut.
The already dim hall grew even darker.
Then, several moonstones the size of human heads appeared above the auction platform, casting a soft white glow that illuminated the area with startling clarity.
Instinctively, all eyes turned toward the platform.
A formation suddenly materialized on the ten-foot-high stage, and in a flash of white light, a white-robed elder appeared.
At the sight of this man, murmurs of surprise rippled through the floating chambers, with some even exclaiming his name.
“Master Chi!”
“Why is he here? Could it be that this auction…”
Whispers spread like wildfire.
Hearing the commotion, Han Li’s curiosity was piqued, and he studied the elder closely.
The man was only at the mid-Deity Transformation stage, but with his silver hair, kind eyes, and an air of transcendent wisdom, he looked every bit the immortal sage. Judging by the others’ reactions, being addressed as “Master” likely meant he had extraordinary expertise in alchemy, formations, or other esoteric arts.
The white-robed elder cleared his throat and spoke in a gentle voice:
“It seems there’s no need for introductions—most of you already know me, Chi. Truthfully, it’s not in my nature to appear in such settings, but this auction features several items I personally appraised at the host’s request. I was so intrigued that I volunteered to oversee this event. I trust none of you have any objections?”
“Master Chi jests! Having a refining master of your stature preside over this auction is an honor!”
“Indeed! With Brother Chi’s appraisal, we can be certain of the authenticity. This puts our minds at ease!”
Several voices from different floating chambers immediately voiced their approval.
The rest remained silent, but no one objected, indicating the elder’s esteemed reputation.
The white-robed elder continued:
“To give you all a clearer picture, I’ll reveal something in advance—the three final auction items this time are far more valuable than usual, perhaps the most significant in centuries. Among them is a supreme material from the primordial wildlands, a Heavenly Spiritual Treasure listed on the Chaos Myriad Spirit Ranking, and lastly, the complete cultivation legacy of a legendary late-Body Integration senior who once shook both the human and demon races.”
The crowd was stunned into silence, hardly believing their ears.
While the primordial material was unknown, the mention of a Heavenly Spiritual Treasure from the Chaos Myriad Spirit Ranking and the cultivation legacy of a peak-Body Integration expert was beyond extraordinary. Any one of these items appearing in the outside world could spark a bloodbath.
Hearts pounded with excitement, and the atmosphere in the hall grew heavy.
“Brother Chi, if such treasures are being auctioned, why wasn’t this announced earlier so we could prepare more spirit stones? Is there some hidden reason?” A shrill, childlike voice echoed from one of the chambers.
“Rest assured, fellow Daoist. The secrecy was requested by the owner of these three treasures—the same person for all three. As for the reason, even I don’t know, and the auction house couldn’t refuse. But I personally guarantee their authenticity.
That said, given the sudden nature of this auction, for the final three items, we will accept rare treasures as collateral for spirit stones, though at a 10% discount from market value. The pricing will be jointly determined by the city’s three chief appraisers and myself. You have my word.”
The elder’s reply seemed to have been prepared in advance, delivered with a calm smile.
The cultivators were momentarily taken aback, but most were overjoyed, and no further questions arose.
Seeing no further objections, Elder Chi announced the auction’s commencement with a clap of his hands.
A dozen colorful streaks of light soared onto the stage, resolving into ten beautiful palace-robed women, each at least at the Core Formation stage. They stood gracefully, each holding an ornate box of varying sizes.
“As per tradition, we begin with finished pills and treasures, followed by rare materials and cultivation manuals, and finally, the grand finale. The first item is three bottles of ‘Revitalizing Heart Pills,’ which can accelerate cultivation progress for Deity Transformation-stage cultivators. Starting bid: 300,000 spirit stones, with increments of no less than 50,000.”
With a wave of his hand, one of the women stepped forward and opened her box, revealing three small cyan jade bottles.
The elder summoned one bottle, uncorked it, and tipped out a pure white pill.
A rich medicinal fragrance instantly filled the air.
Holding the pill between two fingers, he gave it a slight shake.
Miraculously, the pill emitted alternating red and cyan light, glowing like a luminous pearl. The medicinal scent intensified severalfold.
“I’ve demonstrated the pill’s properties. Let the bidding begin!”
“350,000!”
“400,000!”
“450,000!”
Two purple halos—one large, one small—appeared above the platform, rotating to display the bid amounts and the corresponding chamber numbers.
The numbers skyrocketed immediately, proving the pill’s immense popularity among Deity Transformation cultivators.
This was no surprise. While the final treasures were tempting, most knew they stood no chance. Instead, they focused on securing useful items before the big spenders turned their attention to the finale.
Han Li, confident in his ability to refine the Jade Clear Pills later, stayed out of the bidding. He watched as the three bottles sold for 600,000 spirit stones.
Like many others, his mind was already on the three final treasures.
Truthfully, while the primordial material and the Heavenly Spiritual Treasure intrigued him, they were merely curiosities.
But the legacy of the late-Body Integration senior?
That was something he couldn’t ignore.
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