Han Li’s Qingyuan Sword Art had reached its peak and could no longer advance further.
While his other supernatural abilities were immensely powerful, the Great Cosmic Light, once mastered, increased in potency with his cultivation level. Similarly, the Devouring Spirit Heavenly Flame’s power grew through its own evolution, neither of which provided substantial assistance in boosting his cultivation.
Without a suitable cultivation technique to guide him, merely consuming spiritual pills would result in an excess of spiritual energy within his body, leading to a catastrophic explosion.
Now, Han Li had two paths to further his cultivation.
The first was to follow the conventional route, seeking out another high-level cultivation technique. However, switching to an unfamiliar technique mid-way would inevitably require extensive study and comprehension. Moreover, any misstep could lead to conflicts with his existing techniques, halving his progress while doubling his effort.
The second path, which Han Li learned about after studying numerous body-refining insights, was a rarely trodden one—dual cultivation of spiritual and physical prowess. This involved seeking high-level body-refining techniques from demonic sects or the demon race.
Once such techniques reached advanced stages, they not only strengthened the body but also enhanced spiritual power. However, these techniques were exceedingly rare and arduous to master. While some human cultivators had attempted this path, few succeeded.
The fundamental reason was that the innate physical potential of humans paled in comparison to that of demons or ancient fiends. Unless one possessed extraordinary talent, advancing beyond a certain level of physical refinement was nearly impossible.
Yet, if dual cultivation could truly reach an extremely high level, the resulting strength would be astonishing, and the likelihood of breaking through bottlenecks would far surpass that of cultivators following conventional techniques.
This left Han Li torn.
Coincidentally, he already possessed a set of dual-cultivation techniques—the “Vajra Demon Art” and the “Brahma Sage True Slate” series, which complemented the “Ming King Art.” Han Li had long confirmed that these three techniques were indeed synergistic.
They could be cultivated separately, each with its own unique abilities, or treated as a complete system for progressive cultivation. If practiced separately, the latter two techniques would only unleash a fraction of their true power without the foundation of the first. Cultivated from the beginning, they formed a formidable dual-cultivation system.
Originally derived from a fearsome demonic art of the True Demon Realm, these techniques had undergone countless modifications by human Buddhist, demonic, and demon race experts, transforming them entirely. Instead of demonic energy, they now channeled the primordial energy of heaven and earth into the body.
Though Han Li had studied them and believed the three techniques could be combined, no one had ever actually practiced the complete set he possessed. The Buddhist “Ming King Art” and the demonic “Vajra Demon Art” had been altered as independent techniques, while the “Brahma Sage True Slate” was an inherited technique from a human-world demon king, missing its first two parts. It was unlikely to perfectly align with the other two.
Thus, the problems that might arise from cultivating this cobbled-together system were anyone’s guess.
Nevertheless, there was no doubt that the “Brahma Sage True Slate” far surpassed ordinary dual-cultivation techniques. Having mastered the “Ming King Art,” Han Li could already contend with Nascent Soul cultivators using his physical strength alone. If he succeeded in cultivating the latter two parts, the resulting power would be unimaginable.
Pure spiritual cultivation and dual cultivation each had their pros and cons. The former offered faster early progress, relative ease, and reliability, while the latter was exceptionally difficult and risky but promised unparalleled power and higher chances of advancement in later stages.
Thus, Han Li remained undecided.
He had been keeping an eye out for high-level conventional techniques but had yet to find anything suitable in the market. While there were techniques for the Void Refinement stage, none could compare to the Great Cosmic Light or the Devouring Spirit Heavenly Flame, making them unappealing to him.
So, when he heard of a technique left behind by a late-stage Body Integration cultivator, his interest was immediately piqued. If this technique proved truly suitable, he might abandon the arduous path of dual cultivation.
As Han Li wrestled with his thoughts, the red-robed elder on the auction stage had already sold all the elixirs held by the ten palace-robed women at prices double their base values.
Each elixir was delivered directly to the buyer’s flying chamber by a female attendant, who then collected the spirit stones and returned to the stage. Most were similar to the “Revitalizing Heart Pill,” useful only to early-stage Deity Transformation cultivators.
Only two were suitable for mid-stage cultivators, and none for late-stage. This was unsurprising—even in the Spirit Realm, where spiritual energy was abundant, ingredients for Deity Transformation-level elixirs mostly came from untamed wilderness. Cultivating them artificially was either time-consuming or exceedingly difficult.
Thus, elixirs for Deity Transformation cultivators were rare. Moreover, the higher the grade, the lower the success rate of refinement. Late-stage elixirs, if successfully crafted, were invariably kept for personal use rather than auctioned.
Even in Sky Deep City, where materials were plentiful, early-stage Deity Transformation elixirs were scarce, let alone mid-stage ones.
Once these elixirs were sold, the women produced another set of brocade boxes from their storage bracelets, containing bottles of different shapes—this time, antidotes and healing medicines rather than cultivation aids.
This batch was less popular, selling out at much lower prices. While cultivation-boosting elixirs were always in demand, auxiliary medicines were only needed in moderation, so bidding was less intense.
When the women brought out a third set of boxes sealed with restriction talismans, the atmosphere in the hall reignited. Inside were treasures—flying swords, daggers, seals, plaques, mirrors, and other rare ancient artifacts.
The white-robed elder plucked a bronze token from one box and demonstrated its power: three colossal serpents, each over fifty feet long, materialized in the air.
“Poison Serpent Token, crafted from the essence of three ancient serpent beasts. These spirit serpents can be summoned in battle, each equivalent to a Nascent Soul cultivator. Starting bid: two million spirit stones. Minimum increment: one hundred thousand.”
“Two million!” Though three Nascent Soul helpers meant little to Deity Transformation cultivators, they could turn the tide in critical moments. Bidding began immediately.
“Two million two hundred thousand.” After a brief pause, another bidder joined.
“Two million three hundred thousand.”
…
One by one, treasures were auctioned off. The final two were even spiritual treasures of the lowest grade, driving prices to staggering heights.
Though low-tier, these treasures could significantly improve one’s chances of surviving heavenly tribulations. Many Void Refinement cultivators joined the bidding, though some held back, clearly aiming for the last three items—true spiritual treasures listed on the Chaos Myriad Spirit Ranking, far surpassing ordinary ones.
Han Li remained silent throughout, observing from his stone chamber. Only when rare materials and technique manuals came up did he perk up.
As the auction progressed, his expression brightened at the mention of “a jar of True Toad Spirit Blood”—his original target.
But when the starting price was announced at one and a half million spirit stones, his lips twitched. This was the highest base price yet for rare materials.
Before he could decide on a bid, a voice from a flying chamber sent a chill down his spine.
“Three million spirit stones.” The lazy tone came from a secluded corner of the hall.
Other bidders fell silent, stunned. The True Toad Spirit Blood was essential for refining True Toad Liquid, but three million exceeded most budgets.
The hall grew deathly quiet.
Han Li frowned, his gaze fixed on the jar in the elder’s hands, his expression unreadable.
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