Inside the Heavenly Mechanism House, Han Li noticed that the Soul-Crying Beast wouldn’t finish its devouring anytime soon. After some thought, he finally stored both the beast and the Diamond Barrier into his spirit beast pouch before stepping out and shrinking the stone house back to its original size.
Returning to the main hall, he handed the Heavenly Mechanism House back to the middle-aged female cultivator and then made his way back to the square.
By now, it was already afternoon, and the number of cultivators in the square had noticeably dwindled by nearly half, as most had headed to another stone hall opposite for the auction. Without hesitation, Han Li strolled toward the other hall.
At the entrance stood a white-robed cultivator who, upon seeing Han Li approach, cupped his hands and said, “Fellow Daoist, to prevent overcrowding, the auction requires an entry fee of three spirit stones.”
Han Li smiled slightly, reached into his storage pouch without a word, and produced three low-grade spirit stones, handing them over. The two cultivators beamed, accepted the stones, and promptly gave Han Li a palm-sized jade plate before stepping aside to let him pass.
Glancing at the jade plate, Han Li noticed a silver number “243” inscribed at its center. His expression remained unchanged as he calmly walked inside.
After traversing a corridor over twenty zhang long, he encountered four more cultivators standing before a shimmering, misty white gate. They scrutinized Han Li briefly but remained silent and expressionless.
Ignoring them, Han Li pushed open the gate and entered the main auction hall.
The moment he stepped in, he heard a man’s booming voice: “Five-hundred-year-old Phoenix Tail Flower, sold for seven hundred and ninety spirit stones! Excellent—no further bids. This spiritual herb now belongs to Daoist number one hundred thirty. Please proceed to the back to complete the transaction and collect your purchase.”
Only then did Han Li take in the sight of the hall, packed with two to three hundred people. Each had a jade plate identical to his on the table before them, glowing faintly with silver numbers clearly visible to all.
At the front of the hall stood a middle-aged man in a blue robe, exuding a sharp and shrewd aura. He held an open jade box containing an exceptionally vibrant purple spiritual flower.
The buyer, an obese elder seated among the crowd, rose with visible delight upon the confirmation of his bid and hurried toward a side door, clearly eager to claim his prize.
Han Li surveyed the scene impassively before moving to an empty seat nearby.
The snow-white table and chair, resembling jade but not quite, piqued his interest. Sitting down, he ran his hand over the table’s surface and felt a faint warmth.
“This is…” Han Li pondered, sifting through his knowledge of jade-like materials, but found no match. A hint of surprise flickered across his lips.
“Fellow Daoist, is this your first time encountering Warmstone?” A woman’s voice, tinged with amusement, came from his side.
“Warmstone?” Han Li turned to see two young female cultivators sitting beside him, their appearances strikingly similar—likely sisters. One wore yellow robes, the other green. Though not stunningly beautiful, they were undeniably striking. The green-robed woman, seated closer to Han Li, had spoken, seemingly amused by his curious inspection of the table.
“Little sister, mind your words,” the slightly older-looking woman in yellow quickly interjected, apologizing to Han Li. “Please forgive my cousin’s rudeness. She’s new to traveling and may speak out of turn.”
Cousins? Not sisters? This surprised Han Li, but given their youth and Foundation Establishment cultivation, their talents must be extraordinary.
With a light chuckle, Han Li waved it off. “No offense taken. I’ve only heard of ‘Warm Jade’ before—this is indeed my first encounter with Warmstone. Do you know its origins? It doesn’t seem common, or else I, despite my secluded cultivation, wouldn’t be ignorant of it.”
“Warmstone can’t compare to Warm Jade,” the yellow-robed woman explained with a smile. “It’s not surprising you haven’t heard of it—this peculiar stone is unique to the Snow Ridge Mountains and isn’t found elsewhere. Aside from its pristine whiteness and warmth, it’s no different from ordinary stone, though mortals prize it slightly more than common jade.”
“I see. Thank you for the explanation,” Han Li nodded in understanding before turning his attention to the auction, where the blue-robed man was now presenting a top-tier magical artifact.
The green-robed woman shot Han Li a sidelong glance, her lips curling slightly in disdain as if she wanted to say more, but a stern look from her cousin silenced her.
Han Li ignored the exchange, quietly observing as artifact after artifact and herb after herb were auctioned off.
Though this auction, organized by a local clan, was far from high-tier—perhaps even low-tier—Han Li intended to use it to gauge the price differences between Great Jin and the Heavenly South for spiritual herbs and artifacts, preparing himself for future rare material hunts.
After watching for a while, Han Li concluded that Great Jin’s prices for both herbs and artifacts were significantly higher than those in the Heavenly South, with rarer items commanding even more exorbitant sums.
He quickly realized why: while Great Jin’s territory was ten times larger than the Heavenly South’s, its well-established cultivation system meant its cultivator population far exceeded tenfold, leading to even greater shortages of spiritual tools and herbs.
However, Great Jin’s vast resources also meant it boasted rare treasures unseen in the Heavenly South or even the Chaotic Star Seas. In just this short time, Han Li had spotted three or four materials whose uses eluded him.
This delighted him. If he visited more of Great Jin’s top-tier markets, gathering the rare materials he needed might not be impossible.
As he pondered, the auctioneer called for a tray bearing three deep-red crystals, their glow flickering like blazing flames, impossible to miss.
“Three Firemelt Crystals—excellent for forging top-tier fire-attribute artifacts. Starting bid: five hundred spirit stones. Interested Daoists may begin bidding,” the blue-robed man announced.
Han Li initially glanced dismissively but suddenly stiffened, letting out a soft exclamation.
“What? With your wealth, you’re interested in these crystals?” the Great Derivation Spirit’s lazy voice chimed in.
“Crystals? Rare for you to misjudge, Senior,” Han Li chuckled mentally before abruptly calling out a bid of six hundred spirit stones, joining the competition.
“Oh? Are these crystals special? My cultivation may be lost, but my divine sense remains. I doubt I’ve misjudged,” the Great Derivation Spirit retorted skeptically.
“In terms of experience, I’m no match for you, Senior. But when it comes to demon cores, few in this world surpass me,” Han Li replied cryptically.
“What does this have to do with demon cores?” the Great Derivation Spirit asked, baffled. Had he not known Han Li wasn’t one to boast, he’d have thought him delusional.
“Still, if you say so, you must have your reasons. But without convincing proof, I find it hard to believe these Firemelt Crystals are anything extraordinary. Not only did I fail to spot anything unusual, but the auction’s appraisers—all seasoned experts—wouldn’t have missed anything either,” the Great Derivation Spirit persisted.
Han Li smirked and placed another high bid, silencing the competition.
“Eight hundred spirit stones! These Firemelt Crystals belong to Daoist two hundred forty-three. Please proceed to the back to complete the transaction,” the auctioneer declared, pleased with the high price.
Han Li picked up his jade plate and headed for the side door, where a Qi Condensation cultivator in white robes guided him through twists and turns to a small rear chamber. A maid served him spiritual tea before withdrawing.
Han Li ignored the tea, instead calmly surveying the room’s decor.
Soon, a bald, deep-eyed Foundation Establishment elder entered.
“Apologies for the wait, Fellow Daoist. Here’s your purchase—please inspect it,” the elder said amiably, handing over the jade box from earlier.
Han Li opened it without ceremony, revealing the three flame-like crystals. He picked each up with his fingers, examining them meticulously in silence for a long while.
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