Chapter 142: Chapter 141: Young Head of the Song Family (Supplement for the Mysterious Disaster Missed Update 1)_1
"One thousand three hundred Spirit Stones!"
"One thousand three hundred and fifty Spirit Stones!"
...
The market for mid-grade Spiritual Instruments was good, likely due to the fact that the first item at the big auction was a high-quality piece.
Furthermore, those who were bidding were mainly Foundation Establishment Cultivators!
Fang Xi simply watched them show off silently, and in the end, this Green Cloud Compass sold for the price of one thousand four hundred Spirit Stones to a cultivator inside one of the private rooms.
"Purple Wood Pill, capable of assisting wood-attribute Qi Refining mid-stage cultivators in breaking through to the late stage. It is divided into three groups, with one pill per group. Starting bid at three hundred Spirit Stones for the first group..."
Ouyang Zhen’s face revealed a slight smile as he continued the auction.
Leaning back in a soft chair, Fang Xi truly experienced the splendor of a grand auction for the first time.
All kinds of breakthrough pills, top-grade pills for enhancing Magic Power...
Top-grade magical tools...
Exotic Treasures...
They were simply dazzling to the eyes.
"Exotic Treasure—Purple Yunzhu Bracelet! A top-quality piece with both offensive and defensive capabilities, recently unearthed from ancient cultivation ruins, it consumes very little Magic Power and is suitable for use by Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Its power surpasses that of a high-grade Spiritual Instrument. The starting bid is two thousand Spirit Stones, with each bid increment no less than one hundred Spirit Stones!"
Half an hour later, Ouyang Zhen displayed a purple-colored bracelet exotic treasure, engraved with numerous complex and profound patterns, brimming with spiritual radiance, and clearly not an ordinary item at first glance.
"Two thousand one hundred Spirit Stones!" an old voice immediately offered a bid.
"Two thousand two hundred Spirit Stones!"
...
The Foundation Establishment Cultivators present clearly took great interest in this ’Purple Yunzhu Bracelet,’ and before long, the price soared to a high bid of two thousand nine hundred Spirit Stones!
"Three thousand five hundred Spirit Stones!"
Suddenly, the entire venue was filled with a young and confident male voice, directly suppressing all other bidders.
Everyone turned their attention to that private room, to see the windows wide open, where a Foundation Establishment Cultivator sat wearing a sea blue robe and a jade crown, with sword-like brows and starry eyes.
He held a jade folding fan, looking like a playful young nobleman amongst mortals, not at all intimidated by the attention, but instead, he greeted everyone with a smile and a bow of his hands.
"Could it be him?"
"The Young Head of the Song Family from Yue Country—Song Qing!"
"It is said that he was originally in charge of the Ten Thousand Seas Tower branch in Qingzhu Market. His performance stood out among competitors, and he successfully secured the position of the Young Head of the Song Family. Then his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds and he successfully attained Foundation Establishment at just over thirty years old. He is regarded as a rare talent among the cultivating immortal families in Yue Country!"
...
Fang Xi looked at this person, listening to the discussions coming from all directions, his eyes growing slightly profound.
He never expected that the once mere manager of the Ten Thousand Seas Tower is now the Young Head of the Song Family, and has also succeeded in Foundation Establishment!
This person had a vendetta with himself!
However... patience was still needed!
’Hmm, but the fact that this person has achieved Foundation Establishment at least shows that the ’Longevity Skills’ are indeed complete, without omissions or hidden secrets, since he had indeed sworn a Heart Demon Oath all those years ago!’
A Heart Demon Oath was not much of a constraint for cultivators who didn’t care about the Taoist Path and had no intention of progressing further in cultivation.
But Song Qing was different!
If he could still cultivate smoothly and successfully attain Foundation Establishment after making a Heart Demon Oath, it was clear that his oath was true!
’But the Song Family... they still have the original ’Longevity Skills’!’
Fang Xi was quite determined to get his hands on it.
Moreover, having cultivated the ’Longevity Skills’, he still wanted to eliminate potential risks.
After all, if it were discovered that he was the one who had purchased the ’Longevity Skills’ and then detected his ordinary aptitudes together with the ’Green Wood Spiritual Body’, that might lead to significant problems, perhaps even risking the exposure of his ’cheater’ advantage!
At the very least, even a Core Formation ancestor would find an abruptly refined ’Green Wood Spiritual Body’ quite intriguing!
’But, the timing isn’t right...’
Fang Xi shifted his gaze away from Song Qing and yawned out of boredom.
"So it’s the Young Head of the Song Family, let’s just give the Song Family some face..."
"Haha, I am the head of the Han Family of Maple Leaf, may I inquire how the Ancestor Song is in terms of health?"
...
Indeed, the Song Family had a significant amount of influence, and those Foundation Establishment Cultivators one after another gave up competing.
Of course, it could also be because the price of the ’Purple Yunzhu Bracelet’ had reached its limit, and it was smoothly obtained by Song Qing.
"This auction has the credibility guarantee of my master; each auction must be fair and no one should use their power to oppress others..."
Ouyang Zhen let out a cold huff, stinging Song Qing with a neutral tone before continuing the auction.
This time, various Spiritual Beast eggs and young pets were presented on the stage.
Gale Falcons, Double-Headed Ground Lizards, Thunder Horn Pythons...
Fang Xi watched with interest, as among these monster beasts were those who could match a Foundation Establishment Cultivator once grown.
But for ordinary Individual Cultivators, the upkeep was a significant investment, and the long lifespan and growth period of monster beasts were often too lengthy.
Therefore, it was mostly the cultivating immortal families that made the purchases.
Quite a few cultivating immortal families had their ancient ancestors willingly release a contract upon sitting and transforming or even create a Beast Controlling Card to let the Spiritual Pets guard the family for decades or centuries!
After the auction of the Spiritual Pets ended, another batch of cultivation techniques, Secret Skills, and even Four Arts of Cultivation heritages were introduced.
Fang Xi glanced over them and did not find any cultivation secret skills that interested him.
As for inheritances?
"So there’s only a tier-two Talisman-making Inheritance... It seems that the Cultivation World’s lock-down on high-level techniques is quite severe."
Fang Xi merely looked on and did not make a purchase.
Finally, as he was growing somewhat bored with waiting, came Ouyang Zhen’s voice, "A Dragon-transforming Ginseng that is two hundred and twenty years old, an essential secondary ingredient for concocting Foundation Establishment Pills. The starting bid is eight hundred Spirit Stones, and each increase in bid must be no less than fifty Spirit Stones!"
"Nine hundred Spirit Stones!"
In the grand hall on the first floor, an Individual Cultivator who had completed Qi Refining couldn’t help but shout out a bid.
"One thousand Spirit Stones!"
The scene immediately became very lively, with bidding voices coming from all around, and the price quickly reached one thousand two hundred Spirit Stones.
"One thousand three hundred Spirit Stones!"
Fang Xi naturally joined in and called out a bid.
This was actually already slightly higher than the previous prices for Dragon-transforming Ginseng.
"One thousand three hundred and fifty Spirit Stones!"
From within a certain private room, a youth ground his teeth and bid fiercely.
At his side, an elderly man sighed, "Nephew Hui, one thousand three hundred and fifty Spirit Stones is already the highest price our Family can support you with. Should there be any higher bids, you must give up."
"Uncle, as long as I have the Dragon-transforming Ginseng and add the Jade Spirit Liquid treasured by our Family, I can gather all the secondary materials for the Foundation Establishment Pills. Once someone offers a Demon Pill, I can cooperate with them to concoct pills, and if we produce more than two pills... I could achieve Foundation Establishment. I can’t bear to give up now!"
Nephew Hui clenched his fists tightly, silently praying in his heart.
The price was already very high.
But in the next moment, a steady voice rose again, "One thousand four hundred Spirit Stones!"
This voice was like the final straw that broke the camel’s back, leaving the youth slumped back in his chair with a face full of dismay, his eyes somewhat losing their luster...
"Heh... another fool, probably an Individual Cultivator with no connections..."
In another private room, Song Qing also commented with a smile, "With the right connections, the Dragon-transforming Ginseng and Jade Spirit Liquid combined wouldn’t cost more than one thousand five hundred Spirit Stones. The real rarity is the second-order Demon Pill! Our Family has already prepared several sets of auxiliary materials, yet the Demon Pill is hard to find..."
He looked towards the direction of Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain, his expression carrying a subtle mix of longing and fear.
...
"Although I overpaid by quite a bit, at least I managed to get it... I’ll just have to be the sucker then..."
Fang Xi heaved a sigh of relief after the successful bid and leisurely observed the proceedings in the hall.
However, the next auction item caught Fang Xi by surprise.
"A high-grade second-level ’Gale Gold Knife Array’, with both the Array Disk and Array Flags intact, freshly crafted... Simple to operate, with astonishing power, it can serve as a defense for a Mountain Protecting Array, covering a range of over a dozen miles... A rare gem indeed."
Ouyang Zhen showcased the Array Flags, shimmering with spiritual light, "The starting bid is three thousand Spirit Stones. Those who wish to purchase an Array to protect their Family or establish a market should not let this opportunity pass."
Fang Xi’s eyes suddenly brightened.
He was utterly incapable of setting up a high-grade second-level Array.
And the ’Gale Gold Knife Array’ was mainly offensive. If fully activated, even Core Formation-stage Monster Beasts that ended up in the Array’s Death Gate would struggle to survive!
Of course, generally speaking, Monster Beasts at the Core Formation stage had developed Spiritual Wisdom and wouldn’t foolishly enter deep into the Array.
But Fang Xi was different!
He could ensure that Monster Beasts would fall right into the Death Gate upon their arrival!
"If I get my hands on this Array, acquiring Demon Pills will indeed be as easy as reaching into a bag and extracting what I need..."
Fang Xi’s eyes shone slightly, but seeing Song Qing’s seat in the private room, he fell silent again.
He had experienced this person’s character and knew him to be no saint; showing off too much wealth could easily draw unwanted attention.
"Let’s wait and see..."
Fang Xi held his ground, and this Array immediately became the focus of a frenzied contention among those with a Foundation Establishment pedigree. The price quickly surpassed four thousand!
After calculating his own resources, he immediately gave up.
After liquidating his assets, he had at most seven thousand Spirit Stones. With previous purchases and the expenses of this auction, he only had a little over three thousand lesser Spirit Stones left.
It wasn’t a matter of whether he could compete or not; he simply couldn’t afford it!
In the end, this high-grade second-level Array was taken by a newly advanced Core Formation-stage Family in dire need of a Mountain Protecting Array for a high price of five thousand Spirit Stones.
Several more items were auctioned off, and then Ouyang Zhen brought out another set of Array Disk and Flags:
"Mid-grade second-level ’Yi Wood Shenlei Canzhen’... This Array has lost several Array Flags, and the Array Disk has been damaged. It was later repaired and regained some of its power..."
Fang Xi observed the green Array Flags with a hint of hesitation.
At that moment, a female voice came from within a private room, "What is the coverage area of this Array? Have there been any changes to the Life Gate and Death Gate?
The woman’s questions touched upon key points, suggesting she might also be an Array Master.
Fang Xi perked up his ears and heard Ouyang Zhen’s somewhat embarrassed reply, "The coverage area of this Array has been reduced to around two hundred zhang, and its ability to conceal its aura has weakened. As for the other Prohibitions, they are largely intact..."
"Two hundred zhang?"
The female Array Master let out a derisive laugh and asked no further.
Some more experienced Cultivators also sighed in disappointment.
Typically, a second-level Array with full power could cover several miles up to a dozen miles! Two hundred zhang, only about six hundred meters, had fallen to the level of first-order Arrays and was simply insufficient!
As for the weakened concealment ability, it meant the Array would be difficult to hide, making it unlikely that Monster Beasts would blunder into the trap even if it were set up in the wilderness.
One could say it was quite useless.
"Ahem, the mid-grade second-level ’Yi Wood Shenlei Canzhen’, starting bid fifteen hundred Spirit Stones! Each increase in bid must not be less than twenty Spirit Stones!"
Ouyang Zhen seemed somewhat helpless, as this Array had been damaged by its former owner while hunting Monster Beasts and had been abandoned out of necessity, reluctantly put up for auction—still better than being scrapped for parts!
As expected, the competition among the cultivators below was sparse...
After a few scattered bids, it was bought by a guest in a private room for a sum of one thousand six hundred Spirit Stones.
Ouyang Zhen inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, his face once again beaming with smiles, "Ladies and gentlemen... Next, we have the grand finale of this major auction..."