"The heavens and earth have etched it, a Pill Pattern born from nature..."

"This aroma, this fragrance..." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"It is One-Patterned, without a doubt."

The gray-robed elder held a Vein Nourishing Pill as if he were looking at a supreme treasure, muttering to himself as he examined it.

After a good while, the elder finally looked at Chu Mu, who was seated in the room, and asked with a hint of anticipation.

"This Pill, was it refined by you, Fellow Daoist?"

Before Chu Mu could speak, the middle-aged man who had accompanied him immediately interrupted. "Elder Li, the house rules strictly forbid prying into a guest’s private affairs..."

The elder shook his head. "For an Alchemist such as this, I simply wish to make their acquaintance..."

The elder seemed about to ask again, but in the end, clearly mindful of what the middle-aged man had said, he held his tongue.

A contract was signed, and the door was closed.

Chu Mu frowned, lost in thought.

’What did that old man mean, looking like he wanted to say something but held back?’

Chu Mu took out a One-Patterned Nourishing Vein Pill. As he subtly observed it, he seemed to have a sudden realization and shot to his feet.

But just as quickly, he slowly sat back down.

After a moment of contemplation, Chu Mu seemed to figure something out, and his furrowed brow relaxed.

He shifted, found a comfortable position, and gazed at the auction stage below, silently waiting for the auction to begin.

Time passed. After about half an hour, the few Cultivators who had been busying themselves on the auction stage left one by one.

Chu Mu sat up a little straighter. Sure enough, a moment later, the Stone Gate in the cavern wall below, which had just closed, was pushed open again. A man in white robes with a sword on his back appeared.

The man’s expression was cold, his posture as straight as a sword. He walked to the front of the stage, his voice extremely concise.

"Today’s auction will be presided over by me, Xu."

"Regarding the auction’s rules, I, Xu, will emphasize only one thing: the highest bidder wins, and troublemakers will be put to death!"

His words were flat, yet they carried an inexplicable, unquestionable authority.

"Very well, let the auction begin. Our house’s first item for auction is a Top Grade Magical Artifact, the Cold Light Sword!"

"This Magical Artifact was forged by Master Wei Wu thirty years ago. It has passed through many hands and has built a formidable reputation..."

"Our house acquired this sword and spent a great sum to have Master Wei Wu himself modify it. Its Grade has been elevated to that of a Top Grade Magical Artifact..."

"The starting bid is one thousand Spirit Stones!"

There was no flowery introduction, but... the auction had just begun, and the very first item was... a Top Grade Magical Artifact!

Even through the floor-to-ceiling window layered with a Restriction, Chu Mu could practically feel the fervent atmosphere of the auction hall.

The moment the starting bid of one thousand Spirit Stones was announced, bids rang out from the various rooms, one after another!

In just a few breaths, the bids jumped from one thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones to one thousand six hundred.

This price had already surpassed the normal market value for a Top Grade Attack-type Magical Artifact, yet the bidding continued to soar.

In the end, this Cold Light Sword alone sold for a staggering one thousand nine hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones.

The second auction item was a Pill Furnace called the Red Cloud Fire Auspicious Furnace, also of the Top Grade Magical Artifact Grade.

Its final selling price was as high as three thousand five hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones.

Sitting before the floor-to-ceiling window, Chu Mu was rendered somewhat speechless. ’At this rate, the three thousand-odd Spirit Stones I prepared really don’t have much purchasing power...’

One item appeared after another, their prices varying. Among them were the three bottles of One-Patterned Nourishing Vein Pills he had consigned to the auction house, which appeared midway through. The final selling price... was an astonishing two thousand eight hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones.

A full five hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones higher than the normal market price!

For the three bottles of One-Patterned Nourishing Vein Pills, he received an income of over two thousand one hundred Spirit Stones!

"Room thirty-six."

Chu Mu glanced at the room that had won the bid for his three bottles of One-Patterned Nourishing Vein Pills. With a surge of emotion, he turned his gaze back to the auction stage below.

"Our house’s thirteenth auction item is a Puppet Battle Armor!"

"This Puppet Battle Armor was refined by Master Niu of the Longevity Sect. It is named the Bright Moon Battle Armor. Its main body was forged from purified Tier One Upper Grade Red Spirit Iron and is inscribed with a Three Talents and Five Elements Array Prohibition. Its innate defense is comparable to an Upper Grade Defensive Spiritual Artifact."

"The Battle Armor’s right arm is equipped with the Top Grade Magical Artifact, the Bright Moon Sword, and its left arm with the Top Grade Magical Artifact, the Bright Moon Shield. Its feet are inscribed with a Wind Attribute Restriction, allowing it to briefly levitate and ride the wind. At critical moments, it can even burst forth with five times its normal speed..."

"The Bright Moon Battle Armor is primarily a melee type, but it also comes equipped with the Top Grade Magical Artifact, the Bright Moon Tube, to compensate for its lack of long-range Attack capabilities."

"With it, you can make it your most loyal guard, or you can wear it... A cultivator at the Qi Cultivation First Layer could easily slaughter someone at Qi Cultivation Perfection, and even... survive an encounter with a Foundation Establishment Powerhouse!"

In his room, Chu Mu shot to his feet, his gaze instantly locking onto the so-called Bright Moon Battle Armor on the stage.

The Battle Armor was striking and majestic.

It was a human-shaped Puppet, about two meters tall, resembling a fully armed and armored general. It was covered in silvery-white Armor, holding a Shield in one hand and a Long Sword in the other, with a Divine Fire Tube strapped to its back.

Standing majestically on the stage, Chu Mu felt he could sense the terrifying Mighty Power emanating from the Bright Moon Battle Armor, even from such a great distance.

Under the man’s control, the chest of the Bright Moon Battle Armor slowly opened, just like the mechs from the movies of his past life, ultimately revealing a human-shaped space inside.

The man stepped inside, and the Bright Moon Battle Armor slowly closed, completely enveloping him.

In that instant, the lifeless Puppet seemed to be fully activated. Glimmering, flowing patterns flashed across its surface, and finally, the Puppet slowly took a step forward.

THUD, THUD, THUD...

The Puppet was exceptionally agile, moving no differently from an ordinary person.

The Sword, the Shield, the Divine Fire Tube, even brief flight and nimble maneuvers...

Under the sword-backed man’s control, the Bright Moon Battle Armor displayed its various functions and abilities.

Finally, the Battle Armor opened again, and the sword-backed man stepped out, a rare smile gracing his lips.

"For this Bright Moon Battle Armor, the starting bid is ten thousand Spirit Stones! The highest bidder wins!"

The frighteningly high price did nothing to dampen the already heated atmosphere in the auction hall.

Almost the instant the sword-backed man announced the starting bid, several offers rang out in quick succession. "Twelve thousand!" "Thirteen thousand!" "Fifteen thousand!" "Eighteen thousand!"

At this moment, Spirit Stones seemed to lose their value, becoming no more than worthless mortal paper!

The price was soaring at a frantic pace!

Chu Mu couldn’t hide the fervent look in his eyes, but faced with such an insane price, his excitement slowly cooled.

As for the crazy price, he wasn’t surprised at all, no matter how high it went.

Its innate defense was comparable to an Upper Grade Defensive Spiritual Artifact. It had a Top Grade Magical Artifact Defense Shield, a Top Grade Magical Artifact Long Sword, a Top Grade Magical Artifact Divine Fire Tube, plus the speed to ride the wind...

’What does all this mean?’

’It means this Puppet Battle Armor is, through and through, a killing machine!’

Most Qi Cultivation Realm Cultivators probably couldn’t even break through its defenses!

And this was just its capability as an inanimate Puppet.

But if someone were to wear this Battle Armor, with their flesh-and-blood body protected inside, controlling the inanimate object with their Spiritual Wisdom...

At the Qi Cultivation Realm, it would be virtually unbeatable. Anyone who saw it would have no choice but to flee!

Even if such an existence were to end up with a Qi Cultivation Realm Cultivator, the current price was clearly beyond the reach of any ordinary Qi Cultivation Realm Cultivator.

Its final owner was bound to be someone like the direct grandson of a Golden Core True Master or the youngest son of a Foundation Establishment Powerhouse...

Only people like that had the capital for it.

In the end, after fierce competition, the item with a starting bid of ten thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones sold for a staggering twenty-two thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones!

An astronomical price that silenced the entire auction hall!

After the sky-high price of the Bright Moon Battle Armor, the subsequent items seemed rather dull in comparison.

Even when the twentieth item, a so-called Artifact Refining Manual from an Artifact Refining Master, came up, there wasn’t much competition. With a starting bid of one thousand Spirit Stones, he easily won it for just one thousand two hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones.

His most important goal had been achieved, yet he felt none of the excitement he had anticipated.

That Bright Moon Battle Armor kept replaying in his mind.

’Its abilities, its Mighty Power, its appearance... and my Puppetry Skill...’

’A little disappointed, yet also inexplicably hopeful.’

’What a complicated feeling.’

The auction continued. One after another, rare treasures seldom seen in the outside world appeared, selling for prices that most could only dream of.

Chu Mu only managed to calm his complex emotions when the auction finally ended and a knock came at his door.

It was somewhat unexpected, yet also within his expectations. The person who came to deliver the Spirit Stones was not the palace-gowned woman from before, but the Alchemist known as Elder Li.

"Fellow Daoist, did you manage to acquire your desired item?"

The elder stood smiling at the door. Although Chu Mu was somewhat displeased, he could only offer a perfunctory reply here in the Auction House.

"Thank you for your concern, Fellow Daoist. I was successful."

"It is good that you were successful."

The elder nodded and handed over a Storage Talisman.

"These are your proceeds from the auction. It is all inside."

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist."

"Fellow Daoist, could you tell me from whom you obtained this Vein Nourishing Pill?"

The elder got straight to the point. Then, as if not wanting Chu Mu to misunderstand, he added:

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist, I have no intention of prying. I just wanted to ask if you might know the Alchemist who refined this Vein Nourishing Pill?"

"A naturally formed Pill Pattern is truly a rare achievement. I merely wish to become acquainted with such an Alchemist and ask for some guidance on the profound mysteries of Alchemy."

"Then I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you, Fellow Daoist. I only came upon it by a chance encounter with a certain Cultivator."

The elder asked expectantly, "That Cultivator?"

Chu Mu shook his head, spouting nonsense, "That Cultivator is quite famous in the Jade Emperor Valley Marketplace. He was originally a second-hand dealer, but at some point, he got into the Elixir business."

"I happened to run into him outside the Marketplace that one time, we had a bit of a scuffle..."

"What a pity..."

The elder seemed to know the inside story. He sighed, said, "My apologies for the trouble," and, without pestering him further, turned and left.

Chu Mu tucked the Storage Talisman into his robes, left the room, and walked down the deep corridor toward the Auction House exit.

The stir caused by the Vein Nourishing Pill was clearly greater than he had anticipated.

’The existence of Wang Mazi seems to be common knowledge in this Black Market...’

’Furthermore, my understanding of Elixirs seems to be limited. Otherwise, how could they connect the two of us based on the Dan Pattern Nourishing Vein Pill alone?’

’Elixirs... can their refiner be identified?’