Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Tempting Treasures

Luo Lian’Er curtsied gracefully, and the wicked, snow-white curve of her chest trembled with the movement, drawing a wave of fervent gazes.

She smiled faintly, seemingly quite pleased with the reaction she had elicited, and went on to explain the Auction rules as usual.

The rules were simple: the highest bidder wins.

Furthermore, threatening or interfering with other bidders was forbidden. Using Divine Sense to probe the identities of others was forbidden. Making inflated bids beyond one’s means, or maliciously driving up the price only to refuse payment, was also forbidden...

If discovered, light offenses would result in expulsion, while serious ones would lead to the crippling of one’s Cultivation. In extremely severe cases, they reserved the right to execute the troublemaker on the spot.

"Then let the Auction officially begin!"

"Bring out the first Treasure, the [Flying Locust Mother and Child Stone]!"

Luo Lian’Er’s charming voice rang out. It wasn’t loud, yet it carried clearly to everyone’s ears.

Lin Changheng raised an eyebrow. ’She must be using some kind of sound-amplifying Magical Artifact to achieve this effect.’

Then, a Female Attendant in white walked onto the stage carrying a tray, stopping to face the audience.

The tray was held upright. Fixed upon it were five bright-yellow, irregular stones—one large and four small—flickering with Spiritual Light.

"I’m sure you’ve all heard of the [Flying Locust Mother and Child Stone]. It is a complete set of Middle Grade offensive Spiritual Artifacts. The large stone directs the smaller ones, while the smaller ones support the main stone. The mother and child artifacts work in concert, striking as one."

"This is one of our workshop’s signature Spiritual Artifacts. The Refining process is exceptionally complex, and only four sets are made available for sale each year. It’s an opportunity you won’t want to miss."

"The starting bid is one hundred and fifty Lower Grade Spirit Stones. Each bid increment must be no less than five Lower Grade Spirit Stones. Bidding begins now, so please place your bids!"

With a radiant smile, Luo Lian’Er had clearly laid out all the artifact’s selling points. A fervent atmosphere immediately swept through the audience, their gazes filled with excitement.

Clearly, this first auction item was an excellent choice. Not only did it instantly liven up the room, but Lin Changheng could also clearly sense a flicker of desire in the eyes of many nearby Middle Stage and Late Stage Cultivators.

’Is this Magical Artifact really that famous?’

Lin Changheng secretly clicked his tongue in wonder. He rarely traveled and avoided conflict, so he had never heard of this [Flying Locust Mother and Child Stone].

But a typical Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact cost over two hundred Spirit Stones, and a complete set like this was even more expensive. The starting bid was far below its actual value.

But on second thought, he realized the hosts had intentionally set the price low to give more people a chance to bid and liven up the atmosphere, which also showed their absolute confidence in their items.

And at that moment—

"One hundred and sixty Lower Grade Spirit Stones!"

Unable to hold back, someone took the lead and placed the first bid.

"One hundred and seventy!"

"I bid one hundred and seventy-five Spirit Stones!"

...

"Heh, if you’re that hard up, you shouldn’t even open your mouth. I bid two hundred and fifty Spirit Stones!"

The bidding had been rising steadily, but it was cut short when a young man’s voice called out from a private room overhead, raising the price by a huge margin.

Instantly, more than half the people in the hall, mouths open and ready to call out a bid, froze. They looked up toward the source of the voice and, ultimately, gave up in unwilling silence.

The occupants of the rooms above were all people of powerful background and immense wealth, completely beyond the reach of self-reliant Loose Cultivators.

Only a few people continued to pursue it.

"Heh, what arrogance. Two hundred and sixty!"

From another private room on the other side, someone retorted mockingly.

"Two hundred and seventy," someone from the main floor called out, gritting their teeth, unwilling to give up.

Watching this unfold, Lin Changheng, who had initially considered bidding, completely abandoned the idea.

Though he was tempted by the artifact, its reputation was too great and the bidding too heated. He’d likely have to pay a steep price to acquire it.

’Not worth it.’

’It’s better to save my Spirit Stones for other uses. I’d hate to encounter something I truly need later and find myself unable to afford it.’

"Three hundred thirty Spirit Stones! That’s the highest I’m willing to go. If someone can offer even five more, it’s all theirs."

"If I weren’t so fond of this Mother and Child Spiritual Artifact, I certainly wouldn’t be chasing it at a price higher than a Masterpiece Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact."

After another round of fierce bidding, the young Male Cultivator who had made the first high bid from the rooms above chuckled and made his declaration.

His words seemed to jolt the other two bidders, who had gotten carried away in the heat of the moment, back to their senses.

After all, even a Masterpiece among Middle Grade Spiritual Artifacts wouldn’t go for more than three hundred Spirit Stones!

Putting its fame and limited nature aside, a Genuine Mother and Child Spiritual Artifact is worth more than a conventional single artifact, but not by such an absurd amount.

For a moment, the hall fell silent.

And indeed, no one else placed a bid.

’Have they really given up?’

Luo Lian’Er scanned the crowd below and the rooms above. Seeing that no one spoke up, she could only call out, "Three hundred thirty Spirit Stones going once, three hundred thirty Spirit Stones going twice..."

Her charming eyes cast encouraging glances around, but to no avail. She then smiled and declared, "Three hundred thirty Spirit Stones, sold! Congratulations to this Fellow Daoist for winning the [Flying Locust Mother and Child Stone]. A Female Attendant will escort you shortly to finalize the purchase."

The moment she finished speaking, Luo Lian’Er clapped her hands, striking while the iron was hot, and signaled for the second item to be brought to the stage.

"The second auction item: three [Blast Spirit Pills]."

The short announcement sent the hall into an even greater uproar.

When Lin Changheng heard the name of this Elixir, he had anticipated this reaction.

He knew, of course, that the [Blast Spirit Pill] was a Realm-Breaking Elixir that could help one break through to the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation.

For Cultivators stuck at the Third Layer of Qi Cultivation, unable to advance, it was a dream come true.

But this Pill had a significant side effect: after taking it, the bottleneck to the next layer would be significantly reinforced.

’But what did that matter? If someone had to resort to a [Blast Spirit Pill] to break through, could they really afford to worry about the future?’

’Or rather, what future did they even have to speak of?’

’After all, if they couldn’t even break through the bottleneck to the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation, how could they hope to overcome the Late Stage bottleneck, much less the Foundation Establishment Grand Barrier?’

’Any progress was a victory.’

Without even needing to introduce the Pill, and urged on by the crowd’s eager stares, Luo Lian’Er announced directly: "These Pills will be auctioned individually. The starting bid is thirty Spirit Stones, with a minimum increment of five Spirit Stones."

Instantly, a chorus of overlapping bids began to rise.

"Thirty-five!"

"Forty Spirit Stones!"

"I’ll give fifty!"

...

"One hundred and twenty!"

The price had quadrupled at such a blistering pace that even Lin Changheng was shocked.

In the end, the first [Blast Spirit Pill] was sold for the price of one hundred and fifty Lower Grade Spirit Stones.

Then, the fierce bidding continued for the remaining two [Blast Spirit Pills].

Surprisingly, the second one sold for one hundred and forty-five.

Many people rubbed their hands in glee, thinking they’d spotted a pattern and could snag a bargain. Instead, the price of the third pill soared all the way to one hundred seventy Spirit Stones!

A chorus of sighs and laments immediately filled the air.

As an observer, Lin Changheng found watching this spectacle of human nature rather interesting.

...

The auction continued to proceed in an orderly fashion.

Before they knew it, it was Noon, but there was no sign of the auction stopping.

"The thirty-fifth item for auction, the [Flying Cloud Boots]!"

Luo Lian’Er’s voice remained as charming as ever as she pointed to the tray.

On the tray, the crowd saw a pair of navy-blue boots. To the naked eye, the main material looked as if it were refined from the hide of a beast.