Moreover, looking at its size and purity, it far exceeded Fang Hao’s expectations, being sufficient to meet the requirements for repairing the golden puppet’s core drive Formation, with some even potentially to spare.

"It really is a good item! That Mo Yunhe does have some discernment." Fang Hao contentedly placed this precious void crystal into a specially made jade box, applied a Seal Talisman, and stored it away carefully. With this item, the core Materials for repairing the golden puppet were mostly complete.

Over the next few days, Fang Hao kept a low profile. Aside from occasionally changing his appearance to visit the most chaotic low-level markets in the Old Workshop District to exchange unused low-level Materials and Spirit Stones for some common auxiliary Materials needed to repair the golden puppet (to avoid having his purchase records traced), he spent most of his time in this dilapidated stone house.

He did not immediately begin repairing the golden puppet. Repairing the golden puppet was a delicate and complex project, especially the reconstruction of the core drive Formation, which required an absolutely quiet and safe environment as well as ample time. Being in a dangerous place at the moment, it was clearly not the right time. He merely categorized and prepared the necessary Materials and repeatedly rehearsed every step of the repair in his mind.

He spent more of his time familiarizing himself with and mastering the newly acquired Earthly Fiend Golden Flame. This fire was incredibly powerful, but controlling it was much more difficult than the previous Earth Core Flame Fire because it had fused with a hint of the soldier fiend spirit fire’s sharp, law-breaking characteristics. If not controlled well, it could easily backfire on him or cause unnecessary destruction. Fang Hao did not dare to unleash its full power within the stone house, so he could only continuously communicate with and nurture it using his mind, attempting some subtle manipulations such as changing the flame’s shape, controlling the temperature, or separating a tiny spark for fine operations.

At the same time, he also kept a constant eye on the news from the outside world. Although information was limited in the Old Workshop District, gossip still reached his ears due to the many people there. Sure enough, within two days, he heard Cultivators discussing that an Elder Mo of the Tiangong Alliance seemed to have lost an important item and was secretly sending people to investigate. It was said to be related to the abnormal spiritual energy fluctuations in an abandoned area of the Inner City a few days ago. However, the specific details were varied; some said it was stolen by an enemy, while others said a Disciple had fled with the treasure. There was no mention of Fang Hao, the "Early Golden Core Stage Loose Cultivator." Clearly, Mo Yunhe had not made the matter public, perhaps feeling it was too humiliating to have three subordinates killed by an "Early Golden Core Stage" Cultivator, and had instead simply increased the intensity of the secret search.

Fang Hao only sneered at this. As long as the other party had no solid clues, trying to find him while he was intentionally hiding in the vast Tiangong City was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Time passed day by day amidst Fang Hao’s careful concealment and silent preparation.

Finally, the day arrived for the start of Tiangong City’s decennial grand auction.

On this day, the entire Tiangong City seemed much more bustling. Everywhere on the Giant Mountain, especially on the main road leading to the "Tiangong Auction House" at the summit, the flow of people had increased significantly. Among them were many powerful Golden Core Cultivators, and one could even occasionally see figures surrounded by numerous attendants, riding magnificent carriages and exuding a faint, hidden pressure—clearly Nascent Soul Old Monsters heading out.

Fang Hao also left his hiding place in the stone house early. He changed his appearance once again, this time becoming a middle-aged Loose Cultivator with a sallow complexion and a mustache, at the Early Golden Core Stage. Dressed plainly, he blended into the crowd and headed toward the Tiangong Auction House located in the summit area.

The auction house was located in a prosperous area of Tiangong City near the summit. It was a magnificent circular building covering a vast area, constructed entirely of jade-white boulders, with a soaring dome inscribed with complex Formation patterns that faintly shimmered with spiritual light. At this time, the auction house’s ten-zhang-high gilded gates were already wide open, but the entrance was guarded by fierce-looking guards in uniform spiritual armor, the weakest being at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, with several Golden Core Cultivators presiding to check the identity and qualifications of every person entering.

Entering this decennial auction was no easy task. One either had to hold a VIP invitation issued by the organizers like the Tiangong Pavilion or the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower, or prove they possessed a net worth of at least 500,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones (equivalent to 5,000 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones), or provide rare treasures of equal value as collateral.

Fang Hao naturally had no invitation. He lined up at the inspection entrance, and when it was his turn, under the scrutinizing gaze of the guards, he calmly took out a Storage bag and handed it over. Inside were exactly 600,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones, as well as several valuable third-tier magical artifact Materials he had no use for. This was something he had prepared in advance to demonstrate his financial strength without being too conspicuous.

A leader among the guards, an Early Golden Core Stage Cultivator, took the Storage bag, scanned it with his Divine Sense, nodded, and handed it back to Fang Hao (during the auction, the organizers would provide temporary storage services, but Cultivators usually chose to keep their own belongings). He then handed him a palm-sized bronze token engraved with a number.

"Rank C, Number 78. Take your seat according to the number once inside. No shouting and no private transactions, otherwise you will be severely punished." The guard leader gave the routine instructions.

Fang Hao took the token, said his thanks, and followed the crowd through the grand gates of the auction house.

Behind the gates was an extremely spacious circular hall with a ceiling dozens of zhang high. In the center of the hall was a circular auction stage raised about a zhang above the ground, surrounded by fan-shaped seating tiers rising level by level. The higher up one went, the fewer the seats and the more prestigious they became; those were the areas with private booths, clearly reserved for the grand figures holding VIP invitations.

Following the token’s guidance, Fang Hao found his seat, "Rank C, Number 78," in the back of the third tier. The position wasn’t great, but the view was acceptable, allowing him to clearly see the central auction stage. By now, the hall was seventy to eighty percent full of Cultivators, the air buzzing with voices and a mix of various auras. Among them were many Golden Core Cultivators, and Fang Hao could even faintly sense several hidden and powerful Divine Senses sweeping across the hall from the upper booth area—those were undoubtedly Nascent Soul Cultivators.

He sat down quietly, focusing inward and restraining his aura to the absolute limit, appearing like a perfectly ordinary participant. However, his eyes began to unobtrusively scan the room, and his ears perked up to catch the low-voiced discussions of the surrounding Cultivators.

Would this auction feature the "ten thousand year ironwood heart" as he hoped? Or would there be other unexpected gains, or even... danger?

The auction was about to begin. Yet, undercurrents were already surging. Fang Hao could feel at least three or four strong Divine Senses sweeping over his area, seemingly unintentional but actually deliberate, as if searching for something. One of them was cold and sinister, faintly carrying a hint of anger and killing intent, causing alarm bells to ring slightly in his heart.

Mo Yunhe had indeed come. Furthermore, he seemingly had not given up on searching for him.