Inside the Spirit Treasure Pavilion’s auction hall, the crowd was bustling and the atmosphere was fervent. On the high stage, a smiling old man in a brocade robe, a Middle Golden Core Stage Cultivator, served as the auctioneer. His voice was loud and clear, reaching every corner.

"Welcome, Fellow Daoists, to our Spirit Treasure Pavilion’s decennial grand auction! Without further ado, the first item: the High Grade Spiritual Artifact, the ’Blazing Scarlet Saber’! This saber is primarily made of Blazing Scarlet Essence Gold and was personally forged by a Great Master Artifact Refiner. It contains three internal fire-attribute Formations and possesses extraordinary power. The starting bid is fifty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, with minimum increments of one thousand!"

As the auctioneer’s voice fell, a wave of bidding immediately erupted.

"Fifty-two thousand!"

"Fifty-five thousand!"

"Sixty thousand!"

Ultimately, this Blazing Scarlet Saber was auctioned off to a Late Foundation Establishment Stage fire-attribute Cultivator for eighty-three thousand Spirit Stones.

Fang Hao watched quietly without placing a bid. A Spiritual Artifact of this level was no longer of much use to him.

The second item was a bottle of Grade Three Medicinal Pills, ’Barrier-Breaking Pills,’ which could increase a Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s chances of breaking through a minor Bottleneck. They were quite sought after and eventually sold for one hundred and twenty thousand Spirit Stones.

The third item was a set of Magical Artifacts called ’Thousand Illusion Needles,’ consisting of one hundred and eight flying needles as thin as ox hair. Specifically designed to pierce through Protective Aura, they were sinister and eerie. They were bought by a cold-faced Cultivator for one hundred and fifty thousand.

The fourth item was a rare Artifact Refining material, ’Star Tears,’ which drew several Artifact Refiners into a bidding war, driving the price all the way up to two hundred and fifty thousand.

The fifth item was a Profound Rank Medium Grade Cultivation Technique, the Thick Earth Manual, suitable for Earth Spiritual Root Cultivators. It was finally taken by a small Family for one hundred and eighty thousand Spirit Stones.

The opening five items each had their own characteristics, gradually warming up the atmosphere of the venue.

The auctioneer cleared his throat, his voice rising a few notches: "The next item is a rare and precious sword! Fellow Daoist Sword Cultivators, please look!"

A maid walked onto the stage carrying a long jade box. Upon opening the lid, a slender sword radiating cold light was presented to everyone. Cloud patterns seemed to flow along the blade, and the words ’Yitian’ were engraved in ancient seal script on the hilt. Its sharp Aura was overwhelming!

"Peak High Grade Spiritual Artifact—the yitian sword!" the auctioneer announced loudly. "This sword was crafted from the essence of meteoric iron from beyond the heavens and tempered for a hundred years in the fires of the earth’s core! It can cut a hair or slice through iron like butter, and it even comes with a built-in armor-piercing attribute, providing extra penetration against protective spiritual light! The starting bid is one hundred and fifty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, with minimum increments of five thousand!"

"A fine sword!" Below the stage, the eyes of many Sword Cultivators lit up. A sword with a built-in armor-piercing attribute offered a massive advantage in battles between those of the same rank.

"One hundred and sixty thousand!"

"One hundred and seventy thousand!"

"One hundred and eighty-five thousand!"

The bids rose one after another, quickly breaking the two hundred thousand mark.

Fang Hao was tempted. His currently used weapon was the azure steel sword, which was only an ordinary Medium Grade Spiritual Artifact and had long since failed to keep up with his strength. Although the empty clarity mirror was powerful, it leaned more toward support and control; he lacked a powerful primary combat weapon. This yitian sword was perfect!

"Two hundred and fifty thousand!" Fang Hao spoke for the first time, directly raising the price by a significant margin.

The venue went silent for a moment as many gazes turned toward this green-robed Cultivator sitting in the back row with an ordinary Aura.

"Two hundred and sixty thousand!" a Great Perfection Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivator in the front row carrying a long sword said deeply, clearly determined to obtain it.

"Two hundred and eighty thousand!" Fang Hao’s expression remained unchanged.

"Two hundred and ninety thousand!" the Sword Cultivator gritted his teeth.

"Three hundred thousand." Fang Hao calmly stated the final price, his tone brook no argument.

This price had already slightly exceeded the market value of the yitian sword. The Great Perfection Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivator’s expression shifted before he finally gave a cold snort and abandoned the competition. He needed to save his Spirit Stones for the treasures later on.

"Three hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones! This Fellow Daoist bids three hundred thousand! Are there any higher bids?" The auctioneer looked around the room, and seeing no response, he struck the gavel: "Congratulations to this Fellow Daoist on obtaining the yitian sword!" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Fang Hao nodded slightly. To his current wealth, three hundred thousand Spirit Stones were nothing. Obtaining a handy sword would significantly boost his combat power.

After completing the transaction, the yitian sword was in his hand. A cold and sharp Sword Intent emanated from it, and Fang Hao satisfiedly placed it into his storage ring.

The auction continued.

Next, four more treasures were auctioned off: a Top Grade defensive inner armor, the ’Black Tortoise Armor,’ which sold for a high price of four hundred thousand; a five-hundred-year-old ’Dragon Saliva Grass,’ a primary ingredient for many high-level pills, purchased by an alchemist for three hundred and fifty thousand; a Jade Slip recording a rare movement technique, the Blood Shadow Evasion, which had severe side effects but was top-tier for escaping, selling for two hundred and eighty thousand; and finally, a set of thirty-six Formation Flags that could form the ’Minor Heavenly Cycle Star Formation,’ which possessed impressive power and was eventually bought by a Sect representative for five hundred and fifty thousand.

Every item sparked intense competition, making the atmosphere increasingly heated. Aside from the yitian sword, Fang Hao did not act again; he was conserving his energy, waiting for his ultimate goal.

Finally, the auction reached its conclusion, and the finale items began to appear!

The auctioneer’s voice carried excitement: "Next is the third finale item of this auction! It is also the treasure many Fellow Daoists have long been waiting for—the fragment of the heavenly craft puppet manual Jade Slip, passed down from the ancient Tiangong Sect!"

The entire hall instantly fell silent. Everyone’s gaze focused on that dark gold Jade Slip on the high stage, which radiated an ancient and weathered Aura. In several private boxes in particular, obvious spiritual energy fluctuations emanated; clearly, there were Golden Core or even stronger Cultivators determined to obtain this item!

Fang Hao’s heart also raced, his eyes sharp. The main event had arrived!

"Although this fragment is incomplete, it contains various exquisite Puppet construction methods as well as secret arts for repairing core energy circuits! Its value is immeasurable! The starting bid is five hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones! Each increment shall be no less than fifty thousand!" the auctioneer announced loudly.

"Six hundred thousand!" As soon as he finished speaking, a raspy voice from an upper-level box directly raised the price by a hundred thousand!

"Six hundred and fifty thousand!" another box immediately followed up.

"Seven hundred thousand!"

"Eight hundred thousand!"

The price soared as if riding a Flying Sword, breaking the one million mark in the blink of an eye! Those participating in the competition were almost entirely Golden Core Cultivators from the upper boxes! The Cultivators on the lower floor could only watch this feast of wealth in stunned silence.

"One million two hundred thousand!" a majestic voice rang out from the largest central box.

"One million three hundred thousand!" The raspy voice showed no sign of weakness.

"One million five hundred thousand!" Another cold female voice joined the fray.

The competition reached a fever pitch! The price soon broke two million! This caused many Golden Core Cultivators to begin hesitating. Two million Low-Grade Spirit Stones was a massive sum even for a Golden Core Cultivator.

"Two million one hundred thousand!" The central box bid again, carrying an Aura of absolute determination.

The raspy voice fell silent for a moment, seemingly giving up.

The cold female voice hesitated for a bit before bidding: "Two million two hundred thousand!"

"Two million three hundred thousand!" The central box followed immediately.

The female voice sighed and spoke no more. The price seemed set to freeze at two million three hundred thousand.

Right then, Fang Hao, who had been silent, finally spoke. His voice was calm yet clearly reached across the hall:

"Two million six hundred thousand."

Whoosh!

The entire hall erupted in an uproar! Everyone’s gaze instantly converged on this green-robed Cultivator in the back row! It was him again! His earlier purchase of the yitian sword had already drawn attention, and now he actually dared to compete with the big shots in the boxes for a finale treasure? And he raised the price by three hundred thousand in one go?!

Even the auctioneer was stunned for a moment before reacting and shouting excitedly, "Two million six hundred thousand! This Fellow Daoist bids two million six hundred thousand! Are there any higher bids?"

The central box was dead silent, and an invisible pressure began to spread; clearly, the owner of the box was extremely displeased. Two million six hundred thousand was a price that far exceeded expectations.

The auctioneer asked three times, but no one responded.

"Sold! Congratulations to this Fellow Daoist on obtaining the fragment of the heavenly craft puppet manual!"

As the gavel fell, a great weight lifted from Fang Hao’s heart, and he let out a long sigh of relief. Although it cost a fortune, as long as he could repair the golden puppet, it was all worth it!

After handing over an astronomical number of Spirit Stones, the dark gold Jade Slip was finally in his hands. Touching the cool patterns on the Jade Slip, Fang Hao could feel the ancient wisdom contained within.

He did not linger. Under countless gazes filled with envy, jealousy, or scrutiny, he quickly left the Spirit Treasure Pavilion and returned to the inn.

Closing the courtyard gates and activating all the Formations, Fang Hao impatiently immersed his Divine Sense into the Jade Slip. A massive amount of information flooded his mind: countless exquisite Puppet blueprints, analyses of energy circuits, core repair methods... all presented before his eyes!

"It is indeed profound and extensive! With this, there is hope for repairing the golden puppet!" An excited light erupted in Fang Hao’s eyes.

In the coming days, he decided to enter seclusion to fully comprehend this fragment of the heavenly craft puppet manual and begin repairing the golden puppet! Once successful, he would have the true foundation to establish himself in this Qingzhou region.