A Segment of a Spirit Vein
Shen Jingchuan's heart skipped a beat.
"Sister, I know, I'm determined to get this."
"It's not just about having to get it, it's about getting it for me no matter how many Spirit Stones it costs."
Xian'er's voice was fast and urgent:
"The usefulness of this Spirit Vein to your Heaven and Earth Ring is beyond your imagination; it's definitely not something that can be compared to tens of thousands of Spirit Stones."
She took a breath and continued.
"The Spirit Vein is embedded in the Ring, continuously generating Spiritual Qi. Even if you stop adding Spirit Stones, the Ring can rely on it to gradually repair and improve itself."
"Whether it's a first-tier or second-tier Spirit Vein, the higher the grade, the better. A third-tier one would be ideal," Xian'er said. "The more Spirit Veins you bury, the faster the Ring will repair and upgrade."
Shen Jingchuan felt a surge of excitement upon hearing this.
"Don't worry, sis, I'm going to get it today no matter what."
He began to silently calculate his family's assets.
I've earned over 60,000 Spirit Stones in this period, and bought a lot of things, so I still have over 50,000 left; plus the savings I had earlier, I now have a total of 82,000 Spirit Stones.
He hadn't allowed the Ring to absorb anything, intending to use it at the auction.
The starting bid is only ten thousand; getting it shouldn't be a problem. He had just finished calculating his options.
Thirty thousand!
In a private room upstairs, someone immediately raised the price three times over on the first try.
The adjacent private room was not to be outdone.
Thirty-two thousand!
Thirty-five thousand!
"Forty thousand!"
The prices kept rising. Those bidding were all from the private rooms upstairs; not a single person in the downstairs seating area said a word.
This thing is good, but it would take hundreds of years to cultivate a complete Spirit Vein using Spirit Stones.
Those Rogue Cultivators downstairs, whether they can even Foundation Establishment a hundred years from now, or even live to see that day, is another matter entirely. Who would waste their money on such a waste? Besides, they couldn't afford it anyway.
Those who actually take action are either large Lineage with established lineages or high-level cultivators who have reached a certain level of cultivation and plan to establish their own Lineage in the future, paving the way for their descendants early on.
Some families already have Spirit Veins, and they don't mind burying another section inside. It only brings benefits and no harm. With slow nurturing, it will eventually become a First-Tier Spirit Vein.
Shen Jingchuan held his teacup, but didn't speak.
Offering a bid now would only be a case of joining in the bidding, completely pointless. He decided to let them argue first, and then make his move at the very end.
The price rose steadily with each round of bidding, quickly exceeding 70,000 Spirit Stones.
At this point, the noise in the room noticeably subsided, with only two or three private rooms still locked in a tense standoff.
Prices kept rising, and people were scrambling to get into the private rooms; it didn't take long for the price to reach 72,000.
This time, the atmosphere in the arena cooled down.
Beyond that, it's beyond what ordinary Lineage can afford. Discussing took place in several private rooms, but no one spoke up for a moment.
Shen Jingchuan had remained silent until now, knowing that it was about time.
Seventy-five thousand.
His voice came from the central private room; it wasn't loud, but it clearly dominated the entire room.
A commotion broke out in the lobby on the first floor, with many people looking up at the private room in the center.
"Whose company is this? He didn't touch any of those smaller items."
"You don't know? That's the owner of Returning Geese Tower; the market specially arranged this central spot for him."
"Small items are nothing special, but you immediately ask for something big, tsk..."
Just then, a somewhat arrogant voice came from the private room diagonally next to Shen Jingchuan's.
"Young friend."
The voice paused, then, with a hint of pride, introduced itself.
"I am Tian Chengye, a member of the Tian clan of the State of Qi. To be honest, young friend, you've probably never heard of my family's reputation."
"Just a month ago, my Tian Household condensed his Golden Core and is now Golden Core True Person. My Tian Household originally had a First-Tier Spirit Vein, but its grade was too low, so we took a liking to this fragment of the vein, intending to take it back and bury it to enhance the Lineage's foundation."
"I am determined to have this. If you would be so kind as to give it to me today, the Tian Household will certainly receive a share of the benefits when we arrive in the Qi Kingdom."
His words, ostensibly a discussion, actually involved even Golden Core True Person, a combination of coercion and enticement.
Shen Jingchuan listened, but his heart remained largely unmoved.
He was a cultivator from the Great Qian Kingdom, and he had never even heard of the Tian family of Qi.
He didn't know the other party's situation until he heard those few words—it turned out there was Golden Core True Person in their family.
Before he could speak, a cold snort came from backstage.
Steward Wang had somehow appeared on the stage, his face darkening.
"Tian Chengye, shut up!"
The sound was not loud, but it carried the pressure of Foundation Establishment cultivator, and the entire place immediately fell silent.
Steward Wang coldly glanced at Shen Jingchuan as he looked at the private room next door.
"This is an auction in Spirit Creek Market. The highest bidder wins, and everything is determined by Spirit Stones. You're using both threats and bribes here. What do you think you're doing, treating True Person Moxuan's place like?"
The person in the private room seemed to want to argue.
Steward Wang didn't give him a chance to speak at all.
"I advise you to find out the details before you make a move."
His tone was calm, yet every word he spoke carried weight:
"You must know who's behind Spirit Creek Market. True Person Moxuan was already Golden Core cultivator a hundred years ago."
"That fellow from your Tian Household only just condensed his core a month ago. A mere Golden Core cultivator dares to try and intimidate people in my Spirit Creek Market?"
"Since you've come from afar, I'll give you some face and let this matter go. But this is a one-time exception."
"If you utter another word, please leave now, and don't bother coming back."
His words were firm and resounding, and the private room fell completely silent.
Hearing this, Shen Jingchuan felt reassured.
He had been a little alarmed when he heard that the other party's family had Golden Core True Person.
Only after Steward Wang made things clear did they realize that the True Person Moxuan behind the market was a level higher than the newly promoted Golden Core cultivator from the Tian Household, and that he didn't take the other party seriously at all.
With the support of the market, he really had nothing to fear in this building. Going out? Heh, we'll see.
He absolutely had to obtain this Spirit Vein.
After a moment of silence in the corridor, Tian Chengye gritted his teeth in the adjacent private room.
"Seventy-six thousand."
The sound was much lower than before, clearly indicating that it had reached its last gasp.
Shen Jingchuan had no intention of arguing with him endlessly; he planned to crush him in one fell swoop.
"Eighty thousand."
The entire audience erupted in uproar.
There was a long silence on Tian Chengye.
Eighty thousand Spirit Stones, plus the cost of his personal treasures, for a fragment of a broken vein that needs to be nurtured for over a hundred years—this amount far exceeds what he can afford to decide. If he really insists on pushing himself, he won't be able to explain it to his clan when he returns.
"... Congratulations, fellow Daoist."
After a long pause, a voice finally uttered from the private room, filled with resentment, but ultimately no further bids were made.
On the stage, Liu Meiniang waited for a moment, and seeing that no one else spoke, she raised her hammer.
"Eighty thousand Spirit Stones, once."
"Eighty thousand Spirit Stones, twice."
"80,000 Spirit Stones, three times—sold!"
The wooden hammer fell, sealing the deal.
Shen Jingchuan leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath. With that one bid, 80,000 Spirit Stones were gone, leaving him with only a little over 2,000 spirit stones.
The family fortune was almost entirely emptied in one go.
But he doesn't regret it.
Xian'er said that once this Spirit Vein is buried in the Heaven and Earth Ring, it will continuously generate Spiritual Qi, allowing the Ring to repair and improve itself in the future. This is a benefit that no amount of Spirit Stones can buy.
The most shocked was Xiao Mingshu. Huan'er? Needless to say, Huan'er was almost fainting.