Purple Moon Auction (Part 2)

On the second floor, in the ninth room from the left, sat a short, middle-aged man named Luo Hua, a steward of the Seven Absolutes Sect, with Foundation Establishment Eighth Layer.

A few months ago, when Luo Hua was on a sect mission, he encountered an Evil Cultivator at the Ninth Layer of Foundation Establishment. Realizing that he might be at a disadvantage in a direct confrontation, he chose to launch a sneak attack.

My initial plan was to severely injure this Evil Cultivator with the God-Slaying Crossbow, making the subsequent battle easier.

Unexpectedly, the arrow struck, and the Evil Cultivator died instantly in terror and confusion, killed by the God-Slaying Crossbow.

Afterwards, Luo Hua tallied up the spoils of war and received the sect's contribution points. The Cultivation Resources he obtained far exceeded what he had paid when he exchanged the God-Slaying Crossbow with Yang Tianyou.

Having tasted the benefits, Luo Hua naturally set his sights on the Yang Household's God-Slaying Crossbow.

Upon hearing that the Yang Household was going to hold the Purple Moon Auction and that the God-Slaying Crossbow might appear at the event, he rushed over without stopping, intending to acquire one or two more God-Slaying Crossbows as his trump card.

"I'll offer 18,000 Spirit Stones!" Luo Hua said directly, his voice resolute.

"It's Fellow Daoist Luo Hua's voice! He really has come to participate in the Purple Moon Auction!"

"Heh, Luo Hua? He showed off quite a bit with his God-Slaying Crossbow last time, now it's my turn!"

In the private rooms on the second floor, upon hearing Luo Hua's voice, many Foundation Establishment Cultivators revealed expressions of "I knew it."

"I'll offer 20,000 Spirit Stones!" a Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Seven Absolutes Sect said, his eyes burning with desire as he looked at the God-Slaying Crossbow on the platform.

Xu Bowen and Luo Hua were both stewards of the Seven Absolutes Sect, and they didn't get along at all.

A few months ago, the opponent killed Ninth Layer of Foundation Establishment Evil Cultivator, making him famous within the sect.

This made Xu Bowen, who had always regarded Luo Hua as a competitor, very uncomfortable, and a sense of crisis rose in his heart.

In the past, he was always the one who had the upper hand over Luo Hua, but now he was the one being suppressed.

Face is secondary; the key issue is that it will affect the sect's status and the distribution of Golden Core Formation Pill.

It should be understood that even for a long-established Golden Core Force like the Seven Absolutes Sect, the Golden Core Formation Pill within the sect is absolutely insufficient. To obtain one, one must accumulate enough Meritorious Service and defeat other competitors in order to gain the favor of the sect's higher-ups.

Cultivators fight against the heavens, fight against the earth, but most importantly, they fight against other people.

Only by constantly overcoming the difficulties and obstacles along the way can we forge a Great Dao to success.

"I'll offer 21,000 Spirit Stones!" Luo Hua retorted, recognizing his old rival's voice.

"I'll offer 23,000 Spirit Stones!"

Another Foundation Establishment Cultivator joined in; he was a steward from the Goldwater Sect, Golden Core Sect. Thanks to Luo Hua's free publicity, the God-Slaying Crossbow had become famous throughout Dragon Valley County, especially among Foundation Establishment cultivators, where there were many who were interested in this Forbidden Artifact.

"I'll offer 25,000 Spirit Stones!"

"I'll offer 26,000 Spirit Stones!"

"I'll offer 28,000 Spirit Stones!"

The struggle below was fierce, even attracting the attention of the Golden Core Cultivators at the top.

"Is this God-Slaying Crossbow really that powerful? So many Foundation Establishment Cultivators are chasing after it!" True Person Xuanling's eyes showed doubt.

Then his eyes flickered slightly. True Person Xuanling was also an Artifact Refining Master, barely reaching the Third-Tier Lower-Grade.

For him, crafting a normal Third-Tier Lower-Grade Law Treasure would be somewhat difficult.

However, the God-Slaying Crossbow is different. It is only Tier 2 Supreme-Grade item. It is not easy to obtain, but it is not difficult either.

Thinking of this, True Person Xuanling's expression hardened. "If I figure out the internal workings of this God-Slaying Crossbow and make some replicas myself, I should be able to earn some Spirit Stones from it. Wouldn't that be much better than going on arduous adventures everywhere?"

"I'll offer 35,000 Spirit Stones!"

True Person Xuanling spoke decisively, his voice carrying a faint Golden Core aura, causing the second-level Foundation Establishment Cultivators to pause slightly, then look helpless.

It wasn't that they were intimidated by the opponent's strength; most of these Foundation Establishment Foundation Establishment were vying for the God-Slaying Crossbow had Golden Core Forces backing them up.

The reason for this behavior is that, when it comes to financial resources, 99% of Foundation Establishment Cultivator cultivators would probably lose to a Golden Core Cultivator.

"Thirty-seven thousand Spirit Stones!" Luo Hua added two thousand Spirit Stones, unwilling to give up.

"Thirty-eight thousand Spirit Stones!" Xu Bowen, not to be outdone.

In fact, at this point, the price of the God-Slaying Crossbow has exceeded the value that a normal Tier 2 Supreme-Grade Forbidden Artifact should have.

The reason why everyone is so enthusiastic about it is largely due to Luo Hua's feat of instantly killing Ninth Layer of Foundation Establishment Evil Cultivator.

It's like a signboard hanging there, not to mention, the person on the signboard actually appeared, wanting to buy the God-Slaying Crossbow again.

Seeing this, other cultivators naturally followed suit.

Subtly and gradually, the value of the God-Slaying Crossbow will naturally be a notch higher than its normal price; this is the effect of 'reputation'.

Yang Tianjiu, who was hosting the Auction below, had a broad smile in his eyes.

The God-Slaying Crossbow is the Yang Household's signature Forbidden Artifact, and it can be produced stably. Although mass production is impossible, an output of two per year is still acceptable.

If we calculate based on the price of 35,000 Spirit Stones per God-Slaying Crossbow...

Even after deducting material costs and labor, one can still net at least 30,000 Spirit Stones a year – that's practically a windfall!

"I'll offer 40,000 Spirit Stones!"

The True Person Xuanling Man remained calm and composed, sensing the helplessness of the many Foundation Establishment below. His earlier frustration at not being able to snatch the Heavenly Azure Pearl seemed to vanish with it.

"Forty thousand Spirit Stones! Any Daoist Friends willing to bid higher? Forty thousand Spirit Stones once, forty thousand Spirit Stones twice, forty thousand Spirit Stones three times! Sold! The God-Slaying Crossbow belongs to this senior!"

With Yang Tianjiu's hammer blow, the God-Slaying Crossbow, which was almost a subpar Third Tier Spirit Items, fell into the hands of True Person Xuanling.

"Hehe, fellow Daoist Friends, don't be impatient. As a unique Forbidden Artifact of my Yang Household, the God-Slaying Crossbow will be available in many of the Foundation Establishment Auction and Golden Core level Auctions in the future. You'll always have a chance to buy one!"

Upon hearing Yang Tianjiu's words, the Foundation Establishment Cultivators who had failed to snatch the God-Slaying Crossbow softened their expressions.

That's true, there will be other opportunities in the future, so there's no need to rush.

Moreover, if they negotiate privately with the Yang Household, they might be able to obtain a God-Slaying Crossbow directly.

Back then, Luo Hua acquired this treasure at the Yang Household's trade fair using only a Second-Tier Upper-Grade Puppet and two Frost Stones.

Why can't they?

Moreover, you might be able to get a discount if you negotiate privately.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators looked puzzled, each harboring their own thoughts.

Yang Tianjiu smiled faintly, having anticipated this situation.

Auction is not just Auction; it's also a promotional event.

As long as the organization holding the Auction has special Spirit Items that attract Cultivators, those Cultivators will be willing to lower themselves and make contact with that organization.

With back and forth exchanges, won't your network of contacts naturally open up?

Doesn't that broaden your perspective?

On the other side, at the highest level of the Auction, True Person Xuanling held a small, pale red crossbow in his hand and couldn't wait to study it, wanting to see if he could replicate the God-Slaying Crossbow.

However, the moment his Divine Sense penetrated it, the God-Slaying Crossbow began to glow slightly. This was a sign that it had been activated, and it was also a backup plan left by the Yang Household to prevent other cultivators from imitating it.

True Person Xuanling immediately stopped what he was doing and sighed in frustration.

However, he did not give up and planned to spend more time figuring it out after returning home.

Could a mere Tier 2 Supreme-Grade Forbidden Artifact possibly pose a challenge to a Third Tier Artifact Refining Master like him?

However, what True Person Xuanling didn't know was that the true core of the God-Slaying Crossbow, besides the intricate Artifact Mark created by the Yang Household, also depended heavily on the special material Soul-Gathering Stone.

Without the Soul-Seizing Arrow Howl, the God-Slaying Crossbow is just an ordinary Tier 2 Supreme-Grade Forbidden Artifact, far less lethal and intimidating.

Of course, even if the imitation fails, True Person Xuanling won't lose much, at most a few thousand Spirit Stones, which is nothing to him; he can just consider it a lesson learned.