Auction

"Puppet Technique is also a craft that lets you make money while sitting at home!"

Li Chang'an's face lit up with delight.

Among the Hundred Arts of Cultivation, Puppet Technique ranked among the very best.

When cultivators explored ancient Ruins or Predecessor's Cave Mansions, they inevitably used Puppets to scout the way.

When fighting others,

having one more Puppet meant having a little better chance of victory.

"Good Puppets never lack buyers."

Li Chang'an's eyes gleamed as he stared at the contents of the Hexagram Image.

What truly delighted him was the grade of this Puppet Inheritance.

High-grade first tier!

The Talisman Inheritance he currently possessed was only Mid-grade First Tier.

Other than marrying into the Zheng Family, he had yet to find another way to obtain a high-grade Talisman Inheritance.

"I'll soon be able to draw premium grade mid-grade Talismans. By then, my Talisman craft will have temporarily reached its end."

Li Chang'an pondered this.

Before obtaining a high-grade Talisman Inheritance, he could just study Puppet Technique.

In any case, he had enough energy now.

He had not studied Feng Shui technique before because its grade was too low, and it did not align with his cultivation philosophy.

The next day.

Early in the morning,

the Marketplace was already exceptionally lively.

Almost everyone was discussing the upcoming Auction.

At noon,

the Auction officially began.

The one presiding over it was an amiable-looking old man.

"Fellow Daoists, the first auction item is a Cloud Breaking Pill."

At once, many cultivators present began breathing more rapidly.

Countless gazes converged upon the pill bottle.

The Cloud Breaking Pill was a high-grade first tier medicinal pill. Its ingredients were incomparably precious, and it had only one effect—assisting in breakthroughs!

The sixth layer of Qi Refining to the seventh layer was the dividing line between Mid Qi Refining and the late Qi Refining stage.

It was exceedingly difficult to cross.

Many cultivators remained trapped before this barrier for their entire lives, unable to break through until death.

Yet the Cloud Breaking Pill could greatly reduce the difficulty of breaking through.

And it had few side effects.

"This Cloud Breaking Pill was refined by our Zheng Family's Second-tier Alchemist. It is a premium grade Cloud Breaking Pill!"

"The starting price is three hundred Spirit Stones!"

"Each bid must increase by no less than ten!"

The moment his words fell,

someone immediately called out a price of three hundred and fifty.

But before long, another person bid four hundred.

One party after another spoke up, their bids climbing higher each time, and the atmosphere of the Auction grew increasingly heated.

Li Chang'an sat silently in a corner without saying a word.

"I probably won't need a Breakthrough Pill."

He had once heard that

for the hurdle between the sixth and seventh layers of Qi Refining, it was best not to use medicinal pills to break through.

Doing so would diminish one's potential.

It might cause problems when attempting to break through to Foundation Establishment in the future.

However,

many people did not even hope to reach Foundation Establishment. They only sought late Qi Refining stage cultivation.

In the end, this premium grade Cloud Breaking Pill sold for the lofty price of nine hundred and fifty Spirit Stones.

"Fellow Daoists, the second auction item is a Low-grade First Tier skill."

"Gu Insect Inheritance!"

"The starting price is..."

Soon, one item after another was auctioned off.

Not every item was worth so much; some were of relatively low value.

About two quarters of an hour later,

a Puppet was brought onto the stage.

"It's finally here."

Li Chang'an's gaze sharpened as he carefully examined it.

It was a jet-black Humanoid Puppet.

No one knew what material it had been made from.

Its surface bore many marks left by sharp and blunt weapons. Half its head was gone, and its limbs were also badly damaged, as though it had endured an extremely brutal battle.

The old man introduced it with a smile.

"This Puppet was discovered in a Secret Realm. After appraisal, it has been determined to have reached high-grade first tier."

"What? High-grade first tier?"

Upon hearing this, many cultivators' eyes lit up.

The auction list provided beforehand had only stated that there would be a Puppet, without mentioning that it was high-grade first tier.

A Puppet of this grade,

if properly controlled,

could fight a late Qi Refining stage cultivator!

However, someone soon raised a question.

"Senior, this Puppet is so badly damaged. Can it still display high-grade first tier strength?"

"You have a sharp eye, young friend!"

The old man smiled, then began giving a detailed explanation.

"If this Puppet were intact, it could indeed be considered high-grade first tier. But now it is shattered beyond repair and cannot be controlled normally. At best, it can barely be counted as a First-tier Low-grade Puppet."

"However..."

The old man changed tack. "Our Zheng Family has no outstanding Puppet Masters, so perhaps we have overlooked something. After all, this item was excavated from a Secret Realm. It may well conceal some secret from ancient times."

"If any of you know a skilled Puppet Master, you may purchase this Puppet and ask them to inspect it carefully."

What he meant was that it might be possible to find a hidden treasure.

Such things were not unheard of.

Someone had once bought a fragment of an Artifact from an Ancient Secret Realm at a low price during an Auction, only to discover that it contained a Storage Space filled with a large quantity of valuable treasures!

But everyone immediately lost interest, and few were willing to gamble on it.

Simply because

the chance of finding a hidden treasure was far too low!

After another round of introduction, the old man announced the price.

"This Puppet has a base price of thirty Spirit Stones. Each increase must be no less than one Spirit Stone."

Among the many auction items this time, this Puppet's starting price was considered very low.

It would most likely only serve to make up the numbers.

Scattered bids rang out from the crowd, sparse and cold, nothing like the earlier fervor.

In the end,

Li Chang'an also began bidding.

"Fifty-seven Spirit Stones!"

The moment he spoke,

an astonished gaze descended from a private room at the very top of the Auction.

"Eh? Why is he buying that thing? Could it be that he wants to try his luck?"

Zheng Qingqing was inside that private room, and a trace of surprise appeared on her pretty face.

Beside her

sat a young girl dressed in a long white gown.

The girl had delicate features and lively eyes, and her gaze too fell upon Li Chang'an below.

"Qingqing, is he the Li Chang'an you told me about?"

"Yes."

Zheng Qingqing nodded slightly and asked the girl,

"Ling'er, what do you think of him?"

"His looks are passable."

The girl's name was Zheng Ling'er.

She was sixteen years old, petite and charming, and Zheng Qingqing's younger cousin.

She was also a cultivator with a Low-grade Spirit Root.

Zheng Qingqing planned to introduce her to Li Chang'an and bring the two together.

But Zheng Ling'er frowned slightly, seeming rather dissatisfied.

"Qingqing, his looks are the only thing about him that can pass. His aptitude is truly mediocre."

The Cultivation World's requirements for a companion were similar to those of the Secular World, though somewhat different.

Looks were merely secondary.

What truly mattered was one's aptitude and cultivation.

Zheng Qingqing smiled gently and patiently persuaded her. "Ling'er, Li Chang'an has a Low-grade Spirit Root, and so do you. Your cultivation talents are similar, so you are actually very well suited."

"Qingqing, how can you calculate it that way?"

Zheng Ling'er pouted, looking somewhat aggrieved.

"Even if I only have a Low-grade Spirit Root, shouldn't I at least work hard to find a Dao Companion with a Mid-grade Spirit Root?"