Technique Auction

The afternoon sun was just right. Leaning against his body, it made him feel warm all over.

Zhao Huai hummed a little tune as he strode down the road with carefree ease.

This Technique Auction was being held at the Heavenly Treasures Guild, some distance from the eastern side of the city.

The Heavenly Treasures Guild was the largest and most widely circulated merchant guild in all Great Xia. In every somewhat prosperous city across the Central Continent, it had branches. Zhao Huai was currently headed for the Heavenly Goods Branch in Jinzhou.

The Heavenly Treasures Guild had initially been founded by a group of powerful cultivators. After more than eight hundred years of development, it had become a colossal existence. Beyond the Central Continent, its shadow could be found even in remote places.

If cultivators wanted to quickly obtain cultivation resources, they inevitably had to deal with them.

As they put it internally, the Heavenly Treasures Guild did not produce cultivation resources. They were merely porters of resources, providing the vast number of cultivators with a platform for trade.

Strictly speaking, it stood above the Mortal World and had lasted longer than ordinary dynasties.

Zhao Huai passed through the bustling crowds and soon arrived at the Heavenly Goods Branch.

Before him stretched a broad, immaculately clean street. As far as the eye could see stood rows upon rows of exquisite pavilions, packed together like fish scales and roof tiles, grand and imposing. Lanterns hung all around the street entrance.

What glowed within those lanterns was not fire, but spirit stones.

In the eyes of truly powerful cultivators, gold, silver, and jewels held no meaning whatsoever. Thus, without question, the hardest currency in circulation throughout the martial world, the Mortal World, and the imperial court was spirit stones. Demon cores, Demon Bones, strange stones used for smelting and forging, and medicinal pills that aided cultivation could also be used in trade.

But how many true cultivators were there, really?

Only upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm could an ordinary person be said to have stepped through the gates of immortality. Becoming a powerful cultivator was exceedingly difficult. Yet most people were stuck at the Qi Refining stage. Taking the circumstances of most people into account, gold and silver could also be used in guild transactions, though the exchange rate was very low.

Zhao Huai possessed quite a bit of gold and silver, but his spirit stones were extremely limited. Therefore, he had a very clear goal in mind for purchasing techniques this time.

If a technique was not of tremendous value to him, he would not buy it.

At the entrance to the Heavenly Goods Branch—

The extravagant hall was packed with all kinds of people. Anyone who could come here was either rich or noble, so they were all dressed in lavish finery. Some people from decent households had even come merely to broaden their horizons.

Amid the constant flow of people, Zhao Huai strolled inside lazily and swept his gaze around. The strongest cultivators here did not exceed Qi Refining Level 3, lower than he had expected.

Come to think of it, those with good aptitude had long since joined sects. Why would they still be lingering here?

Zhao Huai entered a quiet room and found an old man.

"Old Chu, it's been a long time." The moment he entered, he greeted him with a smile.

"Hahaha, Young Master Zhao! You finally made it."

Old Chu was an elderly man in a gray Daoist robe, with a kindly smile. His hair was completely white, and wrinkles crawled over his face. He was already very old. He was a guest elder of the Heavenly Treasures Guild and had long been stationed at the Jinzhou branch, solely to collect a pension.

Do not let his age fool you. He was actually at the second level of Foundation Establishment and was already over a hundred years old. In his youth, he had been on the front lines of an immortal cultivation sect. Now, he was spending his retirement in this branch.

"The pills you bought last time worked well, didn't they? Your complexion and mood both look good. It seems you've made another breakthrough."

Old Chu stroked his beard and looked smilingly at the spirited Zhao Huai, unable to conceal the envy in his eyes.

The gap between people truly was enormous. At Zhao Huai's age, he had still been struggling at the first or second level of Qi Refining.

"Thanks to your blessing, the pills from last time were excellent. I've run into a small bottleneck in my cultivation, so I came today to look at some techniques." Zhao Huai replied with a faint smile.

"Techniques? It seems several top-grade techniques have been added this time. We'll see whether you can win one."

Old Chu said meaningfully.

"Can't you reveal a little more?" Zhao Huai felt greatly reassured, then chuckled.

"A little mystery is good." Old Chu shook his head, unable to help laughing.

Old Chu then tossed Zhao Huai a token and said with a smile, "Your room has already been reserved. Just head over. It's near the front—a luxurious private room."

Zhao Huai accepted the token and chuckled. "Thanks. I'll treat you to tea another day."

Upon arriving at the arranged luxurious private room, Zhao Huai comfortably reclined in a sable-fur lounge chair. Beautiful maidservants brought him fine tea and delicate pastries of the highest quality.

His position was an open-air platform at just the right height, allowing him to overlook the entire venue and clearly see the auctioned items.

Similar platforms stood beside his, though no one had arrived there yet.

At this height, others would also be unable to see who he was.

Since he had come many times and spent no small amount, it would not be an exaggeration to call him a member of the Heavenly Treasures Guild. That was how he had come to know Old Chu.

Besides, cultivation was already exhausting enough. Couldn't he enjoy himself a little?

People below filed in one after another, filling the empty seats. Before long, the venue was packed to the brim.

At the same time, a young man in a dark green robe arrived in the private room beside Zhao Huai, accompanied by attendants. He was dressed in an outrageously flashy manner, with three jade rings on one hand. Clearly, his family was wealthy and well-connected.

Zhao Huai merely gave him an indifferent glance.

He was just an ordinary man with no cultivation.

The servant beside him, however, had some skill. He was clearly the sort of person who served as a bodyguard.

Zhao Huai immediately withdrew his gaze, took out the Golden Coin, and prepared to divine today's fortune.

Misfortune and fortune leaned upon one another; for now, let him see.

Divination Sign One: Refine skill through objects, impart spirit to form. Auspicious stars shine overhead. The guidance you receive is: "Blessing."

Root Tracing Guidance: Blessed light shines upon you; your harvest will be abundant.

Looking at the words that appeared and the guidance beneath them, Zhao Huai murmured to himself:

"Refine skill through objects, impart spirit to form... It sounds quite mysterious. What does an abundant harvest refer to?"

"Wealth? Techniques?"

It was neither fully clear nor fully obscure, just like a riddle-speaker. Zhao Huai could not make heads or tails of it.

Should he upgrade the Root Tracing fate trait again later? Perhaps its effects would become better? Whatever the case, after the Golden Coin's guidance, Zhao Huai began looking forward to it.

At this moment, the young man in dark green kept looking around, finding everything exceedingly novel. When he caught sight of Zhao Huai's calm and composed manner, he could not help calling across the gap:

"Say, brother, you look quite formidable. Do you know what precious items will be auctioned today?"

Zhao Huai gave him an indifferent glance.

"I don't."

The young man in dark green seemed naturally familiar with everyone and continued smiling. "My name is Li Yanqing. I've long been troubled by finding a way to break through Qi Refining. I came to this auction precisely to seek a solution."

"Brother, do you know any methods for making a quick breakthrough, or perhaps any cultivation experience?"

"I don't."

Zhao Huai did not even look at him. His eyes remained fixed straight ahead on the auction items being brought to the center of the hall.

As the saying went, better a fellow Daoist die than a poor Daoist die.

Cultivators were mostly self-interested. Generally, they would not trouble themselves with other people's affairs, even if it was only to offer a suggestion.

Besides, he was not familiar with this man.

"The auction officially begins!"

As the host shouted loudly from the stage, the auction was about to begin. The young man in dark green could only fall silent, a trace of regret in his eyes.