He Yuan

In these three years, several more shops had inquired about him and sought him out to supply them.

He had, of course, reluctantly agreed to all of them. It would be foolish not to accept the opportunity to safely and quickly exchange resources for Spirit Stones.

For this purpose, he even fabricated a powerful, mysterious organization called the Immortal Dao Trading Company, portraying himself as merely an insignificant nobody within it.

In the cultivation world, besides the major sects, there were naturally all sorts of other forces.

These included major cultivation families, various merchant associations, trading companies, as well as secret assassination organizations, intelligence organizations, and various other entities.

Although Qingxu City was within the sphere of influence of the Qingxu Sect and had inextricable ties to it, strictly speaking, it could also be considered a force in itself.

Therefore, Wang Hong's explanation did not arouse suspicion. The cultivation world was filled with countless, intricate forces; it was normal for them not to have known about it before.

If it weren't for a major force, they wouldn't be able to provide such a quantity of spiritual items consistently over time.

He had now developed relationships with five shops, supplying them with elixirs and spiritual herbs.

These five were all small shops opened by minor cultivation families or individuals, without any significant backing.

Major forces wouldn't pay attention to these small shops, and he didn't dare to provoke those major forces now; cooperating with them could easily leave him with nothing left, not even his bones.

His current plan was to cooperate with these less conspicuous small merchants, as these small merchants posed no threat to him.

These small merchants were numerous, and most of them lacked a stable supply of goods, often experiencing feast or famine. Wang Hong was like timely rain to them.

Wang Hong's current strength was insufficient. His plan was to quietly expand among these small merchants and quietly amass wealth.

He planned to gradually turn his fictional Immortal Dao Trading Company from a fabrication into a reality, expanding it to every city in the cultivation world.

Of course, this was just a long-term plan; one had to eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time.

In a few months, the sect mission, which occurred once every ten years, would be released. This had caused the prices in Qingxu City to rise, with talismans, Magic Artifacts, elixirs, Spirit Wine, and other items increasing by twenty to thirty percent.

Consequently, this year's Ten-Store Joint Auction was held with exceptional grandeur. It was said that all the major shops had brought out their most prized treasures to participate in the auction.

Wang Hong also intended to participate in the auction, hoping to bid on one or two practical treasures.

He had also submitted two Barrier Breaking Pills, a small bottle of Spirit Bee Royal Jelly, and ten bottles of Spirit Wine for auction in advance.

The Spirit Wine was his first-tier high-grade Spirit Fruit Wine, but it had been stored in the Mysterious Space for over a hundred years. Although its efficacy was not as good as second-tier Spirit Wine, it wasn't too far off.

In addition, he had also put up two three-hundred-year-old mutated Solomon's Seal for auction. He didn't recognize them himself and wanted to see if anyone could identify them.

The number of participants in this auction had clearly increased significantly, with many cultivators who arrived late and couldn't find seats standing in the back rows.

The Ten-Store Joint Auction maintained its consistent practice of not having VIP seating.

This was to show that everyone participated in bidding as equals, regardless of their cultivation, identity, or status; the highest bidder wins.

The auction was still presided over by the elder Feng Qing, who had an immortal-like demeanor.

Feng Qing walked onto the auction stage, briefly introduced himself.

Then, he got straight to the point, drawing out his words as he called out, "Now, we present the first item for auction, the Wind Sailing Boat."

Then, two burly men carried a small wooden boat onto the stage. This wooden boat was only five feet long and two feet wide; even sitting alone would feel somewhat cramped.

"I believe many fellow Daoists have harbored the wish to fly through the blue sky, but unfortunately, only Foundation Establishment seniors can achieve this. We Qi Refining cultivators can only look on with envy from the ground," Elder Feng Qing said with enticing language.

"And among those who can cultivate to Foundation Establishment, less than one in a thousand can achieve it. If one cannot reach Foundation Establishment, they will never realize the dream of flying through the heavens and escaping the earth."

"This flying Magic Artifact is named the Wind Sailing Boat. It is crafted from wind-attribute spiritual wood and inscribed with wind-driving formations and levitation formations. As long as spiritual energy is injected into the wooden boat, even Qi Refining cultivators can gain the ability to fly."

After saying this, Elder Feng personally jumped into the wooden boat to demonstrate. As he injected his spiritual energy, the wooden boat slowly floated about twenty feet high and circled the auction stage.

"As everyone has seen, the Wind Sailing Boat is simple to control, and even Qi Refining cultivators can master it flexibly," Feng Qing said as he jumped off the Wind Sailing Boat.

"Old Feng, how is the flight speed of this Wind Sailing Boat? And what about its spiritual energy consumption?" A middle-aged strong man asked at this moment.

"This fellow Daoist asks a very good question, and I was just about to explain. The flight speed of the Wind Sailing Boat is about the same as a Qi Refining cultivator casting the Wind Riding Technique. As for spiritual energy consumption, a fifth-level Qi Refining cultivator can support it for about a quarter of an hour," Feng Qing said, stroking his long beard.

As soon as these words were spoken, much of the enthusiasm that had been stirred up among the crowd dissipated.

The main issue was the slow speed; whether used for chasing enemies or escaping, it was too slow.

Such a Magic Artifact, if purchased, could only satisfy the craving for flight. It was too slow for combat and consumed too much spiritual energy for travel, making it suitable only as a collectible curio.

"The Wind Sailing Boat starts at five hundred Spirit Stones. Each bid must increase by no less than ten Spirit Stones."

"I bid five hundred!"

"I bid five hundred and one!"

"Five hundred and fifty!" Wang Hong also placed a bid. If it weren't too expensive, he might consider buying it. Despite its flaws, it would be useful for overcoming certain obstacles.

Ultimately, Wang Hong increased the price from nine hundred to one thousand five hundred Spirit Stones in a single bid, and no one else competed with him.

After all, a high-grade Magic Artifact only cost around a thousand Spirit Stones. Clearly, not many people were willing to spend too much Spirit Stones on a Magic Artifact that wasn't particularly useful.

"Excellent! Congratulations to this fellow Daoist for acquiring a rare flying Magic Artifact."

"Next item for auction, a high-grade Magic Artifact, the Cold Ice Sword. It is entirely crafted from extreme cold ice crystals and is the best choice for cultivators with Ice spiritual roots or Water spiritual roots. The starting bid is five hundred Spirit Stones..."

Seeing that the first item had sold for a satisfactory price, Feng Qing quickly seized the momentum and announced the next item.

Amidst a flurry of bidding, a maid brought over Wang Hong's submitted items. After confirming they were correct, he handed over several jade boxes containing second-tier spiritual herbs to the maid.

Since the maid could not determine the value of the second-tier spiritual herbs, she had to find a specialized appraiser. In the end, the value was discounted by ten percent, and Wang Hong received two hundred Spirit Stones in change.

The auction continued, and since there was nothing Wang Hong was particularly interested in, he didn't make any further bids.

It wasn't until the spiritual medicine auction segment that his interest was piqued again, and he purchased several spiritual medicines he didn't possess.

"Next up for auction are two mutated spiritual medicines. According to the appraisers, these two spiritual medicines are three hundred years old and have the effect of greatly replenishing essence and blood. They are classified as second-grade spiritual medicines. Any cultivators familiar with medicinal properties may ascend the stage to examine them."

As soon as these words were spoken, over a dozen cultivators walked onto the high stage. A mutated new variety was quite attractive to alchemists.

Even if they didn't buy it, going on stage to take a look didn't cost any Spirit Stones. Who knew if they might encounter the same thing elsewhere in the future.

The dozen or so individuals approached and carefully examined them with their Spiritual Sense. Then, a maid cut off small root segments and handed them to each person.

An old man with white hair and beard, wearing a monkey mask, smelled the small root segments and then put them in his mouth to chew carefully. His eyes then showed a hint of excitement, which he quickly concealed.

This person's actual age was only in his early fifties, which wasn't too old for a Qi Refining cultivator with a lifespan of a hundred years. He was originally of extraordinary aptitude, having cultivated to the late Qi Refining stage by his twenties, with hope for Foundation Establishment, and was highly valued within his family.

However, during an adventure, he was besieged by a swarm of blood-sucking bats and had his essence and blood drained, nearly costing him his life. The depleted essence and blood had never been replenished, making Foundation Establishment impossible.

He could feel that if he could obtain these two spiritual medicines, his essence and blood would surely be fully restored. He might even have hope of advancing further and achieving Foundation Establishment.

"After your personal examination, you should have a good understanding of these two spiritual medicines. The bidding will now commence, with a starting bid of five hundred..."

"I bid one thousand!" the old man with the monkey mask shouted.

"One thousand two!"

"One thousand three!"

The old man's bid was quickly drowned out by the rising tide of competing bids.

"Fifteen thousand!"

"Fifteen thousand one hundred!"

"Sixteen thousand!" the old man with the monkey mask declared, offering his entire fortune. For a late Qi Refining cultivator, decades of accumulation meant that all his possessions combined were only worth this much.

However, the bidding did not stop there. The price continued to climb, quickly surpassing twenty thousand.

The old man with the monkey mask slumped back into his chair powerlessly. He had clearly seen hope, only to lose it due to insufficient Spirit Stones, and his heart was filled with unwillingness. His eyes stared blankly at the various cultivators, who enthusiastically pushed the price higher and higher, leaving him helpless.

Ultimately, the two spiritual medicines were purchased by a cultivator in a red robe for fifty thousand Spirit Stones.

The old man with the monkey mask suddenly showed determination in his eyes. He had made a decision.

The old man abruptly stood up, removed his mask, and cupped his hands in a distant salute towards the red-robed cultivator.

"Fellow Daoist, my name is He Yuan. These two spiritual medicines are extremely important to me. Could you possibly part with them? I am willing to compensate you with twenty thousand Spirit Stones and sign a Blood Pact to serve you for ten years."

As soon as he said this, the entire venue fell silent in shock, and everyone looked towards him.

It was known that a Blood Pact was etched onto the Nascent Soul. Once signed, it could not be revoked, and one would be under the control of another. Ordinary cultivators would absolutely not sign a Blood Pact with anyone unless absolutely necessary.

The red-robed cultivator glanced at He Yuan and slowly said, "Thirty thousand Spirit Stones for the loyalty of a cultivator at the tenth level of Qi Refining for ten years is indeed a good deal. Unfortunately, these two spiritual medicines are equally important to me." After saying this, the red-robed cultivator revealed a hint of the aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The red-robed cultivator inwardly lamented. If it weren't for the fact that he had previously used a secret escape technique that consumed a large amount of his essence and blood, normal recovery would have taken at least five years. Otherwise, he would have been quite willing to take on a subordinate at the tenth level of Qi Refining.

He Yuan dejectedly sat down again. The auction continued, and no one paid him much attention anymore.

Suddenly, his ears twitched, and he looked around with a surprised expression. Unfortunately, he couldn't find the person he was looking for in the crowd.