Picking Up Scraps

Bone Forging practitioners possessed bones as hard as iron, capable of snapping swords and spears.

Regardless of whether it was defensive power or combat capability, both increased by leaps and bounds.

Looking across the entire Jianghai City, anyone who could reach this level of cultivation could already be considered a mid-to-high-tier martial artist.

An ordinary person would need at least ten years or more to achieve it, yet Lu Wangchuan had only used a few months!

As long as he did not actively provoke others and acted steadily, developing himself for a bit longer and breaking through to an even higher level, he would possess even greater capital for self-preservation!

Lu Wangchuan glanced at the light screen.

Name: Lu Wangchuan.

Cultivation: Bone Forging Realm.

Qi and Blood: 1649.

Techniques: Mountain Splitting Fist (Seventh Layer), Eight Section Brocade (Seventh Layer).

Mountain Splitting Fist and Eight Section Brocade were both the most foundational techniques, consuming one hundred qi and blood for each point allocation, and the seventh layer was already their maximum level! Once they reached a state of perfection, they would no longer continue to improve.

It looks like I need to find a way to learn some higher-level techniques.

Right on cue, Lao Tan sent a clerk from the Longtai Merchant Guild to deliver a message at this time, saying that the auction would begin today.

Time passes so quickly.

Lu Wangchuan murmured a single sentence, instructing Xiao Wu to prepare the carriage and rush toward the Moon Gazing Pavilion.

Jianghai City faced a river on one side and the sea on the other. There were high mountains beside the river, upon which stood a tall tower. People would ascend it to gaze at the moon, hence the name Moon Gazing Pavilion.

After arriving at the Moon Gazing Pavilion, Lu Wangchuan discovered that it was already packed with people, and those ascending the mountain came in an endless stream.

It seemed Lao Tan was right; this auction was truly massive. Aside from the martial artists of Jianghai City itself, it had also attracted quite a few martial artists from the surrounding areas of Jianghai City.

"Young Master Lu, over here."

Lao Tan, who had already been waiting at the foot of the mountain, waved in greeting. Instructing Xiao Wu to drive the carriage back home, Lu Wangchuan walked toward Lao Tan.

"A fair number of people have come."

"Of course. This auction is jointly organized by several merchant guilds in our Jianghai City, and they even spent a heavy sum to invite quite a few experts from the city to hold down the fort, greatly ensuring the safety of the auction. That's why so many people have come; you can't even get in without a quota."

The two men spoke as they walked, arriving at the Moon Gazing Pavilion. Lu Wangchuan suddenly discovered that Lu Xianyuan was also here, and cupped his fists in greeting toward the other man.

"Instructor Lu."

Lu Xianyuan let out a soft "hm" and didn't speak again, simply leaning against a bamboo stalk and looking out toward the distant sea, not knowing what he was thinking about.

Lu Wangchuan knew his temperament had always been like this, so he didn't say much either. After offering his farewells, he walked directly into the auction venue within the Moon Gazing Pavilion.

Lao Tan laughed and said,

"This Instructor Lu of the Dragon Tiger Martial Hall is no ordinary mortal. I heard that among the experts invited this time, his remuneration ranks in the top three!"

Lu Wangchuan's gaze flickered. He had long since heard that Lu Xianyuan's strength was formidable, but he hadn't expected it to be this formidable!

Fortunately, he had managed to establish some degree of relationship with him, which could also be considered advantageous for himself.

Entering the auction venue, a large crowd of people who had come to participate in the auction had gathered here as well. Some wore wealthy and luxurious attire, while others wore tattered, ragged clothes, yet Lu Wangchuan didn't dare to look down on a single one of them.

Any person capable of obtaining an invitation letter to this auction was not a simple character.

Soon, the auction officially began. The first item up for auction was a pill recipe—a very simple pill recipe for replenishing qi and blood. Placed among those immortal sects, probably not even a soul would bother to pick it up, but placed here, it was a supreme treasure, and its effects were far too superior to the Body Strengthening Soup.

Lu Wangchuan's eyes turned red with envy as well, but he didn't place a bid.

Such a good item had far too many people desiring it, and he couldn't muscle his way in. Even if he actually bought it, with his current strength it was impossible to protect this pill recipe.

"I bid one thousand taels."

"One thousand five hundred taels."

"Two thousand six hundred taels."

Starting at a price of one thousand taels, the price skyrocketed all the way, finally closing at a price of five thousand eight hundred taels.

The items auctioned afterward were also fine goods, and practically every single item made Lu Wangchuan couldn't help but take a few extra glances.

There was the powerful inner mental art "Speed Heart Art", the exceptionally sharp Meteorite Iron Sword, and even a millennium-old Blood Spirit Mushroom...

The varieties were numerous, and each and every one of them was a treasure to Lu Wangchuan, yet he never made a move.

He was very clear-headed, knowing that those things did not belong to him—at least not right now, whether measured in terms of wealth or in terms of strength.

After several rounds of competition, the auction began a halftime intermission, serving tea and pastries to many people to let everyone relax their moods. After all, with such a massive auction, it was impossible to finish holding it in half a day.

Lu Wangchuan neither ate nor drank. Although meat now provided a very minimal supplement to his qi and blood, he still only ate meat; other things lacked nutrition, and eating them meant having to excrete them anyway.

Of course, eating meat also meant excreting, but the absorbable nutrition was always greater than other types of food.

After partaking in the tea and pastries, a new round of the auction began once more.

"Everyone, what is being auctioned this time is an inner mental art named the "Dao Embryo Breathing Method". This technique leans toward strengthening the body and replenishing qi and blood, making it very suitable for healing injuries when wounded. The starting price is fifty taels of silver, and each bid increment must not be less than ten taels."

This time, the people who felt interested were few and far between. Inner mental arts were just like the difference between external martial arts.

Like the Speed Heart Art from earlier, it belonged to the biased "orthodox" inner mental arts. Practicing it for two hours a day might equal the cultivation gains achieved by practicing the Dao Embryo Breathing Method for ten hours, or even more than a dozen hours.

Of course, the Speed Heart Art was also more taxing to practice, consuming mental focus and qi and blood. Practicing it for one or two hours a day was probably the limit.

The Dao Embryo Breathing Method was relatively gentle, and practicing it for a dozen hours a day was not an issue, which actually surpassed the cultivation speed of the Speed Heart Art.

But the problem was, ordinary people could not possibly practice only inner mental arts without practicing combat martial techniques, such as sword techniques, saber techniques, and fist techniques.

After cultivating the Speed Heart Art, they still had spare time to practice martial arts and improve the level of their combat martial techniques.

If they cultivated the Dao Embryo Breathing Method, how would they even have time to cultivate combat martial techniques?

If one couldn't cultivate combat martial techniques and blindly elevated their own cultivation, wasn't that no different from a warrior who only knew how to build a defense tank?

Failing to output damage meant they would sooner or later still be worn down to death.

Thus, to everyone else, this thing was utterly tasteless chicken rib, but Lu Wangchuan, however, was exceptionally interested.

Replenishing qi and blood—wasn't this precisely the good thing he needed?

The people making opening bids showed little interest, and after several rounds, the price had only risen to a little over ninety taels of silver.

Lu Wangchuan directly raised his hand and said,

"One hundred taels."

Quite a few people in the crowd cast mocking smiles, and Lao Tan at his side was somewhat dumbfounded as well.

"Young Master Lu, spending one hundred taels to buy this thing—even if we have money, we shouldn't be squandering it like this."

Lu Wangchuan smiled faintly.

"It's still an inner mental art in the end; I'm buying it to check it out and understand it."

Seeing that he couldn't be persuaded, Lao Tan had no choice but to smile helplessly and shake his head.

"Sooner or later, you'll still have to sell this piece of junk off, taking a loss of at least sixty or seventy taels."

Lu Wangchuan, however, simply smiled without a word. To others, this thing was no good thing, but to himself, its value was absolute not inferior to the previous Speed Heart Art.

The Speed Heart Art had sold for over seventeen thousand taels, while he had only spent a paltry one hundred taels.

He had made an absolute killing, hadn't he?