Auctioning Divine Arts
On August 1st, 351st year of the Great Chu Dynasty, more than a month had passed since the Empress ascended the throne. Since July, the Chu Kingdom had experienced some significant upheavals due to the Empress's ascension. First, the thirteen princes of King Chu Heng chose to retire after the Empress's coronation. Some became idle princes at home, some chose to leave the Chu Imperial Capital to travel the world, some indulged in the pleasures of finery and extravagance, while some princes worked hard to cultivate themselves and pursue the supreme path.
But no matter what choice they make, they can no longer have any thoughts about the throne, because a major event occurred in July.
That is, Saint Chu Feng Yiming's title of Conferred Saint was gone. Without any reason, Saint Chu took the initiative to resign, and the Empress granted his request. This Conferred Saint, who had protected the Great Chu for more than two thousand years, ended his life in this way and disappeared from the eyes of the world.
The news shocked the entire Azure Dragon Continent. Amidst the shock, people began to speculate about the reasons for stripping Saint Chu of his Conferred Saint title. No one believed that Saint Chu had voluntarily given up the Conferred Saint. Everyone thought that this was a purge of the declining Chu Kingdom by the Empress after her ascension to the throne, and that Saint Chu was simply the best person the Empress used to intimidate the entire Chu Kingdom.
The Empress, having been stripped of her title of Saint Chu a month ago, once again became the talk of the town across the Azure Dragon Continent. Throughout the five thousand years since the founding of the five kingdoms, there had never been a case of Conferred Saint being stripped of his title while still alive. This was the first time, and it was precisely because it was the first time that it had such a huge impact, affecting every corner of the Azure Dragon Continent.
"Alas, the Saint Chu was glorious for three thousand years, yet he ended up in such a tragic state. It's truly a pity." In a large adventurer's tavern in the Yuanfang City within the Chu Kingdom, the place was filled with distinguished guests, who were discussing the matter animatedly.
"I really don't understand why the Empress would do this. Five kingdoms, five Conferred Saints. By stripping the title of Saint Chu from the Empress, it's like cutting off her own arm. Without the title of Conferred Saint, won't our country's strength drop by three points and become the bottom of the five kingdoms?" A middle-aged man took a big gulp of wine, his tone full of resentment, clearly feeling indignant about the Empress's actions.
"Qin State is rising while Chu Kingdom is declining. If Yan State hadn't betrayed us last year, Qin and Chu would probably be at war by now, with countless lives lost. Now that the Empress has stripped Saint Chu Conferred Saint, I bet Qin Shi Huang will not let this opportunity pass, and launching an attack on the Chu Kingdom is inevitable." His companion, sitting beside him, shook his head and sighed, filled with worry about the future of the Chu Kingdom.
"It might not necessarily be the Empress's decision... Didn't the official explanation say that Saint Chu himself requested the Empress to strip him of his Conferred Saint?" A young man couldn't help but say, and then he was attacked by those around him.
"What does a little kid know?"
"Did the Saint Chu request this himself? What was the reason?"
"This is merely a tactic employed by the Empress to consolidate her power and suppress dissent."
The overwhelming majority of people believed that the Empress should strip Saint Chu of his title of Conferred Saint. Any slight dissent was refuted by this majority because they were right: Saint Chu could not find a reason to voluntarily relinquish his Conferred Saint.
The young man's face turned red as he was confronted by the group of people, but he couldn't refute them and could only silently lower his head.
"I wonder who will be the next Conferred Saint member," a cultivator in the tavern said with a melancholy expression.
"Right now, it seems that no cultivator in the Chu Kingdom above the Spirit Saint realm is qualified to be granted the Conferred Saint, right?"
The Chu Kingdom is currently in this awkward situation. The highest-ranking Chu Kingdom person known to have cultivation is Sword Sect Shisan, the leader of the Jian Shisan, but his realm is only at the Spirit Saint Fifth Stage, and his strength is far inferior to that of the four other kingdoms and four Conferred Saints.
"Not necessarily. Have you forgotten about Goddess Yin Yue, who ranks first on the Fairy Ranking?" a cultivator suddenly said.
Upon hearing this, a hush fell over the surroundings, and thoughtful expressions slowly appeared on everyone's faces.
"Could this be the Empress's purpose in stripping Saint Chu of his title?"
The news of Saint Chu being stripped of his Conferred Saint title was causing a great stir outside, but it didn't cause much of a ripple in Dubian Town. This was because Dubian Town was already abuzz with excitement over the new Divine Abilities and Spells being listed for sale at the Wantong Trading Market. All the cultivators in Dubian Town were flocking to the Wantong Trading Market, making the Zhenbei extremely crowded.
Ever since the owner of the Mysterious Bookstore began preaching, all the practitioners in Dubian Town have been waiting for the appearance of Divine Abilities and Spells. Everyone hopes to learn Divine Abilities and Spells and witness the power of these spells.
Now that the Mysterious Bookstore has finally started selling Divine Abilities and Spells, these cultivators naturally won't let it pass, especially since only three Divine Abilities and Spells are being sold this time, making the number of slots outrageously small.
Today is the weekend, Mysterious Bookstore is closed. At 9:15 a. m., the Wantong Trading Market was packed with people. All the stalls on the huge first floor were Sheer Force squeezed out, and only a temporary platform erected at the very back of the market remained intact.
This is a high platform officially erected by the Wantong Trading Market. Three young girls stand on the platform, each holding a plate covered with a red cloth. The products sold on the plates are today's Three Divine Abilities and Spells.
"It looks like they're preparing for an auction..." A young man who had squeezed to a good spot at the front said somewhat nervously after seeing the setup on the stage.
"What? You're still hoping to sell it at a bargain price?" a middle-aged man next to him said with a chuckle.
"I didn't have that idea, but I don't know how much a single Divine Abilities and Spells can fetch at auction. What if I don't have enough money?" The young man subconsciously touched the spatial pouch on his waist, looking worried.
"Brother, don't even think about it." The middle-aged man noticed his movements, gestured towards the middle, and said, "See? There's a whole bunch of Spirit Emperor and Spirit Saint waiting over there. There's no way for us to get a turn. Just watch."
Upon hearing this, the young man turned his head and saw a small open space directly opposite the high platform. Although the first floor was extremely crowded, there was still a narrow gap, about the width of a person, where dozens of important figures stood with their eyes fixed straight ahead. Most of them were people who had participated in the previous sermons and ascended the cloud ladder, while a few were well-known figures within the Chu Kingdom.
"That's not necessarily true... They're just more capable, they might not be richer than me," the young man said earnestly.
The middle-aged man shrugged upon hearing this, a hint of sarcasm in his eyes as he looked at the young man's storage pouch at his waist. "Young man, where are you from?"
"I come from the Zhao State," the young man replied, oblivious to the hint of sarcasm in the middle-aged man's voice.
"Oh..." The middle-aged man nodded, about to say something more, when a commotion arose in the crowd. It turned out that the auctioneer from Wantong Trading Market had come up on stage.
"As you all probably know, the items to be auctioned today are three Divine Abilities and Spells provided by the Mysterious Bookstore. I will now reveal the effects and starting prices of these three Divine Abilities and Spells one by one, and the three highest bidders will ultimately win Divine Abilities and Spells."
"Alright, enough chit-chat. Next, I'll introduce the first Divine Abilities and Spells you'll know, called the Clone Technique."
"Once mastered, this spell grants the ability to transform into multiple bodies (up to tens of thousands), or to transform into multiple heads, multiple arms, etc. The starting bid is ten million Spirit Crystal, and each bid must be at least one hundred thousand. The bidding now begins!"