Han Changming suddenly understood. So these Puppet Beasts could set up formations. The Puppet Beasts sold by the Han Clan didn't have this ability. To create Puppet Beasts capable of setting up formations, their maker had to understand formations. The Han Clan had a Second-Rank Formation Master, but he could only set up some simple Second-Rank formations. He was nowhere near capable of incorporating formations into Puppet Beasts.
Competition for the three Puppet Beasts was fierce. In the end, the Mu Clan bought them for the high price of five thousand spirit stones.
Han Changming was extremely envious. The first headline auction item had already sold for five thousand spirit stones, and the remaining headline items would surely fetch even higher prices.
"A set of flying swords, nine in all, each a Second-Rank Low-Grade magical artifact. Fellow Daoists who cultivate the sword path, don't miss this opportunity. The starting price is two thousand spirit stones, and each bid must be raised by at least three hundred."
The man in the golden robe took out a blue brocade box half a zhang long. Inside were nine flying swords, each glowing with a faint blue light.
"Two thousand!"
"Two thousand three hundred!"
"Two thousand six hundred!"
······
Bids rang out without pause. A set of magical artifacts was far more powerful than a single one.
Sword cultivators were said to be invincible among cultivators of the same rank. A fine set of flying swords could greatly boost a sword cultivator's strength. Of course, even those who weren't sword cultivators could bid on them.
The Han Clan had a sword art called the Azure Glass Sword Art, which could be cultivated from the Qi Refining Realm all the way to the Foundation Establishment Realm. Several clansmen practiced it.
When choosing a cultivation method, Han Changming had been tempted by it too. However, the Azure Glass Sword Art was slow to cultivate. The Han Clan had possessed it for more than four hundred years, yet none of the clansmen who practiced it had reached Foundation Establishment.
A cultivation method's power had to be matched by the practitioner's talent.
The Han Clan had an elder in charge of teaching cultivation, Han Daoyang, the twelfth in the Dao generation. He guided the younger generation and helped them avoid detours. Before Han Changming chose a cultivation method, Han Daoyang had advised him to practice an earth-attribute method.
Cultivator clans and sects all had elders who taught cultivation, so the younger generation could avoid taking the wrong path. Rogue Cultivators, by contrast, would practice any method they could get their hands on that suited their attributes. Not only did their cultivation progress slowly, but advancing to the next realm was difficult too. Rogue Cultivators would fight tooth and nail to join a cultivation sect precisely because they wanted guidance.
The set of flying swords eventually sold for the high price of six thousand five hundred spirit stones. The Chen Clan bought it.
Han Changming wasn't surprised. If he remembered correctly, the Chen Clan's patriarch, Chen Hongming, was a powerful sword cultivator, and several Chen Clan members practiced swordsmanship.
"A Second-Rank High-Grade alchemy furnace, the Purpleflame Furnace, crafted by Master Lu. It provides a certain boost to alchemy. Alchemists, don't miss this opportunity. The starting price is two thousand spirit stones, and each bid must be raised by at least five hundred."
The man in the golden robe pointed to a purple alchemy furnace and announced loudly.
"An alchemy furnace crafted by Master Lu can't be bad. Two thousand!"
"Two thousand five hundred!"
"Three thousand!"
······
Competition for the Second-Rank High-Grade alchemy furnace was fierce. To do a good job, one needed the right tools. A fine alchemy furnace was crucial for an alchemist.
Han Changming wasn't surprised. Master Lu was one of the few Third-Rank Artifact Refiners in the Red Algae Sea. An alchemy furnace crafted by a Third-Rank Artifact Refiner was naturally of impeccable quality.
Master Lu's full name was Lu Zhonghao. He was a Golden Core Rogue Cultivator, but he was a loner, wholly absorbed in the art of artifact refinement. All four major powers wanted to win him over.
"An alchemy furnace crafted by Master Lu? Now that's a fine treasure. I bid five thousand."
A hearty voice rang out.
Han Changming looked toward the source of the voice and saw a handsome young man in a red robe, with a black crow emblem on his clothes.
The Lu Clan of Black Crow Island was a cultivation clan with a Golden Core cultivator overseeing it, famed throughout the Red Algae Sea for its alchemy.
"Five thousand spirit stones, and you think you can get an alchemy furnace crafted by Master Lu? Ridiculous. I bid six thousand." A woman's mocking voice rang out abruptly.
The young man in the red robe's expression turned cold. He looked toward the source and saw a beautiful woman in her early thirties, dressed in a green skirt. A mountain emblem marked her clothes—the symbol of the Great Void Sect. The Great Void Sect and Black Crow Island were two of the four great powers in the Red Algae Sea.
The Great Void Sect and Black Crow Island had been bitter enemies for years. They had clashed repeatedly in secret, and countless people on both sides had been killed or wounded.
It was said that the Great Void Sect's leader had died at the hands of the Lu Clan, while the Lu Clan patriarch had died at the hands of the Great Void Sect. The two sides had forged a blood feud. When two snipes battled, the fisherman profited; wary of the other powers, they held themselves back somewhat. But if a disciple of the Great Void Sect encountered a member of the Lu Clan outside a market, they would fight on sight. Many cultivators had witnessed it with their own eyes.
The young man in the red robe's eyes turned cold. "Seven thousand."
"Eight thousand."
The woman in the green skirt sounded calm and showed no intention of backing down.
"Nine thousand."
Nine thousand spirit stones was far beyond the price of a Second-Rank High-Grade alchemy furnace.
The woman in the green skirt gave a cold laugh and didn't raise her bid again.
The young man in the red robe won the Second-Rank High-Grade alchemy furnace for the steep price of nine thousand spirit stones.
After the furnace was taken, a maid in a red dress carried a red tray onto the circular platform.
The man in the golden robe lifted the red silk cloth, revealing a foot-long blue flying shuttle that shimmered with spiritual light.
"A Second-Rank High-Grade flying artifact, the Wind Chasing Shuttle. It flies extremely fast. The starting price is three thousand spirit stones, and each bid must be raised by at least five hundred."
The ocean was boundless, and rich in demonic beast resources. There were many cultivators, and murder and robbery were common. With a good-quality flying artifact, it was easier to escape when faced with a powerful enemy.
The bidding was fierce. Amusingly, the Great Void Sect disciples and the Lu Clan of Black Crow Island once again tried to undercut each other, driving up the price.
The Wind Chasing Shuttle ultimately sold for eight thousand five hundred spirit stones. A disciple of the Great Void Sect bought it.
If they had bid normally, it wouldn't have cost so many spirit stones.
"Seven Foundation Establishment Pills, to be auctioned separately. The starting price is ten thousand, and each bid must be raised by at least one thousand."
The man in the golden robe pointed to the seven blue porcelain bottles on the table and announced loudly.
The Foundation Establishment Pills stirred the cultivators present. The Qi Refining cultivators' eyes burned with excitement.
For a cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining, taking a Foundation Establishment Pill greatly increased the chance of successfully reaching Foundation Establishment. Most Foundation Establishment cultivators relied on Foundation Establishment Pills to advance. A few extraordinarily gifted cultivators could do so without one, but they were exceedingly rare—one in ten thousand.
Competition for the Foundation Establishment Pills was fierce, and the prices climbed steadily.
Han Deling joined the bidding and bought a Foundation Establishment Pill for the high price of forty-three thousand spirit stones. The Chen Clan paid the high price of eighty-nine thousand spirit stones for two pills, while the Mu Clan and Fire Cloud Sect each bought two.
After the Foundation Establishment Pills were auctioned, the man in the golden robe cupped his hands toward the cultivators and said with a smile, "This auction has now come to an end. Thank you all for attending. We hope you'll join us again at our next auction."
The auction was over. Under the attendants' direction, the cultivators filed out in an orderly fashion.
Han Changming and Han Changjiong reckoned that the alchemy examination had probably ended as well. They left the Treasure Competition Palace and headed straight for the Earth Fire Hall.
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