Unexpected Gains

He Sheng was rather astonished. He did not understand what was so special about a fourth-grade cultivation art, and could not help sending Wind Spirit a voice transmission to ask:

"Fellow Daoist Wind, what exactly is this fourth-grade cultivation art?

"I have only heard of the five ranks of cultivation arts—basic, intermediate, advanced, supreme, and ultimate. Where did this talk of grades come from?

"Could it be related to the Qi-Consuming Divine Power Path?"

"Fellow Daoist Xiang is correct.

"The five-rank classification is merely the Qi Refinement and Void Integration Path's way of distinguishing cultivation art inheritances.

"Yet all the great immortal sects of the present age cultivate the Qi-Consuming Divine Power Path, so they naturally redefined the grades of cultivation arts, dividing them into thirteen grades, from high to low.

"The lowest first, second, and third grades correspond respectively to the basic, intermediate, and advanced cultivation arts of the Qi Refinement and Void Integration Path's inheritance.

"Fourth-grade cultivation arts are the lowest-ranked arts of the Qi-Consuming Divine Power Path. It is said that they can only cultivate a single divine power seed, with the early Golden Core Realm being their ultimate limit.

"Fifth-grade cultivation arts are somewhat stronger, but they too cannot break through into the Nascent Soul Realm.

"Only sixth-grade cultivation arts are said to lead directly to the Nascent Soul Realm.

"As for anything above that, this humble Rogue Cultivator does not know."

Though Wind Spirit's answer was not especially detailed, He Sheng now more or less understood.

Just then, Heavenly Talisman Elder in the center swept his gaze around. Seeing that everyone had finished examining the list of precious auction items, he actually spoke with some impatience:

"Everyone has seen the precious auction items for this auction convention clearly, yes?

"Then this old man will speak plainly.

"At this auction convention, this old man intends to go all out to secure the Flame-Slaying Origin Traversal Art. Is anyone else pursuing the same goal?"

The moment those words fell, the hall sank into silence.

He Sheng did catch one or two people itching to make a move, but they ultimately held themselves back. Clearly, no one dared contend with Heavenly Talisman Elder.

It seemed that the great immortal sects of the present age had indeed sealed off the Qi-Consuming Divine Power Path's cultivation arts from cultivators of the lower realms. Otherwise, a crippled fourth-grade cultivation art would not be worth so much.

Having grasped the value of a fourth-grade cultivation art from the Qi-Consuming Divine Power Path, He Sheng suddenly recalled that when Green Snake had come to deliver Star-Backed Black Turtle's message, it had mentioned that after Ye Shaochen returned to the mountain, he would send over a fourth-grade cultivation art to settle Old Turtle's karmic debt.

Hiss!

He Sheng secretly sucked in a cold breath, thinking to himself:

Old Turtle is worth that much? Enough to make Ye Shaochen throw out a fourth-grade cultivation art to buy out their debt?

He Sheng had not understood the value or significance of a fourth-grade cultivation art before, but now that he did, he faintly felt that this was somewhat unreasonable, wasn't it?

But on second thought, he felt that for a prodigy of a great immortal sect like Ye Shaochen, perhaps there was nothing unreasonable about it.

After all, this fellow had slaughtered three great demons in Heaven Capital Mountain, yet only took the Black Jade Blood Python's inner core. He did not so much as spare a glance for the remaining demon beast corpses—this alone said it all.

Perhaps this is the difference between rich people and poor wretches?

After all, where cultivation arts were concerned, He Sheng truly was a poor wretch.

And for the great immortal sects that monopolized cultivation arts, what was wrong with their gifted disciples splurging a little for the turtle of their dreams?

In short, Old Turtle had rendered a great service!

Not only had it protected the He Family all the way to becoming a Foundation Establishment family, but in the end, it had even sold itself for a fine price, giving the He Family the possibility of advancing into a Golden Core family.

A top-notch turtle indeed!

The He Family ought to set up a longevity tablet for Old Turtle and enshrine it in the ancestral hall like an ancestor.

As these thoughts flashed through He Sheng's mind, the matter of Heavenly Talisman Elder obtaining the right to bid for the incomplete copy of the Flame-Slaying Origin Traversal Art was settled.

Afterward, it was the turn of the Rogue Cultivator at the second seat, who was at the great perfection of Foundation Establishment.

According to Wind Spirit's voice-transmitted introduction, this man was named Zhang Tuo, a true lone Rogue Cultivator.

Born into humble circumstances in his early years, he had only barely entered the Dao by washing and refining spiritual materials in the marketplaces.

He was not skilled in any immortal arts, but he excelled in battle. Moreover, he had once encountered a fortuitous opportunity and mastered a transcendent technique comparable in power to a talisman treasure.

Relying on this trump card, he had carved out quite a reputation among Rogue Cultivators. He was now considered the Southern Mountain Society's foremost enforcer; none dared meet his edge.

"I want the Golden Core Condensation Pill."

Zhang Tuo's words were brief, yet they carried an undeniable force. His eyes, within which a red gleam flickered faintly, swept across the crowd like those of a hungry wolf.

He Sheng did want to acquire the Golden Core Condensation Pill, but he was a newcomer. By the Southern Mountain Society's rules, even if he contended with Zhang Tuo, he would not receive anyone else's votes and simply could not obtain the right to bid. He would only make an enemy of the man for nothing.

The entire hall remained silent, and Zhang Tuo naturally secured the right to bid for the Golden Core Condensation Pill.

Next, it was Wind Spirit's turn.

Wind Spirit had discussed it with He Sheng beforehand. This time, he was determined to obtain the Golden Resonance Jade Branch, a spiritual item for forming the Golden Core.

"This poor Daoist wishes to take the Golden Resonance Jade Branch..."

Wind Spirit rose to his feet and had barely stated his target when someone answered:

"What a coincidence. This old man has also taken a fancy to that item."

It was the man seated in the fourth seat on the lotus platform to Wind Spirit's right who spoke.

This man was an elderly fellow with a sallow complexion, named Jin Zhaofa.

"I also want this Golden Resonance Jade Branch."

Liu Xuanyi, seated in the fifth chair, rose to his feet as well and spoke unhurriedly.

What surprised He Sheng even more was that Li Lin, the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator who had arrived late and sat in the seventh chair, also stood and said:

"I would like to join the bidding as well."

For a moment, no fewer than four people had set their sights on this auction item, and the air over the lotus pool instantly grew thick with gunpowder.

Heavenly Talisman Elder seemed thoroughly accustomed to such scenes and showed no surprise at all. He said blandly:

"Since that is the case, let us vote according to the rules."

Under Heavenly Talisman Elder's direction, the four entered the voting showdown.

Starting with Li Lin, who had spoken last, he received only one vote, from a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage fellow cultivator on good terms with him.

Liu Xuanyi likewise received only one vote, also from a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator.

Jin Zhaofa received two votes—one from Zhang Tuo, seated second, and one from a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator.

When it was Wind Spirit's turn, He Sheng could clearly sense him growing nervous. Society Head Heavenly Talisman Elder cast his vote for him without hesitation, but only one Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator followed suit.

For a moment, Wind Spirit and Jin Zhaofa were tied at two votes apiece.

He Sheng saw Wind Spirit look at him with an anxious expression.

By now, He Sheng had more or less figured out the Southern Mountain Society's rules. Those competing for an auction item had no voting rights themselves and could only rely on winning over other members to speak on their behalf.

"No wonder Wind Spirit had been so eager to bring me into the society earlier."

Had Wind Spirit not recruited He Sheng into the society beforehand, he would now have been tied with Jin Zhaofa and forced into another tie-breaking showdown. The outcome would have been hard to predict.

Under Wind Spirit's expectant gaze, He Sheng slowly raised his hand, delivering the final verdict for him.

3:2!

Heavenly Talisman Elder immediately announced that Wind Spirit had secured the right to bid on the Golden Resonance Jade Branch. Wind Spirit instantly beamed with delight.

Jin Zhaofa, on the other hand, was so furious that his face turned purple. With a bellyful of rage and no one to vent it on, he finally shot He Sheng a vicious glare.

He Sheng did not care in the slightest.

In his view, Zhang Tuo could suppress all the cultivators merely by mastering one transcendent art. There was no reason for He Sheng, who possessed both the Subtle Ripple Intent Realm and Water-Gathering Break, to fear Jin Zhaofa.

Liu Xuanyi, by contrast, took his loss with grace. He even turned back to chat with He Sheng for a few moments, commenting on the properties of various rare spiritual materials for Core Formation.

Having obtained the right to bid on the Golden Resonance Jade Branch as he wished, Wind Spirit immediately sent He Sheng a voice transmission to thank him, saying that if He Sheng needed to bid on Core Formation resources in the future, he would give his full support.

He Sheng naturally remembered this favor. He truly intended, once he had become familiar with the Southern Mountain Society, to use its channels to acquire some Core Formation resources.

Having failed to obtain the Golden Resonance Jade Branch, Jin Zhaofa could only settle for second best and choose a low-grade third-rank treasure material.

Liu Xuanyi chose a low-grade third-rank spiritual herb.

No one competed for either of them.

After all, third-rank treasure materials had always been exceedingly valuable, often costing over a hundred thousand spirit stones. Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators could not simply produce such sums whenever they pleased.

At last, it was He Sheng's turn.

He had already considered it carefully. He was not qualified to compete for Core Formation resources at present, and as for materials for refining a prototype magic treasure, he had the Cold Soul Mystic Crystal Stone given to him by Old Turtle, so he had little need for those as well.

His gaze swept across the list of remaining precious auction items before finally settling on an item called the <Origin Communion Divine Artifact Refining Illustrated Record>.

"I want this <Origin Communion Divine Artifact Refining Illustrated Record>."

The list of precious auction items distributed by Heavenly Talisman Elder contained a brief introduction to it, stating that it involved a method for refining an artifact divine ability, though it was incomplete.

When He Sheng named his target, no one contested it. It seemed that among the cultivators present today, He Sheng alone was an artifact refiner.

Only Wind Spirit kindly sent him a voice transmission in warning:

"Fellow Daoist Xiang, so-called artifact divine abilities are unorthodox divine ability refinement methods rooted in the path of artifact refinement, and they demand an extremely high level of skill in artifact refinement.

"On top of that, this secret art is incomplete, greatly diminishing its value. You should consider this carefully."

He Sheng sent a voice transmission thanking Wind Spirit for the warning, but he had his own plans.

"The path of divine abilities through consuming qi is already the ruling orthodoxy of this world. Naturally, all cultivation must lean toward divine abilities.

"Even if it is merely an incomplete divine ability refinement method, a glimpse into the inner mysteries of artifact divine abilities would help me dispel the fog of ignorance.

"Besides, with my astonishing comprehension, what if the Time-Reversing Water Clock deduces a complete refinement method?"

He Sheng smoothly secured the right to bid on the <Origin Communion Divine Artifact Refining Illustrated Record>, which counted as an unexpected gain.

After the other Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivators successively chose the auction items that caught their fancy, this stage came to an end.

Immediately afterward, Heavenly Talisman Elder raised a hand and tossed out a jade basin radiating five-colored treasure light. It flew from his sleeve and landed steadily atop the pool water.

As He Sheng looked at the jade basin, a sharp glint flashed through his eyes. The exchange meet he had been eagerly awaiting had arrived.