The auction

Politely declining Wang Yun and his wife's warm invitation to stay the night, Lu Zhao walked through the gathering lamplight of the Market District toward the Guest Lodge, which catered specifically to rogue cultivators.

The little courtyard for the Zhou Lineage's guest retainers? Ever since he had accepted the assignment to guard Green Vine Ravine, the Zhou Lineage had reclaimed that courtyard without a spiritual vein to house a newly recruited guest retainer.

Such was the life of a rogue cultivator: once away from his post, he was like duckweed severed from its roots.

The Guest Lodge had a small frontage, but its interior was partitioned into dozens of cramped stone rooms, like a honeycomb.

The air held a mixture of sweat, the grease of inferior spirit cuisine, and a stale, musty odor.

The proprietor was an old man with drooping eyelids. His voice was hoarse. "Communal beds, ten to a room, one spirit sand a night. Private rooms, no windows, five spirit sands a night. Rooms with a Spirit Gathering Formation cost half a spirit stone a night."

"Half a spirit stone."

Lu Zhao shook his head inwardly. That price would buy him a jin of azure-grain wood.

"A windowless private room will do." He handed over five tiny grains of spirit sand.

The stone room could hold only a bed and a small table. Its walls were rough, its floor slightly damp, and its spiritual energy so thin as to be almost nonexistent.

He sat cross-legged on the bed and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, relying solely on the Little Spirit Rain Art within him to slowly circulate his energy and recover from the day's expenditure. This was no place to linger. He needed to finish his business and return to Green Vine Ravine as soon as possible.

At the first faint light of dawn, Lu Zhao joined the surging crowds in the Market District. With a clear goal in mind, he headed straight for the East Market's stall area.

At a stall selling Demonic Beasts, he bought another rat king's carcass and a packet of beast-repelling powder for one spirit stone.

Afterward, he went to Fuyang Studio and replenished his supplies with a first-tier superior-grade Vajra Talisman. Its stronger defenses would offer greater security against surprise attacks.

Passing an elixir shop, he noticed a new shipment of first-tier middle-grade Meridian-Guarding Pills priced at fifty spirit sands each. After a moment's hesitation, he gritted his teeth and bought three.

These pills could protect his meridians and extend his cultivation sessions, and might help him break through to the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining.

He also lingered at several spiritual material stalls in the West Market, but unfortunately found no suitable ice-congealing stones or wind-pattern stones.

By the end of the day, his funds had dwindled to twenty-eight spirit stones. His purchases filled a corner of his Storage Bag, all of them practical items.

At the beginning of the hour of the Rooster the following day, Lu Zhao entered the Nine Abyss Pavilion again. The hall, bustling during the daytime, was now quiet and solemn, divided by a heavy curtain.

After checking his identity, the proprietor handed him an unremarkable wooden token inscribed with "Dinghai" and said softly, "Fellow Daoist, take this token through the side corridor and find yourself an unreserved seat."

Lifting the curtain, he found an open space unfolding before him. The auction hall was small, with semicircular tiers.

The lowest tier was an unreserved seating area consisting of several dozen ordinary wooden chairs, already seventy or eighty percent occupied. Most of those seated there were plainly dressed Middle Stage of Qi Refining rogue cultivators with steady, contained auras like Lu Zhao's. A few early-stage cultivators with somewhat weaker auras were also present, all silent and unobtrusive.

The middle tier held a dozen or so private seating areas simply partitioned by screens. Figures could vaguely be seen moving within, their auras mostly at the sixth or seventh level of Qi Refining. They were likely representatives of lineages with some established footing in the Market District, or leaders of minor factions.

At the very top were only three private boxes hung with pearl curtains. The lowered curtains blocked probing, but the faint pressure emanating from within belonged at least to experts at the eighth or ninth level of Qi Refining, or important figures within the Zhou Lineage.

Lu Zhao found a seat near the edge of the back row in the unreserved section and sat down, concealing his aura even further as his calm gaze swept across the hall. Fish and dragons mingled here; keeping a low profile was best.

A short while later, a stern-faced Late Qi Refining cultivator in his fifties, dressed in the robes of a Zhou Lineage steward, stepped onto the central stone platform.

His gaze flashed like lightning as he surveyed the hall. His voice was not loud, but reached everyone's ears clearly. "Silence. I am Zhou Zheng, and I will preside over this small auction at the Nine Abyss Pavilion."

"There are three rules. First, the highest bidder wins, and once the hammer falls, there are no regrets. Second, threatening or interfering with anyone else's bidding in any form is strictly forbidden within this hall. Violators will be deemed to have challenged both the Zhou Lineage and the Nine Abyss Pavilion. Third, once a transaction is complete, payment and goods are settled. Any grievances after you leave are your own responsibility; the Nine Abyss Pavilion will not involve itself."

"Does everyone understand?" His tone was level, yet carried unquestionable authority, without the slightest frivolity. Everyone nodded and voiced their assent. No one dared object.

Zhou Zheng nodded slightly. "Then let the auction begin."

A young attendant brought up a jade tray bearing a white jade pill bottle.

"The first item: one bottle of first-tier superior-grade Foundation-Nourishing Pills, nine pills in total."

Zhou Zheng's voice remained unruffled. "These pills fortify the foundation and nourish one's essence, offering considerable benefit to Late Qi Refining cultivators seeking to advance their cultivation and stabilize their foundations. Bidding starts at forty-five spirit stones, with each increase no less than one spirit stone."

He had barely finished speaking when someone in the middle-tier private seats called out a bid. "Forty-six!"

"Forty-seven!"

"Forty-eight!" The bidding took place mainly among several private seating areas in the middle tier. The unreserved section remained silent.

In the end, a cultivator in one of the private seating areas won them for fifty-eight spirit stones.

Low murmurs rose through the hall, this successful opening warming the atmosphere a little.

Lu Zhao silently activated the Puppet Pearl, and the panel quietly recorded:

Foundation-Nourishing Pills (first-tier superior-grade): final price, fifty-eight spirit stones

Crimson Flame Blade (first-tier middle-grade magical artifact): final price, one hundred and eight spirit stones

Thick Earth Art, fragment of a low-grade cultivation method (allows cultivation to the peak of Qi Refining): final price, sixty spirit stones

Set of ten premium first-tier superior-grade Golden Armor Talismans: final price, twelve spirit stones.

Auction lots appeared one after another in a flowing stream: magical artifacts, talismans, pills, fragments of cultivation methods, rare spiritual materials... Prices ranged from a dozen or so spirit stones to one or two hundred, leaving Lu Zhao inwardly astounded.

The twenty-odd spirit stones remaining in his Storage Bag seemed so meager now.

The bidders in the middle tier and the private boxes were the main participants. Occasionally, someone in the unreserved section made a bid, usually for supplementary pills or specific materials. Lu Zhao remained seated without moving, smiling bitterly inwardly. These were simply beyond his means.

At last, an attendant brought up a specially made cold jade case.

"The next item is a First-Tier Low Grade puppet, a Frost Rat Puppet." Zhou Zheng opened the jade case, and cold air spilled out. The lifelike rat puppet lay quietly inside, its claws and fangs sharp.

"This puppet is finely crafted, its claws imbued with icy power. Ferocious in close combat, its strength readily rivals that of the stronger First-Tier Low Grade Demonic Beasts."

"More exceptionally still, this is a graded puppet rarely seen in Changfeng Commandery, made by a newly advanced Puppet Master with considerable potential. Bidding starts at eighteen spirit stones, with each increase no less than one spirit stone."

When the introduction ended, however, the hall fell briefly silent.

Many rogue cultivators wore longing expressions, but eighteen spirit stones was a vast sum to them, and operating the puppet would consume additional spirit stones. Those in the middle-tier private seats were more inclined toward more powerful magical artifacts or pills that directly improved their cultivation.

A moment later, a voice came from a corner of the unreserved section. "Nineteen spirit stones." Lu Zhao looked over and saw an ordinary-looking cultivator in gray.

Then a somewhat hesitant voice sounded from one of the private seating areas. "Twenty." It seemed to be a representative of a minor lineage, intending to take it back for study or to protect a younger member. The gray-robed cultivator fell silent for a moment, then abandoned the bidding.

"Twenty spirit stones, going once... going twice... sold!" Zhou Zheng brought down the hammer, and the minor lineage's representative won the Frost Rat Puppet for the low price of twenty spirit stones. It seems there is still a market for this Frost Rat Puppet, Lu Zhao thought.

The auction continued, and Lu Zhao kept waiting patiently, until an unusual spirit fruit appeared, sealed inside a transparent crystal box.

The fruit was only the size of a pigeon's egg, translucent pale purple all over. A nebula seemed to swirl inside it, and it emitted a strange fluctuation that calmed the mind.

"A first-tier middle-grade spirit fruit, the Concentration Fruit," Zhou Zheng introduced. "This fruit has a slight effect in nourishing the soul and calming the mind. Although a single fruit has limited efficacy, it may offer some small assistance in comprehending cultivation methods, practicing secret arts, or recovering after the depletion of divine sense. Bidding starts at ten spirit stones, with each increase no less than one spirit stone."

Nourishing the soul! Lu Zhao's heart gave a jolt. This was exactly what he urgently needed to practice the Thousand Threads Technique.

The response in the hall, however, was lukewarm. Spiritual treasures that nourished the soul were precious, but a single Concentration Fruit truly had little effect, far less tangible than a fine pill.

Only two rogue cultivators offered tentative bids of twelve and thirteen spirit stones.

"Fourteen spirit stones," Lu Zhao said decisively.

The two rogue cultivators glanced at him and gave up. There was no movement from the private seats or boxes.

"Fourteen spirit stones, going once... going twice... sold!" Zhou Zheng brought down the hammer.

Quiet delight stirred in Lu Zhao's heart. For fourteen spirit stones, he had secured this Concentration Fruit that was so crucial to him.

What others saw as "chicken ribs," hardly worth eating yet a pity to discard, was to him the key that would open the door to the Thousand Threads Technique.

"Next are the three final treasures of this small auction." Zhou Zheng's voice grew a little more solemn.

The first was a flying sword, crimson from tip to hilt, with faint dragon patterns and an oppressive edge of Sword Qi. "The first-tier superior-grade magical artifact Crimson Dragon's Cry, with a slight fire-element burning effect. Bidding starts at two hundred and fifty spirit stones!"

It sparked fierce competition among the private seats and boxes, finally selling for two hundred and seventy-eight spirit stones.

The second was an incomplete ancient Jade Slip.

"One fragment of an unnamed body-refining method. Appraisal identifies it as at least a fragment of a middle-grade cultivation method. Its practice requirements are stringent, but if it can be completed or some insight gained from it, its value would be immeasurable. Bidding starts at one hundred and forty spirit stones!"

The risk was too great, and body-refining cultivators were few, so there were hardly any bidders. In the end, someone in a private box won it for one hundred and fifty-five spirit stones.

The third was an archaic jade box. Once opened, it revealed a pill the size of a longan, covered in intricate pill patterns.

"One Essence-Congealing Pill! Although it is not a true Foundation Establishment Pill, it can slightly improve a peak Qi Refining cultivator's chances of congealing true essence and breaking through to Foundation Establishment, and its medicinal properties are mild. Bidding starts at five hundred spirit stones!"

Once this item appeared, every private box joined the bidding, and it finally fetched an astonishing one thousand and twenty spirit stones.

With the final treasures sold, Zhou Zheng announced the close of the auction. Attendants guided everyone out in groups through different passages. Lu Zhao followed the crowd from the unreserved section and quietly left the Nine Abyss Pavilion through a side door.

The night was already deep, and no one paid any attention to an ordinary guest bearing the designation "Dinghai."

He drew his robes tighter and swiftly merged into the Market District crowds, his figure soon disappearing. His purpose for this trip had been accomplished; it was time to return to Green Vine Ravine.