The Contest
"If you use the wrong method to absorb it, this wisp of spirit fire could very well go out the instant you break the crystal core."
When the chief steward finished speaking, the crowd, who had been thrilled and excited just moments ago, finally calmed down.
None of them were fools. Once reason returned, they all realized they had been a little too optimistic. How could a treasure of heaven and earth like spirit fire appear at an auction of this level?
If the Heavenly Treasure Tower had really found spirit fire, would it have been stupid enough to put it up for auction? After all, spirit fire was truly priceless and unavailable on the market-something one could encounter only by chance, not by seeking it.
Unusually, looks of indecision appeared on the faces of many people present.
In fact, even though they knew this wisp of spirit fire had lost its origin, and that their chances of making it their own were less than one in ten, it did nothing to stop them from hoping. No matter how low the odds, someone would take the risk and bid for it.
And not just a few people, either.
The eyes of many important figures flickered with indecision, but they were clearly tempted. It was foreseeable that once the auction began, there would be no fewer bidders than for the previous two items.
Ling Yun looked at the crystal core. Though his eyes showed disappointment, he had no intention of giving up on the bidding.
He had already spent 150,000 low-grade spirit stones on the Simu Suppression Furnace, leaving only 50,000 in his crystal card. There was no chance at all of securing this wisp of spirit fire with that.
I'm sure this wisp of spirit fire will sell for even more than the Simu Suppression Furnace-perhaps much more!
Thoughts raced through Ling Yun's mind as he considered how to get the spirit fire.
If I can get this wisp of spirit fire, the Spirit-Nurturing Method in the Pill Scripture's inheritance has a very good chance of regenerating its origin. It will take some time, but it'll all be worth it in the end!
At that thought, the disappointment in Ling Yun's eyes quickly faded.
If this wisp were a true spirit fire with its origin intact, my chances of refining a Cold Essence Pill in the near future would increase greatly!
But that seems impossible now. Powerful as the Spirit-Nurturing Method is, even making a spirit fire as ordinary as the Crimson Gold Spirit Fire generate an origin would take a year, or even several years.
Ling Yun thought no further about it. Instead, he turned his attention to the auction's chief steward, intending to ask him about something that puzzled him.
Just as he was about to speak, another voice beat him to it.
"Chief steward, may I ask whether valuable items can be used to bid at the auction?"
Ling Yun was taken aback. The other person had asked the question for him.
Then he realized the voice sounded familiar. Looking in its direction, he found that the speaker was none other than the woman who had failed to outbid him for the Simu Suppression Furnace.
Jiang Lian, a top fourth-tier alchemist publicly known in Myriad Phenomena City as Mo Xian's equal!
"Hm?"
It was not just Ling Yun-even Mo Xian looked completely baffled. Having been at odds with Jiang Lian for so many years, he had been confident he understood her. Now it seemed his understanding had fallen far short!
Is she asking because she has an extremely valuable treasure and is confident she can beat everyone here?
Ling Yun was also utterly puzzled. If she had such a treasure, why hadn't she brought it out to compete with him for the Simu Suppression Furnace?
I almost forgot. Some people have ways of learning about certain mysterious auction items. Could it be that Alchemist Jiang's target was never the Simu Suppression Furnace to begin with?
He himself had only learned that a quasi-fifth-tier pill furnace would be auctioned today because Zhang Yu had told him. Only a select few were qualified to know exactly what the final three items were!
The chief steward did not refuse. Instead, he smiled and said, "Naturally. Any item appraised by our Heavenly Treasure Tower can be used for a transaction."
At his answer, Jiang Lian nodded slightly and said nothing more, her face expressionless.
Many people who heard him also began to stir with eagerness.
Are they going to sell off their possessions just to get a wisp of spirit fire they have almost no chance of absorbing?
Ling Yun realized he had underestimated the allure of spirit fire.
Many people would spend every last thing they owned to buy a chance. After all, if they succeeded, the rewards would far outweigh the cost, and they would be almost certain to use it to step into a higher realm!
No one present could resist such temptation.
Ling Yun thought for a moment, then stopped dwelling on it.
If items can be used in exchange, I have nothing to fear. I still have fifth-tier talismans!
Ling Yun had previously inscribed four Divine Wood Spells, two Wind Blade Talismans, and one Spirit-Sealing Sigil.
He had used two Divine Wood Spells and two Wind Blade Talismans against King Chen, but his remaining talismans were enough to support his bidding.
These talismans were all low-grade fifth-tier talismans. Even if one was not as valuable as a fifth-tier pill, it was still worth more than the Simu Suppression Furnace!
A talisman like the Divine Wood Spell should be worth around 400,000 low-grade spirit stones. After all, it could unleash the power of the Primordial Spirit Realm, something no ordinary fourth-tier item could match.
Ling Yun rejoiced inwardly.
Looks like my reserves are quite substantial after all.
On the auction platform, the chief steward wasted no more time and immediately announced the start of the auction.
"Crimson Gold Spirit Fire, starting bid: 100,000 low-grade spirit stones. Each bid must increase by no less than 5,000 low-grade spirit stones!"
In moments, bids rang out incessantly. Whether or not they were qualified to bid, everyone chimed in.
With this reckless bidding, the price of the Crimson Gold Spirit Fire surpassed that of the Simu Suppression Furnace and reached a staggering 160,000 low-grade spirit stones!
Even so, the bidding only slowed slightly. Many people who had originally seemed utterly unremarkable opened their mouths and offered over a hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones.
Even Mo Xian, a top alchemist who prided himself on his astonishing wealth, was dumbfounded. He watched the people around him bid, his face full of disbelief.
I'm the poor bastard?
Mo Xian let out a devastated howl in his heart.
Of course, some people remained unmoved and did not join the bidding.
Jiang Lian, for instance.
Even though the current bid had exceeded the level of fourth-tier items and was racing toward the price of a fifth-tier treasure, Jiang Lian remained calm and composed.
After failing to secure the Simu Suppression Furnace, she still had over a hundred thousand spirit stones to spend, as well as a mysterious, highly valuable item for bidding.
It could be said that Jiang Lian was already one of the people present most likely to win the Crimson Gold Spirit Fire.
Ling Yun's gaze moved among the few people who had been bidding all along.
The Azure King Manor's chief attendant?
Ling Yun noticed the old man, who kept matching bids without so much as blinking, and was secretly surprised.
"Two hundred and thirty thousand low-grade spirit stones!"
The old man called out his bid in a deep voice.
At that, many people stopped bidding, regret on their faces. But a few others refused to give up and quickly set off another round of bids.
The Azure King Manor is most skilled in using fire. It's said that the current Azure King possesses a special spirit fire called Azure Feather.
The Azure Feather Mystic Fire was even more fearsome than the Crimson Gold Spirit Fire. Its existence in the Azure King Manor was a secret known to only a few members of the Ling Clan.
Ling Yun had learned of it from the Spirit King when he was a child. The Azure Feather Mystic Fire was a spirit fire that came from a high-tier demonic beast, the Azure Feather Sparrow.
These great demons were born with Azure Spirit Fire, but no one could kill the goose that laid the golden eggs and absorb their Azure Spirit Fire, because once its owner died, the spirit fire would dissipate as well.
However, when an Azure Feather Sparrow died, there was an extremely small chance that its spirit fire would survive and merge with its soul, becoming a spirit fire known as Azure Feather. It was several times stronger than the Azure Spirit Fire they possessed in life.
The newly born Azure Feather Mystic Fire possessed a fire soul and could be considered a special living being. In fact, cultivators distinguished such conscious spirit fires from others and called them Mystic Spirit Fire.
Mystic Spirit Fire could acknowledge a master. Only a cultivator it recognized could absorb it and make it their own.
Moreover, even if its master died, Mystic Spirit Fire would not vanish like ordinary spirit fire.
The Azure King Manor's Azure Feather Mystic Fire had been passed down from the first Azure King a thousand years ago. After the first Azure King fell, however, the Azure Feather Mystic Fire had remained hidden deep within the manor.
It was not until the Azure King of this generation appeared and unexpectedly gained the Azure Feather Mystic Fire's recognition that it reappeared in the world.
That was also why the Azure King, though a woman, had not married but instead inherited the title of Azure King.
After all, her talent was already comparable to that of the first Azure King, and she had become a Primordial Spirit Realm expert before reaching a hundred years of age.
Ling Yun was almost certain that the Azure King Manor's chief attendant had far more money in his pocket than this and was determined to obtain the Crimson Gold Spirit Fire.
After all, a spirit fire, combined with the Azure King Manor's fire-attribute divine abilities and spells, could unleash explosive power.