The Divine Grade Auction began. The old woman on the stage took out the first item for auction: the Sleeping Art.
The old woman introduced it at a leisurely pace. “Esteemed guests, you may not know this, but this art was created by a great ancient master. That master was fond of sleeping his entire life, yet his cultivation reached the heavens, precisely because this art nourishes the spirit through sleep, transforms spirit into qi, and returns qi to yang. For those who cultivate this art, merely sleeping soundly for two hours each day is equivalent to a full day of arduous cultivation for others. It is especially suitable for those with depleted spiritual power and deficient qi and blood.”
Upon hearing this, Chu Yuan’s eyes gleamed with a sharp light. Depleted spiritual power? Deficient qi and blood? Isn’t that exactly describing me? These past nine days, being used as a cushion by that woman, my spiritual power was sucked almost dry. I even have to support my waist when walking. I was just worrying about how to recover, and this ‘nourish the spirit through sleep, transform spirit into qi, return qi to yang’… Excellent, excellent, excellent!
Chu Yuan silently calculated in his heart. If this cultivation art truly had the miraculous effects described, then he only needed to sleep for two hours each day to ‘sleep’ back the spiritual power that bad woman had sucked away. Thinking of this, a faint light flickered in Chu Yuan’s dark eyes. However, his expression remained unchanged on the surface. He picked up his teacup and took a sip, his gaze fixed tightly on the jade slip floating in the old woman’s hand.
The old woman immediately announced, “The starting bid for this art is one hundred thousand spirit stones. Each subsequent bid must not be less than ten thousand.”
One hundred thousand spirit stones was absolutely not expensive compared to the other auction items; it could be considered just an appetizer. The venue fell silent for a moment. However, most people had little interest in this set of techniques. After all, in the common understanding of cultivators, sleeping arts were ultimately unorthodox methods. With that spare time to sleep, it was better to meditate and cultivate more. Furthermore, there were many good items to follow, so there was no need to waste their budget on this sleeping art. Only a few old cultivators with depleted spiritual power raised their bidding paddles:
“One hundred ten thousand!”
“One hundred twenty thousand!”
“One hundred thirty thousand!”
When the price reached one hundred fifty thousand, the voices ceased. Seeing this, Chu Yuan held his teacup, leisurely drinking his tea. He waited until the bidding had completely cooled down before unhurriedly raising his paddle. “One hundred sixty thousand.”
No one followed. “One hundred sixty thousand spirit stones, sold!” The old woman struck the gavel, finalizing the deal.
Chu Yuan put down his teacup, unable to hide his smile. One hundred sixty thousand spirit stones to buy a set of techniques that could ‘sleep’ him back to health? Worth it.
For the next few auction items, Chu Yuan did not participate in the bidding. Pills, magical artifacts, cultivation arts—all were included, each one inciting fierce bidding among the crowd. Chu Yuan just sat there drinking tea, occasionally glancing out the window, his gaze indifferent, as if watching a spectacle unrelated to himself. Until the old woman’s voice suddenly rose several notches:
“The next auction item is a dragon egg!”
As she spoke, an exquisitely crafted chest was carried onto the display platform. When the chest was opened, inside lay a pitch-black egg, about the size of an infant’s head. The eggshell was covered with intricate golden patterns, like a crisscrossing net. Those patterns glowed faintly under the candlelight, flickering on and off, as if something inside was breathing.
Upon seeing this, the venue immediately erupted into an uproar. A dragon egg! That was a genuine dragon egg! In the Crown Prince’s room, Chu Yuan immediately sat up straight.
“This egg is a descendant of an ancient dragon. The vitality within the egg still remains, and it is expected to hatch within the next few days. However…” As soon as the word “however” was heard, the clamor in the venue died down. The old woman’s expression also became awkward. “This egg is a hybrid, its bloodline is impure. Whether what hatches will be a dragon or a flood dragon, a divine beast or a demon beast, is unknown. Therefore…” She glanced around, her voice carrying a hint of helplessness. “The starting bid is eight hundred thousand spirit stones. Each subsequent bid must not be less than one hundred thousand.”
The venue fell silent for a moment. Eight hundred thousand spirit stones for an egg that might hatch who-knows-what? The risk was too great. Even so, there were quite a few guests rubbing their hands in anticipation. After all, this was an egg that could potentially hatch a true dragon! A dragon was the symbol of an emperor. What if? What if it truly produced one of the strongest ancestral dragons, candle dragons, or winged dragons among the dragon race?
Those who could attend today were all wealthy individuals. Cultivators wanting to gamble on the possibility began bidding:
“Nine hundred thousand!”
“One million!”
“One million two hundred thousand!”
The price climbed steadily. Chu Yuan stared at that dragon egg, his heart already itching with impatience. He waited for the price to stabilize. Remembering from his past life that the dragon egg was sold for over three million, he simply waited now.
“Two million eight hundred thousand!” Not long after, as another cultivator made a bid, the venue fell into complete dead silence. Although what hatched from the dragon egg was an unknown, spending over two million for a single lottery draw was simply too expensive. Considering the various treasures to follow, even guests who had thoughts about it had to lay down their arms.
Seeing the timing was about right, Chu Yuan raised his bidding paddle. “Three million!”
The venue erupted in an uproar. Some recognized him as the young man who spent one hundred sixty thousand spirit stones on that worthless sleeping art at the beginning. “Who is this guy? Spending three million spirit stones on a hybrid dragon egg? Is he that confident?” “Madness, absolute madness! He’s burning money! Which family’s young master is this?” “Shh! Keep your voice down! Don’t you see who’s sitting next to him?”
Everyone’s gaze fell on the room, on the red-haired beauty seated in the main seat beside him, and immediately realized what was going on: So it’s the Crown Princess of the Immortal Dynasty who wants this dragon egg. No wonder… Seeing this, many guests tactfully refrained from further bidding. After all, this was the Immortal Dynasty’s territory; they had to give some face to the Crown Princess.
The old woman in charge of hosting glanced around. “Three million spirit stones. Is there anyone else who wishes to raise the bid?”
No one responded. The old woman did not delay further and tactfully picked up the gavel, striking it decisively. Clang! “Three million spirit stones, going once, going twice, going three times… Sold!”
Chu Yuan put down his paddle and let out a long sigh of relief. The dragon egg was his! He had finally achieved the first goal since his rebirth. Thinking that he would soon see His Majesty the Emperor again, Chu Yuan couldn’t help but hum lightly, his heart filled with satisfaction.
Beside him, Ji Xuanyuan glanced at him, her gaze complex. Compared to the childhood friend who died early in the previous life, this Black Dragon had accompanied her junior brother for over a hundred years; their bond was deeper. If one were to ask who posed a greater threat, this dragon was more worthy of her vigilance.
Sure enough, Chu Yuan had already stood up. “Crown Princess, regarding this dragon egg, can I complete the transaction for it now?”
Ji Xuanyuan slightly furrowed her brows. “Don’t be impatient! The auction has just begun. It’s not too late to complete the transaction after the auction ends!”
But Chu Yuan couldn’t wait. “Crown Princess, this matter isn’t too big, but it’s not insignificant either. How about using your privilege to get those two things I bid on brought over first? It’s not like I’m not going to pay.”
Ji Xuanyuan sighed helplessly, then instructed City Lord Fang Henian to handle the matter. While waiting for the dragon egg to arrive, Chu Yuan sat in his chair, his fingers occasionally tapping the armrest, unable to conceal his excitement and eagerness.
Seeing this, Ji Xuanyuan remarked curiously, “It seems Young Master Yuan indeed has a good relationship with that Black Dragon Emperor. Given your status back then, how did you end up getting involved with the Dragon Emperor?”
Faced with Ji Xuanyuan’s inquiry, Chu Yuan’s gaze grew distant as he reminisced about past events.
Previous life. One day, at the Heavenly Sword Sect.
On both sides of the mountain path, ancient pines reached for the sky, their branches twisted like dragons and snakes. Dewdrops hung on the pine needles, refracting fragmented silver light. Chu Yuan followed behind a hunched figure, ascending the green stone steps towards the mountain peak. The elder wore a gray Taoist robe, her waist and back hunched like an old pine bent by the years. Yet her aura was profound as the sea; with each step she took, the entire mountain ridge trembled slightly. Extinction Sword Venerable, one of the few existences in the world that could make the Demonic Path Alliance tremble with fear.
Walking behind her, he, who was then “Chu Yuan,” felt his heart pounding nervously. He wanted to say something but didn’t know how to begin. Until they reached the end of the mountain path and the two entered a stone pavilion. The old woman with graying temples set up a high-level soundproofing array before speaking.
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