Qingshan City was built against the mountain, magnificent in its scale.
As the largest cultivation city within a thousand miles, it was bustling with traffic. There were not only cultivators flying on swords but also many mortal merchants.
Qingshan City was actually within the territory of the Piaomiao Sect.
However, because Tianbao Pavilion had a branch in Qingshan City, the Piaomiao Sect reached a cooperation agreement with them, designating Qingshan City as a separate neutral territory, though it remained under the protection of the Piaomiao Sect.
In exchange, disciples of the Piaomiao Sect were granted the right to purchase all items within at a twenty percent discount, and during auctions, they also had access to independent private booths.
Shifting back to Tianbao Pavilion, this grand building standing in the center of the city had three floors, paved entirely with white marble, and crisp wind chimes hung from the eaves.
Above the main gate of the pagoda hung a massive golden plaque with four large characters inscribed—[Tianbao Tongshen].
This was the Qingshan City branch of Tianbao Pavilion.
Its influence spread across the entire continent; rumors suggested that Tianbao Pavilion even possessed many branches in the mortal realm.
The confidence behind Tianbao Pavilion’s daring expansion lay with their mysterious ancestor of the Integration Stage.
Wu Yan did not intend to use the rights granted to Piaomiao Sect disciples on this trip.
Firstly, Wu Yan’s reputation within the Piaomiao Sect was not exactly good. Secondly, she did not want others to know who had eventually won the bid for this Soul-Nourishing Jade.
Wu Yan did not reserve a private booth; she simply found a chair in the darkest and most secluded corner of the third floor and sat down.
She wore a black bamboo hat with the brim pulled very low to hide her face, and she suppressed her aura to the extreme, appearing like a silent observer.
Inside her Storage Ring, two thousand three hundred and sixty-two High-grade Spiritual Stones lay quietly.
“Ding—”
With a melodious chime of a bell, the auction officially began.
An auctioneer dressed in a purple-gold robe stepped onto the high platform, wearing a professional smile, and spoke loudly:
“Fellow Taoists, today’s Tianbao Pavilion auction features many treasures. The rules remain the same: the highest bidder wins! Now, please bring out the first item!”
Two maids carried a long brocade box onto the stage. As the lid opened, a wave of scorching heat instantly swept through the hall.
“The Flowing Gold Fire-Pattern Sword! It is a low-grade spiritual weapon crafted by the master smith Ou Yezi. The blade is inscribed with an Explosive Flame Array. Even if a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Stage holds it, it can increase the power of fire-attribute techniques by at least thirty percent! The starting price is one hundred High-grade Spiritual Stones, with each bid increase no less than ten!”
The atmosphere below the stage was instantly ignited. For most cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Stage or even the Golden Core Stage who were still using mid-grade spiritual weapons, this was a rare divine blade.
“One hundred and ten!”
“One hundred and twenty!”
“One hundred and fifty!”
Bidding voices rose one after another.
Wu Yan sat in the corner, watching the developments.
Her goal for this trip was only one thing, so everything before the Soul-Nourishing Jade was not something she would consider.
Ultimately, this Flowing Gold Fire-Pattern Sword was taken by a red-haired rogue cultivator for the high price of three hundred and fifty High-grade Spiritual Stones.
With the excellence of the first item setting the stage, the competition for each subsequent item naturally became fierce.
The Third-Revolution Clear Spirit Pill, capable of bringing back the dead and regrowing flesh on bone, sold for one hundred and eighty High-grade Spiritual Stones.
Deep Sea Black Iron Essence, an excellent material for forging heavy weapons, sold for four hundred and twenty High-grade Spiritual Stones.
……
As treasures were sold one by one for prices of several hundred High-grade Spiritual Stones, Wu Yan’s palms began to sweat slightly.
The closing price of every item here was somewhat beyond Wu Yan’s imagination. The two thousand-plus Spirit Stones in her hand seemed like a fortune, but in this den of gold-burning extravagance, they wouldn’t last if squandered.
It wasn’t until the afternoon that the auctioneer’s expression suddenly became serious, and his voice rose several notches:
“Fellow Taoists, the next treasure is one of the heavyweight items of this auction—the Soul-Nourishing Jade!”
As the voice fell, a maid carefully carried a tray onto the high platform.
On the tray, a fist-sized white jade stone, as warm and smooth as mutton fat, floated quietly.
Its appearance was not accompanied by world-shaking anomalies, but that soft white light instantly dispelled the surrounding heat, making everyone present feel an indescribable cool and peace in their souls.
Even the usually rowdy Wu Yan (Inner) narrowed her eyes in enjoyment at this moment.
The auctioneer took a deep breath: “This jade originates from the core of a mineral vein in the Extremely Cold Land. It has the miraculous effects of nourishing the soul, suppressing Inner Demons, and stabilizing the sea of consciousness!”
“Starting price—one hundred High-grade Spiritual Stones! Each bid increase must be no less than fifty!”
Once the starting price was announced, the crowd erupted in an uproar. One thousand High-grade Spiritual Stones was already several months’ worth of income for many small sects.
Wu Yan took a deep breath, forcibly calming her inner excitement.
“One thousand one hundred!”
“One thousand two hundred!”
“One thousand five hundred!”
The price began to climb like a rocket. Several private booths on the second floor also began to join the fray.
When the price was called at one thousand eight hundred High-grade Spiritual Stones, the voices in the hall thinned out significantly.
Only a black-robed old man in a second-floor booth was still counter-bidding with Wu Yan.
“One thousand nine hundred!” The old man’s voice was gloomy.
Wu Yan gripped her number plate tightly, her knuckles turning white.
“Two thousand!” She shouted with a raspy voice.
“Two thousand one hundred!” The old man did not yield.
“Two thousand two hundred!” Wu Yan raised her plate again.
The old man hesitated for a moment, seemingly weighing the pros and cons, before finally gritting his teeth: “Two thousand two hundred and fifty!”
Two thousand two hundred and fifty High-grade Spiritual Stones—for a piece of auxiliary Soul-Nourishing Jade, this price was already significantly inflated.
Sensing the old man’s hesitation, Wu Yan raised her plate and made one final bid:
“Two thousand three hundred!”
That old man glared fiercely at the corner where Wu Yan was located before finally sitting back in indignation.
“Two thousand three hundred once! Two thousand three hundred twice! Two thousand three hundred three times! Sold!”
As the sound of the auction hammer fell, Wu Yan collapsed against the stone chair as if she were exhausted.
***
After acquiring the Soul-Nourishing Jade, Wu Yan did not intend to stay long. She stood up to go to the back to settle the payment and leave.
However, just as she took a step, the auctioneer’s impassioned voice rang out again, forcing her to stop in her tracks.
“The next item—Thousand-Year Lightning-Struck Wood!”
Wu Yan snapped her head back.
On the stage, a piece of scorched wood glowing with faint purple light was brought forward.
“This lightning-struck wood contains the essence of thousand-year thunder and fire. It has survived the baptism of heavenly lightning without being destroyed, its vitality restrained within. It is a peerless medicinal primer for refining the Five Elements Meridian-Connecting Pill and other medicines to repair damaged meridians!”
Wu Yan’s heart constricted sharply.
The Five Elements Meridian-Connecting Pill.
This was exactly the medicinal primer Xia Lingshuang needed most right now!
Even the Nine Nether Blood Lingzhi could not compare to it in terms of repairing meridians and healing hidden injuries.
If they had it, the Master’s injury recovery speed would increase at least threefold!
She almost subconsciously reached for her Storage Ring.
It was empty; there were only twenty-six Spirit Stones left, not even enough for a fraction of the starting price.
“Oh dear, little Wu Yan, don’t worry about that old woman. Let’s hurry up and get that Soul-Nourishing Jade. I can’t wait anymore~”
Wu Yan (Inner) urged from beside Wu Yan.
Meanwhile, the bidding on stage had already begun.
“Starting price—one thousand two hundred High-grade Spiritual Stones!”
“One thousand five hundred!”
“Two thousand!”
The price soared, quickly exceeding the amount Wu Yan had paid for the Soul-Nourishing Jade.
Wu Yan stood in the shadows, her fingernails nearly digging into her flesh. A deep sense of powerlessness welled up in her heart.
Just then, from a luxuriously decorated Heaven-grade booth on the second floor, a crisp, slightly childish yet exceptionally determined voice drifted out.
“Two thousand five hundred!”
As soon as Wu Yan heard it, she knew the person in that booth was Yu Qingyao.
Since her junior sister had come, the ownership of this Thousand-Year Lightning-Struck Wood was no longer in question.
In the end, Yu Qingyao naturally won the bid for the Thousand-Year Lightning-Struck Wood.
Wu Yan watched as that piece of lightning-struck wood was delivered by a maid to the second-floor booth. Her tense body slowly relaxed, and a complex emotion flashed through her eyes.
It was fine. Since her junior sister bought it, it was the same as the Master having it. It didn’t matter who delivered it.
She silently turned and walked toward the back. She understood that if she wanted to pay off her sins, she had to stay alive.
Only by surviving would she have the right to talk about atonement.
“Let me say it again, little Wu Yan, that’s not called a sin~ If a person doesn’t look out for themselves, heaven and earth will destroy them. Heh heh heh~”
Fortunately, the process of atonement was not exactly lonely; at least a certain childish red-clothed female demon would always be chattering away beside her.