Cultivation: I Can Reincarnate Into Various Worlds

Soon, the two parties had driven the price up to a staggering 5,600,000 Spirit Shells.

"There's no need to bid further." The Protector beside Nan Ling shook his head, signaling her to stop. "The Starfall Sect is one of the righteous sects. If the Flying Feather Immortal Palace helps them, it will be beneficial. If our sect helps, it will only be a waste of Spirit Shells. There's no need for a battle of pride."

Compared to a famous righteous sect like the Flying Feather Immortal Palace, which valued its reputation, the Mingquan Sect was far more notorious among freelance cultivators and other sects. A little damage to their reputation was of no consequence.

"Yes, Uncle." Nan Ling inclined her head slightly and stopped bidding.

Even though she had been outbid, she couldn't resist taunting Elder Zheng, "The Flying Feather Immortal Palace is full of lechers! To think they'd willingly pay such a high price for a mere Furnace Ding."

"Our Flying Feather Immortal Palace is a renowned righteous sect, deeply connected with the equally righteous Starfall Sect. How could a demoness like you understand the camaraderie between righteous sects?" Elder Zheng, having weathered the storms of the commercial world for many years, faced this younger generation member with far greater composure. With a few nonchalant words, he regained the upper hand in the exchange.

Seeing this, the beautiful Mermaid woman, Yu Zhu, quickly placated the representatives of the two major sects. Once they were appeased, silence returned to the auction hall. Then, she cleared her throat and presented the second auction item.

A five-thousand-year-old Red Ginseng! For major sects with legacies spanning tens of thousands of years, a five-thousand-year-old Red Ginseng wasn't particularly precious. However, for some smaller sects, this Red Ginseng was invaluable. It was potent enough to refine pills that could advance the cultivation of a Dao Pill Daoist.

The Red Ginseng's price was quickly driven up to 1,300,000 Spirit Shells and was snatched up by a tall cultivator in the box next to Xu Xing's.

Soon, the auction progressed to its final phase, featuring three finale items. The first of these finale items was none other than Xu Xing's Cold Sword Gangsha Meridian.

Because this item didn't belong to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, it wasn't physically displayed. Instead, an illusory image stored in a Shadow Capturing Talisman was shown.

"The Cold Sword Gangsha Meridian..." Yu Zhu began, "This Gangsha Meridian is Fifth Rank, and its aura is exceptionally pure. The starting bid is 2,300,000 Spirit Shells." She gave a brief introduction and then turned her gaze towards the Ten Major Sects and the other various sects.

Although Gangsha Meridians were creations of heaven and earth, each sect and school had its own methods for harvesting them. Therefore, Gangsha Meridians usually had owners. Ownerless ones were exceedingly rare, especially an object-mimicking Gangsha Meridian of such good quality.

It seems this Cold Sword Gangsha Meridian isn't a lost item from any of the sects... After revealing this highlight treasure, the beautiful Mermaid woman, Yu Zhu, noticed no one sent her a voice transmission inquiring about the Cold Sword Gangsha Meridian's origin. So, she chuckled softly and broke the silence in the auction hall.

As soon as she spoke, the various sects and freelance cultivators at the auction grew excited and began bidding one after another. They hadn't dared to bid earlier, fearing this Cold Sword Gangsha Meridian already belonged to someone. If they bid, they might offend one sect or another.

Determining whether a Gangsha Meridian had an owner was also quite simple. The Gangsha Meridians distributed by each sect were registered, with a wisp of their specific aura recorded. They were easy to identify. Thus, counterfeiting was rare.

After a full half-hour of bidding, the Gangsha Meridian from Xu Xing was sold for the high price of 7,460,000 Spirit Shells. Gangsha Meridians were items that had a price but rarely appeared on the market. Reaching a price of over seven million was due to a significant premium, not because its intrinsic value was that many Spirit Shells.

The two remaining finale treasures were an Ancient Sword Cultivation Inheritance that could lead to the Nascent Soul Realm, and a Dark Gold Stone. Xu Xing wasn't interested in the inheritance. The Flying Feather Immortal Palace possessed an inheritance that led directly to the Primordial Spirit Realm, which was vastly superior to this Ancient Sword Cultivation Inheritance of unknown origin.

As for the Dark Gold Stone, it could be refined into a Blood Treasure. Such a treasure was immensely powerful and unpredictable, yet it wouldn't negatively affect one's cultivation. However, the item was too expensive. In just a few bids, the price soared to nearly ten million Spirit Shells. Seeing this, Xu Xing decided to withdraw from the bidding.

Soon, it was time for the Dark Gold Stone's auction to conclude. The price had been driven up to a staggering 11,000,000 Spirit Shells.

"Eleven million seven hundred thousand," the Protector beside Nan Ling stated calmly, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

The hall fell silent. The Ten Major Sects held a dominant position in East Huangzhou. When the Mingquan Sect made a bid, only the other members of the Ten Major Sects dared to compete; the remaining sects and freelance cultivators lacked the courage. Furthermore, the Wangchuan Sea was effectively the home turf of the Flying Feather Immortal Palace and the Mingquan Sect, so the other eight of the Ten Major Sects would generally choose to give face to these two.

"If I had known there would be a Dark Gold Stone, I would have definitely asked a True Monarch from Blue Sacred Island to accompany me, instead of coming alone..." Elder Zheng lamented to Xu Xing, filled with regret. The value of the Dark Gold Stone was immense; it was highly useful even for Dao Pill Daoists and Nascent Soul Daoist Lords.

Xu Xing narrowed his eyes. If only I knew which island the Hundred Treasures Pavilion auction was being held on, he mused. We could notify the Sect Seniors on Blue Sacred Island to intercept them. The Mingquan Sect is a mortal enemy of the Flying Feather Immortal Palace; killing Nan Ling and her Protector would be a great boon for both me and the Immortal Palace. He then asked Elder Zheng tentatively, "Could we arrange an... interception?"

"Junior Brother Xu, are you thinking of killing them and taking their prize?" Elder Zheng paused, How ruthless, he thought of Xu Xing. He then gave a wry smile. "Junior Brother Xu, you must have entered this island from Huge Mastiff Island, correct? Nan Ling and her Protector didn't enter from Huge Mastiff Island. They came from an island under the Mingquan Sect's control." He explained further, "The Hundred Treasures Pavilion's Teleportation Arrays aren't only set up on Huge Mastiff Island."

"I see..." Xu Xing said with sudden understanding. "What a pity." No wonder Nan Ling was so fearless, unafraid of being pursued by the Flying Feather Immortal Palace. He had entered the Hundred Treasures Pavilion from the Flying Feather Immortal Palace's Eastern Sea territory, while Nan Ling had entered from within the Mingquan Sect's controlled waters. Although they both ended up at the same auction, their return routes would be different.

The auction concluded. Xu Xing went to the back of the Jade Tower to settle the payment for his auctioned item.

"According to Hundred Treasures Pavilion rules, we take a ten percent commission from auctioned items," the person receiving Xu Xing stated. It was none other than Yu Zhu, who had just been the auctioneer. Compared to her demeanor during the auction, Yu Zhu was now much colder, her expression stern and unsmiling.

"This is 6,730,000 Spirit Shells." She handed a Storage Bag to Xu Xing.

"All Spirit Pearls?" Xu Xing took the Storage Bag, scanned it with his Divine Sense, and was slightly surprised. Spirit Pearls were crystallizations of spiritual energy condensed by the King of a Shell Field. Although a single Spirit Pearl had a market price equivalent to 10,000 Spirit Shells, it could often be exchanged for around 11,000 Spirit Shells. For the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to pay in Spirit Pearls, it's as if they've made almost no profit from me...

"Daoist Chang, please don't misunderstand. For finale treasures like yours, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion always pays in Spirit Pearls, not Spirit Shells." Yu Zhu offered a slight smile. "It is only right for us at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to foster a good relationship with someone of your caliber, Daoist Chang. What little we forgo today, we expect to earn back from you in the future." She stated this quite frankly.

Xu Xing nodded. It's merely a business strategy, he thought. By auctioning this Gangsha Meridian, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion has significantly boosted its reputation—something that several hundred thousand Spirit Shells could never buy.

After leaving the Jade Tower, Xu Xing met up with Elder Zheng. After showing his Purple Ribbon Gold Seal, he lent Elder Zheng two hundred Spirit Pearls.

"Senior Brother Zheng, please don't feel indebted," Xu Xing said, holding Elder Zheng's arms as he was about to bow in thanks. "This time, I... well, I leveraged your situation to build a good relationship with the Starfall Sect without spending any of my own money. For me, it was a beneficial act that cost me nothing." He candidly explained his reasoning at the time.

With Elder Zheng's many years of experience in the commercial world, he must have already discerned my motives for intervening, Xu Xing thought. He just chose not to voice it. If I were to act as his benefactor now, even if Elder Zheng said nothing, he would inevitably think less of me in his heart.

Xu Xing, Elder Zheng, and Saintess Wu Miao of the Starfall Sect departed Huge Mastiff Island together.

On their journey, Saintess Wu Miao of the Starfall Sect awoke. Upon seeing Xu Xing and Elder Zheng, she immediately bowed. "Thank you, Benefactor, for your rescue! This humble one is eternally grateful."

Xu Xing waved his hand dismissively. "It was a small matter, Saintess Wu Miao. Please don't trouble yourself over it."

"However, regarding the ransom for Saintess Wu Miao this time..." Elder Zheng chimed in, happy to play the 'bad cop'. My own cultivation prospects are limited, he thought, and the Starfall Sect is in the distant North Wilderness. This beneficial connection is of little use to me. It's better to let Xu Xing have it. His goodwill is more important to me now.