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Chapter 45: Auction Finale
"Two hundred and fifty."
"Two hundred and sixty."
Compared to the earlier spirit beasts, the auction for the Profound Water Turtle egg was relatively uneventful, with only a few factions placing bids.
"Three hundred and twenty... three hundred and forty... three hundred and fifty..." The bidding frequency became slower and slower.
"Three hundred and eighty!" After waiting for a long time, Lan Chang'an finally made his move.
He was somewhat interested in the Profound Water Turtle egg, but he wasn't determined to get it. If the price went too high, he would let it go.
"Three hundred and eighty spirit stones, any higher bids? This is an earth-grade spirit beast!" The elder in the feathered robe looked around.
The result was a silent audience; no one else competed. Cultivators are not foolish, an earth-grade spirit beast egg with slow growth and weak life, even if it hatched out, its prospects were still unpredictable.
"Three hundred and eighty spirit stones, sold! The Profound Water Turtle egg goes to the friend at VIP platform number seven."
Lan Chang'an was a bit surprised; he hadn't expected to win the Profound Water Turtle egg so easily.
As a talisman master, receiving two salaries plus side earnings made it normal for him to be wealthy. But he couldn't be too extravagant; spending several hundred spirit stones was near his limit, even with a cultivation family background.
"It seems this item is fated to be mine." Lan Chang'an smiled knowingly.
Mu Xiuyun couldn't help but ponder. She knew Lan Chang'an's cultivation technique included a miraculous healing secret spell.
If used on the Profound Water Turtle egg, perhaps it could nurture a normally healthy Profound Water Turtle, yielding a small profit.
The higher-ups in the Mu Family didn't understand why Lan Chang'an bought the Profound Water Turtle egg, but they didn't stop him.
"Even if Lan Chang'an takes a first-rank Life Extension Pill, if he doesn't achieve foundation establishment, he won't live to see the Profound Water Turtle grow. By then, this turtle might become the Mu Family's guardian beast." Mu Maode silently calculated.
"Talisman Master Lan, please come to collect the Profound Water Turtle egg. I have some details to explain."
A crisp, sweet voice of a young girl came from the stage, it was Zhou Qingxuan speaking.
Seeing the final buyer was Lan Chang'an, Zhou Qingxuan looked slightly surprised.
The Profound Water Turtle is suitable for cultivation forces to purchase and cultivate over several generations. To an individual, it was rather useless.
Upon hearing this, Lan Chang'an went to the auction stage.
During this process, he sensed several spiritual senses sweeping over him, all only lingering briefly.
Releasing spiritual sense naturally indicated a foundation establishment cultivator.
Hmm?
Lan Chang'an keenly detected a familiar spiritual sense, eerie and unpredictable, making one's body feel cold.
"Liang Shaotian? He dared to come to Bamboo Leaf Mountain to join the fun? Truly audacious!" Lan Chang'an was secretly astonished.
That divine sense flashed by, making it difficult for him to determine the location.
"Talisman Master Lan, here is the Profound Water Turtle egg and the breeding information."
Zhou Qingxuan handed the egg and a jade slip to Lan Chang'an.
Lan Chang'an handed over the spirit stones in return.
After the transaction.
Zhou Qingxuan blinked, her eyes showing a hint of cunning as she probed, "Talisman Master Lan, do you have any breeding insights for purchasing the Profound Water Turtle egg?" Zhou Qingxuan knew the situation of this Profound Water Turtle egg well.
Although it was sold cheaply, the signs of life within the egg were weak; successful hatching would require great effort and expense.
The Zhou Family's spirit beast tamers had rigorously evaluated it before deciding to sell the egg.
Zhou Qingxuan speculated: either Lan Chang'an was unaware of the situation and impulsively bought it, or he had some hidden knowledge and methods.
"Haha! Miss Zhou, you're overthinking. The cultivators in the market call me Turtle Talisman Master, don't they? So I might as well buy a turtle spirit pet to solidify the title." Lan Chang'an laughed with self-deprecation.
Zhou Qingxuan chuckled, her laughter as clear as wind chimes, her eyes shining, her chest slightly heaving.
The auction continued, and she did not ask further.
...
Returning to the VIP seat, Lan Chang'an took out the jade slip given by Zhou Qingxuan, pressed it to his forehead, and injected his spiritual sense to examine it.
His face turned grim upon reading.
The Mu Family higher-ups noticed this, guessing that Lan Chang'an had suffered a loss by purchasing the egg.
"Lan Chang'an, learn from your mistakes. In the cultivation world, there aren't many easy bargains." Mu Renlong advised sincerely.
Lan Chang'an was still young. Though alert and steady, greed was something even hundreds of years old monsters couldn't fully suppress.
Lan Chang'an responded with a light "hmm," remaining silent.
The jade slip from Zhou Qingxuan detailed the Profound Water Turtle egg's information and conditions, including the costs needed for hatching.
The expenses far exceeded the auction price!
By common sense, Lan Chang'an had indeed been tricked by the Zhou Family. 𝗳re𝗲𝚠e𝐛n𝗼v𝗲l.c𝐨𝐦
...
Half an hour later, the Zhou Family's spirit beast auction ended.
Zhou Qingxuan left the auction stage and returned to a central VIP platform.
"Qingxuan, you did well in this spiritual beast auction."
In the VIP platform, a handsome middle-aged scholar smiled.
"Uncle Jingxuan, it was just an auction, much simpler than taming fierce beasts." Facing the foundation establishment middle-aged scholar, Zhou Qingxuan spoke playfully and sat down casually.
The middle-aged scholar was named Zhou Jingxuan, a foundation establishment cultivator of the Zhou Family.
...
The auction entered its second half, with increasingly higher grade items appearing.
The bidding amounts reached several hundred to thousands.
The number of foundation establishment bids gradually increased.
"Top-grade magic weapon Cold Moon Blade, extremely powerful. In the hands of a foundation establishment cultivator, it can release up to seven cold moon blades at once. At the ninth layer of Qi-Refining, touching it means instant death. Ordinary foundation establishment cultivators can hardly withstand it. Under moonlight, its power increases by thirty percent!"
"Starting bid one thousand spirit stones, each increment no less than fifty."
"One thousand one hundred!"
"One thousand two hundred!"
"One thousand five hundred!"
...
The Cold Moon Blade, a powerful top-grade magic weapon, attracted bids solely from foundation establishment cultivators. Even the Huang Family joined the bidding.
If cultivators at the late stage of Qi-Refining could barely control a superior-grade magic weapon, top-grade ones were entirely the realm of foundation establishment.
"One thousand eight hundred spirit stones!" Finally, this top-grade magic weapon was won by a foundation establishment cultivator from the Zhou Family, Zhou Jingxuan.
After the top-grade magic weapon, the auction's climax slightly dropped.
Qi-Refining late-stage Bottleneck-Breaking Pills and foundation establishment cultivation enhancing Blood Spirit Pill appeared, the latter also won by the Zhou Family's Foundation Establishment cultivator.
The auction neared its end. Representatives from various forces perked up, focusing on the finale.
"Distinguished guests, the penultimate item of this auction, the grand finale – Foundation Establishment Pill!" The elder in the feathered robe's voice grew enthusiastic.
The atmosphere in the hall turned tense.
Two foundation establishment cultivators personally escorted the jade bottle containing the Foundation Establishment Pill on a tray.
One of them, an ancient old man, was Huang Changling, the old ancestor of the Huang Clan that Lan Chang'an had seen entering the auction. The other was a middle-aged man in heavy armor, exuding a murderous aura.
"The effects of the Foundation Establishment Pill need no elaboration. It can increase the success rate of foundation establishment and enhance the cultivator's dantian and meridians, greatly improving safety." The elder's voice echoed in the auction hall.
"This Foundation Establishment Pill has slight flaws but is generally fine, and after verification by the Pill Alliance, it's estimated to increase success rate by fifteen percent."
"Fifteen percent?"
The forces in the hall pondered, still very interested.
A normal Foundation Establishment Pill could increase the success rate by twenty percent. Fifteen percent wasn't too far off.
"This Foundation Establishment Pill, starting bid two thousand spirit stones, each increment no less than one hundred." The elder announced loudly.
"Two thousand two hundred!"
"Two thousand three!"
"Two thousand five!"
...
The price kept rising, slowing down only after reaching three thousand spirit stones.
The Mu Family higher-ups sighed, giving up the competition.
Ten years ago, Mu Renlong secretly established his foundation, costing the family greatly.
In recent years, the Mu Family had recovered, but buying another Foundation Establishment Pill at all costs was imprudent.
Having a Foundation Establishment Pill didn't guarantee success. Moreover, this pill had slight flaws.
Even if bought, they would face the risk of being robbed, potentially bringing disaster to the family.
"Four thousand spirit stones! Any higher bids?"
Finally, the Foundation Establishment Pill was sold at a huge price.
Some forces could offer more. But it wasn't worth it.
Spending thousands of spirit stones for a fifteen percent increase in success rate might be in vain and carried risks.
"Yunhe Ning Family?"
"It was actually this remote family that won the Foundation Establishment Pill."
Under the gaze of various forces, a red-faced elder led a man and a woman to the stage.
The red-faced elder was a foundation establishment cultivator, his aura declining, clearly near his lifespan's end.
Behind him, the man and woman were at the ninth and eighth layers of Qi-Refining, respectively.
The man was a middle-aged man in beast-hide robes; the woman was a graceful beauty in a green dress.
"Elder Ning, congratulations on winning the Foundation Establishment Pill." The ancestor of the Huang Family, Huang Changling, smiled and cupped his hands.
After paying the spirit stones.
The red-faced elder pleaded, "Fellow Daoist Changling, may my grandson breakthrough on the second-grade spiritual vein of Bamboo Leaf Mountain? We are willing to pay the spirit stones."
Breaking through to foundation establishment required a second-grade spiritual vein. Without enough spiritual pressure, they could easily get stuck at the mana liquefaction stage.
The Ning Family had a second-rank spiritual vein but worried about delays and accidents on the way, thus making this request.
"No!"
Huang Changling's face changed, decisively refusing.
"It's not that I lack empathy. Breaking through to foundation establishment draws large amounts of spiritual energy, and Bamboo Leaf Mountain's second-grade spiritual vein is crucial for the market's second-rank defensive formation stability. In these unusual times, I hope Fellow Daoist Ning understands."
...