The First Immortal of Destiny

After leaving the Deacon Hall, Shen Mo did not return to his cave mansion immediately. Instead, he went down the mountain and made a trip to the Market in Jiyun Town.

According to the auction rules, not everyone could enter. To participate in the auction, one needed an invitation as proof of entry. The Market would prepare some of these invitations and distribute them to high-class cultivators and regular customers who frequently visited. The remaining invitations would then be sold in the Market. Any cultivator interested in participating could purchase an invitation there.

"Ten Spirit Stones."

Shen Mo arrived at the Jiyun Town Market and obtained an invitation from a Keeper. The price of the invitation wasn't high; the Market didn't rely on this to make money. The real profit came from the commissions on auction sales. Setting this threshold was mainly to filter out cultivators with genuine financial strength to participate.

Ten Spirit Stones—it wasn't a large sum, nor was it insignificant. For cultivators with the financial means to bid in an auction, it was a trifling expense. But for low-class cultivators with tight budgets, it was a considerable amount of money. At this moment, Shen Mo naturally wasn't bothered by the price. After all, he had more than 1,500 Spirit Stones in his purse.

"On the fifteenth of July, during the Rat Hour at midnight, the auction will commence as scheduled in the central part of the Market," the Market Keeper said, handing Shen Mo the invitation after receiving the Spirit Stones. "You still have ten days. If you wish to bid on some treasures, you'd best use this time to gather more funds."

"Alright, I've noted it." Shen Mo nodded, tucked the invitation into his Universe Bag, and then flew back to the sect on his sword.

***

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, Shen Mo focused on alchemy and making talismans, eventually selling them all at the sect's Market to prepare for the upcoming auction.

"One thousand eight hundred low-grade Spirit Stones!" After counting the Spirit Stones in his Universe Bag, a trace of excitement appeared on Shen Mo's face. These Spirit Stones were the capital he would use to bid for the Divine Iron at the auction.

The Divine Iron is a high-class spiritual ore, typically used for forging high-grade profound level magic artifacts. Its value should not be less than the Profound Gold Stone I brought from the Mountain River Realm. That Profound Gold Stone was a top-level forging material, costing one hundred low-grade Spirit Stones per jin. Shen Mo didn't know the weight of the Divine Iron to be auctioned. If it's within ten jin, the Spirit Stones I've prepared should be enough to win it, even with competition. But if it exceeds ten jin, my financial strength might not be sufficient. I'll see when I get there!

He put on the black robe he had specially prepared and covered his face with a special mask. Then, mounting his Dragon Sparrow Sword, he hurried to the Jiyun Town Market under the cover of the Rat Hour's darkness.

Normally, the Jiyun Town Market would be under curfew at night. But today, due to the auction, it was exceptionally bustling. Not only were cultivators arriving from all directions to participate, but even the small stall owners had been granted an exception, allowing them to keep their stalls open longer tonight. Consequently, it wasn't just the central part of the Market that was lively; the entrances to major alleys were also brightly lit and filled with the clamor of voices.

Cutting through the crowd, Shen Mo went straight to the central plaza, as directed by the Market manager earlier. In front of the tall pavilion here, four Keepers with formidable auras stood guard. Anyone wishing to enter had to present an invitation for verification.

When Shen Mo arrived, a long queue had already formed at the entrance. Clearly, many cultivators had come to participate in the auction. Moreover, their auras were not weak. While queuing, Shen Mo used his sense to gauge these auras. Even the weakest among them were at the standard of Qi Gathering Realm Layer I. As for the stronger ones, cultivators at Qi Gathering Realm Perfection were not uncommon. A few auras were particularly vast and profound. Shen Mo speculated they might belong to experts who had advanced to the Spirit Sea Realm.

"Truly a congregation of hidden talents," Shen Mo remarked, a smile playing upon his lips. Even within the Riverside Sect, it was rare to encounter so many high-class cultivators. It seemed the auction was indeed attracting extraordinary attention.

***

After entering, Shen Mo walked straight through the passage and quickly arrived at the inner pavilion area. The interior of the auction hall was vast and spacious, large enough to easily accommodate a thousand people without feeling congested.

The seating area was divided into three sections. The first section was the highest, offering a bird's-eye view of the entire venue—a prime position. The second section consisted of the front rows, also an excellent position. However, securing a seat in these two prime sections clearly required special connections or particularly valuable invitations.

Cultivators like Shen Mo, who had bought their invitations for ten Spirit Stones and were thus uninvited guests, could only be seated in the third section. That was the middle section of the auction seating. This section offered a relatively poorer view and was also the most crowded.

But Shen Mo didn't particularly mind this seating arrangement. After all, he was here to make purchases, not to enjoy a life of luxury. Since transgressing into this world, he had been at the bottom of the cultivation world and had no habits of being pampered. He wouldn't feel uncomfortable just because his seat wasn't the best.

Usually, one rarely sees so many high-class cultivators. Looking around now, there are quite a few strong rogue cultivators in the cultivation world. Finding his seat in the middle section, Shen Mo sat down. While the auction had yet to begin, he took the opportunity to survey his surroundings.

The auction hall contained over a thousand seats, and they were nearly all filled. It was clear how many cultivators this auction had attracted from various places.

What's the procedure next? He scanned the room once more, then fixed his gaze on the auction stage ahead, a sense of anticipation building within him. This was the first time in his life he had attended an auction in the cultivation world. He had only read about such occasions in novels, both in his previous life and this one. Therefore, he took it very seriously and came well-prepared.

He wore a mask and a black robe to avoid being recognized. Upon arrival, Shen Mo realized his attire wasn't particularly unique. Many other cultivators also wore black robes; some wore hats and veils, while others used special methods to alter their appearance. Concealing one's identity was clearly the standard practice at this auction.

Of course, while about half the attendees deliberately concealed their identities, many others did not bother with such disguises. Among these, some were simple blockheads who lacked shrewdness and a sense of crisis. Others were merely there to join the spectacle, with no intention of bidding on anything or inciting conflict. Still others, confident in their strength, disdained to wear a disguise. Shen Mo noticed that the few cultivators in the room with the strongest auras, suspected to be in the Spirit Sea Realm, also wore no disguises.

"Thank you, fellow Daoists, for gracing us with your presence and participating in this auction organized by the Jiyun Town Market." Once all the attending cultivators had entered and settled down, a cultivator responsible for hosting the auction stepped onto the stage.

He had clearly cultivated some secret voice-transmission technique. His voice wasn't loud, yet it effortlessly reached the ears of the thousand people present, as if he were whispering right beside them.

"This year, the Market has acquired many fine treasures. I believe that when the auction items are presented one by one, none of you fellow Daoists who have traveled far will be disappointed!" The host, a cultivator in a grey robe, delivered the opening remarks with a smile.

Aside from some pleasantries and customary greetings, his speech mainly concerned the rules cultivators needed to observe during the auction. For instance, fraudulent bidding was prohibited. If one wished to raise a placard and bid, one must have sufficient Spirit Stones on hand. Otherwise, if one won a bid but then lacked sufficient Spirit Stones to pay when collecting the item, it would be considered a breach of the rules. Furthermore, each subsequent bid must be at least ten Spirit Stones higher than the previous one. Also, any form of violence was forbidden within the auction venue. Even if your mortal enemy, the one who killed your own father, was right before your eyes, you must not engage in violence here. To do so would also be a violation. There were many other such rules, mostly familiar and unoriginal.

Anyone who broke these rules and committed prohibited acts would face punishment from the Market's management.