When Yuan Ming heard the final price of the auction item, a faint smile appeared on his face as he shifted his palm away slightly from the bidding token he had just used.

This bidding token was a specially refined magic artifact. By infusing it with a bit of mana, one could trigger a bid without any visible sign on its surface, thus protecting the bidder's privacy.

To many, 3,000 spirit stones might not be considered high for a thousand-year-old spirit wood, but it was no small sum either—almost the entire fortune of an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, enough to exchange for at least two top-grade magical tools.

To most people, the Water Crown Tree spirit wood seemed quite superfluous. Most cultivators, after some consideration, would not make a bid.

For Yuan Ming, however, he did not mind whether the spiritual energy contained in the Water Crown Tree spirit wood conflicted with others. As long as the wood was old enough, he could use it for incense making, which would significantly increase the duration of spirit incense attachment.

Yuan Ming estimated that if this spirit wood were of another wood attribute spirit material, it would be among the best choices for a Core Formation cultivator to refine a magic treasure embryo. If it were auctioned, he might have to spend over ten thousand spirit stones to secure it, and it might even be priceless in the outside world.

The price now was merely a month or so of profits from his Spiritual Incense Shop, so purchasing it was clearly a gain for him.

Finally having acquired something, Yuan Ming felt excited and started looking forward to the upcoming auction items with renewed anticipation.

As the auction gradually neared its end, Gui Jiu finally brought out the first item of the auction that could truly be considered the finale.

"Speaking of formations, do you think of the Chen Kun Sect of Chu Country first, or Red Lotus Island of the Southern Border? The debate over who is the top in formations has been ongoing without a clear conclusion. However, if we talk about which formation shines the most against Foundation Establishment cultivators, there's no other answer than Master Xiao Zhang from Red Lotus Island with his Gentle Wind Illusion Demon Formation."

"Today, our shop is fortunate to have received a consignment from Master Xiao Zhang to auction, and I am proud to introduce his latest creation—the Melt Gold Break Water Array."

"This array integrates offense and defense. Once deployed, anyone approaching with a magic artifact will trigger a fire that incinerates, and any spell cast will summon a flood of weak water. The fire melts the artifact, and the water absorbs spiritual power, hence the name 'Melt Gold Break Water.'"

"After testing by our shop, once trapped inside this formation, even a Core Formation cultivator would find themselves hindered and need to expend some effort to escape, let alone an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator. The value of this item is self-evident. Now, let the bidding for this formation start at 3,000 spirit stones."

Before Gui Jiu could finish speaking, some eager cultivators began to bid immediately, driving the price sharply upward. It quickly surpassed five thousand and was heading straight for eight thousand.

Listening to the introduction, Yuan Ming felt somewhat tempted. However, after a second thought, considering he already possessed two sets of formations and was wealthy, focusing on acquiring a top-grade magical tool without securing one yet could potentially affect his ability to purchase a top-grade magical tool later.

Eventually, the Melt Gold Break Water Array was successfully auctioned off for 11,000 spirit stones, heating up the atmosphere of the venue even further.

Capitalizing on this excitement, Gui Jiu swiftly brought out another major work.

"The next item up for auction is personally refined by Master Xu Xinyang of Zhao Country — the top-grade magical tool called Flowing Cloud Ruler. It is engraved with the four runes: Rapid, Concealment, indestructibility, and immense force. Once activated, it moves incredibly fast, appearing without a trace, and its attack is powerful. It can easily destroy any magical tool below top-grade and even hold its own against other top-grade magical tools."

"You should all be aware of Master Xu Xinyang's caliber. To date, he has crafted a total of eleven top-grade magical tools, each of exceptional quality, eight of which have even been upgraded to magic treasures. The starting bid for this Flowing Cloud Ruler is six thousand."

Below, Yuan Ming glanced at the immaculate jade ruler in Gui Jiu's hands, his eyes reflecting a conflicted expression.

This magical tool greatly suited his tastes, yet in actual use, its effects were quite similar to those of the Black Needle, both emphasizing stealth and surprise.

Therefore, if he purchased this top-grade magical tool, his own Black Needle, if continued to be refined, would result in possessing two top-grade magic treasures upon success.

While he contemplated this, the bidding announced by Gui Jiu had already soared to ten thousand spirit stones and looked to increase further. Suddenly, a brawny middle-aged man with a rugged appearance stood up in one of the boxes overhead. Without even using mana, his voice projected to every corner of the venue.

"Among those coveting this treasure, if anyone has thousand-year-old spirit wood and is willing to trade, based on the current bid of 8,600 spirit stones, we'll calculate the exchange rate by deducting the value of the thousand-year-old spirit wood; refund the excess spirit stones and make up any shortfall. This magic tool will be yours."

Yuan Ming looked up to see this man with a tiger-like face, his round eyes as wide as bells and a mouth as broad as a palm. His black hair stood erect, blending with the bushy sideburns on his cheeks, giving him a fierce appearance.

From his words, it seemed this was Xu Xinyang as mentioned by Gui Jiu.

At that moment, Xu Xinyang's ears flickered as if someone was transmitting a message to him. Soon after, a satisfied smile spread across his face.

"Indeed, Fellow Daoist's bid is very reasonable. What was his name, Gui Jiu right? There's no need to auction this item anymore, quickly bring out the next item for auction," he said.

On the stage, Gui Jiu looked completely bewildered, frozen on the spot as if such a sudden interruption to her auctioning process was not part of her plan, causing a stir among the cultivators present.

Gui Jiu remained motionless there until after seven or eight breaths, when she seemed to receive instructions from the host of the venue, and regained her composure. She then said, "As Senior Xu has instructed, we will naturally follow. Let us continue with the next item."

As Gui Jiu spoke, she suddenly stepped down from the podium and stood in the center of the stage, and beside her, eight figures slowly rose.

Just as everyone present was somewhat confused, not knowing what this final item was, Gui Jiu continued:

"This second to last item for auction, as you all can see, consists of spirit stone puppets. My siblings and I are all produced by the Hundred Machine Sect, totaling nine units, all made from superior materials and each possessing the strength comparable to the Qi Refining Early Stage."

"Importantly, each of us possesses basic spiritual intelligence. As long as supplied with enough spirit stones, we can perform various tasks under the control of our master," she added.

"Nine spirit stone puppets, the starting bid is four thousand five hundred spirit stones. With us, you can assist the master in related work, and also have some self-protection capabilities while ensuring the master's secrets are kept," said Gui Jiu, suddenly giving a playful smile and winking spiritedly at the audience, adding, "In the Southern Border, even a Qi Refinement stage slave costs three thousand spirit stones, we are indeed a bargain."

This speech of Gui Jiu "auctioning herself" caught everyone by surprise, and the atmosphere in the venue took on a strange vibe. While those present knew these were puppets from the Hundred Machine Sect, there was still a sensation as if cultivators were being auctioned as slaves.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming's interest was also piqued; these puppets had such initial spiritual intelligence, and if he could buy them back and teach them the Incense Making Skill, he wouldn't have to worry about producing incense in his shop anymore.

However, he soon abandoned this idea, mainly because the security of his rented cottage wasn't guaranteed. If someone seized the puppets, his incense-making secrets would also become known to others, and that would be a loss not worth the gain.

If necessary in the future, he could directly purchase them from the Hundred Machine Sect. For now, his spirit stones were better spent on top-grade magical tools.

In the end, the nine spirit stone puppets were sold for prices ranging from five thousand to around six thousand spirit stones each.

After the auction was complete, the other eight spirit stone puppets descended back down, leaving only Gui Jiu alone on the stage to continue her duties as the auctioneer.

"Next, the final item for auction has arrived. It is a magic treasure gathered by our auction with considerable expense—the Purple Star Nine Dragon Spear. This treasure was the lifebound magical treasure of the Core Formation Cultivator Long Xinghe, who made a name for himself with it in the East Sea. Unfortunately, a genius met an early demise; he fell suddenly in a conflict, leaving only this treasure behind," she announced.

"There are rumors that before his demise, Long Xinghe told his disciples that he had discovered an ancient secret hidden by this treasure. It is a clue to a secret treasure in the East Sea. However, many years have passed by, and the Purple Star Nine Dragon Spear has changed numerous ownerships, his major cultivation technique 'Star Picking Technique' also fell into obscurity. His mentioned secret has not been revealed to the world."

"After our shop's verification, this spear is indeed a relic left by Long Xinghe. The runes on it are intact and the body of the treasure is undamaged; it only requires some minor refining before it can be used again. The starting bid is twenty thousand," she concluded.

The appearance of a famous Core Formation Cultivator's magical treasure in this auction excited many cultivators in the venue, who gazed at the purple spear behind Gui Jiu with great eagerness.

Yet, with a starting bid of twenty thousand, this was not something most cultivators could afford; only the wealthy guests sitting in the private boxes were truly capable of bidding.

By this stage, those Core Formation Cultivators or representatives from major sects didn't bother using bid tokens anymore; each started shouting their bids out loud, unwilling to let anyone outdo them.

For a time, the Five Thunder Sect, Shengye Sect, all joined the bidding war.

"Our Chang Chun Temple bids thirty-one thousand spirit stones. Are there any others who wish to raise the price?" After a fierce bidding session, Zuo Qinghui suddenly stood up, stroked his beard, and cast a cold glance around.

Wang Chongshan whispered to Yuan Ming, "I knew it would turn out like this; Chang Chun Temple always tries to dominate others with their power."

After Zuo Qinghui stood up, Gui Jiu waited briefly, but seeing no other increase in bids, she bowed to him, "Congratulations, Senior Zuo on obtaining this treasure. With that, all items in this auction have now been sold. Please exit in an orderly manner. Those who won items, please wait briefly in the downstairs lobby; someone will guide you shortly to collect your items."

As the auction ended, the crowd gradually dispersed.

By a large window overlooking a small lake, Zuo Qinghui looked into the waters and instructed one of his disciples, "Go check, find out where this Hagon originated, whom he studied under, what magical artifact he uses, especially the details of his confrontation with Pu Zhengqing."

"Yes," someone responded.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.