"Aunt, what should we do?" An Yuyi's voice trembled with urgency.

The path of cultivation was mercilessly brutal. Only a rare few could claw their way to the top, step by grueling step. If she couldn't resolve the issue with her spiritual root, her journey as an immortal cultivator would come to a dead end, its limits painfully clear.

Worse still, Li Feihuang had obtained the Phoenix Blood. If An Yuyi couldn't form a ninth-grade Golden Core, how could she ever hope to rival her? And then there was Ye Chen—his talent was astonishing, his combat prowess absurdly formidable. His future was boundless, a soaring path to greatness. If she failed to achieve a ninth-grade Golden Core, she'd never keep pace with him.

An Yuyi's heart raced. She was desperate—truly desperate.

An Miaoli's expression grew solemn, a flicker of hesitation in her eyes. After a moment, she bit her lip and carefully retrieved a jade box from her storage pouch. She opened it, revealing a small, crystalline herb shimmering with vibrant spiritual energy.

Spirit Infant Grass. This rare treasure could increase the odds of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage and enhance the spirituality of the Nascent Soul, potentially elevating its grade. In the vast cultivation world, Nascent Soul cultivators were considered true powerhouses. Any treasure capable of aiding a breakthrough to that realm was priceless.

This Spirit Infant Grass had cost An Miaoli dearly—ten years ago, she'd risked life and limb to obtain it. Its value was at least 150,000 high-grade spirit stones, and even then, it was a treasure you couldn't buy even if you had the money. She had planned to use it for her own Nascent Soul breakthrough. But after glancing at her niece, An Miaoli let out a soft sigh.

Cultivation was a race—a relentless struggle for supremacy. Fall one step behind, and you'd be left in the dust forever. Who knew when they'd next encounter a spiritual treasure capable of improving one's aptitude? They had to seize this chance, no matter the cost. As for her own Nascent Soul aspirations… those could wait.

Her mind made up, An Miaoli spoke calmly, "Eighty thousand high-grade spirit stones!"

Heavenly Evolution Pavilion allowed cultivators to trade treasures in lieu of spirit stones, though such items were valued at a twenty percent discount from their market price. It was a fair practice, if not overly generous.

The crowd erupted in murmurs of disbelief. Eighty thousand high-grade spirit stones for a single Thunderbane Bamboo Core? Were they insane? That was nearly double its actual value!

But the shock didn't end there. From another private booth, a voice rang out without hesitation, "Ninety thousand high-grade spirit stones!"

The bids were climbing by ten thousand at a time?

An Miaoli's expression remained steady as she called out, "One hundred ten thousand!"

From the opposing booth, a voice shot back, "One hundred twenty thousand!"

"One hundred thirty thousand!"

"One hundred forty thousand!"

"One hundred fifty thousand…"

The entire auction hall fell silent.

A Thunderbane Bamboo Core was certainly valuable, but when had its price ever soared to such heights? The powerhouses from various clans and sects exchanged curious glances. Could there be some hidden use for the Thunderbane Bamboo Core they didn't know about?

On the stage, the Golden Core-stage auctioneer, listening to the relentless back-and-forth bidding, couldn't help but steal a few extra glances at the Thunderbane Bamboo Core. What was going on? Had they all lost their minds? This wasn't some miraculous treasure capable of upgrading one's spiritual root to Earth-grade. Was it really worth this frenzy?

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Inside the private booth, An Miaoli's delicate hand clenched tightly after calling out a bid of one hundred eighty thousand. The Spirit Infant Grass was worth 150,000 high-grade spirit stones, but with the auction house's twenty percent discount, it equated to 120,000. Adding the 60,000 spirit stones she already had, 180,000 was her absolute limit.

When she'd offered the Spirit Infant Grass, An Yuyi had been brimming with confidence that they'd secure the Thunderbane Bamboo Core. She'd assumed the other bidder would balk at anything over 100,000. After all, even the Holy Sons and Holy Maidens of the Holy Lands, with their vast wealth and resources, wouldn't be foolish enough to pay several times a treasure's value.

But she hadn't anticipated how tenacious her opponent would be, matching her bid for bid without hesitation. Now, at 180,000, if the other side kept going, she'd be out of options.

Sure enough, from the opposing booth, a voice rang out again, "One hundred ninety thousand!"

An Miaoli shook her head, her resolve crumbling. An Yuyi's face turned ashen, drained of color. Improving her spiritual root aptitude—why was it so impossibly hard? Despair washed over her, raw and overwhelming.

Meanwhile, in the other booth, Ye Chen called out his bid with a casual smirk, his expression barely rippling with concern. A flicker of suspicion crossed his mind, though. Was Heavenly Evolution Pavilion deliberately pitting someone against him to drive up the price, knowing he had deep pockets?

Not that it mattered. Ye Chen didn't mind spending a few extra spirit stones. After all, An Miaoli's return on investment was two hundred times the cost. Even without a critical hit, he'd still come out far ahead. If the pavilion was indeed rigging the bids, he'd still claim the prize. With his system backing him, he could afford to be reckless.

After his bid of 190,000, the opposing booth fell silent. The auctioneer called for final bids once, twice, three times. The contest for the Thunderbane Bamboo Core was over.

The treasure was promptly delivered to Ye Chen's booth, and the transaction was finalized.

Ye Chen gazed at the vibrant, life-filled Thunderbane Bamboo Core, nodding with satisfaction. With this treasure and a critical hit, Senior Sister's aptitude would soar to new heights. As long as the return exceeded a hundredfold, they could still become Dao companions, gaining the companion bonus, though without the critical hit. But that was enough. He could finally help Senior Sister resolve her persistent "flood" issue…

...

"Fellow Daoist Ye, someone wishes to trade a Spirit Infant Grass for your Thunderbane Bamboo Core," the attendant said. "If you're unwilling, they'd like to meet with you in person…"

Ye Chen waved his hand dismissively, not even considering it. The Thunderbane Bamboo Core was perfect for An Miaoli, especially since An Yuyi desperately needed it. In such circumstances, a critical hit was highly likely.

Spirit stones? He had no shortage of those. As for the Spirit Infant Grass, a treasure that could enhance one's Nascent Soul breakthrough, it was indeed valuable—far more so than the Thunderbane Bamboo Core. But by the time he needed to break through to Nascent Soul, he'd have access to even better treasures. There was no need to trade.

With another wave, Ye Chen signaled the attendant to escort him out. The remaining auction items didn't interest him. His priority was delivering this gift. Heavenly Evolution Pavilion had a teleportation array that could whisk VIPs to a quiet corner of Divine Will City, ensuring they avoided unwanted attention. Ye Chen stepped into the array and vanished, heading straight for the Divine Will Sect to visit An Miaoli.

...

Back in the booth, An Miaoli sighed upon learning of the refusal. "So be it. If it's not fated, there's no use forcing it." She turned to her niece. "I'll find another way."

An Yuyi's heart sank, heavy with disappointment. But she saw how hard her aunt had tried, truly sparing no effort. The fault lay with their absurdly extravagant opponent. A Thunderbane Bamboo Core worth a few tens of thousands of high-grade spirit stones, bought for 190,000? What a reckless spendthrift.

The two had no interest in the rest of the auction and left the pavilion. As they walked, An Yuyi seethed with resentment toward the bidder who'd snatched the Thunderbane Bamboo Core. If she ever met them, she'd be tempted to throw a punch.

An Miaoli, too, felt a pang of regret, her mind racing to think of other treasures with similar effects. Until they found one, her niece couldn't afford to break through. Falling behind was a death sentence in cultivation, but better to wait than settle for less than a ninth-grade Golden Core.

An Yuyi was still young—she could afford the delay. The problem was that treasures like the Thunderbane Bamboo Core were a matter of luck, not easily found.

Even with her refined composure, An Miaoli couldn't help but feel irritated. As she mulled over their options, An Yuyi suddenly gasped, "Aunt, my transmission talisman just activated. Ye Chen is at the sect gate… he's come to visit us!"

Ye Chen, visiting? An Miaoli's mood soured further, her thoughts drifting to how he'd once used her niece to threaten her. Her irritation deepened.

...

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