Chapter 7 Acution

As time passed, the number of cultivators entering the hall dwindled. Eventually, a white-robed old man stepped forward and closed the entrance, signaling the official start of the auction.

He walked to the platform in front of the main hall, proclaiming briefly and to the point: "Ladies and gentlemen, the time has arrived. The auction will now officially begin!"

A white-robed old man reached into his space ring and retrieved the first item for auction.

"The first item is a supreme-grade cultivation technique, the Fading Wind Technique. The starting price is 10,000 essence stones, with each subsequent bid increasing by no less than 1,000 essence stones," a white-robed old man announced.

"A supreme-grade elite technique! I didn't wait in vain for this auction, my Sky Chief Sect wants it," the old man in the crowd's attention was immediately attracted.

"11,000 essence stones," he bid.

The next moment, a middle-aged man in the hall exclaimed, "12,000 essence stones!"

Another old man chuckled as he bid, "13,000 essence stones."

The old man from Sky Chief Sect directly raised the price, "15,000 essence stones."

Others were hesitant to bid; this price was already quite high, and their sects were not very affluent. They could bid more, but who could be sure that those from the private rooms wouldn't also desire this supreme-grade technique?

There are millions of cultivation families in Xi'An City, but fewer than a thousand possess supreme-grade techniques. These techniques are extremely scarce; even the overlord forces have no more than ten. Hence, with the appearance of a supreme-grade technique, the competition will be fierce.

"20,000 essence stones," came a voice from private room number 60.

The crowd began to quiet down after the sudden increase in price, realizing they had little chance to compete with the private room guests.

The old man from the Sky Chief Sect, who had made the bid, gritted his teeth, hesitated for a while, but refrained from making another bid.

"22,000 essence stones," called another voice from a different private room.

Immediately, another private room guest followed up with a higher bid.

"25,000 essence stones."

"26,000 essence stones."

"28,000 essence stones."

"30,000 essence stones."

More and more people joined the bidding, and the price rose to 30,000.

"After Xiao Yan's downfall, our Liu Family's status and reputation began to surpass that of the Xiao Family. We are on the brink of displacing them from the ranks of the Ten Great Families in a century. However, our foundation still lacks compared to the Xiao Family. This cultivation technique will help bolster the foundation of our younger generation. I must acquire it," chuckled Liu Yong from private room number 25.

He bid, "35,000 essence stones."

Upon hearing Old Liu's voice, an elder from the Xiao Family showed a change in expression and countered with a bid of "36,000 essence stones."

Liu Yong chuckled and raised the bid to "40,000 essence stones."

An Elder from Xiao Family didn't give up as he bid,"41,000 essence stones." 

"50,000 essence stones."

This price finally deterred any further bids, ensuring that Liu Yong secured the item.

This was the first time Shangguan Yi witnessed the surface wealth of a thousand-year-old family. Fifty thousand essence stones; to amass such a sum, he would need to refine at least ten thousand low-grade essence pills.

"The second item for auction is a middle-grade aqua crystal. The starting price is 100 essence stones, with each bid increasing by a minimum of 10 essence stones," announced Lin Tao, the white-robed old man.

An aqua crystal is a natural treasure formed in environments rich with water essence. It serves as the habitat for a small race of level 2 beasts. These crystals, produced every 100 years, can be either low-grade or middle-grade mixed.

Naturally, obtaining these crystals is not something a single or even two Foundation Establishment Cultivators could accomplish. After all, the nest of a level 2 beast is very dangerous, requiring at least five Foundation Establishment Cultivators and over fifty Body Refining practitioners to deal with the level 1 beasts. A force of this magnitude is considered a mid-grade cultivation family in Xi'An.

If that race has a deep foundation, the number of Cultivators required might be even higher. Consequently, the production of aqua crystals would also be greater.

Normally, a level 2 beast race produces around 10 mid-grade aqua crystals and 50-60 low-grade aqua crystals every 100 years, which they use to aid their cultivation breakthroughs. If Cultivators wish to obtain these crystals, they must prepare to strike during the production period; otherwise, their efforts would be wasted attacking the level 2 beast race at other times.

An aqua crystal not only aids water beasts in breakthroughs but also assists humans in cultivation. It has unique effects in helping people comprehend water-type techniques faster. A low-grade aqua crystal benefits Body Refining practitioners in understanding techniques necessary to breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Realm. For example, if it typically takes a person three years to achieve a breakthrough, the use of an aqua crystal might shorten that process by a year.

A mid-grade aqua crystal is especially useful for Foundation Establishment Cultivators, accelerating the process of studying or practicing water-type techniques by 30%.

"110 essence stones!" a youth in the hall shouted.

"Hmph! This brat really just raised it by 10 essence stones," an old man in the room snorted as he bid "150 essence stones!"

Those in the hall belonged to mid-grade or high-grade cultivation families. A mid-grade family typically had a foundation of no more than 10,000 essence stones, while a high-grade family had no more than 100,000. Therefore, bidding on each item required careful consideration.

The youth didn't seem willing to give up, announcing, "I'll bid 160 essence stones."

"200 essence stones," the old man declared, raising the bid significantly.

The youth hesitated, realizing that his resources were limited. As a Young Master of a mid-grade family, his savings amounted to only 300 essence stones, with his limit set at 250 essence stones, otherwise he wouldn't have enough left for cultivation. Despite this, he gritted his teeth and decided to raise the bid.

Shangguan Yi observed the scene from the private room with a stoic expression. The aqua crystal didn't pique his interest; however, if it were a flame crystal, he might have considered bidding. Noticing that no private room had made a bid on this item, he inferred that these individuals weren't interested in this particular treasure. This realization gave him some confidence in potentially competing for the price of a flame crystal if one were to appear.

In the end, the price of the aqua crystal rose to 400 essence stones, and it was purchased by another young man from a high-grade cultivation family.

"The next item up for auction is a bottle of mid-grade golden sand. As you all know, its value is considerable. Bidding starts at 500 essence stones, with increments of at least 50 essence stones per bid," Lin Tao announced.

Golden sand was a crucial material for constructing protective arrays. While it might not capture the interest of the overlord forces, it was a coveted item for mid-grade and high-grade cultivation families. Consequently, the price soared rapidly, reaching 1,000 essence stones in no time.

Patriarchs of mid-grade families and elders from high-grade ones shouted bids one after another, igniting the atmosphere in the hall.

Finally, some individuals in the private rooms couldn't resist and joined the bidding, driving the price up to 2,500, eventually won by a guest from private room 90.

As time passed, treasures continued to be auctioned off one after another.

The competition in the main hall grew fiercer, and the atmosphere turned fiery. Many cultivation families lost their composure and started arguing. Despite their usual sense and calmness, the allure of large profits made them flush with agitation.

After dozens of items were auctioned off, some mid-grade cultivation families found themselves unable to continue fighting. Some were perspiring, some were pale, and many were simply exhausted.

Shangguan Yi waited patiently for the flame crystal. The earth crystal and wind crystal had already appeared, but there was still no sign of the flame crystal.

Shangguan Yi currently possessed 6,000 essence stones, but he hadn't placed any bids yet. While he was interested in the items, he didn't see an immediate need for them. He could consider purchasing them for future use, but the unpredictability of the future made him not bid. He likened it to his surplus of millions of gold coins in the system, which currently served no purpose.

"Xiaoyi, I noticed your interest in that mid-grade technique. Why not make a bid? Don't worry about the price; I'll fully support you," Old Wang suggested casually as he sipped his tea.

Shangguan Yi shook his head slightly and calmly replied, "While I may find the technique intriguing, it's not currently relevant to me. I'll let Shuang'er know if and when I need the item. And of course, if necessary, I'll borrow your essence stones when I'm unable to afford it."

As half a day passed, the atmosphere grew increasingly intense.

"The next item up for auction is a high-grade flame crystal. I needn't say more about its value. Bidding will start at 1,000 essence stones, with increments of at least 100 essence stones," announced Lin Tao in his seasoned voice.

Shangguan Yi's eyes lit up with anticipation as he signaled to Shuang'er.

Shuang'er quickly grasped Shangguan Yi's signal, realizing it was both an opportunity for him to acquire the item he desired and a chance for her to demonstrate her capabilities and prove her worth.

The announcement of the high-grade flame crystal sparked excitement among the cultivators, signaling the beginning of the high-grade items in the auction.

Meanwhile, at the private room number 100, Xiao Xing'er and Chu Lanlan also shared an expectation, "Maybe this item will be useful to Brother Xiao."

———

Cultivation Realm: 

-Body Refining Realm (mortals / practitioners)

-Foundation Establishment Realm ( genuine Cultivators)

-Core Formation Realm 

Pill/Artifact/Array Level

-Warrior 

-Elite 

-Master