The old man then said, “The second elder’s words are reasonable. However, this Elder Han is from an evil sect and I feel that he is concealing his true power from us. We don’t know what he is thinking for us to gather these self-harming devilish artifacts for him. We must be more cautious.”
With a grave expression, the middle-aged man said, “Little Brother Yun Yi, don’t worry too much about him. Apart from the core elders of our Ye Clan, we cannot afford to trust any outsiders and have them reveal our true plans. The upcoming grand auction is particularly crucial. The auction will have several items that we require, but we can’t have the other powers discover we are bidding on them. Otherwise, they may see through our plans. Since this cannot happen, you must make proper arrangements to acquire them. There can be no mistakes. If we cannot refine those magic tools, our journey to acquire the treasures in several years will prove very difficult.”
Chapter 950: The Grand Auction
“Second Uncle, don’t worry. Our preparations for the auction are flawless. We’ve hired unremarkable vagrant cultivators to purchase the items we require. On the surface, they are unrelated to our Ye Clan and after the auction is over, they will all be killed and silenced.”
With some hesitation, the beautiful woman asked, “But how are you dealing with matters on the Emperor’s side? The High Zenith Sect’s Sable and the Heavenly Devil Sect’s Sevenwonders were sent to the palace. Could it be due to the rumors?”
When the old man heard this, he wore an anxious expression.
The middle-aged man’s cheek twitched and he answered with a solemn tone, “Rest assured, Eldest Brother has already probed their reason for coming— the Three Royal Monastery’s Mountain Crushing Seal. Since it is on the verge of completion, the information collected from their many spies and the rumors that we’ve deliberately leaked had led them to believe that we are refining a treasure. As a result, they are putting pressure on your Ye Clan to sell the treasure to them. In fact, this is a good result; With the bait out in the open, they won’t take notice of our true scheme. But just in case, all elders that know of the plan are to stay together whenever they go out. If they are not careful, those two eccentrics could ambush them and forcefully read through their souls. Daoist Sevenwonders in particular is skilled in all sorts of bewitchment techniques. Even Nascent Soul-stage cultivators will fall prey to him if they aren’t careful.”
The old man then sadly said, “So it was like that. But aren’t we letting go of the Mountain Crushing Seal too easily despite the efforts we put into refining it?”
The middle-aged sneered. “Not at all! If one sect were to visit us, we wouldn’t be able to resist the pressure and only give in. But with two of them here, there is an opportunity to exploit. Eldest Brother had already made a plan. Regardless of who the Mountain Crushing Seal goes to, it will cost them quite a bit.”
The old man and the beautiful woman exchanged a glance of confusion and could only tactfully drop the matter.
The three then talked for a moment more before departing on their own ways.
...
Time quickly passed and it was the day the grand auction convened.
During this time, the Yin Sifting Sect had searched all over the city for Han Li’s whereabouts, but they had actually only looked at the other markets, inns, and other places where cultivators had gathered. Since Han Li was wholly focused on refining the Snow Crystal Pearl, he hadn’t emerged even once.
During the morning, Han Li had changed his appearance to a large tan man, and the bamboo tube on his back transformed into a longsword. With his disguise prepared, he made his way to the West Jin Market with his cultivation restrained to mid-Core Formation stage to avoid attracting much attention.
As he had anticipated, the closer he approached the market, the more high-grade cultivators he could detect. While a majority of them were at Core Formation stage and low-grade cultivators, there were quite a number of Nascent Soul eccentrics.
It appeared that the more wealthy cultivators were unwilling to let the grand auction pass them by.
After Han Li passed through the restriction and headed into the market, he discovered that the street was filled with cultivators dressed in a variety of unfamiliar styles.
As he swept his gaze past them, he discovered several black-robed individuals at the entrance, including Ge Tianhao. They were currently looking at all those entering the market.
Han Li inwardly frowned and calmly walked through the entrance without meeting their gaze. But just as he was walking by, a faint thread of spiritual sense examined him and quickly moved on to look at another Core Formation cultivator.
The Yin Sifting Sect Elders didn’t look at every cultivator that entered the market with their spiritual sense, only those that they found unfamiliar or suspected to be vagrant cultivators.
While their stealthy prying wouldn’t be sensed by Core Formation cultivators, vagrants at Nascent Soul stage would be angered and they would bitterly glare at the Yin Sifting Sect elders.
Fortunately, the Yin Sifting Sect had no intention of stirring up trouble and didn’t continue after they were done with their cursory inspection. Although the vagrant cultivators felt resentful, they weren’t about to provoke a sect as large as the Yin Sifting Sect and simply continued on their way.
As if dissatisfied with the fruitless search, the old man with sharp eyes from the Yin Sifting Sect members said, “Elder Ge, I heard that this person is skilled in appearance transformation techniques. I fear there is no use in guarding the entrance.”
Ge Tianhao glanced at the old man and calmly said, “Senior Martial Brother Yin Li, I’ve only had you do this to stir him into action. This wasn’t meant to actually find this person. As his abilities are great, we have no method of seeing through his true identity. However, the aggressive manner of this search might fluster him and cause him to break his appearance. Even if he is completely unphased and can keep his disguise up, you don’t need to worry. As the Soaring Tribes and the Heavenly Devil Sect have a bit of friendship between them, Fellow Daoist Lin has already gone to the borrow the Clearsound Mirror from Fellow Daoist Sevenwonders. Unfortunately, he is occupied in his residence and won’t emerge for a few days. As such, our best plan of action would be to continue searching. And even if we can’t find him, he might let his guard down. Then, during the last two days of the auction, we will have the Clearsound Mirror break through his concealment and we’ll be able to quickly capture him.”
The sharp-eyed old man’s face lit up and he excitedly said, “ Given your unrivalled skill in planning, it is impossible that we’d do something of wasted effort. If it's like that, we won’t need to call over the Sect Master and the grand elders. We’ll gain great merit in the sect once we capture him.”
“I hope so.” Ge Tianhao dryly laughed and then glanced in the direction of the Treasureshine Hall.
From how he was being handled, it was clear that they viewed him as a fearsome character. It was only natural considering that he killed their sect’s fourth elder who was at the peak of mid-Nascent Soul stage. It wouldn’t be strange for things to go against their expectations so it was best for them to be careful.
With that in mind, Ge Tianhao unconsciously wore a sullen expression.
...
At that moment, Han Li was standing in front of a huge stone building. There was a layer of rainbow light covering it, giving the building a mysterious aura.
But what surprised him was that there was now another white stone hall floating above the Treasureshine Hall. It was one third the size of the building below but it was still colossal and spanned at least a kilometer in area.
In front of Han Li stood a yellow-robed attendant with Foundation Establishment cultivation. He was giving Han Li an explanation with a respectful tone. At that point, Han Li had ceased concealing his Nascent Soul cultivation. While the auction attendant viewed him with indifference, he didn’t dare to be rude.
In front of the building,
there were several other similarly dressed attendants present. They were all accompanying Nascent Soul stage cultivators. As for the Core Formation stage cultivators, they were simply standing in front of a stone tablet that was set up in front of the building gate. They were reading what was carved on it.
After a while, Han Li withdrew his gaze from his surroundings and turned his attention back on the attendant, saying, “The participation fee for the Nascent Soul-stage auction will be a thousand spirit stones, and will take place in the Nine Firmaments Hall. And the Core Formation-grade auction will take place in Treasureshine Hall with a participation fee of a hundred spirit stones. Is that right?”
The attendant smiled and said, “It is exactly as Senior says. There are quite a few more cultivators participating in this auction than expected. As such, we had no choice but to borrow the Nine Firmaments Hall from the Hidden Fortune Pavilion in an emergency. Our spirit stone fees are the same as always, though. They are primarily used to avoid having the auctions from being too crowded, or else anyone could enter, allowing over ten times as many people. However, a senior like yourself shouldn’t view such a small sum of spirit stones with much regard.”
“A thousand spirit stones? Your hall is quite skilled in acquiring riches. But as you said, so long as I am able to grab the items I desire, this amount of spirit stones is of little cost. I have no interest in the Core Formation-grade auction and will only be participating in the Nascent Soul-grade auction.” Han Li waved his hand and tossed ten mid-grade spirit stones towards the yellow-robed attendant.
“Please come in, Senior. The Nascent Soul-grade auction will begin in the late morning. This is an auction badge. You can this to enter the later days of the auction.” The attendant took the spirit stones with a smile and handed over a jade badge over to Han Li.
He accepted the badge and his body wordlessly flickered with azure light. He then flew towards the large hall in the sky in a streak of light, along with other cultivators.
When Han Li arrived at the gate of the Nine Firmaments Hall, he saw that there was no one there apart from a barrier of white light.
His brow stirred and he poured a bit of spiritual power into the jade badge. Suddenly, a beam of red light flew out from the badge and split the barrier.
Without another thought, he flew inside in a blur before the gate sealed itself again.
Four hours later, several hundreds of Nascent Soul-stage cultivators had gathered together in the Nine Firmaments Hall.
With three huge bell strikes, the grand auction convened.
Chapter 951: Ebony Gold
Han Li sat in a desolate corner of the hall and indifferently glanced at a middle-aged man wearing black robes standing at the front three hundred meters away. He held a faint yellow crystal and gave the item a simple introduction.
“Turmeric Crystal, found in the vast deserts of the southwest border of the empire. It is something that can only be found a kilometer deep into the sand. It is an extremely hardy material and outstanding in creating earth-attribute magic treasures as it contains large amounts of earth-attribute spiritual Qi. The minimum bid for this item is eight thousand spirit stones. Each increasing bid must be at least a thousand spirit stones.” The man spoke clearly and didn’t make any excessive attempt to present the item.
Of course, the conductor of the auction possessed Nascent Soul cultivation, and under Han Li’s careful observation, he discovered that he was at the peak of mid-Nascent Soul stage, possessing the greatest cultivation in the hall. Considering that he had an audience of several hundred similar grade cultivators, the overwhelming pressure of their combined spiritual sense would be enough to stupify any lower-grade cultivator. With him presiding over the auction, none would dare to raise any trouble.
As for the Turmeric Crystal, although it was a good material for refining earth attribute techniques, only a sparse few were bidding for it. Eventually, it was acquired by a nameless cultivator for twelve thousand spirit stones. The following items, they were treated with only slight interest.
Han Li watched this as he sat back in his chair with indifference.
Since the auction would go on for several days, the items that would be on display for the first day wouldn’t be particularly great. Although these materials are rare enough to catch some interest from Nascent Soul cultivators that truly required them, they were only there to take up time until enough cultivators gathered at the auction. A few good items will be taken out at the end to the audience interested for the next day’s auction, and these items would be where the bidding wars would take place.
With that thought, Han Li didn’t pay much attention and lazily observed many of the other Nascent Soul cultivators in the hall. Although these were a small portion of the peak cultivators in the Great Jin, they represented the empire’s various powers and factions.
But what most attracted his attention were three large Buddhist monks with glossy foreheads sitting in the hall.
One of the monks was rather lean, while another was somewhat plump, and the third had an amiable appearance and long, white facial hair. The three all wore grey Buddhist robes and had lowered heads.
Since this was the first time Han Li had seen high-grade cultivators from a Buddhist sect, he looked at them for quite a while. The one sitting at the center was the eldest amongst them and met his gaze. Although it appeared warm and peaceful, Han Li couldn’t help but feel his heart tremble at the sight.
The old monk appeared quite sharp, not surprising given that Buddhist sects rival Daoist and Confucian Sects in the Great Jin. As Han Li was unwilling to accidentally arouse any hostility, he immediately withdrew his spiritual sense and maintained a cool appearance.
After the old monk took a look at Han Li, he maintained his original calm demeanor and returned his attention elsewhere.
In addition to the Buddhist monks, there were a few other cultivators that he found peculiar. He began to match these cultivators with the information he previously acquired about the various powers in the Great Jin to their faces. There could be a later use in recognizing these characters, Han Li thought.
Time slowly passed by as each of the items auctioned off. As he expected, the rarer items only began to show near the end, causing the group of disinterested cultivators to stir.
The atmosphere in the hall grew fervent as competition for these successive treasures were fierce, with bids reaching astonishing prices. After all, if Nascent Soul-stage cultivators missed this opportunity to acquire what they needed, they might not have another one.
“A chunk of Ebony Gold weighing two kilograms, a rare tool refinement material. Starting bid is thirty thousand spirit stones. Each bid must increase the price by at least two thousand spirit stones.” The auction conductor gave a simple description of this incredibly rare material and revealed it on a jade plate. It was a pitch-black lump of metal that faintly glowed with golden light.
When Han Li heard this, his body grew tense and a glint flickered from his eyes. He needed Ebony Gold and had been looking for quite a while. He didn’t expect to find it so quickly!.
“Thirty-six thousand!”
“Forty thousand!”
“Forty-five thousand spirit stones!”
As Ebony Gold was rather famous, several high bids were shouted before Han Li could place his own.
He could only frown and calmly put out his own bid. Since he was determined to win, he decided to wait until he could compete against the highest bidder.
When an unknown cultivator bid the highest price for sixty thousand spirit stones, the competition came to a sudden stop.
Han Li then pointed to his jade badge. After light flashed from it, he shouted, “Sixty-five thousand!”
“Sixty-seven thousand spirit stones!” While the other person appeared to truly want this item, he was hesitant to continue.
“Seventy thousand!” Han Li shouted.
This time, the other bidder turned silent. Although Ebony Gold was rare, he decided
to give up on the item at such a high price. When Han Li saw this, he smiled.
The auction conductor felt quite satisfied to see the item bidded for such a high price. Just as he thought to ask the crowd trice to make sure that no one would bid higher, a cold voice sounded out, “Seventy-five thousand spirit stones!”
Han Li and the auction conductor blanked when they heard this, and the other cultivators were all left shocked.
Han Li quickly regained his thoughts and shouted, “Eighty thousand!”
“Eighty-two!” The voice calmly raised the bid. He appeared to require the item just as Han Li did.
With this spoken, the participants in the hall couldn’t help but look in the old man’s direction.
However, they saw a cultivator covered in a dim black mist sitting in the back. While his true appearance was hidden, they could see enough to know he was an old man.
Han Li was bewildered by the old man’s competition but he didn’t have the mind to continue to waste time with him. With a sullen heart, he shouted out his price.
“A hundred-twenty thousand spirit stones!”
When this was uttered, all of the other cultivators present were confused. This number of spirit stones could easily purchase a decent ancient treasure, far beyond the ordinary price of Ebony Gold.
An uproar commenced and many cultivators couldn’t help but look at Han Li. However, he had changed his appearance to that of a cultivator with a sallow complexion. It was natural that none could recognize him.
Han Li didn’t pay any notice to their gazes. Rather, he focused his attention on what the opposition would do next.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 515