However, their efforts naturally yielded no fruits.
The next few auction items were also extremely rare, all of which were important ingredients for pill refinement for Spatial Tempering cultivators. There were fewer people bidding for these items, but the prices were even more staggering.
Among them, a purple Myriad Year Primordial Fruit was sold for close to 10,000,000 spirit stones. All of the cultivators who were participating in auctions of this nature for the first time were completely flabbergasted.
Just ingredients were being sold at such jaw-dropping prices; if pills that were useful to Spatial Tempering cultivators were to be brought out, how high would the prices rise to?
Not long after that, all of the ingredients and secret tome items had been completely auctioned off. The white-robed elderly man gave a gentle wave of his hand, and the 10 female cultivators standing behind him all drifted off the auction platform.
At the same time, three cultivators in different attire slowly stepped onto the platform.
One of them was a woman in an azure dress, the second was a healthy-looking elderly man, and the final one was a middle-aged scholar with a set of refined features.
At the sight of these three, a slight stir ran throughout the entire hall.
Han Li could faintly hear the word "appraiser" being thrown around, and he immediately understood who they were. These were the three appraisers that the elderly man had been referring to in the beginning.
The cultivation bases of this trio were inferior to the white-robed elderly man; all of them were only at the early-Deity Transformation Stage. However, their ability to create such a stir among the cultivators present clearly indicated that they weren't just a trio of ordinary people.
Just as these thoughts were running through Han Li's mind, the white-robed elderly man extended a polite greeting to the three before turning back to all of the cultivators present. "Coming up next will be the three most precious treasures for this auction, and they're being carried by Fellow Daoist Han and the others. The first treasure will be three scales from the True Spirit Black Qilin of the primordial world. These scales can be used to refine the legendary True Spirit Water Pill or used as top-grade materials to refine water-attribute spirit treasures. Spirit treasures refined using this material have a certain chance of making it onto the Chaotic Myriad Spirit Roll. In contrast, the True Spirit Water Pill can allow any early-Deity Transformation cultivator to reach the mid-Deity Transformation Stage following consumption. Of course, regardless of whether it's the spirit treasure or the True Spirit Water Pill, the probability of successfully refining either of them is rather low, even if a master of the craft were to be commissioned for the job. However, if anyone secures this item and wishes to refine a spirit treasure with it, I can provide my personal tool refinement services free of charge," the white-robed elderly man announced with a chuckle before retreating to behind the trio of appraisers.
The cultivators in the second stone cabin all drew sharp breaths upon hearing the words "True Spirit Black Qilin". All of them stared at the three appraisers onstage in a completely speechless manner.
In contrast, all of the cultivators who were extremely rich were ecstatic to hear this. It appeared that they had made the right decision to wait for the final few auction items.
Regardless of what the final two auction items were, just these scales of the True Spirit Black Qilin was valuable enough for them to bid with all their might.
However, most of them were planning to refine the True Spirit Water Pill. In contrast, using the scales to refine a spirit treasure seemed like a bit of a waste.
Furthermore, the only cultivators who were interested in refining a spirit treasure with the scales were virtually all cultivators who used water-attribute cultivation arts.
Han Li's heart also jolted significantly upon hearing about the True Spirit Water Pill.
This was a pill that defied the natural order, and could instantly effect a breakthrough for an early-Deity Transformation cultivator. It was what he had been desperately searching for, and he almost instantaneously made the decision that he was going to secure these scales no matter what. Even if he had to take some risk to achieve that objective, it would be worth it.
Thus, a decisive look appeared on Han Li's face.
At this moment, the middle-aged woman among the three appraisers stepped forward. She swept a hand over her storage bracelet, and a translucent jade box that was around a foot in size appeared. There were runes shimmering over the surface of the box, as well bursts of white light, and it was quite apparent that even this box was no ordinary object.
The woman required no further introduction from the white-robed elderly man as she placed a finger onto the jade box.
The lid of the box flew off of its own accord, following which three streaks of black light shot forth, rising high into the air.
However, the middle-aged woman seemed to have anticipated this in advance, and she merely made a grabbing motion in a calm manner.
A burst of invisible suction force emerged, trapping the three streaks of black light before violently tugging them downward.
The three streaks of black light swirled before revealing themselves as a trio of fist-sized black scales, which were forced into the middle-aged woman's hand.
The woman placed two of the scales back into the box, then sealed it with a restriction talisman, before displaying the final scale to everyone.
"As you all know, the black Qilin is a water-attribute true spirit from birth. Their scales are the best water-attribute materials in this world, and they're most useful for fellow Daoists who are using water-attribute cultivation arts. However, there are only two ways to verify the authenticity of such scales. The first of those methods is to assess the spiritual power within the scales. Even without further refinement, these scales contain astonishing water-attribute spiritual power, comparable to that of top-grade water-attribute treasures."
As she spoke, the middle-aged woman injected her spiritual power into the scale before waving it through the air.
All of a sudden, blue light flashed and a blue lotus flower of light blossomed on the surface of the scale. The lotus flower was translucent and dazzling, as glamorous as a diamond.
The lotus flower then rotated on the spot and swelled drastically in size at the middle-aged woman's behest, expanding to around the size of a human head within the blue spiritual light.
Its petals swayed, and countless specks of blue light shot forth in all directions. In the blink of an eye, extremely rich water-attribute spiritual Qi had spread throughout the entire hall.
Situated within one of the stone cabins, Han Li's eyes flashed as he raised a hand and made a grabbing motion. One of the specks of blue light fell into his palm and immediately disappeared.
Han Li closed his eyes and experienced a cool sensation quickly coursing through his entire body from his palm.
When he opened his eyes again, his expression was filled with contentment.
This was indeed extremely pure water-attribute spiritual power, and only the scales of the black Qilin would be able to emanate such power.
Not just Han Li, but all of the other cultivators were also convinced after experiencing the pure spiritual power imbued within the blue specks of light.
At this moment, the middle-aged woman flicked her wrist, and the blue lotus flower on the scale disappeared.
The specks of blue light hovering throughout the entire hall also instantly vanished.
She continued, "Among the heavenly true spirits, the hardness of Qilin scales is not inferior to that of even the most powerful true spirits, such as true dragons. Even though the scales will have lost most of their hardness after detaching from the Qilin's body, it would still be impossible to destroy them with normal attacks."
As her voice trailed off, the woman tossed the scale into the air.
A ball of black light immediately hovered in the air in a completely stationary manner.
>
Right at this moment, golden light flashed from the middle-aged woman's hands, and two axes appeared, each of which was around a foot in size. Both axes were shimmering with golden light and giving off a menacing aura.
The woman adopted a serious expression as her axes flew into the air as streaks of golden light, then came crashing down toward that scale.
Following a resounding clang, black light flashed from the surface of the scale and it was sent flying by the twin axes, but it was completely unscathed.
However, the demonstration didn't end there. The middle-aged woman began to chant something, and a pillar of azure flames erupted into the air, completely engulfing the scale.
"Three-Colored Azure Tribulation Flames!"
Several cries of surprise rang out from within the hall, and many cultivators were clearly very envious toward the flames that the woman had just unleashed.
However, after the woman withdrew her flames, the scale that was hovering in mid-air was still completely unscathed.
After that, she unleashed a series of other attacks, all of different attributes, yet they were completley ineffective against this scale.
The final Devil Dao treasure the woman unleashed released a ball of blood mist, but it was unable to corrode the scale in the slightest, and thus concluded her demonstration.
She raised a hand to draw the Qilin scale back to her before placing it into the jade box again, and sealing it with a talisman. She then took a few steps backward with the box in her hands, and refrained from saying anything else.
At this moment, the white-robed elderly man took the stage again with a wide smile, and said in a brief and concise manner, "The three True Spirit Black Qilin scales have a base price of 15,000,000 spirit stones. Each incremental jump has to be at least 1,000,000 spirit stones, and the bidding may now begin."
"17,000,000"
"18,000,000"
20,000,000"
...
The price of the scales quickly climbed up by 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 at a time. Many of the cultivators who attending this type of auction for the first time were completely stunned by this, and immediately relinquished any thoughts of participating in the bidding.
Han Li's expression remained unchanged, but there was also a hint of surprise shimmering in his eyes. He didn't think that in the dying stages of the auction, there would still be so many cultivators with so much money left to spend.
However, he wasn't in a hurry to place a bid. He merely looked at the astronomical number that was only continuing to increase and pursed his slightly dry lips.
Chapter 1342: Securing the Scales
In the face of three true spirit scales, tens of millions of spirit stones were nothing but mere numbers. Everyone wanted to make a breakthrough with immediate effect.
After all, it was extremely difficult for Deity Transformation cultivators to progress, and the majority of Deity Transformation cultivators were stuck at the early-Deity Transformation Stage until the day they died.
The scales essentially provided a lifeline, and everyone immediately burst into a frenzy to try and secure the scales for themselves.
However, no matter how desperately one wanted to secure the scales, they had to be conscious of their limits.
After the price rose above 25,000,000 spirit stones, there were almost no cultivators left who were still participating in the bidding.
In fact, there were only three such cultivators left.
One of them was the same one who had just secured the True Toad Spirit Blood, and his voice was still as lazy as ever.
Among the other two voices, one was quite wizened and coarse, while the other was pleasant to the ears. It sounded as if the remaining two cultivators were an elderly man and a young female cultivator respectively.
The bids rolled in at increments of 1,000,000 spirit stones at a time, and the price was quickly approaching 30,000,000.
When the owner of that lazy voice made an astronomical bid of 30,000,000, the other two cultivators immediately fell silent.
It appeared that this price was already beyond what they were able to afford, so they could only give up.
All of the cultivators looked up in the air above the auction platform. There, the number on the massive disk was slowly changing color. Once it became completely crimson in color, that would mean a final price had been settled.
"31,000,000"
All of a sudden, an unfamiliar voice sounded.
As soon as this bid was made, all of the cultivators in the hall faltered momentarily before immediately turning their attention to the stone cabin that Han Li was situated in.
It appeared that even at such a jaw-dropping price, there were still people willing to make additional bids.
Within the stone cabin, Han Li sat with a calm and collected expression.
"32,000,000"
The lazy voice carried a hint of surprise this time.
"33,000,000"
Han Li immediately placed another bid without any hesitation.
"34,000,000"
This time, the lazy voice only placed the bid after a momentary hesitation.
"35,000,000"
Many of the cultivators present were struggling to pick their jaws up off the ground.
These were true spirit scales on offer here, but surely such a ridiculous price was too much! Even the spirit treasures that ranked at the bottom of the Chaotic Myriad Spirit Roll were only around this price.
"35,000,000? Hmph! Fellow Daoist Chi, I highly suspect that this fellow Daoist doesn't have that many spirit stones, and is only bidding to cause trouble for me. Shouldn't you be assessing whether he actually has that many spirit stones?" the owner of the lazy voice suddenly said in a cold manner.
"I'll be sure to verify this in person at the conclusion of the auction. However, everything shall progress as normal before then. Please continue, Fellow Daoists," the white-robed elderly man merely replied with a calm smile.
He clearly didn't want to offend either of the bidders before learning their identities.
"If that's the case, then I won't be placing any further bids. I want to see if this fellow Daoist truly can offer something worth 35,000,000 spirit stones as a bond." The owner of the lazy voice seemed to have grown quite frustrated, and he really did refrain from participating in any further bidding.
Thus, the number on the massive disk turned crimson, and the white-robed elderly man announced Han Li to be the new owner of the three true spirit scales. After that, the white-robed elderly man and the woman carrying the jade box began to fly toward the stone cabin that Han Li was situated in.
Soon, they reached the cabin before stopping.
The elderly man flipped his hand over to produce an azure badge. He waved the badge gently toward the stone cabin before entering the cabin with the female appraiser behind him.
After entering the room, the elderly man appraised Han Li for a brief moment before offering a smile and cupping his fist in a salute.
"Your treasure has been delivered, Fellow Daoist. It's time for you to issue the spirit stones. If you have something you can offer as a bond, Fellow Daoist He here will appraise its value and offer discounts accordingly. If you'd like, I can also invite the other two appraisers here as well." The white-robed elderly man was speaking in quite a polite manner.
"I trust your discerning eyes, Brother Chi, Fellow Daoist He. Have a look at this."
Han Li glanced at the jade box being carried by the woman before rustling his sleeve. A small brocade box that had been prepared well in advance emerged from within.
The white-robed elderly man had seen countless treasures in his time, and he merely accepted the box with a calm expression before opening the lid.
A burst of fragrant aroma immediately wafted throughout the entire cabin. The elderly man's calm facade completely crumbled at the sight of the contents of the box. "A myriad year spirit herb!"
The elderly drew a sharp breath before finally tearing his gaze aw
ay from the item in the box. He then turned to Han Li with a rather peculiar look in his eyes.
The woman's heart also jolted upon hearing the words "myriad year spirit herb". She strode over to the elderly man and also peered into the brocade box.
Lying within the box, enshrouded in a ball of white light, was a pristine white spirit herb that was several inches in length. There were runes around it that were flashing like projections. "Myriad year spirit runes! That does indeed appear to be a myriad year spirit herb, but further appraisal will be required to verify its authenticity," the woman said in a slow voice after staring at the spirit herb for a long while.
"That's your area of expertise, Fellow Daoist He, so I'll have to trouble you to appraise this treasure." The white-robed elderly man was being quite respectful toward the woman.
The woman nodded before accepting the brocade box that was being handed over to her. She then flipped over her other hand, and a thin green jade ruler appeared. The ruler was around a foot in length, and there were over 20 peculiar spiral patterns carved onto its surface.
The woman's eyes flashed as she slowly extended the ruler toward the spirit herb in the box.
Before the green ruler had even come into contact with the spirit herb, white spiritual light erupted amid a low ringing sound. At the same time, the peculiar spiral patterns on the jade ruler lit up one after the other, emanating piercing green light.
After the 11th and final pattern lit up, the woman's calm expression was finally beginning to crack a little.
She carefully examined the spirit herb in the box once again before concluding in a firm voice, "This is indeed a myriad year spirit herb, and it's a Snow Wyrm Herb that's around 11,000 years old. Snow Wyrm Herbs are quite rare, so they're much more valuable than normal myriad year spirit medicines. I value this at around 7,000,000 spirit stones."
"7,000,000? That's around what I was expecting. Do you have any objections, Fellow Daoist?" The white-robed elderly man nodded before turning to Han Li.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 748