Chapter 502 - 473: Auction Storm

Chapter 502: Chapter 473: Auction Storm

On the day of the auction, all the Restrictions in the core area of the main island were replaced.

Dozens of golden light curtains completely separated the core auction area from the periphery, leaving only three entrances. Two early-stage Golden Core guards from the Coral Palace stood at each one.

Using his alias as a late-stage Golden Core Demon Cultivator, Li Yuan passed the verification and was led to a private box on the second floor.

The private box was carved from a single block of aquamarine Crystal Stone. A one-way-vision Array allowed him to look down on the entire auction hall below, while preventing anyone outside from seeing in. In the center of the hall was a circular, elevated stage surrounded by hundreds of seats, already filled with late-stage Foundation Establishment and early-stage Golden Core Cultivators.

There were over a dozen private boxes on the second floor, occupied by various mid- and late-stage Golden Core Cultivators.

Li Yuan had just sat down when a Divine Thought transmission arrived from the neighboring box.

"We meet again."

The voice was slightly hoarse. It belonged to a mid-stage Golden Core Loose Cultivator he had met at the Coral Palace banquet.

Li Yuan replied via Divine Thought with a brief greeting.

Afterward, more Divine Thought transmissions converged from various directions. Several Golden Core Cultivators began to chat, and the topic soon shifted from the auction items themselves to the broader political landscape.

"I hear the Kunpeng Alliance and the Celestial Peak Sect have brought out some of their most prized possessions for this auction."

A mid-stage Golden Core Cultivator transmitted, his tone tinged with curiosity. "When did they become so generous?"

"Generous?" another voice scoffed. "They aren’t being generous. They’re desperate."

"How so?"

"The Nascent Soul Ancestor of the Kunpeng Alliance... his lifespan is nearly at its end."

There was a momentary silence.

The cultivator continued, "It’s hard to say exactly how many years he has left, but judging by his actions over the last few years, he must be at his limit."

"What about life-extending Spiritual Materials? Surely a Nascent Soul Cultivator can find a way to prolong his life."

"What good would that do? The efficacy of life-extending Spiritual Materials diminishes with use. The first time you use a certain kind, it might grant you a hundred years. The second time, perhaps only fifty, and the third, twenty. He’s lived so long, he’s likely consumed every type available to him."

Li Yuan listened in silence, not interjecting.

The discussion continued.

"What about possession, then?" someone transmitted quietly. "A Nascent Soul Cultivator’s Divine Soul is incredibly powerful. Couldn’t he just find a young body to possess and prolong his life?"

"Possession?" the first speaker scoffed. "My friend, you’ve been listening to too many rumors. Possession is a heterodox, demonic art with an incredibly low success rate. Furthermore, for a Cultivator at the Golden Core Realm or higher, their essence, qi, and spirit are completely unified. The Golden Core itself is their true body."

"Once essence, qi, and spirit have unified, the lifespans of the physical body and the Divine Soul become one. There’s no such thing as the body dying while the Divine Soul lives on. If a Nascent Soul Cultivator wants to perform a possession, the target must also have a cultivation of Golden Core or higher; otherwise, their body couldn’t possibly withstand the power of a Nascent Soul. But any Cultivator at the Golden Core level or above has also unified their essence, qi, and spirit. Forcibly attempting possession would be like two Golden Cores smashing into each other head-on. It’s a suicidal endeavor."

There was another brief silence.

"That’s why the Kunpeng Alliance is fully supporting the Celestial Peak Sect’s Divinity Transformation Ceremony," a voice that hadn’t spoken before suddenly chimed in.

Li Yuan tilted his head slightly.

The voice continued, "When one breaks through to Divinity Transformation, a spatial channel between the two realms is forcibly torn open. This channel isn’t just a path for ascension. For other Cultivators in the lower realm, there’s an infinitesimal chance—even if their cultivation hasn’t reached that level—of being swept up into the Upper Realm while the channel is open."

"However, it is extremely difficult for Cultivators from the Upper Realm to come down through this passage. Even for the Divinity Transformation Cultivator who created it, the price to travel back down to the lower realm is staggering."

"The Kunpeng Alliance’s Nascent Soul Ancestor is at the end of his life. Life extension is hopeless, and possession is impossible. His only path to survival is the Upper Realm. The Spiritual Qi there is richer, the laws of the world are more complete, and there may be life-extending methods that don’t exist here. Even if the hope is slim, for a dying man, it’s better than simply waiting for the end."

Li Yuan silently committed the information to memory.

’The Kunpeng Alliance’s Nascent Soul Ancestor is at the end of his rope, so they’re betting everything on the Celestial Peak Sect’s Divinity Transformation to get a shot at the ascension channel... But I can’t be sure if everything I heard is true.’

The idle chatter ceased, and the auction officially began.

An early-stage Golden Core Cultivator walked onto the elevated stage, briefly announced the rules, and then the first item was brought out for auction.

Li Yuan leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over the items on the stage.

He had already handled most of the auction items in the preview hall, sensing the quality of their attributes through the glass cabinets and protective Arrays. He knew which items possessed attributes, and those without were completely off his radar.

The first half of the auction consisted mainly of High Tier pills and Spiritual Materials. The prices were driven ever higher by a few elderly Golden Core Cultivators with deep pockets. A bottle of Tier Three Barrier-Breaking Pills sold for a final price of eight hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones, far exceeding the market value.

Li Yuan did not participate in the bidding.

Though his own Spirit Stone reserves were considerable, they were still a far cry from those of the veteran Golden Core Cultivators who had lived for five or six centuries and amassed great fortunes.

Two of the items in the first half of the auction had not been in the preview hall. Since Li Yuan hadn’t had a chance to examine them, he couldn’t be sure if they had attributes, nor could he judge their quality.

’No gambling. I’ll only buy things I’ve confirmed.’

As the auction entered its middle phase, an item on which Li Yuan had previously sensed a blue attribute in the preview hall was brought to the stage.

It was a yellowed beast-skin Scroll, its surface emanating an ancient Spiritual Wave.

"The seventeenth item is the Kunpeng Devouring Technique. It is rumored to be a Tier Three Cultivation Technique that was leaked from the Kunpeng Alliance in its early days. The starting bid is three hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones."

Li Yuan sat up straight. This was the technique he’d seen at the preview.

The price climbed steadily from three hundred, to five hundred, then six hundred.

Li Yuan placed a bid at six hundred fifty.

After a moment of silence from the other boxes, two other Golden Core Cultivators raised the bid. Seven hundred. Seven hundred fifty.

Li Yuan bid eight hundred.

This price was beyond the reach of most early-stage Golden Core Cultivators. In the end, it sold for eight hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

The beast-skin Scroll was delivered to his box.

Li Yuan reached out and took it. The moment his fingertips touched the Scroll, the panel appeared.

[Detected equippable item: Kunpeng Devouring Technique (Complete)]

[Equip Attribute Preview: Kunpeng Devouring (Blue)]

[Effect: Allows the user to devour the Spiritual Power of others to enhance their Cultivation; increases the refinement of one’s own Spiritual Power by twenty percent.]

[Condition for Permanent Acquisition: Absorb the Spiritual Power from one hundred different Tier Two Cultivators.]

Li Yuan placed the Scroll into his storage space.

Next, the twenty-first item was presented.

A milky-white bead the size of a pigeon’s egg, its surface shimmering with an incredibly pure Spiritual Light.

"The Realm-Breaking Yuan Condensing Bead. A top-grade Spiritual Object that assists in breaking through to the Golden Core Realm. The starting bid is five hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones."

The bidding for this item was even more intense. Items that assist with breakthroughs were always the most coveted at auctions, as nearly every Golden Core Cultivator needed to break through to the next stage.

The price jumped from five hundred straight to eight hundred, after which a bidding war erupted among several late-stage Golden Core Cultivators.

Li Yuan placed a bid at twelve hundred.

The box opposite his fell silent for a moment, then declined to bid further. Sold for twelve hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

The milky-white bead was delivered to his box.

[Detected equippable item: Realm-Breaking Yuan Condensing Bead (Complete)]

[Equip Attribute Preview: Realm-Breaking Yuan Condensing (Blue)]

[Effect: Doubles breakthrough speed. After a successful breakthrough, one’s Cultivation and foundation will be enhanced to a degree determined by their personal potential.]

[Condition for Permanent Acquisition: Successfully complete one major realm breakthrough.]

Two blue-attribute items secured, at a cost of two thousand Spirit Stones.

Li Yuan glanced at the Spirit Stones remaining in his storage pouch. He still had a decent amount left, but he’d spent a great deal.

The auction continued.

The twenty-fifth item was a fist-sized piece of emerald-green jade. It was smooth and warm to the touch, with extremely fine patterns of Spiritual Power flowing within it.

"The Spirit Gathering Jade. It can increase one’s Spiritual Power storage capacity. The starting bid is one hundred fifty Mid-grade Spirit Stones."

This item garnered significantly less attention than the previous two. For most Golden Core Cultivators, auxiliary items that increased Spiritual Power storage were not a pressing need, so the bidding was not fierce.

Li Yuan bid at two hundred and ultimately won it for two hundred thirty Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

The jade was delivered to his box.

[Detected equippable item: Spirit Gathering Jade (Complete)]

[Equip Attribute Preview: Spirit Gathering (Green)]

[Effect: Increases Spiritual Power storage capacity by thirty percent. However, this is an extra reserve and does not increase one’s actual Cultivation or total Spiritual Power.]

[Condition for Permanent Acquisition: Let Spiritual Power recover from a depleted state three times.]

Li Yuan looked at the condition for permanent acquisition and considered it for a moment.

’Let Spiritual Power recover from a depleted state three times.’

’In the void interlayer, my Spiritual Power constantly drains until it’s completely depleted. When I exit, it starts to recover. If I repeat that process three times, I should be able to meet the condition.’

Li Yuan equipped the Spirit Gathering Jade and closed his eyes.

The Spiritual Power in his body began to circulate at full speed. At the same time, using an incredibly subtle method, he converted all the Spiritual Power in his Dantian into Demonic Qi via Spirit-Demon Synthesis.

Spiritual Power depleted.

He then stopped the conversion, allowing the passive recovery from his personal Spirit Vein and attributes to slowly replenish his Spiritual Power from zero.

From empty to replenished. First time.

After a moment, once a small amount of Spiritual Power had returned, Li Yuan converted it all into Demonic Qi again.

Depleted. Recovering.

Second time.

Third time.

[Condition for Permanent Acquisition of Spirit Gathering Jade (Green) has been met.]

[Spirit Gathering (Green) is now a permanent attribute.]

A speck of green light merged into his body. Deep within his Dantian, an additional Spiritual Power reservoir quietly took shape, like a sizable secondary reservoir had been dug next to the original lake of Spiritual Power.

The hidden information triggered by the permanent acquisition was extremely brief. It was just a short vision of some long-dead Cultivator repeatedly pouring Spiritual Power into the jade to test its capacity. There was no valuable intelligence.

Li Yuan opened his eyes and turned his attention back to the stage.

The auction was still in progress.