Chapter 214 - 213: Cultivation World: There’s a Price to Pay for Asking For It

"I see you all can’t wait for the auction to begin. In that case, let’s get down to business."

The wooden gavel struck the table three times and then paused. Only when the venue quieted down did she continue, "Let’s bring out the first auction item: the Ten Thousand Years Jade Marrow Spirit Liquid. The bidding starts at one thousand Mid Grade Spirit Stones."

This was the Ten Thousand Years Jade Marrow Spirit Liquid, after all. It could not only cleanse the body of impurities but also improve the quality of one’s Spirit Root.

Whether bought for one’s juniors or for personal use, it was a rare and valuable treasure.

"Ten thousand Mid Grade Spirit Stones."

"Fifteen thousand Mid Grade Spirit Stones."

"Thirty thousand Mid Grade Spirit Stones."

...

The moment the Ten Thousand Years Jade Marrow Spirit Liquid was revealed, a constant stream of bids filled the hall, each one higher than the last.

Chu Liangyu could tell just how important this item was to them simply by watching the scene unfold.

However, the item was useless to her, so she simply watched the bidding with great interest.

The Black Market in the Beast World had similar auction houses, but they were more like small-scale affairs. For the current Chu Liangyu, they couldn’t capture her attention in the slightest.

In contrast, the Cultivation World, a level above the Beast World, had plenty of auction items that interested her.

Vestment robes, for example, were being auctioned here—and they were even crafted by an Artifact Refining Master.

’Bringing one of these back for Lou Sang would be a rather generous gift.’

Besides that, there was also a Storage Ring. Winning it in the auction came with a bonus Spirit Beast Bag.

A wild thought suddenly struck Chu Liangyu. ’Since this Spirit Beast Bag is for holding spirit beasts, could a person from my Beast World enter it too?’

With a somewhat playful mindset, Chu Liangyu decided to bid on the Storage Ring.

Besides, buying the Storage Ring wouldn’t be a waste; she could give it to the old man when she got back.

The storage bag she had taken from him before was destroyed during the Thunder Tribulation, so buying this Storage Ring now would serve as an apology.

Fortunately, the ring was suitable for both men and women, so giving it to the old man wouldn’t be strange.

"Two hundred thousand Mid Grade Spirit Stones, going once."

"Two hundred thousand Mid Grade Spirit Stones, going twice."

"Two hundred thousand Mid Grade Spirit Stones, going three times."

THUMP... The wooden gavel fell. The Ten Thousand Years Jade Marrow Spirit Liquid was finally sold for two hundred thousand Mid Grade Spirit Stones.

Next up was one of the three items Chu Liangyu planned to bid on: the Mystic Sky Silk Robe.

The auction item was slowly pushed forward. It was uncovered, allowing everyone to see the vestment robe’s appearance clearly.

Spiritual light flowed across its surface, captivating all who laid eyes on it.

Under the lights, the Vestment robe seemed to emit a soft glow akin to moonlight, carrying with it a cool, ethereal, and transcendent aura.

The Vestment robe’s main color was blue, with white as a secondary accent. Just by looking at it, one could imagine how gentle and refined the person wearing it would appear.

"This Vestment robe is called the Mystic Sky Silk Robe. Its materials are exceptionally rare, so the starting price will be a bit higher."

"The bidding starts at ten thousand Mid Grade Spirit Stones. You may begin."

The murmuring in the crowd grew louder, but everyone here was worldly and experienced. It only took a moment for them to quiet down.

Seeing that no one was speaking up, Chu Liangyu started the bidding: "Twenty thousand Mid Grade Spirit Stones."

After Chu Liangyu spoke, others immediately began to bid as well.

The bidding only started to die down after the price reached three hundred thousand Mid Grade Spirit Stones.

"Three hundred thousand Mid Grade Spirit Stones, going once."

After the three hundred thousand mark, not many people continued to call out bids. It was at this moment that Chu Liangyu spoke up, "Three hundred fifty thousand Mid Grade Spirit Stones."

The person who had been bidding saw their prize being snatched away and a flash of annoyance crossed their eyes.

But the item he truly wanted to buy hadn’t appeared yet. If he went too far over budget now, he probably wouldn’t be able to afford it.

He shot a glare in the direction of the voice and gave up on the bidding.

Chu Liangyu paid no mind to the man’s gaze. She simply looked toward the auction’s Female Cultivator, signaling that she could drop the gavel.

The Female Cultivator froze for a moment, but quickly recovered. She struck the table once and called out, "Three hundred fifty thousand Spirit Stones, going once."

As long as the gavel struck three times with no new bids, the item would belong to the final bidder. The Female Cultivator had already struck it twice, with only the final strike needed for confirmation.

But at that very moment, an incident occurred. From the room opposite Chu Liangyu, a man’s voice called out, "Three hundred sixty thousand and one Mid Grade Spirit Stones."

That was also the exact direction from which she had felt someone’s gaze fall upon her when she first entered.

Chu Liangyu frowned but had no choice but to raise the price. "Three hundred eighty thousand Mid Grade Spirit Stones."

"Three hundred ninety thousand and one Mid Grade Spirit Stones."

The starting bid was ten thousand Mid Grade Spirit Stones, and each subsequent raise could not be less than that amount.

Coincidentally or not, both times this person raised the bid, he only added one Spirit Stone on top of the minimum increment of ten thousand.

Chu Liangyu wasn’t an idiot; she immediately understood that this person was doing it on purpose.

"Four hundred ten thousand Mid Grade Spirit Stones."

It wasn’t that Chu Liangyu lacked Spirit Stones, but being treated like a fool and played with would anger even someone like her.

Thus, her voice held a hint of subtle anger as she raised the bid this time.

Li Jingxuan naturally heard it. The corners of his lips curled up in clear amusement as he once again said, "Four hundred twenty thousand and one Mid Grade Spirit Stones."

"Four hundred forty thousand Mid Grade Spirit Stones!"

Gradually, Chu Liangyu’s voice took on a teeth-gritting tone.

’If this person keeps toying with me like this, I might as well just give up on it.’

But just then, the man surprisingly stopped bidding against her.

"Four hundred forty thousand Mid Grade Spirit Stones, going once."

With every call from the Female Cultivator, Chu Liangyu felt her nerves jump.

"Four hundred forty thousand Mid Grade Spirit Stones, going three times."

THUMP... The familiar sound of the wooden gavel falling was heard. In the end, Chu Liangyu bought the Mystic Sky Silk Robe for four hundred forty thousand.

"Congratulations to the fellow daoist on the second floor. Someone will deliver the item to you shortly."

From the exceptionally brilliant smile on the Female Cultivator’s face, Chu Liangyu knew she had spent quite a few extra Spirit Stones on this Vestment robe.

’Heh... Since he dared to trip me up, he’d better be prepared for retaliation.’

Chu Liangyu narrowed her eyes. A moment later, she looked in the man’s direction and a smile touched her lips—a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, filled with calculation.

She gradually relaxed, leaning back against her chair.

After the Vestment robe came a few more items that were useless to Chu Liangyu. The Storage Ring was still a ways off, so she would have to wait a little longer.

"Fellow daoist, your item has arrived. Is it convenient for me to come in now?"

Soon, the item Chu Liangyu had won in the auction arrived.

Her mood improved slightly because of this. Her gaze fell upon the door as she replied, "Come in."

The visitor placed the tray on the table, stood to one side, and said with a smile, "Fellow daoist, you can inspect it. If there are no issues, you can settle the payment."

Chu Liangyu nodded, then stood up and picked up the Vestment robe from the tray to examine it.

The texture was even better than she had imagined. Moreover, it was a complete set from top to bottom, which was quite decent.

At the very least, it was far superior to the High Tier Magic Robes she had acquired through trades in the past.

"There’s no problem. Here are the four hundred forty thousand Mid Grade Spirit Stones. I’ll trouble you to get a storage bag to put them in yourself."

After placing the Vestment robe into her Trading System, Chu Liangyu unceremoniously piled the Spirit Stones onto the table.

"Ah... a-alright."

The Female Cultivator was stunned for a moment, but she quickly left the room. When she reappeared, she had a storage bag in her hand.