Chapter 216: The Hatching

Chapter 216: Chapter 216: The Hatching

"Sorry, I’m not selling!"

"Two thousand Spirit Stones!"

Upon hearing this, the bidder who referred to himself as ’this old man’ spoke again, his voice now laced with anger.

"That’s a generous offer! You’d make a thousand Spirit Stones in the blink of an eye. Where else will you find a deal that good? Besides, the egg hasn’t even hatched yet. There’s no telling if it’s worth that much. Are you sure you want to take such a big risk?"

Jiang Xu used his Spiritual Eye Technique to examine the Spirit Beast Egg on the altar. An Array concealed its Spiritual Qi fluctuations, making it impossible to discern the true strength of its Spiritual Power. He could only make out a small, crimson mass within.

It seemed to be of the Fire Attribute, but as for its specific species and Bloodline Level, Jiang Xu had no idea.

Upon hearing this, the man who’d gambled on the egg immediately hesitated.

In truth, he was just a Junior Cultivator at Qi Cultivation Great Perfection. The one thousand Spirit Stones he had spent were nearly his entire fortune, which he had impulsively bet on this one Spirit Beast Egg.

If it really hatched a Tier Three Spirit Beast, he couldn’t afford to raise it, despite its high value.

It was a known fact that the higher a Spirit Beast’s Bloodline Level, the more resources its growth required—often by an order of magnitude.

Even a Golden Core Cultivator could barely afford to raise a Tier Three Spirit Beast, so what hope did a minor cultivator at the Qi Cultivation stage like him have?

Even if it wasn’t a Tier Three but just a Tier Two, he still wouldn’t have the spare Spirit Stones to raise it. The Spirit Beast would end up underdeveloped and malnourished. Not only would its maturation take far longer, but its final combat strength would likely be less than half of a properly nurtured one. It would be an utter waste of a priceless creature.

’And two thousand Spirit Stones would be enough to find a connection and buy a Foundation Establishment Pill. Why wouldn’t I do it?’

Seeing the gambler remain silent for a long moment, clearly hesitant, the bidder knew he had him right where he wanted him.

Just then, someone else couldn’t hold back any longer. They shot their hand up, signaling to the gambler.

"I’ll offer two thousand five hundred Spirit Stones!"

"You!" Seeing someone else jump into the bidding, the old man became enraged and shot them a furious glare.

With another person now bidding, the gambler’s eagerness to sell actually began to wane.

’Even if I sell, I should at least get a higher price for it.’

’From the looks of it, the price can still go a little higher.’

"Are you looking to die?!"

"Old man, if you can’t afford the Spirit Stones, then shut your mouth! Around here, the highest bidder wins, not the loudest one!"

"You... This old man bids two thousand five hundred and one Spirit Stone!"

"Running out of Spirit Stones, old man? I bid three thousand!"

As they continued to bicker, the Spirit Beast Egg on the altar began to stir more violently. The dull thuds from within grew more frequent.

The surface of the eggshell was as smooth as jade, covered with multicolored patterns. As the life inside the egg stirred restlessly, these patterns seemed to glow faintly.

The stall owner stood beside the altar, his hands a blur as they formed a series of hand seals. Muttering an incantation, he cast some kind of Magic to hasten the Spirit Beast Egg’s hatching.

As his Magic took effect, the stirring within the egg grew more pronounced. The dull thuds were clearly the sound of the creature inside striking against the shell, trying to break free.

Seeing this, the stall owner quickly shouted:

"Everyone quiet down! The Spirit Beast Egg is about to hatch! Stop arguing! Whoever is going to claim it with a blood bond needs to come now!"

The blood bond was widely recognized as the simplest and most effective method for contracting a Spirit Beast. It allowed the master to be recognized while the creature was still in its egg, forging a blood-deep bond so strong that the Spirit Beast would not hesitate to sacrifice its life for its master.

If one waited until after the Spirit Beast hatched, the blood bond would no longer be an option. A different, more troublesome form of contract would be required.

So, when the gambler heard the stall owner’s warning, he panicked. If he didn’t act now, he would lose his chance to bond with the Spirit Beast inside.

But when he saw the two bidders still arguing, the price having already shot past ten thousand Spirit Stones, the gambler yelled out in desperation:

"Anyone! I don’t care who! Ten thousand Spirit Stones! I agree to the trade!"

But the two bidders looked at each other, cold sweat breaking out on both their faces, and suddenly changed their tune:

"Ahem, your bid is higher. Why don’t you take it?"

"No, no, no, your bid is one Spirit Stone higher than mine. You should have it."

"No, wait. How about I lower my bid by two Spirit Stones? Then the egg is all yours."

"..."

Jiang Xu took one look and immediately understood.

These two had gotten carried away in the heat of the moment, bidding the price into the stratosphere. But this wasn’t a formal auction, so there was no one to manage such reckless bidding. The gambler had no way to hold them accountable.

But the egg was on the verge of hatching. Just as the gambler was about to rush forward and form the contract himself, one of the bidders suddenly spoke up:

"How about twelve hundred? Look, no one else wants it. If some worthless Spirit Beast hatches, you’ll lose everything you put in. You’ll be finished."

The gambler was instantly stunned.

Going from a potential profit of over ten thousand Spirit Stones to a mere two hundred—who wouldn’t be left reeling from that?

Then it dawned on Jiang Xu.

’The two bidders were working together.’

’Their goal was to drive up the price with fake bids, pushing out any real buyers. Then, at the last second, they’d show their hand and snatch it for a low price.’

The gambler saw his egg was about to crack open. The bidder beside him had already pulled out a bag of Spirit Stones and was stuffing it into his hand, all while rattling off the benefits of selling. The gambler became flustered. In his panic, he failed to push the hand away, and just like that, the Spirit Stones were in his possession.

"You’ve taken the Spirit Stones! That means you’ve agreed to the trade!"

Overjoyed, the bidder leaped to the front of the altar in a single bound. Ignoring the gambler’s anxious cry of "Hey—!", he took a deep breath, swiftly cut his finger with a Magical Artifact, and used his Magical Power to force a drop of his essence blood onto the Spirit Beast Egg.

The blood was absorbed instantly, and the patterns on the shell began to pulse with a dazzling light. The bidder closed his eyes, slowly extending his Divine Sense into the egg to begin the bonding process.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment. The entire Black Market fell silent, and all eyes were focused on that Spirit Beast Egg.

Finally, the patterns on the eggshell stopped flashing, and the movements inside also subsided. The bidder opened his eyes. He knew the contract was complete; the connection between him and this Spirit Beast had been established.

CRACK! CRACK—!

The egg finally stopped shaking, its surface now covered in a web of cracks. The Spirit Beast within was about to emerge.

Finally, spurred on by the Array, the Spirit Beast Egg began to crack open. A wave of scorching heat billowed out from the fissures, flooding the entire stall.

The crowd of Cultivators, Jiang Xu included, held their breath in anticipation, waiting to see what would emerge from the Spirit Beast Egg.