Chapter 298 - 282: Silent Spirit Fire

Chapter 298: Chapter 282: Silent Spirit Fire

The attendees knew a fifth-tier Spirit Fire was on the block, but they never expected it to be the Silent Spirit Fire.

In an instant, cultivators in more than ten VIP rooms showed intense interest.

"Per the owner’s request, the starting bid for the Silent Spirit Fire is ten million low-grade Spirit Stones."

"However, in addition to Spirit Stones, bidders may also include special Spiritual Objects in their offer. If a bidder offers a Spiritual Object the owner desires, they may win the auction even if their Spirit Stone bid is lower."

The auctioneer announced the rules.

None of the cultivators present found this strange.

In truth, most rare Spiritual Objects couldn’t be bought with Spirit Stones alone.

The owner of this Spirit Fire was probably willing to accept Spirit Stones only because he couldn’t trade for the Spiritual Object he truly wanted and had decided to settle.

"Fifteen million Spirit Stones!"

"Twenty million Spirit Stones!"

The old man had barely finished announcing the rules when two powerful, resonant voices called out from separate VIP rooms.

And just like that, the price shot up to a terrifying twenty million Spirit Stones.

Even though they were low-grade Spirit Stones, the price was already enough to make the ordinary cultivators on the main floor stare with wide eyes.

But this was just the beginning.

"Twenty-five million!"

"Twenty-eight million!"

"Thirty million!"

"Thirty million, plus a Dust-Crossing Pill!"

...

The bids grew increasingly outrageous. The Dust-Crossing Pill was used by cultivators undergoing tribulations. It could reduce the power of the Tribulation Thunder one attracted, and it was even quite effective for the Thunder Tribulation a cultivator faced when breaking through to the Dao Fruit Realm.

If put up for auction on its own, it would fetch at least ten million Spirit Stones.

In other words, the bid had already exceeded a massive forty million.

Yet the bidding continued.

All sorts of rare items were being added to the bids, pushing the total value close to fifty million.

Jiang Zuo watched the scene, speechless.

During his twelve years in Yunyuan Immortal City, he had been able to earn over four million Spirit Stones a year.

However, he had only started earning that much in his third year. His total net worth was about fifty million Spirit Stones.

But his annual expenses were a little over two million.

That left him with just over thirty million Spirit Stones on hand.

’With over thirty million, buying a fifth-tier Spirit Fire should have been no problem at all,’ he thought.

’But who could have known this Silent Spirit Fire was so special, attracting countless factions to fight over it?’

’A terrifying price of fifty million Spirit Stones, offered just like that.’

Still, Jiang Zuo wasn’t willing to give up just yet.

He reviewed his possessions. The only truly rare item was the Beast God Tree Thunderstruck Wood he’d acquired not long ago.

And then there was the Wood Element Innate Spiritual Soil he had obtained from the Celestial Eye Black Pupil Secret Realm a long time ago.

He already had one portion of Wood Element Innate Spiritual Soil from the Divine Wood Sect’s Secret Realm, which meant he had a spare.

"Thirty million, plus a fully formed portion of Wood Element Innate Spiritual Soil!"

After some thought, Jiang Zuo placed his bid.

A fully formed portion of Wood Element Innate Spiritual Soil was undoubtedly rare, but it was primarily used for forging a Dao Foundation.

Jiang Zuo wasn’t sure of its exact value.

He simply threw in all the Spirit Stones he had.

’It’s easy enough for me to earn Spirit Stones now anyway,’ he thought. ’Even if I overpay, it doesn’t matter. As long as I can secure the Silent Spirit Fire, it’s worth it.’

’A fully formed portion of Wood Element Innate Spiritual Soil?’

Hearing Jiang Zuo’s bid, many cultivators in the auction hall were stunned.

"VIP Room Seven? That voice sounds familiar. Is that Master Gu?"

In VIP Room Thirteen, You Changheng glanced at a nearby female attendant.

"To answer Elder You, it is indeed him."

The attendant replied respectfully.

Since You Changheng had already recognized the voice, there was no reason for her to conceal the bidder’s identity.

"Never mind the fully formed Wood Element Innate Spiritual Soil—to be able to produce thirty million Spirit Stones as an individual... this Master Gu is truly wealthy."

You Changheng said with a faint smile.

The attendant beside him remained silent, not daring to respond.

’A fully formed portion of Wood Element Innate Spiritual Soil?’

’Could it be a coincidence?’

’But in the Cultivation Realm, it’s difficult enough to find any Wood Element Innate Spiritual Soil, let alone a fully formed portion.’

’Who exactly is this person?’

In another VIP room, an old man’s somewhat cloudy eyes instantly turned incredibly sharp upon hearing the words "Wood Element Innate Spiritual Soil."

This man was none other than Ge Fangrong, an elder of the Divine Wood Sect.

Over two hundred years ago, the Divine Wood Sect’s Cyan Wood Secret Realm had been destroyed by a young man. Wu Zhonghai’s Divine Soul had also perished at his hands, and the sect had since expended great effort trying to uncover the perpetrator’s identity.

Unfortunately, more than two hundred years had passed, and the Divine Wood Sect was still empty-handed.

The only things the Divine Wood Sect could confirm were that the man had stolen the fully formed Wood Element Innate Spiritual Soil from the Cyan Wood Secret Realm, as well as the Cyan Wood Nirvana Skill, a cultivation technique comparable to their own Cyan Wood Longevity Technique.

After more than two hundred years, the Divine Wood Sect had all but given up the search.

But they never, ever expected to hear of Wood Element Innate Spiritual Soil now.

’VIP Room Seven... that’s Master Gu?’

’Gu Changqing. Claims to be from some Hidden Clan. His records before reaching the Three Flowers Realm are completely blank.’

’Cultivating to the Three Flowers Realm in just over two hundred years?’

’He might not be the same person from back then, but he has a fully formed portion of Wood Element Innate Spiritual Soil. Even if it’s not him, he’s undoubtedly connected!’

A sharp glint flashed in Ge Fangrong’s eyes.

After so many years, he had finally found a lead possibly related to that man. He had to confirm it, no matter the cost.

As for whether he might offend this Master Gu, that wasn’t a concern of his.

"Congratulations to the fellow cultivator in VIP Room Seven! The owner of the Spirit Fire has decided to trade with you!"

On the auction stage, the white-bearded old man’s ear twitched slightly before he spoke with a smile.

Jiang Zuo was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected to win the Spirit Fire immediately after placing his bid.

In reality, Jiang Zuo had underestimated the value of a fully formed portion of Wood Element Innate Spiritual Soil.

In the Cultivation Realm, Wood Element cultivation techniques were extremely popular. A fully formed portion of Wood Element Innate Spiritual Soil was just as rare as the Silent Spirit Fire, if not more so.

For the great clans and sects, a fully formed portion of Wood Element Innate Spiritual Soil held an unparalleled allure.

A talented cultivator who used it to forge their Dao Foundation would have an exceptionally promising future.

"Master Gu, this way please."

Qin Caixian looked at Jiang Zuo, her charming eyes practically overflowing with allure.

’This Master Gu’s wealth is simply terrifying.’

’It’s a shame he doesn’t seem interested in me.’

After leading Jiang Zuo to the transaction room, Qin Caixian quietly returned to her own room. She sent a letter to the faction backing her, explaining the events of the day.

’When the Sect Leader receives this news, he’ll probably have to take action himself.’

Qin Caixian murmured to herself.

...

"Congratulations, Master Gu. Please present the items of your bid so I can verify them."

Inside the room, an old man said to Jiang Zuo with a smile.

"Of course. Thank you for your trouble, Elder Xu."

Jiang Zuo nodded and handed the storage bag containing the Wood Element Innate Spiritual Soil, along with the Spirit Stones, to the elder.

The elder accepted the items, opened the storage bag, and inspected its contents carefully.

"It truly is a fully formed portion of Wood Element Innate Spiritual Soil. This has been a real eye-opener. I never thought such a thing still existed in the Cultivation Realm."

Elder Xu gave Jiang Zuo a look filled with deep meaning.

This was not something an ordinary person could possess.

It was hard to imagine that Jiang Zuo was just carrying it around with him.

After completing the inventory, Elder Xu handed Jiang Zuo a jade bottle containing the Silent Spirit Fire.

Jiang Zuo took it and glanced inside. After confirming it was correct, he thanked the elder and left with the Spirit Fire.

With the fifth-tier Spirit Fire in hand, he only had a little over two million Spirit Stones left.

Jiang Zuo didn’t bother going back to watch the rest of the auction. He headed straight home to refine the Spirit Fire.

Although a few other rare treasures were auctioned after the Silent Spirit Fire, their prices were nowhere near as terrifying.

Soon, the decennial Dragon and Phoenix Auction House grand auction came to a close.

...

In the Immortal City, a small courtyard was built atop a Spirit Vein.

The environment was tranquil and secluded. Anyone who could reside here possessed an extraordinary status.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Elder You?"

The courtyard’s owner was a middle-aged man known as Cold Crow Wanderer. His cultivation was at the mid-stage of the Dao Fruit Realm.

You Changheng had come here after the auction ended.

"Old Chen, I need your help with something."

You Changheng said with a slight smile.

"My help? With your status, if there’s something you can’t handle, what good would I be?"

Cold Crow Wanderer shook his head.

"Don’t be so quick to refuse. It’s a simple matter, just something I can’t handle personally."

"If it goes smoothly, you and I could each earn several hundred thousand Spirit Stones a year without having to lift a finger."

You Changheng waved his hand dismissively and said to Cold Crow Wanderer.

Upon hearing this, Cold Crow Wanderer’s interest was piqued.