Desolate Devouring Art - Chapter 1218 - Becoming Rich
Chapter 1218 – Becoming Rich
Many disciples spent the previous night borrowing astral stones from anyone willing to lend, yet even after they pooled their resources, they still failed to reach one million.
Exhausted, none of them wished to give up the chance to seize a Wisdom Stone that could reshape their talent and destiny.
“You can,” Liu Wuxie said with a nod, allowing them to continue. He intended to keep the number of participants near one hundred, ensuring the competition remained fierce and merciless.
In less than fifteen minutes, more than fifty disciples joined, pushing the total number of bidders to nearly ninety. Desperation surged through the crowd as many began borrowing astral stones from companions.
Within the span of a single incense stick, over ten disciples scraped together one million astral stones each and claimed their bamboo placards. The sequence of numbers climbed until the crowd raised the placard marked ninety-seven.
“Anyone else? If not, the auction begins now.” Liu Wuxie’s gaze swept across the martial field, sharp and unyielding. Silence answered him. Many had exhausted their favors, but their pleas were ignored. No one could borrow even a single astral stone anymore.
He knew they had reached their limit, yet he refused to relax his requirements. The minimum threshold remained at eight hundred thousand.
“Since that’s the case, we’ll begin. The first Wisdom Stone starts at five hundred thousand astral stones. Each bid must rise by no less than fifty thousand.” Liu Wuxie held up a lustrous stone that pulsed with radiant soul energy, instantly igniting a surge of greed in the eyes of every disciple present. Few had ever seen such a treasure up close, and now one glittered in his palm.
“Six hundred thousand!” shouted placard number seventy, leaping a full hundred thousand at once.
“Six hundred fifty thousand!” a veteran with placard number one countered, his voice cold with determination.
“Seven hundred thousand!”
“Seven hundred fifty thousand!”
“Eight hundred thousand!” The disciples raised the numbers rapidly, and the bidding war flared like wildfire. Within moments, the price soared past eight hundred thousand.
The surrounding disciples’ hearts pounded in disbelief. If a single Wisdom Stone fetched eight hundred thousand, then three would bring in two million four hundred thousand for Liu Wuxie—merely at the Transcendent Realm—that fortune rivaled cultivators of the Primal Origin Realm.
“I can’t accept this!” a Dharma Institute disciple cried out, clenching his fists as his voice trembled with bitterness. “I’m at the Origin Conversion Realm! I fought dozens from the War Dragon Institute for a slot, making enemies left and right—and now I can’t even bid?”
He had bled and triumphed earlier, yet with only five hundred thousand stones, he lacked the power to lift a placard now. He could only watch, seething, as others bid for the treasure.
“I have to find a way to kill Liu Wuxie! He’s the reason I’m crippled!” Many wounded disciples seethed with the same hatred, but no one paid them any mind.
This was the Astral Domain—where strength ruled, and the strong crushed the weak. Liu Wuxie had never begged them to participate; they had come of their own accord.
“Eight hundred fifty thousand!” The bidding pressed upward, though more slowly now, as the bidding inched closer to the peak of the Wisdom Stone’s market value. Wisdom Stones were commonly sold for between five hundred thousand and seven hundred thousand.
Beyond that, people considered the price exorbitant.
However, their desperation overrode reason. For those who feared stagnation, even two million was worth it.
“Nine hundred thousand!” roared the veteran with placard “one,” refusing to back down.
More disciples withdrew, unable to keep up with the pace. Only two contenders remained—number one, Lan Zilin, and number seven, Jiang Shanyue. Both possessed wealth but lacked talent, and each saw the stone as the only way to break through their bottleneck.
“Lan Zilin, are you opposing me on purpose?” Jiang Shanyue snarled, veins bulging on his neck. Every bid he made, Lan Zilin immediately followed.
“Jiang Shanyue, don’t flatter yourself,” Lan Zilin sneered. “This is an auction. The stone goes to the highest bidder. Raise your bid if you dare.”
Their long-standing feud blazed hotter, each desperate to crush the other through victory.
Whoever obtained the Wisdom Stone could trample the other, which was why neither of them was willing to yield.
“Nine hundred fifty thousand!” Jiang Shanyue raised the price again, edging toward the unprecedented mark of one million.
A single Wisdom Stone selling for one million astral stones shattered the record that had stood in the Heavenly Dragon Sect for a millennium.
Liu Wuxie had successfully stoked their desire to purchase by exploiting the weakness of human nature. After all, no one could accept being surpassed by their rival.
“One million!” Lan Zilin’s voice rang out, sharp as a blade.
The martial field fell silent. Even veteran disciples gawked, not to mention the new disciples. Though those two had verified their assets, many people still felt heartache at paying one million astral stones for a Wisdom Stone.
After all, accumulating so much wealth was no easy feat. Many had borrowed heavily to scrape together one million. Spending it all on a single stone gambled away stability and could cripple a cultivator for months under the weight of debt.
Time passed, and no one dared to raise the bid again.
“One million, going once!” Liu Wuxie lifted his hand.
“One million, going twice!” His hand lowered halfway.
“One million—”
“One million fifty thousand!” Jiang Shanyue’s roar cut through the air, his jaw clenched. He was at his limit, but he had no choice. Stuck at the first-level Origin Conversion Realm for years, he would face ruin if he failed to advance soon. Once his soul sea became fixed, his future would vanish.
“One million fifty thousand, going once!” Liu Wuxie raised his hand again.
“One million fifty thousand, going twice!” His voice echoed across the martial field.
Far in the distance, inner disciples began to arrive, too late to join the bidding but drawn by the uproar.
“One million one hundred!” Lan Zilin’s voice was grim, his face pale. He had reached his limit as well.
“That’s impossible!” Jiang Shanyue snapped. “How could you have that much?”
He was well-versed in Lan Zilin’s finances. Last night, they had both borrowed money, and Lan Zilin barely had over a million.
“This is one million astral stones—and four fifth-grade spiritual pills,” Lan Zilin declared coldly, producing four shining pills worth another hundred thousand in total.
Blood spurted from Jiang Shanyue’s lips. He had nothing comparable. His spiritual pills were worthless and failed to bridge the gap.
Lan Zilin won the first Wisdom Stone for one million astral stones and four fifth-grade pills.
Though his heart ached as he handed over everything, joy replaced it the instant the stone pressed into his palm. His soul sea absorbed the stone’s energy greedily, filling him with exhilaration.
When his gaze fell on Liu Wuxie, his emotions became entangled in hatred and gratitude. He hated Liu Wuxie for draining his wealth, yet he couldn’t deny that the treasure would shape his future. Without hesitation, he departed for seclusion to refine it.
“The second Wisdom Stone is mine!” Jiang Shanyue declared grimly. “No one dares compete with me!”
Now that Lan Zilin had secured a Wisdom Stone, he would soon surpass Jiang Shanyue. This meant Jiang Shanyue had to secure one at any cost to balance their cultivation.
His words only drew sneers. Everyone knew the rules. The highest bid claimed the stone. They also knew Jiang Shanyue’s limit now.
Many people stood present, but they refused to bid for the first stone. They waited, planning to bid when the time was right.
Veteran and new disciples alike rolled their eyes. Many new disciples were already stronger than he was, despite having entered the sect later.
“Like before, the second stone starts at five hundred thousand,” Liu Wuxie announced, producing the next gem that gleamed with soul energy. “Each bid must rise by no less than fifty thousand.”
Disciples fixed greedy eyes upon it. With Lan Zilin gone, the second stone became even more crucial.
“One million!” Jiang Shanyue roared, trying to intimidate the crowd with a high opening bid.
Disgusted glares met him from all sides. Only Liu Wuxie smiled faintly, realizing he had underestimated the stone’s temptation.
The field fell silent. This was no auction now—it was a contest of pride, of rivalry. Whoever seized the stone would leave the others far behind.
Seeing no challenge, Jiang Shanyue smirked. Though his heart bled, one million was still cheaper than Lan Zilin’s price.
“One million, going once!” Liu Wuxie raised his hand.
“One million, going twice!” His hand lowered.
“One million—”
“One million five hundred thousand!” A voice cut him off—not from within the ninety-seven, but from outside the martial field.
A youth strode in, his aura surging at the high levels of the Origin Conversion Realm. His purple robe gleamed, marking him as an inner disciple.
The crowd gasped, filling the air with shock.
“It’s Deng Huaiguang!” The crowd’s faces paled. Even veteran disciples shrank back.
He had entered the sect last year, rising from ninth-level Transcendent to seventh-level Origin Conversion in less than a year, a prodigy among prodigies.
Deng Huaiguang stopped five meters from Liu Wuxie, smiling faintly—his offer—one million five hundred thousand.
Jiang Shanyue’s face darkened. The stone had slipped from his grasp at the final moment.
The faces of the outer disciples shifted as well. With one inner disciple here, others would surely follow. The last two Wisdom Stones would never reach their hands.
“I’m sorry,” Liu Wuxie said with a casual shrug, his tone shocking the entire crowd. “But the Wisdom Stones are reserved for outer disciples only. Inner disciples are excluded.”
