Eternal Life by Daily Divination - Chapter 120: An Old Acquaintance?
Chapter 120: Chapter 120: An Old Acquaintance?
“The first Blood Dragon Vine.”
Li Chang’an sat up straight, his eyes fixed on the Spirit Medicine on the stage.
The one he had to fight for was this very first one!
Based on his past auction experience, when multiple Treasures of the same type appeared in a single auction, the first one was often the cheapest.
’I have to get it!’
Li Chang’an took a deep breath.
On the stage,
Sima Rui dispensed with further introductions and announced the price directly.
“Everyone, the starting bid for this Blood Dragon Vine is two thousand Spirit Stones. Each increment must be no less than one hundred. The bidding starts now!”
The moment his voice fell, someone immediately shouted a price of two thousand five hundred Spirit Stones.
Immediately after, the next person called out an even higher price.
“Three thousand Spirit Stones!”
“Three thousand one hundred Spirit Stones!”
“Three thousand three hundred…”
“…”
The competition was even fiercer than Li Chang’an had imagined.
The bidding almost instantly skipped past the two-thousand to three-thousand range, and the price soared.
When it reached four thousand, the number of bidders finally dwindled a little.
Li Chang’an frowned, getting a bad feeling.
’Don’t tell me everyone is thinking the same thing I am, trying to snatch the first Blood Dragon Vine?’
He still hadn’t joined the bidding, listening quietly instead.
Before long, the price climbed to the five-thousand-Spirit-Stone mark.
Only a handful of bidders remained.
“Five thousand one hundred Spirit Stones!”
The one who called out this price was a burly man with a fierce, fleshy face.
His face was a mask of tension and conflict, a clear sign that he was running low on Spirit Stones.
“This Daoist has bid five thousand one hundred Spirit Stones. Is there a higher offer?”
On the stage, the white-robed Sima Rui asked with a smile.
A moment later, someone else called out a price of five thousand two hundred Spirit Stones.
The burly man trembled. A trace of unwillingness appeared on his face; he seemed to want to bid again, but after a moment of struggle, he gave up.
Afterward, the price increased more and more slowly.
It gradually rose to five thousand seven hundred Spirit Stones.
And just then, Li Chang’an finally spoke.
“Six thousand Spirit Stones!”
His bid was practically the final word.
Raising the price by three hundred Spirit Stones in one go was enough to show his determination.
No one competed with him.
After about three breaths,
Sima Rui, on the stage, beamed and congratulated Li Chang’an.
“Congratulations to this Daoist for winning the Blood Dragon Vine at a price of six thousand Spirit Stones!”
Li Chang’an cupped his hands in response.
He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Although the price was slightly higher than he’d expected, there were no unexpected hitches.
After all, this was an auction in Yellow Crane Immortal City, backed by the Golden Core expert Huang He Master. No one dared to use their power to pressure others; all the Cultivators bid honestly.
Before long, an attendant approached and handed the Jade Box containing the Blood Dragon Vine to Li Chang’an.
In return, Li Chang’an took out six thousand Spirit Stones.
The attendant counted the Spirit Stones, nodded slightly, and then sent him a Sound Transmission: “Daoist, the Blood Dragon Vine is quite valuable. You’ve certainly been targeted by someone. After the auction ends, you can leave through a special channel.”
“Alright, thank you!”
Li Chang’an cupped his hands in thanks.
He had heard about this before.
If you spent enough at an auction in Yellow Crane Immortal City, you could use a special channel and not have to worry about being followed.
’A major power like this is so reliable. It really puts one’s mind at ease.’
Li Chang’an thought to himself.
However, he was still using his Puppet Body, just in case.
After all, if someone from inside the auction house targeted him, that would be bad news.
Using the special channel would be like walking straight into a trap.
Of course, the chances of that happening were slim.
Next, the auction continued.
About half an hour later, the second Blood Dragon Vine appeared.
This time, the bidding was just as fierce.
The price continued to rise.
Three thousand, four thousand, five thousand…
Before long, the price once again reached the six-thousand-Spirit-Stone mark.
When someone called out six thousand two hundred Spirit Stones, no one else continued bidding.
’Tsk, two hundred more than what I paid.’
The corners of Li Chang’an’s mouth lifted slightly. It seemed his strategy was correct.
He shifted his gaze to look at the bidder.
Like him, the person was completely shrouded in a black robe with a mask on their face, making it impossible to see their true identity.
But for some reason, Li Chang’an suddenly felt that this person seemed familiar.
’Could it be an old acquaintance?’
Li Chang’an thought hard. He had many friends, but not many who could produce over six thousand Spirit Stones.
Before he could figure it out, the person actually stood up, took the Blood Dragon Vine, and left, no longer bidding on any subsequent Treasures.
’Decisive, indeed!’
Leaving through the special channel at this time was quite safe.
After that, the atmosphere of the auction had its ups and downs.
Another half an hour passed, and the atmosphere reached a peak once again.
This time, it wasn’t because of a Blood Dragon Vine, but a Treasure that aided in Foundation Establishment—Bodhi Incense.
“Everyone, this Bodhi Incense can ensure that when you attempt your Foundation Establishment, your mind will remain unified and free of distracting thoughts.”
Sima Rui introduced it with a smile, his voice echoing throughout the vast hall.
Simply put, this Treasure was similar to a Peaceful Spirit Talisman, but its effects were even better.
’This Bodhi Incense would be useful to me.’
Li Chang’an mulled it over for a moment and made his decision without much hesitation.
He would get it!
Soon, the bidding began.
Because this kind of Treasure wasn’t a necessity and was too expensive, the number of competitors quickly dwindled.
When the price broke the four-thousand mark, only Li Chang’an and another masked Cultivator were still competing.
“Four thousand one hundred Spirit Stones!”
Li Chang’an bid again.
He was determined to win this Bodhi Incense and was prepared to keep raising his bid.
However, at that very moment, a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz entered his ears.
“Daoist Li, this stick of Bodhi Incense is quite large, enough for the two of us. There’s no need to compete. After I win it, I’ll give half to you.”
’The Young Miss?’
Li Chang’an was astonished.
The voice was clear and pleasant—it was Zheng Qingqing’s.
He never would have imagined that the person competing with him all this time was actually her.
At this moment, the masked Cultivator spoke again.
“Four thousand two hundred Spirit Stones!”
This time, Li Chang’an didn’t follow up.
A moment later, Zheng Qingqing’s voice came again.
“Thank you, Daoist Li. After the auction ends, I will deliver half of the Bodhi Incense to your residence.”
“Alright!”
And so, the two reached an agreement.
A while later, a glittering golden Buddha statue was carried onto the stage by attendants.
According to the introduction, this Buddha statue was excavated from a Secret Realm, and a Buddhist Dao Cultivation Technique was inscribed on its base.
Hearing this, most of the Cultivators lost interest.
The Buddhist Dao was too unique; very few in the entire Zhao Country Cultivation Immortality Realm followed this path of practice.
Li Chang’an, however, perked up and stared at the Buddha statue for a moment.
’This should be the Buddha statue mentioned in the Divination.’
Before long, Sima Rui finished his introduction on the stage and announced the start of the bidding.
The starting bid for this Buddha statue was quite low, only one hundred Spirit Stones.
There were very few bidders as well.
Li Chang’an quickly won it for a price of one hundred and sixty Spirit Stones.
Time slowly passed.
About an hour later, the third Blood Dragon Vine appeared and sold for six thousand five hundred Spirit Stones.
At dusk that day, just as the auction was about to conclude, the final Blood Dragon Vine appeared, with its price ultimately reaching six thousand nine hundred Spirit Stones!
’The first one really was the cheapest.’
Li Chang’an once again confirmed that there was nothing wrong with his strategy.
However, to his slight regret, Celestial Cyan Dew did not appear at this auction.
’Forget it. It seems the opportunity hasn’t arrived yet.’
After the auction ended, Li Chang’an left through the special channel, then changed his appearance and attire multiple times. He even left Yellow Crane Immortal City to use an Escape Technique and delve deep into the earth.
After quite some time, he finally returned to Yellow Crane Immortal City with a new identity and went back to his residence.
Before long, Zheng Qingqing arrived as promised and gave half of the Bodhi Incense to Li Chang’an.
“Young Miss, have you gathered everything you need for Foundation Establishment?”
Li Chang’an put away the Bodhi Incense and looked at her, asking.
Zheng Qingqing nodded slightly, not hiding anything.
“I have everything.”
“Then when do you plan to attempt your Foundation Establishment?”
“Tomorrow!”
Li Chang’an’s expression turned grave as he heard the determination in her voice.
The Immortal Path was long and fraught with endless perils.
Zheng Qingqing had taken a step ahead of him, arriving at a treacherous juncture.
Whether she succeeded or failed would be decided tomorrow!
