Chapter 947

Han Li sat in a secluded corner of the hall, coldly observing the front of the hall, over a hundred zhang away. A middle-aged man clad in black robes held a pale yellow crystal stone, briefly introducing the item.

“Jianghuang Crystal, mined from the western deserts of the Southern Frontier, found only beneath sand depths of a thousand chi. Its texture is incredibly hard and capable of storing vast amounts of earth-elemental spiritual energy, making it an excellent material for crafting earth-affinity magic treasures. Starting bid: eight thousand spirit stones; each increment must be no less than one thousand.”

This was perfectly normal—if a low-level cultivator were stared at by hundreds of Nascent Soul cultivators at once, the immense invisible pressure would shatter his spirit, leaving him unable to speak.

Han Li carefully sensed the man’s cultivation base—he was at the peak of Nascent Soul mid-stage. With no Nascent Soul late-stage cultivators present, this man was unquestionably the highest-ranked in the hall. Thus, no one dared disrupt the auction.

Although Jianghuang Crystal was a decent material for crafting earth-affinity magic treasures, no one bid enthusiastically. Only three or four people made a few bids before an unknown cultivator secured it for twelve thousand spirit stones.

The auction of subsequent items proceeded with equal indifference.

Han Li sat in his chair, watching it all with unnaturally calm expression, utterly unsurprised.

This auction would last several days; the items presented on the first day could hardly be exceptional. Though these materials were rare for ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators, they could still be gathered with time outside the auction. Thus, most in the hall, unless they truly needed them, had no reason to compete. Still, by day’s end, a few valuable items would surely appear to entice everyone to return for the next day’s auction.

As he thought this, Han Li paid no further attention to the auction, merely lazily observing the many Nascent Soul cultivators in the hall. Though they represented only a small fraction of Jin’s top-tier cultivators, they embodied the various factions of Jin—both orthodox and demonic.

What caught his attention most were the three bald monks seated in the center of the hall.

One monk was emaciated, another fat-faced and big-eared, the third gentle-eyed with snow-white beard. All wore gray monk robes, heads bowed, eyes lowered, exuding the aura of enlightened masters.

This was Han Li’s first time seeing high-level Buddhist cultivators; naturally, he glanced twice. The eldest monk in the center immediately sensed his gaze and turned toward him. Though the old monk’s gaze was calm and warm, Han Li still felt a chill in his heart.

This old monk’s spiritual sense was astonishingly sharp. The Buddhist sect’s ability to stand equal with Daoist and Confucian schools in Jin was no accident.

Han Li did not wish to provoke unnecessary hostility; he immediately retracted his spiritual sense and feigned indifference.

The old monk’s gaze swept over Han Li once, then returned to its former state without change.

Besides these monks, the hall contained many other peculiar cultivators. Han Li silently cross-referenced his intelligence on Jin’s factions, verifying identities and memorizing as many as possible—useful information, perhaps, someday.

As items were sold one by one, time passed. As Han Li had predicted, near the end, rare treasures finally appeared. The previously calm cultivators stirred with excitement.

Several treasures sparked fierce bidding, fetching astonishing prices, and the atmosphere grew heated. After all, Nascent Soul cultivators rarely minded spending extra spirit stones for what they needed. Missing this chance might mean waiting years to find it themselves.

“One piece of Mojin, weighing three jin and four liang. Rare alchemical material. Starting bid: thirty thousand spirit stones. Each increment must be no less than two thousand.” The more rare the item, the more tersely the auctioneer spoke. Now he held up a jade tray bearing a black, ink-like metal, faintly shimmering with golden light.

Han Li, who had been smiling, suddenly tensed, his eyes flashing with delight.

He had not expected to find this material so soon. He had searched for Mojin for a long time, yet never managed to acquire any.

“Thirty-six thousand.”

“Forty thousand.”

“Forty-five thousand spirit stones.”

…

Mojin’s reputation was considerable, and many recognized its value. Before Han Li even bid, the auctioneer’s gaze swept the hall and several high bids came in succession.

Han Li frowned but did not rush to bid. Since he must have this item, he would wait until the price neared its peak before competing.

When an unknown cultivator bid sixty thousand spirit stones, the few who had been stubbornly following suddenly fell silent.

“Sixty-five thousand.”

Han Li tapped a finger against the jade tablet before him; as spiritual light flickered across its surface, he announced his bid.

“Sixty-seven thousand spirit stones.” The other bidder hesitated, then outbid Han Li—he clearly needed the item.

“Seventy thousand.” Han Li’s voice was emotionless.

This time, the other bidder fell silent. Mojin, though rare, was simply too expensive at seventy thousand spirit stones. He decisively withdrew.

Han Li smiled faintly.

The middle-aged auctioneer, pleased at the high price, followed protocol by repeating the bid twice. As he prepared to ask for the third time and declare the sale complete, a cold voice suddenly added another bid.

“Seventy-five thousand.”

Han Li and the auctioneer both froze. Other cultivators in the hall also looked up in surprise.

“Eighty thousand.”

Han Li immediately regained composure and spoke without hesitation.

“Eighty-two thousand.” The other bidder raised his bid again, calm and unflinching—just like Han Li, he clearly intended to win the Mojin at all costs.

This time, not only did Han Li’s expression change; other cultivators could not help but turn their gazes toward the source.

There, in a slightly elevated corner of the hall, a cultivator shrouded entirely in pale black mist sat motionless, his true face invisible. Yet from the faint outline of his robes, he appeared to be an elderly man.

Han Li was puzzled but had no intention of dragging out this bidding war. His face darkened, and he announced a price that sent a shock through the entire hall.

“One hundred twenty thousand spirit stones.”

The moment the price was spoken, every cultivator in the hall wore a strange expression. That sum could buy a decent ancient treasure—far exceeding Mojin’s normal value.

A murmur spread, and many cast glances toward Han Li.

But Han Li, with his altered appearance, looked merely like a sickly yellow-faced cultivator—no one recognized him.

Han Li ignored the others entirely, keeping his full attention fixed on the old man shrouded in black mist.

The old man, hearing such a high bid, was clearly stunned. If he could, he would have outbid Han Li immediately. But according to his intelligence, another even more valuable material would appear later. If he spent this much now, he could not guarantee securing the next item—and the loss would be greater. Moreover, the way Han Li had raised the price so abruptly made it clear he would not back down.

After weighing his options, the old man finally ceased bidding.

Thus, the Mojin finally came into Han Li’s possession.

But this act drew the attention of those with keen eyes—both Han Li and the old man.

Han Li, however, remained unbothered. He simply sat back, closed his eyes, and appeared to have lost all interest in the remaining items now that he had obtained the Mojin.

The old man, however, later competed fiercely against a large group of cultivators for a rarer material called “Lihuo Sand,” ultimately purchasing it for over two hundred thousand spirit stones.

The old man’s extravagant spending naturally drew even more attention.

This was not to say he was the highest spender of the auction.

The final items auctioned—high-grade ancient treasures, pills to enhance cultivation—each fetched around two or three hundred thousand spirit stones. But spending over two hundred thousand on a single alchemical material was unusual, far beyond the norm for ordinary cultivators.

When the first day’s auction ended, Han Li blended into the crowd and left the marketplace. But at the exit, the Yinluo Sect cultivators had vanished—apparently giving up.

Han Li smiled lightly, unhurriedly departing the marketplace toward his lodging.

Unbeknownst to Han Li, the old man shrouded in black mist had left the marketplace and quietly appeared at an unremarkable residence in Jin’s capital. The old man in the black crown from the Ye family waited for him in one of the rooms.

Upon seeing the black-crowned elder, the auction participant said nothing, simply handing over the bag of “Lihuo Sand” he had won.

“I already know about the Mojin. Thank you for your trouble, Elder Gao. I never expected someone would pay such a high price for it—otherwise, I would have given you more spirit stones. Fortunately, someone else will exchange Mojin at the underground auction in a few days; otherwise, it would have been troublesome. I’ve confirmed the exchange material and prepared it for you. You’ll need to go there yourself.” The black-crowned elder smiled as he took the material.

“Heh, Elder Yunyi, you’ve given me far too many spirit stones—I fear I might lose control. This was just an accident; the spirit stones I prepared were more than enough. I’ll attend the underground trade in a few days.” The old man with the surname Gao chuckled dryly.

“I trust your conduct completely, Elder Gao. Here are the spirit pills I prepared for you. After this matter is settled, the number will double.” The black-crowned elder nodded approvingly, pulling a jade box from his storage pouch and handing it over.

“Good. Since you’re so trustworthy, I’ll do my utmost these next few days.” The old man with the surname Gao, overjoyed, inspected the pills in the box, nodded repeatedly in satisfaction, then took from the black-crowned elder another storage pouch filled with spirit stones and a jade slip containing tomorrow’s auctioned items before taking his leave.

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