Chapter 17: That is Respect, That is Gratitude, That is Awe!

After a few seconds of commotion on the stage, a voice unable to suppress its inner excitement rose; the owner of the voice was a rogue cultivator.

"Five hundred spirit stones!"

"Eight hundred!"

"One thousand two; I am from Dripping Water Cave, and I hope all fellow Daoists will grant me face."

Buying an eighth-grade spiritual material for 1,200 spirit stones; no matter how one looks at it, this matter is extremely strange.

Is water jade really that valuable?

Yulou blinked his eyes; Wang Xianmao naturally knew what he wanted to ask.

"The region where we live is the sphere of influence of the Red Lantern Sect; the disciples of the Red Lantern Sect mainly cultivate Using Fire Technique.

Water jade is expensive precisely because it is a water-attribute spiritual material, and treasures refined from it can break Using Fire Technique."

Only then did Yulou understand that water jade was expensive not because spirit stones were so cheap, nor because its potential was extraordinary.

From the cultivators who eagerly bid.

Yulou saw their respect for the Red Lantern Sect, saw their gratitude, saw their awe.

They feared!

They hated.

They... were angry!

They wanted to buy water jade!

In the end, the eighth-grade water jade brought out by the guarding cultivator Jiang Baobian rose all the way to 1,400 spirit stones before being purchased by an unknown rogue cultivator.

What concept does this price represent?

Ten times; compared to slightly inferior eighth-grade spiritual materials, the price of water jade is ten times theirs!

The Red Lantern Sect, such a fearsome reputation!

From the final transaction price, Yulou also understood Red Eyebrow Layman's obsession with water jade beads—this thing was quite valuable.

Or rather, within the jurisdiction of the Red Lantern Sect, which is dominated by Using Fire Technique, it would always be very valuable.

————

The feast of the Ghost Market auction was opened by Jiang Baobian, but the true climax came after Red Eyebrow Layman ascended the stage.

Care to learn about the ultra-low-spec youth edition of the Multi-Treasure Daoist?

"Fellow Daoists, since fate has gathered us here, Red Eyebrow naturally will not be stingy.

Today, I have brought four exquisite magical artifacts!"

Red Eyebrow Layman took out three small flying daggers from his storage bag and introduced them.

"These are Low-Quality Crafted offensive artifacts I refined personally, with a base of ninth-grade cold steel.

Although they possess only four layers of prohibitions, under the premise of being used well, their attack power does not lose to ordinary Mid-Quality Technique."

If Jiang Baobian throwing out a rare eighth-grade water jade at the very opening was a shock,

then Red Eyebrow brought everyone a completely opposite shock—completely opposite.

He was truly black-hearted!

"Red Eyebrow, do you have the face to bring out Low-Quality Crafted artifacts with only four layers of prohibitions?"

"Exactly, exactly, get down there!"

"Low-Quality Crafted artifacts; even if you gave them away, no one would want them!"

"If I am not mistaken, the handle of your flying dagger is longer than the blade; isn't cutting corners a bit too excessive?

The attendees below barked like dogs.

Red Eyebrow did not waste words; he directly summoned a flying dagger and headed straight for the host, Old Ghost.

I'll beat you to death, you turtle grandson, for selling a rat as a sable to my daughter!

Old Ghost was an information peddler, and since he could even secure the job of Ghost Market auction host, he was naturally no easy opponent.

He raised his hand and cast a Earth Wall Technique, directly blocking the flying dagger.

"Fellow Daoist, how is the attack power of this flying dagger?"

Red Eyebrow retracted the flying dagger and asked with a smile.

"Not bad; it is indeed made of cold steel, it's just that yours is too small..."

Old Ghost naturally knew Red Eyebrow; he helped Red Eyebrow hype the scene with a dark face.

Having just taken a hit from Red Eyebrow's flying dagger, he immediately turned around to kiss Red Eyebrow's stinky feet, and did so with such professionalism and seriousness.

What a great professional spirit this is.

"Three flying daggers, starting at fifty spirit stones each; the first one, does anyone want it?"

Fifty spirit stones for a Low-Quality Crafted artifact made of cold steel!

The cultivators present looked at Red Eyebrow with strange eyes.

Brother, just now we barked too loudly; sorry.

You have driven down the price of cold steel artifacts!

"Sixty!"

Red Eyebrow smiled; it was done!

"One hundred!"

One dagger recoups the cost!

We're going to get rich!

Red Eyebrow hurriedly held back his laughter with force, his face tense; he feared that being too overjoyed would bring disaster upon himself.

After selling the three monkey-version Low-Quality Crafted artifacts, Red Eyebrow brought out the real weapons he had prepared for today.

"Mirror-Silver Gold-Thread Shield — a top-grade defensive magic artifact, twenty-six layers of restrictions!

Three pieces of ninth-grade mirror-silver as the base, one piece of ninth-grade spirit gold turned into threads for engraving, with a piece of eighth-grade black steel at its core.

Damage from ordinary attacks can be self-repaired by the mirror-silver, and damage from powerful attacks can be blocked by the eighth-grade black steel.

Even if the Merit Hall of the Red Lantern Sect came, you still might not be able to trade for a better defensive magic artifact inside!

Two thousand spirit stones, everyone bid within your means~"

If just now, Master Master Hongmei — who tried to sell those three Monkey Version Techniques — looked like a clown,

then now he was the dream lover in the hearts of all the loose cultivators.

So what if he's three hundred jin?

Fellow Daoist Master Master Hongmei isn't fat — every liang of flesh is his strength!

That's too ruthless, Fellow Daoist Master Master Hongmei!

"Twenty-two hundred!"

"Two..."

The cultivators in the venue began calling out bids, but Wang Xianmao merely smiled lightly.

Master Master Hongmei, Master Master Hongmei — even your most treasured defensive treasure you're selling, so you're really preparing for Foundation Establishment!

"Three thousand — this Mirror-Silver Shield is not bad, my Gu Clan will take it!"

No one had expected that the Foundation Establishment cultivator who came to anchor the auction would actually open his mouth to snatch something.

After the Second Elder of the Tea King Gu family reported his bid, naturally no one dared to keep bidding.

Still, buying a top-grade magic artifact for three thousand spirit stones is actually a fairly high price — not exactly a forced sale.

An ordinary top-grade magic artifact can sometimes be had for a thousand spirit stones; it's only because this shield is both a defensive treasure and made full use of all kinds of spirit materials, with a full twenty-six layers of restrictions refined into it, that it's so expensive.

——————

The ghost market auction ended, and the Wang Shi naturally bought nothing, instead selling off a pile of things.

A clan has its own industries and inheritances; many things that loose cultivators consider once-in-a-lifetime treasures are things the Wang family can produce themselves.

"Clan Chief, I don't understand — why can Qi Refining stage cultivators use pills to boost their cultivation speed, while we at the Spirit Drawing stage cannot?"

Yulou was truly curious; from his observations, this world's pill system was quite complete.

But Spirit Drawing stage cultivators could only use pills for breaking through bottlenecks and other auxiliary-type pills, with no way to use any pill that directly raised cultivation progress.

That was very strange.

"Long ago, Spirit Drawing stage cultivators could use pills to increase cultivation progress.

Once you reach Qi Refining stage and read the secret records the clan has prepared for its Qi Refining stage children, you'll naturally understand."

Wang Xianmao answered with a smile.

Yulou nodded lightly and stopped asking.

Reach Qi Refining first — the Clan Chief's meaning couldn't be more obvious.

"Why? Clan Chief?"

Wang Yuan, Wang Yuan — it had to be Wang Yuan.

"Hahahaha, alright then, telling you won't hurt, but don't spread it around.

The resources between heaven and earth are limited; if the pace of Spirit Drawing stage cultivation isn't suppressed, too many resources will be occupied by Spirit Drawing stage cultivators.

If Spirit Drawing stage cultivators cultivate too quickly, there will be more Qi Refining cultivators and Foundation Establishment cultivators, and many things will become troublesome.

Roughly a thousand years ago, those great cultivators between heaven and earth joined hands and changed the rules of heaven and earth, and so it has remained until now.

Our Wang Shi ancestors were already inside the Red Lantern Sect at the time, so they recorded this matter.

Many clans and small sects that have risen in the last few hundred years don't know these secrets."

Those great cultivators between heaven and earth joined hands and changed the rules of heaven and earth.

As if entranced, Yulou unconsciously and repeatedly chewed on this sentence.

From it he sensed an unfathomable majesty, an indescribable grand passion.

To change heaven and swap earth!

A cultivation cultivator should be like this!

A burst of genuine dog barking interrupted Yulou's wandering thoughts and grand imaginings.

"Get lost!

Loose cultivators? Just beggars!

Even the secret prostitutes of Qing Xi Fang know better manners than you lot!

The Merit Hall of the Red Lantern Sect is coming soon — you sleeping in the streets is deliberately ruining Qing Xi Fang's grand occasion!

Get out of here! If you don't get out, I'll beat you to death!"

At the entrance of Fuyuan Residence, Gao Jian waved his Spirit-Locking Rope, cracking it loudly against the loose cultivators huddled in the corner of the wall.

Recently too many loose cultivators had flooded into Qing Xi Fang, and every shop and residence had been raising rents.

Many penniless loose cultivators chose to lie at the street corners by the walls, stubbornly waiting for the Merit Hall's arrival.

Gao Jian, as a member of Qing Xi Fang's public security team, naturally couldn't stand these poor wretches tarnishing Qing Xi Fang's image.

So he was here wildly swinging his whip, only short of striking sparks out of it.

If you asked these loose cultivators why they didn't just wait outside and only come in once the Red Lantern Sect's Merit Hall arrived...

"My lord, my lord, we paid the entry fee!"

"How would I know whether you paid or not! If you can't afford a house, get lost — don't ruin Qing Xi Fang's appearance!"

Gao Jian was part of the patrol; what did the entry fees collected by those at the gate have to do with him?

If these wretched loose cultivators ruined his master Jiang Baobian's image in front of the Purple Mansion great cultivator, he, Gao Jian, would be the one taking the fall!

Seeing this, Wang Xianmao casually cast a spell to conceal their figures, covering himself and the two youths.

He brought Yulou and Wang Yuan to Gao Jian's side, making sure the two of them could clearly see the ugly behaviour of this Red Lantern Shining outer disciple.

Afterwards, the clan head asked.

"Yulou, Wang Yuan, how do you think this matter should be handled?"

Yulou frowned, realizing the matter was far from simple.

If "not simple" had grades.

Then the clan head's seemingly casual question was the highest grade.

Because casualness is a special kind of posture, and in certain situations, it carries a reverse conspicuousness.