Chapter 63: First Auction Item: Spiritual Armor Fragment

The auction held by the mall is divided into two levels: Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment.

The first five days are auction time for Qi Refining cultivators.

At this time, the number of cultivators is also at its highest.

The following two days are auction time for Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Since Wang Ping set foot on the path of cultivation, he has rarely seen such a large gathering of cultivators.

Although cultivation resources are scarce in the Western Drooping Three Kingdoms, there are still five hundred thousand cultivators.

Those who have cultivated to Qi Refining Great Perfection probably number at least fifty thousand.

Now here gathered one-fifth of the Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivators.

The aura of a single Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivator is nothing to a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but when one hundred, one thousand, or even ten thousand Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivators gather, the unintentionally released aura is such that even a senior Foundation Establishment cultivator dare not fly above them.

Such a scene would have been almost impossible in the Western Drooping Three Kingdoms before.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Three Element Alliance looked down at the densely packed Qi Refining cultivators below, a hint of solemnity flashing across their faces.

In the Zhao, Jin, Song Three Kingdoms,

Foundation Establishment cultivators number only over one thousand. Compared to Qi Refining cultivators, the ratio is nearly five hundred to one.

Actually this data is not very accurate, because Foundation Establishment cultivators live long; possibly half of them achieved Foundation Establishment fifty years ago.

In that case, the ratio could reach an exaggerated one thousand to one.

As a result, in the Western Drooping Three Kingdoms, Foundation Establishment cultivators are highly esteemed, and they hardly regard Qi Refining cultivators at all.

Therefore, what is happening before their eyes now truly shocks them.

On the ninth floor of the Treasure Pavilion, the Treasure Pavilion's Golden Core True Person Song and a cultivator wearing a black round-collared robe stood side by side by the window.

"Although resources are scarce in the Western Drooping Three Kingdoms, these Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators are not bad."

True Person Song said with a smile: "The cultivators here have a hint of ruthlessness in their bones, Qin An, fellow Daoist, believe it or not—if there were no Golden Core cultivator holding the fort here today, they would dare to seize the Treasure Pavilion! Those Foundation Establishment cultivators might not be able to suppress the ten thousand Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivators below."

Qin An curled the corner of his mouth into a slight smile:

"It is also because of that hint of ruthlessness that they can withstand the offensive of the Soul Refining Hall and hold out until the alliance arrives. You don't know, but the Golden Core True Persons in the alliance are very interested in this place, and several even want to come here to take on a few disciples."

True Person Song laughed heartily: "I heard that several demonic sects also want to come here to seize ten thousand cultivators to take back as disciples, in order to raise gu poison?"

Qin An nodded and said: "In the Western Drooping Three Kingdoms, those who can cultivate to Qi Refining Great Perfection have a very high Foundation Establishment success rate!"

True Person Song agreed with this; the Hundred Arts practitioners in the Hundred Arts Garden, regardless of their virtue, have a commendable determination in their cultivation.

It is said that cultivators here who take Foundation Establishment Pills or Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects have a very low breakthrough failure rate, leading the cultivators here to believe that breaking through to Foundation Establishment requires only a Foundation Establishment Pill or Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object.

Qin An and True Person Song, being Golden Core cultivators, naturally know

how erroneous this fallacy is.

When cultivators undergo Foundation Establishment, besides the three barriers of spiritual power, blood and qi, and divine sense, they must also face the trial of the heart demon.

Those with weak will often succumb there and then fail Foundation Establishment.

True Person Song sighed and said: "With so many Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivators, the Foundation Establishment Pills and Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects at the auction are not even a drop in the bucket!"

Qin An smiled and said: "Rest assured, the alliance will soon establish a merit ranking; those who rank in the top one hundred will receive Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects, and those in the top thirty will receive Foundation Establishment Pills as rewards."

True Person Song clapped his hands and laughed: "Excellent, choosing the best from the best!"

Qin An glanced downward, then returned to the tea table in the room, poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and said:

"It is precisely because the cultivators here are not bad that the Basic Chapter of the Blue Emperor Longevity Technique has a copy here."

True Person Song laughed: "The cultivators here are fortunate; they can purchase the Basic Chapter of the Five Elements Technique for only thirty or forty thousand spirit stones. However, once this news spreads, the cultivator who obtains the technique will likely become the target of everyone's resentment."

Qin An wiped away his smile, his face expressionless, and said: "I only need to ensure that the Foundation Establishment cultivators do not make a move; as for anything else, I don't care!"

While the two were talking here below, Wang Ping had already entered the auction house; after paying ten thousand spirit stones, he stepped into the VIP auction hall.

This hall is almost as large as the outer auction hall, yet it has only a thousand seats, with thirty super VIP private rooms on the second floor.

Because Wang Ping had consigned two supreme-grade magical artifacts for auction, the Treasure Pavilion also arranged a private room for him.

Led by the attendants here, he entered Private Room Number Three in Section C.

Although this room's location is at the side of the auction platform, giving a less-than-ideal view, Wang Ping does not mind much, for his private room will employ the Water Mirror Technique, allowing a clear and accurate view of the auction items below.

The Water Mirror Technique is an upper-grade technique that only Foundation Establishment cultivators can perform.

It can display the surrounding environment within a certain distance, making it a fine exploratory technique.

Having declined the attendants' service, Wang Ping remained alone in this huge room of nearly two hundred square meters.

Stepping on the soft, unnamed carpet laid on the floor, Wang Ping walked to the chair in the center of the room that resembles a sofa.

Sitting on it, it is very soft, making one feel relaxed.

The items auctioned in the VIP hall are hardly seen elsewhere.

The auction items here basically start at five thousand.

Even some materials, which may not mean much to Foundation Establishment cultivators, are extraordinarily precious to them.

After waiting a quarter of an hour, a unfamiliar Qi Refining cultivator appeared on the auction stage.

Wang Ping narrowed his eyes; he recognized that person—Old Bai!

A Qi Refining cultivator at the limit who failed Foundation Establishment.

Unexpectedly, he was actually invited by the Treasure Pavilion to serve as the auctioneer.

"Greetings, everyone; I am Bai Jili, and I am honored to have been invited by the Treasure Pavilion to serve as the host of this auction!"

Saying this, he clasped his hands in a salute, then went on to say some words of welcome and honor.

Then Old Bai announced: "The auction officially begins!"

"The first auction item is a damaged piece of Foundation Establishment spiritual armor!"

Whoa!

A clamor rose from below!

Wang Ping also stood up in surprise; the Foundation Establishment Spirit Armor is the protective armor worn by Foundation Establishment cultivators.

They are generally of magic-treasure grade; to possess a spirit armor, every Foundation Establishment cultivator treasures it as a precious jewel.

Now, this armor can be put up for auction; needless to say, it must be damaged beyond repair, but even so, for Qi Refining cultivators it is also a life-saving item.

One can say that even a fragment of this armor cannot be cut by a Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivator wielding a top-grade magic implement and attacking with all his strength, if it is a magic-treasure-grade spirit armor fragment.

Why is that?

Wang Ping knows that is because magic treasures and magic implements are no longer on the same level.

Protective-grade spirit armor can at least withstand an attack of thirty thousand threads of spiritual power.

Even if it is a fragment, unless its internal structure is destroyed, even a broken spirit armor fragment retains its structure and its defensive power remains astonishing.

A Qi Refining cultivator has at most how much spiritual power? Even with a top-grade magic implement doubling attack power, it still does not reach six thousand.