Chapter 1305: Picked Up an Auction House

Jiang Ding walked through the streets of the Quagmire Demon City, moving about with familiar ease, not looking like a first-time visitor at all, but more like a native-born citizen of the Quagmire.

Soon, Jiang Ding arrived before a neither-large-nor-small, medium-sized auction house named "True Scripture Auction House."

"Greetings, Master!"

An old man with a square and proper appearance, gray-white beard, looking every bit a respected and esteemed member of the righteous path, led several servants and, upon seeing Jiang Ding, promptly bowed with hands clasped.

They appeared very well-bred, methodical and proper, almost rigid.

Although they bowed, it gave no sense of flattery—only respect—and was different from the demonic style of the Spring Breeze Tower, where every gesture stirred desire. It was more like the kind of righteous sect founded by old pedants, to the point of even abandoning the warmth and friendliness unique to the service industry.

This rigidity, in a trade like the auction business, was a quality as precious as gold.

'The Romantic Human Demon is indeed a business genius, worthy of having ascended to Soul Transformation through the Dao of Commerce…'

A thought arose in Jiang Ding's mind.

Yes, this True Scripture Auction House was the Romantic Human Demon's enterprise.

This person was merely a mortal of the Three Spiritual Roots from the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder True Sect, with no talent, background, or fortune whatsoever, and even possessed little combat brilliance. The last time he saw Jiang Ding, he fled before even confirming the enemy's situation. Yet the reason he was able to ascend to late-stage Soul Transformation at over six thousand years old—considered a minor genius even at the Hua Shen Qi—was entirely due to his business talent.

Even in a third-tier small business like the Spring Breeze Tower, he was meticulous.

In the course of Jiang Ding's conscious acts of chivalry, multiple cultivators with bases in the Quagmire Demon City had appeared, but the Romantic Human Demon was the best among them.

The key was that the Romantic Human Demon himself did not operate this place in his true appearance; every time he transformed his looks, making it very easy to receive him.

"Li Wang, you have done well."

Jiang Ding gave a slight nod.

The peak Nascent Soul cultivator before him was a righteous cultivator personally discovered and cultivated by the Romantic Human Demon—a true righteous cultivator, of upright character, who handled affairs by the book, never overstepping, and conducted business with consistent integrity.

Even when he misjudged during purchases and got a bargain, he would notify the original seller to take it back and refund them.

If he misjudged and took a loss, he blamed his own blindness.

Relying on this business philosophy, unique in the Quagmire Demon City, although the True Scripture Auction House did not have many types of goods, nor were its prices the lowest—on the contrary, they were slightly expensive—and it had no backing from various sects and powers, it still became one of the prominent medium-sized auction houses in the Quagmire Demon City, trusted by numerous Jin Dan, Nascent Soul, and Soul Transformation cultivators, bringing the Romantic Human Demon substantial profits every year.

However, Li Wang was just over a thousand years old and still at peak Nascent Soul; due to injuries sustained in his early years, there was no path forward.

This was naturally the Romantic Human Demon's design.

He had already prepared a second auction house steward, equally a loyal and upright person, and did not need another Soul Transformation cultivator to divide his authority.

The few walked slowly into the True Scripture Auction House.

It was a huge inverted-bowl-shaped building, where an auction was still being held. Tens of thousands of cultivators were shouting enthusiastically, bidding on a mid-grade Nascent Soul treasure called the "Fire Spirit Pearl."

Dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators were competing—both demonic and righteous cultivators—each one bristling with hostility.

Jiang Ding paused slightly, and Li Wang and the others hurriedly stopped.

"Fellow cultivators,"

The auctioneer was not the usual beautiful woman, but an old man with somewhat ugly features, possessing little affinity. He advised earnestly: "The price of 4,750,000 high-grade spirit stones has already exceeded the market price by more than three times. It must not go higher—it's too much of a loss…"

"If any fellow cultivators have a need for pearl-type fire-attribute Nascent Soul treasures, our house will keep an eye out for you. At most within fifty years, we can find another one. There is no need for this, harming the harmony…"

He was actually not adding fuel to the increasingly heated atmosphere, but instead doing his utmost to persuade, wanting to stop these customers from continuing to raise their bids.

Many cultivators visiting for the first time were immediately dumbfounded.

If this were somewhere else, an auctioneer pushing spirit stones away like this would have long been drowned by the master, with soul extraction and refinement being commonplace.

However, most of the auction's customers were unfazed.

However, most of the auction attendees were long past being surprised by such things.

"Old Medicine, the Qingmang Mountain Zhang Clan and Ran Gu Master Dinghai Zhenjun are old enemies—this is nothing unusual. Why must you, old man, bother with them? They have plenty of spirit stones!"

Someone laughed loudly, explaining the reason.

"That's not right. These two families' grudge has lasted for hundreds of years, but it's not to the point of throwing spirit stones into water. Could they be putting on a show for us?"

"Is there something fishy about this Fire Spirit Pearl?"

Someone else speculated.

This made even more people uneasy and suspicious.

"Fellow cultivators,"

"This Fire Spirit Pearl—we have had a fifth-tier appraiser examine it. There should be no secrets."

Old Medicine smiled bitterly: "Please be prudent. Even though we are Nascent Soul cultivators, spirit stones are not easily obtained. I ask you all to reconsider."

His words dispelled some people's urge to gamble.

In the end, the Fire Spirit Pearl did not rise too much in price, settling at just over 5,000,000 mid-grade spirit stones.

In the end, the price of the Fire Spirit Pearl did not climb too high, settling at just over five million mid-grade spirit stones.

Jiang Ding nodded slightly and left.

That Fire Spirit Pearl's material indeed held no secrets, but its refining structure had some kind of "key" function, possibly the key to activating a formation somewhere.

This should be the reason those two families were fighting over it. The True Scripture Auction House truly took a loss on this deal.

However, in truth, it was just earning a little less.

This was its signature—elsewhere, it brought in more profits.

For example, the usual auction fee in the Quagmire Demon City was five percent, but the True Scripture Auction House's fee was seven percent, yet more cultivators still brought their auction items here, because items sold quickly, and the house never cheated young or old, giving greater peace of mind.

Buyers were the same, especially for items like entrance pills—if the prices were not much different, they would often choose the True Scripture Auction House.

Arriving at the core of the True Scripture Auction House, Steward Li Wang and the others reported.

"…Master, last year the auction house earned 870,000 extreme-grade spirit stones, one fifth-tier Primordial Spirit treasure, three Soul Transformation scriptures, fifth-tier heavenly materials and earthly treasures…"

Numerous managers and the Shopkeeper hurriedly produced piles of account books.

Every thirty years, the Master would send someone to audit the accounts. Anyone with errors would face consequences that no single one of them could bear.

The numerous stewards and shopkeepers hurriedly produced stacks upon stacks of account books.

Every thirty years, the owner would send someone to audit the accounts, and if there were any errors, the consequences were absolutely not something any single one of them could bear.

Jiang Ding went through them one by one, rewarding or punishing the various stewards, urging them to continue working diligently, and everything remained as before.

Then, the various people withdrew one by one, restoring quiet to the place.

"The array formation here…"

Jiang Ding's divine sense surged into the core of the True Scripture Auction House, instantly refining the array formation here.

It was easy — merely a fifth-grade superior array formation, a matter of a single thought. However, that did not mean a Soul Transformation peak cultivator could act wantonly in the auction house.

This fifth-grade array formation, the Blue Sky Demon-Slaying Array, was connected to the Refining Void grand array of Tushan Xiancheng. This was the protection brought by the True Scripture Auction House's annual payment of a fifty-percent heavy tax. If a Soul Transformation peak cultivator wished to forcibly seize auction items, that would be a provocation against Tushan Xiancheng.

Even Jiang Ding, for now, only dared to refine the True Scripture Auction House's array formation, and did not dare touch that Refining Void grand array.

"How many materials for the Great Sun Sacrificial Sword Art would there be here?"

Jiang Ding pondered.

He used his divine sense to open the True Scripture Auction House's treasury, examining material after material, searching for what he needed.

The auction house dealt in all manner of items at the Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Jin Dan, Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, and other levels — abundant goods, plentiful channels. This was precisely why he had chosen this place.