Chapter 105: Dan Chenzi, Four Symbols Cauldron

It must be said that Luo Tianhong of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect is well-versed in the ways of auctioning.

The first item up for bid immediately seized the initiative, suppressing the noisy atmosphere of the venue and capturing everyone's attention with a magic treasure.

Ordinary rogue cultivators had never seen such an occasion.

For a moment, they were all stunned.

As the bids were called out one after another, many secretly touched their own storage bags, weighing whether they would ever have the chance in this lifetime to participate in bidding at this level.

But at least the previous bids had remained within a normal range.

Everyone slowly accepted this reality.

After all, those people were wealthy Foundation Establishment cultivators, many supported by gang factions or family backgrounds.

But as a shout of "eighty thousand" rang through the entire hall, everyone's gaze fell upon Private Room No. 8.

The price had been raised directly from fifty thousand spirit stones to eighty thousand.

Such an unreasonable bidding method undoubtedly displayed the occupant's absolute confidence in winning.

For a time, the entire hall was in an uproar.

Only the Foundation Establishment cultivators participating in the bidding fell into silence.

Magic treasures, naturally, are not comparable to magic tools in price.

Even top-grade magic tools rarely exceed ten thousand in price.

But for a low-grade magic treasure, and merely an offensive one at that, a price exceeding fifty thousand was a severe premium.

Eighty thousand was enough to buy a decent defensive magic treasure.

For a moment, no one spoke.

On the white jade platform, Luo Tianhong smiled slightly.

"Eighty thousand, going once!"

"Are there any other fellow Daoists bidding? This is a magic treasure produced in Tianfan City; the quality is absolutely guaranteed."

"No one?"

"Eighty thousand, going twice!"

In Private Room No. 8, after Mi Shuhua suddenly shouted the two words "eighty thousand," he fell into an unspeakable silence.

Everyone knew that Mi Shuhua, as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, was wealthy.

But who would have thought he would shout such a sky-high price on the very first item?

Mi Junping couldn't help but wonder if her father was being too impatient.

But Mi Shuhua didn't care about their thoughts at all; his usually gentle and kind eyes were now as still as a cold abyss, staring fixedly at Luo Tianhong on the stage.

He desperately wanted to hear the words "sold."

Yet, Luo Tianhong insisted on keeping everyone in suspense.

"Eighty thousand spirit stones, going twice. This magic treasure has no historical issues; once bought, no enemies will come looking for trouble. I can guarantee this in the name of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect."

"Not only that, the power of this treasure is immense, perfectly suited for Foundation Establishment cultivators."

As he said this, he injected a strand of spiritual power into it.

The flying wheel in his hand spun rapidly, its purple-gold light shining brilliantly.

Dozens of flying wheels, almost identical to the original, flew out.

Hundreds of flying wheels gathered like a sea.

The fierce momentum, which seemed to cut through the void, was truly dazzling.

Those silent Foundation Establishment cultivators now seemed to be stirring again.

"I've been in Foundation Establishment for eighty years and have never had a magic treasure; this is an opportunity. But eighty thousand spirit stones..."

"I already have an offensive magic treasure; what I lack is a defensive one. This treasure is good, but not what I need. Stay calm, stay calm!"

"Don't panic. Although I lack a magic treasure, there are several more magic treasures later in this auction. Let's wait and see!"

"The one in Private Room No. 8 must be Old Man Mi. He has the Broken Mountain Gang collecting resources for him; his wealth far exceeds mine. I cannot compete with him for this treasure."

In the end, no one bid.

Not even a single spirit stone more was offered.

Luo Tianhong smiled helplessly and put away the flying wheels.

"Eighty thousand, going three times!"

"Sold!"

"Congratulations to the fellow Daoist in Private Room No. 8. This low-grade magic treasure is yours from now on. I hope it helps you eliminate demons and defend the Dao on your path of cultivation."

With these words, the atmosphere in the hall became lively again.

And in Private Room No. 8, Mi Shuhua, who had been somewhat annoyed by Luo Tianhong's dragging, finally revealed a smile.

His old face was as radiant as a blooming chrysanthemum!

On the white jade platform, Luo Tianhong handed the Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel to a maid and brought out the next item.

The second item was not as valuable as the magic treasure.

But due to its unique function, it attracted many Qi Refining cultivators to bid.

The atmosphere gradually became lively.

In the private room, Mi Shuhua took the purple-gold flying wheel from the maid, his whole person appearing unable to suppress his excitement.

Think of him, Mi Shuhua, having struggled in Dahe Market for nearly two hundred years, his cultivation base now at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.

Yet he had never possessed a handy magic treasure, having the name of Foundation Establishment but not the power of one.

Wang Haichao of the Great River Gang was merely a latecomer, yet dared to challenge him—wasn't that just bullying him for not having a magic treasure?

Now, he was a genuine middle-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, possessing a magic treasure, and would not fear the late stage of Foundation Establishment!

From now on, who wouldn't give him a bit more face when they saw him?

Seeing him so excited, Mi Junping couldn't help but feel happy for her old father.

From now on, the Mi family was also a Foundation Establishment family with a magic treasure to pass down!

Sikong Shoujia, who was knowledgeable, couldn't help but ask: "Gang Leader, an ordinary low-grade offensive magic treasure only costs fifty or sixty thousand spirit stones, right? Isn't this item overpriced?"

"Overpriced?"

"Haha, that's because they have eyes but fail to recognize a true treasure."

Mi Shuhua laughed loudly and put the magic treasure into his storage bag first.

After returning, he would put it into his dantian and slowly nourish it with his own spiritual power and spiritual sense!

After saying that, he didn't explain much more.

This left Sikong Shoujia, Luo Chen, and the others feeling incredibly curious.

Could it be that this Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel had other wonderful uses, and wasn't just a simple offensive magic treasure?

But if that were the case, why didn't the people from the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect state it clearly to sell it for a higher price?

And how did Mi Shuhua know?

Perhaps sensing everyone's wild guesses, Mi Shuhua pondered for a long time before bringing up another topic.

"There are tricks to bidding at an auction."

"If you are short on wealth, then there's nothing to say; just act according to your ability. If you can't compete, you'll never compete."

"If you are wealthy, you can slowly negotiate with others inch by inch; what's yours will remain yours."

"But if you are in the middle, you must use technique. Either seize the initiative or strike after the others have exhausted themselves. Like what I just did, it belongs to raising the price instantly within one's own ability, revealing confidence in winning while also creating the fact of a premium for others."

"Perhaps there really is a premium, but what kind of occasion is this?"

"An auction!"

"With countless people competing, most items will naturally have a premium. Rather than waiting for others to raise the price step by step, it's better to do it first."

"Of course, this is aimed at resources you must buy. What if it's something you can do without?"

"Just like right now, the magic tools they are bidding on, how do you think you should bid?"

Under Mi Shuhua's guidance, Luo Chen and the others put themselves in the shoes of buyers, pondering how to bid for things.

It must be said that these experiences truly gave them great inspiration.

The transaction prices of the subsequent items were almost exactly as Mi Shuhua had predicted.

One can only say that ginger is still spicier when it's old!

About half an hour later, the first round of the auction ended.

During the intermission, the white jade platform was exceptionally busy.

One by one, the cultivators of the Sword Pavilion placed many items onto the stage, just like setting up a street stall.

Looking at those items, Luo Chen and the others realized instantly.

Unsurprisingly, this was the auction stage for rogue cultivator resources!

The magic tools Wang Yuan had handed over were placed in a corner.

Soon, Luo Tianhong walked to the front of the stage.

The second round of the auction was different from the previous introductions of individual items.

Luo Tianhong mostly glossed over them, stating the item's grade, name, general use, and starting price, and that was about it.

Then came the bidding.

He had no intention of keeping anyone in suspense; as long as the price paused slightly, he would quickly call out the sale.

Sikong Shoujia's second-grade spirit herb was the first to be sold; the buyer was a hidden Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Wang Yuan's magic tools also sold well, with eight or nine out of ten being sold.

Therefore, he had a bountiful harvest, instantly gaining several thousand spirit stones.

On the other hand, the items from Luo Wudi and Mi Junping had very few bidders, and many went unsold.

Regarding this, they were also helpless.

On such an occasion, some resources that usually looked pretty good were simply looked down upon by others.

The reason Wang Yuan sold so many was that he had set his starting prices relatively low.

After the second round, during the intermission, a group of female cultivators performed songs and dances.

The cultivators of the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion even provided many pastries for all the cultivators present.

Regarding this, Luo Chen could only sigh that there was a reason the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect could earn spirit stones.

Even if you didn't buy anything, coming in to broaden your horizons was quite good.

If Luo Chen had known that the auction also required a one-spirit-stone entrance fee, he wouldn't have sighed about the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect's conscience.

"The third round of the auction now begins."

"The first lot is various rare spiritual elixirs provided by Fellow Daoist Mi Shuhua of the Poshan Gang."

"There are three second-grade demon cores, three pieces of refined iron heart, one cub of a third-grade demon beast, the Silver-Maned Horse, which can be tamed... and ten bottles of mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills personally refined by Dan Chenzi, the Hall Master of the Broken Mountain Gang's Pill Hall."

"Everyone, you may begin bidding!"

The third round of the auction consisted of items provided by various local factions.

The Broken Mountain Gang was the largest and oldest rogue cultivator gang in Dahe Market, so naturally, they were placed in the first lot.

Hearing those auction items, there was some commotion in the hall.

Second-grade demon cores were definitely good things, and some Foundation Establishment cultivators directly bought them.

The refined iron heart was also good, and the private room of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion unceremoniously shouted a high price.

That Silver-Maned Horse cub was even more mouth-watering.

If properly nurtured, in a few hundred years, it would be a third-grade demon beast comparable to a Jin Dan!

It must be said that Mi Shuhua, this veteran Foundation Establishment cultivator, indeed had quite a bit of wealth.

Having just shouted eighty thousand and happily won a magic treasure.

Now, he had turned around and brought out a pile of good things, which would likely recoup a lot of his costs.

Compared to others shouting bids, in Private Room No. 8, Luo Chen was completely dumbfounded.

"Pill Hall Master—Dan Chenzi?"

"When did I get such a title?"

"What, you don't like this Daoist title?"

Daoist title!

Facing Mi Shuhua's smiling face, Luo Chen suddenly reacted.

This was not some random underworld nickname like "Tiger Descending the Mountain" or "Heart-Devouring Tiger," but a relatively formal Daoist name.

Usually, only large sects with a heritage or powerful rogue cultivators and evil paths would take such Daoist titles.

The last Daoist title he had heard of was Qing Yuanzi, the author of "Qing Yuan Pill Interpretation."

The other party had also taken the Daoist title Qing Yuanzi because of his accomplishments in the Pill Dao.

Unexpectedly, he now had a Daoist title himself.

Luo Chen couldn't help but say: "It's not that I don't like it, it's just..."

"Curious why I gave you a Daoist title, right?" Mi Shuhua seemed to know the doubt in Luo Chen's heart.

He said leisurely: "Although your existence is not a secret among some local factions in Dahe Market, these factions mostly follow the rules. But the rogue cultivators participating in this auction always have some who don't follow the rules."

"If your name and cultivation base are exposed too early, it will always invite some trouble."

That made sense.

"Moreover, if the Jade Marrow Pills are to sell well, they need the name of a reputable alchemist. Dan Chenzi, I feel, is quite good."

Luo Chen opened his mouth, somewhat speechless.

So it turned out Mi Shuhua was playing the same trick he had played before!

Back then, he had borrowed the name of True Person Yun He of the Hehuan Sect to sell Myriad Wonders Pills.

Now Mi Shuhua had fabricated a high-sounding master alchemist named Dan Chenzi, but the purpose was to sell Jade Marrow Pills.

His gaze fell into the hall, and sure enough, some people were asking about the effects of the Jade Marrow Pills.

Upon learning that the mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills only worked for early and middle-stage cultivators, many lost interest.

However, those few Foundation Establishment families were very interested.

Each of them bought one or two bottles, preparing to take them back to test their effects.

Luo Chen realized that Mi Shuhua had been holding back the Jade Marrow Pills he had refined earlier, not selling them, but instead putting them into the auction.

The goal was not to sell them at a high price, but to build a reputation.

"Sure enough, these Foundation Establishment cultivators are all smart people!"

He had never thought of this before.

It wasn't that he wasn't smart, but that his cultivation base hadn't reached that level, and he couldn't come into contact with higher-level things.

Being able to put pills with such mediocre effects as Jade Marrow Pills into an auction.

Mi Shuhua must have secretly reached some conditions with the cultivators of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect.

Thinking of this, Luo Chen suddenly linked it to the magic treasure incident earlier.

Mi Shuhua being able to know the extra wonderful uses of the Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel in advance might also have been leaked by the Jade Cauldron sword cultivators.

If one thinks deeper?

"Jade Marrow Pills are hard to sell?"

"That's because giants like the Spirit Medicine Pavilion and the Medicine King Sect are watching."

"Then what if the Broken Mountain Gang uses the name of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect?"

"Perhaps the connection isn't that deep, with only one or two Foundation Establishment Jade Cauldron sword cultivators involved, but that's already enough."

"In this way, I'm afraid the profits from the Jade Marrow Pills also include a share for some Jade Cauldron sword cultivator in the hall."

Many thoughts sprouted like bamboo shoots after rain.

Luo Chen's thoughts also became clearer and clearer.

Unknowingly, the pills he refined had already attracted the attention of many Foundation Establishment cultivators!

Thinking of this, he was actually a bit glad that he had joined the Broken Mountain Gang early.

At least, there was relative freedom.

While he was pondering, the third round of the auction had already ended.

The fourth round, the auction stage for sect cultivators, was gradually approaching.

This time, Wang Yuan and the others around him also began to bid one after another.

Luo Chen saw with his own eyes that Wang Yuan spent two thousand spirit stones to buy a pill.

According to Luo Tianhong's introduction, that pill had great benefits for body refining.

"This round is provided by the Myriad Treasures Pavilion."

"I believe there's no need for me, Luo, to introduce the great name of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion!"

"There are ten items in total, two large storage bags, each ten cubic feet in size, with a starting price of ten thousand spirit stones each..."

Large storage bags, ten cubic feet in volume!

Luo Chen's eyes lit up.

But when the transaction price was only twenty thousand spirit stones, he was puzzled.

"In the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, aren't one-cubic-foot storage bags marked at ten thousand spirit stones? Why are large storage bags sold so cheaply?"

Mi Shuhua smiled slightly, "That's just the retail price, and it's aimed at rogue cultivators. For something like a storage bag, how could its true value be that high?"

"Hmm?"

"Storage bags are indeed very valuable, but only for ordinary low-grade rogue cultivators. In fact, for sect cultivators, storage bags are purchased in bulk, and the individual price is no more than one thousand spirit stones."

Looking at the confused Luo Chen, Mi Shuhua explained: "If you get a second-hand storage bag and try to sell it, no one will offer a high price. If you put it in the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, they won't even buy it back."

Luo Chen frowned: "Then why do they mark such high prices?"

"Marking them so high is, of course, to make them unaffordable for low-grade rogue cultivators!"

Luo Chen understood even less; shouldn't a product have a relatively reasonable price?

Mi Shuhua sighed and pointed out: "Low-grade cultivators don't have much wealth, maybe just one or two magic tools and a few talismans, which are easy to carry. The only thing that makes people covet them is the spirit stones they earn. But spirit stones have bulk; if you have more than two hundred, they are very inconvenient to carry."

"And no one will hide spirit stones at home when they go out, waiting for people to come and steal them."

"So in this situation, and unable to afford a storage bag, what will they do?"

Luo Chen hesitated for a moment and replied: "Use spirit stones to buy pills, magic tools, talismans, and other resources to enhance themselves. Or exchange them for mid-grade spirit stones that are easier to carry?"

"Let's not mention the latter, just the former. Who do most rogue cultivators buy those things from? Markets? Black markets? Or sect shops?"

Luo Chen wasn't stupid.

He quickly reacted, after all, Mi Shuhua had pointed it out to this extent.

To avoid having their inconvenient-to-carry spirit stones stolen, low-grade rogue cultivators would definitely think about converting them into their own strength.

And by buying those cultivation resources, the spirit stones would all flow back into the hands of the large sects.

Seeing Luo Chen's sudden realization, Mi Shuhua sighed: "The ten-thousand-spirit-stone price tag is actually very reasonable. Early and middle-stage cultivators can't afford it, but late-stage cultivators have the ability to protect their wealth, and if they save for a long time, they can afford it. As for us Foundation Establishment rogue cultivators, buying this thing isn't too strenuous, and if you have internal channels, it's even cheaper."

Damn, profiteers!

Whether it's the Myriad Treasures Pavilion or the sect that makes the storage bags, they are all proper profiteers!

Luo Chen cursed inwardly.

Then his gaze was attracted by an item hung out by the profiteers.

"Four Symbols Cauldron, top-grade magic tool!"

"This cauldron has wonderful uses; it can be used as an offensive magic tool and also possesses some defensive power. In addition, it can be used to refine pills!"

"This cauldron comes from the hands of Elder Huyan Zhuo, a Jin Dan True Person of Tianfan City. It was originally intended to be refined into a magic treasure, but the engraved formations were incompatible, so the final product is top-grade."

"If any fellow Daoist is interested, you may participate in the bidding."

"Starting price, three thousand spirit stones!"

Following Luo Tianhong's statement of the cauldron's origin, wonderful uses, and grade, some sounds arose in the hall.

But soon, it returned to silence.

This cauldron indeed had many wonderful uses, but to put it bluntly, the Four Symbols Cauldron was a jack-of-all-trades and master of none.

It touched on everything but excelled at nothing.

For Qi Refining cultivators pursuing single-minded power, they didn't like it.

For Foundation Establishment cultivators, only top-grade magic tools and magic treasures would move them.

But in Private Room No. 8, Luo Chen's eyes shone with brilliance.

"This item should belong to me!"

After saying this, he stared eagerly at Mi Shuhua.

"Gang Leader, the Pill Hall still has an empty pill room!"

"If we have this cauldron, I can refine more pills for the gang every month, earn more spirit stones, and let the brothers eat and dress warmly in the cold winter."

"Gang Leader, this cauldron isn't expensive, and there are very few bidders; we can't miss it."

"Opportunity knocks but once..."

Mi Shuhua's face twitched; this damn tone was just too familiar!