Chapter 155: Dragon Palace?

"If you truly have consciousness, then point the way for me. Tell me where a key like this is—blue, like ice but it won't melt, a bit longer than my palm. Once I get out, I'll definitely take you to eat good food and drink fine wine, and let you enjoy a life outside of the shipwreck."

Ruan Xing had just finished speaking when she started laughing at herself.

She really had gone mad, actually trying to coerce and bribe a seed.

She was just about to put the seed away when she suddenly saw the little fish she had marked earlier swim back, and she couldn't help but widen her eyes.

A cyan-blue ring of light rippled across the little fish's body.

"My god, you really do have this ability." Ruan Xing exclaimed, hurriedly following the little fish.

Not long after, she arrived at an underwater canyon. The reef rocks on both sides were separated by a thin slit, with large patches of water grass swaying within. The little fish darted inside and vanished from sight.

Ruan Xing did not hesitate; she followed closely, pushed aside the water grass, and swam in.

Her figure was petite, so the reef walls did not trap her. After passing through the reef and pushing aside the water grass to continue downward, the gap grew wider and wider.

The canyon actually contained a world of its own.

Large patches of coral and stone moss arched up to form a palace made of glazed material. Several lantern fish swam around it, casting a shimmering, eerie glow upon the Glazed Palace, making it look iridescent and truly beautiful.

She had already seen the key; it was hanging on a dragon pillar at the palace entrance, seemingly serving as a decoration.

However, what troubled her was that there was more than one Golden Core Stage aura inside this palace.

She hurriedly withdrew her Divine Sense, not daring to scan around anymore.

"Could it be a dragon... liking this kind of shiny palace." Ruan Xing muttered, "I haven't heard of dragons in this world, but a creature like a dragon shouldn't be at the Golden Core Stage; that would be too low-class."

After thinking it over, Ruan Xing let Sword come and turn invisible to go take the key off the dragon pillar.

Her luck was good; she did not alert any of the creatures inside.

After Sword came back, Ruan Xing took the key and inspected it; the familiar space-time Magic Art on it told her she hadn't found the wrong one.

Ruan Xing was somewhat happy, "Really nice, I finished the task in one day. I thought I would have to stay in this Secret Realm for several days."

Since the task item was in hand, there was no need for Ruan Xing to stay. She tapped lightly to end the Simulation.

Inside an ordinary quiet room in Fengtian City.

Ruan Xing slowly opened her eyes.

She stretched and moved her body. Although her body had only sat here for a few seconds in reality, the mental fatigue from several days brought out from the Simulation was unavoidable.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have needed to rest for that month before.

Lazily leaning on the meditation cushion, Ruan Xing opened the Text Simulation and chose to evolve it according to the route she had just taken.

No matter how many points it cost or how many times she had to simulate, she had to get the key from the Simulation, because she was determined not to return to the Xuanbing Sect.

For no other reason than that there were too many Spirit Severing experts in the Xuanbing Sect. If she went back and didn't cause trouble, that would be one thing, but once she caused trouble, those Spirit Severing big shots would definitely not let her go.

Someone like Qingyuan Daojun was someone Ruan Xing had no way to contend with right now.

Fortunately, the current Qingyuan Daojun had not yet reached the point of chasing her to the ends of the earth and never giving up. As long as she didn't appear in front of him, he likely wouldn't think of her for a while.

The first Text Simulation ended quickly. Ruan Xing chose a random item, and a cyan, round object appeared in her hand.

Hm??

How did she bring this seed out?

Ruan Xing was quite wary of this seed because she hadn't found any soul or intelligence within it, nor could she effectively communicate or interact with it, yet this seed did indeed have autonomous consciousness.

Even though it had helped her find the key.

Ruan Xing helplessly began the second Text Simulation. However, surprisingly, after this simulation ended, another cyan seed appeared in her hand.

The skins of the two seeds touched and gradually softened, merging together like a non-Newtonian fluid.

But the size remained unchanged.

She simulated nine times in a row, and it was always this seed.

Ruan Xing felt a bit numb. If this seed were truly this miraculous, then its self-preservation instinct was far too diligent.

It wasn't until the tenth time that she obtained the key. Ruan Xing finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The nine seeds had merged into one, but the size hadn't changed, and it was still impossible to communicate. No matter what Ruan Xing said, the seed didn't react, as if the little fish outside the shipwreck had just been a coincidence.

She had no choice but to toss the seed into her Storage Bag. Cai Jiao's eyes lit up inside, as if she had seen some fun toy. She took the seed and placed it together with the Soul Nourishing Wood in her arms, unable to put it down.

Ruan Xing's heart stirred, and she said to Cai Jiao, "A Jiao, I'll give you a task. Keep this seed safe. If it undergoes any changes or unusual movements, tell me in our mental link immediately."

"Okay... Sister..."

Cai Jiao nodded solemnly.

Ruan Xing wasn't worried about the child accidentally eating it, because A Jiao had no mouth.

Hopefully, this seed that cost her nine thousand points would have some use in the future.

Ruan Xing stayed in Fengtian City for a few more days and went on a shopping spree for materials that might be useful in the future.

She now had forty thousand points and over eighty thousand Spirit Stones, so she didn't need to worry about not having enough to spend.

Seeing her spend so generously, the Maid at Wanbao Tower thoughtfully provided her with a piece of news: at the end of the month, Wanbao Tower would hold a small auction, and some rare items would appear then.

Ruan Xing was a bit tempted. She knew that Wanbao Tower held auctions from time to time.

But she had never had the chance or had missed them each time. This time, Ruan Xing wanted to go and see for herself.

Tossing a Spirit Stone to the Maid as a tip, Ruan Xing asked, "Then how does one participate in this auction of yours?"

The smile on the Maid's face became even more enthusiastic as she said softly, "If you are a VIP of Wanbao Tower, you only need to show your proof of identity to receive an admission pass for this auction. Those who have previously cooperated with or been employed by Wanbao Tower as a Tier 3 or higher Alchemist or Artifact Refiner can also receive one. If you are neither, you can also obtain an admission pass by spending one hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones."

These one hundred Spirit Stones were basically equivalent to a capital verification.

Ruan Xing had once signed a Contract with Wanbao Tower to sell Pills and talismans, but in reality, she hadn't sold any Pills above Tier 3; she had only done so in the Simulations.

After hesitating for a moment, Ruan Xing said, "Is it still in time to cooperate now?" The Maid was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered her smile and said, "Of course. Are you an Alchemist or...?"

Ruan Xing didn't want to be too flashy, so she took out a few bottles of Tier 3 Qingshui Pill and one Tier 3 Earth Escape Talisman. The two combined were worth about five hundred Spirit Stones. After simply going through the Contract process with the Maid, Ruan Xing received an auction admission pass for free, along with four hundred and twenty Spirit Stones for the purchase of the Pills and talismans.

It seemed like this auction admission pass was worth eighty Spirit Stones, but that wasn't actually the case. Ruan Xing rarely went to set up a stall to sell Pills herself as it took too much time; she always sold them to shops in one go, and the shop's purchase price was definitely not as high as selling them individually.

The auction was scheduled for the afternoon of the 28th. With three days left, Ruan Xing wandered around Fengtian City with nothing to do.

Occasionally seeing shops and stalls set up by mortals, Ruan Xing remembered Cai Jiao, who treated the Soul Nourishing Wood and seeds as toys in her Storage Bag, so she bought her a few trinkets for children to play with.

Cai Jiao had gained intelligence, and staying alone in the dark, silent Storage Bag must be very boring, but she was very obedient; when told not to move around, she truly did not move around, making Ruan Xing feel a bit of pity for her.

However, Ruan Xing dared not let Cai Jiao out for some fresh air, because unlike Sword, she did not have the ability to conceal herself or the strength to counter-kill; the material of her Puppet essence was very ordinary, and she herself had no special abilities, the only thing she might know being weeding and watering; if she were let out, she would likely be discovered as an anomaly by other Cultivators in the city immediately.

After all, this was Fengtian City in the Central Province, not some small border town.

There were still quite a few powerful Cultivators.

Three days passed quickly.

Ruan Xing changed her appearance and height, put on a veil, and only then presented her credentials to walk into Wanbao Tower.

The ushering attendant led her to the top floor of Wanbao Tower, where some Cultivators were already sitting sparsely, and some Cultivators who had come together were chatting.

The private rooms in a circle along the edge were suspended in the air, and even the windows were made of opaque material; presumably, those were the seats for VIPs.

To become a VIP of Wanbao Tower, one could not do so without spending several hundred thousand Spirit Stones; Ruan Xing could not see who was sitting inside, but that did not prevent her from having an inexplicable possessiveness toward others' Spirit Stones.

The seats on the floor below were not so particular; there were two chairs beside each table, and a semi-circular low screen placed behind, just enough to give each Cultivator a little sense of space without blocking the view of the people behind.

The position the attendant led Ruan Xing to was quite good; she was arranged in the first three rows, though it was unclear if it was random or if there was some special reason.

The auction was about to begin, and the hall was almost full; Ruan Xing unobtrusively sized up the others, but most of these people could not be identified by their origins, and it was uncertain whether they were disciples of other Sects or Loose Cultivators; a few even carried Dharma Artifacts that obscured their cultivation, making it impossible for others to see their true realm.

Only a few familiar faces, whom Ruan Xing guessed to be disciples of the Xuanbing Sect, had been seen by her in a certain Simulation.

Suddenly, a young man in white, under the guidance of an attendant, walked to the other end of Ruan Xing's table and sat down.

A table had at least two seats; Ruan Xing had no opinion on the organizer's seating arrangement, but she quietly looked at the young man beside her.

The man noticed her gaze, smiled at her slightly, and took the initiative to strike up a conversation: "Fellow Daoist, would you like some tea? My treat."

He beckoned to the attendant who had not yet walked far and ordered a pot of Spirit Tea.

The Spirit Tea in this Wanbao Tower was not cheap.

Ruan Xing nodded slightly, "Fellow Daoist is too generous."

"Fairy's voice is like jade, I was worried this tea would not be worthy of Fairy's palate," the man smiled, and after the attendant served the tea, he personally poured two cups and pushed one to Ruan Xing, "Please."

Ruan Xing was not worried about any problems with the tea provided by Wanbao Tower, but she was wearing a veil, which made it truly inconvenient, so she only took a light sip.

The man did not mind, but instead dropped the topic and turned his gaze toward the stage.

Two beautiful female Cultivators wearing intricate long dresses spoke, their voices as clear as orioles, amplified by Magic Art to reach the entire venue.

After briefly introducing the rules of the auction, they announced the start and brought out the first auction item.

"One Huiyang Pill, starting bid 100 Low-grade Spirit Stones, each increment must not be less than 5 Spirit Stones."

Things like the Huiyang Pill could not cure illnesses or save lives; they only gave people a chance to perish together in a desperate situation, and some people used them in the hope of using their own lives to protect others.

Before Meng Hui died, it was by using this kind of Pill that she was able to wake up after the lightning tribulation failed to entrust her final affairs.

The formula for the Huiyang Pill was not precious in the Xuanbing Sect, and she had also learned it, but the materials were expensive and rare, so the price of the Huiyang Pill, as a Three-grade Pill, had always remained high.

Soon, a Huiyang Pill was bid up to the high price of two hundred Spirit Stones, and was finally taken by a somewhat burly Cultivator in the back for the price of 210 Spirit Stones.

Immediately following was the second auction item, which was the heart of a Monster Beast, a main material for refining a certain type of Pill.

There was a Wooden Tablet for bidding on the table, but Ruan Xing had little interest, and several items in a row were not what she wanted.

The man beside her had also not made a bid, just watching the stage with interest, as if he were treating them as a performance.

The auction did not provide an auction list, so Ruan Xing did not know exactly what would be in this session, only that there were about twenty-some auction items.

What she wanted most was a Storage Ring, or the formulas for the Infant Transformation Pill and the Longevity Pill; both of these were Five-grade Pills, and her rank was already sufficient to refine them, but she was troubled by the lack of formulas; given the scarcity and high price of the Longevity Pill, if she could obtain the formula, the Spirit Stones she would earn would likely be more than enough until she reached the Return to Ruins Stage!

The auction reached the second half, and the competition became increasingly fierce, entering a white-hot stage.

This auction item was a High-grade Magical Tool, with a starting bid of seven thousand, but it was bid up to nineteen thousand!

It made Ruan Xing feel secretly shocked.

She knew that many Cultivators could only use High-grade Magical Tools even after reaching the Nascent Soul Stage, and things like Spirit Tools were rare and hard to come by, but she had not expected High-grade Magical Tools to be so expensive! And in her view, this tool had nothing particularly attractive about it other than being a bit more powerful.

For a small-scale Sect like the Nanzhou Xuanbing Sect, the annual operating expenses were only a little over ten thousand.

A tool that an entire Sect could not afford to buy was being competed for by so many people in this territory of the Central Province.

The man beside her took a sip of tea and said casually: "Does Fairy not want anything?"

"I do, but I don't know if there will be any today," Ruan Xing sighed.

"Then why doesn't Fairy tell me?"

Ruan Xing had changed her appearance and was wearing a veil, so she had nothing to worry about and casually stated her needs.

The man said with some regret: "What a pity, nothing to satisfy Fairy was prepared for today."

"Hmm?" Ruan Xing was surprised.

How did he know what was in this auction? "I am not talented, but I am the person in charge of this auction," the man said with some regret, "If there is a chance next time, Fairy can come to the auction I organize, and I will certainly not let Fairy return empty-handed."

"So, does Wanbao Tower really have these things?" Ruan Xing was surprised; she could understand having a Storage Ring, but the formulas for the Infant Transformation Pill and the Longevity Pill—once put out for sale, would that not be handing over one's own wealth path to others? And would other Sects be happy about it? Things like the Breaking Boundary Pill were already controlled, so wouldn't the Infant Transformation Pill be even stricter? "Then how about we make a deal, and you sell them to me privately?"

That way, it would not be obstructed by other Sects or anyone else.

The man said apologetically: "The latter two are naturally not available, but as for the Storage Ring, there is still hope."

Thanks to Youran Rensheng for the monthly ticket~(End of this chapter)