Chapter 543: The Auction

Looking at the very imposing storefront of the "Jade Study Pavilion," Zhang Nuo felt a secret shock in his heart; to be able to open a trading house to such a degree, he believed the owner of the trading house was certainly no ordinary person!

After stepping into the trading house, Zhang Nuo discovered that there were many cultivators here, and their cultivation levels were almost none lower than the Spirit Severing Stage! Right at the entrance of the "Jade Study Pavilion" trading house, there stood a sign about a zhang high, covered densely with many characters! Chen Shuang'er ran over first, scanned it with her Divine Sense, and then returned!

"Senior, the 'Jade Study Pavilion' is about to start an auction; shall we go over and take a look?"

Upon hearing the word auction, Zhang Nuo felt a surge of joy. His purpose in entering the Holy City this time was, first, to broaden his horizons, and second, to find a few Magic Treasures in the city!

"Very well! You lead the way!"

Along the way, Zhang Nuo learned that auctions in the "Jade Study Pavilion" were held almost every day, and depending on the time slot, the items offered for auction were also categorized by grade. The auction they were going to now was a relatively high-end grand auction! The entry fee alone was as high as two hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones!

After turning a few corners inside the "Jade Study Pavilion," Zhang Nuo was led by Chen Shuang'er to a massive building; this building looked like a hemisphere pressed onto the ground! When they walked inside, he saw that the space within appeared even larger than its exterior. Lowering his head to ponder for a moment, a flash of light crossed Zhang Nuo's eyes!

It turned out that the building itself utilized some kind of spatial supernatural power; it actually contained a world within! At this moment, Chen Shuang'er looked around and said to him:

"Senior, shall we go sit in the main hall, or spend Spirit Stones to rent a private room?"

"I want a private room!"

With almost no hesitation, Zhang Nuo gave his answer directly. He took out Spirit Stones for Chen Shuang'er to go rent the room. It didn't take long for Chen Shuang'er to return, though her expression was somewhat bitter!

"Senior, the private rooms here are very expensive; I only rented a small one and it cost five hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones!"

"Size is not an issue! Let's go!"

Zhang Nuo didn't show even a hint of heartache, which made Chen Shuang'er feel very surprised. An average Spirit Severing Stage cultivator, even if they had many Spirit Stones on them, would definitely not reach this level; it was practically the same as throwing Spirit Stones away like dirt! It seemed she had found a cultivator with considerable wealth this time!

Very quickly, Zhang Nuo and Chen Shuang'er arrived at the door of a small private room on the second floor. After the two entered and closed the door, all sounds from the outside were instantly completely inaudible!

Releasing his Divine Sense to sense the area, Zhang Nuo discovered that the interior of this private room was protected by an extremely powerful Restriction, meaning that no matter what one did inside the room, those outside would know nothing at all!

On the front wall of the private room, there was a small Dharma Array, upon which the scene inside the auction hall was displayed!

"Senior, if you take a fancy to anything in a moment, you can just call out your bid directly toward the Dharma Array!"

Chen Shuang'er kept explaining from the side, and Zhang Nuo nodded slightly while listening carefully. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, feeling something was amiss! When he hired this young girl, she clearly said it was her first time acting as a guide; why was she so familiar with everything in the trading house?

If one said the girl was familiar with the Holy City, that could be explained—after all, if she had lived there all along, she would naturally know the city's buildings and facilities like the back of her hand. But these things inside the "Jade Study Pavilion" were not something a small Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator should be so clear about!

However, Chen Shuang'er had shown him no malice over the past day or so, so Zhang Nuo did not overthink it! After staying in the private room for nearly half an hour, an old man suddenly appeared in the scene displayed by the Dharma Array!

This person wore a grey robe, was short in stature, and looked to be about sixty years old! Yet his cultivation had reached the Integration Late Stage!

"Everyone! The third auction of this 'Jade Study Pavilion' is about to begin! I believe you all know that this session is filled entirely with top-tier items! So, please have your Spirit Stones ready, fellow Daoists!"

As soon as the old man spoke, hundreds of cultivators in the public seats below shouted in unison. Most of these people were Spirit Severing Stage cultivators, and for the most part, they were just here to broaden their horizons and had no intention of buying anything. Even if they wanted to buy, the items in this third auction were likely not things they could afford!

"Senior, this person is named Xiao Sheng, the chief auctioneer of the 'Jade Study Pavilion'! It seems today's items must be extremely precious!"

Chen Shuang'er sat by Zhang Nuo's side, explaining incessantly! Zhang Nuo only nodded slightly, his gaze never leaving the image on the Dharma Array!

"Senior Xiao, what good things do you have this time! Hurry up and bring them out!"

A Spirit Severing Stage cultivator in the public seats, who seemed to be a regular and very familiar with the old man, shouted loudly.

"Hehe! You kid, you come to watch others bid every time; when will you buy one or two things yourself?"

Glancing at that person, Xiao Sheng said with a hint of teasing. The cultivator's face turned red instantly, and he lowered his head, saying no more. Who knows about the weather, but shouldn't he know how many Spirit Stones he had in his own pocket? Given that cultivator's financial status, he likely couldn't afford a single item here!

After a burst of laughter from the crowd, Xiao Sheng bowed to the surroundings with both hands! This time, he was bowing to the surrounding private rooms; after all, cultivators who could afford to rent private rooms in the "Jade Study Pavilion" were either accomplished in cultivation or children of some great family, so these were his true patrons!

"Fellow Daoists and Seniors! For today's auction, I, Xiao, have brought you many good things! I will bring them out one by one! Please take a look!"

As he spoke, Xiao Sheng flipped his hand, and an exquisite small Jade Box appeared in his palm. The Jade Box was only the size of a palm, its surface sealed by a Talisman, and the emerald green box body shimmered with a faint spiritual glow!

Reaching out to remove the seal on the Jade Box, the box opened automatically. Everyone watched the contents of the box with eager eyes; it was a cyan-colored Pill the size of a fingertip!

As soon as this Pill appeared, a burst of medicinal fragrance wafted through the auction hall below. Zhang Nuo focused his gaze, staring fixedly at the Pill, his expression becoming solemn. After a moment of thought, he couldn't help but be shocked! On the surface of the cyan Pill, one could faintly see a dragon shape formed by Spiritual Qi!

"This is the 'Green Dragon One Qi Pill!' Legend has it that it can only be refined using the bloodline of a True Spirit Azure Dragon! I didn't expect such a treasure to be brought out right at the start!"

Zhang Nuo muttered to himself in surprise. Having been in the Immortal World for quite some time, he recognized many high-grade Pills! Chen Shuang'er also glanced at the Pill, her beautiful eyes shifting as she said:

"It seems Senior is very knowledgeable! This Pill has a vital function for cultivators at the Integration Late Stage attempting to break through to the Refining Void Stage, especially for those trapped at the late-stage bottleneck for many years; they can use the bloodline power of the True Spirit divine beast to break through the bottleneck!"

Chen Shuang'er's insight also far exceeded Zhang Nuo's expectations. At this moment, he was even more puzzled: with this girl's cultivation, how could she possibly know so much?

At this time, Xiao Sheng's voice rang out in the hall. Similarly, it was mainly focused on introducing the Pill, but high-level auctions in the Immortal World were different from those in the Human Realm; there were no overly flowery words, focusing mainly on the physical items! As long as the item was good, there was no need for the auctioneer to say much!

Very quickly, a voice came from a private room on the second floor:

"No need to say more, I bid ten million Low-grade Spirit Stones!"

Swish! The hall suddenly went silent! Before Xiao Sheng could even state the starting price, someone had already bid!

"Haha! It seems this fellow Daoist is in a hurry! Very well! Then let this fellow Daoist's ten million Low-grade Spirit Stones be the starting price!"

Originally, the starting price for this Pill was only six million, but with this unexpected turn of events, Xiao Sheng raised the price on the spot, directly making the starting price of the "Green Dragon One Qi Pill" ten million Low-grade Spirit Stones!

The conversion of Spirit Stones in the Immortal World was the same as in the Human Realm, both based on a decimal system; this meant that ten million Low-grade Spirit Stones were equivalent to one hundred thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones!

"Twelve million Low-grade Spirit Stones!"

Another voice came from a private room on the fifth floor, sounding as if they were determined to win! The private room on the second floor that had spoken earlier suddenly went silent!

But after a moment, a voice sounded from inside again!

"Fifteen million!"

"Sixteen million!"

With almost no interval, the private room on the fifth floor followed up with a bid immediately! Zhang Nuo, also in a second-floor private room, kept thinking that the cultivator determined to buy the "Green Dragon One Qi Pill" was likely in urgent need of it to break through a bottleneck!

Sighing slightly, Zhang Nuo had no use for this Pill at the moment, so he would not join the bidding war! In the time it took for his thoughts to turn, the price of the Pill had already soared to twenty million!

Even Zhang Nuo felt surprised by this figure; although the miraculous effects of this Pill were extraordinary, it had exceeded its normal value!

At this moment, the air between the second-floor private room and the fifth-floor private room was filled with the smell of gunpowder! Even Xiao Sheng couldn't help but keep his gaze wandering between the two rooms!

Finally, when the price of the Pill settled at twenty-eight million, the second-floor private room suddenly went silent!

"Since no one else is bidding, this 'Green Dragon One Qi Pill' is sold for twenty-eight million!"

With Xiao Sheng's words, the Pill was sold. Subsequently, a young cultivator walked up, took the Pill from Xiao Sheng's hand, turned, and delivered it to a private room on the fifth floor!

"This first auction item has made for a good start, so I think many fellow Daoists will also want the second item!"

Gesturing toward the floor below, a Spirit Severing Stage cultivator wearing the distinct clothing of the "Jade Study Pavilion" trading house walked up to Xiao Sheng, carrying a rectangular wooden box in both hands!

The wooden box looked ordinary, as if made of mahogany, but a cultivator's Divine Sense was completely unable to penetrate it! Zhang Nuo sat in the private room, his brows knitting slightly; he was also very expectant, wondering what kind of treasure this might be?