Innate Immortal Seed

"Even if someone else took a liking to it, they’d have to have deeper pockets than Junior Brother Bai... Apart from cultivators with powerful backing, few would spend that many Spirit Stones on a Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact. Most people would rather save up for a Tier Three Spirit Pill to gamble on a chance at Breaking Realm."

Jin Lu said, a hint of envy souring his tone.

"Besides, the third round of the auction is about to start, and the wealthiest bidders are all waiting for the final Treasures."

The Seven-Quartet Profound Bead was delivered to their private room. Bai Zichen handed over the prepared Spirit Stones and cradled the Treasure Bead in his palm.

He hadn’t even begun to refine it, yet just holding it in his hand, he could feel a damp, watery aura. The roar of surging waves crashing against a shore thundered in his ears.

"As expected of a Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact crafted from Tier Three Spiritual Materials. And the Refiner didn’t destroy the Treasure Bead’s innate profundity, leaving plenty of room for upgrades... No wonder it can be elevated to a new level just by gathering seven streams of Gang Sha."

Jin Lu clicked his tongue in wonder. He had a discerning eye and immediately spotted how the Seven-Quartet Profound Bead differed from other Top-Grade Spiritual Artifacts.

It was the first time Bai Zichen had ever seen a Spiritual Artifact that, without being activated, could affect one’s senses and Divine Sense so profoundly just by releasing its external phenomena.

The Sacrificial Refining Secret Technique was recorded on the adjacent Jade Scroll. He picked it up, gave it a quick scan, and a look of satisfaction spread across his face.

He hadn’t officially begun the Refinement, but based solely on its external manifestations and the upgrading Secret Technique recorded on the Jade Scroll, he already felt the Spirit Stones had been well spent.

The third round of the auction began, marking the true climax of the event.

"Three drops of Clear Spirit Jade Marrow, a Core Formation Spiritual Object... I trust I need not elaborate on its effects; you are all well aware of what it can do."

For the first time, a change flickered across Du the Twelfth Son’s expression. Two Ladies-in-Waiting presented a Jade Plate, upon which three drops of Spiritual Liquid rolled like pearls.

Due to the Sound Insulation Array, Bai Zichen couldn’t hear any conversations from the adjacent private rooms.

But he was certain the cultivators in the second-floor rooms, not to mention the major figures on the third floor, were now paying close attention.

’Is this something the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect asked Zengguang Immortal City to auction on their behalf?’

Bai Zichen knew that some factions would consign their Treasures to the Immortal City’s auction, hoping to fetch an ideal price.

But that shouldn’t include the Clear Spirit Jade Marrow. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"That can’t be right. Core Formation Spiritual Objects have appeared at auctions before, but never Clear Spirit Jade Marrow... The Ten Thousand Beasts Sect never resells its Clear Spirit Jade Marrow. There’s no shortage of buyers for a Core Formation Spiritual Object, so there’s absolutely no need to put it up for auction. Doing this only enhances the auction house’s fame and offers no benefit to their own Sect."

Jin Lu was equally perplexed. According to his sources, he had never heard of any close ties between Zengguang Immortal City and the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.

"Perhaps this involves a transaction between higher-ups... It’s not for the likes of us to speculate."

Bai Zichen frowned, considering the implications and whether this shift in the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect’s methods would affect the Qingfeng Sect.

"The three drops of Clear Spirit Jade Marrow will be sold as a single lot. The starting bid is sixty thousand Spirit Stones, and each increment must be no less than five thousand Spirit Stones."

Du the Twelfth Son’s voice rang throughout the hall. A clear chime sounded, and the bidding began.

’So the starting price is actually the same as the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect’s official price. A rather conspicuous attempt to conceal something...’

Bai Zichen had accompanied Ancestor Yang on a trip to the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, so he knew full well that any cultivator who managed to obtain Clear Spirit Jade Marrow from them paid a price far exceeding the official one Top-Grade Spirit Stone.

"Seventy thousand Spirit Stones!"

An androgynous voice called out from the neighboring private room, clearly having been deliberately disguised.

"Eighty thousand!"

"One hundred thousand Spirit Stones!"

...

"Three hundred thousand Spirit Stones!"

Bid after bid rang out from the second-floor private rooms, and the price quickly soared to three hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

The fervent bidding atmosphere paused for a moment. While many Core Formation Level Sects could produce three hundred thousand Spirit Stones, such a sudden expenditure would severely impact their regular operations.

Unless it was a desperate, all-or-nothing moment, a normal faction would be hard-pressed to pay such a crippling price just to obtain a Core Formation Spiritual Object and increase their chances of Core Formation by a mere ten percent.

"Three hundred thirty thousand Spirit Stones."

The first bid finally came from a third-floor private room, spoken in a hoarse, deep female voice.

After a sharp back-and-forth between the Core Formation True Men, the three drops of Clear Spirit Jade Marrow were finally claimed by a youthful voice from the third floor for the astronomical price of three hundred ninety thousand Spirit Stones.

Bai Zichen felt his own blood stir with excitement as he watched. Such was the allure of an open auction.

Even old geezers who had lived for centuries couldn’t resist a moment of competitive pride.

This price also made Bai Zichen realize just how much "face" Ancestor Yang commanded, to have purchased three drops of Clear Spirit Jade Marrow from the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect for a mere three Top-Grade Spirit Stones back then.

After the Clear Spirit Jade Marrow, the lots were, in order: a Curved Saber Mid-Grade Treasure, a Six Desires Rebirth Pill that could extend one’s lifespan by sixty years, and a Tier Three Demon Beast Inner Core.

Each new item put up for auction sparked a commotion in the grand hall.

With the exception of the Tier Three Demon Beast Inner Core, all the other items were won by bidders in the third-floor private rooms, which were reserved for Core Formation True Men.

’I suppose some faction must be in deep crisis, desperately needing a Fake Pill Cultivator to keep up appearances, so they sold off their assets for this Tier Three Demon Beast Inner Core...’

Having accomplished at least half his objective for the trip, Bai Zichen watched the final round of bidding with a relaxed heart.

’Since they’re in a second-floor room, they must be like us, with only Foundation Establishment Cultivators in attendance.’

’To spend so heavily on a Tier Three Demon Beast Inner Core... their intentions are easy to guess.’

The final auction item was a pair of bamboo counting rods. The images carved upon them were such that anyone who stared at them would feel their mind waver and their emotions stir with unease.

According to the display on the Water Mirror, the bamboo rods were related to a Secret Realm in the Outer Sea and were suspected to be the key to opening it.

Despite the connection to a Secret Realm, the vague description meant the bamboo rods received very little attention.

Only on the third floor did two Core Formation True Men begin bidding against each other, continuously driving up the price.

In the end, one of them acquired the two rods for two hundred and thirty thousand Spirit Stones.

"Junior Brother Bai, let’s rest for two days. See if there’s anything else you need to buy in the city, and then we’ll head back to the Sect."

Jin Lu chuckled, patting his belly. On this trip to the Immortal City, he had spent every last one of the Spirit Stones advanced to him by the Sect.

But he had acquired three stalks of Thousand-Year-Old Golden Crown Lingzhi. Once he returned and explained the reasoning, and with Gu Xisheng speaking on his behalf, it was sure to be viewed as a great accomplishment.

As for spending over ten thousand more Spirit Stones than planned—if you have no connections in the upper echelons, it’s considered reckless spending and a waste of public funds.

But if you do have connections, it can be explained away as on-the-spot improvisation and daring to take initiative.

"That works," Bai Zichen replied. "I was actually hoping to look around and see if there are any Top-Grade Storage Bags for sale in the city..."

As a hub where all manner of factions converged, Zengguang Immortal City surely held secrets far beyond the reach of the Qingfeng Sect.

It’s just that Bai Zichen was a newcomer with no connections, so he had no way to seek out ancient texts with records of Spirit Bodies.

Otherwise, he would have loved to investigate and see if the mysterious Spirit Body he possessed had ever been formally documented in the history of the Cultivation Realm.

As they were talking, the two were about to exit the auction house when a group of cultivators approached them head-on, making it impossible to avoid them.

The entire group wore black robes, each emblazoned with a sinister skull on the chest, its eyes flickering with two points of spectral fire.

"Disciples of the Ghost Spirit Sect!"

Bai Zichen and Jin Lu exchanged a glance, their hearts sinking. The Ghost Spirit Sect had actually attended the Immortal City’s auction as well, and they had run right into them on their way out.

One of the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators spotted them as well. He whispered a few words to the ancient crone leading the group, and her venomous, snake-like gaze shot toward them.

"Well, well, if it isn’t two little brats from the Qingfeng Sect. What a coincidence..."

Granny Ghost sneered, her eyes sliding back and forth between the two of them. It felt like a venomous snake slithering over their skin, raising a nauseating chill.

"Let’s go!"

Jin Lu grabbed Bai Zichen’s arm and quickened his pace, hurrying out of the auction house.

They deliberately dove into the densest parts of the crowd and vanished after a few quick turns.

"Granny, shall we follow them to see when those two from the Qingfeng Sect leave the Immortal City, then track them down for an ambush?"

A Foundation Establishment Cultivator whose face was devoid of flesh, with only a layer of skin stretched taut over his skull, stepped forward and asked in a sycophantic tone.

"Scaring them is fine, but forget about killing them. We came here openly under the Ghost Spirit Sect’s name. If anything happens to those two Qingfeng Sect brats, the Du Family will easily trace it back to us. The Tribulation Cultivators who operate around the Immortal City are all lone wolves, or that lawless bunch from the Outer Sea. They pull a job and vanish immediately. Who else would dare to pull the whiskers of the Du Family’s tiger?"

"If we break the Immortal City’s rules, I have no desire to get a taste of True Monarch Du’s Profound Nether Heavy Water. And if we wait for them to leave the Immortal City’s jurisdiction, they’ll immediately be in the Righteous Alliance’s territory. Running into that bunch of meddlesome old Daoists would be just as troublesome."

"Forget it. They’re just two Foundation Establishment juniors... Once Senior Brother White Bone forges a connection with Blood God True Man, we’ll see how long that Ge Cang can keep acting so arrogantly!"