Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

The room was filled with a mix of aromas.

Scents of incense and sweat mingled with other indescribable odors like spices mixed into clear seawater, fragrant yet with a hint of fishiness and saltiness.

Zhang Shuniang did not sleep well, curled up tightly, with a deep sleep’s flush and greasiness still lingering on her small face, strands of hair sticking randomly to her face in a disheveled fashion as if she had weathered some great ordeal the previous night.

Chen Li rose quietly from the bed without disturbing her, dressed in his robes, straightened his collar, and then used a Cleaning Skill on himself before walking out of the bedroom.

...

Time always flew in busy times, and Chen Li felt as though it had been just moments ago that it was the height of summer, the sun scorching, but now autumn was creeping in. Although the vegetation in the city remained evergreen and lush, the air had taken on a hint of coolness.

It had been a while since he last went out.

Red Pillar City seemed busier than ever.

People bustled about on the streets, a constant flow of activity.

Different accents overlapped in loud clamours.

Considering that the medicinal herbs for his medicinal baths at home were running low, and there was still time before the auction began, Chen Li made his way to the herb shop he had always frequented.

It was then he learned that the prices of the herbs had risen again.

A few months ago, the medicinal bath that was going for 21 mid-grade Spirit Stones each now cost over 27.

Compared to a year ago, the price had risen more than double.

"Sigh, the frontier is now plagued by demon beasts and has become more and more chaotic, many sources of goods have been cut off," the shopkeeper of the herb shop sighed, "More than one sect has been destroyed, many people have died, and with the current situation, I estimate it won’t stabilize for a year or two."

"I did hear about the Returning True Sect, but were there other sects that faced destruction too?" Chen Li inquired.

No wonder there were quite a few more people in Red Pillar City.

"Do you know about the Three Mountains Sect?"

"I’ve seen it on the map."

The Three Mountains Sect was also located on the frontier, with the Artefact Sect lying between them and the Returning True Sect.

Sadly, it seems that disaster had befallen that region.

Chen Li sighed inwardly, feeling helpless.

Fortunately, the Immortal Muscles Jade Bones Skill was also nearing max level, at most another half a year’s effort.

Seeing as the price of the medicinal herbs wouldn’t drop anytime soon, he thought it best to buy them all in one go.

Chen Li estimated based on the progress of his Immortal Muscles Jade Bones Skill and quoted a conservative number, "Give me eighty sets, please. I’ve been a regular here for a long time, you’ve got to give me a discount."

...

After some haggling, Chen Li ended up paying 21 top-grade Spirit Stones.

Walking away from the herb shop, he still felt a twinge of pain.

For his Immortal Muscles Jade Bones Skill, the top-grade Spirit Stones he had spent over the past six years were far more than a hundred, his annual expenses even higher than that of pills.

"Having spent so many Spirit Stones, I just hope that when the Immortal Muscles Jade Bones Skill reaches max level, it won’t disappoint me."

He clenched his fist, feeling the immense power of his body, and looked forward with silent anticipation,

"It’d be great if it could grant me a Divine Skill..."

He already had one Divine Skill.

It was granted upon reaching max level with the Longevity Skill.

Named "Impervious to All Diseases."

But this Divine Skill was subtle, seeming only to extend his lifespan, sometimes even he would subconsciously overlook it.

Since arriving in this world, he had never fallen ill or been poisoned, and after training in swordsmanship, his body became even more strong and vigorous. As for after his Foundation Establishment, there was even less to say; it was such that he rarely had the opportunity to experience the full power of the Divine Skill.

Feeling that the time was about right,

Chen Li changed his visage, and for safety’s sake, also used a Fortune Seeking and Disaster Avoiding Skill before rushing to the auction.

...

"The top-grade Spirit Stone, also commonly called Spirit Crystal, is the essence of the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth. It is free from mineral poison and any impurities and can be used for direct absorption in cultivation, its effect comparable to being in a Second Order spiritual land. One should know that even the Fire Cloud Sect’s mountain gate is located in a Second Order spiritual land, whereas Red Pillar City only possesses a Third Order..."

The auctioneer talked at length about the details, then opened a brocade box to display its contents to everyone.

Chen Li’s gaze was inevitably drawn to it.

It was a translucent Spirit Stone, clear as water and faintly emitting a radiant glow.

There are such Spirit Stones!

The auctioneer showcased them while zealously saying, "Because of this, such Spirit Stones seldom enter the market and are quite rare..."

Before he could finish, an impatient voice came from one of the private boxes, "Stop blathering, what a waste of time, just start the auction already!"

"Exactly, who doesn’t know about this thing?" Another voice came from a different box.

Fortunately, the auctioneer was used to such situations. He quickly forced a smile, cupped his hands in apology, and said, "The masters are right, I will get started. This Spirit Crystal measures a standard single crystal cell, with the starting bid at one thousand top-grade Spirit Stones, and each increment must be no less than ten top-grade Spirit Stones."

Hearing this price, Chen Li gasped sharply.

One thousand top-grade Spirit Stones.

That was all his savings.

"One thousand and twenty!"

"One thousand and fifty!"

"One thousand one hundred!"

...

The bidding was sparse, almost all coming from Golden Cores in the private boxes.

Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators wouldn’t even consider whether they could afford it. Even if they could, they probably wouldn’t dare to bid for it, as this item was simply too eye-catching, enough to make even Golden Cores envious.

Eventually, the Spirit Crystal was sold for an astronomical price of one thousand three hundred and fifty top-grade Spirit Stones.

...

Items were auctioned one after another.

By the time it came to the Spell that Chen Li was interested in, the auction was nearing its end, and most of the people had already left.

"Second Order Level Four Flight Spell: Void Flight Escape Skill, lasting the time of one incense stick, extremely fast flight. According to this auction house’s actual comparison, its speed can match that of a Second Order top-grade flying sword controlled by a fifth layer Foundation Establishment. While flying, the body is enveloped in streaming light, appearing like a streak of light across the sky..."

Having been in this world for a while,

Chen Li understood the vague time descriptions here quite well.

One incense stick was roughly half an hour.

That was certainly enough.

What’s more, it could still be optimized.

"The starting bid is five top-grade Spirit Stones, with each bid increment at least one top-grade Spirit Stone."

"Six stones!" Chen Li called out his bid.

"Seven stones!"

"Eight stones!"

Chen Li had thought that competition for a Spell wouldn’t be too intense.

Unexpectedly, there were quite a few interested parties.

In no time at all, the price for this Spell was raised to the high price of fifteen top-grade Spirit Stones, which could already buy a Second Order Mid-grade Magic Artifact.

But after giving it some thought, Chen Li came to an understanding.

An ordinary Second Order Level Four Spell naturally wouldn’t be so valuable, but Flight Spells were an exception, they were just too practical.

Take this Void Flight Escape Skill for example; it enabled a fourth layer Foundation Establishment cultivator to attain the speed of a fifth layer Foundation Establishment controlling a Second Order top-grade flying sword. The value of this was immeasurable; sometimes, being a bit faster could mean the difference between life and death.

After all, this was just a matter of Spirit Stones.

If he couldn’t outbid those Golden Cores, he could at least outbid the Foundation Establishment cultivators.

...

"Twenty top-grade Spirit Stones once, twenty top-grade Spirit Stones twice, any more bids? Sold!"

Humph, a bunch of paupers.

Chen Li walked out of the auction house, taking a deep breath.

Everything went smoothly.

The only thing that irked him was having spent so much money, and at the time of collecting the Spell, the auction house still required him to take an oath of secrecy not to divulge this Spell.

It was as though he had bought the right to use it, not the ownership.

Last time he bought the Phantom Skill at the Artefact Sect, there was no such troublesome matter.