Chapter 50: Another Auction

Inside the private room, Lin Tianming held the Golden Sword Talisman, examining it carefully and feeling the violent spiritual power within. He couldn't put it down, thoroughly pleased with his purchase. With this talisman, he could potentially deal a fatal blow to even a cultivator at the Great Perfection stage of Qi Refining if they were caught off guard. Thinking of this, the 350 spirit stones he spent seemed well worth it, and he felt no remorse, suddenly feeling quite generous.

The maid serving him in the room, with a rosy complexion and eyes full of envy, occasionally cast a flirtatious glance at Lin Tianming, having witnessed his lavish spending and assuming he was quite wealthy.

After securing the Golden Sword Talisman in his storage pouch, Lin Tianming relaxed and turned his attention back to the auction.

"The sixth item is the Cloud Dust Furnace, a lower-tier second-tier alchemy furnace."

A blue alchemy furnace stood on the platform, covered with dense inscriptions and radiating spiritual energy, exquisite in its craftsmanship and comparable to Lin Tianming's own Four Symbols Furnace.

The sight of the furnace stirred excitement in the auction hall.

Once the crowd settled, Ruan Jingtian began the introduction.

"The Cloud Dust Furnace, a lower-tier second-tier alchemy furnace. The starting bid is 900 spirit stones, with each increment no less than 10 spirit stones!"

No sooner had he spoken than a cultivator from a private room began bidding.

"950 spirit stones!"

"1,000 spirit stones!"

"1,300 spirit stones!"

The hall buzzed with astonishment. A bid raised by 300 spirit stones in one go seemed an attempt to intimidate other interested bidders, signaling a strong desire for the item.

Indeed, the significant price increase deterred many would-be bidders. A normal lower-tier second-tier furnace typically fetched just over 1,000 spirit stones, making the current price somewhat inflated.

In the end, only three private rooms continued bidding, and after two more rounds, the Cloud Dust Furnace sold for 1,400 spirit stones.

As the auction's highlight items progressed, a second-tier talisman and a second-tier alchemy furnace had already appeared, showing that the market had indeed put forth some valuable items. Every item auctioned was a rare find for Qi Refining cultivators, making Lin Tianming wonder about the remaining five items.

"The seventh item is a lower-tier second-tier array disk set, capable of deploying the Two Elements and Four Symbols Formation. It can trap and kill enemies; even Foundation Establishment cultivators trapped inside would struggle. The starting bid is 1,300 spirit stones, with each increment no less than 20 spirit stones."

Once Ruan Jingtian finished, bidding began immediately.

"1,400 spirit stones!"

"1,550 spirit stones!"

…

After over ten rounds of bidding, mostly from private rooms, the array disk set eventually sold for 1,900 spirit stones.

Lin Tianming reflected that while his purchase of a second-tier talisman cost over 300 spirit stones for a single use, an array that could be used repeatedly was well worth nearly 2,000 spirit stones.

The auction continued, and after seven items, he had seen quite a few second-tier treasures. With three items left, the most precious ones were likely yet to come.

"The eighth item is the Great Sun Sword Qi Technique, an incomplete secret technique. Whether it can be cultivated is unknown. This is a consignment item from a fellow cultivator. The starting bid is 1,200 spirit stones, with each increment no less than 20 spirit stones."

Silence fell over the room as everyone weighed the risk of bidding on an incomplete technique. Lin Tianming pondered.

A complete secret technique, even a low-grade one, could fetch over 10,000 spirit stones, but whether this one could be cultivated was uncertain.

After several seconds, no one bid. Deciding to take a chance, Lin Tianming raised his bid.

"1,220 spirit stones!"

"1,250 spirit stones!"

Another cultivator placed a bid, likely with the same mindset, hoping to secure a bargain despite the risk.

"1,350 spirit stones," Lin Tianming bid again, willing to go higher, knowing he had less than 1,800 spirit stones left.

When no further bids came, Lin Tianming successfully won the incomplete technique for 1,350 spirit stones. He promptly paid and secured the technique for later examination.

The auction continued with the ninth item, a water-attribute Yellow-grade cultivation technique, sparking fierce bidding. It sold for 23,000 spirit stones, astonishing Lin Tianming with the bidders' fervor.

The ninth item, three Nine Sun Fruits, each capable of increasing breakthrough chances by 20%, sold for over 13,000 spirit stones each.

With the final item, most in the room already anticipated its identity. The majority of private room occupants had likely come for this.

"The tenth item, three Foundation Establishment Pills, will be auctioned separately. The starting bid is 21,000 spirit stones, with each increment no less than 50 spirit stones."

"21,000 spirit stones!"

…

"27,800 spirit stones!"

After just over ten rounds, the price neared 28,000 spirit stones.

Lin Tianming observed the bidding war, knowing most attendees were just watching the spectacle unfold.

"29,000 spirit stones!"

The hall fell silent, and no further bids came. The winner, relieved and elated, wiped sweat from his brow, having spent a fortune but secured a Foundation Establishment Pill.

The first pill sold for 29,000 spirit stones, and the remaining two pills also sold for over 28,000 spirit stones each, marking a 20% increase from the last decade's auction prices.

With all items sold and no items left unsold, Ruan Jingtian was pleased, knowing he'd earn a substantial commission.

"Thank you all for your participation. Until the next auction!"

As the auction ended, cultivators rose and slowly made their way out.

Lin Tianming tipped the attendant with three spirit stones and left the private room without looking back.