Chapter 8: Auction

A Week of Diligence

Dragon Tale City continued its tireless rhythm under blazing summer skies. Within their small inn room at Cloud Bamboo Resthouse, Jian Tian sat cross-legged each dawn, consuming a Qi Mending Pill as Ren Moxi instructed.

Azure qi vapor rose from his body as he cycled his breath. Spiritual energy surged through his meridians, washing away impurities and strengthening qi channels to withstand deeper flows.

Ren Moxi often watched silently from his bamboo mat by the window. His eyes reflected distant thoughts, but his concise corrections came whenever Jian Tian faltered or wavered under pressure.

On the seventh morning, as dawn's first gold brushed the rooftops, Jian Tian's body trembled. A muffled boom echoed within his veins, and his qi surged outward before stabilising into a firm, balanced flow.

"Master!" he gasped, sweat rolling down his neck. "I… I reached Peak Meridian Stage!"

Ren Moxi's lips curved faintly.

"Good. Consolidate for three days, then prepare for your true breakthrough."

Breakthrough to Qi Refining

Three weeks later, after intense cultivation, medicinal pill absorption, and guided breathing techniques, Jian Tian sat under moonlight on the balcony.

His qi gathered fiercely within his dantian, compressing into dense swirling liquid. Invisible spiritual tides coiled around him, stirring his robes and rattling the bamboo railing.

"Break it," Ren Moxi's calm voice echoed in his mind. "Let your qi merge with heaven and earth."

Jian Tian grit his teeth, his entire body shaking as meridians expanded to their limits. With a final exhale, his qi burst forth, uniting his meridian energy into a seamless whole.

The swirling liquid qi within his dantian condensed into a gleaming silver sphere – the sign of early Qi Refining stage.

A surge of vitality and clear spiritual perception filled him. He could hear nocturnal insects chirping clearly, sense each flickering lantern down the street, and feel spiritual qi drifting in the moonlit air.

"I… broke through…"

Ren Moxi nodded in approval.

"Your foundation is acceptable. But never be complacent. Qi Refining is merely the beginning of the true path."

The Black Starmoon Auction

Two days after his breakthrough, the city fell into quiet fervour. Red banners fluttered along market streets, engraved with shining black moon sigils and silver stars:

[Black Starmoon Commercial: Grand Auction Event]

Rumours whispered through taverns and stalls:

"They're auctioning peak Tier 5 beast cores…""Someone is selling a Swallowing River Black Python's corpse…""A Heavenly Lotus Seed is up for bid too!"

The main auction hall of Black Starmoon Commercial was a towering five-storey pagoda with black tiled roofs, silver railings, and formation lanterns glowing along every beam. Wealthy cultivators, sect emissaries, rogue cultivator lords, and merchant guild elders streamed through its gates.

Ren Moxi walked calmly through the crowd with Jian Tian following, carrying a small black spatial pouch. At the reception desk, a young female attendant bowed deeply.

"Welcome, Honoured Guests. Bid or consign items today?"

"Consign," Ren Moxi said, tone flat yet dignified.

She led them into a side room. Within, an old man in dark gold robes sat behind a sandalwood table, flicking his thin fingers over a glowing jade tablet. Without raising his eyes, he asked:

"Items and proof of ownership?"

Ren Moxi placed the beast core on the table. Instantly, the room dimmed as spiritual pressure radiated outward.

A dense dark-green crystal sphere the size of a child's fist, engraved with faint black runes coiling like living snakes. Its aura pulsed with brutal primal force, making the old man flinch before steadying himself.

"Tier 5 beast core… Swallowing River Black Python species…" he murmured. "We will place it as a highlight auction item. Starting bid: eight hundred high-grade spirit stones, minimum increment: twenty high-grade stones. Seller's premium is ten percent deducted from final bid. Agreed?"

Ren Moxi nodded once.

Jian Tian swallowed. Eight hundred high-grade stones… enough to buy dozens of cultivation pills, refine qi gathering formations, and purchase mid-grade spirit weapons.

The old man sealed the beast core within a layered jade box lined with spiritual ice and stored it within a formation vault.

"Any additional items?"

Ren Moxi waved his sleeve, revealing python scales, venom sacs, and a coiled black snake tendon. Each radiated dense Tier 5 beast qi.

The old man's hands trembled faintly. "These will go in secondary sessions. Combined starting bid: four hundred high-grade spirit stones."

"Acceptable."

The attendant handed them two jade slips, glowing blue.

"Here are your bidder and seller tokens. Your bidding number is 39. The event will begin within the next incense stick's time."

Inside the Auction Hall

The main auction hall was a circular chamber with layered seating rising like a theatre. Each seat was lined with silk cushions, spirit tea trays, and a glowing bidding panel.

Jian Tian sat beside Ren Moxi near the mid-tier seats, staring around in awe at cultivators in silken robes, masked rogue experts, and stern sect emissaries.

Their seat panel glowed with their bidding number: #39.

A hush fell as a tall, crimson-robed auction master stepped onto stage, hair tied in a high topknot, his qi aura at peak Core Formation.

"Welcome, honoured guests, to our quarterly grand auction. Let us begin with today's highlight."

The jade screens flickered, revealing the python beast core rotating slowly, radiating swirling dark-green light and coiling black runes.

A collective murmur swept the hall.

"Starting bid, eight hundred high-grade spirit stones," the auction master declared. "Minimum increment: twenty high-grade stones. Begin!"

Immediately, bids flashed:

#17 – 820 stones

#42 – 840 stones

#17 – 860 stones

#42 – 880 stones

The two primary bidders emerged:

A young man in white embroidered robes with a jade hairpin, flanked by bodyguards emanating Foundation Establishment auras.

And an elderly woman in plain grey robes, her spirit-veiled eyes gleaming with greed.

#42 – 980 stones.

#17 – 1000 stones.

#42 – 1040 stones.

#17 – 1100 stones.

Finally, the old woman snorted and lowered her panel.

"#17, at 1100 high-grade spirit stones. Going once… going twice… Sold!"

The gavel fell. A muted cheer rose as attendants delivered the sealed jade box to the victor.

Liquidating Wealth

Jian Tian turned to Ren Moxi, voice trembling with excitement.

"Master… over a thousand high-grade spirit stones… enough to buy an entire cultivation arsenal!"

Ren Moxi merely nodded, eyes closed as if resting. Yet faint ripples of ancient killing intent stirred within his calm aura.

The auction continued with the python's scales, tendons, and venom sacs selling steadily for 580 high-grade spirit stones.

Their seller token panel glowed:

[Total sales: 1680 high-grade spirit stones. Seller premium: 168 stones. Net earnings: 1512 high-grade spirit stones.]

Jian Tian clutched the jade slip in awe. Never had he held such wealth.

The Mysterious Sword

Soon after, a female attendant carried a long black cloth-wrapped object onto stage. The auction master smiled faintly.

"Item #47. A mysterious sword of unknown origin, unearthed from the Southern Black Marsh. It bears no forging signature, yet radiates faint spatial intent. Starting bid: four hundred high-grade spirit stones."

The crowd quieted. Some cultivators shook their heads dismissively. Others frowned, wary of cursed or sealed artefacts.

Ren Moxi's eyes flickered open. A cold glint of recognition passed through his pupils as he gazed at the sword.

"Bid," he said softly, pressing #39 – 400 stones.

No response came for a moment. Then a masked rogue cultivator raised 420 stones.

Ren Moxi bid again: 440 stones.

The rogue cultivator hesitated, then raised to 460 stones.

Ren Moxi's gaze turned ice-cold. He pressed 480 stones calmly.

The masked rogue cultivator paused, clicked his tongue, and lowered his bidding panel.

"#39, at 480 high-grade spirit stones. Going once… going twice… Sold!"

The gavel fell. Attendants swiftly brought the cloth-wrapped sword to Ren Moxi, bowing deeply.

Jian Tian watched his master's calm expression, sensing a silent killing aura radiating from the sword even before it was unwrapped.