Chapter 323: A Connoisseur

The black-clad figure silently took out two stone boxes and placed them on the auction table. With a flick of his sleeve, the lids opened simultaneously, revealing their contents: a piece of purple, translucent crystal and a strange, pitch-black lump of mud.

The former was about the size of a fist, its surface pitted and covered with crisscrossing purple lightning patterns.

These patterns flickered with purple electric arcs, as if they were the solid form of lightning, emitting a restless aura of thunder and lightning.

As for the black mud, it seemed ordinary at first glance, but upon closer inspection, one could see a faint, deep, and dark black light shimmering on its surface, as if it could swallow all surrounding light, making it appear extremely mysterious.

"One piece of Thunder Soul Crystal, exchange for a thunder-attribute immortal artifact or three hundred immortal spirit stones. One lump of Supreme Yin Mud, exchange for a ten-thousand-year Yin Dragon Ginseng." The man spoke sparingly.

Han Li could not help but smile bitterly at this.

He had thought that after joining the Candle Dragon Sect, his knowledge had greatly increased and he had learned much about various spiritual materials in the True Immortal Realm, but now it seemed he still had a long way to go.

He had never even heard of these two names.

As he pondered, his gaze swept over the two items, paused briefly on the black mud, then quickly moved away and landed on the purple crystal.

The black mud was clearly some kind of extreme yin object, which was of no use to him at the moment.

However, this purple crystal gave him a sense of familiarity.

The lightning power contained within it was very similar to the purple lightning in his purple clam pearl.

The more Han Li looked, the more similar they seemed, and he couldn't help but speculate whether this item also came from the Thunderstorm Ocean.

Moreover, although the purple crystal was not large, the lightning power contained within it was truly terrifying, seemingly even more abundant than that in his purple clam pearl.

At the deepest part of the crystal, faint traces of soul fluctuations emanated, as if the lightning power was so dense that it had given birth to a hint of intelligence.

Han Li stared intently at the lightning crystal, a thoughtful expression in his eyes.

At that moment, his body trembled as a voice sounded in his mind.

"Fellow Daoist Han, you must acquire this Thunder Soul Crystal... it will be of great use to me." The Crab Immortal had somehow awakened and contacted Han Li through their mental link.

Speaking of which, ever since fusing with the Golden Immortal puppet last time, the Crab Immortal had been in a state of slumber. Han Li had tried to communicate with him several times but received no response.

"Fellow Daoist Crab, what exactly is this Thunder Soul Crystal, and how will it help you?" Han Li transmitted his voice.

"Thunder Soul Crystal is a special type of lightning crystal that only forms in places with extremely dense lightning power. Besides containing abundant lightning power, it also contains a special kind of soul force. This item not only helps those who practice lightning techniques but also nourishes the soul and prevents demonic interference when worn by other cultivators. I have been trying to fully merge with the Golden Immortal puppet these days, but progress has been slow. This item will greatly benefit me; with it, I can quickly gain complete control over this Golden Immortal puppet." The Crab Immortal explained.

"I see. Understood." Han Li's heart stirred upon hearing this.

While Han Li was communicating with the Crab Immortal, the other cultivators present were also examining the two items on the stage with their own methods, but no one spoke. It seemed that most people had never heard of these two things either.

The black figure stood motionless on the stage, neither saying anything more nor urging anyone.

"Would you not first introduce these two spiritual materials? Forgive my ignorance, but I have never heard of the names Thunder Soul Crystal and Supreme Yin Mud." After a long while, a slightly hoarse voice broke the silence.

"These two items are only for those who know their worth." The black figure on the stage said indifferently.

The person who had asked the question sneered upon hearing this and fell silent.

Just then, a white flash appeared, and a figure shot onto the stage, revealing Han Li.

"I want the Thunder Soul Crystal. Here are three hundred immortal spirit stones. Please take them." He took out a storage pouch and tossed it to the black figure.

"Wait, I have a thunder-attribute immortal artifact made from Thunderous Steel to exchange for this Thunder Soul Crystal." At that moment, another somewhat plump cultivator also flew onto the stage, producing a purple-blue flying fork covered in dazzling electric arcs.

The black figure was taken aback, glanced at Han Li's storage pouch and the purple-blue flying fork, then silently put away the storage pouch and handed the Thunder Soul Crystal to Han Li.

"Wait, fellow Daoist, if I'm not mistaken, you would prefer a thunder-attribute immortal artifact, wouldn't you?" The plump cultivator's face changed, and he quickly said to the black figure.

"That's right. But you came a little late." The black figure still spoke in a flat tone.

"Don't regret this!"

The plump cultivator was stunned, looked the black figure up and down, as if surprised by his response, but still put away the purple-blue flying fork and flew back to his seat.

Han Li looked at the black figure, somewhat surprised, then felt a hint of admiration. It was rare to find someone who could stick to their word and act so decisively, whether in the past mortal and spirit realms or the current True Immortal Realm.

After all, for a high-level cultivator at the mid-True Immortal stage, saving three hundred immortal spirit stones was only a matter of time and effort, but a suitable immortal artifact was not necessarily so, especially one containing the law of thunder.

Perhaps the other party, like the Crab Immortal, knew the value of the Thunder Soul Crystal but was reluctant to part with his thunder-attribute immortal artifact, thus giving Han Li the advantage.

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, he nodded to the black figure and returned to his seat.

"Give me the Thunder Soul Crystal quickly." As soon as Han Li sat down, the Crab Immortal's somewhat impatient voice sounded in his mind.

Without saying much, Han Li sent the Thunder Soul Crystal from his storage space to the Crab Immortal with a thought.

A flash of golden lightning appeared on the Crab Immortal's body, and the Thunder Soul Crystal vanished into his body.

However, when Han Li returned to his seat and sat down, he was slightly startled.

The seat beside him, where Shu Tian Sheng had been, was empty. The man had left at some point.

He looked around, but there was no sign of Shu Tian Sheng anywhere in the venue. It seemed he had indeed left.

Han Li frowned slightly, then relaxed.

On the stage, the black figure waited a moment longer. Seeing no one speak up, he picked up the box of Supreme Yin Mud and leaped down.

Han Li immediately stood up and was about to fly onto the stage.

"You are Fellow Daoist Li, aren't you?"

A clear, cold voice suddenly came from beside him. A fragrant breeze arose, and a figure enveloped in white light sat down in Shu Tian Sheng's seat. It was the female cultivator who had just bid a high price for the fragment of the Nether River Map.

"You are?" Han Li stopped and asked with a frown.

"Could I trouble you for a moment?" The female cultivator did not answer Han Li but chuckled lightly.

Han Li hesitated for a moment, then sat down and nodded.

"I happened to notice earlier that you traded Crimson Cloud Fire Crystals with the fellow Daoist who was sitting here. I wonder if you still have some of these fire crystals on you, Fellow Daoist Li? I urgently need this item. Would you be willing to part with them? I will certainly not disappoint you in terms of price. For a piece the size of the one just now, I am willing to pay one hundred immortal spirit stones, and the more, the better." The female cultivator said earnestly.

"You seem to know quite well how many Crimson Cloud Fire Crystals I have on me, and you even know my surname. Shu Tian Sheng told you, didn't he?" Han Li asked calmly in return.

The female cultivator hesitated briefly, then nodded. "Indeed, I just learned it from that person."

Han Li's expression remained unchanged, but his mind was racing.

Although Crimson Cloud Fire Crystals were extremely rare spiritual materials, he had a considerable amount. At present, they were not indispensable to him, so selling them for immortal spirit stones was not out of the question.

However, he might need them in the future, and selling them now might lead to regret later.

"Fellow Daoist Han, agree to her." The Crab Immortal's voice suddenly sounded.

Han Li's eyes flickered, and he transmitted his voice: "Why?"

"I will tell you after I fully merge with the Golden Immortal puppet. For now, agree to her." The Crab Immortal said.

After saying this, the Crab Immortal's voice fell silent again.

Hearing the Crab Immortal's somewhat unclear explanation, Han Li frowned slightly, but after a brief deliberation, he nodded to the female cultivator. "Alright, I can sell them to you."

"You have made a wise decision. I doubt anyone else would offer such a price." Although the female cultivator's tone was still somewhat cold, a trace of joy could be heard in it.

Without saying much, Han Li brushed his hand over his storage pouch.

A flash of green light, and a new storage pouch appeared in his palm, which he handed to the female cultivator.

After the female cultivator took the storage pouch, she swept it with her divine sense, then without hesitation, waved her hand and produced another storage pouch, which she handed over.

Han Li took it, glanced at it, and nodded to her.

The female cultivator clasped her hands in a salute to Han Li again, then turned and walked back to her seat.

Han Li watched the female cultivator's graceful figure as she left, and his brow furrowed slightly.

Although there was a light barrier, his divine sense was too powerful, and he could still vaguely see the blurry figure of the female cultivator through it. It seemed he had seen her somewhere before.

"Right, it's that red-clad veiled woman who lives next door." Han Li quickly recalled.

Moreover, that veiled woman in the red dress had given him a sense of familiarity when they met by chance earlier. Now, meeting her a second time here, this feeling grew stronger.

Just then, on the stage ahead, a cultivator happened to walk down.

Han Li couldn't dwell on these thoughts. He flashed onto the stage and took out some of his other rare materials, stating that he wanted to exchange them for the spiritual herbs needed for alchemy pills.

Unfortunately, even at this exchange meeting, no one had these materials.

After waiting on the stage for a while, Han Li had to descend regretfully.

Time passed bit by bit. Half an hour later, when the last cultivator descended from the stage, this underground exchange meeting finally came to a complete end.

Han Li went to the backstage, paid the immortal spirit stones for the Blood Crystal Lotus he had auctioned earlier, and completed the transaction.

After a brief inspection, he carefully placed it into a jade box, affixed several talismans, and stored it in his storage bracelet.