Chapter 613: Mortal Item, Immortal Price

"You rascal, aren't the previous matters enough to keep me busy? I just want to quietly be a participating cultivator now, and bid on something I fancy when I see it." Jingyang Shangren lifted his wine cup, swirled it, and said leisurely.

"Since this auction is hosted by your Hundred Creations Mountain, why bother coming to bid? Why not just intercept it yourself? If that's not possible, couldn't you buy it from the sect?" Han Li asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Fellow Daoist Li, you don't understand... The items in this auction aren't all from our Hundred Creations Mountain. Some are confiscated by Black Mountain Immortal Palace from other places, and some are sent by big shots from various sects... In short, this auction involves a wide range of interests, and I can't meddle as I please." Jingyang Shangren shook his head, then drained his cup.

"So, there's no way for me to use your connections to spend fewer immortal spirit stones?" Han Li nodded thoughtfully after hearing this, drank a cup of wine, and asked.

"The auction has its own set of rules, and with the Immortal Palace's supervision, I have to rely on luck to bid myself, let alone you. There's no room for manipulation in this regard. The only thing you can do is prepare as many immortal spirit stones as possible. Good things, like good wine, are priceless. If you fancy something, bid early to avoid regret." Jingyang Shangren said with a smile.

As the two spoke, people began to enter through the building's entrance one after another using their 'Gold and Jade Brocade,' and started selecting well-positioned VIP rooms on the third floor.

After about an hour or so, all the hundreds of VIP rooms in the entire Yukun Tower were fully occupied.

After a brief survey, Han Li found that these people were almost all at the Golden Immortal初期 stage or above, and among them were some old fellows who had concealed their auras, making it impossible for him to discern their cultivation.

But after a moment's thought, he understood. Given the expense and rarity of the Gold and Jade Brocade, it was naturally not something ordinary cultivators could obtain. And those who could obtain it and enter Yukum Tower were unlikely to include True Immortals or below.

Those of insufficient cultivation or status naturally wouldn't come in vain; there were hundreds of various auctions and trade fairs prepared for them in the city, as well as countless other gatherings.

At this moment, the old man in a high crown from Hundred Creations Mountain, who was in charge of the proceedings here, walked onto the central circular auction stage together with a white-robed man dressed in Black Mountain Immortal Palace attire.

"By the way, I haven't introduced him yet. That man is named Fu Yuhai, the overseer of the Black Mountain Immortal Palace's branch in the northern part of the Immortal Domain, and also a late-stage Golden Immortal cultivator. But he doesn't have much real power here; the real authority is the Celestial Court Inspector stationed in the city. However, that person usually keeps to himself and rarely appears." Jingyang Shangren explained to Han Li.

"It seems the Celestial Court places considerable importance on this place. I wonder what cultivation level that Inspector has?" Han Li raised an eyebrow and asked casually.

"Hard to say. That person is quite mysterious; even I have never seen his true form." Jingyang Shangren shook his head and brought his freshly filled cup to his lips again.

In the short time they had been talking, he had already consumed an entire pot of fine brew, and the palace maid puppet brought another.

By then, Fu Yuhai had finished his introductions and delivered the customary opening remarks.

The old man in the high crown stepped forward and continued, "During the auction bidding, you must act within your means. Do not blindly raise prices. Once a bid is confirmed, it cannot be reneged. If anyone deliberately defaults, this establishment will pursue the matter to the end."

"Now, the Yukum Tower auction officially begins!" Fu Yuhai announced loudly, sweeping his gaze around.

As his voice fell, both of them withdrew, and a foreign man in a colorful feathered robe floated up.

His appearance was quite strange: his cheeks were very wide, his mouth rather large, and his neck appeared extremely thin, making him look like a toad's head on the neck of a colorful big bird.

This foreigner was the auctioneer presiding over this auction.

"Welcome, distinguished guests, to Yukum Tower to join us in this grand auction event..." Despite his unsightly appearance, his voice was clear and bright, with a special magnetism that sounded very pleasant.

"Without further ado, let us present our first item today, the 'Phoenix Cry Qin.'"

As his voice trailed off, a graceful and beautiful female cultivator stepped forward with a proper smile, holding a fiery red ancient zither in both hands.

Naturally, everyone's attention was drawn to the zither.

Han Li's gaze swept over it and found that the zither lived up to its name. Its body was made of a precious wood called 'chicken blood wood,' with the head carved into a phoenix head shape and the tail adorned with clustered feathers carved into a phoenix tail.

The entire ancient zither was warm and smooth as jade, with faint red glows seeping through like blood-colored clouds, looking extremely magnificent.

At the auctioneer's signal, the beautiful female cultivator's slender, onion-like fingers gently plucked the strings, and immediately a series of pleasant musical notes emerged. Even those who were not connoisseurs could tell it was a top-tier zither.

However, although the zither was very fine, it was merely a mortal object, without the slightest fluctuation of spiritual power.

The first item at the renowned Yukum Tower auction was actually a mortal object? This greatly puzzled Han Li, but the starting bid that followed shocked him even more.

"I believe you've all heard of 'Thousand-Fingered Phantom Sound' Pei Qingling? This Phoenix Cry Qin was her most treasured musical instrument before she began cultivation. After she officially embarked on the path of cultivation, she gradually abandoned it. It has passed through many hands over the years and has been neglected until now. The starting bid is fifty immortal spirit stones, and each increment must be no less than five immortal spirit stones." The auctioneer spoke eloquently, recounting the zither's history.

"Fifty immortal spirit stones, I'll take it." As soon as he finished, a soft, charming female voice responded from a VIP room on the third floor.

Immediately after, someone said, "I bid sixty immortal spirit stones."

"Seventy immortal spirit stones..." Another person bid.

"Seventy-five..."

"Who exactly is this Pei Qingling? Why can a mortal object she used be auctioned here? And with such a high starting price?" Han Li asked, puzzled.

It was merely a mortal object, not an immortal artifact. Even if it were an immortal artifact, unless it reached a certain quality, it shouldn't be worth dozens of immortal spirit stones, no matter who used it.

In fact, it wasn't a matter of immortal spirit stones; it wasn't even worth dozens of spirit stones.

Dozens of immortal spirit stones were no small sum; they could buy elixirs beneficial for Golden Immortal cultivation, or spiritual materials and immortal artifacts.

"I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Li hasn't heard of 'Thousand-Fingered Phantom Sound'? Pei Qingling comes from a musical family in the Jinyuan Immortal Domain. She was highly talented in cultivation from a young age but was always devoted to music and didn't cultivate. On her sixteenth birthday, after playing a piece called 'Rainbow Phoenix Breaking Formation,' she suddenly announced she would begin cultivation. From then on, her cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, until she entered the Dao through the five tones and reached the Daluo stage." Jingyang Shangren was first somewhat surprised, then explained slowly.

"I see..." Han Li said thoughtfully.

"Don't think it's not worth it. If such an item ever has a chance to be returned to its original owner, it would create a tremendous bond of gratitude. If Pei Qingling truly becomes a Five-Tone Dao Ancestor, the value of this item could skyrocket a hundredfold or more." Jingyang Shangren seemed to read Han Li's thoughts and said with a smile.

"Indeed." Hearing this, Han Li had to nod in agreement.

"Heh, they say Pei Qingling is a rare beauty among both immortals and mortals. Look at those male cultivators bidding so fiercely; deep down, they might harbor some romantic fantasies... Of course, it's just wishful thinking." Jingyang Shangren drank a cup of wine and transmitted his voice to Han Li.

The latter nodded silently, looking deeply convinced.

In the end, the ancient zither was won by a middle-aged man with a scholarly air, wearing a silk headband and a solemn expression, for one hundred and twenty immortal spirit stones.

"Congratulations to this fellow Daoist for acquiring the Phoenix Tail Qin. Next, please welcome our second treasure, the 'Purple Yang Pill.'"

After the auctioneer's announcement, the previous female cultivator carried the zither down, and another female cultivator came up holding a purple tray containing a palm-sized white jade box.

"This pill is a transitional elixir from Golden Immortal to Taiyi level, beneficial for cultivators around these two major realms. One furnace yields thirteen pills, perfect in appearance and excellent in quality. I hope you won't miss this opportunity. Starting bid: one hundred immortal spirit stones." The auctioneer said as he opened the white jade box.

As the lid opened, thirteen delicate pills the size of a little finger tip were revealed, faintly shimmering with purple light, with wisps of mist rising, and a rich medicinal fragrance filled Yukum Tower.

This pill was one of the many elixirs Han Li had appraised, and its quality was indeed excellent. Yukum Tower's base price of one hundred immortal spirit stones was not excessive; it was actually quite low.

"One hundred and ten immortal spirit stones." Someone quickly bid.

"One hundred and twenty immortal spirit stones." Another followed with an increase.

"One hundred and thirty immortal spirit stones..."

Round after round of bidding, the Purple Yang Pill soon reached "one hundred and sixty immortal spirit stones."

At this price, it was already quite reasonable. Going higher would be unwise, so after a cultivator in a black robe bid this amount, no one continued to raise the bid.

After the auctioneer asked three times, the pill was awarded to the black-robed man.

The third auction item was a high-grade acquired immortal artifact, a thunder-fire token of great power, suitable even for late-stage Golden Immortal cultivators. The starting bid was one hundred and thirty immortal spirit stones, and it eventually sold for over two hundred immortal spirit stones.