Chapter 614: Something Unusual Afoot

As one lot after another was brought onto the stage, the atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly heated, and time trickled away bit by bit.

Han Li had been fixated on the Xuanzhi Crystal, showing little interest in the treasures that preceded it. Just as he was growing anxious, he suddenly heard the auctioneer announce:

“The next item for auction is called the ‘Time-Stop Pot,’ a treasure imbued with a trace of the power of time law. Any object placed inside it, whether a mundane item or an immortal artifact, will have its passage of time halted, remaining in its original state without the slightest change even after a million years. The starting bid is five hundred immortal spirit stones.”

“Five hundred and ten immortal spirit stones.” Someone quickly raised the bid.

“Five hundred and twenty immortal spirit stones…”

“I bid five hundred and fifty…”

The price climbed steadily, soon soaring to six hundred and seventy immortal spirit stones.

At that moment, the man in black robes suddenly spoke: “Seven hundred immortal spirit stones.”

After his substantial raise, a brief silence fell over the Jade Kun Pavilion, only to be broken by another voice.

“Seven hundred and ten immortal spirit stones.” Han Li suddenly spoke up.

The man in black robes, also on the second floor, glanced over and said, “Seven hundred and twenty immortal spirit stones.”

“Seven hundred and fifty.” Han Li replied succinctly.

Auction bidding is not always a steady back-and-forth of incremental raises; sometimes a sudden large increase is meant to signal to competitors one’s firm stance and determination, forcing them to back down.

“Seven hundred and sixty immortal spirit stones.” The man in black robes was clearly not intimidated by Han Li.

“Eight hundred.”

Han Li raised the price sharply again, causing an immediate stir in the White Jade Pavilion, with nearly all eyes turning toward him.

The man in black robes seemed to find it no longer worthwhile and did not continue bidding.

“Is this item really that important? Worth spending so many immortal spirit stones?” Elder Jingyang frowned slightly and asked.

“You may not know, Fellow Daoist, but we alchemists often need to refine special spiritual liquids that are extremely costly yet cannot be preserved for long, resulting in great losses. If I can obtain this item, the immortal spirit stones I save in the future will far exceed these seven hundred.” Han Li explained with a smile.

In truth, he wanted to see if the Time-Stop Pot could store the green liquid or crystals condensed in the small vial. If it could, that would be a great joy; if not, acquiring a rare time-law treasure at a bargain price would still be no loss.

After Han Li secured this treasure, the auction continued. The quality of the subsequent items improved one after another, and naturally, the prices climbed higher.

Various treasures took turns on stage, and the bidding among the cultivators grew increasingly fierce. Among them were two items that could benefit the soul. Han Li also participated in the bidding, but the man in black robes seemed to deliberately target him, competing relentlessly for each one, ultimately winning them all at high prices.

Han Li did not need these items as urgently as he did time-law treasures, and he did not want to attract too much attention, so he gave up once the prices exceeded his expectations.

Three hours quickly passed, and the auction was already halfway through, but the Xuanzhi Crystal had yet to appear.

“Fellow Daoist Jingyang, can you give me a hint? When will the Xuanzhi Crystal be auctioned?” Han Li, growing impatient, transmitted his voice.

Elder Jingyang suppressed a smile and replied, “Only this ‘Flower Heart Stone’ can make Fellow Daoist Li so restless. Don’t worry; if I remember correctly, the next lot is it.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the auctioneer announced: “The next treasure is no ordinary item. It is born in the abyssal depths where souls and spirits gather, surrounded by a vile and filthy environment, yet it remains unsullied, emerging as the world’s most spiritual object. Known as the Ten-Thousand-Soul Essence, a single plant can enhance the soul of a Golden Immortal cultivator by ten to thirty percent.”

Hearing this description alone made Han Li’s heart tighten, his brows furrowed, and his gaze involuntarily fixed on the stage.

“This item, known as the ‘Soul Spirit Herb’ or ‘Ten-Thousand-Soul Grass,’ has a starting bid of one thousand immortal spirit stones.” The auctioneer announced loudly.

Han Li turned abruptly to look at Elder Jingyang, his face full of confusion.

The latter also looked surprised, clearly unaware why the auction order had suddenly been disrupted.

“Fellow Daoist Jingyang, what is going on? Could you have misremembered?” Han Li asked in a low voice.

“Though I am fond of drink, I am confident I haven’t mistaken the order of these hundred or so lots, especially the one you care about most, Fellow Daoist Li. Wait, let me ask.” Elder Jingyang said somewhat awkwardly, then closed his eyes.

While they were puzzled, bidding in the hall had already erupted.

In no time, the price had been driven up to over two thousand immortal spirit stones.

An item that could enhance the soul was also an extremely rare treasure for Han Li. With it, his cultivation of the Art of Spirit Refinement might also benefit significantly.

After hesitating for a moment, Han Li felt tempted and considered joining the bidding. But just then, Elder Jingyang seemed to have communicated with someone via voice transmission. He opened his eyes and let out a long sigh of relief.

Seeing this, Han Li swallowed the price he had been about to call out and shot Elder Jingyang a questioning look.

“Hehe, don’t worry, Fellow Daoist Li. Someone suddenly requested to add this item to the auction. The next one should be the Xuanzhi Crystal.” Elder Jingyang gave a dry laugh and said to Han Li with a hint of apology.

“I see. Does this happen often?” Han Li raised an eyebrow and asked curiously.

“Not before. Usually, the scheduled auction list is not altered or amended. Adding a lot temporarily requires finding an appraiser on short notice, which creates a lot of trouble.” Elder Jingyang thought for a moment and said.

“I’ve waited this long; what’s one more lot? But it seems the person who added this lot has a high status, to enjoy such a privilege.” Han Li smiled and said nonchalantly.

“Heh, indeed! They say this person has some connection with the supervising immortal envoy of the inner city. But I think this ‘Ten-Thousand-Soul Grass’ is most likely the envoy’s own item. Otherwise, how could such a treasure be casually brought out?” Elder Jingyang chuckled.

Han Li nodded silently, his expression unchanged, but inwardly he suppressed the urge to raise his paddle and decisively gave up on participating in the bidding.

As the saying goes, when something is out of the ordinary, there must be a reason. No matter the origin of this item, he felt something was off.

After a fierce round of bidding, the man in black robes ultimately won the “Ten-Thousand-Soul Grass” at a high price of three thousand five hundred immortal spirit stones.

“The next treasure, I believe many of you fellow Daoists have been eagerly awaiting.” The auctioneer seemed quite excited by the unexpectedly high price of the previous lot, still beaming.

As he spoke, a yellow-clad maiden brought a green jade box onto the auction stage. The jade box was sealed with several layers of talismans.

The maiden lightly peeled off the talismans, and the jade box opened automatically, revealing a fist-sized green crystal.

The crystal emitted a faint green glow, unremarkable at first glance, but within it, one could vaguely see a flower-like pattern deeply embedded, appearing natural.

A strange fragrance emanated from the green crystal, reaching everyone present. It seemed to cleanse their internal organs, leaving them feeling refreshed.

A stir ran through the crowd, with many exclaiming in surprise.

Han Li’s eyes lit up at the sight of the green crystal, and he sat up slightly straighter.

“I believe everyone here recognizes this. Indeed, this is the ‘Xuanzhi Crystal,’ also known as the Flower Heart Stone. It is a top-grade material for refining pills that dispel baleful qi and overcome baleful decay. Its significance to fellow Daoists about to advance to the Taiyi realm need not be elaborated. Moreover, this Xuanzhi Crystal comes from a Xuanzhi Flower over two hundred thousand years old. It is a treasure our pavilion has acquired with great effort. Do not miss this opportunity. The starting bid is one thousand immortal spirit stones, and each raise must be at least one hundred.” The auctioneer explained and announced the start of bidding.

“One thousand immortal spirit stones.” As soon as the auctioneer finished, a voice immediately rang out.

“One thousand one hundred!”

“One thousand three hundred!”

A flurry of bids followed in rapid succession.

The Xuanzhi Crystal, a rare treasure that aids in overcoming baleful decay and breaking through to the Taiyi realm, was extremely valuable to anyone. Even if one did not need it themselves, they could buy it for others, so it would never go to waste.

The number soared, quickly surpassing two thousand immortal spirit stones.

At this price point, the number of bidders dropped sharply, and the pace of increases slowed.

“Fellow Daoist Li, you’ve been seeking this item all along. Why haven’t you made a move?” Elder Jingyang asked, noticing that Han Li had not acted.

“I am determined to obtain this item. Those who truly want the Xuanzhi Crystal have not yet made their move, so there’s no need for me to rush.” Han Li glanced around and said calmly.

When the bidding price broke through two thousand five hundred immortal spirit stones, the scene came to a temporary halt.

The bidder was a fat, burly man dressed in flashy clothes, looking more like a merchant than a cultivator, with two beautiful female cultivators in his arms.

The two women occasionally picked up tea and snacks from the side and fed them to the man, who enjoyed the company with a look of pleasure.

“Fellow Daoist Gui of the Tianbao Trading Company bids two thousand five hundred immortal spirit stones. Is there a higher bid?” The auctioneer said with a smile, scanning the room.

“Three thousand immortal spirit stones!” A lazy voice rang out. It was the man in black robes who had bought the Ten-Thousand-Soul Grass, raising the price by five hundred in one go.

The crowd buzzed with discussion. Although the Xuanzhi Crystal was precious, this price was already somewhat high.

“Three thousand one hundred.” The fat man’s expression turned grim, but he still raised the bid.

“Three thousand five hundred!” The man in black robes snorted and raised the price sharply again, as if a few hundred immortal spirit stones meant nothing to him.

The fat man’s whole body trembled, his face darkened, and he did not bid again.

The two female cultivators beside him, seeing his ugly expression, sat obediently still, not daring to move.

“Three thousand six hundred!” Another aged voice joined in. It was an old man with gray-white hair, playing with a purple sword about four or five inches long, its blade flashing with streaks of purple lightning.

The man’s eyes also occasionally flashed with a terrifying electric light, enough to make anyone who looked at him tremble with fear.

Han Li glanced at the gray-haired old man. This person’s aura was immense; he was one of those whose cultivation level Han Li had been unable to discern earlier.

“Fellow Daoist Jingyang, this man seems quite extraordinary. Do you recognize him?” Han Li asked casually.

“This man is Feng Tianyao, a Taiyi realm elder of the Purple Lightning Sword Sect from the Broken Boundary Mountain Range in the northeastern Black Mountain Immortal Domain. It seems he also wants this item. The price of the Xuanzhi Crystal is likely to skyrocket. Fellow Daoist Li, you’d better look out for yourself.” Elder Jingyang looked at Han Li with a hint of sympathy and said.