Chapter 615: Another Beast Bone

"I see. Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist Jingyang." Han Li nodded noncommittally.

"Three thousand eight hundred!"

While Han Li and Jingyang Daoist were conversing, the black-robed man bid again, but did not raise the price sharply, adding only two hundred immortal spirit stones.

"Four thousand!" Another unusually calm voice suddenly rang out—it was Han Li finally making his move.

He had already won two items earlier and attracted considerable attention. This bid drew many eyes toward him, including those of the gray-haired old man and the black-robed man.

Seeing that the number of bidders seemed to be increasing, both men's expressions darkened.

"Four thousand one hundred!" The gray-haired old man's brow twitched as he said in a deep voice.

"Four thousand two hundred!" The black-robed man followed closely.

"Four thousand three hundred!" Han Li spoke slowly, unhurriedly.

The three of them vied back and forth, and the price quickly reached five thousand immortal spirit stones, a bid made by the black-robed man.

Many cultivators in the hall showed surprise. Even a precious material that could help overcome the Calamity of Yin Sha, being just a spiritual ingredient, was far too expensive at this price.

After all, with the same amount of immortal spirit stones, one had many other options; there was no need to fixate on this one item. Moreover, judging by the trend, the price had clearly not yet peaked.

"Five thousand immortal spirit stones? Heh, you two certainly have keen eyes. In that case, I'll let you have it." The gray-haired old man suddenly sneered and fell silent.

"Five thousand one hundred." Han Li ignored the gray-haired old man's mockery and calmly bid again.

"Five thousand two hundred!" The black-robed man refused to yield an inch.

"Five thousand five hundred!" Han Li suddenly exerted force, sharply raising the price.

In the hall, everyone looked toward Han Li's location, shaking their heads.

"Fellow Daoist Li, as your friend, I'll be honest with you. Although this Xuanzhi Crystal is of high quality, this price is truly too high. On an ordinary day, four or five thousand immortal spirit stones would be the ceiling. Bidding further is really pointless." Jingyang Shangren advised.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Jingyang. But I am determined to obtain this item today. I have been searching for it for a long time. As you said, good things are like fine wine—priceless. When you find what you want, you go for it." Han Li said with a smile.

"You, you... you're learning quickly and applying it on the spot. If you run short of immortal spirit stones, remember what I said." Jingyang Shangren shrugged and said no more.

"Five thousand six hundred!" The black-robed man paused for a moment, then spoke slowly.

"Six thousand immortal spirit stones!" Han Li sharply raised the price again.

The black-robed man gave Han Li a deep look, then finally fell silent and did not bid again.

Seeing no further bids, the auctioneer on stage, though somewhat reluctant, was already far beyond his expectations. After confirming three times, he loudly announced the ownership of the Xuanzhi Crystal.

Han Li's expression did not change much, but a hint of pain flickered in his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Li has really gone all out today. It seems you are quite wealthy! But it's right to go after good things you fancy. After all, compared to the vast time and effort spent searching, it's still worth it. As the saying goes, an inch of time is worth an inch of gold." Jingyang Shangren laughed and comforted him.

"Fellow Daoist Jingyang, don't tease me. When it comes to wealth, how could I dare compare with you, the Vice Mountain Lord of Baizao Mountain?" Han Li shook his head with a smile.

"Actually, Baizao Mountain is eager for talents like Fellow Daoist Li. If you are interested someday, you are welcome to become a guest elder at Baizao Mountain." Jingyang Shangren said half-jokingly.

"I haven't joined any sect or force for a long time. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here as a wild crane on this idle cloud mountain. To be honest, after all these years of cultivation, it's rare to find such a paradise and a few close friends like Fellow Daoist Jingyang. That's enough." Han Li said noncommittally.

While the two were chatting, the auction on stage continued.

Soon, several more treasures were brought out one after another like flowing water. Under the auctioneer's direction, they all fetched high prices, sparking another wave of excitement.

The auction had now reached its final stage.

"Fellow Daoists, the following are the three most precious final treasures of this auction. The first is the cultivation technique 'Blue Sea Sky Wave Art.'" A blue box was placed on the stage, containing an ancient blue jade slip. The auctioneer announced.

Hearing this, many below showed puzzled expressions, as if they had never heard the name, but some changed color and buzzed with discussion.

"May I ask, is this 'Blue Sea Sky Wave Art' the technique once practiced by the Blue Sea True Lord, who was famous in the Black Mountain Immortal Domain?" A blue-robed man below asked excitedly.

"Indeed. This 'Blue Sea Sky Wave Art' is the main cultivation technique of the Blue Sea True Lord, who dominated the Black Mountain Immortal Domain millions of years ago. It can be cultivated up to the peak of the Taiyi stage. Among water techniques in the Black Mountain Immortal Domain, the 'Blue Sea Sky Wave Art' definitely ranks in the top five. Practicing this technique not only allows one to comprehend the Water Law but also offers a certain chance to grasp the higher Tide Law, enabling the use of the 'Tide Sky Wave' divine ability that made the Blue Sea True Lord famous. In the Battle of Moonlit Sea back then, the Blue Sea True Lord used a single 'Tide Sky Wave' to annihilate tens of thousands of desolate beasts. I need not elaborate on its power. The oral formula for this technique is naturally recorded in this manual. Of course, cultivating this technique requires quite stringent conditions: one must have a water-attributed spiritual body, preferably a Water Immortal Body. Moreover, before becoming a True Immortal, one must have practiced a pure water technique, and the condensed True Immortal body must not be mixed with any other attribute's elemental power. That concludes the introduction to this technique. Interested fellow Daoists may bid enthusiastically. The starting price is three thousand immortal spirit stones, and each bid must increase by at least two hundred." The auctioneer introduced it in detail and then announced the start of bidding.

The exact reputation of the Blue Sea True Lord back then was unknown, but under the auctioneer's meticulous explanation, many below showed excitement and immediately began bidding.

After all, such top-tier cultivation techniques were rarely encountered.

If one could make good use of this technique, it might even give rise to a powerful clan or sect.

Han Li remained calm, chatting softly with Jingyang Shangren.

Although this cultivation technique sounded good, he naturally wasn't tempted and merely watched the excitement from the sidelines.

More and more people joined the bidding, and the price climbed higher and higher, quickly surpassing seven thousand immortal spirit stones.

A flicker of surprise passed through Han Li's eyes, deepening his understanding of the allure of high-grade techniques.

"I bid ten thousand immortal spirit stones!" a loud shout suddenly rang out, raising the price by three thousand immortal spirit stones at once, instantly drowning out all other voices.

Han Li couldn't help but look over; the bidder was the blue-robed man who had spoken earlier.

This man was only at the mid-Golden Immortal stage, yet he had quoted such a high price—it seemed there were many hidden talents in this place.

As soon as this price was announced, the others exchanged glances, and for a moment, no one made another bid.

Seeing this, the blue-robed man's face lit up with joy.

"Eleven thousand!" Just then, another voice suddenly came, from a feathered-crown Taoist holding a horsetail whisk.

This man's aura was immense, unmistakably a Taiyi stage cultivator.

"Twelve thousand!" The blue-robed man's face darkened. Unmoved by the other's cultivation level, he raised the bid again, seemingly determined to obtain the *Blue Sea Sky Wave Art*.

"Thirteen thousand!" The feathered-crown Taoist waved his horsetail whisk and spoke again, his tone indifferent.

"Fourteen thousand!"

"Fifteen thousand!"

…

Both seemed determined to acquire this item, and in the blink of an eye, the price of the *Blue Sea Sky Wave Art* had exceeded twenty thousand.

Everyone present shook their heads. Although the *Blue Sea Sky Wave Art* was exquisite, selling at this price was far too high. For the same amount, one could probably buy two or three similar high-level law techniques.

"Twenty-two thousand immortal spirit stones!" The feathered-crown Taoist remained calm, as if the price did not bother him at all.

The blue-robed man's eyes were bloodshot, his breathing heavy, but he did not speak, as if his financial resources had reached their limit.

"Elder Zhu of the Water Mirror Sect bids twenty-two thousand immortal spirit stones. Is there any higher?" The auctioneer waited a moment before asking.

The hall fell silent; no one uttered a sound.

The auctioneer asked once more, and seeing that there was still no response, was about to announce the ownership of the technique.

"Wait a moment, I don't have enough immortal essence stones on me; I need to pawn this item." The blue-robed man suddenly stood up, flipped his hand, and produced a long, strip-like object that appeared to be a beast bone, entirely emerald green like jade.

The auctioneer was momentarily taken aback, but since the auction did have a precedent for pawning, he hastily announced a pause in the auction and had a nearby maid step forward to take the bone and deliver it to the appraiser.

Han Li sat up straight, a glint of sharpness flashing in his eyes.

The emerald green beast bone produced by the blue-robed man was extremely similar in both shape and size to the beast bone he had obtained from the green rat skeleton.

However, after probing it several times with his divine sense, he found that this man's bone emitted neither spatial fluctuations nor any spiritual power fluctuations, as if it were an ordinary mundane object.

"Perhaps it's just similar in appearance..." Han Li mused to himself.

That emerald green beast bone—he had studied it many times over the years and had become increasingly convinced that it was a spatial treasure.

But an extremely powerful secret technique had been cast on the bone, and no matter what abilities he employed, he could not open it.

With a soft rustle, Jingyang Shangren beside Han Li suddenly stood up, his expression somewhat fervent, his gaze fixed intently on the emerald green beast bone.

Seeing Jingyang Shangren so out of sorts, Han Li's eyes flashed with sharp light again, but it vanished in an instant.

"Daoist Jingyang, do you recognize this beast bone?" he asked, his expression indifferent.

Jingyang Shangren, now aware of his lapse, hastily sat back down, but did not answer Han Li's question. Instead, he lowered his head in deep contemplation, his expression extremely serious, as if pondering something of great importance.

Han Li raised an eyebrow slightly but did not interrupt.

Before long, the emerald green beast bone was delivered to a long table on one side of the auction platform, behind which sat three cultivators dressed in black attire.

One was a middle-aged scholar, one was an old man with white hair, and one was a veiled young woman.

All three possessed a profound bearing; they were the three appraisers of the Black Mountain Immortal Palace.

The profits from successive auctions at the Jade Kun Pavilion had been extremely丰厚, and the Black Mountain Immortal Palace, greatly covetous, had been steadily extending its reach into the auctions over the years to claim a share, sending more and more people each time.

By this auction, nearly half of the personnel were from the Black Mountain Immortal Palace.

These were matters that Han Li had heard mentioned by Jingyang Shangren during their casual conversations earlier.