Chapter 598 - 329: Golden Qi Nourishing Truth Pill
In the midst of his thoughts, the bidding gradually grew sparse.
"Two hundred and seventy High-grade spirit stones!"
"Two hundred seventy from the Yunxuan Private Room! Do I hear a higher bid?"
"I bid three hundred!"
Seeing that the time was right, Lü Zhong called out his target price.
’A Profound Gang Heavenly Talisman is a once-in-a-millennium find. Owning one is like having another life-saving trump card; its value can’t be measured in mere Spirit Stones.’
’Now that I’ve found one, how could I possibly let it slip away?’
"Three hundred High-grade spirit stones, going once!" When the auctioneer heard this bid, the thought of his commission shooting up made him flush with excitement. He shouted until he was nearly hoarse, "Three hundred from the Celestial Cloud Private Room! Are there any higher... Three hundred High-grade spirit stones, going twice!"
All the bidders were now shaking their heads.
The bidding had been creeping up from two hundred seventy, one stone at a time. A sudden jump of thirty like this showed the bidder still had plenty of reserves. Rather than empty their coffers to fight for this one Profound Gang Heavenly Talisman, it was more prudent to save their Spirit Stones for other Spiritual Objects they needed more.
And so, the auction floor fell silent.
"Three hundred High-grade spirit stones, going three times... Sold!" the auctioneer yelled.
Having successfully won the Profound Gang Heavenly Talisman, Lü Zhong inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, his face already filled with anticipation.
Soon, someone brought over the item he had won.
Once the payment was settled, Lü Zhong peeled the Sealing Talisman from the jade box. After a soft flash of Spiritual Light, an exquisite Jade Talisman came into view.
The Profound Gang Heavenly Talisman was a verdant green, carved from a single piece of Spirit Communication Jade. Its surface was sketched with black Talisman Ink to form the Talisman Head, Talisman Core, and talisman foot. Every part, without exception, was created with just a few strokes, giving it a look of natural perfection. It was truly worthy of a Divinity Transformation Grand Venerable’s handiwork.
Hoping for a lucky break, Lü Zhong examined it closely for a long time.
But he soon gave up on the idea of trying to copy it. The Profound Gang Heavenly Talisman’s protective measures were simply too ingenious; even a Nascent Soul Talisman Master like him couldn’t spot the slightest flaw. He estimated it would take at least three to five hundred years to have any chance of deciphering it.
’It wasn’t worth the effort.’
For the rest of the auction, Lü Zhong bid without hesitation on any item that caught his eye. As long as the price didn’t exceed what he was willing to pay, he won them all.
Among his purchases were various Spiritual Objects native to Central Earth, which were considered rare in the Southern Barbarian lands. He bought them all, planning to play the part of a reseller once again and take them back to the Southern Barbarian lands to sell. The profits would be substantial; he might even recoup half the Spirit Stones he had spent on the Profound Gang Heavenly Talisman.
When the auction ended, Lü Zhong had intended to go fishing.
After leaving, he deliberately wandered around the city, but he never sensed anyone tailing him. Apparently, the ’moral standards’ of Central Earth cultivators were unusually high, and he couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment. With his scheme to get rich quick having failed, he had no choice but to buy a few books and scriptures on the way back to his rented residence.
The moment Lü Zhong stepped through the door, he saw a graceful figure sitting upright in the main hall. The gloom in his heart instantly vanished, replaced by a genuine, heartfelt smile.
"You’re finally back!" Shuini gave a captivating smile as she rose and walked over to Lü Zhong. She wrapped her arms around his waist with practiced ease, her eyes tracing his features. A happy smile bloomed on her face as she said softly, "I saw everything you did... Thank you for all your hard work."
"What are you talking about?" Lü Zhong let out a wry smile.
It was so unlike Shuini to be this serious; he wasn’t used to it. He glanced around, coughed lightly to break the awkwardness, and then said, "Alright, let’s go to the bedroom to talk. Your recovery is a wonderful thing, but as long as that parasite on your Primordial Spirit isn’t gone for good, I can’t truly be at ease."
"Mm," Shuini readily agreed.
The two of them walked side by side into the residence’s bedroom.
No sooner had they sat down on the bed than Shuini reverted to her usual self, which considerably lessened Lü Zhong’s suspicions.
It took some effort to get the passionate, fiery Shuini to settle down. Afterward, Lü Zhong began to examine her. He found that the parasite on her Primordial Spirit, having gone without nourishment for so long, had starved to the brink of death.
"It’s not a problem anymore," Lü Zhong stated frankly. "Just a little more time, and it will be completely eradicated."
To be on the safe side, he used True Retrospection to review the process of Shuini’s awakening after he had left. This would prevent the possibility of her having been possessed by the parasite without his knowledge.
He expended more than half his Power of Divine Sense, not stopping until he was absolutely certain that nothing was wrong. Only then could he finally rest easy.
...
For the next several days, Lü Zhong mostly stayed in.
Each day, aside from meditating, practicing Qi Refining, and monitoring the situation in the Southern Barbarian lands, he spent nearly all his remaining time with Shuini, intimately strengthening their bond.
「More than half a year passed in a flash.」
News finally came from the fleet.
The fleet bound for the East Sea was ready to depart.
The two of them arrived at the docks together. Lü Zhong gazed at the massive seafaring vessels—each as majestic as a mountain peak and at least two thousand feet long—and once again felt the disparity between Central Earth and the Southern Barbarian lands.
On the pier, which stretched for thirty miles and was several miles wide, a large number of cultivators had already gathered.
Some arrived in carriages, others rode on majestic Spiritual Beasts, and still more stood about in small groups. From a distance, they formed a dense, dark mass numbering in the tens of thousands, all quietly waiting to board.
To the side were mountains of cargo, which Body Refining Cultivators were currently hauling into the gaping cargo holds in the bellies of the ships.
Just as Lü Zhong was quietly waiting to board, a voice suddenly sounded by his ear.
"Pardon me, you two. Might we step aside for a word?"
He turned to see a cultivator dressed in magnificent indigo robes. The man had the appearance of someone in their middle years, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, and he was currently smiling at them.