Chapter 595 - 476: Auction (Bonus - 2/2)
"The Nine Netherworld is not without danger; it may nurture Yin Souls or Ghost Souls. You will have to handle these on your own, and if an accident occurs inside, we take no responsibility."
"Before the auction, the basic rules must be reiterated.
First, malicious bidding is not allowed.
If the auction ends and the bidder cannot produce enough wealth, a penalty of half the bidding price will be imposed.
Trust me, the Wey Clan can recover this loss.
Second, the auction accepts resources at the tier of Tier Two Upper Grade and above, as well as Top-grade Spirit Stones. If two cultivators offer resources and Top-grade Spirit Stones of similar value, the choice rests with the Wey Clan.
Third, the base price for a slot is sixty Top-grade Spirit Stones, with each increment not less than five Top-grade Spirit Stones.
Fourth, do not threaten the bidders."
Wey Tianhua glanced over the crowd below and asked:
"Is there anything unclear? Feel free to ask; I can supplement at any moment."
"No, let’s start."
The crowd became tense; the cultivators present all had pressing needs, with more wolves than meat, making it extremely difficult to obtain a slot.
"Alright, for ease of distinction, starting from my left are numbers one, two... six. The time for each to consider their bid is limited to one sand timer period.
Now, I announce the auction begins!"
With that, he pulled out a small sand timer to begin timing.
Ji An is number six.
Someone immediately couldn’t wait and said:
"Sixty Top-grade Spirit Stones."
"Eighty!"
"Eighty-five!"
"Ninety!"
"One hundred."
The scene immediately heated to a boil without the auctioneer’s prompting.
Missing this opportunity would mean waiting another twelve years, how many twelve years does one have in life!
Present were all Fifth Transformation of the Chao Origin Stage cultivators, quite wealthy; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been invited.
The Wey Clan naturally investigated the financial background of the invitees; otherwise, what point would there be in letting a bunch of paupers bid?
Acquiring a slot is quite costly, although many cultivators gain nothing upon entering the Spirit Realm, unable to comprehend the Mutual Generation Divine Intent of Earth-Born Gold, they don’t think this when entering.
Wey Tianhua listened to the bids with a serious expression, but his heart was elated.
It hadn’t been long, yet the bids already reached half the cost to buy a slot.
’Come on!’
Thinking this, his stern expression was hard to maintain, with the corners of his mouth quirking into a smile.
Realizing the inappropriate nature, he quickly restrained his smile, struggling to maintain a stern front.
Pretending to be tough is tiring, and so is pretending to be stern; he endured with difficulty.
The auction prices continued to interweave upward without pause, quickly reaching eighty percent of the purchase cost.
Wey Tianhua’s gaze swept over to where Ji An was, his brows slightly furrowed as the other party hadn’t bid once.
He recalled the other party’s profile, remembering he was a recommended candidate from a family talisman shop, apparently very skilled in Talisman Making.
Discreetly and closely observing his expression, he felt assured.
With years of auction experience, he knew the other party was likely the type to strike only at the end.
The cultivators’ bids slowed, some people’s bids began to include resources.
A veiled female cultivator called out:
"One hundred fifty Top-grade Spirit Stones, plus one Earth Marrow Bead."
She produced a Stone Bead exuding a warm yellow Spirit Light; it was an unwritten rule of the auction that resource equivalents required authenticity inspection.
The Earth Marrow Bead is a Tier Two Top-grade Spiritual Object, Wey Tianhua knew this signaled the start of the true contest.
He jumped off the stage and walked over to the female cultivator, took the Spiritual Bead to inspect carefully, and then said solemnly:
"The Earth Marrow Bead is of excellent quality, valued at thirty-five Top-grade Spirit Stones, do you agree?"
The female cultivator nodded, "Agree."
Wey Tianhua announced loudly:
"Number two fellow Daoist bids equivalent to one hundred eighty-five Top-grade Spirit Stones."
Shortly after his words fell, a cultivator clad in a russet Yin-Yang Fish Daoist Robe spoke:
"Five pounds of Six Yang Divine Soil, plus one hundred fifty-five Top-grade Spirit Stones."
Wey Tianhua recognized him as Zhang Daoyan, a puppet master well-known in the Immortal City, capable of refining Tier Two Top-grade Puppets.
It was said he was already over four hundred years old, such cultivators lacking sufficient lifespan were more willing to spare no expense for a slot.
If the cultivation method was special or they had consumed a Lifespan Extension Pill, the remaining lifespan might reach one hundred fifty years.
But time is the most expensive thing; missing the chance made further progress unlikely.
If a cultivator showed signs of blood and breath decline, it almost meant they had no hope of breaking through to the Great Realm.
Wey Tianhua inspected the Six Yang Divine Soil, saying:
"Five pounds of Tier Two Top-Grade Spirit Soil, valued at forty Top-grade Spirit Stones."
Zhang Daoyan nodded, "I agree."
"Number four fellow Daoist bids one hundred ninety-five Top-grade Spirit Stones."
The price climbed again, after rounds of competition, only three remained bidding.
The female cultivator bid again after a moment, Zhang Daoyan gritted his teeth and bid once more:
"Ten pounds of Six Yang Divine Soil, plus two hundred Spirit Stones.
Everyone, Zhang has limited lifespan, this slot is a must."
Wey Tianhua’s expression instantly turned gloomy, saying:
"Fellow Daoist Zhang, this is against the rules, any more remarks of this kind, the Wey Clan will eject you."
His words carried a tone infused with threat, which could disrupt others’ proper bidding.
"Forgive me, I was anxious."
Zhang Daoyan pretended to admit fault sincerely, then smiled and said:
"Everyone, do place your bids without concern."
Despite his words, Ji An could clearly feel others bidding more cautiously.
In the end, the bidding stalled.
Wey Tianhua watched as the fine sand in the hourglass swiftly flowed, soon halfway through, he called out: