Chapter 437: Chapter 420: Bidding
Wang Meng had been growing more and more excited lately. Besides Mingren, there were so many other opponents to look forward to. ’It would be great if I could fight them all.’
However, it was obvious that at this level of combat, Sword Techniques alone were not enough. These people’s Magic was likely formidable, and at critical moments, a Life Artifact or Holy Statue could decide the victor.
Linglong’s easy destruction of his Heart Bewitching Lock and Spirit Rhinoceros Finger had also given Wang Meng a sense of crisis.
Just as Bu Qingyun had such a clear understanding of his opponents, Wang Meng first needed a clear understanding of himself.
The greatest barrier for his Life Wheel in the Small Thousand World was its replication ability. This was likely unprecedented. If he wanted to go further, he had to push this ability to its absolute limit.
"Heh, this is Storm City’s auction house. It’s run by the Immortal Commerce Guild. Let’s go in and have a look. There’s an auction today, and the quality of the items here is quite good," Bu Qingyun said.
The auction house was magnificently built. As a hub for Cultivators, the Immortal Commerce Guild would never miss out on a major city like Storm City.
The doormen naturally recognized Bu Qingyun, the Young City Lord, and respectfully led the group inside.
They had reserved seats in the front row. There were already many Cultivators inside. The auction was currently underway, but it was still just the warm-up act with smaller items. The atmosphere was very lively, as items from the Immortal Auction House were always in high demand.
Currently up for auction was a Three-eyed Weasel. It was a Spirit Beast, but not one with strong combat abilities. Still, many people were vying for it. The blood of a Three-eyed Weasel could be used in Alchemy, especially for some top-grade Pills. All the Pill Cultivators present were very interested. Moreover, this Three-eyed Weasel was an adult, and one could tell from its fur that it was of high quality.
The items auctioned by the Immortal Commerce Guild were either extremely rare or high-quality, hot commodities. A Spirit Beast like this Three-eyed Weasel was needed by every Pill Cultivator, so despite the bidding war, it still sold for one thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones.
Normally, it would sell for only about eight hundred on the open market, but in the atmosphere here, an extra two hundred Top-Grade Spirit Stones vanished like water.
After a few more rounds, the main auction began. The host also changed from a charming female Cultivator with exposed thighs to a middle-aged male Cultivator.
"Welcome, honored guests, to the Immortal Commerce Storm City Auction House. The Immortal Commerce Guild will certainly not disappoint you," the middle-aged Cultivator said unhurriedly, his gaze slowly sweeping over the front row.
"Our first item today is one Primordial Transmission Talisman. It is damaged but usable. However, the return trip is unstable. The bidding starts at five thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones, with a minimum increment of one thousand," the middle-aged Cultivator said with a faint smile.
The Primordial Transmission Array was of a very high level. Without sufficient strength, going there was a death sentence. However, it was very attractive to those present, especially those eager to break through to the Great Perfection realm. Relics from the Primordial Chaos were things that could change their destiny.
Bids rang out one after another. Some were even from teams of Cultivators pooling their resources. After all, it was dangerous to go to such a place alone, so it was better to go together. Such teams were common in major cities.
In the end, this Primordial Map sold for a staggering thirteen thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones.
Master Wang’s eyes were opened. ’So this is how easy it is to make money.’
The middle-aged Cultivator’s expression didn’t change, as if this was just a minor transaction, but he still wore a merchant’s smile.
"The second item: a Nine Heavens Fire Simurgh, juvenile."
Two busty, long-legged female Cultivators wheeled out a cage. They were heavily made-up, and, it had to be said, quite a few Cultivators seemed interested.
The red cloth was pulled away, revealing a Nine Heavens Fire Simurgh to the crowd.
The Nine Heavens Fire Simurgh was considered a top-tier Spirit Beast. However, it faced a problem: it was very difficult to raise to adulthood, requiring vast resources. But for a large Sect, they could afford to spend the time to cultivate it, eventually making it the Sect’s Divine Beast.
The Nine Heavens Fire Simurgh in the cage was furious, spewing flames wildly. But the cage was clearly no ordinary item; it was even inscribed with an Array Technique. The flames dissipated the moment they touched the bars.
"One hundred thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones, with a minimum increment of ten thousand."
The Nine Heavens Fire Simurgh thrashed about angrily. Suddenly, it saw Wang Meng in the front row. Wang Meng, too, had subconsciously paid more attention when he heard the name "Nine Heavens Fire Simurgh."
When their eyes met, Wang Meng nearly jumped out of his seat. ’...Damn it, it’s Eight Discount!’
Seeing Wang Meng, Eight Discount stopped struggling and looked at him pitifully.
Master Wang was stunned. ’How did this little guy end up here? One hundred thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones... damn! Compared to his previous net worth, this was truly the difference between the price of a wild chicken and a Phoenix.’
Wang Meng instinctively reached for his pocket. ’For crying out loud! I have to buy him no matter what. I’m most worried about Zhao Lingxuan. What happened?’
"One hundred and ten thousand!"
The bidding had begun. In a small city, no one would bother, but Storm City was one of the top-tier cities for Saint Cultivators, and there was no shortage of wealthy individuals.
Wang Meng froze. It wasn’t because of the price, but because his hand had found a handful of... Spirit Stones.
Linglong must have secretly slipped them to him at some point. ’This...’
Suddenly, Wang Meng felt a pang of regret. ’I’m a man, after all. Why was I so petty? Couldn’t I have been more patient and talked things out properly?’
"Two hundred thousand, going once."
A single high-quality Spirit Stone was equivalent to one hundred thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones.
"Three hundred thousand!" a voice suddenly rang out. The entire auction hall was stunned for a moment. Everyone else had been increasing the bid by ten thousand at a time, and someone had just abruptly raised it by one hundred thousand.
Bu Qingyun and the others looked over and saw that it was Wang Meng.
Fan Xiaoniao jumped in fright. "Mengzi, don’t joke around! You absolutely have to pay here. The Immortal Commerce Guild is not to be trifled with."
Wang Meng smiled. "It’s fine."
Bu Qingyun was also a bit curious. A move this extravagant was not something an ordinary person could make.
The middle-aged Cultivator glanced at Wang Meng, his expression unchanged. "Three hundred thousand, going once."
’By adding one hundred thousand at once, I’m trying to make the others back off. Bidding in increments of ten thousand would just be more trouble. Besides, I have to buy Eight Discount no matter what.’
’Damn it, this is a huge loss. With a name like Eight Discount, you’d think I’d get one.’
"Three hundred thousand, going twice!"
Wang Meng was sitting in the front row with Bu Qingyun and his group. Who knew what prestigious family this young master was from? The other Cultivators in the hall couldn’t be bothered to challenge him.
"Three hundred thousand, going three times. Sold!"
"Mengzi, do you really have that much?"
Wang Meng nodded. "A friend of mine left some Spirit Stones with me for safekeeping. I’ll have to borrow them for now. This Nine Heavens Fire Simurgh is my Eight Discount. I have no idea how he ended up here."
"Ah, but isn’t he..."
"Something’s fishy about this whole thing, which is all the more reason I had to buy him."
Wang Meng nodded. He had no favorable impression of the Immortal Commerce Guild. ’Immortal Commerce... what an arrogant name.’
As soon as the sale was concluded, a busty female Cultivator walked over. "Hello, honored guest. Please come this way to confirm your purchase."
She even shot a flirtatious glance at Wang Meng as she spoke. Master Wang could only suppress his disgust. He had absolutely no interest in such coquettish displays.
"Heh heh, I am a Steward of the auction house. And how may I address this honored guest?"
"I want to inspect this Nine Heavens Fire Simurgh first," Wang Meng said, ignoring him.
"No problem, this way please." The auction house Steward’s expression remained unchanged. There were always difficult customers.
Wang Meng opened the cage and lifted out Eight Discount. "How did you get here? Where’s Ling Xuan?"
Eight Discount looked utterly aggrieved and poured out all his grievances to Wang Meng at once.
Zhao Lingxuan had sent him out to deliver a message, but the Nine Heavens Fire Simurgh got distracted by a Four-Winged Feathered Serpent—a favorite food of Fire Simurghs. As a result, he was captured by a group of cultivators lying in ambush.
Based on the description Eight Discount provided, the culprits were clearly from the Immortal Commerce Guild as well. ’What an infuriating loss. The Immortal Commerce Guild’s reach is truly far and wide. It seems getting my revenge will have to wait.’
Wang Meng took out three Spirit Stones, which immediately made the auction house Steward’s eyes light up. His attitude became even more respectful. The busty female Cultivator beside them looked like she was ready to tear her clothes off.
He placed the Nine Heavens Fire Simurgh on his shoulder. "You need to be more careful from now on. Stay with me for a while, and then I’ll send you back to the Holy Hall."
Eight Discount glared viciously at the auction house staff, looking as if he wanted to burn the place down.
’Actually, Wang Meng wanted to as well. Damn it, three Spirit Stones! Even though Linglong left them for him, he really didn’t want to use them unless he had no other choice.’
’To think that he’d just pulled down her pants and spanked her, and now here he was using her Spirit Stones. His face burned with shame. That little guy! He should have just stayed put instead of running all over the place!’
Eight Discount was also frustrated. Who knew eating a Four-Winged Feathered Serpent could lead to such a disaster? Still, he was happy to see Wang Meng. The slobbering Master Wang seemed different now, not so... rustic.
Wang Meng returned to his seat. If he knew what Eight Discount was thinking, he would have coughed up blood.
Song Yifan also took a liking to Eight Discount, gently stroking his feathers. "He’s so beautiful."
Eight Discount didn’t mind Song Yifan, closing his eyes to enjoy the beautiful woman’s attention.
"This is the Eight Discount I told you about. He ran into a bit of trouble," Wang Meng said.
Song Yifan was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. "The Immortal Commerce Guild sells everything. They don’t care about the source."
Meanwhile, at the far edge of the sky in the Great Yuan Realm, there was a mysterious place known as the Pure Land—the most vital land in the entire realm.
"How is Mingren’s progress?"
"Reporting to the Saintess, his progress can only be described as divine speed. It is inconceivable, truly inconceivable," the middle-aged man in a suit of armor said respectfully.
The young woman smiled faintly. "The Holy Light Demon Collapse Body is no small matter. This is only the beginning."
The young woman was barefoot, her flawless, jade-like feet unstained by dust, inspiring a sense of tenderness. The middle-aged knight kept his gaze straight ahead, holding a heartfelt respect for the young woman before him.
As the commander of the Pure Land Knight Order, Ji Guang was not widely known, but he was one of the realm’s top masters.
"And Lin Jinghao?"
"Just as you predicted, he is undergoing a transformation after absorbing the Dragon Slayer. If all goes well, he should also be able to attain the level of one of the Ten Great Sacred Bodies."
The young woman nodded, swinging her pale feet. The mere sight of those jade-like feet was enough to make one want to prostrate themselves.
"Wu Wang has already discovered the Ghost Gate. If he can pass through it, he will achieve a significant boost in power," Ji Guang said. They were keeping track of the movements of every core expert of the younger generation.
"And Wang Meng... how is he doing?"
As she spoke this name, the young woman’s jade-like feet shifted restlessly.
Ji Guang sighed inwardly. "He is currently in Storm City, with no notable progress... It seems he had a conflict with Princess Linglong."
"Is that so..." The young woman’s eyes held a hint of confusion.
’Ji Guang understood. Some things were very dangerous. If necessary, even if it meant disobeying a direct order, he would kill Wang Meng.’
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