Chapter 353: Chapter 236: Playing 5D Chess
Her words instantly ignited the crowd, which had been as still as a stagnant pond. The room erupted in a clamor for a simple reason: Sword Pills were exceedingly rare on the market, to say nothing of a Tier Two High-Grade one.
The cost to create one was exorbitant, and the refining process was incredibly difficult. No one in the current Daqi Cultivation World was capable of making them, leaving them in a state where they were priceless but impossible to find. Many cultivators desperately sought one to no avail.
If it were merely a matter of rarity, it wouldn’t have been enough to spark such excitement.
The main reason was that a Sword Pill’s power was directly tied to its grade. A Tier Two High-Grade pill meant that each activation unleashed an attack equivalent to the full-power strike of a Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator—and there were no cultivation requirements to use it.
For this reason, it was an excellent choice, whether for self-defense or as a gift for a younger-generation disciple.
There were many people in attendance, but no more than five had reached the Late-stage of Foundation Establishment. For everyone else, winning this item would mean a fundamental leap in their power.
As for the cultivators whose cultivation was beyond Late-stage Foundation Establishment, they might not need it themselves, but who didn’t have a few cherished juniors?
So, the moment Song Luyun finished speaking, many cultivators began eagerly preparing to outbid one another.
Although she had already ignited the crowd’s excitement, Song Luyun didn’t rush to start the bidding. Instead, she took out the Sword Pill to give a demonstration.
She infused a wisp of Spiritual Power into the item. The pigeon-egg-sized "metal ball" instantly transformed into a streak of Sword Light and shot forth. With no specific target, she controlled the slender flying sword, which the Sword Pill had become, and had it circle once above the crowd. It then returned to her hand, where it spun around her fingertips like a silk ribbon.
This was undoubtedly a brazen move, but far from being offended, the crowd’s excitement grew even more intense as they watched the flying sword on Song Luyun’s fingertips.
As the flying sword passed over their heads, everyone palpably felt the powerful Sword Intent it contained. Even the Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators felt a chill run down their spines.
It even stirred a keen interest in many cultivators who had originally no intention of bidding.
Taking in the scene, the corners of Song Luyun’s mouth lifted into a faint smile. ’This is exactly the effect I wanted!’
However, one person’s expression darkened—it was Fellow Daoist Zhang, the cultivator who had come for this very Sword Pill from the start.
Her demonstration had just created many more competitors for him.
He glanced at the Storage Bag at his waist, then turned to the old man beside him. "Mr. Qii, I must have this Sword Pill, no matter the cost. I’ll need your help."
The old man nodded solemnly. "Fellow Daoist Zhang, do what you must."
Fellow Daoist Zhang shot him a grateful look.
Seeing that the excitement had been sufficiently stoked, Song Luyun chose this moment to announce, "The starting price for this treasure is five thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, with a minimum bid increment of five hundred. Fellow Daoists, you may begin."
The words had barely left her mouth when a voice called out from the second floor, "Ten thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones!"
"Thirteen thousand," someone else shot back, not to be outdone.
The bids flew back and forth, and the price quickly soared to thirty-five thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones. This was no small sum, and the number of bidders had dwindled significantly.
Seeing his chance, Fellow Daoist Zhang immediately raised the bid to forty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
Perhaps sensing his absolute determination, the few remaining competitors simultaneously gave up.
Having successfully won the Sword Pill, Fellow Daoist Zhang was overjoyed and immediately hurried backstage to complete the transaction.
But by then, no one was paying him any mind. Song Luyun had already presented the second auction item: a bottle of Tier Two Top-Grade Celestial Tempering Pills.
Its value was considerably less than the Sword Pill’s, but many cultivators still placed bids, and it ultimately sold for two thousand Spirit Stones.
As time went on, items were sold one after another, and Song Luyun grew more and more comfortable in her role as auctioneer.
Soon, the first day of the auction concluded successfully, with a total of thirty-five treasures sold.
The second day was even more frenzied than the first. The materials harvested from the Great Demon Silver Moon all sold for prices far exceeding expectations.
The Dragon Ascending Pills, which could help a Foundation Establishment Cultivator break through their bottleneck, also triggered a frantic bidding war. There were three pills in total, each selling for around twenty thousand Spirit Stones. Mr. Qii also managed to secure one, just as he had hoped.
Two consecutive days of auctions brought the crowd’s excitement to a fever pitch, filling everyone with anticipation for the final day.
This was because not one of the three Spiritual Artifacts announced by the Song Clan had yet appeared.
These artifacts were the true goal for many of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators in attendance.
「The night passed in the blink of an eye, and the final auction began as scheduled.」
Song Luyun started things off with a bombshell.
"This is the Low-Grade Spiritual Artifact, the Water Stabilizing Banner. It can be used for both offense and defense, and it can stabilize rivers, lakes, and even seas. There is no reserve price. Please, bid as you see fit."
The moment she finished speaking, people began bidding impatiently. In less than a quarter of an hour, the price had skyrocketed, finally selling for forty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones to a Foundation Establishment Loose Cultivator.
Many cultivators who missed out on it weren’t too discouraged. After all, according to the earlier announcements, there were still two more to come.
Little did they know that the owners of those two items had already been decided. No matter how many Spirit Stones they possessed, they could only look on and sigh.
The items for the final day’s auction consisted mainly of vacant ore veins and Spiritual Veins in Ling Province. The Song Clan was selling the majority, with the rest consigned by the Martial Spirit Sect, the Wang Clan, and others.
These Spiritual Veins also sparked fierce bidding wars and were all quickly sold.
Then, Song Luyun brought out another Low-Grade Spiritual Artifact: the Mountain-Opening Axe.
After a heated contest, the price soared to forty-five thousand Spirit Stones, leaving only two bidders in the running.
One party was the Xu Clan from Bian Province. The Xu Clan was quite powerful, boasting six Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and their resources were not to be underestimated. As a result, they bid with great confidence, carrying an air of ’who else but us could win this?’
The other party was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator completely shrouded in a black robe. Every time the Xu Clan placed a bid, he would instantly counter with a much higher one, infuriating Elder Xu to the point of murder.
"Fifty thousand Spirit Stones!" Elder Xu snarled through gritted teeth, desperately suppressing his fury. ’You bastard, I’m not backing down now!’
But the black-robed man simply leaned back, crossed his legs, and said nonchalantly, "Fifty-five thousand."
He raised the bid by five thousand Spirit Stones in one breath, as if he were talking about a mere number, not a fortune in Spirit Stones.
Elder Xu slammed the table in anger. ’Where did this rich bastard come from? This price has long since surpassed what a Low-Grade Spiritual Artifact is worth!’
"Hmph! I bid sixty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones! Match that if you can!" Elder Xu’s eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like he wanted to tear the man apart.
He thought this price would surely scare off his opponent, but to his surprise, the man just said lightly, "Seventy thousand."
Elder Xu’s eyes bulged, and he almost kicked the table over.
Fortunately, his clansmen beside him managed to stop him in time.
He wasn’t a fool. Once he calmed down, he realized something was off.
’I’ve seen this tactic plenty of times before—using a shill to maliciously drive up the price.’
With this in mind, he flicked his sleeve and said coldly, "Since you want it so badly, then I will let you have it!"
He believed he had seen through the Song Clan’s ploy and deliberately refused to bid again.
He had expected the man to be shocked or regretful, but instead, the man let out a loud laugh and cheerfully scampered off to the back to complete the transaction.
The joy in his laughter sounded completely genuine.
’Could it be... I was wrong?’ For a moment, Elder Xu began to doubt his own judgment.
Watching the entire scene unfold from the third floor, Song Changsheng smiled faintly. ’You think you’ve figured out the second layer of my plan, but I’m already in the stratosphere. It’s just that lummox Song Lutong’s acting is a little clumsy, but it’s fine.’
Immediately after, Song Changsheng had Song Chang’an repeat the same tactic, successfully bidding on and securing the final Low-Grade Spiritual Artifact, the Heaven-Equalizing Sword.
It had to be said, Song Chang’an’s performance was far more subtle than Song Lutong’s; he didn’t arouse any suspicion at all.
With that, the auction came to a successful conclusion, and everyone departed, thoroughly satisfied.
Song Changsheng eagerly called a clan meeting to take stock of their gains...
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