The dusk was as dark as ink, enveloping the towering structure of the Treasure Pavilion. As night fell, the auction commenced right on schedule—
At this moment, both the inner and outer seating areas were packed to the brim. Carved wooden chairs were occupied by cultivators of all kinds, and even the usually mysterious private booths were now softly illuminated by candlelight.
At the center of the venue, the night pearls embedded in the glazed dome dimmed one after another, leaving only nine bronze lamps adorned with dragon patterns to flare to life. The flickering flames within the lamps cast the auction stage in a brilliance as bright as daylight.
The sound of footsteps echoed as Mu Qianqian, clad in a radiant, flowing immortal gown, stepped gracefully onto the auction platform. The delicate fabric of the gown clung to her graceful figure, accentuating her every movement with an enchanting allure that drew the gazes of all the cultivators present.
"Esteemed immortals, welcome to the Treasure Pavilion’s auction. Since we’re all familiar faces here, I’ll skip the formalities."
Mu Qianqian’s smile was sweet as her eyes swept across the room. With a wave of her hand, a servant stepped forward, carrying a jade tray on which rested an ancient manual glowing faintly.
"The first item up for auction—the high-grade cultivation manual Thunderfire Sword, created by the Thunderfire Venerable. It is most suitable for cultivators with dual thunder and fire spiritual roots. When executed, thunder and fire intertwine, unleashing boundless power. The starting bid is five thousand spirit stones!"
As soon as these words were spoken, a stir rippled through the crowd.
High-grade manuals were indeed valuable, but for the major sects, they weren’t significant enough to draw the attention of their higher-ups. However, the independent cultivators in the outer seats were eager, their eyes gleaming with desire.
"Five thousand five!"
"Six thousand!"
Bids rose one after another until a burly cultivator with a rough, menacing face suddenly stood up, his voice booming like thunder:
"Who dares compete with me, Wang Batian? I bid seven thousand!" His aura surged, revealing his Golden Core realm cultivation, and a wave of intimidation spread through the room, momentarily silencing all challengers.
Yet, among the cultivators, there were those with deep pockets and unwavering determination. The price continued to climb.
In the end, Thunderfire Sword was sold for a staggering thirty-five thousand spirit stones to a gray-robed independent cultivator.
Inside one of the private booths, the elder from the Qingyun Sect’s Flying Sword Peak’s Scripture Pavilion wore a face as dark as storm clouds, his gaze fixed intently on Thunderfire Sword.
"Thunderfire Sword—it’s our Qingyun Sect’s manual!"
His voice was icy, brimming with fury.
Not only was this manual a treasured possession of the Qingyun Sect, but the elder also clearly remembered that the sect’s copy had a distinct flaw on one corner—identical to the one just auctioned.
"Elder, why didn’t we bid for it?" Zi Ning'er asked softly from beside him.
The elder let out a cold laugh, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes. "I’ve already sent disciples to tail the man who bought it. Why waste spirit stones when we can simply borrow it later?" He paused before adding,
"Besides, our main objective here is to bid for the divine beast’s essence blood. Until we secure that treasure, we should conserve our spirit stones as much as possible."
Zi Ning'er nodded slightly in agreement.
Yet, the elder’s brows remained furrowed, his tone laced with frustration. "If it weren’t for the fact that the Treasure Pavilion has the backing of a Holy Land, with our Qingyun Sect’s status, we wouldn’t need to tread so carefully just to gather evidence."
Holy Lands—these were entities that stood above even the greatest sects. Even a major sect like the Qingyun Sect dared not provoke them lightly.
To risk offending a Holy Land over a single manual would be a grave miscalculation.
The auction continued, with one high-grade manual after another making an appearance.
With each new display, the elder’s expression grew grimmer—Gale Steps, Profound Ice Art, Burning Heaven Palm… Without exception, these were all manuals that had recently gone missing from the Flying Sword Peak.
Watching these sect treasures being fought over in the auction, the elder’s rage burned fiercely, yet he had no choice but to suppress it.
Apart from rare treasures like divine pills, the various peaks of the Qingyun Sect were in fierce competition with one another, and the cultivation manuals housed in each peak’s Scripture Pavilion were their foundation.
With the Flying Sword Peak’s manuals all gone, their long-held top position was naturally dealt a heavy blow.
"Elder, what should we do next?" Zi Ning'er, noticing the elder’s grim expression, couldn’t help but ask again.
After a long silence, the elder’s eyes gleamed with cold determination. "Keep a close watch on the remaining auctions, and have our people monitor those who purchase the manuals. Once the auction ends, we must uncover the origins of these manuals at all costs."
He clenched his fists, his voice resolute. "No matter what, we will catch that thief!"
The atmosphere in the booth was thick with tension, yet the clamor of the auction hall showed no signs of abating.
Meanwhile, in another private booth, Ye Chuan leisurely snacked on fruit—after all, the high-grade manuals being auctioned off at the start were all ones he had sold.
"Another sum of spirit stones coming in. Not bad." Ye Chuan nodded in satisfaction. His cultivation breakthroughs now required spirit stones as well.
His system was no longer content with ordinary wealth and had begun demanding spirit stones and spirit crystals.
Even though he’d already started selling pills, it seemed he couldn’t just laze around.
"Still, the upgrades are pretty fast." Though it required spending, Ye Chuan could accept it for now.
After his items were sold, he didn’t rush to leave—
Because he had spotted something he wanted in the auction catalog.
[Dragon Claw]
A material he needed to advance to the Golden Core realm.
"After all, this is the Heavenly Dao Golden Core. The sooner I break through, the better." Munching on fruit fed to him by an attendant, Ye Chuan waited patiently until Mu Qianqian finally began introducing the item.
"This item is called Dragon Claw, taken from the Azure-Scaled Dragon of the Northern Sea," Mu Qianqian announced.
"The Azure-Scaled Dragon is a demon king at the late Golden Core stage, its formidable strength making even ordinary Golden Core cultivators hesitate to face it head-on. This material can be used in pill refinement, directly condensed into essence blood, or forged into weapons. The starting bid is two hundred thousand."
Bidding began sporadically from the floor, but the number of participants was limited.
It was just a dragon—and only at the Golden Core stage.
It fell into the awkward category of being too low-tier for high-level cultivators to care about, yet too expensive for low-level ones to afford.
"Two hundred fifty thousand." Ye Chuan finally joined the competition.
If the price was reasonable, he’d buy it. If not, he’d just "borrow" it from the winning bidder later.
However, the Dragon Claw was eventually driven up to eight hundred thousand, finally claimed by a guest in one of the private booths.
"…" Ye Chuan crossed his arms. Eight hundred thousand was too steep.
There was no need to spend his entire fortune on a single dragon claw—especially when he might not even secure it.
Extending his divine sense, he attempted to probe the nearby booth, only to find it shielded by an anti-detection formation.
"Oh?"
But Ye Chuan was far from helpless.
In fact, he had all sorts of strange and unconventional methods at his disposal. Figuring out what was happening in that booth would be child’s play.
A wisp of chaotic energy unfurled, condensing into a mosquito the size of a grain of rice.
"Go, my little Pokémon."
The mosquito, infused with chaotic energy, ignored the formation entirely and flitted straight into the booth.