Chronicles of the Abyss

"Young Sect Master, you still need to eat. Getting angry will only harm yourself—it won’t change anything."

Elder Steward tossed aside a pig’s trotter and chuckled lightly. "If we’ve suffered a loss, we’ll just find a way to get even."

"I wonder what Li Mo came to the auction for..."

Qiao Ziyu touched the storage pouch at his chest. Inside were eight hundred spirit crystals, the accumulated savings of the sect over many years.

"Young Sect Master, take a look at this."

Elder Steward reached into his robe and produced a translucent glass vial containing a peculiar insect.

"When did you get your hands on an Emotion Devourer?"

This was a unique type of gu worm—completely harmless yet nearly impossible to guard against. It could sense emotions and change color based on their intensity, functioning similarly to deep-sea silk, which was also cultivated from high-grade marine threads.

"With this, we’ll know exactly what Li Mo truly desires."

Elder Steward smiled.

"Excellent! With this, we can drive up the price of whatever he’s determined to win. Today, we’ll repay him for that debt of two hundred spirit crystals!"

......

"What was the first auction item again?"

Li Mo had also entered the venue, sitting in the front row alongside Elder Qian.

The hall was packed, with at least six or seven thousand people in attendance. In truth, far more were interested in the auction, but only a select few met the entry requirements.

Upon arrival, each guest received a small jade token to raise when bidding on desired items.

"Welcome, honored guests, to the Dongzhu Pavilion Auction. This year, multiple undersea ruins have been excavated, yielding numerous rare treasures that are sure to satisfy your expectations."

The host was Lan Tian, dressed in a light blue deep-sea silk gown, her azure hair tied into a bun.

"I thought this girl didn’t like appearing in crowded places?"

Elder Qian was puzzled.

The mermaid princess was known for her timid nature—even hosting the 'Golden Mountain Subsidy' event had made her nervous.

"At first, I thought it was the crowd too, but then I realized the truth."

Li Mo shook his head helplessly. "She... actually has trypophobia, especially when faced with dense crowds of people."

Elder Qian: "?"

What kind of illness was that?

Though he’d never heard of it, it wasn’t hard to grasp.

"So how did you cure her?"

"Oh, I just showed her my storage pouch."

"That worked?"

"It was packed full of gold coins."

"...A miraculous cure, Little Mo."

Elder Qian glanced at Lan Tian, now much more confident on stage, and suddenly found the treatment method oddly fitting.

"The first item up for auction is a fifth-realm Deepsea Orca’s Pearl. Wearing it aids in tempering the physique, making it a sacred treasure for body refinement cultivators. Alternatively, it can be crushed for a short-term, massive boost to physical strength!"

"Starting bid: eight spirit crystals."

Lan Tian lifted the red cloth and gave a detailed introduction.

The item immediately drew widespread attention.

Everyone wanted a stronger physique, but body refinement was one of the most grueling paths of martial cultivation. Despite the steep price, many were tempted.

"Well? Does he want this?"

Qiao Ziyu, seated at the far end of the front row, turned to ask his companion.

"The Emotion Devourer hasn’t changed color..."

Elder Steward was equally puzzled. Hadn’t they heard Li Mo was a formidable physical cultivator, specializing in body refinement?

The Edible Essence Worm remained white, indicating that Li Mo had no interest in it whatsoever...

"Young Hero Li's first bid! Eight Mystic Crystals."

At this moment, Lan Tian's voice rang out again from above.

"If he's not interested, why is he bidding?"

Both Qiao Ziyu and the elder were puzzled—could there be something wrong with the Edible Essence Worm?

Though the reason was unclear, since Li Mo wanted it, Qiao Ziyu had no intention of letting him obtain it easily.

"The young master of the Lingxi Sect bids nine!"

"Young Hero Li bids..."

"The Lingxi Sect's young master bids..."

At first, many participated, but gradually, only the two of them were left shouting prices.

Finally, after some thought, Li Mo gave up.

The item was truly useless to him—his physique had long surpassed the need for it, and buying it would only mean storing it in the Qingyuan Sect's warehouse.

"That Qiao Ziyu seems to be deliberately driving up the price against us?" Qian Bufan remarked.

"Pay him no mind."

Li Mo had anticipated this.

"Hmph, a small victory."

Qiao Ziyu felt a sense of vindication.

"Young Master, that thing is worth fifteen Mystic Crystals at most, yet you just... spent thirty."

Elder Steward sighed. "You mustn't act impulsively. Wait until he truly sets his heart on something before making your move."

Qiao Ziyu's smug grin stiffened, and he could only nod in agreement.

"The second auction item is a pair of Ruyi Jade Locks."

The locks consisted of two pieces that could be joined together or separated, shaped like yin-yang fish, their surfaces shimmering with light.

Lan Tian continued her introduction:

"These jade locks are ancient treasures from the ruins. The Yang Jade strengthens the physique and enhances constitution, while the Yin Jade absorbs the energy of heaven and earth, accelerating cultivation progress. The two cannot be used simultaneously, but both are rare treasures."

"Starting bid: ten Mystic Crystals."

The Edible Essence Worm remained white.

Yet Li Mo placed a bid again, securing it for twelve Mystic Crystals in the end.

Soon, the third and fourth auction items were presented.

Most of the earlier items were weapons, manuals, or rare curiosities—none of which particularly interested Li Mo.

Qiao Ziyu no longer competed with him, so Li Mo casually purchased them.

Not just Qiao Ziyu, but everyone else was baffled. Why was Young Hero Li buying every single item?

Most attendees at the auction had specific targets in mind, given their limited budgets...

Just how wealthy was Li Mo's family, buying whatever he laid eyes on?

Didn’t he fear exhausting his funds and missing out on the things he truly wanted later?

"What exactly is he interested in?"

Qiao Ziyu was utterly confused.

Just then, Elder Steward beside him whispered urgently:

"The Edible Essence Worm is changing color!"

Sure enough, the thumb-sized white worm rapidly shifted from white to green, then blue, purple, and finally—a searing red!

It glowed so intensely it seemed about to explode.

This meant Li Mo's desire had reached its peak!

"What could it be that stirs such longing in him?"

Qiao Ziyu quickly turned his gaze to the stage.

At that moment, Lan Tian's introduction reached the item in question:

"Three-thousand-year-old Sea Silk, already imbued with sentience—utterly unique, one of a kind. Starting bid: three Mystic Crystals."

It wasn’t expensive.

In fact, most present had little interest, as the item was merely rare with limited practical use.

Glancing at the worm, now red as if about to burst...

"?"

A question mark floated above Qiao Ziyu's head.

What in the world could Li Mo possibly want with this thing?