Chapter Forty-Nine: The Auction Begins

“Brother Lin, you may not know this, but there happens to be an auction in this Immortal Medical Market tomorrow. Would you care to stay and witness it?” Tan Zhuo said. In fact, Tan Zhuo had originally assumed that Lin Yanghao came for the auction as well, only to discover that Lin Yanghao’s sole purpose was to purify a beast core.

“In that case, I’ll stay and have a look at this auction,” Lin Yanghao replied after a moment’s thought. He figured it would be a good opportunity to broaden his horizons.

“Brother Tan, I notice that the cultivators in this market don’t seem very advanced. What’s your own cultivation level? Why can’t I sense it at all? If you hadn’t been able to enter this market, I would have thought you were an ordinary mortal,” Lin Yanghao asked in puzzlement. All along the way, he had sensed the fluctuations of spiritual energy around him and found that the cultivators here were roughly on his own level, with the strongest perhaps just at the Foundation Establishment stage.

“High-level cultivators wouldn’t frequent such low-tier places, Brother Lin. Perhaps you don’t know: these markets are divided by rank. The Immortal Medical Market we’re in is just a lower-tier market. At most, there are a few Foundation Establishment overseers, but the majority are at various stages of Qi Refinement, with the highest being the early stages of Foundation Establishment. As for myself, I’m at the initial stage of Foundation Establishment. To avoid attracting unnecessary trouble along the way, my father gave me a magic artifact to conceal my cultivation. Unless one has reached the Core Formation stage, it’s impossible to see through it,” Tan Zhuo explained.

“I see, so Brother Tan has already reached Foundation Establishment. Truly enviable!” Lin Yanghao now realized that markets, too, had their own hierarchy. On reflection, it made sense—if high and low-level cultivators mixed freely, chaos would be inevitable. He was also inwardly astonished by both Tan Zhuo’s cultivation and the efficacy of the concealment artifact.

“There’s no need to be surprised, Brother Lin. My rapid progress is thanks to my family and elders, while you have reached the peak of Qi Refinement entirely through your own efforts. That is truly admirable. I believe you are not far from Foundation Establishment yourself,” Tan Zhuo continued.

Tan Zhuo accompanied Lin Yanghao to a pill refining pavilion, for purifying a beast core also required a pill refiner.

Upon inquiry, Lin Yanghao learned that purifying this fire-type beast core would cost twenty lower-grade spirit stones. At first, Tan Zhuo insisted on paying, but Lin Yanghao refused. After some debate, Lin Yanghao insisted on paying himself, using Tan Zhuo’s participation in the auction as a reason. Seeing Lin Yanghao’s resolve—and knowing he’d need money for the auction the next day—Tan Zhuo reluctantly let him pay.

Lin Yanghao didn’t have many spirit stones left, only thirty-one. He’d already used one for cultivation, and handing over twenty at once was a painful blow. Still, compared to his cultivation, such things were of lesser importance.

After several hours, Lin Yanghao finally received the purified fire-type beast core. Though its appearance changed little, he was satisfied.

As night fell, Lin Yanghao and Tan Zhuo found an inn. Lin Yanghao was surprised that a single room cost one lower-grade spirit stone. This time, Tan Zhuo insisted on paying, and seeing his determination, Lin Yanghao finally relented.

That day, after the battle with the black beast and the long journey, Lin Yanghao was utterly exhausted. He didn’t cultivate but fell asleep immediately upon returning to his room.

The next morning, Lin Yanghao was awakened by a knock at his door. Groggy, he opened it to find Tan Zhuo rousing him.

“Brother Lin, the auction begins in an hour. We’d best hurry!” Tan Zhuo urged.

At that moment, Lin Yanghao’s stomach rumbled embarrassingly.

“Ah, how forgetful of me. You haven’t reached Foundation Establishment and still need to eat. Come, let’s have breakfast first. There’s still time,” said Tan Zhuo, realizing for the first time that, unlike himself, Lin Yanghao still required food.

Once one reached Foundation Establishment, one could abstain from food and survive on spiritual energy alone, which was why Tan Zhuo had overlooked this detail.

After a quick meal, the two made their way to the auction. Tan Zhuo led Lin Yanghao directly to Bid Room Six. Entering, Lin Yanghao was surprised: though the furnishings were simple, they exuded understated luxury. He wondered how much it cost to reserve such a room. Yet Tan Zhuo had been with him the whole time—when had he arranged it?

“Each of the noble families has a dedicated bid room at the auction,” Tan Zhuo explained, having read Lin Yanghao’s curiosity.

They had just sat down when the auction began, hosted by a young woman. Lin Yanghao mused that they certainly understood the art of using beautiful women to attract business.

“Our annual Immortal Medical Market auction is now underway,” the young woman, introducing herself as Qingying, announced. “Thank you all for being here. This year, we have many rare and precious lots.”

“Our first item is a lower-tier magic weapon—the Celestial Star Sword—crafted from the bones of a Celestial Star Shadow Tiger. I need not elaborate on its power. The starting price is one hundred lower-grade spirit stones. Let the bidding begin!” Qingying declared.

“I bid one hundred spirit stones!” a burly man in the front row called out.

With that, the bidding became lively.

“One hundred and ten spirit stones!”

“One hundred and twenty spirit stones!”

...

“I bid two hundred spirit stones!” The first bidder jumped straight to two hundred.

“No further bids? Two hundred spirit stones, first call! Second call! Third call! Congratulations to this fellow cultivator for winning the Celestial Star Sword,” Qingying concluded.

The final price for this lower-tier magic weapon astonished Lin Yanghao. He never imagined that even the lowest-grade magic weapon could fetch two hundred spirit stones. How much more would the higher-tier weapons and spiritual artifacts command? He silently resolved that unless his strength was sufficient, he must never reveal the dagger he had made from Soul-Nourishing Wood. Recalling how much that old monster, Master Muyu, had valued it, Lin Yanghao realized his dagger was indeed a precious artifact.