Chapter Thirteen: The Underground Auction

  After buying a large amount of dan medicine, Ishikawa discovered that he had actually forgotten about the method. To know, a good method can absolutely double the effect of cultivation. However, for Ishikawa now, it is undoubtedly very difficult to find a top-level method, because methods can be copied, low-level methods are widely spread and are not worth much spiritual stone, while high-level methods, most owners cherish them and will not take them out for sale.

  "Is there any cultivation method or equipment refinement technique here?" Ishikawa asked tentatively.

  "Sir, would you like to order something else?" The shopkeeper's mouth was smiling all the way to his ears. "Yes, yes, yes, please come inside, sir."

  Due to Ishikawa's generosity, the shopkeeper can no longer treat Ishikawa as an ordinary customer.

  Before long, the shop assistant brought over a large pile of manuals and equipment instructions. Every type was included.

  Ishikawa couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, this Treasure Gathering Hall's strength is extraordinary.

  For the cultivation method, Ishikawa had nothing to choose from, because Ishikawa had never cultivated any cultivation method before, so he took the simplest earth-based cultivation method. This made the shopkeeper extremely disappointed.

  Then, Ishikawa began to look at the alchemy recipes again. These recipes were varied and disorganized, with low and high levels mixed together. Ishikawa had some experience with alchemy, so he was naturally very interested in reading them. Unfortunately, all the recipes sold in this store were sealed with a secret method, and only a few numbers could be seen. However, this still made Ishikawa feel extremely satisfied.

  Ishikawa bought so many elixirs that the shopkeeper couldn't say anything and just quietly waited on the side.

  Ishikawa was free from external disturbances and became even more immersed in it.

  After a while, the shopkeeper looked out of the window and said to Ishikawa: "Sir, it's getting late. If you have nothing important to do, you can stay until we close, but I'm afraid if you have something urgent, it won't be good."

  Ishikawa heard this and looked up outside, it was actually getting a bit dark.

  "How long have I been here?" Ishikawa asked with some confusion.

  "It's almost three hours now."

  "What? Three hours?" Ishikawa didn't realize that he had spent so much time here. He was thinking of wandering around to see if there were anything he needed, but now most shops would be closing soon.

  Ishikawa glanced through them and picked out a few advanced alchemy manuals, along with the earth-based skill manual, and handed them to the shop assistant.

  The young shopkeeper's eyebrows couldn't help but reveal a hint of a smile, it seemed that this afternoon's wait hadn't been in vain, these few manuals for refining equipment were quite pricey after all.

  But after the shopkeeper took a look at the refining technique manual chosen by Ishikawa, he took a deep breath and said, "How did you bring this out?"

  "What's wrong?" Ishikawa asked curiously.

  The young shopkeeper cleared his throat and said seriously: "The 'True Shield Decision' chosen by the guest only describes a method of refining a magical instrument. Moreover, the refinement of this magical instrument is extremely complicated, and even if it is successfully refined, the consumption is unbearable for ordinary people. Because there is a seal, the guest may not be able to see the requirements inside, so please consider again."

  This is a rare book that only explains the refining method of a certain magical tool. Ishikawa was also curious and wanted to take it back for research, but when he heard what the shopkeeper said, his curiosity grew even more. As for whether he could refine it successfully or not, Ishikawa didn't think much about it; the more complex it was, the more interesting it became to him. But this one consumed a huge amount of energy, and Ishikawa couldn't understand why.

  The shopkeeper said, "It's said that every time the True Shield is used, it consumes a large amount of Red Copper. I've heard it can consume over a hundred Spirit Stones at once. I'm just repeating what others have told me, as for the True Shield artifact itself, I really haven't seen it."

  "Red copper." Ishikawa felt a bit relieved, as the earth mother stone had the most red copper besides refined gold and mysterious iron, and it was still increasing. Even if he used it all up at once, what did it matter? If he could refine a life-saving artifact, it would be well worth it.

  "Calculate the price, I have other things to attend to." Ishikawa said coldly.

  The young shopkeeper saw Ishikawa's determination and didn't say anything more: "There are three volumes of equipment manuals, which will cost you 100 spirit stones. As for the basic earth-based techniques, consider them a bonus."

  Ishikawa nodded, this price is also acceptable. After putting away the unsealed skills, Ishikawa quickly left the Treasure Pavilion. At this time, the streets were already lit up with lanterns and there were hardly a few people in sight on the streets of Xiuzhen Town.

  Ishikawa looked at the shops along the road, most of which had already closed, making Ishikawa feel a little disappointed. Although he had bought all the elixirs and skills he needed, he hadn't been able to enter most places, leaving Ishikawa with a lingering sense of loss.

  "That's right, go to the wine house and get some good dishes, walk and eat along the way. Anyway, as long as it's before dawn, just follow those ordinary people who deliver food up the mountain."

  At this moment, a man suddenly emerged from the corner of the wall. He was tall and thin, with dark skin, and in the darkness, only a few teeth were white.

  "Fellow Taoist, you've bought quite a few things at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion just now, haven't you?" The newcomer said in a low voice.

  Ishikawa's heart tightened involuntarily, and he looked at his current location in the center of Xiuzhen Town, saying coldly, "What does this have to do with you?"

  "Don't worry too much." The thin man smiled wryly and said, "Do you think I would do something bad to you in the middle of the town? What I want to tell you is that although the Treasure Gathering Hall has a great reputation, there are actually very few genuine treasures, and they are extremely expensive. I want to tell you about a good place where there are many top-grade artifacts, and if you're lucky, you can even buy them at a very low price."

  "What good would it do you if I were to buy these treasures?" Ishikawa interrupted, still harboring great suspicions about this person.

  "My friend is thinking too much, what I told you is an underground auction house, located in the center of the town. If my friend is interested, then follow me to take a look, if not interested, then forget it."

  "Underground auction house?" Ishikawa hadn't heard of it, but having heard that it was nearby, he also had the idea to go take a look. As long as it ends at midnight, he should be able to make it back without any issues.

  "Would you lead the way for me?" Ishikawa thought for a moment and made up his mind.

  He walked with the thin man for dozens of yards before arriving at an ordinary storefront. The thin man rhythmically knocked on the door a few times, and a middle-aged woman came out to greet them.

  "Wu San, it's you again. It's so late already." The middle-aged woman said with a fierce tone, although this person was just an ordinary person without any spiritual energy, but facing Shi Chuan and the thin man in the third layer of Qi training, she didn't show any sign of fear.

  "Hehe, this person is someone I brought here, be sure to remember that." The thin man didn't get angry, instead he smiled and left.

  The middle-aged woman looked at Ishikawa's Taoist robe and saw that it was made of excellent material, her expression slightly softened, and she said, "Come in, the auction is about to begin."

  Ishikawa followed the middle-aged woman through the store, all the way to the backyard. From a distance, you could hear the hustle and bustle of people in the store, as if many were discussing something.

  "That's it, right here." The middle-aged woman threw Ishikawa at the entrance and left alone.

  Ishikawa walked in with a full stomach of doubts, and as soon as he entered, he was startled. The room was about 10 zhang (a unit of length) in size, and it was packed with cultivators. Moreover, their cultivation levels were not low, and those in the Qi Refining stage 8th or 9th layer were quite common. What's more, on the front row seats, there were even two Jiedan stage cultivators, which made Ishikawa extremely shocked.

  It turns out that there are only five elders in the foundation period of Shuilingmen.

  No one seemed to notice him, so Ishikawa found a corner and sat down. He had made up his mind not to buy anything impulsively, lest he draw attention to himself. Attending this auction was just for the experience.

  A stout middle-aged man cleared his throat: "Fellow Taoist friends, our monthly small auction has begun again. We at Jindengfang will do our best to ensure that every fellow Taoist who comes will not leave empty-handed. For the convenience of all fellow Taoists, after the auction is over, we will organize an exchange meeting. Everyone can exchange freely and take what they need. We at Jindengfang will help with appraisal and maintenance of order without charging a single penny. And from now on, every auction will be followed by such an exchange meeting."

  Suddenly, there was a flurry of discussion.

  "Liu brother, this exchange isn't bad after all. If I had known earlier, I would have brought more treasures."

  "This fat guy has made a big move, he's doing it to prepare for the big auction three months later, so that these few months won't be empty of people attending his small auctions."

  "A grand auction, you're referring to the grand auction jointly organized by the six major sects of Yunlan Country?"

  "Yes, this kind of large-scale auction is held only once a year. Many treasures will appear, and just thinking about it makes me drool. Even if I can't afford to buy them, taking a look at them is worth it for this lifetime."

  ………

  Ishikawa pricked up his ears and listened carefully to the conversation between the two, and this big auction naturally also piqued Ishikawa's interest.

  Just as Ishikawa was waiting to hear what they had to say, the short and stout man coughed and said: "Since everyone knows about this matter, today's auction will officially begin. The first artifact is the Huoyun Sword, which deals fire attribute damage when attacking and also has a bonus effect for cultivators with a fire spirit root. No more nonsense, let's take a look at the sword!"

  The short and stout man slightly infused some spiritual power, and the sword body was instantly covered with flames.

  "Cheers!" The stout man cut a large piece of original stone into two segments with one sword. "I have two wooden spiritual roots, one fire spiritual root. I believe that fellow daoists with more than two fire spiritual roots can exert even stronger power."

  "Starting price is 50 spirit stones, each bid increase by one block of spirit stone."

  "Fifty-one dollars."

  Sixty yuan

  "Seventy pieces of spirit stone."

  Can't help but say, even Ishikawa was a little moved. High-level magic tools with attached spells are not that common after all. Moreover, this sword looks extremely cool just by itself. And the starting price of 50 spirit stones is absolutely low.

  Soon, this sword was auctioned off for 130 spirit stones and was finally obtained by a sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator.

  Ishikawa's mind also slowly returned to normal, after all, it was his first time participating in this kind of auction, and he was easily drawn in by the fervent bidding scene.

  "Next is the second treasure, Qian Ji Dan. Although the formula for refining this dan is very common, it requires many spiritual herbs, so this dan is also extremely rare. Our temple only obtained ten of them. As everyone knows, if Qian Ji Dan is used in conjunction with Zhu Ji Dan, it can increase the probability of successful foundation building by half. No need to say more, ten pieces, starting bid at three hundred spirit stones."

  "Qianji Dan, this good thing is all here, and the crowd is full of praise."

  Ishikawa was also drooling, with a 50% chance of building the foundation, which is not low, but the price of this Qianji Dan is also expensive, and the starting price has reached 300 Ling stones. Even if Ishikawa can bid once, he will definitely not be able to get it.

  "Now there are only five layers of Qi training, and later there will be many more." Ishikawa comforted himself.

  Unexpectedly, it was instantly auctioned off for a thousand spirit stones.

  Even the scene of four or five people bidding at the same time appeared, which made Ishikawa stunned. Originally, he had more than 500 pieces of spirit stone on him, and Ishikawa thought it was enough, but unexpectedly, everyone here was not ordinary. Ishikawa also put his heart at ease.

  In the end, Qianji Dan was actually bought by a cultivator in the Qi Refining stage at the 10th level for the sky-high price of 8,000 pieces of spirit stones. It's likely that this person would stop at nothing to build their foundation.

  And later on, the things that were being auctioned off, Shi Chuan wanted to make a move, but had no way of doing so. The prices were in the tens of thousands of spirit stones, causing Shi Chuan to be shocked by these people's purchasing power.

  After a dozen or so treasures were auctioned off, everyone's enthusiasm had reached its peak. The middle-aged, stout man was grinning from ear to ear.

  "The treasure below is something a friend asked me to sell on their behalf. They've repeatedly stated that they don't want spirit stones, but high-quality refining materials, such as mystic iron and fine gold, are acceptable. However, they will not accept spirit stones."

  That short and stout man had a hint of bitterness on his face, seemingly reluctant to auction off the treasure: "Perhaps many fellow Taoists are still unclear about the use of this treasure. Let me demonstrate it again."

  The stout man took out a book, but this thin book was actually made of a material that Ishikawa had never seen before. It shone with a golden light and had many cloud patterns carved on it, apparently not an ordinary item.

  This piqued Ishikawa's interest. Because among the earth spirits' stones, there were large quantities of various smelting materials, even rare secret silver, and a grain about the size of a rice grain. However, this material was something that Ishikawa had never seen before.