Chapter Seventy: Bazaar and Auction

  "This young man, this is a good five-element spell talisman from the Lingfu Sect. Fireballs and ice cones are all available. One spirit, three talismans, buy thirty get three free..."

  "Miss, this rainbow-colored feathered robe is the latest product of Tianbao Pavilion. Take a look at this style. You can try it on as you like, and if you're not satisfied, we won't charge you a penny."

  "Brother, I have something here that was just unearthed from an ancient ruin. There are too many people around, let's take a step aside and talk..."

  "A few seniors, I'm also a disciple of Yīn Jiào Zōng, take care of business..."

  Even if it was Leidong, after being surrounded, he also had a big headache. Zuo Chao, on the other hand, was even more flustered, almost being dragged into a corner by some shady character selling "antiques". He was also surrounded by several female stall owners, pulling and tugging at him, enthusiastically promoting various goods. Ding Yuanyan, who had never seen such a scene before, was left red-faced and flustered, looking to Leidong for help.

  "This little brother is still short of a few main souls in the Ten Thousand Ghost Flag." Lei's hand moved, and in an instant, he grasped a black Qi-entwined, ghostly aura-filled Ten Thousand Ghost Flag. He sneered and hummed, "If you are willing to sell your living soul to this little brother, name a price, and I will not haggle."

  "What a high-quality Ghost Banner?" Everyone present was a businessman, and most of them could see at a glance that this Ghost Banner was indeed extraordinary. Again, they were swept by Lei Dong's cold and stern eyes, and one by one, they fell silent, not daring to surround him again, and dispersed. They were all clever people who knew how to observe the situation. It was clear that this young man holding the Ghost Banner was not a good person. Even if someone had a higher cultivation level than Lei Dong, they didn't dare to speak out of turn. A young man with an evil Ghost Banner, a high-quality Ghost Banner? And on the territory of the Yin Sect, could he not have a strong background?

  After everyone had dispersed, Zuo Chao was still scanning around in a daze: "Where's that antique dealer from earlier? Brother Lei, why did you chase him away?"

  Lei Dong let out a sigh of weakness, saying: "Zuo Chao, you should go out more often. Don't always stay in your cave to cultivate. Otherwise, no matter how high your cultivation is, you'll still be sold off and even help count the money."

  "What about the one who was selling the cheongsam just now?" Ding Yuanyan's stature was still within the range of a young girl. Just now, although the situation was chaotic, she was quite interested in that cheongsam.

  Suddenly felt a burst of anger in his head, had a feeling of being on the verge of collapse, what a disaster! What kind of master and disciples are we?

  "What's with that expression?"

  "Ding Shifu, forgive me for speaking bluntly. As the core disciple of the Yin Evil Sect and one of the twin geniuses, you are seen as a demonic woman from an evil cult in the eyes of those fake righteous people. Why wear such gaudy and pretentious clothes? They look really ugly."

  Ding Wanyan didn't get angry, instead she looked at him with a smile and said: "So, what should I do..."

  Ding Yuanyan's words were not yet finished, when suddenly Lei Dong shifted his attention to a distant stall. Following his gaze, he saw that unlike other stall owners who were all over the place pulling customers, this particular stall owner was not shouting or touting, but was instead surrounded by a large crowd of people.

  The stall owner was in his early twenties, somewhat small and handsome, but what caught the eye was that the woman's attire was revealing and flirtatious. Her eyebrows and eyes sparkled with charm. Every movement and expression seemed to provoke people's imagination, making it hard for them to control themselves. The crowd of onlookers were almost all men, who would voluntarily take out their wallets after being coquettishly scolded by her, buying those expensive trinkets with a look of infatuation.

  "Lei Shidi!" Ding Yuanyan's smile was somewhat stiff, and the gloomy aura couldn't help but spread outwards. The surrounding air suddenly dropped.

  "Sister, look at that woman, she seems to be a bit off." Lei Dong seemed to be unaware, only furrowing his brow: "It looks like she's using some kind of enchanting technique."

  Ding Wanyan's words were slightly hesitant, and after a closer look, it seemed to be true. She couldn't help but feel a little apologetic towards Lei Dong in her heart, thinking that she might have misunderstood him earlier. But what was wrong with herself earlier? As soon as she saw him staring at that seductive woman, she felt an inexplicable discomfort in her heart. After taking a closer look, she furrowed her brow and said, "It seems to be a female disciple of the Yin Yang Huan Xiang Sect, how bold, daring to come to the Yin Xiao Sect's market to play this trick." Her instinctive reaction was extremely repulsive towards that seductively dressed woman.

  "Never mind, Master Sister, let's go help Left Young Master see if there are any better flight artifacts first."

  "Hmm." After glancing at her again, Ding Yuanyan turned to find a stall selling flying artifacts with Lei Dong. Unfortunately, after visiting over a dozen stalls, almost all the flying artifacts were of poor quality. Occasionally, they would come across a mid-grade artifact, but it would be treated as a precious treasure by the vendor, as if it was something extremely valuable.

  Ding Wanyan and Lei Dong are now both high-end players, and mid-range magical instruments are no longer satisfactory. After selecting for half a day, they still couldn't find one that met their requirements. On the other hand, Zuo Chao repeatedly pushed them away, saying that as long as flying magical instruments could be used, it was enough.

  At the stall, it's probably impossible to find, and the three of them were just taking a look. Among the streets, there are still good things, but they have to go to a regular store. Passing through these stalls, they went straight into a richly decorated law enforcement equipment store that belongs to the Yin Sect itself. Even the young shop assistant was a sixth-level cultivator in the Refining Qi stage.

  After revealing his waist, the little second also hurriedly saluted and said: "It turns out that it is Ding Shi Jie from Wan Gui Ku and two Shifu who have arrived. I apologize for not welcoming you from afar." Although Lei Dong and Zuo Chao were both direct disciples, their reputation was far less than that of Ding Yuanyan. Therefore, they were uniformly included among the two Shifu.

  He didn't engage in any further pleasantries, and directly stated his purpose. The shop assistant thought for a moment before solemnly saying: "Top-grade flying artifacts are rare items that are rarely sold directly on the shelves. They're usually auctioned off by the auction house, where people bid on them. Coincidentally, today is a grand occasion for our sect, and we'll be holding an auction specifically for Qi-refining disciples. If you're interested in attending the auction, I can lead you there. With your identities, you all qualify to enter."

  They had never experienced an auction before and agreed after some thought.

  Soon, the three of them were led to a large cave mansion carved out on the nearby mountain waist. The interior was decorated with rich and majestic furnishings, but still retained some eerie styles unique to the Yin Sect.

  The auction was held in the main hall, and although there was still some time before the start of the auction, more than half of the seats had already been occupied. The people present were mostly Qi Refining stage cultivators, with not a single one being of a lower rank. When Lei Dong and others walked in, they couldn't help but glance around several times. However, as soon as they saw Ding Yuanyan, it stirred up some commotion, with many people whispering to each other in hushed tones, discussing and speculating about her cultivation, identity, magic tools, and so on. Some even quietly asked unfamiliar people about Ding Yuanyan's background.

  As one of the top contenders for this year's championship, Ding Yuanyan naturally attracted a lot of attention. However, she didn't seem to care and found a set of table and chairs, where she sat down with her two siblings, sipping tea served by the maid as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

  Lei Dong also looked around, seeing the age of the crowd, most should be disciples from the first two batches. The oldest, probably already in their forties. At that age, they still dare to appear here, mostly at the 11th or 12th layer of the Qi Refining stage. Due to their innate talent or other reasons, after cultivating for thirty years, they were unable to break through to the Foundation Building stage. Therefore, they wanted to take this opportunity to try their luck, and see if they could obtain some treasures that would help them make a breakthrough in their cultivation.

  As soon as he saw their mature and somewhat weathered faces, Lei Dong couldn't help but feel a strong sense of emotion. Those who could persist in trying to break through to the foundation period must have been people with above-average talent; otherwise, they would have long since gone to learn a trade and entered the industries of various sects. The reason he was moved in his heart was also because Lei Dong himself, if not for obtaining the Soul-Devouring Tower's inverse treasure, which rapidly doubled his accumulation of resources, might still be struggling along with them after thirty years. If another ten years were to pass, when his physical functions began to rapidly decline, even if he wanted to establish a foundation, it would be absolutely impossible.

  It's thrilling, yet also frightening, and fortunate at the same time.

  ……