Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 15 Auction Venue
"Just add some random things, seventy spirit stones!"

"Well, let's not argue about it anymore. Sixty spirit stones. The market for magic tools is not good right now, and the price has dropped sharply."

The man hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Alright! Consider it just making friends, and it's also a good start for me."

Song Xian took out the spirit stone from his storage ring and took the black banner. He repeatedly observed and pondered it along the way. The banner was completely black, and the flagpole was two feet long and very smooth. The banner was square, and he didn't know what material it was made of. It was not gold, wood, stone, or clay.

It is not only smooth to the touch, but also feels like soft iron and can be folded and rolled at will.

He couldn't fit such a large object into his storage ring, so he had to put it on his back.

They wandered around the market for a while, and only when the sun set did they pack up their stall and leave the city with George Lam.

Seeing the black flag behind him, George Lam asked casually. In the next few days, the two of them continued to sell goods in the market as usual.

In a blink of an eye, it was March 15th. The two arrived at the auction venue in the market and explained their purpose to the management. Then an older official from the auction came out to receive them.

"I wonder what items you two fellow Taoists would like to auction?" The elder official first invited the two to sit down, and then asked.

"I have two top-grade magical instruments for sale. I'm not satisfied with the prices offered by the various exchanges in the market, so I want to sell them at an auction." Lin Zixiang took out two exquisite stone boxes from his storage bag.

"Let me take a closer look first." The old man opened two stone boxes, took out the Moshi Sword and the Yuanlin Banner, and examined them carefully. After a while, the old man concluded, "These two are indeed top-grade magical instruments. Based on my experience, the price offered by each pavilion for these two items combined is about three thousand spirit stones, is that right?"

"There was one that offered 3,300, but unfortunately it was still a little short of my target, so I took it to the auction to try my luck."

"So, how many spirit stones do you hope to get?"

"It would be best if it could be sold for 3,600."

The old man pondered and said, "Three thousand six hundred is a tall order. You know that the market for magical instruments here has been sluggish in recent years, and prices have been falling year by year. People who don't really need them will choose to wait and see. If you two fellow Taoists are determined to take them to the auction, according to the rules, we will charge a fee of one hundred spirit stones."

"My base price for the Moshi Sword is 1,850 Spiritual Stones, and my lowest price for the Yuanlin Banner is 1,350 Spiritual Stones. For anything above this price, my bank will take a 30% profit. Is this acceptable to you, fellow Daoist?"

"No, to be honest, Lin Fengxing of Xuanyuan Pavilion has already offered a price of 3,300 spirit stones. Your bank's reserve price is only 3,200, plus the 100 spirit stone fee, which means we have to sell it for 3,400 to break even. If it fails to sell or the two magic tools are directly sold at the reserve price, we will lose a lot of money."

"Then what do you think, fellow Daoist?"

"The reserve price is at least three thousand three hundred. The Moshi Sword is one thousand nine hundred, and the Yuanlin Flag is one thousand four hundred."

"Okay! I'll do as you say." The old man took out the prepared terms and filled in the names and prices of the magic tools.

After George Lam signed and sealed it, he paid another 100 spirit stones as a fee, and the two parties reached an agreement.

"The market for magical instruments is not good right now. Aside from top-grade instruments, which are still in high demand, the market for high- and mid-grade instruments is declining. Whether you can sell them depends entirely on luck." The old man put the two instruments away and ordered someone to bring two number plates. "The auction will officially begin at twilight hour. You two can enter at twilight hour."

George Lam took the number plate, and the two of them left and went to the Fuyuan Inn for a night's rest. They spent two spirit stones on a good meal, rested until around 3 p.m., and then entered the auction venue.

As soon as I got there, I saw two groups of people standing outside the door. The two leaders were chatting and laughing, and after exchanging greetings for a while, they led their subordinates into the inner room.

"Two cultivators in the middle stage of foundation building, it seems that this auction is not simple. There must be important treasures. These people came here after hearing the news." Lin Zixiang said in a low voice with his eyes flashing.

While the two groups were standing at the entrance chatting and laughing, the monks who came to participate in the auction all stepped aside and waited. No one dared to walk between the two groups, including the two men.

Only after he entered did he follow him in.

The inner room of the venue is extremely spacious, divided into two floors. At the end is a circular platform, and the seats below are arranged in a fan shape, with hundreds of seats.

The upper floor is lined with private rooms, each with its windows facing the circular platform.

The two groups that were chatting and laughing in the meeting room just now went up to the private room on the second floor.

The two of them found a secluded corner and sat down, waiting quietly. As time passed, more and more people entered the auction venue, including many foundation-building cultivators, and they all went to the private rooms on the second floor.

There was a noisy whisper in the venue. Around 3 p.m., there was a loud bang and the two iron doors leading to the main entrance of the venue closed at the same time.

The light in the venue suddenly became dim, and the next moment, all the palace lanterns hanging above lit up, instantly illuminating the entire venue.

Two monks walked out from behind the circular platform. One of them was a burly monk, about forty years old.

The other man was thin, with white hair and beard.

Both were in the late Qi Refining stage. "Everyone, be quiet," the burly middle-aged man said in a resounding voice, like thunder. After his resounding shout, the noise in the venue indeed dropped significantly. "This auction has officially begun. I am Zhao Jing from Baoshen Pavilion, and I am in charge of the auction."

"As is customary, I will first explain the auction rules so that fellow Daoists who are participating in our auction for the first time will know them."

"The auction rules are as follows. The two of us will display the various items for auction and set an initial price. Fellow Daoists may raise their number plates and bid. The highest bidder wins."

"If you don't have enough spirit stones, you can use other items as collateral. We have professional agents who will appraise the item based on market value. If no one bids, it will be unsold. If there are any issues or disputes during the auction, the two of us will be the final decision."

"During the auction, everyone is requested to remain quiet. Shouting is strictly prohibited. Anyone who disrupts the auction will be severely punished according to the market rules."

After the middle-aged man finished speaking, the old man continued, "I am Meng Qian. I will now introduce the procedures of this auction. First, there will be the auction of rare cultivation materials such as spiritual medicines and spiritual minerals. Next, there will be the auction of magic tools, then the auction of formations, then the auction of talismans, and finally the auction of elixirs."

"Hmph!" As the old man finished speaking, a heavy snort was heard from the private room on the second floor, as if the voice was dissatisfied with the process.

The old man pretended not to hear and continued, "Now, let's invite you to the first item of this auction."

Soon, a young woman came up to him from the backstage holding a jade plate in her hand, inserted a thin incense stick next to it, and lit it.

The old man pulled away the red cloth on the jade plate, revealing an unusually exquisite wooden box with an unknown talisman stuck on it.

"This is the first item of this auction, the hundred-year-old spiritual ginseng." The old man tore off the talisman, opened the wooden box, and carefully lifted out a one-foot-long, blood-red spiritual ginseng.

"Please look, everyone." The old man held up the magical ginseng and showed it to the audience. "This ginseng's hair and beard are lifelike, just like a living person. Look at its body, it is red like blood, and its roots are like human meridians."

"According to identification, this ginseng is a hundred years old. It absorbs the essence of the sun and moon every day, and has been hidden in this beautiful place, which is why it is what it is today."

"Spiritual ginseng is a tonic that has the effect of prolonging life. It is one of the indispensable spiritual ingredients for refining many elixirs."

"I believe everyone has heard of Zeng Yuan Dan. It's a miraculous medicine in the cultivation world that can prolong a cultivator's lifespan. The secret recipe has been lost. However, according to a master of alchemy in this pavilion, it's rumored that one of the key ingredients in Zeng Yuan Dan is a century-old or older ginseng."

"Not to mention the collectible value of the hundred-year-old spiritual ginseng, just talking about its effects alone, it has the miraculous effect of bringing the dead back to life. No matter how serious the injury is, as long as there is still a breath, eating this spiritual ginseng is enough to save your life."

"The starting price is now 4,500 Spiritual Stones. Each bid must be no less than 100 Spiritual Stones. You can bid until the incense burns out. Fellow Daoists, please place your bids."

After the old man finished speaking, no one in the venue held up a sign and everyone was whispering.

The two people on the stage didn't rush and waited quietly. After a while, they heard a slightly old voice coming from the private room on the second floor: "Four thousand five hundred spirit stones, I want it."

The old man hurriedly said, "The senior in room number two has made an offer. Is there anyone who wants to raise the price? This is a hundred-year-old spiritual ginseng. Whether it's for yourself or for your children and nephews, it's an excellent choice. It can save lives in critical moments."

After a while, a deep voice came from the private room on the second floor: "Four thousand six hundred spirit stones."

"The senior in room number five has made an offer of 4,600 spirit stones. Is there anyone who wants to raise the price? You are all away from home all year round, so accidents are unavoidable. Carrying a hundred-year-old spirit ginseng with you is like having an extra life-saving talisman."

"Five thousand spirit stones."

The old man's voice suddenly rose. "Five thousand spirit stones. The senior in Room 7 offered five thousand spirit stones, and now he's raising the price by four hundred spirit stones. It seems he's determined to get this spiritual ginseng. I have to say, this is definitely a wise move with unique vision. Five thousand spirit stones, is there anyone else who wants to increase the price?"

"Five thousand one hundred."

.........

As the foundation-building cultivators in the private room on the second floor raised the price again and again, the price of the spiritual ginseng gradually increased from the initial 4,500 spirit stones to 5,800 spirit stones.

Obviously, those foundation-building monks are quite accepting of this thing.

"Five thousand eight hundred spirit stones, is there anyone who wants to bid higher? I'll count to three for the last time." Seeing that the thin incense beside him was almost burned out, the old man began the countdown.

"Five thousand eight hundred spirit stones once."

"Five thousand eight hundred spirit stones twice."

"Five thousand eight hundred spirit stones three times."

"Deal, this item was bought by the senior in Room 5."

(End of this chapter)