Traveling through time to cultivate immortality: a life and death test

"The auction is over. Now we enter the free trading period. Everyone, please take turns to come up on stage," the eldest sister announced loudly. All twenty or so items were successfully sold. Huanximen made a lot of money this time, and the eldest sister was very happy.

As soon as he finished speaking, two figures, one on the left and one on the right, rushed towards the podium. Both of them were in the late Foundation Establishment stage, but the one on the right was half a step faster.

"Thank you for your permission, fellow Daoist. I'll go first." He said proudly.

"Then please go first, fellow Daoist," the slower cultivator said awkwardly, stepping back. Those who came up first to exchange their needs had a first-mover advantage, while those who came later worried that the good stuff would all be gone, hence the rush to exchange.

"I have an inner elixir of a third-level monster, the Ink Squid. I want to exchange it for five pounds of Houttuynia cordata that is over four hundred years old or Silver Gang." The master who got the first place quickly took out the item he wanted to exchange and stated his needs.

"Level three demon pill, what a good thing." The crowd below was talking about it, and they all looked like they wanted to get it.

"I'm willing to pay 800 spirit stones to buy it. Are you willing to part with it?" Someone directly asked if it could be purchased with spirit stones.

"I don't want spirit stones, I only want Houttuynia cordata and Silver Gang." The cultivator in the first place refused directly. After waiting for a long time, and seeing that the item was about to be sold out, a less confident voice came over:

"I only have four pounds of silver energy here. If I add another 200 spirit stones, I wonder if I can exchange it for a demon pill?"

After a moment's hesitation, he agreed. He needed silver Gang to refine his weapon, and four pounds was barely enough. The other cultivators hadn't offered a better deal, especially with no trace of Houttuynia cordata, so he had no choice but to agree to the cultivator's terms. The two of them quickly completed the transaction, and the other cultivators then took the stage to exchange their desired resources.

Liu Xing had been sitting motionless, watching the previous auctions and exchanges with great gusto. There were indeed a plethora of great items. Many of the elixirs and materials he had only read about in books, and now seeing them in person was a real eye-opener. Honestly, he'd wanted to take these treasures for himself, but he couldn't produce anything others wanted, and they weren't something he needed urgently, so he sat back and held his ground. Even Nie Xiaoqian made a move, trading a piece of rebar ore for a Golden Sun Grass elixirs, a brilliant smile on her face.

"Brother Liu, I have been looking for this Golden Sun Grass for several years. I finally found it today. It was worth the trip." Nie Xiaoqian happily communicated with Liu Xing.

"Congratulations, Miss Xiaoqian, your dream has come true." Liu Xing congratulated.

"Brother Liu, you haven't made a move yet. Is it because you haven't found what you want yet?" Nie Xiaoqian asked again with concern.

"Well, I haven't found anything suitable yet. I'm getting ready to go on stage now." Liu Xing saw that the exchange was halfway through and the people behind him were gradually running out of good things to bring, so he prepared to go on stage. The things he wanted were more niche, so he didn't worry about being late and having them taken away by others.

He pulled out a dozen horned python talismans, two top-grade flying swords, and five or six medicinal herbs ranging from three hundred to six hundred years old. These were all stocks he had acquired in the Sunset Secret Realm. After some time of consumption, the spiritual medicines were almost gone. Aside from the herbs needed for the Spirit Awakening and Soul Containing Pills, only these six remained. He had no use for them right now, so he simply traded them for something more useful to him.

He instantly cast a talisman, activated two top-grade flying swords, briefly demonstrated their power, and then set them down. He didn't elaborate on the medicinal ingredients, simply giving their names and age. Those who needed them would naturally know, but for those who didn't, further explanations would be futile. As he moved, the audience's eyes widened. Everyone wondered who this wealthy Taoist was, who had brought out so many goodies. Their excitement was instantly ignited, and they all waited for Liu Xing to reveal what they needed.

"My fellow Taoists, if you have any recipes for improving magic power in the foundation-building period, the art of puppetry, the art of prohibition, the art of alchemy or the art of refining weapons, and other secret manuals, as long as they are valuable, I can exchange them with elixirs, magic weapons, talismans, and spirit stones." Liu Xing looked very rich, but he exchanged them for these books that had nothing to do with his cultivation. Could he be a nerd?

Indeed, what Liu Xing needed most were elixirs to improve his mana, or fourth-level demon pills for refining the Soul-Nourishing Pill. However, he also understood that these things would be treasured by everyone and no one would be willing to trade them. Neither the shops in Haibin City nor the auctions, both open and hidden, had any trace of these items. He also understood that they were simply priceless, so he simply didn't mention them.

Of course, the things he had requested were not ordinary items that could be found in bookstores. They were rare and secret books that he had collected personally, or items obtained by killing his opponents. He was worried about being exposed if he sold them publicly, but they were useless if he kept them in his hands, so Liu Xing decided to try his luck and see if he could collect a few books.

After the request was made, there was a moment of silence. Everyone understood that Liu Xing was here to collect secret manuals. He naturally couldn't reveal his core cultivation techniques, but any manuals he'd obtained from enemies and had no use for him could be traded. Since no one knew anyone else here, it was a good opportunity to clear out his stock. Even Nie Xiaoqian was stunned. She thought, "Brother Liu is such a bookworm, so interested in studying rare books." After a brief silence, people began to come forward, and Liu Xing accepted them all. He accepted any book he hadn't read, and the value was generally low, ranging from 50 to 100 spirit stones. Before long, he had collected dozens of books. One fellow Daoist in the late Foundation Establishment stage even offered over a dozen in exchange for a three-hundred-year-old spirit herb.

The cultivators below were all abuzz, seeing that Liu Xing was genuinely collecting books and jade slips, spending lavishly. In just a quarter of an hour, he'd spent over a thousand spirit stones, and he still looked quite satisfied. Everyone began to rack their brains, taking out the jade slips and secret manuals they didn't need from their storage bags. If they couldn't trade them for magical instruments or herbs, spirit stones would be a good deal. Seeing this, Liu Xing was naturally delighted. Money is only a superficial possession; knowledge and insight are the foundation that sustains one's progress. Not to mention, he actually collected quite a few valuable items, including three or four volumes on puppet-making and several on the art of prohibitions. He particularly found a fragment of "Ten Ancient Prohibitions," written in an ancient script. Liu Xing couldn't read the whole thing, but he could understand the general idea. The other party, however, didn't recognize it at all, so he sold it to him at a very low price. He was ecstatic. If he could thoroughly study "Ten Ancient Prohibitions," he would reach a new level in the art of prohibitions. This was one of his greatest gains today. The four helmsmen of the Joy Sect who presided over the meeting could not help but come down to trade, especially the eldest sister, who actually used a fourth-level demon pill to exchange for ten dozen talismans, two top-grade flying swords and four spiritual medicines. The price was huge, but it also made Liu Xing overjoyed.