After Faking Her Death and Fleeing, the Emotionless Daoist Master Regretted It - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Auction (Part 1) – Master Narrates the Past

An hour later, the auction officially began.

The view from the top floor of the pavilion was excellent. The surroundings were enveloped in restrictions that blocked divine sense probing, so the cultivators outside could not see the interior of the private box or hear any sound, yet they could sense everything happening outside.

On the stone platform below stood an auctioneer dressed in heavy robes.

Just after the wei hour, a clearly audible click suddenly sounded, and the trapdoor on the stone platform leading underground swung open.

In just a moment, a stream of light flew out from the entrance and hovered in mid-air.

At the same time, the auctioneer began the introduction: “Welcome, fellow Daoists, to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. This is the first auction item, Emperor’s Flowing Nectar. It can provide enlightenment to spirit beasts. The starting bid is two thousand spirit stones, and each increase must not be less than one hundred spirit stones.”

No sooner had the words fallen than competitive bidding sounds rose one after another.

“Two thousand!”

“Two thousand one hundred!”

“Two thousand three hundred!”

Su Lingqing looked at the red liquid object suspended in the air, a hint of curiosity arising in her heart.

“Master, the auctioneer said this is used to enlighten spirit beasts. Does that mean that once a spirit beast drinks it, it can possess thoughts just like us humans?”

“Not entirely.” Ling Yunyue shook her head and explained: “The so-called enlightenment is merely to enhance their intelligence, ensuring they can understand their master’s commands. To possess thoughts close to humans, they must wait until the Shapeshifting stage.”

“Does the Shapeshifting Master speak of mean directly turning into a human, like in mortal folklore about spirits and demons?”

“You could say that.”

“Spirit beasts that can shapeshift must be very formidable. What level of cultivator is needed to defeat them?”

“A spirit beast’s fourth-tier shapeshifting is equivalent to a cultivator’s Nascent Soul stage. As long as a cultivator reaches this realm, there is a possibility of victory. Furthermore, if a cultivator below the Nascent Soul stage possesses a powerful treasure, there is a very small chance of achieving a cross-realm victory.”

At this moment, the bidding sounds outside gradually weakened.

Seeing no one following the bid, the auctioneer loudly proclaimed: “Ten thousand spirit stones once, ten thousand spirit stones twice, ten thousand spirit stones thrice! Congratulations to the Daoist friend in Private Room Seven on the second floor for successfully bidding on the Emperor’s Flowing Nectar!”

Su Lingqing secretly gasped.

She hadn’t expected a treasure with a starting bid of two thousand to eventually soar to a final price of ten thousand.

“Master, is the Emperor’s Flowing Nectar very rare?”

“For cultivators above the Golden Core stage, it is not considered rare. The Emperor’s Flowing Nectar has a chance to appear on nights with a full moon, falling from the sky and landing in volcanoes across various regions. As long as one is confident enough to fly above the volcano and withstand the potential dangers, one can obtain this item.”

“Then why was the bidding so fierce just now…”

“Lingqing, do you know that most cultivators, even if they manage to step onto the immortal path, will spend their entire lives unable to break through to Foundation Establishment, let alone the higher Golden Core stage? For them, it is impossible to obtain the Emperor’s Flowing Nectar with their own ability, so it naturally appears precious.”

“This disciple still finds it a bit strange. Treasures at an auction go to the highest bidder. Since the Emperor’s Flowing Nectar is not a rare treasure, it should also be sold elsewhere, perhaps at a lower price. Why don’t they choose to buy it elsewhere?”

At this moment, Ling Yunyue seemed to be recalling something, a trace of reminiscence appearing in her eyes.

“Because the Emperor’s Flowing Nectar is monopolized by the major forces and is usually not sold publicly. Even if it appears at an auction, the quantity will be strictly controlled.”

Su Lingqing was greatly puzzled: “Why is that?”

“Is Lingqing willing to hear a story from your Master?”

“Of course I am!”

“A long time ago, a Sect Heaven’s Chosen was out on a training mission. She acted righteously and saved a mother and daughter. The enemies of that mother and daughter subsequently developed a grudge against her.

The Emperor’s Flowing Nectar is not only useful for spirit beasts; demon beasts also benefit from it.

At that time, the Emperor’s Flowing Nectar was not monopolized. Since those enemies could not defeat her, they devised a sinister plan. They bought a large amount of Emperor’s Flowing Nectar and used it as a trade to hire a high-tier demon cultivator to heavily wound that Heaven’s Chosen. Before the sect’s rescue arrived, they destroyed her dantian, making it impossible for her to cultivate further.

This incident became a fuse for a decade-long war between the human and demon races. Eventually, when the war subsided, the Emperor’s Flowing Nectar was monopolized by the major forces, continuing until today…”

Su Lingqing sensed the underlying regret and sadness in her Master’s words, and a guess arose in her heart.

“The Sect Heaven’s Chosen Master mentioned, was she a senior from the Heaven-Extending Sect?”

“Your guess is correct, Lingqing. In terms of seniority, she was my Martial Aunt. Lingqing should address her as Martial Grand-Aunt.”

“Martial Grand-Aunt… what happened to her afterward?”

“To this day, her whereabouts are unknown.”

“How could that be?”

“Although Martial Aunt was rescued and brought back to the sect, she couldn’t accept the fact that her dantian was destroyed and she could no longer cultivate. After that, she became silent and withdrawn. One day, she quietly left and was never seen again.”

“Does the sect not have some secret technique to find Martial Grand-Aunt?”

“All inner disciples and direct disciples originally had a Soul Lamp kept in the sect. However, when Martial Aunt left, she took her Soul Lamp with her. As a result, the secret technique could not be used.”

At this point, Ling Yunyue hesitated for a moment and continued: “Regarding Martial Aunt’s disappearance, it has actually remained an unsolved mystery for the sect. At that time, Martial Aunt had no cultivation and was equivalent to a mortal. Logically, she shouldn’t have been able to travel far after leaving the sect. Yet, for some reason, the sect sent out many people to search, but ultimately found nothing.”

Su Lingqing, who possessed the Spatial Pouch, immediately thought of a related possibility.

“Master, is it possible that Martial Grand-Aunt obtained some kind of opportunity and went to another dimension?”

“Lingqing, your conjecture is the result the sect now tacitly accepts. The Soul Lamp being taken by Martial Aunt means we cannot know if she is alive or dead. However, no one is willing to think negatively. Everyone in the sect hopes that Martial Aunt is well.”

Hearing this, Su Lingqing slowly nodded and fell silent for a moment.

Martial Grand-Aunt was retaliated against because she saved someone. Good people should be rewarded, but Martial Grand-Aunt’s dantian was destroyed because of it…

“Master, if a dantian is destroyed, is there really no way to restore it?”

“If one can find Ginseng and Heshouwu that are over ten thousand years old, along with Nine Marrow Ice Branches, and use them to concoct the Divine Restoration Pill, there is a chance of recovery upon consumption. However, among these three medicinal ingredients, the Nine Marrow Ice Branches have become extinct and cannot be found.”

Su Lingqing suppressed the complex thoughts in her heart and secretly memorized the three medicinal ingredients.

At this moment, the auctioneer in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion had begun auctioning the fourth item.

“One unknown spirit beast egg, lacking in vitality, may not hatch. Once successfully bid on, regardless of the final outcome, the buyer must bear the responsibility themselves. The starting price is three thousand spirit stones, and each increase must not be less than one hundred spirit stones!”

This time, a rare moment of silence occurred.

Su Lingqing was drawn by the commotion outside and immediately saw the spirit beast egg.

It was entirely crimson, only the size of a palm.

No one in the pavilion made a bid, but sounds of questioning arose.

“Lacking vitality and of unknown origin, and the starting price is three thousand? Isn’t that a bit of a steep ask?”

Facing the doubt, the auctioneer was not angry but explained with a cheerful smile: “Fellow Daoists, you may not know this, but this spirit beast egg was found by Elder Yang of the pavilion in an erupting volcano in the Fiery Blaze Mountain Range. Its ability to withstand temperatures of several thousand degrees shows its extraordinary nature.”

“Is that true?”

“Naturally true. I have hosted auctions for many years and never speak carelessly.”

No sooner had the words fallen than people began to participate in the bidding.

“Three thousand!”

“Three thousand one hundred!”

“Three thousand two hundred!”

Su Lingqing was also very interested in the spirit beast egg, but unfortunately, she had no spirit stones on her and could only watch.

Ling Yunyue perceived her disciple’s interest and participated in the bidding.

“Six thousand!”

Hearing her Master’s voice, Su Lingqing turned in surprise, meeting a pair of peach-blossom eyes filled with tenderness.

“Since Lingqing likes it, I shall bid on it for you.”

“But… the spirit beast egg might not hatch, and then Master’s spirit stones will be wasted for nothing.”

“These few spirit stones are nothing to me. Lingqing, remember, when you encounter something you like, you should strive for it. Otherwise, missing it will only lead to regret.”

Seeing the young girl’s hesitant expression, Ling Yunyue immediately added: “If Lingqing feels uneasy, just consider it a temporary loan from me. You can return it after you earn spirit stones in the future.”

Hearing this, a smile finally appeared on the young girl’s face.

“This disciple will definitely earn enough spirit stones to repay Master as soon as possible!”

The bidding for the spirit beast egg was not intense. When Ling Yunyue bid nine thousand, no one followed suit.

Compared to the previous three risk-free auction items, the spirit beast egg was not very appealing to the crowd.

However, when the bidding ended and some cultivators saw that the spirit beast egg was successfully bid on by the distinguished guest in the top-floor private box, they began to discuss it in private.

“An object clearly lacking vitality was bid on by a senior? Did we all misjudge it?”

“Perhaps. Its ability to survive at several thousand degrees is indeed extraordinary. Even a Fire-attributed spirit beast cannot do that before hatching.”

“In my opinion, the vitality of that spirit beast egg is less than one-tenth. The chance of it hatching is extremely small.”

“Being able to go to the top-floor private box shows their wealth is considerable. Nine thousand spirit stones are nothing to that senior.”

The people discussing did not lower their voices, so Su Lingqing heard these words.

She did not care. As long as her Master supported her, the opinions of others were irrelevant to her.

After the spirit beast egg was successfully bid on by her Master, a maid quickly came to complete the auction handover procedures.

Ling Yunyue took out the corresponding spirit stones, and with the maid’s signaling, the spirit beast egg was smoothly handed to her disciple.

The surface of the crimson eggshell was uneven. If not naturally so, it must have endured extreme damage.

Su Lingqing carefully held it, observing for a long time, but found no new discoveries.

“Master, can you discern what kind of spirit beast this is?”

“It cannot be determined at the moment. If it can break out of the shell, we will know immediately.”

“Then is there any way to restore some of the spirit beast egg’s vitality?”

Ling Yunyue pondered for a moment and suggested: “After the auction ends, when we return to the Welcoming Immortal Tower, Lingqing can go into the space, fetch a bamboo basin of Spiritual Spring water, and place the spirit beast egg in it to soak. This should help restore some vitality.”

“Thank you, Master, for the reminder. This disciple understands!”

With a solution, a smile reappeared on Su Lingqing’s face.

The auction inside the pavilion continued. The auctioneer was currently introducing the seventh auction item.

“One extremely rare Devouring Spirit Vine seed, suitable for cultivators with a Wood Spiritual Root. If successfully refined, it can be a great help during combat. The starting price is five thousand spirit stones, and each increase must not be less than two hundred spirit stones!”

Su Lingqing was a single Wood Spiritual Root, and the auctioneer’s words temporarily caught her attention.

Before today, she had never heard of the Devouring Spirit Vine and did not know if it was planted in her space. She was about to ask her Master when, in the next moment, she heard her Master participate in the bidding.