137: Chapter 137 The Great Void Auction

Many shops hung gilded plaques of century-old brands, selling nothing but rare third-tier spiritual materials, third-tier Medicinal Pills, Spiritual Artifacts, Magic Treasures, and rare Secret Realm maps from the outside world. There were even exclusive trading firms specializing in purchasing Secret Realm remains, Yao Beast bones and blood, and ancient broken treasures.

Cultivators came and went, either stopping to select supplies, bargaining with others, or gathering in twos and threes to whisper about the situation. The entire port was extremely bustling, yet it concealed an invisible, tense atmosphere.

Over seventy percent of these Cultivators were local Qi Refining Cultivators from Tianxuan Market and the surrounding regions. Even in the Tianxuan Sect, Foundation Establishment Cultivators were not at the very bottom; the bottom layer was always the more numerous Outer Sect Disciples in the Qi Refinement Stage.

Two months later, the Taixu Secret Realm would open on time. Many Cultivators here would step into that unknown Secret Realm, which would then become a Shura battlefield of slaughter, strife, and life or death.

"This Fellow Daoist, are you heading to the Secret Realm alone? Would you like to form a team? The three of us are all at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment, skilled in offensive and defensive coordination, ensuring safety!"

"Selling second-tier High Grade healing Medicinal Pills and Evasion Talismans at low prices, a necessity for the Secret Realm, high quality and inexpensive!"

"Purchasing broken Secret Realm maps and unknown spiritual material fragments, settling at high prices, absolutely no price gouging!"

Along the way, Loose Cultivators would occasionally come up to solicit, and merchants would shout their wares. The noise was deafening, and it was exceptionally lively.

Li Changqing politely declined them all and did not stop for even a single step.

His own supply of materials was already sufficient. Offensive and defensive Talismans, healing Medicinal Pills, and evasion auxiliary items were all fully stocked. He also had the Qingming Sword and Black Tortoise Shield by his side, with trump cards hidden away; there was simply no need to be dragged down by teaming up with others.

Inside the Secret Realm, human hearts were unpredictable and greed ran rampant. Teaming up seemed safe, but in reality, it was the easiest way to encounter backstabbing and schemes.

Under the Secret Realm's rules of the jungle, so-called companions were often more terrifying than the killing intent of Yao Beasts.

Instead of hoping for someone else's help, it was better to walk alone and control one's own life and death.

Moving forward, he soon arrived at the entrance verification checkpoint.

Standing at the checkpoint were two ten-zhang-tall bluestone spiritual statues. On the left was the Spirit Crane Reaching Heaven Statue, and on the right was the Black Tortoise Suppressing Mountain Statue. They were carved by the Tianxuan Sect using secret methods, possessing the effect of calming the heart and focusing the mind. They could deter evil spirits, see through Heart Demons, and prevent Cultivators from fighting wantonly or killing innocent people within the market.

At the checkpoint, several Tianxuan Sect Law Enforcement Elders at the Golden Core Early Stage sat on duty. Their expressions were indifferent and majestic, and as their gazes swept over the passing Cultivators, they carried the overwhelming pressure of superiors.

To enter the main city of Tianxuan, one needed to verify their identity token and pay the city entry Spirit Stone tax.

Li Changqing raised his hand to take out the general Cultivator jade token he had prepared in advance and handed it over, while simultaneously taking out ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones as the city entry tax.

The Sect Disciple in charge of verification had an indifferent expression. His spiritual sense swept over like flowing water, and after confirming that the person's identity was clean and there was no criminal record of being wanted by the Sect, he did not say much to block him, but simply stated the rules aloud, his voice clearly entering his ears:

"Entering the city strictly prohibits private fighting, selling contraband, and discussing Sect laws. Anyone who violates the regulations will have their cultivation abolished, be detained and suppressed, and be expelled from the market."

"This one understands."

Li Changqing nodded slightly in response, stepped across the stern verification checkpoint, and officially entered the hinterland of the Tianxuan Market main city.

The moment he stepped into the city, a more brilliant and majestic immortal radiance rushed towards him. The prosperity and magnificence of this ancient giant city, accumulated over ten thousand years, unfolded before his eyes without reservation.

Floating immortal pavilions were layered and endless, and seven-colored spiritual rainbows traversed the vast sky. Clear spiritual rivers wound through the city; the river water was not ordinary water, but pure spiritual water that had condensed over time.

On both sides of the river, rare Spiritual Plants and thousand-year-old immortal trees were lush and green, evergreen throughout the seasons, remaining vibrant and undying throughout the ages despite the changes of time.

The main roads in the city crisscrossed in eight directions, orderly and well-arranged, precisely dividing the city into five major districts: East, West, South, North, and Center. Each area performed its own duties with clear division of labor. The Sect regulations were strict, fully displaying the majestic bearing of a large Sect's territory.

The concentration of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth had increased several times compared to outside the city; it was mellow and condensed, and inhaling it into the lungs moistened his True Essence. Li Changqing paused slightly, closed his eyes to focus, quietly adjusted the spiritual power circulating in his body, and slowly adapted to the unique rhythm of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi of this giant city.

After a moment, he slowly opened his eyes. The sharpness hidden in the depths of his eyes was completely retracted, his state of mind was as calm as water, but his thoughts were quietly churning.

This two-month rest was neither too long nor too short.

He had no intention of following the torrent of Cultivators to fight for ordinary trading supplies, nor did he disdain to deliberately cling to various connections or socialize. However, he could take advantage of this leisure time to visit the major hidden trading firms in the market, quietly waiting for the top-tier large auction organized by the Tianxuan Sect in more than a month, using this to broaden his horizons.

At the same time, he could also secretly inquire about the latest rumors of the Taixu Secret Realm, figure out the dangerous dead zones and Opportunity locations of the Secret Realm, and understand the hidden traps where predecessors had fallen, so as to know himself and the enemy, plan before acting, and pave a perfect path for the subsequent Secret Realm trip.

Time rotated, and the sun and moon rose and fell.

In the blink of an eye, fifty days passed quietly and silently.

For these fifty days, Li Changqing lived in seclusion, finding a quiet and secluded independent courtyard in the North District of Tianxuan Market. He spent his days behind closed doors, adjusting his breath, meditating, and polishing his cultivation Foundation, almost never going out or showing his face.

Every day, he only took a little leisure time to wander among the major secret intelligence trading firms in the market, intently reading the ancient books, records of dangers, and rumors of anomalies left behind from the nearly ten times the Taixu Secret Realm had opened.

The more he studied and investigated, the more awe he felt in his heart for this Secret Realm left behind from ancient times.

The Taixu Secret Realm never had a fixed territory; the space within it was constantly oscillating and fluctuating, and the terrain pattern shifted and changed at any time. Every time it appeared and opened, it was a brand-new world pattern.

A once-safe passage might turn into a deadly, barren wasteland; a desolate piece of waste land that no one cared about in previous years might give birth to an ancient Legacy or supreme Opportunity.

"Ten enter, three return" was by no means just market gossip, but a cruel iron law piled up by the flesh and bones of countless Cultivators.

After figuring out most of the known dangers of the Secret Realm, memorizing the locations of various Opportunities, and understanding the countless traps where predecessors had fallen, Li Changqing completely withdrew all his focus, sat and guarded his quiet courtyard, settled his heart to polish his Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivation, and consolidated his Dao Foundation, striving to make his trip to the Secret Realm impeccable.

Until dawn on the fiftieth day, the spiritual light above Tianxuan Market suddenly soared, and golden Dao patterns crisscrossed the sky, spanning the nine heavens.

The bell of the entire main city boomed. Nine heavy and distant bell tolls overlapped, sweeping through the five major districts, echoing in every corner of the dozens of miles of port streets, shaking all directions.

The top-tier large auction of the Tianxuan Sect, held after two or three hundred years, officially opened grandly on this day.

In an instant, all the Cultivators waiting in the city were moved, their eyes burning.

Countless streams of people rushed out from various streets, Sect residences, and family stations, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea or ten thousand streams paying homage to the ancestors, all converging towards the towering giant pavilion at the core of the city.

That was the absolute landmark that had stood in Tianxuan Market for ten thousand years—the Tianxuan Pavilion.