336: Auction, reappearance of Kung Fu treasure map (two-in-one)

In the Grotto-heaven World, Lin Shiming opened his eyes from the high platform, two sharp glints shooting out.

Accompanying this was a Sword Grass behind him, severing the sky.

Boom!

The sword's might was vast, with countless sword lights. A tiny crack appeared in the Void Realm.

Finally, it transformed into specks of sword light, annihilating in the Void Realm.

Lin Shiming looked at the Sword Grass and sighed.

As expected, his enlightenment at the Tai Bai Sword Palace didn't yield much. Firstly, he didn't experience an Epiphany on the spot; he just memorized everything, which was far less effective than actual comprehension.

Secondly, Zixuan Zhenren's Heavenly Severing Sword Art deviated from the scope of the Sword Grass's grand evolution. While there were commonalities, there were also paradoxes, making it impossible for him to fully absorb it.

But overall, his sword's might still improved by half a notch.

Lin Shiming walked down the mountain Peak. Red Hair was still in the midst of his Breakthrough, and Wang Jiao was desperately refining High-Grade Spirit Stones. The Golden Winged Mantis, however, still flickered his four pairs of Jin Chi, quietly prostrating on the jade tree of the taiqing purple jade fruit, gazing at the distant Star Spirit Shell, watching it spit out a large amount of star spirit floss, revealing a self-contented expression.

On the lake, fish leaped from the water, vying to snatch the extruded star spirit floss.

Lin Shiming nodded in satisfaction. After instructing the Wood Demon to take good care of the spiritual plants, he exited the Grotto-heaven World. Today was the Auction, and for this Auction, Lin Shiming once again used his Clone.

True Person Liuhe's Clone would most likely participate, so for Lin Shiming, there was no need to hide his Clone.

Instead, this time, the Nine Nether Profound Wind Scripture made him somewhat indecisive.

Qingxuan City was also unprecedentedly lively today. Cultivators from various countries, wearing different clothes, surged into the streets like rivers flowing into the sea, heading towards the central Auction City.

Seeing this, Lin Shiming gave Lin Zeli and Lin Zewen a few more instructions, then followed the crowd to the Auction hall.

Compared to previous times, this Auction directly restricted entry to those below Foundation Establishment, which was enough to indicate the grand scale of this Auction.

Lin Zeli and Lin Zewen both had to enter the plaza of the market shops, looking at the central Spirit Screen.

After giving a few more instructions to the latter, Lin Shiming also led Lin Houwei into the Auction hall. By the time they entered, the seats usually occupied by Qi Refining Cultivators were already filled with Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

And most of the Purple Mansion Cultivators, who were usually high and mighty, were seated in the private rooms behind.

As for the Cultivators on the second floor, Lin Shiming took a quick glance and found that they were all core members of major Sects. He even saw True Person Liuhe's Clone in one room, holding a light fan and nodding at him in greeting.

Lin Shiming turned his head away, not responding.

But in his heart, he couldn't help but feel a little anticipation for this Auction.

More and more Cultivators took their seats, and as the bell rang, the main doors of the entire Auction hall slammed shut.

A Cultivator in brocade robes walked onto the circular platform. It was Azure Bamboo Taoist from Shenji Peak.

The previous Secret Realm trip was hosted by Azure Bamboo Taoist, and this Auction also dispatched a Daoist of the Purple Mansion Late Stage, which made the Cultivators in their seats even more expectant.

"Fellow Daoists from the Eastern Domain, I am Qingzhu. On behalf of Junior Martial Uncle Zixuan, I thank you all for coming to Qingxuan City to attend the Golden Core Ceremony. At the same time, I thank you all for participating in the Qingxuan Auction!"

"This Auction will be decided by the highest bidder. Malicious price-gouging is prohibited. Three of the treasures were personally selected by Junior Martial Uncle Zixuan, and the successful bidder will even receive one Opportunity for guidance from Junior Martial Uncle Zixuan!" After Azure Bamboo Taoist finished speaking, a huge stir immediately arose in the venue.

Personal guidance from Zixuan Zhenren was a tremendous Opportunity for many Purple Mansion Cultivators.

"Alright, no more idle talk. The first treasure is a century-old Cold Crystal Silk, spun by a third-tier High Grade Cold Silkworm. The starting bid is five hundred Medium Grade Spirit Stones, and each increment must not be less than fifty Medium Grade Spirit Stones!"

Azure Bamboo Taoist spread out the silk containing the treasure, revealing a small wisp of snow-white cold silk. Instantly, the entire Auction hall felt as if it had fallen into an ice coffin, bitterly cold!

Although the introduction was simple, it couldn't hide the power displayed by the treasure itself.

It was a supreme treasure for Cultivators with Ice Spiritual Root or water-attributed Cultivators.

Lin Shiming was even tempted. If this century-old Cold Crystal Silk were refined into Lin Xianzhi's Magic Treasure, the Twin Swords, it could greatly enhance their power.

Of course, the Spirit Stones for the treasure Auction had changed to Medium Grade Spirit Stones, which didn't surprise Lin Shiming.

The fact that only Foundation Establishment Cultivators could enter meant this Auction was different from previous ones.

"One thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones!"

"One thousand two hundred Medium Grade Spirit Stones!" Lin Shiming also made a bid, but the price continued to soar.

"..."

"Two thousand six hundred Medium Grade Spirit Stones!" In the blink of an eye, it had reached two thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones, which was equivalent to one hundred sixty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

It was ultimately purchased by a Cultivator clearly wearing Zhengyang Alliance clothing.

Seeing his determined stance, Lin Shiming shook his head and then gave up. The century-old Cold Silkworm Silk, though rare, was not a fourth-tier material after all, and its help to Lin Xianzhi would be limited.

With the final hammer strike, Azure Bamboo Taoist beckoned again. This time, there were three elixir bottles.

Inside each elixir bottle was a Foundation Establishment Pill.

"Three Foundation Establishment Pills per set, a total of ten sets. Starting bid is one thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones, and each increment must not be less than fifty Medium Grade Spirit Stones!" The second item of the Auction became the Foundation Establishment Pill.

This caused all the native Family Cultivators of Zhao Country to go wild.

Even Lin Shiming made several bids, purchasing two sets of Foundation Establishment Pills for three thousand three hundred Medium Grade Spirit Stones and three thousand two hundred Medium Grade Spirit Stones respectively.

Having decided to withdraw from Yunzhou, Lin Shiming naturally couldn't stop at Foundation Establishment Pills. After all, even if the Lin Family had heavenly spirit fruit trees, they would always be short of such strategic Spirit Pills.

However, the later it got, the higher the price for a set of Foundation Establishment Pills became. Many Cultivators' necks turned red from contention, and Lin Shiming didn't manage to bid for the third set.

Of course, two sets of six Foundation Establishment Pills were enough for the Lin Family to be prominent for a while.

The Auction continued, and this Auction did not disappoint. Besides the Foundation Establishment Pills, there were at least third-tier Late Stage treasures.

Even the Purple Mansion Cultivators in the back frequently made bids.

Lin Shiming even bought two Magical Artifacts: one was the Five Flame Pagoda, quite suitable for Lin Shijie, and the other was the Thunder Spirit Spear, more suitable for Lin Shilei.

After more than a dozen treasures were auctioned, Azure Bamboo Taoist then took out a treasure map.

As soon as the treasure map appeared, it immediately drew the attention of many Purple Mansion Cultivators.

"Fellow Daoists, this consigned treasure is a map of a Mysterious Grade Secret Realm node. The starting bid is five thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones. Aside from not being in the Eastern Domain, the reliability of this treasure is extremely high!" Azure Bamboo Taoist explained a few words for the first time.

This once again drove the Cultivators, especially those from small Sects and small Families, into a frenzy.

A Mysterious Grade Secret Realm represented countless Foundation Establishment Opportunities.

If a Yellow Grade Secret Realm could support a Foundation Establishment Family, then a Mysterious Grade Secret Realm could absolutely support a Purple Mansion Family.

This showed the immense value of this treasure map.

As for it not being in the Eastern Domain, many Cultivators overlooked that detail.

Lin Shiming also raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, because this treasure was precisely the treasure map that had appeared in the black market, and its location was the South Sea Cultivation World.

If he didn't dare to buy it in the black market, he certainly wouldn't be afraid to do so at this kind of Auction!

Not to mention, after this Auction, he might Cultivate on the Qingxuan Mountain spirit platform for ten years!

"Ten thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones!"

"Thirty-five thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones!"

..."Fifty thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones!" Lin Shiming also suddenly raised the price.

Lin Houwei looked at Lin Shiming somewhat strangely. Fifty thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones was five million Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

While this wasn't a huge amount for the Lin Family, it was important to remember that the Lin Family was currently presenting itself as a Foundation Establishment Family.

But he also understood that Lin Shiming had his reasons for bidding.

In the private room on the second floor, a pair of eyes suddenly looked towards Lin Shiming.

Lin Shiming didn't care in the slightest, and the price didn't stop, until it reached sixty thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones, which Lin Shiming successfully bid for.

With the treasure map in hand, even if he didn't get the Nine Nether Profound Wind Scripture, Lin Shiming no longer cared.

As for the treasure map being stolen, he wasn't worried. Before Immortal Master Divine Machine achieved Dao, no one would dare to lay a hand on him. After achieving Dao, no one would have the time to attack him.

The Auction stirred up a fervor, and subsequently, fourth-tier treasures frequently appeared.

Various fourth-tier spiritual Materials and Magic Treasures appeared one after another, including the Red Lotus Pill. Unfortunately, Lin Shiming's Purple Mansion Cultivation could not be exposed, otherwise, he would have wanted to buy a few bottles of Red Lotus Pill.

After another pause, Azure Bamboo Taoist once again took out a Jade Slip.

A surge of surprise suddenly welled up in Lin Shiming's eyes.

The Starlight Body Forging Art appeared again.

This Cultivation Technique, when paired with the Star Spirit Shell, was truly an Earth Rank Body Refining Cultivation Technique!

For the Cultivators at this Auction, he was probably the only one who could use it.

Lin Shiming glanced at the second floor. He guessed that Huangmei Sanren (Yellow-Browed Loose Cultivator) was secretly observing.

But what if he was observing? Even an Immortal Master wouldn't dare to touch him in Qingxuan City.

"This Cultivation Technique is an Earth Rank Body Refining Cultivation Technique, with a starting bid of thirty thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones!"

Boom!

The entire Auction was once again in an uproar. A Mysterious Grade Secret Realm treasure map, an Earth Rank Body Refining Cultivation Technique—in everyone's eyes, this was too shocking.

However, after Azure Bamboo Taoist's explanation, the enthusiasm of the Cultivators significantly waned.

It required pairing with the power of starlight, which was too ethereal. Perhaps only ancient Qi Refining Cultivators, who practiced visualization techniques, could Cultivate it.

And now, such visualization methods had long been lost.

However, there were still quite a few Cultivators bidding.

After all, thirty thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones was a lot for Foundation Establishment Cultivators, but for Purple Mansion Cultivators, it was just a slightly larger number.

Soon, the price exceeded sixty thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones, becoming the first treasure at the Auction to surpass six million Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

"Eighty thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones!" This time, Lin Shiming added a full twenty thousand Spirit Stones.

As he spoke, Lin Shiming also felt a huge Divine Sense fluctuation fall upon him, even forming a Spirit Light mark.

Lin Shiming remained unmoved, gripping the Qingxuan Spirit in his hand, then calmly sat down.

The Starlight Body Forging Art was also successfully acquired.

After auctioning this treasure, Lin Shiming had spent most of his Spirit Stones.

This was also because the Lin Family had a Medium Grade Spirit Stone Mine on Spirit Turtle Island, otherwise, he would never have been able to produce so many Spirit Stones.

As the Starlight Body Forging Art was successfully bid on, Azure Bamboo Taoist also wore a wide smile.

These two treasures fetched prices that most Magic Treasures couldn't, greatly stimulating the Cultivators' bidding passion for the Auction!

And as he clapped his hands again, he began to Auction the purple profound treasure jade and the taiqing purple jade fruit.

The demand for these two treasures by Purple Mansion Family Cultivators was self-evident.

Many Cultivators fought tooth and nail, and Lin Shiming also symbolically made a few bids, but these treasures were different from the treasure map whose location couldn't be found and the Starlight Body Forging Art that couldn't be Cultivated.

The number of bidders was the highest at the Auction. Even among the Sect Cultivators, many who had not yet broken through to Purple Mansion frequently made bids.

Ultimately, they all exceeded fifty thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones, which was more than double the market price for spiritual Materials needed to Breakthrough to Purple Mansion!

And very soon, it was time for the grand finale items to be sold.

Azure Bamboo Taoist also composed himself, appearing extremely dignified.

He clapped his hands, and from the side, six beautiful Foundation Establishment female Cultivators walked up, each wearing a light veil, their specific faces indiscernible. Yet, through the veil, one could see the beauty's every smile and frown, their exquisite postures captivating the hearts of many Cultivators even more.

The treasures on the six trays also made countless Cultivators' expressions excited.

Especially the last three treasures prepared by Zixuan Zhenren.

Many Purple Mansion Peak Cultivators secretly prepared, ready to bid at any moment.

"Alright, the Auction is drawing to a close, but the most exciting part is just beginning!"

"Next are the six grand finale treasures of this Auction, guaranteed to make your trip worthwhile!"

"The first grand finale item is a fourth-tier High Grade Magic Treasure, the Heaven Origin Umbrella, which integrates offense, defense, and illusion formations. After refining it, one can easily raise one's Realm and defeat opponents!"

Azure Bamboo Taoist placed the Heaven Origin Umbrella in his hand, and countless flowing spiritual patterns appeared one after another. The Cultivators felt as if they were in an Immortal palace, with various spiritual cranes flying, Immortals drinking wine, beating drums, and playing music!

Even Lin Shiming was lost in the illusion for several seconds, and it should be known that this Heaven Origin Umbrella was aimed at the private rooms on the second floor.

"Starting bid, eighty thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones!"

..."One hundred twenty thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones!"

"One hundred thirty thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones!"

..."One hundred fifty thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones!" The Heaven Origin Umbrella eventually tripled in price and was finally bought by a Cultivator from the Ten Thousand Swords Sect.

The first grand finale treasure fetched one hundred fifty thousand Spirit Stones, which was beyond everyone's expectations, but it was undeniable that the treasures Qingxuan Sect brought out this time absolutely surpassed everyone's expectations.

"The second grand finale treasure is the inner core of a fourth-tier Middle Stage Wind 蛟 Dragon!"

Azure Bamboo Taoist took out a treasure box. As the box opened, everyone felt a Dragon roar surge out, as if a Dragon Vein had taken flight.

The Dragon's inner core also left everyone dumbfounded.

This was only the second grand finale treasure.

No explanation was needed. All Cultivators with Spirit Snake Spirit Beasts were practically parched, eager to start bidding.

"One hundred thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones, each increment must not be less than one thousand!" Azure Bamboo Taoist smiled slightly and didn't explain too much.

The Dragon's inner core was the best explanation!

"One hundred twenty thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones!"

...The Auction price quickly exceeded one hundred eighty thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones.

Lin Shiming counted the Spirit Stones in his Storage Pouch and ultimately had to give up.

Of course, if he had that many Spirit Stones, he would most likely not participate in the Auction.

The Dragon's inner core was too hot to handle. Even if an Early Violet Palace Stage Cultivator bought it, it would be like a child holding gold.

No matter how much Wang Jiao needed it, Lin Shiming had no choice.

Moreover, this was a complete inner core of a fourth-tier Middle Stage Wind 蛟, and its preservation was even more smooth and full than the Skyfire Ape inner core Lin Shiming had purchased before.

Finally, the Wind 蛟 inner core was auctioned for a price of two hundred thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones, and was acquired by a Cultivator from the Corpse Refinement Sect.

Lin Shiming was not surprised. Nine Corpse Zhenren's famous treasure was his nine Dragon corpses.

Within his Sect, there were definitely many Cultivators who practiced the Dragon Corpse method.

And as the Dragon's inner core was auctioned off, the third treasure was also revealed!

A red silk curtain was drawn back, revealing a golden spirit boat.

This spirit boat was a fourth-tier war treasure ship, only its spirit platform had a full thirty-six slots!

That was four times more than the Lin Family's two war treasure ships!

Its power was also comparable to the Mid Purple Mansion Realm!

After intense bidding, the price also reached one hundred twenty thousand Spirit Stones.

Although it was not as good as the Heaven Origin Umbrella or the Wind 蛟 inner core, the Auction price was still a level that made Lin Shiming stop.

And the fourth treasure was also unveiled by Azure Bamboo Taoist.

This time, the treasure was a Jade Slip.

Above the Jade Slip, a clear wind swept out. Azure Bamboo Taoist held the Jade Slip, as if rising straight to the Nine Nether.

A whistling sound swept through the entire Auction hall.

"A Profound Rank High Grade Cultivation Technique, the Nine Nether Profound Wind Scripture, which can be Cultivated to the Early Stage Golden Core. The starting bid is fifty thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones!" Qingxuan Sanren spoke again.

Lin Shiming was also somewhat dumbfounded. He hadn't expected that this Nine Nether Profound Wind Scripture could actually be Cultivated to the Early Stage Golden Core.