446: Auction starts (two-in-one please subscribe monthly ticket)

On Nine Dragon Island, the Teleportation Array's spiritual light continuously flickered. With a burst of light, Lin Shiming, Lin Shiyuan, Lin Shilei, and Lin Shiyun appeared in the Teleportation Array.

At this moment, the Teleportation Array was extremely lively, with many Cultivators arriving from Tianxiang Island.

The layout of the Teleportation Array was also much more luxurious than before, with various red-wood tiled pavilions standing tall, topped with golden glazed tiles that shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight.

If Nine Dragon Island was previously on high alert, preparing for a beast tide,

Then the current Nine Dragon Island had subtly replaced Tianxiang Island, becoming even more prosperous and vibrant, more like a bustling, lively large island.

The Lin Family Cultivators guarding the Teleportation Array also quickly greeted Lin Shiming and the others.

"With the Wind Travel Merchant Alliance here, it's truly lively!" Even Lin Shiyun couldn't help but exclaim.

"They are a merchant association that spans the Six Great Sea Regions, so naturally, they're impressive!" Lin Shiming also nodded.

This time, he didn't bring many people. Of course, if other Lin Family Cultivators wanted to come to the Auction, they could come on their own.

Having a Teleportation Array now made it quite convenient.

However, Lin Shiming still proactively brought Lin Shilei and Lin Shiyuan. He wanted them to clear their minds; Cultivating and revenge were not matters of a single day or night.

The Immortal Realm was not an ordinary Mortal world where everything desired could be achieved through mere passion and schemes.

In the Immortal Realm, there was only Immortal Arts and martial power.

The reason Lin Shitao didn't come was also because Lin Shiming had taken the Yan Yang Sword, and Shuangmu Island couldn't be without a Purple Mansion Cultivator to guard it.

And Lin Shiming, facing the many Immortal Masters of Nine Dragon Island, truly lacked confidence without the Yan Yang Sword.

Besides Lin Shitao, Lin Shiming also left Golden Wings, Hong Mao, and Wang Jiao, the three Spirit Beasts.

The three beasts were all growing stronger by digesting Yao Beast Materials, so bringing them along would be useless. It was more beneficial to leave them with the Family.

"There are some good things at this Auction!" Lin Shiming said with a smile, then didn't reveal anything further, leading the group towards the market.

The market's layout was now even more luxurious, with shops of all sizes built neatly and orderly.

The entire Nine Dragon City was divided into four districts: a restaurant district, a shop district, a street stall district, and the last district, which housed a huge Auction House.

Three Auction Houses had been built, distinguishing between large and small Auctions.

For large cities, Foundation Establishment Cultivator Auctions and Purple Mansion Cultivator Auctions had different scales and levels of rarity, and were separated.

The Lin Family used to be fine, but now that the Wind Travel Merchant Alliance was involved, they not only opened large shops but also made the Auctions more organized.

Cultivators bustled through the market, almost all with joyful expressions. There were also many discussing, almost all about the Auction.

This time, the Lin Family made a grand gesture: one purple profound treasure jade, a full one hundred Foundation Establishment Pills, plus countless rare second and third-order Magical Artifacts. This time, they could hardly control the scene!

Unlike the previous one, where the Auction's influence was only within the Tianxiang Island range, the Lin Family could control which Family the purple profound treasure jade would go to.

The influence of this Auction was so great that Lin Shiming even saw several monks.

This was also the influence of the Wind Travel Merchant Alliance.

Although the Lin Family was monitored by Nine Dragon Island, correspondingly, the Wind Travel Merchant Alliance also brought many business opportunities to the Lin Family.

Even outside the city, there were many street stalls and many Cultivators occupying hilltops.

It's just that the danger outside the city and inside the city differed too greatly.

Of course, the Lin Family's treasures were nothing compared to the Wind Travel Merchant Alliance's treasures.

The Wind Travel Merchant Alliance's treasures this time included a Fourth-Order pure-blood Wind Scale Python cub, five or six Fourth-Order Magic Treasures, and Pill Formulas to increase the cultivation of Purple Mansion Cultivators. It was even rumored that secret techniques would be sold.

This was why Lin Shiming absolutely had to come to the Auction in person.

The matter was of great importance, and Nine Dragon Island was secretly trying to trip him up.

Whether or not to bid for the Wind Scale Python, and at what price, could only be determined after seeing it in person.

And it would be best if the System also provided a prompt.

Otherwise, not bidding would indicate the Lin Family's guilt. How could a Spirit Snake Family not bid on a Wind Scale Python?

But bidding too high would indicate the Lin Family's excessive desire!

The balance needed to be carefully managed.

In the center of the market was a five-story tall grand pavilion. The pavilion was enormous; a single floor could seat over a thousand people, and there were second, third, fourth, and fifth floors as well.

Correspondingly, there were private rooms for Immortal Masters.

Of course, Immortal Masters would not appear here this time. At that Realm, they would have small trading gatherings, and generally would not use an Auction format, as Cultivators of that level do not lack Spirit Stones.

After viewing the Auction House, Lin Shiming also walked into the nearby Lin Family Restaurant.

In a room on the third floor, Lin Xian Zhi and Lin Shijie were already waiting!

"Seventh Grand Uncle, Big Brother!"

"Shiming is here, sit!" Lin Xian Zhi said, and Lin Shijie poured Lin Shiming a cup of cuilan tea.

The aroma of the tea filled the entire room.

Once Lin Shiming was seated, Lin Xian Zhi immediately activated the isolation Formation in the room.

As the spiritual light covered the entire room, Lin Xian Zhi's previously relaxed expression turned solemn.

"Shiming, Nine Dragon Island is very suspicious of us, and they've been probing!"

"The manager in charge of the Auction, named Yunchengzi, a Purple Mansion Late Stage Cultivator, has been asking if our Lin Family can sell Spirit Snakes externally, and if we want to buy Spirit Snake secret techniques?"

Lin Xian Zhi did not hesitate to state the most crucial issue of the entire matter.

The Lin Family's situation was not good right now. The only point was that the other party would not act without evidence. Even with suspicion, as long as they didn't see the golden dragon fruit tree, they wouldn't act.

After all, the Coral Alliance was here. If an Immortal Master were to truly exchange with the Lin Family's Daoist, it would certainly be impossible.

The fear was that if the location of the golden dragon fruit tree was discovered, then the Lin Family would be colluding with the Jiaolong Clan.

One must know that all three golden dragon fruit trees were taken by the Jiaolong Clan.

If the Lin Family suddenly had one, it would be completely inexplicable.

And Lin Shiming had not died during the previous Jiaolong siege, nor had the Lin Family suffered particularly heavy losses. If the Lin Family had this tree, it would need to be thoroughly investigated, but Lin Shiming and the Lin Family could not be thoroughly investigated.

"Seventh Grand Uncle, what was their reaction?" Lin Shiming asked.

"And they also have a hidden Soul Questioning Talisman!"

Lin Shiming thought for a moment and added. He hadn't seen such a hidden Soul Questioning Talisman before, so he assumed only Golden Core Cultivators could possess them, and the Lin Family couldn't access or buy them.

As for the Lin Family's Talisman Legacy, it didn't involve such a thing at all.

Ordinary Soul Questioning Talismans all required Spiritual Qi to activate and had to be directed at a Cultivator, not hidden away.

"No worries. Our Lin Family is inherently a Spirit Snake Family, so it's natural for us to need Spirit Snake secret techniques. As for selling, ordinary Spirit Snakes are also sold; business can be done!" Lin Xian Zhi replied.

Lin Shiming breathed a sigh of relief at this thought, but then remembered that this was their Lin Family's Old Ancestor, Seventh Grand Uncle.

He had seen all kinds of storms, so that Yunchengzi naturally couldn't intimidate Lin Xian Zhi.

"Shiming, this Auction is quite important and requires careful consideration. Besides the pure-blood Wind Scale Python cub, there's also the formula for Fourth-Order spirit wine, sturgeon dragon wine, and the Fourth-Order Beast Nurturing Pill formula..."

Lin Xian Zhi began to speak.

Upon hearing this, Lin Shiming gasped again.

Previously, he thought it was just some Fourth-Order Magic Treasures, which the Lin Family didn't need much.

But these three items were basically things the Lin Family couldn't refuse.

It was just that these three items might expose the Lin Family's secrets.

Nine Dragon Island was also urgently trying to find out the exact location of that tree.

sturgeon dragon wine was a spirit wine made from sturgeon and half-Jiaolong blood, which greatly nourished the Physical Body.

The only drawback was that it consumed a lot of Jiaolong blood.

And the Fourth-Order Beast Nurturing Pill formula was also something the Lin Family needed.

"Seventh Grand Uncle, my opinion is, buy what needs to be bought, absolutely do not hesitate!" Lin Shiming said with a solemn expression.

They wouldn't care about other Magic Treasures and treasures, but the sturgeon dragon wine formula and the Fourth-Order Beast Nurturing Pill formula must be bought.

The Lin Family had many Spirit Beasts, and what they lacked were Spirit Beasts that had grown up.

The Beast Nurturing Pill formula goes without saying. As for the sturgeon dragon wine formula, it was not only useful for Nine Heavens Hermit and Lin Houwei, but also because the Lin Family had stored a large amount of Jiaolong beast remains.

"That's my plan too!" Lin Xian Zhi also nodded.

The three then discussed for a while longer.

"Seventh Grand Uncle, regarding the Family, Yan Jiao's Cultivation Technique is compatible with Illusion Heart Pavilion. I think she is capable of being the Clan Leader!" Lin Shiming introduced.

His father was currently at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage. If resources were accumulated, he also had hope for the Purple Mansion Realm.

However, if he remained in the Clan Leader position, delaying his Cultivation, which would lead to his already poor talent wasting more time, then there would be no hope at all.

Lin Shiming naturally hoped that his father could live for several hundred more years.

The lifespan of a Purple Mansion Cultivator was twice that of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

"Alright, we'll test her then!" Lin Xian Zhi also nodded. He trusted that girl Lin Yanjiao; her cleverness reminded him of Lin Shiming in his youth.

But the position of Clan Leader could not be casually bestowed.

After discussing the important matters, the three drank another sip of spirit tea and then dispersed...

The next day, the sun hung high.

After the continuous rainy season during the beast tide, it was now a daily scorching sun.

Countless Cultivators in the entire Nine Dragon City were excited, surging towards the city.

This time, the Lin Family's Auction had a baseline of Late Qi Refining Stage, and the entry threshold was to pay ten Spirit Stones.

Ten Spirit Stones was not a lot, but it served to prevent an excessive number of Cultivators.

However, the Auction House, which could accommodate three thousand people, was already packed early, and a long line of Cultivators still stood at the back.

And the compartments on the second floor were also filled with Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

There were many Foundation Establishment Cultivators, so the second floor was not set up with private rooms, but rather compartments where ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators would sit together, with a table set with ordinary spirit tea and spirit fruit.

Besides the spirit tea and spirit fruit, there was also a Jade Slip, which contained information on the Auction items and Auction rules.

It also included the Lin Family's unique rules.

For Auction items over 10,000 spiritual stones, the next time one entered the Lin Family's Pill Pavilion or Artifact Forging Hall, they could enjoy a 100-spiritual-stone discount for every 10,000 spent!

For Auction items over 100,000 spiritual stones, the next time one entered the Lin Family's Pill Pavilion or Artifact Forging Hall, they could enjoy a 1,000-spiritual-stone discount for every 100,000 spent!

...and so on. This new type of Auction method immediately piqued the interest of Cultivators who had never attended Auctions on Nine Dragon Island or Tianxiang Island.

One must know that the Lin Family's consignment fee was only five percent.

The Lin Family spent almost one percent on promotions, which was a huge effort, not to mention the free spirit tea and spirit fruit on the tables.

This was something not seen at other Auctions before, at least not at such large-scale Auctions where these Foundation Establishment Cultivators could not enjoy such benefits.

Besides the compartments on the second floor, the private rooms on the third floor were also already full.

Yunchengzi, dressed in green silk robes, also sat in a private room. He looked at the compartments, at the Jade Slips, and even more so at the reactions of the Cultivators below.

Even as the person in charge of the Wind Travel Merchant Alliance, he had to admit that the Lin Family's sales strategy was very helpful.

"Indeed, it's very helpful for those Loose Cultivators!" A young man in a wind-robe next to Yunchengzi also nodded.

The Lin Family's reward policy could be said to be an empty promise to gain something for nothing. One must know that there was a high possibility of overpricing at the Auction, and the small discount could only be used for future purchases.

It was equivalent to getting something for nothing, and it completely ignited the enthusiasm of the Cultivators.

"It's a pity our merchant alliance can't use it!" The young man sighed.

"How do you figure?" Yunchengzi asked with interest.

"To Senior Martial Uncle Yun, the Lin Family is a small merchant group playing small games, so it's normal for them to offer concessions. But for our Wind Travel Merchant Alliance, we can still be famous far and wide even without offering concessions!" The young man replied.

"Of course, there's also meaning in learning from it!"

"Well said. However, today's goal isn't to watch the Lin Family perform!"

"Bargain hard, don't let the Immortal Master Senior Martial Uncles think we're truly useless!" Yunchengzi finally replied.

In his hand, he also held a crystal ball.

As a plump Cultivator appeared on the stage, the crystal ball completely lit up, and both Yunchengzi and the young man became extremely solemn.

The room quickly fell silent... In another private room on the third floor.

Lin Shiming and other main Cultivators of the Lin Family also gathered together.

Their gaze was directed towards the main hall on the first floor.

With a series of heavy footsteps, Lin Houyuan, dressed in a loose green silk robe, walked onto the high platform.

He was now beaming with health. Although he was only at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, no Cultivator dared to underestimate Lin Houyuan.

All of the Lin Family's various merchant groups were managed by Lin Houyuan.

"Fellow Seniors, Fellow Daoists, thank you all for traveling thousands of miles to be here."

"Lin is the Hall Master of the Lin Family's Commerce Hall, and also the main person in charge of this Auction!"

"This Auction is hosted by the Lin Family, but we also thank the Wind Travel Merchant Alliance for their strong support!"

Lin Houyuan's few short sentences placed the Lin Family in the primary position, which made the young man next to Yunchengzi in the private room on the third floor look a bit displeased.

This time, the Wind Travel Merchant Alliance had even more treasures.

"Alright, no more idle talk. This Auction will go to the highest bidder. If Spirit Stones are insufficient, treasures can be used as collateral!"

"The first Auction item: ten Foundation Establishment Pills per batch, starting bid of one thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. Each bid must not be less than one hundred. Additionally, Foundation Establishment Families or Loose Cultivators who participated in the defense of Tianxiang Island will receive a one hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stone discount on top of the existing policy!"

As soon as Lin Houyuan's words were out, many Foundation Establishment Cultivators and even Qi Refining Cultivators immediately erupted in excitement.

Many Cultivators present had participated in the beast tide, so this was almost like getting one free for every ten purchased.

Although Foundation Establishment Pills in the South Sea Cultivation World were easier to refine using Yao Beast inner cores and were not monopolized, they were still rare Medicinal Pills.