78: Auction test

Late at night, Lin Shiming recovered from his meditation, once again filling the Heavenly Wood Heart with Spiritual Qi.

Each time it was filled, it was like re-refining the spirit, always making his spiritual power more concentrated.

Lin Shiming did not get up immediately, but instead began to recall the battle from earlier in the day, filtering through all the details again, summarizing what he did poorly and what was more dangerous.

Just like that, Lin Shiming spent another hour until his Divine Sense spread far away, and only then did he realize that someone was appreciating the night sky tonight.

It was a pity, though; there was no moon or stars tonight.

Lin Shiming pushed open the door and walked towards the courtyard, and Lin Houyuan also turned his head.

The latter deeply scrutinized Lin Shiming in the night sky for a long time, then revealed a relieved smile.

"You've grown up!"

A simple sentence, but Lin Shiming saw worry on the latter's face, and a resentment of his own lack of strength.

Indeed, it was very dangerous during the day, and perhaps even more dangerous in the future.

Cultivating Immortality itself is a Heaven-Defying endeavor.

"I've made Father worry. Shiming will surely redouble his efforts in Cultivation from now on!" Lin Shiming replied, his heart also warming.

He had seen Lin Houyuan's actions during the day; this Father would truly fight desperately at critical moments.

"Here, this is from Seventh Grand Uncle!" Lin Houyuan handed over another Jade Slip, and Lin Shiming found that Li Yucheng's treasures were all inside.

Three High Grade Magical Swords, plus a High Grade Spirit Shield Magical Artifact, and the broken Scorpion Demon Banner.

Finally, there was also a long, rectangular Talisman embroidered with a small black knife.

It was precisely Li Yucheng's Talisman Treasure.

This made Lin Shiming very happy and surprised.

Given the Clan Leader's style of doing things, he would definitely share treasures with Xie An, unless the Lin Family no longer wanted to use Zi Xuan Sanren's influence in the future.

Of course, it was more likely that the Family had given Xie An other benefits, and these treasures were all left for him.

This was indeed Seventh Grand Uncle's style.

"Also, this is the Family's reward for you!" Lin Shiming hadn't yet emerged from the joy of the Talisman Treasure when Lin Houyuan took out another Storage Pouch.

Inside this Storage Pouch were two thousand Spirit Stones and two bottles of Azure Spirit Pill.

Although not much, it represented a token of the Family's goodwill.

Lin Shiming nodded and accepted it.

In the night, the two talked for a long time. A Cultivator's single closed-door Cultivation takes a long time. It had been since he was a teenager that he last had a long talk with Lin Houyuan, so long that he didn't know how to chat with his Father.

But on this day, Lin Houyuan, for the first time, spoke of the various dangers of the Immortal Realm, and they talked all night.

His Father in his memory was not talkative, but tonight, he spoke a lot.

The night was like water, silently passing away.

The next day was the Lin Family's Auction, which was also the last part of the Foundation Establishment Assembly.

Because of the Li Family's disruption, the Lin Family was even more cautious and meticulous this time, recording every suspicious Loose Cultivator.

The Auction officially began. The auctioneer this time was Thirtieth Uncle, whom Lin Shiming had met, the chubby Hou Generation Cultivator Lin Houyuan.

With just a few words, he ignited the passion of the Cultivators.

"Welcome, all Fellow Daoist Loose Cultivators and Fellow Family members, to our Lin Family's Auction. I am Lin Houyuan. All the treasures this time have been carefully selected by Seventh Grand Uncle, so everyone can bid with confidence. The Auction rules are the same as all Auctions: the highest bidder wins!"

"Without further ado, let's move on to the first item for Auction: one bottle of High Grade monkey wine!"

"I believe everyone has drunk monkey wine. Not only does it have the effect of restoring spiritual power, but it also has healing and the ability to remove hidden injuries."

"Furthermore, this High Grade monkey wine is far better than the Medium Grade monkey wine you usually drink. It can even serve as a life-saving Medicinal Pill at critical moments! Our Lin Family can only brew ten catties in ten years!"

"One bottle is one catty. The starting bid is 1000 Spirit Stones, and each increment must not be less than ten Spirit Stones!"

As the bidding price was announced, Lin Houyuan cooperatively opened the wine bottle, and a rich aroma of wine filled the entire Auction hall.

The Loose Cultivators and Qi Cultivation Families became completely enthusiastic, and many Foundation Establishment Families also began to bid.

"One thousand two hundred Spirit Stones!"

"One thousand three hundred!"

...The final transaction was two thousand two hundred Spirit Stones. This price was already considered high among second-tier Medicinal Pills.

Lin Shiming was also somewhat pleased to see this, knowing that he had half a share of the Family's monkey wine and Spirit Peach business.

Of course, this time Lin Shiming was in a very back position; he had a more important task.

Observe the Qian Family.

The Qian Family's actions and information were the key to this Family Auction.

The Lin Family Elders were basically aware of the Lin Family's basic information. By the same token, the remaining Elders of the Huang Family must also know about the Purple Mansion Cave and the Foundation Establishment Pill.

The key was whether the Qian Family had obtained this information from the remnants of the Huang Family.

The Auction continued. The subsequent treasures were not as good as the High Grade monkey wine, but there were still many excellent second-tier treasures, which once again brought the Cultivators into a bidding frenzy.

Some were from the Lin Family, and some were consigned by other Cultivators.

During this time, Lin Shiming bid on a Spiritual Plant, but the Qian Family did not move at all, appearing calm and composed, which made Lin Shiming a little hesitant.

Finally, it was time for the most crucial and core finale item.

Thirtieth Uncle Lin Houyuan was extremely excited. He took a tray from a nearby maid, and a fiery red small banner appeared in his hand.

"Next is the finale item: a Low Grade, fire-attribute, third-tier Magical Artifact, the Blazing Fire Banner. Its power is absolutely among the best for Spell attack Magical Artifacts. All Seniors present can bid!"

With the appearance of the Blazing Fire Banner, all the Foundation Establishment Families were shocked. It was known that the reason why the Lin Family's reputation in Yunzhou was not high was because the Lin Family did not have third-tier Alchemists and third-tier Artifact Refiners.

Now that a third-tier Magical Artifact appeared, the Cultivators were extremely concerned about it. In contrast, the Loose Cultivators were less interested.

"That's right, it was precisely when our Lin Family Head broke through to Foundation Establishment that he also broke through to become a third-tier Artifact Refiner. This is his first third-tier Magical Artifact. The starting bid is 10,000 Spirit Stones, and each increment must not be less than 500 Spirit Stones!"

With Lin Houyuan's confirmation, the Loose Cultivator Families also began to bid. Even Xie An was somewhat moved when he saw this Blazing Fire Banner.

A pure fire-attribute Magical Artifact might play a special role at a critical moment.

Furthermore, as Lin Xianzhi's Senior Brother, he also wanted to support the Lin Family.

Ultimately, the price of the Blazing Fire Banner reached 28,000, and Xie An purchased it.

After seeing the transaction from the very back, Lin Shiming also breathed a sigh of relief. The Qian Family did not know about the Detailed Explanation of Array Instruments.

Otherwise, they would never give up the opportunity to study this Blazing Fire Banner. Not to mention twenty or thirty thousand Spirit Stones, they would probably continue to pour in fifty or sixty thousand Spirit Stones.