129: Chapter 130 Reencounter with Old Man Quan

Even Elder Yun Zhou on the stage raised an eyebrow slightly, his meaningful gaze sweeping over Chen Qingyuan.

A Loose Cultivator at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer had first bid ten thousand Spirit Stones to win the Star Core, and now was participating in the competition for the Legacy.

With such decisive actions and such abundant wealth, it was difficult not to attract attention.

"Dinghai 76, sixty thousand Spirit Stones, going once!"

The wooden gavel tapped lightly. Elder Yun Zhou surveyed the entire venue, glancing intentionally or unintentionally at a few private rooms on the second floor.

"Everyone should know that Spirit Stones are easy to come by, but a true Legacy is hard to find. Seventy thousand Spirit Stones might purchase a Sharp Weapon, but this 'The True Explanation of Myriad Phenomena Talisman Formations' is the Foundation capable of founding an entire lineage! Mastering one method allows one to understand all techniques; passing it down to descendants ensures an enduring Legacy!"

These words caused the previously silent bidding to resume, though it was no longer as intense as before.

"Sixty-one thousand."

"Sixty-two thousand."

The price was still climbing, but the pace had slowed significantly.

For many Foundation Establishment families, sixty thousand Spirit Stones would already be a crippling blow.

In the world of Cultivation, strength is respected above all.

If they had these Spirit Stones, they would rather bid on a spiritual item to open the Purple Mansion and take a gamble on allowing the Family to rise in status.

As for those factions with Purple Mansion or even Golden Core experts, while this Tier 3 Legacy was good, it was not indispensable.

Moreover, there was doubt as to whether the auctioned item was a unique copy, so there was no need for them to spend great effort to win it.

But Chen Qingyuan had no way back!

Since he had already been exposed, he could only follow this path to the end.

"Seventy thousand!"

This bid was almost the limit of all the Low-Grade Spirit Stones he had on him!

The venue was in an uproar.

Elder Yun Zhou waited for a few breaths, confirmed there were no more ripples, and finally announced loudly,

"Seventy thousand Spirit Stones, going once!"

"Seventy thousand Spirit Stones, going twice!"

"Seventy thousand Spirit Stones, going three times! Sold!"

The sound of the gavel fell, echoing through the venue.

"Congratulations to Fellow Daoist Dinghai 76 for winning 'The True Explanation of Myriad Phenomena Talisman Formations'!"

As the gavel fell, Chen Qingyuan's back was already soaked in cold sweat.

Although he had successfully won the Legacy, he had also completely placed himself at the center of the storm.

At the same time!

Several malevolent Divine Senses had already silently locked onto him.

Such unscrupulous prying was naturally not permitted by Xiyun Pavilion!

"Hmph!"

On the platform, Elder Yun Zhou's voice was not loud, but it contained the pressure of a Purple Mansion expert,

Like the evening drum and morning bell, it instantly shattered those few unscrupulous Divine Senses.

His gaze was like lightning, coldly sweeping across several directions; although he didn't speak, his stance was clear.

Almost simultaneously, a middle-aged Cultivator dressed in the attire of a Xiyun Pavilion deacon appeared quietly beside Chen Qingyuan, a smile on his face as he happened to shield him.

"This Fellow Daoist, congratulations on winning your desired item."

Chen Qingyuan immediately felt relieved. It was rumored that Xiyun Pavilion would set up a "VIP Passage" to protect guests who made large transactions, which was one of the reasons he dared to spend eighty thousand Spirit Stones in full view of everyone.

If one won a precious treasure but was left ignored to fend for themselves, Xiyun Pavilion's golden reputation would be ruined.

"Greetings, Senior!"

Chen Qingyuan dared not be the least bit arrogant; he immediately stood up and respectfully returned the salute.

The middle-aged deacon turned slightly and gestured with his hand.

"Distinguished guest, this way please!"

Under the gaze of countless unreadable eyes, Chen Qingyuan followed him closely, passing through the crowd, leaving the noisy main hall, turning into a corridor, and finally entering an elegantly furnished secret room.

Not until the stone door of the secret room slowly closed did Chen Qingyuan relax slightly.

"Fellow Daoist, your cumulative spending at this Ascension Meeting has exceeded fifty thousand Spirit Stones. According to our Xiyun Pavilion rules, you have automatically been promoted to a 'Blue Crystal VIP' of our pavilion."

The middle-aged deacon said with a smile, his tone even more polite than before,

"To ensure the safety of our VIPs, we specially present this token, which allows for one free use of our pavilion's teleportation array, with a random destination. This talisman has no time limit for use; at that time, we will recognize the jade talisman, not the person. We hope Fellow Daoist will keep it safe."

As he spoke, he handed over a blue jade talisman.

Chen Qingyuan was secretly delighted, "Just as I thought!"

This must be the legendary VIP passage.

Keeping his face composed, he respectfully took the jade talisman with both hands, "Many thanks for your pavilion's generosity; I am extremely grateful."

The subsequent transaction process was exceptionally smooth.

After paying the huge sum of Spirit Stones, 'The True Explanation of Myriad Phenomena Talisman Formations' and the "Star Core" were finally carefully stored in his storage ring.

After putting away the jade talisman, Chen Qingyuan did not immediately use the teleportation array to escape far away.

Instead, under the deacon's arrangement, he silently left the auction venue and merged back into the bustling crowd of the Immortal City.

Following his old routine, he changed his appearance again, tying up his hair to transform into a scholar in green robes with a slightly pale complexion and a scholarly air, and burned all his previous clothing.

Having completed all this, he stepped into the familiar Xiyun Tower again.

According to the records in the "Three Origin Spirit Casting Secret Canon", to initially refine the Star Core, one must set up an array with "Thirty-Six Star Flags" to channel the surrounding Star Power.

The grade requirement for these flags is not high, just Tier 2 Low Grade, but the quantity is large. They require "Century-Old Gloomy Ebony" for the poles, "Tier 2 Ice Silkworm Silk" for the flag surfaces, and are supplemented with a small amount of "Star Pattern Sand" to draw the array patterns, so the total price is quite high.

The key point is that finished products of this item cannot be bought anywhere; one can only purchase the Materials.

Fortunately, his father-in-law, Xie Deyuan, had successfully reached Foundation Establishment. With his skills in Artifact Refining, he would surely break through to become a Tier 2 Artifact Refiner in the near future, making him just right for crafting these flags.

Once the Materials are prepared, the cultivation of the "Star Combat Body" can be put on the agenda as soon as possible.

Nowadays, as his cultivation level rose and his perspective broadened, the sense of crisis in Chen Qingyuan's heart not only did not diminish but became increasingly intense.

The bizarre corpse-raising in Black Wind Valley, the looming Corpse Fiend Sect, the inscrutable Red Sand Gang... each one was a Sharp Weapon hanging over his head, not knowing when it would fall.

Fortunately, he had not completely cleared out the Materials he had on hand at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion earlier, leaving some room to maneuver.

He sold all the remaining goods to Xiyun Tower at a discounted price, valued at twelve thousand Spirit Stones.

Adding over a thousand more Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, he purchased enough Materials for fifty sets of the Star Flags, including the ebony, Tier 2 Medium Grade "Moonlight Silkworm Silk", and "Star Pattern Sand".

With sufficient Materials prepared, even if there were losses during the crafting process, it would be enough to ensure the final quantity of flags.

Being respectfully escorted out the door by the Xiyun Tower manager, Chen Qingyuan merged into the flow of people on the street with a calm and composed manner!

In reality, his Divine Sense was highly concentrated, alert to any slight disturbance in the surroundings.

But, even with him being so cautious.

A slightly hoarse, yet somewhat familiar voice sounded leisurely beside him,

"Little friend! It's been a few days, but your hair bun... it's not very well-groomed."

Chen Qingyuan was startled. He didn't know when a stooped figure wearing an old green shirt, with a vermilion wine gourd hanging from his waist, had appeared beside him!

Who else could it be but Old Man Quan, whom he had met once before while begging for wine?