129: Chapter 129 Auction

Lin Qing and his group of four walked slowly towards the Wanhe Chamber of Commerce, the most prestigious in the Beichen Empire capital.

Before they had truly stepped into the entrance of the Chamber of Commerce, their figures caught the eyes of the attendants guarding the door.

As a top-tier mega-chamber of commerce in the Beichen Empire, the attendants of the Wanhe Chamber of Commerce naturally had keen eyes. From a distance, they spotted the exclusive white robes of a True Disciple of the Chuyun Immortal Sect on Lin Qing.

Such an identity, within the entire Beichen Empire, was already of the highest VIP standard.

The guarding attendant did not dare to be negligent, immediately turning around and jogging into the depths of the Chamber of Commerce to report the message.

Therefore, when the four of them stepped into the gates of the Wanhe Chamber of Commerce, a figure was already waiting at the entrance.

It was an old man with gray hair; although advanced in years, he was full of vigor, his aura steady and restrained.

The old man stepped forward quickly, his posture respectful but not servile, with a gentle and appropriate smile, as he cupped his hands to Lin Qing and said:

"Young Master, your arrival brings great honor to our humble establishment. I am Song Nian, the manager here. Young Master, please follow me to a private room to talk."

Lin Qing nodded slightly and, with Yun Nian and the other two in tow, followed behind Song Nian, ascending the exquisite carved wooden staircase to the second floor of the Chamber of Commerce.

The second floor consisted entirely of private rooms, decorated luxuriously and elegantly. The floors were covered in animal skin carpets, the walls were carved with flowing cloud Formations, and the air was filled with a faint, calming spiritual incense that was refreshing to the heart and spirit.

Each private room came with its own Divine Thought isolation Formation to ensure the privacy of customer transactions.

After they were seated, an attendant with a graceful figure and beautiful appearance walked in holding an exquisite jade tray, which held crystalline spiritual fruits and high-quality spiritual tea.

After the attendant exited and gently closed the door, Song Nian sat down and asked with a smile:

"I wonder, Young Master, what brings you to our shop today? Are you looking to sell treasures or purchase cultivation supplies? I will certainly make proper arrangements for you and offer our best prices."

Lin Qing raised his hand and cupped his fist slightly, his tone calm:

"Manager Song Nian, you are too kind. I am Lin Qing. I have come this time to purchase a batch of special Materials."

As he spoke, Lin Qing took out a neatly written list of Materials and handed it to Song Nian.

On the list, various spiritual Materials required for capturing a Void Beast were densely listed, complex in variety and precise in category.

Song Nian took the list and scanned it carefully. After a long while, he looked up and said to Lin Qing:

"Young Master Lin, the vast majority of the Materials on your list are in stock in the Wanhe Chamber of Commerce warehouse, and all are of top quality. For the few items where our stock is insufficient, I can immediately mobilize our chamber's channels to urgently procure them from surrounding major branches and partner chambers, and we can have them gathered within one hour."

At this point, Song Nian paused, a look of difficulty crossing his brow:

"The only thing is this Dark Void Profound Rock, which is a bit troublesome."

Hearing this, Lin Qing's heart sank. The Dark Void Profound Rock was a core main Material that his Revered Master had specifically emphasized, and it was almost irreplaceable.

If he could not gather the Materials in a short time and missed the best opportunity for capture, it would be a huge loss once the Void Beast left their Flying Boat Formation.

Lin Qing rarely showed a look of urgency:

"Does your shop not have this item?"

Song Nian instantly saw through the anxiety in Lin Qing's eyes and hurriedly smiled to reassure him:

"Young Master, do not be anxious. Our shop does have the Dark Void Profound Rock; we are not out of stock."

"It is just unfortunate timing. Today happens to be our shop's semi-annual large-scale auction. This Dark Void Profound Rock is of extremely high value and was long ago listed among the goods for this auction. The product catalog has already been released to the public, so it is difficult to remove it for private sale at this time."

Hearing this, Lin Qing breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the item was still there, everything still had a chance.

He nodded immediately, his tone returning to calm:

"No matter. Then I will trouble you, Manager, to first gather the remaining Materials on the list, and then help us arrange seating to participate in the auction."

"That is only right!" Song Nian agreed heartily. "There is less than an hour until the auction begins. Why don't you all follow me directly to an auction room to rest and wait for the start?"

Lin Qing nodded and stood up with Yun Nian and the other two:

"Then I will trouble you."

They followed Song Nian to the third floor.

After walking a long way through the Chamber of Commerce with Song Nian, they finally ascended a staircase to the third floor. This private room was more spacious and luxurious, and the Formation Rank was also higher.

The wall of the private room facing the central auction floor was built with one-way light-transmitting spiritual crystal, allowing them to take in the entire auction floor below and clearly see the details of every auction item on the auction stage.

At this time, guests were already entering the auction venue one after another.

Most of those seated in the first-floor hall were Loose Cultivators with simple clothing and low-key behavior, or Elders and Core Disciples of ordinary small and medium-sized Sects.

It was not that they could not afford to procure luxurious robes and high-Rank accessories, but in the Beichen Empire capital where experts were as numerous as clouds, with their cultivation, dressing too ostentatiously would only attract unwanted attention and invite trouble.

The second floor contained dozens of small compartments. Those seated there were all somewhat famous Cultivators or heads of small and medium-sized Families, possessing significant wealth and not weak cultivation, having a certain amount of bidding capital and social status.

As for the third floor, there were only a few private rooms, which were exclusive, private spaces for the top dignitaries of Beichen or True Disciples of the Immortal Sects.

After Song Nian made the arrangements, he hurriedly left to prepare the Materials, and the atmosphere in the private room instantly relaxed.

Nearly a month had passed since the catastrophe at Luoxia Valley. The sorrow that had once shrouded everyone's hearts had gradually faded under the washing of time.

Yun Nian, Xing Mian, and Yuan Chong, with their youthful spirits, walked quickly to the one-way spiritual crystal wall, curiously looking down at the crowd below.

The three whispered and laughed, occasionally observing Cultivators with peculiar attire, and occasionally guessing the cultivation Realm of the guests in the venue. The lively laughter of the youths made the large private room feel warm and cozy.

One hour passed in the blink of an eye.

At this moment, the auction venue was already packed, with a deafening noise of voices. The first-floor hall was crowded, the second-floor compartments were all filled, and the atmosphere of the entire venue became increasingly heated.

In the private room where Lin Qing was, an attendant was already standing quietly, ready to respond to the VIP's needs at any time.

Yun Nian and the other two also stopped playing, obediently returning to their seats, their eyes burning with anticipation as they waited for the auction to begin.

Hum—

The next instant, the lights of the entire venue suddenly dimmed, and the noisy crowd's voices instantly lowered. A spiritual light lit up on the central auction stage, and a soft beam of light enveloped the entire platform.

A graceful and stunning figure slowly walked out from the backstage.

The woman was tall, wearing a moon-white dress with gold plating. The hem of the skirt had flowing, shimmering lights and hidden gold patterns. On her shoulders, she draped a light and elegant light-purple spiritual gauze cloak. With her bare, crystalline white jade feet, she stood upon the light, her temperament gentle yet luxurious.

The woman's eyes were charming, and her voice was soft and gentle, with a natural penetrating power that resonated throughout the entire auction venue:

"Welcome, distinguished guests, to our Wanhe Chamber of Commerce's semi-annual auction. I am Su Wan, and I will be hosting today's auction."

"Thanks to the trust of all parties, this auction is well-stocked with supplies. There are both Medicinal Pills and Spiritual Artifacts required for the daily cultivation of Cultivators, as well as several precious secret treasures and ancient artifacts appearing as the grand finale, which will certainly not disappoint your expectations."

As her voice fell, applause rose throughout the venue, and the atmosphere became even more heated.

"Without further ado, the auction officially begins!"

"The first auction item of this event, a high-Rank Spiritual Artifact sword—Qingwen."

Su Wan raised her jade hand slightly, and a rectangular brocade box rose from beneath the auction stage, slowly opening.

Inside the box, a long sword lay quietly. The blade was crystalline white with a greenish tint, with flowing light, and the spine of the sword was densely covered with natural cloud patterns.

"This sword was personally forged by the famous Artifact Refining Great Master of the Beichen Empire, Ye Jun. The main material is taken from extraterrestrial meteor iron combined with Green Spirit Crystal. Its texture is tough, its sharpness is unparalleled, and it is most suitable for Spiritual Realm Cultivators to use in main combat."

"Starting bid, one hundred thousand Spirit Stones!"

"One hundred and twenty thousand Spirit Stones!"

A Loose Cultivator in a black robe on the first floor stared intensely at the Spiritual Artifact sword, raising his hand to bid first.

"One hundred and thirty thousand!"

A middle-aged Cultivator next to him followed closely.

"One hundred and fifty thousand!"

Bidding voices rose one after another, and the price climbed step by step. After just a few rounds of competition, the price reached two hundred and ten thousand directly. Most of the Cultivators present had already given up and began to discuss in low voices.

"Great Master Ye Jun's works are indeed sought after."

"Two hundred and ten thousand is too much of a premium."

In the end, after several rounds of back-and-forth, this Qingwen Spiritual Artifact sword was successfully auctioned off by a customer in a second-floor compartment for a price of two hundred and thirty thousand.

The opening bid was over two hundred thousand Spirit Stones. Such a scale made Lin Qing turn his head slightly, secretly weighing things in his heart.

At this moment, his total Spirit Stone reserves were only five million. He not only had to bid for the Dark Void Profound Rock but also had to pay for the other Materials. He was a bit worried that the Spirit Stones would not be enough.

With this thought in mind, Lin Qing beckoned to the attendant standing by for orders.

The attendant immediately bowed and stepped forward, respectfully saluting: "What are your orders, Young Master?"

"Go and invite Manager Song Nian to come here for a moment."

"Yes."

The attendant acknowledged and exited the private room.

In the interval of waiting, the auction below continued hotly. High-Rank Spiritual Artifacts, Medicinal Pills, protective Formation Plates, and Storage Rings appeared one after another, each of top-notch quality.

There also appeared a seventh-Rank Pill Formula and a seventh-Rank Formation diagram, but Lin Qing did not participate in the bidding. These two items were too valuable, and if he bought them, he would really be unable to afford the Dark Void Profound Rock.

During the month after returning to Great Qi, Lin Qing was naturally not idle. Apart from handling matters, he had already fully grasped the Pill Formulas and Formation diagrams he had exchanged from those Sect Elders earlier.

Now, among his cultivation skills, both Alchemy and Formation setting had both stepped into the sixth-Rank Perfection Realm.

The auction continued, and before long, Song Nian pushed the door and entered: "Young Master Lin, you summoned me; do you have any orders?"

Lin Qing went straight to the point: "The batch of Materials I had you collect earlier, how many Spirit Stones are required in total?"

Song Nian immediately handed over a Storage Ring and replied: "Young Master Lin, except for the Dark Void Profound Rock, all Materials have been fully gathered, totaling one million nine hundred thousand Spirit Stones."

Lin Qing took the Storage Ring, scanned it with his Divine Thought, and confirmed that the Materials were complete and the quality met the standard. He then took out a Storage Ring, loaded it with one million nine hundred thousand Spirit Stones, and handed it to Song Nian.

After paying this huge sum, his current Spirit Stone reserves were now only three million one hundred thousand.

Just at this moment, on the auction stage below, Su Wan's clear, soft, and gentle voice sounded at the right time: "Next, one of the heavyweight auction items of this event—the Dark Void Profound Rock!"

"The Dark Void Profound Rock is a commonly used material for high-Rank Formation Masters to set up space-type Formations."

"Even in Chuyun City, it is an extremely scarce treasure."

"The starting bid for this item is one million Spirit Stones."