Chapter 1355: Unexpected Auction Item

When Han Li flew to the market city, it was nearing midday. After waiting for a moment, he used a secret art to transform into a burly, bearded man and proceeded to the Grand Profound Hall.

At the entrance, people were steadily paying spirit stones and receiving a light-shielding pendant before entering the hall.

Without exception, all these individuals were cultivators above the Spirit Transformation stage. Han Li even personally saw two or three Refinement Void cultivators enter.

After a brief thought, he also stepped forward and handed the guard an ordinary leather pouch filled with spirit stones.

The guard's spiritual sense swept over the pouch and then over Han Li. He nodded, handed over a jade pendant, and opened the entrance, casually saying, "Go inside and turn left!"

Han Li was slightly taken aback by these words, then walked in with a hint of confusion.

As soon as he entered the passage, he was surprised to find that the previously straight corridor had become strangely twisted, splitting into two dark paths leading to either side. It was as if this Grand Profound Hall was not the same one he had entered last time.

It seemed the hall's restrictions had been altered. However, the guard had already given him a hint. Han Li naturally didn't hesitate and walked directly down the left path. Moments later, his figure gradually vanished into the darkness, ultimately disappearing without a trace.

After the time it takes to eat a meal, Han Li found himself inside an isolated, dark stone chamber. The chamber was only about a zhang (approx. 3.3 meters) in size, with three walls and one open side. Inside, apart from a jade table, a bamboo chair, and a glowing red tray on the table, there was nothing else.

Such stone chambers were densely and intricately distributed in the low sky, up to a hundred zhang high; they were, in fact, flying stone rooms. The entire grand hall was a thousand zhang wide, spacious enough to comfortably accommodate nearly a thousand such stone rooms. Faint blue runes flickered on the surfaces of these stone rooms, each separated by a considerable distance, resembling glowing blue lanterns suspended in the low air, appearing exceptionally mysterious.

Han Li sat in his stone chamber, looking down at the auction stage on the distant ground, quite amazed. The moment he stepped into the main hall, he was instantly teleported to this location by a peculiar magic array set up at the entrance. He had already tested it: these flying stone chambers could not only float in mid-air but also block spiritual sense prying. Combined with the light-shielding pendant he wore, they fully guaranteed the anonymity of those participating in the auction.

It seemed the auction house owner deeply understood cultivators' fear of inviting trouble due to valuable possessions and had put considerable thought into ensuring the anonymity of the bidders.

Han Li leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest for a quarter of an hour. By then, several hundred more cultivators had entered the grand hall, and nearly all the stone chambers seemed occupied. When Han Li opened his eyes again, he let out a soft breath.

Anyone able to enter this auction house was at least a Spirit Transformation cultivator, meaning this seemingly small auction had effortlessly gathered nearly a thousand Spirit Transformation cultivators. In the Human Realm, such a gathering would be an unimaginable fantasy. However, this was due to being in Heaven Abyss City. In other human cultivation cities within the three realms, it would remain unthinkable unless it was one of the three major cities.

Suddenly, several melodious bell chimes rang out, and the wide-open hall doors slowly closed with a creaking thud. The already dim hall instantly became even gloomier. Immediately, several head-sized moonstones suddenly appeared above the auction stage, emitting a faint, soft white light that made the vicinity exceptionally clear and eye-catching. Everyone instinctively looked towards the auction stage.

On the high platform, which was over ten zhang wide, a magic array suddenly materialized out of thin air. Then, with a flash of white spiritual light, a white-robed old man appeared on the stage. Upon his appearance, the cultivators in the stone chambers stirred, and some even cried out the old man's name in surprise.

"Master Chi!""How is he here?! Could this auction..."

A flurry of whispered conversations broke out. Hearing the commotion, Han Li's heart stirred, and he also curiously observed the old man. The old man was only a mid-Spirit Transformation cultivator, but he had a full head of silver hair, kind eyes, and a spirited gaze, exuding an air of scholarly refinement and ethereal grace. Hearing others' discussions, it seemed this esteemed "Master" must possess astonishing attainments in diverse fields such as alchemy or array formations.

At this moment, the white-robed old man lightly coughed and spoke in a gentle voice: "It seems there's no need for this old man to introduce himself further; most fellow daoists already know me, Chi. Frankly, it's not in my nature to appear at such events, but for this auction, I was personally invited to appraise a few items, and I found myself very interested in them. Therefore, I offered to preside over this auction. I trust none of you fellow daoists have any objections?"

"Master Chi, you jest! For a Grandmaster of Artifact Refinement like yourself to personally preside over this auction, we couldn't ask for more!""Indeed, indeed! If Brother Chi personally appraised them, there's absolutely no chance of fakes. We can be even more at ease."

No sooner had the old man finished speaking than eight flying chambers immediately echoed with fawning agreement. While the cultivators in the other chambers didn't say anything, none expressed opposition, indicating that the white-robed old man indeed held considerable prestige here.

The white-robed old man then spoke again: "To give everyone an idea, I can reveal something in advance: the three main items to be auctioned this time are far more precious than anything in previous auctions. They are likely grand acquisitions rarely seen in centuries. Among them is a top-grade material obtained from the Barren World, a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure that ranks on the Myriad Chaos Spirit List, and finally, a complete set of cultivation techniques left behind by a senior cultivator who achieved Great Completion in the Integration stage, renowned across both the human and demon races."

The cultivators were greatly astonished, barely believing what they had heard. The entire hall fell silent. While the nature of the top-grade material from the Barren World was unknown but acceptable, a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure from the Myriad Chaos Spirit List and the principal cultivation technique of a late Integration stage cultivator were incredibly rare items. Any single one, if it fell into the outside world, could likely cause a bloody storm. Everyone was suddenly stirred, and the atmosphere in the hall immediately became unusually solemn.

"Brother Chi, since this auction features such crucial items, why wasn't the news released beforehand so that we could prepare more spirit stones? Is there some hidden reason for this?" A strange, high-pitched voice, like that of a child, suddenly emerged from one of the stone chambers.

"Fellow daoist, rest assured. The reason these auction items were kept secret until now is that the owner of these three culminating treasures is the same individual, and he personally requested it from the auction house. As for the exact reason, this old man is unaware, and the auction house could not refuse. However, I can personally guarantee that these items are genuine treasures, absolutely without any falsehood. Of course, compared to the significance of these culminating treasures, this auction is indeed a bit rushed. For the final three items, we are specifically allowing other rare items to be used as collateral, valued against spirit stones, with our establishment. Naturally, the collateral value will be 10% lower than the market price. The valuations will be determined by our market city's three grand appraisers along with myself, so all fellow daoists can rest assured!" The white-robed old man seemed to have anticipated such a question and replied with a smile.

Hearing the old man's reply, the assembled cultivators were slightly taken aback, but most were overjoyed, and no one asked similar questions again.

Seeing no further objections, the old man, Master Chi, immediately announced the start of the auction and lightly clapped his hands. With a "clap," over a dozen streaks of variously colored light immediately flew up from below the stage. As the lights faded, ten beautiful female cultivators in palace attire appeared behind the old man. Each of them had a cultivation base above the Core Formation stage. They stood gracefully, each holding a brocade box of varying size.

"As per usual custom, we will begin with various refined elixirs and treasures, followed by rare materials and secret cultivation manuals, and finally, the culminating auction items. The first item for bid today is three bottles of 'Heart Rejuvenation Pills,' which can accelerate the cultivation progress of Spirit Transformation cultivators. The starting bid is 300,000 spirit stones, with each subsequent bid not less than 50,000," the white-robed old man announced clearly, then waved his hand backward.

Immediately, a palace-attired female cultivator gracefully stepped forward to the old man's side. With a gentle lift of her jade hand, she opened the lid of the box facing the cultivators, revealing three small, inch-high green jade bottles. The white-robed old man gestured towards the brocade box, and a green jade bottle flew out, settling into his hand. The old man skillfully opened the bottle cap, tilted it slightly, and poured out a pure white, crystalline pill. A rich medicinal aroma immediately spread out!

The white-robed old man then picked up the pill with two fingers and gently waved it towards the assembled cultivators. An incredible sight appeared. The surface of the crystalline pill immediately glowed with a two-toned aura of blue and red light, dazzling and resembling a large pearl. Simultaneously, the medicinal fragrance pervading the air became even more potent, several times stronger than before.

"I have demonstrated the characteristics of the Heart Rejuvenation Pills for everyone. I believe none of you fellow daoists have any doubts now. Let the bidding begin!"

"350,000!""400,000!""450,000!"

Above the auction stage, two purple halos, one large and one small, suddenly appeared. As they spun, they displayed the current bid in spirit stones and the number of the flying chamber from which the bid originated. As soon as the bidding began, the numbers surged rapidly. Clearly, these elixirs, highly beneficial for Spirit Transformation cultivators, were exceptionally sought after.

This was understandable. Although everyone was tempted by the culminating items, most cultivators knew they had no hope of acquiring them. Instead, they preferred to bid on useful items for themselves while those with vast fortunes focused on the final lots, to avoid coming to the auction in vain.

Han Li, confident that he could refine the Jade Purity Pills himself upon returning, naturally did not participate in this bidding. He quietly watched as the three bottles of pills were acquired by a cultivator for 600,000. At this moment, like many others, he was quietly pondering the three culminating items of the auction. To be honest, while Han Li was interested in the barren material and the so-called Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure, it was merely curiosity, and he didn't truly intend to bid on them. However, the principal cultivation technique manual of the late Integration stage cultivator greatly appealed to him.