Chapter 221: Puppet Mechanism Beast

The first item presented for auction was a powerful high-grade magical artifact, which immediately caught Han Li's attention. The eloquent, slender man described this particular artifact, the Fiery Cloud Sword, with such animated fervor, proclaiming it peerless in the heavens and rare on earth, that even Han Li felt an urge to produce spirit stones and buy it. This was especially true for other cultivators who desperately needed high-grade artifacts.

As expected, no sooner had the base price of 200 spirit stones been announced than three or four impatient individuals swiftly placed bids. In the blink of an eye, the price of the Fiery Cloud Sword soared to over 300 spirit stones, extinguishing the desire of other cultivators who had also intended to bid.

While the Fiery Cloud attack associated with this sword was decent, it was clearly a step below a truly exquisite high-grade artifact. Spending 300 spirit stones to acquire it would make it somewhat of a pointless investment.

However, if these individuals were unwilling to buy, there would naturally be others ready to be overcharged. For those willing to purchase, even if the items to be auctioned later were superior, they knew they wouldn't be able to acquire them. It was more practical to buy the decent high-grade artifact available now.

Thus, the Fiery Cloud Sword was smoothly sold for a little over 400 spirit stones amidst the competition of several Qi Condensation stage cultivators.

The cultivator wearing a doll mask stepped forward, handed over the spirit stones, and then joyfully carried the sword back to his seat, looking as if he were holding a treasured heirloom. This sight amused some of the other cultivators.

Once the slender man saw the buyer return to his seat, he cleared his throat and announced,

"The second item to be auctioned by our establishment is a blacksmith's favorite: a high-grade Scarlet Silk Heaven Furnace. This furnace has been passed down through the hands of many master blacksmiths and has even refined many top-tier exquisite artifacts, such as the Illusory Sound Sword, the Azure Flood Dragon Banner, and the Black Flame Pearl. It is said to provide a certain bonus effect when refining artifacts. However, our establishment does not know if this is true or false! Therefore, auctioning it now with a base price of 400 spirit stones is certainly not high."

As the man spoke, he produced a fiery red alchemical furnace from his storage pouch and placed it on the table for everyone to inspect closely.

A stir immediately went through the hall! Although no one had yet spoken loudly, the atmosphere quickly became fervent. Many cultivators stared intently at the alchemical furnace with fiery gazes, clearly desiring the item.

Han Li quietly sat in the corner, observing everything with a detached gaze. However, when he heard that his own Azure Flood Dragon Banner was also refined in this furnace, he was slightly surprised, but only surprised.

He knew nothing about artifact refining and naturally had no idea of this alchemical furnace's value. But if it was something he couldn't use, he would never bid. Han Li could certainly stick to this principle. Moreover, although he had a good number of spirit stones, they had to be used where they mattered most.

"Four hundred fifty!"

"Four hundred seventy!"

"I bid five hundred spirit stones!"

Regardless of Han Li's thoughts, this alchemical furnace, named the "Scarlet Silk Heaven Furnace," was soon driven up to an astonishing price!

"Seven hundred eighty!"

This bid was shouted through gritted teeth by a corpulent person wearing a yellow cloak.

"Eight hundred!"

A female cultivator not far from the stout man calmly raised the bid by another increment, causing the stout man to clench his fists in anger.

At this point, the price was almost sky-high, and everyone else had already withdrawn from the bidding. They could only watch with reluctant eyes as the two wealthy Foundation Establishment stage cultivators continued to push the price higher and higher.

"Eight hundred and fifty! If this lady can raise the price by even one more, this alchemical furnace is yours!" the stout man declared fiercely, glaring angrily at the female cultivator after raising the price once more.

"Eight hundred and fifty-one!"

As soon as the stout cultivator's words left his mouth, the female cultivator sneered and deliberately bid only one more. This made the stout cultivator's large face, hidden within his cloak, turn blood-red. But after glaring at her with venomous eyes for a few moments, he indeed stopped bidding.

And so, this Foundation Establishment stage female cultivator paid an exorbitant price to acquire this renowned alchemical furnace. It was unknown if it was truly worth the price.

Perhaps the intense bidding had stimulated the nerves of many cultivators. The originally subdued atmosphere in the hall suddenly became fervent. One after another, high-grade artifacts and rare materials were eagerly snapped up by the enthusiastic cultivators.

However, after about twenty items had been auctioned, Han Li still hadn't seen any formation flags or formation plates for sale, which made him a bit impatient!

Han Li couldn't help but think to himself that if this auction truly had no such items, he would really have to visit the Stardust Pavilion again. Even purchasing a few sets of the most basic formation artifacts would be preferable!

As Han Li was thinking, the slender man at the front announced the name of the next auction item.

"A pair of high-grade magical artifacts: automaton beasts! Their strength is comparable to a ninth-layer Qi Condensation stage cultivator. Moreover, they are absolutely loyal and fearless in the face of death! If you buy them, it's like having two personal bodyguards with you. The base price is only 100 spirit stones!"

"Automaton beasts? Isn't my own high-grade artifact also called a puppet archer? Could they be the same kind of thing?" Han Li's heart stirred, and he sat up straight, watching intently.

The slender man had already revealed two dark, doll-like objects on the table. They were only fist-sized, and their appearance was like a lion and a tiger, yet neither a lion nor a tiger. It was unclear what strange beast served as their prototype.

"Many guests may not have heard of, or rarely heard of, the dao art of automaton mechanics!"

"This is a dao art that originates from artifact refining but is fundamentally different from artifacts. Although few know of it here, it is extremely prosperous and popular in the far western lands. There is even a sect called the Thousand Bamboo Sect that was founded on it, having developed this dao art to its utmost. It is said that top-tier automaton puppets can even contend with late Foundation Establishment stage cultivators! Furthermore, classifying this pair of automaton beasts as high-grade magical artifacts is merely our establishment's private assessment; according to the formal classification of automaton mechanics, they should be called Level Two Puppet Beasts!"

Seeing that the cultivators below seemed uninterested in these automaton beasts and that no one was bidding, leading to an awkward silence, the man quickly recited the information he had prepared beforehand, hoping to pique the cultivators' interest.

However, even after these words, the cultivators below only showed a slight curiosity. But no one was foolish enough to spend 100 spirit stones to buy two doll-like objects. Besides, what use would a ninth-layer Qi Condensation stage bodyguard be to the cultivators present?

"One hundred spirit stones!"

A voice from a corner called out; someone actually wanted to buy these trinkets! Immediately, the cultivators' gazes turned towards that corner.

However, this person was not Han Li, but a masked individual sitting in another corner—a truly comical and ridiculous eccentric whose entire head was covered by a voluminous gray cloth bag!

"One hundred fifty spirit stones!"

Just as other cultivators thought the eccentric was being incredibly wasteful, another bidding voice, with a strange accent and very stiff enunciation, rang out in the hall.

Now, the cultivators in the hall were stunned and couldn't help but look at the new bidder.

A burly person wearing a green cloak was sitting in the last row of chairs, arms crossed. The new bid had come from this individual. When many cultivators looked at this person, the individual met their gazes with an unapologetic, cold stare, showing not the slightest hint of discomfort!

"Two hundred spirit stones!" The eccentric with the bag over his head seemed determined to win, immediately calling out again.

"I bid three hundred!" The burly person also refused to yield an inch.

"Four hundred!"

"Six hundred!"

In the blink of an eye, the two of them, trading bids, raised the price of the automaton beasts to an unbelievable level!

At this point, even the most obtuse cultivators in the hall realized something was amiss!

"Could these automaton beasts be hiding some astonishing secret?" This thought involuntarily arose in the minds of all cultivators.

After glancing at each other, the cultivators throughout the hall felt their hearts pound. A few wealthy and impatient individuals even directly joined the bidding.

However, some more experienced cultivators, while tempted, remained somewhat suspicious. "Could these two be shills sent by this secret establishment? Are they intentionally driving up the price of this worthless item to an exorbitant sum, just to trick others into overspending?"

Many cultivators held this suspicion, and Han Li was one of those who remained skeptical. Thus, he continued to watch indifferently, showing no sign of being tempted.

"I bid nine hundred spirit stones, plus this item!"

The burly eccentric, seeing more and more cultivators joining the bidding, felt a surge of urgency. He unexpectedly pulled an item from his storage pouch, then took a few large strides to stand before the slender man and placed the item on the table. He then spoke in a stiff tone:

"This item is worth several thousand spirit stones! It's more than enough to acquire these automaton beasts; hand them over quickly!"