Chapter 1493: The Troubles of Bing Xiu

The Koi Island's attack quelled the ambitions of many forces eyeing Unrivaled Island. Forces eager to challenge Unrivaled Island at this time were not particularly strong; Koi Island was already among the most formidable of them. Yet, even they suffered heavy losses in that battle, deterring other factions from provoking trouble.

Moreover, Unrivaled Island has recently recruited many reliable individuals, significantly boosting its overall strength. If Unrivaled Island can navigate this initial development phase, its situation will undoubtedly become more stable in the future. Once one or two more Moon Tier cultivators emerge on the island, it will essentially establish a firm foothold.

These days, Lu Ye's true body has remained in the cave, using the power of the Talent Tree to deduce spirit patterns. After consuming a significant amount of fuel, the new Concealment Spirit Pattern has been successfully deduced. Currently, he is working on the Life Core Art.

Strictly speaking, the Life Core Art, which he shares with Amber, is not a spirit pattern but a secret technique. However, after years of cultivation, Lu Ye's knowledge and experience have grown immensely. From a spirit pattern master's perspective, any method in this world can be seen as an extension and expansion of spirit patterns. Therefore, even if the Life Core Art is a secret technique, he can find a way to reverse-deduce it and transform it into a corresponding spirit pattern. Once he deduces the spirit pattern corresponding to the Life Core Art, he can find a way to break it. This way, he will no longer have to worry about his safety endangering Amber and Yi Yi in the future.

However, this task is far more difficult than simply deducing spirit patterns. If the Talent Tree hadn't undergone its third metamorphosis, Lu Ye wouldn't have even considered it, but the three metamorphoses have given him this opportunity.

While his true body deduces spirit patterns, his clone is active outside. This is mainly because Ghost is constantly suspicious, often appearing suddenly and contacting Fa Wuzun via a sound transmission charm right in front of the clone, seemingly trying to expose his disguise. Under these circumstances, Lu Ye had no choice but to keep his clone outside.

One day, Lu Ye suddenly felt his sound transmission charm vibrate. Picking it up, he found it was a message from Cao Xiang. Normally, the steward of the Myriad Phenomena Trading House would not proactively contact him. This message likely means there's a lead on a matter he had previously entrusted to Cao Xiang. It wasn't news about the Jade Snail Galaxy. Lu Ye had stopped asking Cao Xiang to inquire about it after the previous information proved incorrect.

The message read: "Fellow Daoist Li, our trading house will host an auction in seven days. The item you seek will be available there. If you wish to participate, please gather as much Spirit Jade as possible, as the item's price will be quite high." Lu Ye, of course, knew the item would be expensive, but he was not short on Spirit Jade at the moment, so acquiring it should not be an issue.

Phoenix Sky Blue Crystal! This is an extremely rare mineral primarily used for refining Dharma Artifacts, and it's one of the few treasures that can upgrade a Spirit Treasure into a Dharma Artifact! The treasures cultivators use in combat range from the lowest-grade Spirit Tools, followed by Dharma Tools, then Spirit Treasures, and finally, Dharma Artifacts. Upgrading a Spirit Tool to a Dharma Tool, and then to a Spirit Treasure, is not particularly difficult; a skilled artifact refiner can achieve this with the right materials. Lu Ye's Mountain-Sunder Blade was upgraded step by step in this manner. When he first acquired it, it was merely a Spirit Tool.

However, upgrading a Spirit Treasure to a Dharma Artifact is a massive chasm, as their natures are entirely different. One is for cultivators below the Moon Tier, and the other is for cultivators at or above the Moon Tier. Such an upgrade not only demands a highly skilled artifact refiner but also requires several extremely special materials.

Other types of cultivators didn't face this problem; upon reaching the Moon Tier, they could simply purchase suitable Dharma Artifacts. This predicament was unique to Weapon Cultivators. Throughout their cultivation, Weapon Cultivators develop a strong reliance on their personal weapons. For example, when Lu Ye replaced his Mountain-Sunder Blade with the Crimson Dragon Blade previously, it somewhat affected his performance, even though the Crimson Dragon Blade was similar in shape and weight to the Mountain-Sunder Blade.

Therefore, upon advancing to the Moon Tier, Weapon Cultivators face an awkward dilemma: either abandon the weapon that has accompanied their growth and switch to a comparable Dharma Artifact weapon, or find a way to upgrade their own weapon! Lu Ye was reluctant to switch. His Mountain-Sunder Blade had accompanied him for many years, through countless battles large and small, and could be considered one of his mainstays on his path to the present. It was not merely a weapon but an extension of Lu Ye's body. With the Mountain-Sunder Blade in hand, he could unleash his full strength; switching to another weapon would inevitably have some impact. Since he was unwilling to switch, upgrading was the only option, even if it meant paying a huge price.

However, there were countless Weapon Cultivators in the world, and Lu Ye wasn't the only one facing this problem. Other Weapon Cultivators also encountered it when advancing to the Moon Tier, which led to Phoenix Sky Blue Crystal being incredibly rare despite its value. Only in a place like the Myriad Phenomena Sea, where cultivators from numerous star systems converged and goods circulated frequently, was it even possible to find such a crystal. Elsewhere, finding a piece of Phoenix Sky Blue Crystal would be harder than ascending to the heavens.

The Myriad Phenomena Trading House had somehow obtained a piece of Phoenix Sky Blue Crystal and intended to auction it, which was good news for Lu Ye. Although he wasn't in a hurry to advance to the Moon Tier at the moment, he would eventually take that step. He had asked Cao Xiang to look out for this item precisely to prepare for his future advancement. If he missed this opportunity, he might not encounter another piece anytime soon.

Checking his current Spirit Jade, he had approximately fifty million. Lu Ye estimated this amount should be sufficient. According to the star-system's classification of Dharma Artifacts by value and grade, this much Spirit Jade could almost purchase a nine-star Dharma Artifact. Surely, it would be enough to acquire a single Phoenix Sky Blue Crystal. Many likely coveted the Phoenix Sky Blue Crystal, but not everyone would be willing to pay a hefty price for it. At most, it should cost ten million Spirit Jade.

Lu Ye was in high spirits as he quietly waited. He recalled his old thoughts: "When will I be able to occupy a spiritual island, create some novelties to pique the interest of Myriad Phenomena Sea cultivators, and then build a ferry terminal to collect tolls and get rich?" At the time, he only dared to dream. Yet, only two years later, he truly possessed a spiritual island. Although Unrivaled Island was nominally under Chu Shen's control, its revitalization was entirely due to the small Constellation Hall's ability to reverse the seawater, meaning that fundamentally, Unrivaled Island belonged to him. The changes over two years had been immense; his cultivation had also advanced from the early to the late stage. His only regret was that in this vast Myriad Phenomena Sea, he had no family or friends with whom to share his joy.

Several days later, he calmly emerged from the cave and set off for Myriad Phenomena Island. Unrivaled Island was some distance from Myriad Phenomena Island, so he had to leave early. He had never participated in an auction before, though he had hosted one himself at the Constellation Hall. However, that auction only featured Interconnected Spirit Arrays, whereas the Myriad Phenomena Trading House's auction items would certainly not be so limited. He could use this opportunity to broaden his horizons and see what valuable goods were available.

Leaving Unrivaled Island, he summoned the Star Skiff he had purchased for 300,000 Spirit Jade and set off towards Myriad Phenomena Island. The journey was peaceful. Under normal circumstances, the Myriad Phenomena Sea, with its constant flow of people, rarely saw unnecessary conflicts unless enemies met. Cultivators, being at least of the Constellation Tier, generally possessed enough restraint and composure to avoid fighting simply because they disliked each other. After all, no one knew what powerful backing others might have; offending the wrong person could lead to disaster.

Along the way, Lu Ye changed his appearance and attire, and put away his Mountain-Sunder Blade. He was unsure of the situation at the auction, but the Phoenix Sky Blue Crystal was certain to attract many contenders, so it was best to keep a low profile to avoid drawing unwanted attention.

Upon arriving at Myriad Phenomena Island, he proceeded to the familiar ferry terminal, paid the Spirit Jade fee, and received a pass to enter the island. He went directly to the Myriad Phenomena Trading House. The main hall was bustling, and after a quick glance around, Lu Ye immediately headed to a side area. On the way, he had already clarified the process with Cao Xiang, so he knew what to do.

In that direction was a private room where stewards of the Myriad Phenomena Trading House were receiving guests preparing for the auction. Renowned top-tier factions didn't need to come here; the trading house would have already arranged their seats in advance. However, individual guests like Lu Ye first had to undergo a financial verification. After all, an auction was not a place just anyone could enter; without restrictions, it would surely become overcrowded, like Hall Number Eighty-Eight once was. Only those who passed the verification and were qualified to participate would be issued a token to enter the auction hall.

Upon arriving, he saw a voluptuous woman, rather provocatively dressed, seated there. Noticing Lu Ye, she rose and bowed gracefully, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling. "Esteemed guest, are you here to participate in the auction?" Lu Ye nodded impassively, then took out a pre-prepared storage ring and handed it over. There was nothing else inside, only ten million Spirit Jade. The woman extended both hands, respectfully took the ring, and swept her divine sense over it. Her smile became even more charming. "Your capital is indeed substantial, esteemed guest. I hope you acquire the item you desire at the auction!" She then respectfully returned the storage ring, along with a jade token inscribed with the characters "Ding Jiu." Lu Ye accepted the token, put it away, and turned to leave.

The auction was still a day away. He planned to check the scattered market to see if An Zhe had returned. Although they had exchanged sound transmission imprints, An Zhe would surely have messaged him if he had returned. Since there had been no message, it was highly likely he hadn't, as An Zhe had mentioned needing about half a year to travel back to his home realm to procure goods. However, the scattered market was located on Myriad Phenomena Island and not far away. Furthermore, deducing spirit patterns recently had consumed a significant amount of fuel for the Talent Tree, so Lu Ye could conveniently purchase some fire-attributed treasures to replenish it.