Chapter 1494: Auction

Lu Ye circled the scattered market but didn't find An Zhe at his usual stall. Instead, an unfamiliar cultivator was there, selling items Lu Ye didn't need. An Zhe, as expected, hadn't returned yet.

Lu Ye could only purchase some fire-attribute treasures first, spending several million spirit jades in the process. It was still early, and with nowhere to go for now, he pondered briefly before continuing to wander through the market. Compared to massive organizations like the Myriad Manifestations Commerce Association, Lu Ye actually preferred coming to places like this, though he couldn't quite explain why.

As he looked around, a small voice echoed in his ear: “Daoist friend, do you need elixirs?” Lu Ye followed the sound and saw a woman sitting neatly in front of a stall. Her face was slightly flushed, and she lightly pressed her lips together, as if having gathered great courage to ask him. Lu Ye glanced at her. More than a dozen jade bottles were displayed on her stall, likely containing various types of elixirs.

Why would he need elixirs? For some time now, he had been deliberately suppressing his cultivation, no longer actively cultivating. He feared his cultivation would advance too quickly, affecting his foundation. He initially didn't want to bother, but after meeting the woman's gaze, he couldn't help but squat down. There was nothing particularly special about the woman’s gaze, but it reminded him of his own predicament when he first arrived at Myriad Manifestations Island. He could likely tell that the woman didn't come from a wealthy background; otherwise, she wouldn't be reduced to selling elixirs from a stall here.

Such items were actually difficult to sell in the scattered market. After all, they were meant to be ingested. Ordinary cultivators typically bought elixirs directly from the Myriad Manifestations Commerce Association or shops on other spirit islands, to ensure quality and reliability. It was hard for someone like this woman to gain trust by hawking elixirs here; if one accidentally bought low-quality elixirs and consumed them during combat, it could easily lead to trouble.

Each of the dozen-plus jade bottles was labeled, stating the name of the elixir inside. Seeing Lu Ye squat down, the woman quickly composed herself and spoke: “Daoist brother, please look for what you want; I have common elixirs here.”

Lu Ye casually picked up a bottle of Spirit Recovery Elixir. This was the most commonly used elixir for Starry Sky cultivators to replenish spiritual energy and for cultivation, widely needed by almost everyone, and was the most basic elixir at the Starry Sky level.

“Are you a medical cultivator?” Lu Ye asked casually. He felt a familiar and gentle aura from the woman, as if one could relax just by being near her. Shui Yuan and Hua Ci possessed similar auras. Lu Ye also detected a faint fragrance, vaguely a floral scent, but he couldn't determine the specific flower.

“Yes,” the woman nodded.

“Then it’s not easy for you!”

Generally speaking, medical cultivators venturing into the starry sky were always accompanied by others. After all, medical cultivators had relatively few means to deal with dangers and could easily encounter crises. It was uncommon for someone like the woman before him to be alone. The woman tilted her head, looking at him, clearly not understanding what he meant.

“How much are they?” Lu Ye asked.

The woman quoted a price.

Lu Ye looked up at her. “Your price is even higher than the Myriad Manifestations Commerce Association’s.” No wonder the woman’s stall seemed to have no customers. She was already selling elixirs, and they were expensive; it would be strange if anyone bought them.

The woman explained: “The elixirs I refine are of very good quality. Daoist brother, if you don’t believe me, just buy a bottle and you’ll know.”

Lu Ye said, “If the quality isn’t good after I buy it, can I return it to you?”

The woman’s expression became serious: “The quality is absolutely guaranteed. I refined them myself, so I know.”

What good is your knowing! Lu Ye inwardly scoffed. This woman’s personality was ill-suited for doing business here; she was far worse than An Zhe.

“I’ll take them all,” Lu Ye said, putting down the jade bottle.

“Ah?” The woman was momentarily stunned.

“I said I’ll take all the elixirs you have!” Lu Ye looked at her. It wasn't easy to be alone and away from home. He thought of how heartbreaking it would be if his second senior sister or Hua Ci were selling at a stall here with no one interested. However, neither his second senior sister nor Hua Ci were ordinary medical cultivators, and it was highly unlikely they would ever do such a thing.

The woman reacted with great delight. “Is Daoist brother truly serious?” She had been selling at this stall for several days, and the elixirs she sold were few and far between. People passing by wouldn't stop at all. She hadn't expected someone to come and buy everything.

“If you think I’m lying to you, I’ll leave now!”

“Don’t go, don’t go!” the woman exclaimed, quickly taking out bottle after bottle of elixirs from her storage ring. She stopped after taking out more than thirty bottles, and looked carefully at Lu Ye. “Daoist brother, isn’t this too many?”

“Calculate the bill!” Lu Ye urged. The woman happily calculated the total and finally quoted Lu Ye a sum of less than three thousand spirit jades. Lu Ye paid cheerfully.

After collecting all the elixirs, Lu Ye departed, with the woman still profusely thanking him.

After walking some distance, he took out a bottle of Spirit Recovery Elixir, popped a pill directly into his mouth, and then observed the reaction of the Talent Tree. Other cultivators dared not take elixirs casually, but Lu Ye was unconcerned. With the Talent Tree by his side, even if there was something amiss with an elixir, it wouldn't harm him.

A moment later, Lu Ye looked surprised. Although the woman had sworn that the elixirs she refined were of better quality than those sold by the Myriad Manifestations Commerce Association, such claims were baseless, and even if a cultivator consumed these elixirs, it would be difficult to discern the difference. But Lu Ye was different. By observing the changes in the Talent Tree, he could intuitively discern the quality of an elixir. The more impurities, the poorer the quality, and vice versa. Upon observation, the Talent Tree’s reaction was very slight. Indeed, as the woman had said, the elixirs she refined were of very good quality.

Lu Ye looked back again, but the woman was already gone. Presumably, she had left after selling all her elixirs. For a moment, he found it odd. With such remarkable alchemy skills, the woman could have easily joined a prominent force, becoming their exclusive alchemist. This would spare her the effort of selling from a stall here. Even the Myriad Manifestations Commerce Association would surely not refuse such talent. But she preferred to struggle selling at a stall by herself, and hadn't sought refuge with any force. Lu Ye guessed that the woman had a personality that disliked being constrained.

After continuing to wander around the scattered market for a while, Lu Ye then headed towards the Myriad Manifestations Commerce Association. In less than half a day, the auction was about to begin. It was currently time for cultivators participating in the auction to enter. The entrance was located inside the Myriad Manifestations Commerce Association. Many cultivators were queuing there, waiting to enter, but Lu Ye, however, headed directly in another direction.

There was another entrance there. Upon arriving, Lu Ye took out the Ding Nine token he had received during the asset verification. Immediately, someone respectfully took it and led him inside. Cao Xiang had previously instructed him that during the asset verification, the minimum standard was one hundred thousand spirit jades. In other words, only with one hundred thousand spirit jades could one qualify to participate in the auction. Of course, to receive better treatment, one had to display more substantial capital. The ten million spirit jades Lu Ye had displayed meant that his current treatment was indeed different from that of ordinary cultivators.

Under the guidance of the commerce association cultivator, he quickly arrived at a private room, marked with the characters ‘Ding Nine’. The commerce association cultivator stopped at the entrance, extending a hand to indicate, “Honored guest, please enter. When the auction begins, if you fancy anything, you simply need to place your bid from inside. Your bids will be visible from the outside. If you win an item, we will also be responsible for delivering it.” Lu Ye nodded slightly in understanding.

Upon entering the Ding Nine private room, Lu Ye immediately saw a massive transparent mirror. He didn't know what it was made of. Standing before the mirror, he could overlook the entire auction hall with an excellent view. Looking left and right, he saw many private rooms identical to his own. However, from this angle, the mirrors of those private rooms were shrouded in swirling mist, completely obscuring their interiors. Lu Ye attempted to activate his divine sense, but it was still blocked. He was certain that others viewing his room would experience the same obstruction.

The private room was simply furnished: a large chair, a round table beside it with several fruit plates filled with fresh spiritual fruits. Additionally, there was a pot of fine wine. On the armrest of the chair, there was a raised object. Lu Ye sat on the chair and, after a brief study, understood it was for placing bids during the auction.

At this moment, a large number of cultivators were steadily entering the auction hall, finding their seats according to the tokens they had previously received. Commerce association cultivators were also positioned throughout to guide them. So although a considerable number of people poured into the auction hall, there was no chaos at all; everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion. The auction was still some time away from starting. Lu Ye sat properly on the chair, casually picked up a spiritual fruit, and took a bite. He didn't know what kind of spiritual fruit it was, but it was very sweet, and the spiritual energy contained within was substantial, capable of being refined into his own spiritual energy.

By the time Lu Ye had almost finished the spiritual fruits, the entire auction hall was already full. This was the result after asset verification. One could imagine how much more bustling the scene would be if there were no such verification. Lu Ye roughly estimated that at least three thousand cultivators were participating in this auction. In the vast Myriad Manifestations Sea, there were still many wealthy cultivators. Of course, even more were struggling at the bottom.

At one moment, the previously bright auction hall suddenly darkened. Immediately after, a beam of light, from an unknown source, shone onto the high platform at the very front. As the light beam illuminated the platform, an old man with white hair and beard, whose appearance time was unknown, was already standing there. His eyes were lowered, his hands tucked into his sleeves, standing loosely. But the powerful aura emanating from him indicated that he was a genuine Moon Gazer, and even a late-stage Moon Gazer!

The previously somewhat noisy auction hall suddenly fell silent. Everyone’s gaze was fixed on the old man. The old man slowly spoke, his voice not loud, but it echoed in everyone’s ears: “I am Yu Xiuzhai, the Ninth Steward of the Myriad Manifestations Commerce Association. This auction will be presided over by me.”