Chapter 484: Soul-less Golden Statue Auction (Part 1)

"Twenty-one four-star cultivation jade tokens? That's equivalent to 21,000 spirit stones – what a grand gesture!"

"Incredible! Cultivation jade tokens are incredibly valuable, especially those from four-star master teachers. While they officially cost 1,000 spirit stones per lesson, the black market price has soared to 1,200. That means 21 tokens would be worth over 25,000 in the black market!"

"With such a price, it seems no one else can compete..."

Hearing the price, the auction hall erupted in an uproar once more.

The most common currency for transactions on the continent wasn't spirit stones, but rather cultivation jade tokens.

A single four-star token could be exchanged for one hundred three-star tokens, and a three-star token for one hundred two-star tokens, and so on. As for spirit stones, about ten could buy one three-star cultivation jade token.

This meant that proportionally, one four-star cultivation jade token was equivalent to 1,000 spirit stones per lesson, and they were also... practically impossible to find even with money.

Considering that there were only about a dozen four-star master teachers in the entire Myriad Kingdom Alliance, while cultivators numbered in the billions or tens of billions... a comparison between the two highlighted the rarity of these tokens.

When cultivators obtained lessons of this caliber, they typically used them themselves and were reluctant to sell, making them extremely difficult to acquire even in the black market. The person in this private room was offering 21 of them just for a painting, a gesture so grand that everyone felt it was a little insane.

"Incredible!"

Pavilion Master Sai's eyebrows also twitched.

Master teacher lessons were incredibly precious, especially at the four-star level. Even with his cultivation, receiving guidance would undoubtedly lead to a significant improvement in his strength.

Offering 21 tokens at once clearly made their value far exceed 20,000 spirit stones.

He turned to congratulate the young man before him on making a huge profit, only to see the young man's face darken as he cursed aloud.

"What the heck!"

At this moment, Zhang Xuan's internal world was collapsing.

He had brought out this painting hoping to sell it for more spirit stones, which he could then use for future cultivation or to purchase the Soulless Golden Man.

He was secretly pleased that the bid had reached 20,000 spirit stones, but what was this guy doing now?

Twenty-one four-star cultivation jade tokens...

What the heck would I do with your cultivation jade tokens?

Forget four-star; even lessons from five-star or six-star master teachers would be useless to him!

No matter how formidable the master teacher, even the Celestial Master Kong himself, couldn't guarantee that everything they taught was entirely correct. Yet, *he* could!

As long as there were no flaws or loopholes, his teachings were absolutely precise, without a single problem.

With this ability, even the most powerful master teachers meant nothing to him...

This guy actually tried to buy his item with these things, making him so frustrated he was about to explode.

What was most exasperating was the string of envious glances from everyone around... Envious of what?!

Zhang Xuan was almost in tears.

"Master Teacher Zhang, these are four-star cultivation jade tokens, what countless people dream of... You..."

Seeing his expression, Pavilion Master Sai was utterly bewildered.

Everyone wanted cultivation jade tokens; lower-ranked master teachers definitely hoped to receive guidance from higher-ranked ones. But why did Master Teacher Zhang look so displeased?

What kind of taste was this?

"Pavilion Master Sai, please transmit a message to Elder Chen and tell him... I don't want cultivation jade tokens, I only want spirit stones!" Suppressing his frustration, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but say.

"Only spirit stones?"

Pavilion Master Sai was taken aback.

This taste was truly beyond his comprehension...

"Yes!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Alright then!"

Seeing his insistence, Pavilion Master Sai could only agree.

"Twenty-one four-star cultivation jade tokens! Let's see who dares to compete with me now, hmph!"

Seeing the announced price cause an uproar below, the young man's lips curled into a smirk.

Master teachers possessed the confidence of their rank, and the ability to use cultivation jade tokens as currency was their greatest asset.

Of course, these tokens weren't distributed freely. The Master Teacher Pavilion had a set limit on how many a master teacher of a certain rank could issue each year. If they exceeded the limit, the number would be reduced the following year.

After all, master teachers also needed to cultivate and had many other responsibilities; they couldn't spend all their time lecturing and giving guidance.

Throwing out 21 tokens at once was nearly equivalent to his teaching quota for half a year!

"Twenty-one four-star cultivation jade tokens! Is there any higher bid? If not, then this painting will belong to the friend in Private Room 23..."

Elder Chen below was clearly stunned. After a moment of daze, he resumed calling bids, but just as he was halfway through, he suddenly seemed to hear something, and his body stiffened.

Immediately, with a peculiar expression, he shouted again: "Is there any bid higher than 20,000 spirit stones? If not, then this painting will belong to the friend in Private Room 14!"

"Huh?"

The young man, who had been feeling complacent and believed the painting was already his, froze when he heard this, nearly fainting.

What was going on?

"Our young master just offered 21 cultivation jade tokens. Could it be that the price didn't exceed 20,000?" the elder couldn't help but ask. "If it's not enough, we can add more!"

"Oh, my apologies, friend," Elder Chen said. "The seller just informed me that he doesn't accept cultivation jade tokens, only spirit stones!"

"Only spirit stones?"

The young man felt his head spin.

Was there really someone this foolish in the world?

With so many lessons, one could not only learn but even establish a connection with this four-star master teacher. And this person actually refused... wanting cheaper spirit stones instead?

"That's right. Is there any higher bid? If not, this painting will belong to Private Room 14!"

Elder Chen continued.

The occupant of Private Room 14 was a renowned painter. He had thought he stood no chance after the other party offered so many cultivation jade tokens, but to his surprise, the situation took a turn—the seller didn't accept tokens. He was immediately overjoyed and couldn't contain his excitement.

"Sold!"

After a few calls, seeing no one offer a higher price, the painting was finally sold for 20,000 spirit stones.

"Drat it, drat it!"

His face was ashen, and the young man was on the verge of madness.

Four-star cultivation jade tokens were a hot commodity everywhere, yet here he was, unable to buy anything with them, which greatly infuriated him.

"Go find out who sold this painting and what their background is!"

He waved his hand, giving the order.

"Yes!" The elder left and returned a short while later.

"Reporting, Young Master, this painting was sold by Private Room 1. It seems to be a friend of Pavilion Master Sai of the Treasure Appraisal Pavilion, but their specific identity hasn't been ascertained yet!"

"Private Room One?"

The young man squinted and snorted.

"Young Master, the painting has been bought. What should we do now?" the elder looked at him.

"Never mind it for now. Let's wait for the Soulless Golden Man!" The young man, full of irritation and knowing there was nothing to be done, waved his hand.

Once the hammer fell in an auction, even a master teacher couldn't object.

The seller simply preferred spirit stones over cultivation jade tokens. No matter how powerful he was, there was nothing he could do!

"Understood!"

The elder also shook his head helplessly.

The auction continued. After the calligraphy and painting that caused such a stir were sold, the Frigid Yin Sword was put up for sale again and was ultimately purchased by Zhang Xuan for 700 spirit stones.

The subsequent items proceeded without much excitement.

Although the treasures were valuable, none compared to the experience gained from a seventh-level painting.

Zhang Xuan made two more bids, buying a long spear for Zheng Yang and a suit of armor for Yuan Tao.

These two items together cost just over a thousand spirit stones, which wasn't expensive.

As for Liu Yang and Wang Ying, they looked for a while but found nothing suitable, so they decided to let it go.

"Now, we present the final item, the long-awaited Soulless Golden Man!"

As Elder Chen spoke, the stone platform slowly rose, revealing a figure clad in armor, seemingly cast from gold and iron, before the astonished crowd.

Zhang Xuan looked over.

Indeed, it was no different from a human, except its physical body had been imbued with a significant amount of metal, making its defenses stronger and its form tougher.

His Eye of Insight activated as he examined it, then he shook his head.

Clearly, this item was also beyond his analytical capabilities; he couldn't discern anything about it.

"This Soulless Golden Man has been jointly appraised and confirmed by Pavilion Master Sai of the Treasure Appraisal Pavilion, myself, and Elder Lu. It is a guardian from the ancient Witch Soul Masters, passed down to this day, and its value is incalculable."

Elder Chen introduced it, then continued: "However, as for the auction price, I cannot make that decision. The owner of this item has decided to sell it personally. He wishes to exchange it for specific treasures he needs... Now, please welcome the auctioneer!"

As his voice faded, an old man walked out from behind the circular platform.

This man's hair and beard were completely white, his aura seemed somewhat aged, and his skin was loose, indicating at a glance that he was extremely old.

"Hmm?"

His Eye of Insight activated, and after a glance, Zhang Xuan's brows furrowed.

Although this elder's strength appeared to have reached the peak of Transcendental Mortal Realm Stage 2, for some unknown reason, his Eye of Insight could detect some underlying issues.

Under normal circumstances, the Eye of Insight could only discern flaws in individuals one minor realm above his own strength. He was currently at Half-Transcendental Mortal Realm, meaning he should only be able to see flaws in experts at the early stage of Transcendental Mortal Realm Stage 1.

Yet, for some reason... he could perceive several problems with this person, and from every angle, they appeared extremely incongruous.

"Is this the person who discovered the Soulless Golden Man?"

"It seems so. I have no idea what kind of luck he stumbled into. Once this item is sold, his wealth will skyrocket!"

"Yeah, why don't I ever have such good luck..."

Seeing such an aged person acquire the Soulless Golden Man and intend to sell it himself, everyone began to murmur amongst themselves.

"Everyone, quiet please. Since you all wish to acquire this item, please listen to what he wishes to exchange it for. Whether you possess it personally or your family does, as long as you can acquire what he needs within one day, you may make an offer!"

Elder Chen stated.

"Good!"

Hearing such generous terms, everyone rejoiced.

Originally, they had the same thought as Pavilion Master Sai, believing it would definitely be exchanged for spirit stones, so they had brought ample funds. They were caught off guard, however, when they learned this person actually wanted to barter.

Now, hearing that they had more time, they immediately regained their spirits.

Anyone who could attend this auction and casually produce so many spirit stones certainly commanded a significant power.

They were confident that even if they couldn't find the treasure he requested, they could at least gather information about it.

"What I desire is simple," the old man said, stepping forward. "You may freely state what treasures you can obtain within one day. As long as I am satisfied, I will proceed with the exchange directly!"