Chapter 486: Helping You Get It Out

Zhang Xuan was stunned. The old man, his face slightly pale, recovered and looked around. "I know very well why you all want to buy this item," he said. "If anyone can offer me the treasure I desire, they will not only acquire this soulless golden figure but also be taken to its excavation site to explore the secrets of the Witch Soul Master!"

"What?"

"Legend has it that soulless golden figures always stayed by the Witch Soul Masters, never leaving their side, even accompanying them in burial after death. The excavation site must mean it's a Witch Soul Master's tomb!"

"The legacy of Witch Soul Masters vanished from the world after the Master Teacher Pavilion eradicated them. Even if we can't obtain their complete inheritance, just knowing some information about this profession would significantly boost our status."

"Most importantly, ancient Witch Soul Masters dealt with souls and were known as the wealthiest profession, making even appraisal masters seem poor in comparison. If this is truly such a person's tomb, it must contain boundless riches."

"Exactly, if we can go, it means we'll strike it rich!"

Many factions, who had previously been critical of the old man and wished to dismember him, became agitated upon hearing this.

The Master Teacher Pavilion, which educates all under heaven without discrimination, does not typically interfere with other professions unless absolutely necessary. The Witch Soul Masters' actions in the past were too extreme, leading to their eradication.

However, if their descendants obtain partial inheritances and do not engage in evil deeds, the Pavilion will not intervene. Furthermore, if the inheritance can be used beneficially, it might even earn them protection and praise from the Pavilion.

Moreover, discovering a complete soulless golden figure indicates that the deceased Witch Soul Master was extremely powerful. If such a tomb is truly found, even without obtaining the full inheritance, the remaining treasures would certainly be numerous enough to excite and madden countless people.

"We must obtain it!"

"Indeed, but... we've offered so many treasures, and he's shown no interest. We can't just give him our entire family!"

"Our family? He'd have to be willing to accept it first..."

After their initial excitement, everyone rubbed their temples.

The man wouldn't say what he wanted, and they had already offered almost everything they could. Could it be that what they offered simply wasn't precious enough, or didn't meet his requirements?

"I have a sapling of the Thousand-Leaf Tree here; I wonder if you might be interested!"

Just as everyone was at a loss for what else to offer, a faint voice emerged from one of the private rooms.

"The Thousand-Leaf Tree?"

"The legendary spiritual tree that can protect a family and assist in combat?"

"The Thousand-Leaf Tree, with one stem, a thousand branches, and a thousand leaves per branch. Once fully grown, it will automatically protect its master, just like a spiritual weapon, and be no weaker than a cultivator at the fourth stage of Transcendent Mortal realm, the Turbid-Clear stage!"

"Obtaining a sapling and planting it in one's family would, a century later, be equivalent to having an additional ancestor at the Transcendent Mortal fourth stage, guarding day and night. It's undoubtedly a peerless treasure coveted by major powers!"

"It's far superior to any spiritual weapon, elixir, or cultivation manual. Who is in that private room, willing to offer something so valuable?"

Human lifespan is limited; no matter how powerful, a person will eventually fall. A family or a faction cannot be protected indefinitely.

The Thousand-Leaf Tree is different. Once planted, its power manifests after a century, and it can live for thousands of years, fully capable of protecting a family for a millennium without decline.

One could say that acquiring this item would be equivalent to gaining an additional ancestor to guard the family. How could anyone not be excited?

To exchange this for a soulless golden figure... one could say it would be a huge loss for the offerer.

"This... he can't refuse it now!"

Everyone looked over, eager to see how the old man would decide.

Although the soulless golden figure was precious, compared to the Thousand-Leaf Tree, it was clearly inferior. Exchanging something precious for something less valuable... even a fool would know which to choose.

"I'm sorry, I have no interest in the Thousand-Leaf Tree."

Just as everyone assumed the deal was sealed, the old man shook his head again.

"No interest?"

"He refused directly? If it were me, I'd have taken it immediately!"

"What a waste of treasure..."

The fact that even the Thousand-Leaf Tree failed to impress him left everyone feeling somewhat insane. What on earth did he want?

"As I said before," the old man waved his hand, "I will exchange for anything you present that genuinely interests me. It's not about how precious it is."

"Interests?"

Hearing this again, everyone fell silent. For a moment, no one made another bid.

You say you're interested, but you won't say what you need. How long are we supposed to keep guessing? How did the auction house end up with such a strange person?

"Steward Luo, I think this fellow is just here to cause trouble. And with bartering, you won't get any benefits. Why did the auction house even accept him?"

From the backroom, where treasures were handled, Elder Chen couldn't help but say this to Luo Qin, who was on the stage.

He was clearly just trying to disrupt things! Who comes to an auction without stating what they want?

Moreover, in a normal auction, where items are exchanged for spirit stones, the auction house takes a percentage. How would they take a percentage from bartering?

"He's not causing trouble. He's already paid the fee—a full five thousand spirit stones!" Luo Qin said, shaking his head.

"Paid the fee before the auction even started? Five thousand?" Elder Chen was stunned.

He couldn't even produce that many spirit stones on his own, yet the other party not only had them but paid in advance... showing no concern about whether the soulless golden figure would sell.

"Yes," Luo Qin replied, "so no matter how the auction proceeds or what method is used, the auction house won't incur a loss."

"Then... what exactly does he want?"

Elder Chen was also puzzled. Being able to casually produce five thousand spirit stones indicated he wasn't short on money. All the previous bids covered almost every aspect of treasures, yet he remained unmoved, not even caring about the Thousand-Leaf Tree... What could he possibly want?

"I don't know either," Luo Qin said with a wry smile. "Since he arrived, he's spoken fewer than ten sentences to me. How could I know what he's thinking?"

Luo Qin was the manager of the auction and had personally arranged the auction of the soulless golden figure, but his interaction with this man was minimal. There had been almost no communication.

He had no idea what the man was thinking or what he needed.

"He doesn't even want the Thousand-Leaf Tree!"

In Private Room No. 23, the young man chuckled softly.

He was the one who had offered the Thousand-Leaf Tree, an item so valuable that three soulless golden figures combined would struggle to match it. Only a genius from a major sect could easily produce such a thing.

Unfortunately, the other party still showed no interest.

"Young Master, it seems he's not holding out for a higher price," the guard elder said.

The Young Master had previously suggested that the man was deliberately withholding his desired item to drive up the price, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.

In terms of high value, what could surpass the Thousand-Leaf Tree? His refusal of even this item indicated that his true objective might genuinely be to find something he needed, rather than simply seeking the highest possible price.

"No matter what he needs, he certainly won't be able to refuse this!"

With a flick of his wrist, a jade token appeared in the young man's palm.

Seeing it, the elder was startled, full of disbelief: "Young Master, this item is incredibly precious. Are you... sure you want to use it?"

"Indeed!"

His eyes glinted, and the young man smiled slightly: "If he doesn't even want the Thousand-Leaf Tree, I can't imagine what else could possibly interest him."

"But... this item is also useful to Young Master..." the elder hesitated.

"If I have any problems, I can just ask my teacher directly. This item is dispensable, not crucial!"

The young man waved his hand: "Make the bid!"

"Understood!"

Seeing his determination, the elder said no more, nodded, and stepped forward to the window: "One Remote Lecture Jade Token from a Half-Step Five-Star Master Teacher!"

The entire auction house, which had been in a dull silence, speculating about what the man wanted, was momentarily stunned by the voice, then erupted.

"Half-Step Five-Star Master Teacher? What does that mean?"

"Once a Master Teacher reaches four stars or higher, the difficulty of promotion doubles. Many are stuck at the peak of four stars, unable to break through. Over time, their guidance abilities surpass those of a normal four-star peak, yet they haven't reached five stars... this is how this rank emerged!"

"There isn't a single Half-Step Five-Star Master Teacher in the entire Ten Thousand Kingdoms Alliance. A lecture jade token from a Master Teacher of this caliber, though still technically four-star, is worth far more than a normal four-star token... Not to mention anything else, it's likely even more valuable than the 21 tokens offered by that room just now!"

"A Half-Step Five-Star Master Teacher is clearly much more brilliant than an ordinary four-star peak. That much we can guess, but what is a Remote Lecture Jade Token?"

"A normal lecture jade token allows one to directly seek out the Master Teacher for an hour of one-on-one instruction upon obtaining it. However, finding that Master Teacher might take considerable time. A Remote Lecture Jade Token, on the other hand, doesn't require that. It contains a wisp of the Master Teacher's remnant soul. By dripping blood into it, one can directly enter a virtual classroom to resolve issues and receive instruction face-to-face."

"In other words, possessing this item means having a Half-Step Five-Star Master Teacher constantly by your side, ready to be consulted for any cultivation problems at any time. Although it's a one-time use item, its value is immeasurable!"

Being able to receive guidance from a Half-Step Five-Star Master Teacher at any time is clearly different from aimlessly searching for one with a jade token. The value of this single jade token surpassed that of the combined 21 previous tokens.

Understanding this, everyone uniformly looked at the old man on stage, wondering how he would decide. If he refused this item too, others genuinely wouldn't know what treasures to offer.

"This..."

The old man clearly hadn't expected the person in that private room to offer something so precious. His face was full of hesitation. After a moment, he gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, I agree to the exchange!"

"He exchanged it?"

"I figured he'd definitely agree..."

Though disappointed to see him agree, everyone knew the jade token's value was too immense for anyone to refuse.

"That's more like it..."

The young man in Private Room No. 23 smiled faintly upon hearing his agreement. With something like that offered, it would be shocking if he didn't agree.

Just as he was about to arrange for the old man to hand over the soulless golden figure, a faint voice suddenly sounded from the direction of Private Room No. 1.

"Don't be so quick to agree; I haven't made my offer yet!"

"You? Could your price possibly be higher than my lecture jade token?" The young man stood up, his face filled with displeasure.

"Whether the price is higher or not, I don't know, because my offer is just one sentence..."

The voice was calm: "I can help you... get it out!"

"What did you say?"