Chapter 149: Magical Treasure Prototype

Facing him was Li Yang from the Qingyang Sect.

"A seven-tael piece of refined silver takes at least several years to refine, so it's quite rare. Of the ten finale auction items, this is only the sixth. I wonder what the tenth one will be."

"We'll just have to wait and see. However, could the Wei Kingdom have ulterior motives for holding an auction of this scale? Are they trying to trick us into attending the auction and then strike us down? In recent years, the Five Sects of the Wei Kingdom have lowered their disciple recruitment requirements and accepted a large number of disciples. This situation clearly indicates they are preparing for war. Our Song Kingdom borders the Wei Kingdom and is likely their target. If we lose a few Core Formation cultivators, the Wei Kingdom's invasion would be smoother."

Li Shixian looked worried.

Li Yang smiled calmly and said, "Brother Shixian, you're overthinking it. If they want to fight, they should do so honorably. If the Wei Kingdom uses this auction to strike us down, their reputation will be ruined. They shouldn't be that foolish. Of course, we wouldn't have dared to come without some assurance. If the Wei Kingdom acts recklessly, they might not fare well."

He had brought the sect's most treasured artifact, so he was naturally full of confidence.

"That's true," he mused, "but I still can't figure out why the Five Sects of the Wei Kingdom are holding such a large-scale auction. What's the benefit? Is it just to attract people? It's just an auction; how many people can it really attract? Once it's over, everyone just goes home."

"The answer will be revealed soon. Ten thousand."

The competition for tier-three materials was fierce. This seven-tael piece of refined silver was eventually purchased by Wang Huashan for 60,000 spirit stones.

"A low-grade tier-three fire-attribute demon core. This is an excellent material for alchemy. The starting bid is 3,000 spirit stones, and each bid must be no less than 1,000 spirit stones."

Lu Zhanyuan said, pointing to a red wooden box. Inside the box was an egg-sized red spherical object.

Tier-three demon beasts are equivalent to Core Formation cultivators; they have already developed a trace of intelligence, making them difficult to kill.

A tier-three demon core's value is comparable to a five-hundred-year-old spiritual herb.

"What? A tier-three demon core? You're actually willing to part with a low-grade tier-three demon core?"

A surprised male voice came from a private room on the third floor.

"To be honest, senior, this demon core is indeed tier-three. However, it took a lot of time to kill this demon beast, and most of the demonic energy within the core was consumed. Therefore, the quality of this demon core isn't particularly good, but it's still perfectly fine for refining tier-three pills."

"I see! That's what I thought! Tier-three demon beasts are very difficult to kill. Who would easily sell a tier-three demon core? So it's a demon core whose demonic energy is largely depleted. It's fine for alchemy, but the effects will be slightly inferior. It would be good for spiritual beasts to consume, though. I'll bid 15,000."

Although most of its demonic energy was consumed, it was still a tier-three demon core. Several Core Formation cultivators participated in the bidding, eagerly raising their offers. It was finally bought by a Core Formation cultivator on the third floor for the high price of 50,000 spirit stones.

In a private room on the third floor, a tall, thin old man in yellow robes held a red wooden box containing a red spherical object.

A sarcastic smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he set down the wooden box.

Du Zhanyuan held up a shimmering silver talisman. The talisman's surface was covered with rice-grain-sized runes, emitting an astonishing spiritual energy fluctuation.

"The eighth finale auction item: a low-grade tier-three Two-Form Heavenly Fiend Talisman. This is a defensive spiritual talisman. Its defensive power is no worse than a tier-one defensive magic treasure. The starting bid is 5,000 spirit stones, and each bid must be no less than 2,000."

"A tier-three defensive talisman!"

Wang Changsheng's gaze was somewhat fervent. Truth be told, he didn't even possess a single defensive artifact at the moment.

He could only dream of this tier-three defensive talisman; he couldn't possibly afford to bid on it.

This Two-Form Heavenly Fiend Talisman was sold for the high price of 70,000 spirit stones.

"A piece of skin from a mid-grade tier-three Blazing Fire Toad. It can be used to refine fire-attribute magic treasures. The starting bid is 10,000 spirit stones, and each bid must be no less than 1,000."

Lu Zhanyuan held a wrinkled red beast hide in his hand, its surface enveloped in a red glow.

"The skin of a mid-grade tier-three fire-attribute demon beast!"

Wang Changfeng looked envious, his gaze fixed on the beast hide in Lu Zhanyuan's hand.

"Ten thousand!""Twelve thousand!""Thirteen thousand!"

"I'll bid twenty thousand."

A resonant voice came from a private room on the third floor.

Wang Changsheng recognized the voice. This person had just bought the tier-three demon core, and now was bidding 30,000 for the tier-three beast hide. What immense wealth!

The competition was fierce, and the beast hide was finally sold for the high price of 55,000 spirit stones.

Only the last finale auction item remained, and all the cultivators present were curious as to what it would be.

Du Zhanyuan patted his storage bag, and a yellow light flew out.

It was a palm-sized yellow shield. After Du Zhanyuan cast a spell on it, the shield rapidly expanded to about ten feet tall.

The yellow shield was enveloped in a layer of yellow light, and its surface was carved with a lifelike wolf's head, emitting an astonishing spiritual energy fluctuation.

"A proto-magic treasure, the Earth Wolf Shield. As is well known, further refining a magic tool creates a life-bound magic tool, above which is a proto-magic treasure, and then a true magic treasure. This Earth Wolf Shield was refined using high-grade tier-three Jade Accumulation Stone and various other tier-three materials. It also incorporates a piece of Earth-Guardian Stone, which is an earth-attribute heaven-and-earth spiritual item containing a trace of sentience. This treasure had a mishap during its refinement, which is why it became a proto-magic treasure instead of a full magic treasure. The starting bid is 50,000 spirit stones, and each bid must be no less than 5,000."

"What? An earth-attribute proto-magic treasure?"

A voice filled with both surprise and excitement came from a private room on the third floor. The door swung open, and a middle-aged man in a yellow brocade robe emerged.

The middle-aged man had a pockmarked face, was short and stout, with a bulging belly like a large leather ball, and his eyes were narrowed into slits.

The pockmarked man leaped onto the high platform and reached out towards the yellow shield.

Du Zhanyuan frowned and said, "Senior, you..."

"Get lost."

The pockmarked man glared at Du Zhanyuan, and a powerful spiritual pressure burst forth from him, directly assailing Du Zhanyuan.

Du Zhanyuan staggered back more than a dozen steps, his face pale, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"Huang Mazi, are you trying to cause trouble? This is the Wei Kingdom, not the Chu Kingdom. You won't be allowed to act so presumptuously."

A cold male voice suddenly rang out.

A square-faced scholar in a green robe flew down onto the high platform, his gaze coldly fixed on the pockmarked man.

The pockmarked man, seeing the green-robed scholar, reacted like a mouse spotting a cat. He gave an embarrassed smile, withdrew his chubby hand, and said in a fawning tone, "Fellow Daoist Sun, you jest. How would someone like me dare to cause trouble? I was just a little too excited when I saw this proto-magic treasure. As you know, I am but a rogue cultivator, incomparable to you sect cultivators."

Witnessing this scene, most of the cultivators present were dumbfounded.

Both were Core Formation cultivators, so why was the pockmarked man so afraid of the green-robed scholar? Just moments ago, the pockmarked man had spoken coldly to Du Zhanyuan, but upon seeing the green-robed scholar, he transformed completely, seemingly unconcerned about his dignity.

The green-robed scholar's eyes flashed with a hint of disgust. He said calmly, "Excitement has its time and place. Go down. You can come back up after you've successfully bid for the Earth Wolf Shield."

The pockmarked man gave an awkward smile and flew back to the third floor.

The green-robed scholar looked at Du Zhanyuan and instructed, "Nephew Du, continue."

"Yes, Senior Uncle Sun."

"The proto-magic treasure, the Earth Wolf Shield, has a starting bid of 50,000. Each bid must be no less than 5,000."