Chapter 1942: Auction

Wang Changsheng strolled leisurely down the street, his expression serene.

During this exchange, he acquired a large piece of Sky Moon Cold Crystal. If the Azure Lotus Creation Cauldron could separate the poisonous blood of the Blood Toad Beast, he might be able to use the crystal to forge a mid-grade Spirit Treasure of Heaven. Of course, his current forging skill level was still relatively low, so he might not be able to forge a mid-grade Spirit Treasure of Heaven yet, but he could save it for future forging attempts. Even if forged into a low-grade Spirit Treasure of Heaven, the inclusion of Sky Moon Cold Crystal would make it far more powerful than a regular low-grade Spirit Treasure of Heaven.

Wang Changsheng continued his stroll, observing his surroundings. About a quarter of an hour later, he entered a teahouse named "Azure Rain Pavilion," requested a private room, and ordered a pot of spiritual tea and some refreshments. A moment later, Wu Yong entered and casually closed the door.

"Fellow Daoist Huang, is what you said true?" Wu Yong asked, getting straight to the point.

"Of course," Wang Changsheng replied in a lowered voice. "However, I cannot provide it to you now; it will take a year." He explained that with his current forging skill, assuming no failures, forging a Spirit Treasure of Heaven would take less than a year. When he was in the East Fence Realm, he had limited materials for forging, leading to numerous failures and taking years to produce a single spirit treasure. However, with increased practice and guidance from Song Yuchan, Wang Changsheng's forging proficiency had rapidly improved, significantly shortening the time required to forge a Spirit Treasure of Heaven.

"A year? Was that treasure forged by you?" Wu Yong asked with some surprise. He noted that, generally, Fifth-grade artifact forgers either came from cultivation sects or established cultivation families, with very few rogue cultivators achieving such a rank. Wu Yong had considered learning artifact forging himself, but without the guidance of a renowned master, his progress was slow. Learning required a significant amount of time, and after several attempts, he had wasted considerable time and spirit stones with little improvement, leading him to give up.

Wang Changsheng smiled but said nothing, implicitly confirming it.

"Alright then. We'll meet here in a year. I hope Fellow Daoist Huang won't disappoint me." Wu Yong agreed, knowing that a flying needle artifact would make hunting demon beasts more convenient for him.

Wang Changsheng nodded and stood up to leave. He went to the square where rogue cultivators set up stalls, walking around but finding nothing of interest. It seemed that finding bargains truly depended on luck. He visited several large shops and purchased a batch of yin-poisonous materials, such as Blood Soul Jade, intending to forge a yin-poisonous treasure to corrupt enemy artifacts.

Three hours later, Wang Changsheng returned to his residence on Mysterious Moon Peak. He took out the Sky Moon Cold Crystal and the Azure Lotus Creation Cauldron, placed the crystal inside the cauldron, and infused it with magical power. The azure lotus patterns on the cauldron's surface glowed brightly. About a quarter of an hour later, the azure lotus dimmed. Wang Changsheng opened the lid and found a reddish-crimson object and a snow-white crystal inside. The reddish-crimson object had solidified and was frozen, while some white ice flakes clung to the cauldron's inner walls. A look of delight flashed in Wang Changsheng's eyes. As expected, the Azure Lotus Creation Cauldron could indeed separate the poisonous blood of the Blood Toad Beast.

"A Sixth-grade forging material!" Wang Changsheng murmured to himself, his gaze burning with fervor. If his forging skills were high enough, forging a mid-grade Spirit Treasure of Heaven would be no challenge. Such a large piece of Sky Moon Cold Crystal would be enough to forge even a set of low-grade Spirit Treasures of Heaven.

Wang Changsheng then took out a blood-red porcelain bottle. This vessel, crafted from Blood Glaze Stone, was specifically for containing the Blood Toad Beast's poisonous blood, as ordinary porcelain bottles would easily be corroded by it. He poured the Blood Toad Beast's poisonous blood into the blood-red bottle, wondering if it could still be used for forging. He put away the Sky Moon Cold Crystal, sat down cross-legged, and began meditating and cultivating.

Two days passed quickly.

The Mysterious Moon Palace, located in the center of the market, was lavishly decorated and could accommodate up to ten thousand people. Whenever large-scale auctions were held in the market, they usually took place in the Mysterious Moon Palace. The Sea Suppressing Palace would dispatch personnel to maintain order, and in return, the Sea Suppressing Palace elders would be privy to the auction's finale items in advance and also collect a commission.

At daybreak, a long queue formed outside the Mysterious Moon Palace. To participate in the auction, everyone had to pay a fee of five hundred spirit stones. The Sea Suppressing Palace made a significant profit just from ticket sales, and the Seven Stars Merchant Alliance, as the organizer, also received a share, making it a win-win situation.

Wang Changsheng stood calmly among the crowd. He was using his true appearance, as he had long known that for auctions of this scale, the organizers provided a certain level of security to participants. A short while later, Wang Changsheng appeared at the entrance of the Mysterious Moon Palace. After presenting his identity token, he was able to enter without paying the fee.

Upon entering, he was greeted by a deep blue stone wall engraved with a landscape painting. On either side were bluestone passages. A Sea Suppressing Palace disciple quickly approached, handing Wang Changsheng a light silver spherical bead with swirling runes, clearly a magical artifact. This was a Spirit Concealing Bead, a treasure refined by the Sea Suppressing Palace specifically to protect bidders' safety by concealing their aura and appearance, preventing others from detecting them.

Wang Changsheng accepted the silver bead and walked down the bluestone passage on the right. After passing through three hidden doors, he finally arrived at the auction hall. The auction hall was a vast, circular tiered platform. The closer the seats were to the front, the lower they were to the ground; conversely, the further back the seats were, the higher they were from the ground, allowing cultivators in the back to clearly see the auctioned items. Many cultivators were already seated on the tiered platform, mostly enveloped in a silver glow that obscured their appearance.

Wang Changsheng took out his silver bead, infused it with magical power, and a silvery glow swept out, enveloping his entire body. The auction hall was equipped with a special formation that worked in conjunction with the Spirit Concealing Beads. After the auction, bidders would leave in batches through hidden doors, making it easy to shake off anyone who might be tracking them.

Wang Changsheng sat down in the third row. He quickly scanned the room, estimating that over a thousand people had already arrived, with more continually entering. The hall could accommodate tens of thousands of cultivators, and there were also independent private rooms on the second floor for distinguished guests. This was his first time attending such a large-scale auction. Amidst his excitement, he was also filled with anticipation, hoping to bid on a few items to his liking. It would be even better if he could obtain the Nine Dragon Pills.

As Wang Changsheng glanced around, a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes. He spotted the Seven Gourd Rogue Cultivator. The Seven Gourd Rogue Cultivator was not using a Spirit Concealing Bead. He was leaning back in his chair, a green gourd in hand, pouring wine into his mouth, his expression hazy.

Besides the Seven Gourd Rogue Cultivator, a pot-bellied Golden-robed Monk also caught Wang Changsheng's attention. The Golden-robed Monk wore a golden kasaya, with most of his round belly exposed, and a string of golden Buddhist beads hung from his chest.

"Zen Master Dazhi!" Wang Changsheng recognized the Golden-robed Monk's identity. Zen Master Dazhi was a Void Refinement cultivator from the Heavenly Buddhist Sect.