Chapter 1975: Underground Trade Fair, Dry Earth Talisman Soldiers

Returning to his residence, Wang Changsheng entered his cultivation room and took out a blue porcelain bottle. He uncorked the bottle and poured out a pale golden pill. It had seven silver spots on its surface, arranged like the Big Dipper constellation. The golden pill emitted a faint, fragrant aroma.

This was the Seven-Star Soul-Nourishing Pill, a fifth-tier elixir capable of enhancing divine sense.

Wang Changsheng put the Seven-Star Soul-Nourishing Pill into his mouth. The moment it entered, it dissolved. He could clearly feel a unique energy appearing in his sea of consciousness.

He quickly sat down in a meditative posture and began circulating his cultivation technique to refine the medicinal power.

More than an hour later, Wang Changsheng stood up, a look of disappointment on his face.

The Seven-Star Soul-Nourishing Pill indeed enhanced divine sense, but the increase was minimal. Unless consumed in large quantities, the amount of divine sense gained from one bottle was even less than what the Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada had previously provided as a natural feedback.

This wasn't to say that the Seven-Star Soul-Nourishing Pill was ineffective; rather, Wang Changsheng's divine sense was already exceedingly strong, so the slight increase didn't impress him.

With the Soul-Nourishing Orb and the Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada, Wang Changsheng's personal divine sense was already comparable to a cultivator at the perfected Deity Transformation stage. Thus, the divine sense gained from a single Seven-Star Soul-Nourishing Pill naturally didn't catch his eye. However, for ordinary Deity Transformation cultivators, the pill's effect would still be quite good.

It would be ideal if he could acquire a superior cultivation technique specifically for refining divine sense. Zhenhai Palace did possess such techniques, but their efficacy was only average.

In the short term, Wang Changsheng's cultivation level couldn't be significantly improved. To enhance his strength, he needed either powerful treasures or elixirs that could strengthen his physique or augment his divine sense. At the Deity Transformation stage, divine sense was not merely for controlling magical treasures and scouting; it could also be used to harm enemies.

With a flick of his wrist, the Twin-Pupil Rat flew out of his spirit beast bracelet and landed in front of him.

The Twin-Pupil Rat hopped onto Wang Changsheng's hand, its tail wagging as it chirped.

Wang Changsheng flipped his palm, revealing a foot-long yellow ginseng, which he offered to the Twin-Pupil Rat. The rat clasped the ginseng with its claws and began nibbling on it, quickly consuming it.

The spirit beast bracelet glowed blue, and the Qilin Turtle flew out, landing before Wang Changsheng.

The Qilin Turtle let out a low growl, gazing intently at Wang Changsheng.

Wang Changsheng flipped his palm again, producing two fist-sized blue fruits. He fed them to the Qilin Turtle, which devoured them and let out excited roars.

"Go play outside!" Wang Changsheng instructed, opening the cultivation room door. The Qilin Turtle and Twin-Pupil Rat rushed out.

He then released the Wood Demon, Golden Devouring Ant Queen, and Soul-Devouring Golden Cicada, allowing them to roam freely.

Wang Changsheng sat down cross-legged and began meditating to regulate his breath.

Seven days passed quickly.

At dusk, the sky darkened, but the market city was as bright as day, bustling with people and traffic, exceptionally lively.

A short, stout young man in a yellow shirt and an ordinary-looking young woman in a blue dress appeared at the entrance of a blue pavilion adorned with carved railings. The three golden characters "Cloud Phoenix Tower" on the plaque were very conspicuous.

These two were Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan, who had altered their appearances. They used the Heavenly Illusion Pearl to change their looks and aura. Knowing that the underground auction was a mixed bag, filled with all sorts of individuals, they naturally wouldn't reveal their true identities.

Two Core Formation cultivators guarded the entrance, but they did not stop Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan.

The grand hall was spacious and empty, with no one inside.

On the second floor, they saw a portly middle-aged man, who was only at the late Nascent Soul stage.

"Seniors, the exchange takes place on the third floor," the middle-aged man said, pointing towards a nearby staircase. At the top of the stairs, a flickering blue light screen adorned with runes blocked their path.

They approached the staircase. After a dazzling spiritual light emanated from their bodies, they effortlessly passed through the blue light screen.

The third floor was furnished with dozens of square blue wooden tables, with a circular wooden table in the center. Over a dozen Deity Transformation cultivators were scattered around, mostly alone, both men and women. Wang Changsheng noticed a Bone Tribe member and a Multi-Eyed Tribe member sitting together.

They found an empty table and sat down.

As time passed, more Deity Transformation cultivators arrived, mostly humans, but also a few from other races.

After about the time it takes to steep a cup of tea, over forty Deity Transformation cultivators had gathered on the third floor, including members of the Multi-Eyed Tribe, Bone Tribe, Bat Tribe, Human Race, and Beastman Tribe, though the majority were human.

A red-faced old man in a green robe, appearing to be over seventy, walked to the circular wooden table. He cupped his fists towards the cultivators and politely announced, "Welcome, fellow Daoists, to this exchange. I am Chen Xiang. As per custom, the highest bidder wins. Here, race is irrelevant, and all transactions are voluntary. Let the bidding begin."

With a flip of his palm, a pale blue jade box appeared in his hand. He opened the box to reveal a shimmering yellow talisman. The talisman had a miniature humanoid pattern on its surface and exuded astonishing spiritual energy.

"This is a Talisman Soldier!" A ten-foot-tall white skeleton, with tiny, clearly visible blood vessels on its surface and two white flames flickering in its eye sockets, spoke in a human tongue, devoid of any expression.

"Indeed, this is a Deity Transformation stage Qian Earth Talisman Soldier," Chen Xiang confirmed. "It is crafted primarily from Qian Earth Crystal, supplemented by over a hundred earth-attribute materials. It is proficient in earth-attribute divine abilities and would undoubtedly be a significant asset in combat. The starting price is one million spirit stones, with each bid increasing by no less than three hundred thousand." Chen Xiang's voice was full of allure.

The origin of goods at underground auctions was often unclear, and it was not uncommon for materials obtained through killing and looting to be traded here.

Wang Changsheng's heart stirred. If he could win this talisman soldier, he would gain an additional Deity Transformation stage protector.

"One million three hundred thousand!"

"One million six hundred thousand!"

"Two million!"

The price steadily climbed, quickly surpassing three million spirit stones.

"I bid four million!" A somewhat hunched old man in a yellow robe called out, his voice a little hoarse.

"Four million five hundred thousand." Wang Changsheng increased the bid by five hundred thousand spirit stones. A Deity Transformation stage talisman soldier was not something one encountered frequently. Compared to a fifth-tier spirit beast, a talisman soldier was clearly superior; as long as it wasn't severely damaged, its use wouldn't be affected. A severely injured fifth-tier spirit beast, on the other hand, might be unusable for a long time.

"Five million!" The yellow-robed elder remained unmoved.

"Five million five hundred thousand!" Wang Changsheng added another five hundred thousand spirit stones.

"Six million!" The yellow-robed elder looked determined to win.

Wang Changsheng frowned, pondered for a moment, then called out, "Six million five hundred thousand!"

The yellow-robed elder frowned, glanced at Wang Changsheng, and then called out, "Seven million!"

Chen Xiang's face lit up with joy. "This fellow Daoist has bid seven million. Is there anyone willing to bid higher? This is a Deity Transformation stage talisman soldier, proficient in earth-attribute divine abilities. Unless severely damaged, it can always be controlled."

Wang Changsheng did not raise his bid again. While a Deity Transformation stage talisman soldier was indeed excellent, a price of seven million had already far exceeded the value of this Qian Earth Talisman Soldier.

The yellow-robed elder ultimately acquired the Qian Earth Talisman Soldier for the high price of seven million, marking a good start to the auction.