Chapter 251: Blue Moon Sword Technique

This jade slip contained Wang Yuangang's insights on refining his natal artifact, which Wang Changsheng had read countless times. Wang Yuangang's natal artifact was the Blackwater Banner, but it had unfortunately been damaged during a battle with an enemy. Pan Sheng, however, sought a natal flying sword. While flying swords and banners are different types of artifacts, there were still valuable techniques that could be adapted from Wang Yuangang's notes.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was the day of the auction. The large-scale auction attracted a significant number of cultivators. Early that morning, a long queue had already formed at the entrance of the auction hall. Due to the sheer number of attendees, cultivators below the Core Formation stage were required to pay an admission fee of one hundred spirit stones each. Wang Changsheng paid two hundred spirit stones and entered with Wang Ruyan.

The layout of the auction hall was similar to that of the underground trade fair. A circular platform stood in the center, adorned with a white jade table several *zhang* long and a matching white jade chair. Hundreds of green wooden chairs surrounded the platform, each accompanied by a small green wooden table, on which a plate of pastries and a pot of spirit tea were placed.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan arrived early and secured two seats near the front. As time passed, more attendees gradually filled the hall.

“Are those individuals from the Yang family of Purple Moon Villa?” someone whispered.

Hearing this, Wang Changsheng followed the gaze to the source of the voice, spotting two men looking up at the second floor. He then shifted his gaze in the same direction, observing a middle-aged man in a red python robe leading several young men and women toward a private box. The attire of the young individuals bore a purple crescent moon emblem. The middle-aged man was somewhat corpulent and possessed a benevolent appearance. Judging by the potent spiritual pressure emanating from him, he was clearly a Core Formation cultivator.

“I heard the Yang family has two Core Formation cultivators; I wonder which one this is,” he mused.

Half a *kezhen* later, a resonant bell chimed, and the hall doors slowly closed. A spry elderly man in a green robe ascended the central platform, drawing the attention of all the cultivators. The green-robed elder possessed a strong cultivation base, at the eighth level of the Foundation Establishment stage.

“This elder is Zhao Yang, and I will be presiding over this auction,” the old man announced. “The highest bidder shall win, and if spirit stones are insufficient, valuable treasures may be offered as collateral. Our first item is a bottle of Tier 2 Low-Grade Spirit Recovery Pills. Upon consumption, these pills can restore over eighty percent of one's magic power within a *kezhen*. The starting bid is five hundred spirit stones, with each increment not less than one hundred.”

“Five hundred!”

“Six hundred!”

“Seven hundred!”

After several rounds of bidding, the bottle of Spirit Recovery Pills ultimately sold for one thousand five hundred spirit stones.

“Our second item is a set of two Tier 2 Mid-Grade Golden Robe Talismans. Even high-grade magic artifacts cannot easily breach the defense provided by these talismans. The starting bid is five hundred spirit stones, with each increment not less than two hundred.”

Zhao Yang continued to present item after item. The diverse selection of high-quality goods consistently fetched high prices, and the atmosphere in the hall grew progressively lively.

After a set of flying dagger artifacts was sold, Zhao Yang produced a green jade slip and announced loudly: “Next, we have the Tier 2 Yellow-Grade sword cultivation manual, the *Azure Moon Sword Art*. This technique can be cultivated from the first level of Qi Condensation all the way to the ninth level of Foundation Establishment. Fellow daoists with younger family members pursuing the path of the sword should not miss this opportunity! The starting bid is two thousand spirit stones, with each increment not less than three hundred.”

“A sword cultivation manual!” Wang Changsheng exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. The *Azure Wind Sword Art* that Wang Qingshan practiced only went up to the ninth level of Qi Condensation, making this *Azure Moon Sword Art* quite suitable for him.

“Two thousand!”

“Two thousand three hundred!”

“Two thousand six hundred!”

Bids rang out one after another, and Wang Changsheng also joined the bidding. The cultivators in the private boxes upstairs belonged to powerful factions, each with high-level cultivators overseeing them. Naturally, they wouldn't be interested in a cultivation technique that only extended to the ninth level of Foundation Establishment. Given their status and extensive resources, they possessed superior manuals compared to the *Azure Moon Sword Art*. Thus, the bidding for this particular item remained among the cultivators in the main hall. Cultivation manuals are crucial for any cultivation family, and many families had sent representatives to this auction, leading to exceptionally fierce bidding. After numerous bids, Wang Changsheng successfully acquired the manual for twenty-two thousand spirit stones.

Next, four burly, broad-shouldered men carried a black iron cage, several *zhang* in size, onto the platform. Inside, a white python was coiled tightly, its eyes a striking emerald green. Its aura clearly indicated it was a Tier 2 demonic beast.

“Our next featured item is a Tier 2 Low-Grade demonic beast: an Emerald-Eyed Ice Python. This python is a descendant of a Tier 3 Ice Flood Dragon, and with proper nurturing, it has the potential to advance to Tier 3. The starting bid is two thousand spirit stones, with increments not less than five hundred.”

Pythons, when their cultivation reaches a certain level, can evolve into flood dragons. As a descendant of a Tier 3 Ice Flood Dragon, this Emerald-Eyed Ice Python possessed considerable potential, drawing bids from many cultivators.

“Two thousand!”

“Two thousand five hundred!”

“Four thousand!”

The Tier 2 Low-Grade Emerald-Eyed Ice Python was ultimately acquired by the Yang family of Purple Moon Villa for eighteen thousand spirit stones.

Zhao Yang continued to present several more items, each fetching a high price.

After a high-grade flying artifact was sold, Zhao Yang retrieved a *chi*-long green wooden box. From it, he produced a stack of golden talismans, adorned with rice-grain-sized golden runes that pulsed with continuous spiritual light.

“Now, we move on to our featured items,” Zhao Yang announced. “First, we have a set of formation talismans for the Vajra Demonic Beast Trapping Formation, a simplified version of the Tier 3 Vajra Demon Trapping Formation. Though simplified, it is significantly more powerful than other Tier 2 High-Grade formation talismans. The starting bid is two thousand spirit stones, with increments not less than five hundred.”

Upon hearing Zhao Yang's description, Wang Changsheng’s interest was piqued. This set of formation talismans was defensive. Having them would allow him to deploy them at crucial moments to withstand enemy attacks, providing an opening to use his talisman treasures to eliminate foes. While a simplified version of a Tier 3 formation talisman might not match a full Tier 3 one, it would undoubtedly be superior to any Tier 2 talisman.

“Two thousand!”

“Two thousand five hundred!”

“Three thousand five hundred!”

Many cultivators sought to acquire this set of formation talismans, and even the distinguished guests in the upstairs private boxes joined the bidding. After numerous rounds, Wang Changsheng successfully purchased the set for twenty-three thousand spirit stones. Unlike single-use talismans, these formation talismans could be deployed multiple times, though they would become unusable once their power was exhausted, similar to talisman treasures.

“Our second featured item,” Zhao Yang announced, “is the soul essence of a Tier 3 Low-Grade demonic insect, a Sky-Flying Purple-Striped Centipede. The starting bid is ten thousand spirit stones, with increments not less than one thousand.”

Zhao Yang presented a blue crystal sphere, within which floated a miniature black centipede. Tier 3 materials were beyond the reach of Foundation Establishment cultivators. The soul essence of the Tier 3 demonic insect ultimately fetched a high price of forty-five thousand spirit stones, with the winning bid once again coming from the Yang family of Purple Moon Villa.

Zhao Yang then produced a yellow jade box, from which he extracted a fist-sized golden object. “Next is a piece of Gold Essence, weighing two *jin* and three *liang*,” he declared. “The starting bid is twenty thousand spirit stones, with increments not less than one thousand.”

“Twenty thousand!”

“Twenty-one thousand!”

“Twenty-two thousand!”

The competition was fierce, but ultimately, the Yang family of Purple Moon Villa secured the Gold Essence for one hundred and seventy thousand spirit stones. The Yang family had already acquired multiple items, totaling over three hundred thousand spirit stones – a true display of immense wealth and power.