273: Chapter 273 The First Fragment of the Heavenly Dao

The people below the stage responded one after another with cupped hands, their tones respectful. After all, Wen Xuanli was an Elder of the Azure Cloud Sect, possessing profound cultivation and deep foundations; no one dared to slight him easily.

Wen Xuanli nodded slightly. Once the crowd quieted down, he continued, his voice carrying a hint of anticipation: "For this auction, my Azure Cloud Sect has brought out many rare treasures—Cultivation Techniques, Magical Artifacts, medicinal herbs, and even some rare ancient relics. I am certain they will not disappoint our fellow Daoists."

"Now, let us bring out the first auction item!"

As his voice fell, Wen Xuanli gestured with his hand. A Azure Cloud Sect Disciple dressed in a green maid's uniform, carrying an exquisite red sandalwood tray, walked slowly onto the auction stage.

The maid had a lithe figure and held the tray steadily with both hands. The tray was covered with a light purple velvet cloth, and a faint golden light could be seen shimmering through it.

The maid placed the tray securely on the jade pedestal in the center of the auction stage, then bowed and slowly withdrew.

Wen Xuanli stepped forward and gently lifted the velvet cloth. Instantly, a brilliant golden light burst forth, and a wave of pure Spiritual Qi spread out, sweeping through the entire hall in an instant, causing every Cultivator present to feel a jolt in their minds.

On the tray lay a golden fragment about the size of a fingernail. The fragment was lustrous throughout, its surface flowing with a faint golden halo. Its patterns were complex and mysterious, as if they contained the secrets of the Heavenly Dao. Even just lying there quietly, it allowed people to feel the majestic power contained within.

Qin Changsheng's pupils constricted slightly, and a wave of emotion instantly surged in his heart.

He had not expected that the very first item brought out would be a heavenly dao fragment.

He had originally thought that the heavenly dao fragment would make its appearance in the middle or Late Stages of the auction.

"What kind of treasure is this?"

"A mere fragment has such powerful Spiritual Qi?"

"This treasure is definitely extraordinary!"

"Let's first hear what Elder Wen Xuanli has to say."

"I have never seen such a treasure before!"

The Cultivators below the stage all began to discuss in low voices the moment they saw the golden fragment.

None of these people had ever seen a heavenly dao fragment before.

Nor did they know the function of a heavenly dao fragment.

However, they all understood that this heavenly dao fragment must be quite extraordinary.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have such powerful spiritual energy.

And the Azure Cloud Sect wouldn't have brought it out as the first item.

Wen Xuanli pressed his hand down on the tray to signal for silence, then slowly began to introduce this first auction item in detail.

"Fellow Daoists, this treasure is golden throughout and its texture is exceptionally hard. Even after multiple Elders of my Azure Cloud Sect jointly investigated it, we were unable to identify its specific material."

Wen Xuanli continued, "We tried hacking it with various Magical Artifacts and burning it with intense fire, but it remained completely undamaged, without even a single mark left behind. Furthermore, the Spiritual Qi contained within the fragment is extremely abundant, far exceeding ordinary High-Grade Spirit Stones. Wearing it long-term can slowly nourish the Meridians and assist in one's Cultivation."

"Combining its hardness and Spiritual Qi concentration, my Azure Cloud Sect speculates that this fragment might be a remnant from a shattered Earth-Grade Magical Artifact. Earth-Grade Magical Artifacts are incredibly precious; even if it is just a fragment, it holds a certain degree of collection and research value."

As his voice fell, the crowd below began to whisper. Their expressions showed a bit more understanding, but also a bit less of the initial shock and greed.

In the Southern Region where Earth-Grade Magical Artifacts were scarce, a complete Earth-Grade artifact was indeed a supreme treasure everyone would fight for, but a mere broken fragment caused everyone to lose interest.

A fragment could not unleash the power of an Earth-Grade Magical Artifact; it could neither be used as a weapon nor a defensive tool. At most, it could only be used to assist in nourishing one's cultivation level, making its cost-performance ratio far too low.

Observing the crowd's reaction, Wen Xuanli slowly announced the starting price: "Since it is the first auction item, I will give a benefit to all fellow Daoists. The starting price for this fragment is ten thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, with each bid increase being no less than one thousand Spirit Stones. Now, the bidding begins!"

Ten thousand Spirit Stones was not a massive sum for the Cultivators present; even an ordinary Loose Cultivator could barely scrape it together.

However, following Wen Xuanli's words, the hall fell into an eerie silence. No one raised their hand to bid, and there wasn't even a stir of movement.

"Ten thousand Spirit Stones for a fragment?"

"And an Earth-Grade fragment at that?"

"Buying this fragment is simply useless!"

"If it were a complete Earth-Grade artifact, I'd bid!"

Many Cultivators shook their heads one after another.

Clearly, they believed this Earth-Grade fragment was not worth ten thousand Spirit Stones at all.

Shen Bing looked at the golden fragment on the auction stage, her brow furrowing slightly, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes.

In her view, although ten thousand Spirit Stones wasn't much, spending it on a useless fragment was a pure waste.

Her goals were the purple-gold key and the Empress's purple-gold earrings. Every single Spirit Stone had to be spent where it mattered most and could not be wasted on such trivial things.

Inside his private box, a flash of joy crossed Qin Changsheng's eyes.

He hadn't expected that these Prodigies actually didn't recognize a heavenly dao fragment.

But Qin Changsheng soon felt relieved; the function of this heavenly dao fragment was to upgrade a Golden Trait into a Heavenly Dao Trait.

And those people didn't even possess a Golden Trait to begin with.

So they naturally had no idea what a heavenly dao fragment was for.

At the same time, he secretly felt fortunate. Luckily, no one recognized the true value of the heavenly dao fragment, treating it only as an ordinary Earth-Grade fragment, which was why they were so dismissive.

Otherwise, Qin Changsheng would have needed at least several million Spirit Stones to take this fragment.

Seeing that no one was bidding, Wen Xuanli spoke up again to remind them: "Fellow Daoists, this fragment is hard in texture and rich in Spiritual Qi. Even if it is just an Earth-Grade fragment, it holds significant value. The starting price of ten thousand Spirit Stones is already very reasonable. Is any fellow Daoist willing to bid?"

However, the scene remained silent; absolutely no one was willing to bid.

Everyone assumed that this first auction item might end up unsold.

The smile on Wen Xuanli's face vanished completely, and his expression became quite sour.

He hadn't expected that the first treasure he personally selected would fail to sell.

Just then, a voice came from one of the private boxes above: "Ten thousand Spirit Stones!"

"Who is this? They're actually willing to spend ten thousand Spirit Stones on a broken fragment? Are they a fool?"

"Indeed, this fragment can't be used as a weapon or a defensive tool. At most, it just nourishes one's cultivation. It's not worth ten thousand Spirit Stones at all. Why would he bid?"

"This person must have more money than sense. Ten thousand Spirit Stones could buy so many practical things."

"I suspect it's a plant from the Azure Cloud Sect, just to keep the item from going unsold!"

The crowd below showed looks of confusion and bewilderment, whispering among themselves.

Meanwhile, upon hearing Qin Changsheng's bid, a flash of surprise and joy crossed Wen Xuanli's eyes. Without even following the auction rules to ask if anyone else would raise the bid, he suddenly raised his hand and slammed the wooden gavel onto the table.

"Thump!" A crisp sound of the gavel rang out, echoing through the entire hall.

"Congratulations to Private Box Seventy-Five! Sold for ten thousand Spirit Stones!"

Seeing that someone had finally bid, Wen Xuanli feared another change or that Qin Changsheng might regret it, so he directly finalized the sale.

After all, in his view, being able to sell this fragment for ten thousand Spirit Stones already exceeded expectations. If it went unsold, the loss would be even greater.

As his voice fell, Wen Xuanli did not delay. He beckoned to someone below and instructed warmly, "Someone, bring this tray and fragment to Private Box Seventy-Five."

The Azure Cloud Sect maid who had previously brought the tray onto the stage immediately stepped up, lifted the red sandalwood tray steadily with both hands, bowed respectfully to Wen Xuanli, and then turned to walk toward the upper level toward Private Box Seventy-Five.

Watching the maid's departing back, Wen Xuanli gestured for the crowd to be quiet and said, "Congratulations to our fellow Daoist in Private Box Seventy-Five for obtaining the treasure. Since the first auction item has been sold, let us bring out the second item. I believe this treasure will certainly not disappoint you all!"