184: Chapter 184 The Auction Begins! Soul-Suppressing Grass!

Chapter 184: The Auction Begins! soul-quelling grass!

Yunmeng Pavilion.

This three-story pavilion, emerald green throughout and as flawless as if carved from a single massive piece of top-grade jade, floated quietly in mid-air about thirty zhang above the ground!

The pavilion's design was ancient and exquisite, with eaves stretching out like phoenix wings and layers of bracket sets. Complete with doors and windows, every detail was carved with lifelike cloud patterns and Auspicious Beasts.

The entire pavilion's surface emitted a faint, warm, and gentle green glow. Under the sunlight, it shimmered with a dreamlike luster, looking magnificent and unearthly, more like a palace where Immortals from legend might reside that had accidentally descended into the mortal world.

Every time he saw this pavilion, Lu Qiu couldn't help but feel a flicker of amazement in his eyes.

Even with his current perspective, he had to admit that such a building was extremely rare to see in Tiannan.

The foundation of the Four Great Merchant Alliances could be glimpsed from this alone.

Outside the Yunmeng Pavilion at this moment, it was already crowded with people.

On the square, hundreds of Cultivators formed several long lines, taking turns to be inspected by the four Foundation Establishment Cultivators at the entrance.

The lowest cultivation among these Cultivators was the Early Foundation Establishment Stage, and there were even a few experts at the False Core Realm who were obediently waiting in line.

The rules of Yunmeng Pavilion had to be followed even by Core Formation True Persons.

Lu Qiu wore a bamboo hat and a large black cloak, completely concealing his face and aura.

He walked to the entrance and took out that golden jade tablet.

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator guarding the gate took the jade tablet, inspected it carefully for a moment, then took out another jade tablet to compare. After confirming it was correct, his attitude immediately became extremely respectful, and he returned the jade tablet with both hands:

"Senior, please! A deacon will lead Senior to the VIP room."

Lu Qiu nodded slightly and stepped into the Yunmeng Pavilion.

As soon as he stepped inside the pavilion, the sight before him was refreshing.

The entire interior space was extremely wide, with carved beams and painted rafters, magnificent and golden, yet without appearing vulgar; instead, it exuded a noble Immortal air.

Hundreds of fist-sized moonlight stones were embedded in the dome, lighting up the entire hall as bright as day.

Several landscape scrolls with profound Concepts hung on the surrounding walls, with faint spiritual light flowing through them; they were clearly spiritual paintings from the hands of masters.

In the center of the hall was a circular high platform, about three zhang square, surrounded by several rows of tiered seating. At a rough count, it could accommodate four to five hundred people.

The seats were made of aged sandalwood, exquisitely carved and quite comfortable to sit on.

On the second and third floors above the platform was a ring of private boxes. Each room had light green gauze curtains; while the interior could not be seen from the outside, the situation on the Auction stage was clearly visible from within.

A middle-aged deacon at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage came forward. His gaze swept over the golden jade tablet in Lu Qiu's hand, and the smile on his face immediately became respectful and warm:

"Senior, please follow me. Your private box is on the third floor."

He led Lu Qiu up the stairs, through a corridor, and finally stopped in front of a box door marked 'Bing-Seven'.

Opening the door, the furnishings inside were even more elegant—red sandalwood tables and chairs, soft brocade cushions, seasonal spirit fruits and steaming spiritual tea placed on the table, and two beautiful maids in simple, elegant palace attire standing with their hands down.

"If Senior has any needs, just instruct them," the middle-aged deacon said with a bow.

Lu Qiu waved his hand: "You may leave, I don't need anyone to wait on me."

The two maids were slightly startled, then bowed and withdrew.

The middle-aged deacon didn't say much either, respectfully exiting and gently closing the door.

Only Lu Qiu remained in the box.

He walked to the window and looked out through the light green gauze curtain, taking in the entire Auction hall.

At this moment, seventy to eighty percent of the seats in the hall were occupied, and the sound of voices was faint but bustling.

He returned to the table and sat down, picking up a spirit fruit and putting it in his mouth.

The fruit was sweet and juicy, containing a hint of faint Spiritual Qi. It was clearly a specially cultivated variety of spirit fruit.

He then picked up the spiritual tea and took a sip. The tea fragrance was elegant, with a sweet aftertaste and of impressive quality.

"Yunmeng Pavilion certainly knows how to enjoy themselves," Lu Qiu thought to himself, and while sipping tea, he quietly sent out his Divine Sense.

This box was equipped with a Restriction to block Divine Sense probing, but probing from the inside out was not significantly affected.

His Divine Sense was like invisible tentacles, quietly spreading out—

The first thing he sensed was an aura hidden deep within Yunmeng Pavilion.

That aura was as deep as an abyss and perfectly harmonious; it was actually at the Late Core Formation Stage!

Moreover, the aura was as steady as a mountain, clearly someone who had been immersed in this Realm for many years, definitely not an ordinary person.

"It seems to be a powerhouse sent by the Four Great Merchant Alliances to guard this Auction," Lu Qiu understood.

An Auction of this scale would surely have heavy treasures as the finale, so having a Late Core Formation Stage Cultivator stationed here was only natural.

His Divine Sense continued to spread, inspecting the Cultivators who were entering one after another.

Soon, several familiar auras entered his perception.

One aura was peaceful and steady; it was Wood Dragon.

The two auras following closely behind, one majestic and sharp, the other cold and detached, were the two Vice Island Masters, True Person Yuan Jun and True Person Kan Qin.

After the three entered, they were led to several other boxes on the third floor.

Subsequently, Elder Gu Yuan's aura also appeared.

He was also led to a third-floor box, not far from Lu Qiu.

Besides these few acquaintances, Lu Qiu also sensed at least five Core Formation Stage auras, all at the Early or Middle Stage.

Some auras he had sensed before in Kuixing City, while others were completely unfamiliar, clearly Cultivators who had traveled specifically from other islands to attend the Auction.

"Counting me, there are at least ten Core Formation Cultivators present at this Auction."

Lu Qiu thought to himself, "Plus a hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators... The Yunmeng Pavilion, which opens once every fifty years, truly lives up to its reputation."

He withdrew his Divine Sense, stopped probing, and quietly sipped his tea while waiting.

...

He waited for a full hour.

When the seats in the Auction hall were almost full and the noise reached its peak—

A melodious bell rang, and the entire hall instantly fell silent.

A middle-aged Cultivator slowly walked onto the central high platform.

He was dressed in a green robe, had a refined face, and his cultivation was at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage. His overall aura was peaceful yet authoritative.

Clearly, this person was the host of this Auction.

He looked around, smiled slightly, and cupped his hands:

"Welcome, Fellow Daoists and Seniors, to Yunmeng Pavilion! My surname is Zhou, and I am a deacon of this pavilion. I am honored to host this grand event today."

He paused, his voice clear and infectious:

"Yunmeng Pavilion opens once every fifty years, and I'm sure you all know the rules—all items go to the highest bidder. If you don't have enough Spirit Stones, you can use items of equivalent value as collateral. If anyone wants to fish in troubled waters or has ill intentions within this pavilion..."

His gaze swept over the audience, and he smiled slightly, his tone still peaceful but carrying a hint of unquestionable authority:

"I'm sure you all are aware of this pavilion's rules. I won't go into more detail."

The hall was silent; no one spoke.

Deacon Zhou nodded in satisfaction and announced loudly:

"Good! Then, I announce—the 50th Yunmeng Pavilion Auction now begins!"

As his voice fell, a maid in simple, elegant palace attire walked gracefully onto the platform, holding an exquisite jade box with both hands.

Deacon Zhou took the jade box and opened the lid. A burst of fiery red light instantly surged from the box!

It was a short spike about a foot long, crimson all over, with faint flame runes flowing on it!

Even from dozens of zhang away, one could feel the scorching fluctuations of fire spiritual power.

"The first Auction item—the fire-attribute Magic Treasure, 'Blazing Sun Spike'!"

Deacon Zhou introduced loudly, "This treasure is refined from thousand-year fire copper essence gold and contains three fire-attribute Restrictions. When fully activated, it can transform into nine flaming flying spikes. Its power is astonishing! Starting price—twenty thousand Spirit Stones!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the whole audience was in an uproar!

The very first item was a Magic Treasure!

Yunmeng Pavilion's style was indeed extraordinary!

Sitting in the box, Lu Qiu's heart also stirred slightly.

Yunmeng Pavilion truly lived up to being backed by the Four Great Merchant Alliances. Starting with a Magic Treasure as the first item was clearly intended to set the atmosphere and ignite the enthusiasm of all the Cultivators present.

However, he had no interest in this Magic Treasure.

He had nearly twenty Magic Treasures and ancient treasures combined. Although the Blazing Sun Spike was good, it still didn't catch his eye.

After the bidding began, the scene immediately became heated.

"Twenty-one thousand!"

"Twenty-three thousand!"

"Twenty-five thousand!"

...

The price soared all the way and was finally taken by a Core Formation Cultivator in one of the third-floor boxes for thirty-two thousand Spirit Stones.

Deacon Zhou satisfiedly announced the deal and then signaled for the next item to be brought up.

The subsequent Auctions, while not as precious as Magic Treasures, were still rare items.

There were Core Formation spiritual items like dust settling pills, which drew frantic bidding from countless Foundation Establishment Cultivators; there were rare Medicinal Pills that could increase the cultivation speed of Core Formation Cultivators, which were fought over by several Core Formation Cultivators in turns; there were Magic Treasures of excellent quality, some even carrying special Divine Abilities, which made even the well-traveled Lu Qiu take a few extra looks.

But Lu Qiu never made a move.

He didn't lack Magic Treasures.

As for Talismans, he had the Heavenly Talisman Scripture and could refine them himself.

With Xin Ruyin around, he didn't lack formation tools either.

The only things he lacked were some rare Spirit Medicines—the Spirit Medicines needed to refine those lost ancient Pill Formulas.

So, he had been waiting.

...

Midway through the Auction, another item was presented.

This time it was a palm-sized cold jade box. As soon as the lid was opened, a refreshing fragrance filled the air!

The fragrance made one's mind clear and thoughts vanish, as if even the Primordial Spirit received a bit of nourishment!

Lu Qiu's pupils shrank slightly!

Inside the cold jade box lay a Spiritual Plant that was dark green all over, with long, slender leaves and faint silver patterns on the edges!

At the top of the Spiritual Plant, a tiny, grain-sized pale purple flower bloomed, emitting a faint, ethereal glow.

"soul-quelling grass!"

Deacon Zhou announced loudly: "A treasure among thousand-year spirit herbs! It can be used to refine Medicinal Pills that temper the Primordial Spirit! It is also of great use to Core Formation Cultivators! Starting price—three thousand Spirit Stones!"

A burst of amazement immediately erupted from the crowd!

soul-quelling grass was an extremely rare variety among thousand-year spirit herbs.

This grass was very hard to find, usually growing deep within desolate lands where Yin Qi gathered, and guarded by high-level Yao Beasts.

Let alone ordinary Cultivators, even Core Formation True Persons would have to rely on Opportunity to find one!

They didn't expect Yunmeng Pavilion could even obtain such a rare item!

A sharp light flashed in Lu Qiu's eyes!

soul-quelling grass—it was precisely one of the core Materials for refining the 'life-substituting gu'!

The life-substituting gu was a Heaven-Defying Gu insect recorded in the Myriad Poisons Gu Scripture.

Once this Gu was refined, it would be linked to the master's life.

If the master suffered a fatal attack, the life-substituting gu could block one certain-death injury for the master at the cost of the Gu insect itself being reduced to ashes.

This was a true life-saving trump card!

He had been looking for several core Materials to refine the life-substituting gu, and soul-quelling grass was one of them.

He didn't expect to encounter it at Yunmeng Pavilion today!

The bidding began!

"Three thousand five hundred!"

"Four thousand!"

"Four thousand five hundred!"

...

The price climbed all the way up and soon broke the five thousand mark.

After reaching five thousand, the speed of price increases slowed down significantly.

After all, although soul-quelling grass was rare, it was just a Spirit Medicine. If it couldn't be refined into a Medicinal Pill, it wasn't of much use to most Cultivators.

And Alchemists who could refine such Medicinal Pills were few and far between.

"Five thousand five hundred."

"Five thousand eight hundred."

"Six thousand..."

After the price rose to six thousand, it fell into a brief stalemate.

Just then, a calm voice came from one of the boxes on the third floor:

"Seven thousand."

The whole place went quiet.

This price already far exceeded the normal value of soul-quelling grass.

But if someone truly needed this medicine urgently, they would be willing to pay this price.

After a moment of silence, no one added to the price.

Deacon Zhou asked three times, and when no one answered, he immediately sealed the deal with a hammer:

"Sold! Congratulations to the Senior in box Bing-Seven!"

The corners of Lu Qiu's mouth curled up slightly as he picked up his spiritual tea and took a sip.

Seven thousand Spirit Stones for the soul-quelling grass.

Although it was a bit expensive.

But if he could refine the life-substituting gu, it would be worth every penny.

...