22: Auction!

Returning to the Tianxing Sect Market Town, Lu Qiu did not linger for a moment and headed straight back to the small courtyard he had rented.

As a faint light flashed from the token in his hand, the Formation's light barrier covering the small courtyard slowly rose, completely isolating all the noise and prying eyes from the outside world.

Inside the quiet room, Lu Qiu exhaled a long breath of turbid air.

Only at this moment did his tense nerves truly relax.

He poured out all four Storage Pouches onto the stone table, and miscellaneous items like Spirit Stones, Magical Artifacts, Medicinal Pills, and Talismans immediately piled up into a small mountain.

His gaze swept rapidly through the items, and finally, Lu Qiu's eyes fixed on a bead found in Yu Long's Storage Pouch; it was completely transparent, as if carved from crystal.

It was not a Jade Slip.

This was completely different from the Legacy carrier he had envisioned.

Lu Qiu reached out and slowly picked it up.

The bead felt icy cold in his hand, and inside, countless tiny specks of light seemed to be slowly flowing, filled with a sense of mystery.

He carefully extended a wisp of Divine Sense into it.

Boom!

In an instant, an incredibly complex and vast torrent of information surged fiercely into his mind along his Divine Sense.

A large number of profound Formation diagrams, complicated rune structures, and subtle principles regarding the circulation of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi exploded within the sea of his consciousness.

Contained within this bead was precisely that complete array path Legacy!

"Heavenly Derivation Array Codex..."

As Lu Qiu digested the information in his mind, his heart couldn't help but pound wildly.

The Legacy brought by this gold Opportunity was far more precious than he had imagined.

From the most basic Spirit Gathering Array and Maze Array, to the "Four Symbols Spirit Locking Array" capable of trapping and killing Foundation Establishment Cultivators, to the "Nine Palaces Reversal Array" which theoretically could threaten Core Formation Stage Cultivators, and even a fragment of the legendary, long-lost ancient miraculous Formation, the "Lesser Starry Array"!

It encompassed everything and was broad and profound.

Obtaining such a Legacy was no different from receiving the life's work of an array path Grandmaster.

"It seems that from now on, I'll have to set aside some time to properly study Formations." Lu Qiu couldn't help but show a smile on his face.

Talisman making and Formations.

These two are among the most respected and practical methods within the hundred arts of immortal cultivation.

Having one more means of survival gave him one more bit of capital to survive in this cruel cultivation world.

He carefully put away the transparent bead he had named the "Formation Bead," and only then did he shift his attention to the collections of the other three men in black.

After a round of inventorying, the harvest was quite bountiful.

In the three Storage Pouches, there were more than two thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones alone.

Besides that, there were several Intermediate and high-rank Magical Artifacts, dozens of bottles of various Medicinal Pills, and a thick stack of Talismans.

The net worth of these Bandit Cultivators was far wealthier than that of ordinary Qi Refining Stage Cultivators.

Most of it was likely plundered from other innocent Cultivators.

Indeed, murder and arson bring a golden belt.

Business without capital brings in money fast.

Of course, one dies fast as well.

If he hadn't had many trump cards and launched a sneak attack from the shadows, it would have been truly difficult to take down these three fellows.

Lu Qiu sorted and put away his spoils, and the slight impetuousness in his heart quickly settled... "Squeak, squeak..."

A faint cry came from the Spirit Beast Pouch.

Lu Qiu released the mutated Crimson Flame Fox.

The little fellow seemed hungry, looking timidly at Lu Qiu with its distinctive blood-red eyes.

Lu Qiu took out a "Beast Essence Pill" specifically for feeding Spirit Beasts and handed it over in his palm.

The Crimson Flame Fox hesitated, its small nose sniffing, but ultimately it couldn't resist the aroma of the pill; it stuck out its tongue and carefully rolled the pill into its mouth.

After eating the pill, its spirits clearly improved a lot.

Lu Qiu took out the jade plaque given by the Spirit Beast Hall manager; it contained a Restriction that controlled the Crimson Flame Fox's life and death, so he wasn't afraid of it escaping or turning on its master.

This Crimson Flame Fox currently only had a Rank One Late Stage cultivation, equivalent to a human Cultivator's Late Stage Qi Refining.

"Bloodline mutation..."

Lu Qiu carefully observed the little fox again.

Besides those eerie blood-red eyes, he noticed that the fiery red fur on the little fellow was much deeper in color than that of an ordinary Crimson Flame Fox, especially that faint touch of gold at the tip of its tail, which shimmered with a strange luster under the candlelight.

"Little fellow, I'll call you Xiao Hong from now on."

Lu Qiu reached out and stroked its furry head.

"As long as you are obedient, I, your master, guarantee you'll live a life of luxury."

With his current net worth, raising a spirit pet was completely within his means, with no pressure at all.

Xiao Hong seemed to understand his words, affectionately rubbing against his finger.

After settling his newly acquired pet, Lu Qiu once again took out the "Formation Bead."

The night was deep, a perfect time for quiet study.

Delving his Divine Sense into it, he once again immersed himself in the vast ocean of Formation mysteries.

Time flew by, and it was soon the next morning.

When the first ray of morning light shone through the window into the quiet room, Lu Qiu slowly opened his eyes and stopped his studies.

A night of bitter cultivation made him feel he had gained much, significantly deepening his understanding of the array path.

However, the array path was even more profound and complex than Talisman making; truly entering the threshold, let alone reaching the Realm of setting up Formations at will, was certainly not the work of a single day.

His mind sank into his consciousness, and the familiar information panel expanded before his eyes.

[white information: Lin Hai, a Qi Refining Stage Loose Cultivator, died yesterday in his Immortal Cave while forcibly attempting to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage due to a spiritual power riot; he left behind an inheritance in his Immortal Cave.]

[silver information: On the stall of Yu Li, a market Loose Cultivator, an inconspicuous Ore hides a fist-sized "Mica Iron Core," which is an excellent material for refining top-tier Magical Artifacts.]

[gold intelligence: Star Dust Pavilion will hold a large-scale auction, where one of the finale items, a Puppet Magical Artifact, hides a Divine Ability secret technique within its core hub.]

Lu Qiu's breathing suddenly stalled when he saw the last piece of information.

Another gold intelligence!

And it's a Divine Ability secret technique!

Divine Abilities are existences that transcend ordinary Cultivation Techniques and secret arts; their power is unpredictable, often possessing all sorts of incredible capabilities.

The appearance of any Divine Ability secret technique is enough to drive many Cultivators into a frenzy.

"Star Dust Pavilion... Auction..."

An unprecedented brilliance burst forth from Lu Qiu's eyes.

It was not in vain that he had traveled thousands of miles to this Yuanwu Kingdom.

Only in such a place where righteous and demonic forces coexist and all sorts of characters mingle would such astonishing opportunities frequently arise!

He quickly calmed down and began to analyze the information.

An auction means the highest bidder wins.

This was completely different in nature from those previous opportunities that only required him to "take" them himself.

To obtain that Divine Ability secret technique, he would have to smash it down with Spirit Stones at the auction!

He immediately inventoried his current entire net worth.

The Legacy of the Foundation Establishment Cultivator from Wind Sand Valley, plus the accumulation from several previous opportunities, and then counting the harvest from killing those three men in black last night, the total number of Low-Grade Spirit Stones in his Storage Pouch had already exceeded seven thousand!

Seven thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones!

This huge sum was an unimaginable astronomical figure for any Qi Refining Stage Cultivator.

It was likely that even many Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators might not have a net worth as substantial as his.

The information clearly stated that this Divine Ability was "sealed" within the core hub of the Puppet.

This meant that besides himself, no one should know this secret.

Star Dust Pavilion would only treat it as a rare top-tier Magical Artifact for the auction.

With his net worth, taking down this Puppet Magical Artifact could be said to be effortless.