Upon learning this news, the other VIPs in their private rooms quieted down.
Wanbao Pavilion had already made its stance clear; it was not giving them any Face!
Barren Ancient City is located at the junction of the Central Plains Spirit Domain and the Southern Spirit Domain, with a large number of Cultivators coming and going, a mix of all sorts of people, including many reclusive masters.
The identity of the VIP in private room number seven was unknown, but he was extremely generous, and Wanbao Pavilion was very attentive to him, clearly indicating he was not someone to be trifled with.
After weighing the pros and cons, the VIPs in the other private rooms gave up their investigations and continued to focus on the subsequent Auction process.
They probably realized by then that the VIP in private room number 7 was not interested in finished Spiritual Artifacts, Magic Treasures, various High Grade Puppets, or Spirit Talismans; instead, he participated most frequently in the bidding for Five Elements Artifact Refining Materials, High Grade Yao Beast hides, and spirit essences.
There was not much competition between them, and as the bidding for the five Net Blood Spirit Zhi concluded, the various forces' inquiries into the identity of the VIP in private room number 7 came to an end.
The bidders all turned their attention to another item Manager Lin brought out.
Manager Lin reached out and opened the white jade sword box, then waved his hand, and a long azure sword flew out of the sword box.
Manager Lin grabbed the long azure sword and brandished it towards the audience, releasing a streak of azure Sword Qi that transformed into an azure python, coiling above the platform, exuding a dangerous aura, like a living creature, lifelike and magnificent.
As soon as the azure python formed by the Sword Qi appeared, the Nascent Soul cultivators and Golden Core cultivators below the platform all felt a chill, their hearts turning cold, and the fervent bidding atmosphere cooled down.
Manager Lin seemed unconcerned about the cooling atmosphere. After the azure python formed by the Sword Qi dissipated, he held the long azure sword, letting it float before him.
"The Azure Python Bone Sword, a six-tier Low Grade Spirit Sword, crafted from ten-thousand-year cold iron and the bones of an azure-scaled Flood Dragon as its sword embryo, with the refined Yao Soul of an azure-scaled Flood Dragon as its Sword Spirit. This sword comes from the hands of Artifact Refining Great Master Ouye of the Hundred Refinements Sect. Its Artifact Spirit is semi-formed and possesses excellent spirituality!"
"This sword's Sword Qi can already fully spiritualize. With proper nurturing for twenty Years, advancing to a six-tier Medium Grade is a given. If this sword is wielded by a Fellow Daoist who Cultivates Yin-cold Cultivation Techniques, or has a Water Spiritual Root or Ice Spiritual Root, it will not only double its power but also assist in Cultivation," Manager Lin explained with a smile, looking at the hundreds of bidders and the VIP rooms below the stage.
"How much is this sword priced at? I, Lin, am determined to get it!"
"Such powerful spirituality, it's really close to advancing to six-tier Medium Grade!"
"So it's the work of Great Master Ouye, what a pity this sword doesn't match my Spiritual Root!"
"Manager Lin, stop talking, just start the bidding!"
"Fellow Daoist Wang, this sword is a perfect match for me. If I don't have enough Spirit Stones, could you lend me some!"
...
As Manager Lin's introduction concluded, the previously declining bidding atmosphere became fervent once more, with bidding Cultivators urging him on, and some even asking Fellow Daoists for loans, making the atmosphere incredibly lively.
Seeing that the atmosphere was almost perfectly brewed, Manager Lin laughed heartily and decisively announced: "The starting bid for this sword is thirty thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones. The bidding period is two hundred breaths. Bidding starts now."
As soon as the bidding began, the Nascent Soul cultivators and Soul Transformation Cultivators who desired this sword all used their bidding tokens to participate in the Auction.
Fifty thousand, sixty thousand, seventy thousand... the bidding price increased rapidly, and wealthy Family forces all joined the Auction, participating in the struggle for the six-tier Spirit Sword.
Among Cultivators, Spirit Swords have always been the most widely used in combat. It is extremely rare to encounter a top-grade Spirit Sword with abundant spirituality that matches one's Spiritual Root and Cultivation Technique. In a blink of an eye, the bidding price tripled in just over ten breaths, about to break through one hundred thousand.
Such a high price caused many Nascent Soul Loose Cultivators to feel disheartened and discouraged.
A hundred breaths passed in an instant, and this six-tier Low Grade Spirit Sword was ultimately won by the bidder in private room 11 for a price of one hundred twenty thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones.
Li Mu smiled slightly at this scene. The higher the level of an Artifact Refining Great Master, the easier it was to earn Spirit Stones in the later stages.
Over the past few decades, Li Mu had refined an immense number of Spiritual Artifacts and Magic Treasures. The success rate for four-tier High Grade Spirit Swords was the highest, reaching over ninety percent, and with the aid of the Skyfire Refining Furnace, it was a hundred percent. As for five-tier pseudo-Spirit Treasures, the success rate was around sixty percent.
This Artifact Refining success rate far surpassed that of other Artifact Refining Great Masters!
Currently, only the 'spirituality' attribute was missing. Li Mu's Artifact Refining Skill, Array Formation Skill, and Puppet Art, all these Cultivation Arts, were stuck at level 5 and could not be further improved.
If he could raise his Artifact Refining Skill to level six, Li Mu was confident that refining six-tier spirit treasures would be a given.
Having unexpectedly succeeded in refining a six-tier spirit treasure, the Five Elements Spirit Mountain, Li Mu had somewhat grasped the pathway to refining six-tier spirit treasures, lacking only practical experience.
With the Auction of the six-tier Azure Python Bone Sword settled, Manager Lin continued to bring out another Auction item, introducing it with an extremely fast pace.
...
Time flew by, and Wanbao Pavilion's Auction was in full swing.
Various High Grade Spirit Pills, Spirit Swords, and Magic Treasures, all of excellent quality, were presented with high efficiency and then acquired by the bidders one by one.
"Next, we will be auctioning a batch of ancient sealed spiritual items. They come from the Barren Abyss Battlefield. Due to the erosion of long Years, their spirituality has diminished, and their appearance has slightly declined. However, they still possess extremely high value."
"Some Fellow Daoists may not have heard of the Barren Abyss Battlefield. Here, I'll briefly introduce it. The Barren Abyss Battlefield is located in the Myriad Spirit Abyss not far from Barren Ancient City. It was the most tragic battlefield in the great war between our Human Race and the Yao Race ten thousand Years ago. It was the victory in that great war that allowed our Human Race to gain a firm foothold in this Southern Spirit Great Wilderness..."
"The Barren Abyss Battlefield is the most intense borderland of conflict between the Human Race and the Yao Race. For ten thousand Years, wars have been continuous, burying countless outstanding Human Race Cultivators and also causing many Sects to disappear there."
"This batch of ancient spiritual items all originate from the Barren Abyss Battlefield. They might be Legacy spiritual items of a great Sect, or items carrying the Legacy of a Sect, or perhaps exclusive Magical Artifacts of a great Human Race Cultivator. There are a total of 36 items. Due to time constraints, I will not introduce them in detail one by one here!" Manager Lin explained in detail the origin of the batch of ancient spiritual items.
As Manager Lin's introduction concluded, a flash of array light appeared, and more than a dozen ancient, spiritually indistinct Spiritual Artifacts appeared on the display stage.
"First item: a five-tier Water-Collecting Bottle, capable of holding millions of catties of spiritual water. Starting bid: three thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones."
"Second item: a four-tier Fire Control Bead, with the effect of warding off fire and controlling fire. Starting bid: five hundred Medium Grade Spirit Stones."
"Third item: a five-tier Verdant Wood Shield, with extremely strong defense, capable of releasing a giant wooden shield wall. Starting bid: five thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones."
...
Manager Lin picked up each Spiritual Artifact, briefly introduced its main functions, and in a short while, finished introducing all 36 ancient sealed Spiritual Artifacts, then announced the start of the bidding.
Li Mu was invigorated and carefully examined each of the 36 ancient sealed spiritual items.
Under his Talent Divine Power - Identify Myriad Spirits, the information of each Auction item was displayed one by one. From this, Li Mu discovered that there was something special inside an ancient bell Auction item.
Having the chance to pick up a great bargain at this Auction, Li Mu quickly channeled his Divine Sense into the bidding token and participated in the bidding for the 16th item, an ancient bronze bell.
When VIP Room Seven participated in the bidding, most of the other bidders were too lazy to compete financially and all gave way.
Ultimately, Li Mu acquired it for three thousand Medium Grade Spirit Stones, picking up a considerable bargain.
...
At Li Mu's summons, Wan'er pushed the door open and entered.
"Senior, how may I assist you?"
After entering, Wan'er skillfully poured a cup of spiritual wine for Li Mu and respectfully asked.
"Can you bring me the spiritual items I bid on? Are they being handed over now?"
"Senior, of course. Wan'er will go and take care of it for you right now!" Wan'er nodded obediently and turned to handle the task for Li Mu, but after taking a few steps, she stopped. She suddenly turned around and looked at Li Mu.
Wan'er's expression was solemn, and she respectfully indicated: "Senior, your participation in this Auction has attracted the attention of VIPs in other private rooms. They are quite curious about your origins and have sent people to investigate you. Manager Lin has suppressed this matter, but you need to be careful!"
"Hmm! I understand. Thank you for your trouble!"
Li Mu's expression was calm; he was well aware of this matter. He nodded and continued to drink his wine.
Wan'er said no more and respectfully exited the room.
On the Auction stage, Manager Lin began to introduce the next Auction item, causing a stir in the Auction hall.
This time, he had indeed attracted too much attention! It went against his usual caution.
Li Mu took a sip of the fine wine in his cup and frowned. Drawing such attention was not his intention.
He had originally planned to bid for the Dragon Transformation Spirit Grass, acquire it, and then leave. He had not expected the quality of the spiritual items at this Auction to be so good. Many things attracted Li Mu, and he was precisely lacking these High Grade spiritual items to bolster his foundation, so how could he miss them!
Li Mu had no choice but to continuously bid, risking exposure of his identity.
Fortunately, the private room was equipped with an array formation that isolated Divine Sense, and with Manager Lin's protection, he was temporarily safe!
"It seems this place is not suitable for long stays!"
Li Mu did not plan to continue bidding. Even if there were more rare treasures later, he could only reluctantly give them up and leave as soon as possible.
If other major forces' Cultivators knew that they had lost to a Nascent Soul Loose Cultivator with no backing in the bidding, they would inevitably be enraged and very likely pursue him!
Adhering to the principle of 'the less trouble, the better,' Li Mu decided to leave immediately after getting his items.
Soon, Wan'er brought all the items Li Mu had bid on.
"Senior, the goods are here. Please check them."
Wan'er placed the Storage Pouch on the table and respectfully stood aside, brewing tea and pouring water.
Li Mu took it and examined it, overjoyed. He took out a Storage Pouch full of Spirit Stones and handed it to her: "These are the Spirit Stones for the spiritual items I purchased. Please check them."
Wan'er excitedly took it and immersed her Divine Sense. Immediately, her 'eyes' were dazzled by the massive mountain of Spirit Stones.
Wan'er took some time to count them and confirmed they were correct. She respectfully looked at Li Mu and indicated: "Senior, the amount is correct!"
Li Mu smiled slightly and gave her a look.
Wan'er immediately knew what to do. She quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.
The room returned to silence, with only Manager Lin's robust and confident voice from the Auction stage outside the window, continuously introducing the next Auction item.
Li Mu set up a protective array and an illusion array in the private room, leaving behind a Puppet Clone, and his true self directly entered the Painting World Treasure Mansion.
Upon entering the Treasure Mansion, Li Mu went straight to the spiritual pond.
The Twin-Horned Azure Moon Flood Dragon was leisurely gnawing on a three-tier fish Yao Beast by the spiritual pond.
The spiritual fish and fish Yao Beasts in the water were all scared and hid everywhere, wishing they could grow two legs and escape to the shore.
"Master!"
Li Mu descended from the sky, and the Twin-Horned Azure Moon Flood Dragon dropped the food in its hand and glided over.
"I brought you some good stuff!"
Li Mu looked at the submissive Twin-Horned Azure Moon Flood Dragon, feeling very satisfied.
Hearing this, the Twin-Horned Azure Moon Flood Dragon was full of doubts. The next second, Li Mu waved a spiritual force, covering his breath, and took out two Net Blood Spirit Zhi from the nine storage spiritual pearl.
Instantly, a thick, foul smell spread for a hundred miles.
The scent of Net Blood Spirit Zhi, which would make ordinary people vomit uncontrollably, instead excited the Twin-Horned Azure Moon Flood Dragon, who stared greedily at the Net Blood Spirit Zhi in Li Mu's hand.
"Master, this is...?"
"Net Blood Spirit Zhi, which has the effect of stimulating ancient Bloodline. The smell of this Spirit Zhi is a bit unpleasant, but consuming it has a certain probability of triggering a hidden Bloodline within your body during your next Breakthrough!" Li Mu said, somewhat disdainfully, as he tossed the Net Blood Spirit Zhi to the Twin-Horned Azure Moon Flood Dragon.
After hearing Li Mu's introduction and sensing the extraordinary nature of the Net Blood Spirit Zhi, the Twin-Horned Azure Moon Flood Dragon's eyes widened, filled with wild joy.
"Thank you, Master, thank you, Master..." The Twin-Horned Azure Moon Flood Dragon repeatedly thanked Li Mu, then raised its Flood Dragon head, closed its eyes, and put the Spirit Zhi into its mouth.
Immediately, a dense blood power spread within the Twin-Horned Azure Moon Flood Dragon's body. Its scales quickly showed faint flickering red light.
The Twin-Horned Azure Moon Flood Dragon couldn't help but let out a comfortable roar, throwing its head back: "This is so comfortable, this feeling is great."
The Twin-Horned Azure Moon Flood Dragon's entire body was covered in red light, its aura steadily rising. A cold, Yin power permeated the surroundings, instantly freezing the ground into ice sculptures.
Seeing this, Li Mu couldn't help but clap his hands on the ground. Earth walls rose from the ground, trapping the Twin-Horned Azure Moon Flood Dragon in a cage. The Fire Phoenix in the Painting World Treasure Mansion danced, transforming into a fire wheel, which landed outside the cage, counteracting the Twin-Horned Azure Moon Flood Dragon's coldness.
"It seems this Net Blood Spirit Zhi is indeed extraordinary."
Li Mu's Face showed joy as he looked at the Twin-Horned Azure Moon Flood Dragon, which was in a deep sleep in Qing Yue, and did not disturb it.
Having tested the efficacy of the Net Blood Spirit Zhi, Li Mu prepared to have Little Gold and Little Wa consume the Net Blood Spirit Zhi first, and then combine it with the Mystic Celestial Beast Transformation Pill, which would greatly increase their chances of Breakthrough.
Subsequently, Li Mu exited the Painting World Treasure Mansion.
Back in the private room, Li Mu looked out the window at the ongoing Auction. The atmosphere was once again heated, with many people fervently participating in the bidding to contend for a six-tier spirit treasure.
Li Mu was preparing to leave midway! (End of Chapter)
