Inside the box room one hundred and one, Chao Chen spoke with absolute certainty. “It really is something good. Buy it. No matter what it is, it is definitely valuable.”
He did not know what the stone truly was but he could feel instinctively that it was extraordinary.
Dian Dian was practically shaking with excitement. “A spatial cornerstone. It is nourishing. It is the greatest nourishment. Wu Bufan, buy it quickly. This cornerstone will expand the inner space. The spiritual fields inside the space are not enough for me to plant all the spirit herbs I want. With this cornerstone, I will finally have enough room to grow more.”
Wu Bufan sat up a little straighter. Chao Chen immediately noticed the shift and asked, “So Dian Dian knows what this treasure is?”
Wu Bufan nodded.
The starting bid for the spatial cornerstone was twenty spirit pearls, each raise no less than one pearl.
“Twenty one pearls.” Chao Lingyue’s voice rang through the auction hall.
Wu Bufan and Chao Chen exchanged a look.
Chao Chen frowned. “Tell me, with her tiny bit of wealth, is she really bidding just for fun?”
“Impossible,” Wu Bufan replied.
Which meant Chao Lingyue knew exactly what the so-called broken stone was.
But how could she know? Even the Heavenly Spirit Treasure Pavilion, with its well informed appraisers and years of accumulated knowledge, had been unable to see through the stone’s mystery.
How could a young lady from a small remote town like Chao Lingyue recognize a spatial cornerstone?
A few people in the hall raised bids casually, merely curious about the mysterious object. But every time someone increased the price, Chao Lingyue followed immediately.
Yu Weijin asked gently, “You recognize that stone?”
Chao Lingyue shook her head. “I simply feel an unusual sense of closeness to it. Perhaps it is something fated to be mine.”
Yu Weijin smiled faintly and did not question her further.
When the price reached thirty five pearls, the bidding slowed and eventually stopped. Chao Lingyue’s rigid shoulders loosened slightly, a faint glimmer of joy appearing in her eyes. Yet in the very next breath she heard an arrogant voice call out:
“Fifty pearls.”
Chao Lingyue’s expression changed at once. She clenched her teeth and countered, “Fifty one pearls.”
The other bidder laughed mockingly. “One hundred pearls. I have plenty of money. I can play this game with you for as long as you like.”
Chao Lingyue’s face went pale. “Who are you, sir? Why are you deliberately making things difficult for me?”
The value of a spatial cornerstone far surpassed one hundred pearls. But with the price being forced upward so abruptly, someone in the crowd might realize its worth and join the competition. If that happened, she would lose any chance of buying it.
“This is an auction. The highest price wins. If you cannot afford it, do not come here. And you think I am targeting you? You are not worthy.”
Her breath hitched in fury. A person could be killed but they could not be humiliated. “Sir, you go too far. Two hundred pearls.”
Yu Weijin paused mid motion with his folding fan, his eyes darkening with interest.
Liu Jiyun’s brows knitted together.
The rival voice spoke again, slow and provoking. “Three hundred.”
“Three hundred and fifty pearls.”
“Four hundred. Keep going if you dare.”
Chao Lingyue trembled from anger. She could not recognize the person behind the voice; it sounded completely unfamiliar.
Inside her heart she asked Fengtian silently, “Could it be Chao Chen? Maybe he recognized my voice and is deliberately opposing me.”
Fengtian replied, “I did not see the person bidding. I cannot see the fate around him. But from the sound of the voice, it should not be him.”
Yu Weijin saw her hesitation. “Do you need my help?”
A hint of hope rose in Chao Lingyue’s chest but outwardly she replied, “Not for now. Thank you, Young Master Yu.”
She had one thousand spirit pearls. But she still needed to buy recovery pills and she needed to prepare enough pearls to bribe people once she entered the Dragonfish Sect. She could not spend too much all at once.
Fengtian said, “If it becomes impossible, you can just offer a spirit stone directly.”
Chao Lingyue already had this in mind. She raised her voice. “Five hundred pearls.”
“Seven hundred pearls.” Another bidder spoke up. Clearly someone else had now become interested in the so-called broken stone.
Chao Lingyue’s face darkened to a deep shade of green.
If not for that earlier meddling voice, she would have secured the spatial cornerstone for thirty five pearls.
She clenched her teeth until her jaw hurt. “Eight hundred pearls.”
“Nine hundred pearls.” A third unfamiliar voice joined in.
Chao Lingyue’s vision darkened. She forced the final bid through gritted teeth.
“One lower grade spirit stone.”
The entire auction hall erupted in uproar.
A single useless looking stone had actually been bid all the way up to the price of one lower grade spirit stone. Unless… could it be that this so-called useless stone truly was some kind of treasure after all?
A faint and unreadable light flickered across Yu Weijin’s eyes as he glanced over at Chao Lingyue.
Even Liu Jiyun, who had been too upset to care about anything else, widened her eyes in shock. She recalled anxiously, “Are you out of your mind? What if you cannot afford it later? If you drag Senior Brother Yu down with you, what will you do?”
Chao Lingyue was already fuming and her voice turned cold. “That will not happen.”
Yu Weijin added calmly, “It is fine. It is only one lower grade spirit stone.”
Liu Jiyun’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Right… Senior Brother Yu, you really are rich and foolish.”
Yu Weijin paused. He knew Liu Jiyun was angry but he did not take it to heart. He simply said, “This matter has nothing to do with you. Do not stir up trouble.”
Liu Jiyun’s eyes instantly reddened.
“Yu Weijin, I am your betrothed. Yet here you are siding with another woman, willing to spend money on her and then you tell me that this has nothing to do with me. Are you doing this deliberately to hurt me? If you truly do not wish to have anything to do with me, then fine, I will go home and ask my grandfather to dissolve our engagement right now!”
Yu Weijin’s eyebrows are knitted. The voices calling out bids rose and fell outside and he had little patience left to coax her. “If you have nothing you plan to bid on, then go back first. Come speak to me after you calm down.”
Liu Jiyun stared at him in disbelief, pupils quivering. “You are chasing me away?”
Yu Weijin did not answer. His silence made his intention clear.
Liu Jiyun shot Chao Lingyue one last glance, bit down hard on her lower lip and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
Chao Lingyue’s mood lifted ever so slightly at the scene, yet she deliberately pretended to be worried. “Is it really alright to let her go back alone?”
Yu Weijin replied in an indifferent tone, “She will be fine. She is always like this.”
He had driven Liu Jiyun away many times before. Every time she threw a tantrum, she would return sticking to him like glue. He had long become accustomed to it, so he hardly gave this matter any thought.
Chao Lingyue pushed down the gloating in her heart and continued bidding. “One lower grade spirit stone and three hundred spirit pearls.”
At such a high price, instead of scaring others away, even more people joined in.
In room 101, Chao Chen and Wu Bufan exchanged looks.
Chao Chen asked anxiously, “Do you think… I should not have provoked Chao Lingyue earlier?”
He had only wanted people to believe he was raising the price because he disliked Chao Lingyue. To hide his identity, he had even altered his voice. But Chao Lingyue’s reaction had been far too obvious.
Wu Bufan rubbed his head reassuringly. “It is fine. We still have the pills.”
Chao Chen’s eyes lit up. He cleared his throat. “Tell me, what pill should I shout out?”
Wu Bufan answered, “Foundation Establishment Pill.”
The Foundation Establishment Pill was one of the most difficult and sought after pills within the entire category of yellow grade pills. Everyone needed to form their foundation. With the help of this pill, the success rate of foundation formation rose significantly.
And an exceptional grade Foundation Establishment Pill could boost one’s chance of success to a staggering eighty percent. For those whose natural aptitude was poor and who faced immense difficulty in forming their foundation, such a pill was practically a lifeline.
Chao Chen adjusted his throat and pressed the auction bell. When he opened his mouth again, he used an arrogant young master’s voice. “One exceptional grade Foundation Establishment Pill. Does anyone wish to compete with me in terms of pills?”
The entire venue fell silent.
An exceptional grade Foundation Establishment Pill represented far more than a pill. It meant the presence of an exceptional grade alchemist behind it. And no one wished to offend an exceptional grade alchemist over a supposedly worthless stone.
In room 104, Yu Weijin’s eyes sharpened.
An exceptional grade Foundation Establishment Pill was even more precious than an exceptional grade Breaking Calamity Pill.
Chao Lingyue was completely stunned. She instinctively reached for the bell but Yu Weijin stopped her.
She turned to him, only to see Yu Weijin slowly shaking his fan and shaking his head. “It is not worth offending an exceptional grade alchemist for a stone.”
Someone who could casually take out an exceptional grade pill was almost certainly supported by an exceptional grade alchemist. And even if that was not the case, such a person must be backed by a powerful force.
Chao Lingyue felt bitter and aggrieved.
That was no stone. That was a spatial cornerstone.
Someone hurried up to the stage and whispered a few words into the auctioneer’s ear.
The auctioneer’s face brightened with joy. “The seller has decided that this item will be sold to room 101.”
With a loud strike of the gavel, the deal was sealed.
Chao Lingyue’s face turned completely dark.
Many people turned to look toward room 101, their expressions filled with speculation.
✦ ✧ ✦
[Translator]
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Dream to RealityChapter 2 · Those who survive a great calamity are destined for good fortuneChapter 3 · Retrieve the tokenChapter 4 · Top-tier alchemistChapter 5 · A cooperative treasure hunt?Chapter 6 · Thousand mile Thundercloud LeopardChapter 7 · Chaotic Strange EntityChapter 8 · Back to Xichuan TownChapter 9 · How could Wu Bufan be stronger than him!Chapter 10 · Wu Bufan possess so many top-grade pills?Chapter 11 · This time, she will not let anyone take what is hers away againChapter 12 · Seize the luckChapter 13 · Mutant Purple Thunder BeastChapter 14 · I’m afraid he’ll get angryChapter 15 · PumiceChapter 16 · Enemies meet on a narrow roadChapter 17 · Becoming Daoist CouplesChapter 18 · Top-grade Calamity-Breaking PillChapter 19 · The amazing effects of top-grade pillsChapter 20 · Basic Body ForgingChapter 21 · One world cannot contain two chosen ones.Chapter 22 · PuppetChapter 23 · AuctionChapter 24 · Space FoundationChapter 25 · Top-grade Foundation Building PillChapter 26 · Increased space areaChapter 27 · The competition BeginChapter 28 · RobbedChapter 29 · Turn Defeat into Victory!Chapter 30 · The Death of Wu KeyuanChapter 31 · BetChapter 32 · Even the way Chao Chen talks is so cuteChapter 33 · Avenge Wu KeyuanChapter 34 · Finding Bodhi Wood at a BargainChapter 35 · Little PuppetChapter 36 · Explosive PillsChapter 37 · I’ll concedeChapter 38 · You are a genius, so your Daoist partner must also be a genius.Chapter 39 · The Third Elder was refused a disciple.Chapter 40 · Has the floating marrow stone secret been exposed?Chapter 41 · How Could There Be Such a Sinister Human!Chapter 42 · The Mutated Mugwort FoxChapter 43 · Wandering the JianghuChapter 44 · Ancient ElixirChapter 45 · I feel like I’m about to be struck by lightning!Chapter 46 · Earth-level Secret RealmChapter 47 · The spot is practically yours.Chapter 48 · His Daoist partner is truly amazing!Chapter 49 · The legacy in the libraryChapter 50 · Dual cultivation techniquesChapter 51 · First genius Ji Pu RanChapter 52 · Shifting the blame eastwardChapter 53 · The little puppet went to run errandsChapter 54 · The Explosive Pill once again demonstrated its power.Chapter 55 · Chao Lingyue’s cultivation levelChapter 56 · Little Money-GrubberChapter 57 · What a venomous mouth!Chapter 58 · Enter the secret realmChapter 59 · A huge windfall fell from the sky.Chapter 60 · The birth of a rare treasureChapter 61 · This alchemy furnace is quite uniqueChapter 62 · The alchemy furnace that walked right into the trapChapter 63 · Xiao Zi’s Self-Rescue GuideChapter 64 · Spirit Field Micro RealmChapter 65 · Someone Planning to Reap the Benefits?Chapter 66 · Are You Lost?Chapter 67 · Chao Chen, Corrupted by the Big Handsome PotChapter 68 · Is Your phoenix Fish Sect Collecting Trash?Chapter 69 · The Death of Hui SipingChapter 70 · No, Junior Brother Chao, Where’s Your Backbone…Chapter 71 · Has His Identity Been Exposed?Chapter 72 · This Child Is Far Too ShrewdChapter 73 · Young people are wonderful. They fall asleep the moment they lie downChapter 74 · Sparrow Alchemist Chao Lingyue?Chapter 75 · The Silver Tongued Chao ChenChapter 76 · What’s the rush? I have moreChapter 77 · Leave the sectChapter 78 · Showing Off on a Grand ScaleChapter 79 · The Sparrow Alchemist Returns to the Martial WorldChapter 80 · Does Junior Brother Chao know about this?Chapter 81 · The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole BehindChapter 82 · So FierceChapter 83 · They’ve been targeted by the local bulliesChapter 84 · The Kid Is Missing?Chapter 85 · A Thing from the Void: SilkChapter 86 · Chao Chen became famousChapter 87 · The Devil MentorChapter 88 · The four little ones went out to gain experienceChapter 89 · The Students Who Were Truly ConvincedChapter 90 · What a Bountiful Harvest!Chapter 91 · No Random KissingChapter 92 · Detoxification PillChapter 93 · Master Wu, your Daoist partner has disappearedChapter 94 · The Demonic ThiefChapter 95 · Fellow Daoist, are you selling this sparrow?Chapter 96 · Unexpected disaster, nothing moreChapter 97 · My Daoist partner was born in the Year of the PigChapter 98 · The Undying Devil ChildChapter 99 · Exotic Treasure! Buddha Flame Glazed Light!Chapter 100 · We stole the Beast Taming Sect’s treasure vaultChapter 101 · Waaaaah… Why is this strange fire so gay?Chapter 102 · The Mysterious Pill – Flower in the MirrorChapter 103 Part 1 · As Expected, You Can’t Produce Different Dreams from the Same Bed…Chapter 103 Part 2 · As Expected, You Can’t Produce Different Dreams from the Same Bed…Chapter 104 Part 1 · Separation and ReunionChapter 104 Part 2 · Separation and ReunionChapter 105 Part 1 · Renowned throughout the continent!Chapter 105 Part 2 · Renowned throughout the continent!Chapter 106 · Chao Chen’s RevengeChapter 107 · The Death of Chao LingyueChapter 108 · A Narcissistic Man or a Great Beauty?Chapter 109 · This Person Has No MannersChapter 110 · The Ancient Spirit Botanical GardenChapter 111 · Thousand-Thread Poison WomanChapter 112 · I am not kindChapter 113 · Are you the most handsome man here?Chapter 114 Part 1 · ReunionChapter 114 Part 2 · ReunionChapter 115 Part 1 · Diandian said that you got it into someone’s stomach yourselfChapter 115 Part 2 · Diandian said that you got it into someone’s stomach yourselfChapter 116 · Central ContinentChapter 116 Part 1 · Central ContinentChapter 117 Part 1 · The Ancient Dao Companion ContractChapter 117 Part 2 · The Ancient Dao Companion ContractChapter 118 · Heaven Above, Dust BelowChapter 118 Part 1 · Heaven Above, Dust BelowChapter 119 · Xiao Chen will also be embarrassedChapter 120 · The moon is so bright tonightChapter 121 Part 1 · Treasure ArrayChapter 121 Part 2 · Treasure ArrayChapter 122 Part 1 · Poisonous MushroomChapter 122 Part 2 · Poisonous MushroomChapter 123 Part 1 · Turmoil at the AuctionChapter 123 Part 2 · Turmoil at the AuctionChapter 124 Part 1 · Advancement! A Nascent Soul Cultivator Reaches the Divine Transformation Realm!…Chapter 124 Part 2 · Advancement! A Nascent Soul Cultivator Reaches the Divine Transformation Realm!…Chapter 125 Part 1 · Xiao Chen Displays His Great Divine Might: Wu Bufan…Chapter 125 Part 2 · Xiao Chen Displays His Great Divine Might: Wu Bufan…Chapter 126 · Ice spirit tower has explodedChapter 127 Part 1 · Meeting an Old Acquaintance AgainChapter 127 Part 2 · Meeting an Old Acquaintance AgainChapter 127 Part 3 · Meeting an Old Acquaintance AgainChapter 128 Part 1 · Being Followed?Chapter 128 Part 2 · Being Followed?Chapter 129 · Magical ArtifactChapter 131 · A Declaration of WarChapter 132 · A chaotic war of words: Friend or foe indistinguishable…Chapter 133 Part 1 · The Royal Grand CompetitionChapter 133 Part 2 · The Royal Grand CompetitionChapter 134 Part 1 · Adults Don’t Make Choices, I’ll Take Them All…Chapter 134 Part 2 · Adults Don’t Make Choices, I’ll Take Them All…Chapter 135 Part 1 · Little Daddy Takes a Bite, Big Daddy’s Form…Chapter 135 Part 2 · Little Daddy Takes a Bite, Big Daddy’s Form…Chapter 136 Part 1 · Where the Wild Geese Fly, Not a Single Feather Left BehindChapter 136 Part 2 · Where the Wild Geese Fly, Not a Single Feather Left BehindChapter 136 Part 3 · Where the Wild Geese Fly, Not a Single Feather Left Behind